iolayule franzett brianah
Alma Wass
You don't have to care a thing about F1 racing to get caught up in the meditative thrills of Senna, one of the best sports documentaries of all time. Using only archival footage, including visceral, first-person racing footage, the filmmakers bring to life one of racing's greatest legends, Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Shedding light on his unique talents, the way he changed the sport and his tragic death, Senna honours one of the great sportsmen of the twentieth century.
It's 1992 in Singapore. Sixteen-year-old Sandi Tan wrote a script about a young serial killer on a road trip. The film, Shirkers, was shot but was stolen by the film's director, a much older man of mysterious origin before it could be finished. Decades later, in this documentary, Tan finally reunites with the film and tries to piece together the strange history of her cult project and the man who almost destroyed it. Part mystery and part love-song to the cinema, Shirkers defies all expectations as it takes the viewers on an unexpected journey in search of answers.
In bringing to the screen the story of Martin Luther King's march on Selma, director Ava DuVernay never lost sight of King's humanity. While it hits on the civil rights points of the quest to secure equal voting rights in the South, the film also delves into King and his wife, Coretta's relationship. It's in these more intimate and strained moments that the film comes together, suggesting the unique human pressures in leading a civil rights movement and the various ways the American government sought to tear him down.
It's been nearly fifty years since Rocky swept the Oscars and made Stallone a star. It spawned the most successful sports franchises of all time (sorry Mighty Ducks) and has some of the most iconic images in all film history. Even if you think you know all the story beats, the film's popularity endures far beyond its montage sequences; at its heart, it's a fantastic tale of endurance and love, maybe one of the best Hollywood has ever seen.
In Dakar, Senegal, a ghostly presence settles on the city after a migrant ship capsizes off the coast. This unusual supernatural film centers on a love story between Ada and Souleiman and how not even death can't keep them apart. An impressive feature debut from French-Senegalese actress Mati Diop, Atlantics is one of the most eerily beautiful films from the past decade - as the film utilizes the crystalline light of the sea to cast strange shadows, evoking a world beyond life and death.
Bad Genius, a heist-thriller from Thailand, may very well be the most exciting film about cheating on an exam ever put to screen. With compelling characters, breakneck pacing and the suave gusto of an Ocean's movie, Bad Genius defies all expectations you might have about the potential thrills of academic fraud. Filled with twists, turns, and unexpected mishaps, Bad Genius is one of the past decade's most thrilling films.
Set on a muddy, grey farm in Yorkshire, God's Own Country is about the steamy lust between a local farm boy and a Romanian worker. A love story with little pretense of romance, God's Own Country is an unsentimental exploration of an unlikely partnership and the unintended consequences of their relationship. If you thought Call Me By Your Name was too sunny and sweet, this film might be for you.
Directed by one of Korea's greatest filmmakers, Lee Chang-dong, Burning tells the mysterious and ultimately unreliable story of a peculiar love triangle. Class, violence and cultures clash in this moody thriller about a woman who goes missing without a trace, especially as it becomes apparent no one wants to look for her. A stunning and bleak portrait of contemporary Korean life, Burning is a surreal and unsettling journey that isn't afraid to leave the audience hanging. Don't expect any concrete answers though, or you'll walk away disappointed.
At a 1970s inspired dinner party in the Hollywood hills, as friends who haven't seen each other since a terrible accident tore apart their group reunite for the first time in years. A cultish horror thriller, The Invitation explores how grief can manifest in destructive ways, especially in the void of contemporary spiritual scarcity. The less said about the story, the better. The Invitation is a rarefied psychological thriller that sticks with you long after you've seen it.
For blockbuster cinema, there's life before and after Inception. In a cinematic landscape crowded with comic book movies and pre-existing intellectual property, puzzle-master Christoper Nolan dared to introduce an entirely new mind-bending universe with no intentions to expand into a franchise. In this sense, Inception is a unique cinematic experience, a thrilling universe-bending spy thriller that delves deep into the world of dreams. Over ten years after its initial release, it still finds a way to thrill and surprise, even if you know all the beats.
