Finals are almost done, which means you’ll suddenly find yourself with loads of free time. Why not catch up on some cinematic classics? We’ve put together this list of 50 films we recommend giving a watch over the break. Some of them are well-known, others not so much. They aren’t necessarily the best films of all time, but they’re all ones we think are worth seeing.
You can find them on Netflix, whether it’s Canadian or American, buy them digitally on iTunes or find them physically elsewhere. Some of them may even be up for rent at The Lobby, one of Edmonton’s last video stores.
Moneyball
Moneyball is lauded by baseball fans as one of the best sports films ever created. Its depiction of the inner workings of a Major League Baseball franchise is fascinating for baseball nerds who enjoy learning the intricacies of what goes on behind the scenes in a professional front office. What makes this movie excellent for anybody, even those who are put to sleep by the idea of watching baseball, is a quick and engaging script carried out with excellent and genuine performances from the leads all the way down to the support characters. This movie, while about a baseball team, is mainly about how being determined and neurotic can lead to success in whatever you do.
If you’re feeling burnt out and you don’t want to keep going on that school grind anymore, Moneyball provides an excellent boost of adrenaline that should help you get through these last few weeks before Christmas break. Maybe it’ll even give you a brand new appreciation for the wonderful sport of baseball, which is a blessing in itself. — Cam Lewis
Akira
If you enjoy anime, or hell, animated movies in any capacity, Akira is a must-watch. The film, which is an adaptation of the graphic novel by Katsuhiro Otomo, is based in 2019 Neo Tokyo after World War III, highlighting the quagmire of life in a futuristic military state. Tetsuo, a teenage member of a punk motorcycle gang, stumbles upon psychic abilities after accidentally uncovering a highly controversial government secret.
The most enjoyable part of this film is the tremendously impressive visual effects and use of sound. While visually stimulating, Akira also utilizes Japanese percussion to build suspense, and then absolute dead silence during key points of the film. The visual techniques are regarded as a landmark in not only the growth of anime, but animated film all together, while the use of sound and the style in which the visuals are portrayed have been influential in the development of films like The Matrix, The Iron Giant, and Looper. Even if you aren’t interested in the dystopian science fiction element of Akira, it’s worth a watch for the impressive visuals and sound editing. — Cam Lewis
Bring it On: All or Nothing
There’s no question that Bring it On was iconic – the cheerleading movie from 2000 was the penultimate teen movie. It had cute people, cool outfits (considering Y2K fashion) and a bitchin’ soundtrack. Itwas so popular that it spawned 4 more films in the franchise, none of which were particularly excellent. Except the third in the saga, All or Nothing.
The plot boils down to rich girl Britney, whose dad loses his job and relocates the family from a bougie suburb to Crenshaw Heights — which is full of people referred to as “ghetto.” White girl Britney struggles to fit in at her new school until Queen of Crenshaw Camille, played by Solange Knowles, lets her join the cheerleading team. Like every Bring it On movie, they end up trying to defeat the other teams. But this time, the stakes are higher. They’re competing to get computers for their inner city school as well as appearing in a Rihanna music video. The movie has everything; love, betrayal, Hayden Panettiere trying to act black (which hasn’t well) and a “Pon de Replay”-era Rihanna cameo. It’s so bad, it’s great. — Kieran Chrysler
Saved!
Before there was Juno, there was Saved! Saved! is an indie movie about a girl at an extremely Christian high school who gets pregnant while trying to “de-gay” her figure skating, Jesus-loving boyfriend. The film chronicles her pregnancy from conception to birth, which coincidentally happens when she’s graduating high school.
While it’s mainly about the failure of abstinence-only education, it’s also about a group of people who have their faith challenged by circumstance. Macaulay Culkin plays a disabled kid who resents his wheelchair, Jena Malone is punished with pregnancy after she felt she was helping her gay boyfriend, and Eva Amurri is a Jewish girl stuck with the crazy Christians.
There’s a lot going on in Saved!, and while it seems like a Christian movie about the dangers of premarital sex, it’s actually a feel-good movie about feeling like an outsider. — Kieran Chrysler
Persepolis
Want to pretend you actually picked up a book this reading week? Pick up the film version of Persepolis and not only will you be able to trick your mom into thinking you read a book, but you’ll also be learning about the Iranian Revolution via cartoon.
