Like Superman (able to leap tall buildings in a single bound), director Ang Lee manages to hopscotch between cultures as diverse and varying as contemporary gay cowboys (Brokeback Mountain) and 18th Century British domesticity (Sense and Sensibility) without even breaking a sweat.

Perhaps his greatest film, The Ice Storm, takes place in 1973 suburban Connecticut. Following a family grappling with free love, first love and general drift, The Ice Storm gives the parents and each of the two children the time to develop into interesting and complicated characters who prove to be both endearing and infuriating.

Grade: A

The Ice Storm is currently available.