With her new role in Stranger Things Winona Ryder reminds us why we love her.

The Crucible: This might seem like an odd choice but I LOVE The Crucible. Winona is at her best here playing the crazy and conniving Abigail Williams. In fact she seems to do her best work playing unbalanced characters.

Reality Bites: The epitome of 90’s cool. Reality Bites is a movie packed with quotable lines centering around film maker Lelaina Pierce. Add in Janeane Garofalo and I’m hooked.

Heathers: For the millennials who are unfamiliar Heathers is the original Mean Girls but in this case Cady kills Regina George. “Lick it up baby. Lick. It. Up.”

Black Swain: WR knocked it out of the park in this best picture contender. Her part as an aging ballerina was small but packed a punch.

Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael: One of the more obscure Winona movies from early in her career but it’s definitely worth watching. It was put out the same year Mermaids and Edward Scissorhands so not surprisingly it got slightly overlooked. Keep an eye out for the iconic all black bedroom.

 

 

Beetlejuice: She is the first person to utter the infamous Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice and her character Lydia is the ultimate goth princess. Long live Lydia.

Mermaids: Cher and Christina Ricci join WR in this movie about an unconventional mother of the 1960’s. Ryder brings heart and comedy to her role as the olderst daughter.

Dracula: Another in a series of films during her goth princess period. This was her first major serious movie and director by Francis Ford Coppola guided her to a great performance.

Girl Interrupted: A good movie and Ryder is perfectly cast as the depressed Susanna. Unfortunately for her she was overshadowed by then new comer Angelina Joli who nabbed an Oscar for it.

Little Women: A film version of the classic book comes to life and gave Winona one of her two Oscar nominations. Again this is case where another actress stole the show and Clair Dane’s death scene is the most memorable part of the movie.

 

Honorable Mention: Her TV guest appearances on Friends and Strangers With Candy.

 

P.S.

I didn’t include Edward Scissorhands because I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.