In 2000, Bill Maher released a stand-up special with the irresistible title Be More Cynical. There was more than a germ of truth to the title. In order for democracy to flourish we must maintain a principled skepticism about our leaders, the educational system, our foreign policy misadventures and, of...

Flops. Failures. Disasters. Fiascos. John Travolta's filmography. No matter what you call them, box-office bombs are almost invariably the scourge of studio executives, audiences and critics alike. But what about films unfairly slandered by history? What about misunderstood masterpieces that had the misfortune of being ahead of their time?

Those...