The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Director Frank Darabont's powerful adaptation of a novella by Stephen King stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, a Portland, Maine, banker wrongly convicted of killing his wife and her lover in 1947. Sentenced to two life sentences in New England's brutal Shawshank Prison, Dufresne learns to maintain hope in the most hopeless of circumstances with the help of fellow lifer "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman)...and a little rock hammer. An initial box-office disappointment, the classic prison drama has gone on to become a home media hit. Co-stars James Whitmore, William Sadler, Bob Gunton. 142 min. C/Rtg: R

The Green Mile (1999)

This superlative adaptation of Stephen King's magical realism novel by "The Shawshank Redemption" scripter/director Frank Darabont boasts Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, the head guard in a Louisiana prison's death row in the 1930s who discovers that kindly--and giant--convicted murderer John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) possesses supernatural healing and empathetic powers. David Morse, James Cromwell, Bonnie Hunt, Doug Hutchison, and Michael Jeter co-star. 188 min. C/Rtg: R

Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1.