A sports movie that is surprisingly short on sports, Moneyball explores the strategic and game-changing effect of Oakland manager Billy Beane's statistic-forward coaching technique and its impacts on baseball. Sound boring? Well, it's not. Bennett Miller, who also directed Capote and Foxcatcher, has a keen understanding that obsession translates well to the big screen. Moneyball is not just a film about baseball. It's about losing yourself in an idea so profoundly at odds with the world around you that it might break you.
When Ridley Scott imagined the future (which, set in 2019, is now the past), it was crowded, smoggy and violent. A film noir-inspired cyberpunk thriller, Blade Runner's enduring popularity is well-earned. Its action set-pieces stand-up remarkably well and its deeply psychological investigation into what it means to be human resonates even more deeply in a world controlled by algorithms and artificial intelligence. Blade Runner might feel homework, but it's anything but.
Few directors have the consistency of Nancy Meyers or the same passion for beautifully garish catalogue ready kitchens. With It's Complicated, Meyers unites Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, a long-divorced couple who rediscover the sexual spark that seemed otherwise long-lost. Of course, though, things are complicated; both characters have moved onto new relationships, and the conflicts that lead to their divorce in the first place are unresolved. It's Complicated works because of it's excellent cast and the fact that most rom-coms ignore the love and sex lives of anyone over 35, helping this film stand out all the more.
What if The Scarlet Letter was set in an American high school circa 2010? That's the basic premise of Easy A, the wicked teen comedy starring Emma Stone about a teen girl who uses rumours to raise her social standing. As far as teen comedies adapting classic lit go, Easy A is easily one of the best, mostly thanks to its witty script and charming cast.
No teen film released in the 21st century has had a cultural impact as Mean Girls. Adapted from a self-help book called "Queen Bees and Wannabes," Mean Girls explores the politics and tensions of high school cliques - in particular - the so-called Mean Girls. Looking back on the film, it's incredible how many of its stars have gone on to become among the most desirable and esteemed actors of our generation, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried in particular. Funny, dark and timeless, Mean Girls captures the angst and anxiety of high school like few other films ever have.
Dope is set in a tough Los Angeles neighbourhood, Malcolm (Shameik Moore, who is also the voice of Miles in Into the Spiderverse) and his group of nerdy friends have big ambitions to get into a good school and leave this life behind. A series of complicated misunderstandings leave them in possession of expensive drugs, and if they don't sell, they might not make it out of high school alive. With lots of fourth wall breaks, fun needle drops and full-on 1990s nostalgia, Dope is a brisk comedy thriller that's high on charm.
Step aside, Marvel, V for Vendetta is far more deserving of any comic-book adaptation accolades. Surprisingly, it's been over fifteen years since the film was released, and it somehow feels more relevant now than it did before. Adapting a graphic novel by Alan Moore, V for Vendetta is set in a dystopian future where the UK has become a fascist state. The mysterious V, dubbed a terrorist by the government, works to inspire a revolution to overthrow a totalitarian leadership.
David Fincher is probably best known for his serial killer thrillers like Se7en, Zodiac and Gone Girl. Especially in retrospect, this affinity for sociopathy made him an especially apt filmmaker to tackle the life story of Mark Zuckerberg and the birth of Facebook. If you remember anything about The Social Network release, the very idea of a "Facebook movie" seemed ridiculous. A decade later, though, the film is a harsh indictment of social media culture and a potently vicious portrait of it's most charmless overlord.
Do you really need someone to explain why The Godfather is one of the greatest films ever made? Suppose you've been living under a rock on a planet far, far away, somewhere in another galaxy. In that case, The Godfather trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola is the story of an Italian crime family that equally chronicles the changing morals and values of American society. The trilogy stars many of the greatest actors of all time, including Al Pacino, Marlon Brando and Robert Deniro, arguably, their greatest roles.
It's a testament to Bradley Cooper's talents as a director that the fifth adaptation of A Star is Born (if you count What Price Hollywood? (1933), which served as the direct inspiration for the original 1937 film) still manages to connect with an audience. Cooper and Lady Gaga have incredible chemistry as the two lovelorn musicians are doomed to swap social positions as one ascends to fame in the shadow of the other's descent. While undeniably modern in its style and rhythms, the film captures old Hollywood melodramas' intensity, making this film an instant classic for fans of romantic tearjerkers.
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