Kimberly Peirce

"Stop-Loss," Peirce's long-awaited follow-up to her 1999 film "Boys Don't Cry," tells the story of a decorated American soldier ordered back to Iraq.

MY FIVE MOST IMPORTANT MOVIES

1. "The Godfather, Parts I & 2." A fascinating view of how power corrupts.
2. "The Grand Illusion." A heartbreaking story about camaraderie and the wastefulness of war.
3. "Notorious." A woman sacrifices her life to prove her love. Perfect filmmaking, and a great love story.
4. "Ugetsu Monogatari." A film that shows we can be seduced away from what we love, and realize it too late.
5. "An Inconvenient Truth." By turning Al Gore's global-warming lectures into a movie, it created international awareness about one of the most significant issues facing humanity.

A FILM YOU ALWAYS RETURN TO: "The Battle of Algiers ." Contains one of the most electrifying scenes ever put to film: Algerian women, dressed as French, head into the city with bombs hidden beneath their skirts.

A FILM YOU'D WANT YOUR KIDS TO WATCH: "Hidden Fortress." A story of love, honor and duty, which inspired "Star Wars."

© 2008