WILLIAM GOLDMAN 

He wrote the screenplay of Mr. Movie’s all-time favorite and won an Oscar for it. He won another Oscar for perhaps the finest political movie ever made. And that’s not all William Goldman, who died recently,  accomplished. 
Harper (1966) features Paul Newman as hard-nosed private eye Lew Harper in a convoluted plot about a millionaire who has vanished, either on purpose or not. Janet Leigh is on board as Harper’s ex and Pamela Tiffin, Arthur Hill, Lauren Bacall and Robert Wagner compose a cast that follows the twists and turns better than I did. William Goldman’s noir dialogue is worth the trip. 
Yep, Mr. Movie’s favorite movie is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Chock full of great lines from William Goldman’s pen: “Who are those guys?”, “The fall alone will kill you”, “Think you used enough dynamite, Butch”? “If there aren’t any rules, let’s start the fight,” etc. With two of the handsomest actors ever to grace the silver screen (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) as the principals, a dynamite plot which is by turns funny and suspenseful, this is one fine flick. The scenes about robbing banks in South America where neither speaks Spanish are hysterical. 
As current as today’s newspaper, All The President’s Men (1976) features Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporters who broke open the Watergate story and brought down a president. No, the film doesn’t tell you who Deep Throat was, he’s kept in the shadows. But the gradual development of the story, handled with great skill by screenwriter Goldman, is just really good. Another gold statue for Mr. Goldman!
William Goldman was also a fine novelist, and his creepy novel Magic was made into a creepy thriller in 1978 with a screenplay by himself. Anthony Hopkins plays failing magician Corky Withers. He hits upon a very successful gimmick, a ventriloquist dummy named Fats whose foul language is a hit. It turns out that Withers is really crazy and perhaps kills people. And may it be that Fats is not a dummy? 
The Princess Bride (1987) is a charming fairy tale again adapted by Goldman from his own novel. The film is presented as a story being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his ill grandson (Fred Savage). Robin Wright is the title character, who falls in love with her father’s lowly farmhand Westley (Cary Elwes). He leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry, and the plot thickens, seasoned by encounters with The Dread Pirate Roberts. There are lot of laughs along the way.
And finally, Goldman’s screenplay for Misery (1990) features James Caan as a famous author who slowly recovers from a coma after an accident. He finds himself in a bed in the home of huge fan Kathy Bates. He thinks everything will be fine. It won’t. She is nothing short of a homicidal maniac, willing to keep him forever. He tries various ways to escape and she makes him write the book she wants to read. You will not find the ending here...
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.