Persepolis is an animated adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name. It’s the autobiography of Marjanne Satrapi, an Iranian woman who was five years old when the Shah was overthrown in 1979. It chronicles her growing up in a country with intense civil unrest and coping with the losses associated with that.
The film is done in the exact same style as the graphic novel, and is almost exact in its retelling so you can talk confidently about the themes with your literary friends. But honestly, the book is also excellent, so read it sometime, okay? — Kieran Chrysler
Wet Hot American Summer
Were you confused when everyone was obsessed with the Netflix series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp? Have no fear, you have time to get caught up.
Wet Hot American Summer is basically the penultimate summer movie. It’s a satire about a group of kids at a Jewish summer camp. The storylines are completely ridiculous, the acting can be even more insane, but it’s ultimately hilarious to watch because almost all of the relatively unknown at the time actors are now huge stars. Watch Bradley Cooper play an in-the-closet teen! Watch Paul Rudd play a character other than cool dad! Watch Elizabeth Banks be hot!
If you haven’t watched the Netflix series yet, in which ALL the original actors come back as their same roles, watch the movie. Then binge the series, of course. There’s a lot of hidden Easter Eggs in the series that you wouldn’t catch without having seen the movie. — Kieran Chrysler
Everything Must Go
If you’ve never seen Will Ferrell in something other than an Apatow movie, watch Everything Must Go.
Ferrell plays an alcoholic who relapses hard and ends up losing his job, wife and life. He ends up holding a massive yard sale where he attempts to sell all of his belongings so he can leave and start over. He enlists a neighbourhood kid to help him get rid of his belongings in exchange for teaching him how to play baseball.
The movie is mostly surprising, as it’s rare to see Ferrell play a character that isn’t a man-child. The acting is excellent, making the depressing content worth watching. — Kieran Chrysler
Nymphomaniac Parts 1 and 2
Nymphomaniac is five hours of artistic porn. There’s no simulated sex: every erotic scene was filmed with porn actors whose genitals were superimposed onto those of the dramatic cast (which includes Shia LaBeouf and Stacy Martin) to create genuine sex scenes. Typical of a Lars von Trier film, Nymphomaniac is a dark, psychological drama that explores the grasp of depression on the protagonist’s life. This work in particular follows nymphomaniac Joe’s entire sexual history, which moves from a world of pleasant spontaneity into one of violent BDSM and crime. The physically-charged scenes are all so enticing yet disturbing that you won’t want to take a break.
Besides being visually and dramatically shocking, Nymphomaniac is amazing to watch because of the strikingly different way it handles sex. Instead of having it augment the narrative, sex is the narrative. For a more immersive experience, watch with a vibrator. — Jamie Sarkonak
It’s Such Beautiful Day
From the creator of 2007 YouTube’s Rejected Cartoons, It’s Such a Beautiful Day follows a stickman named Bill. His somewhat linear story starts out strange and progressively diverges as his life is taken over by memory and psychological problems.
The monotone-voiced narrator says things like this, for example, all in one scene: “Bill picked up his medication, went home and masturbated for 7 hours … Everyone in the supermarket looked like some sort of demon … His body felt sparkly.”
Scenes are just as erratic: fish grow out of stickman heads, stickman necks grow long enough to reach outer space. But there are also regular scenes where Bill the stickman vacuums his living room, contemplating life. It’s one of those films where you wonder if the creator was on acid the whole time.
You’ll struggle to understand what’s going on, but that’s the point of the film — Bill the stickman has a hard time understanding himself. Maybe it’s just experimental animation, or maybe it’s meant to represent the chaotic absence of directionality characteristic of 21st century life. Either way, it’s nonsensically beautiful. — Jamie Sarkonak
Her
I can’t stand most movies about relationships (so most movies out there) because they have a very predictable and unrealistically happy arc. It’s annoying to see every romantic plot device unfold perfectly for the 600th time.
Her is a different type of romance. It follows the relationship of a slightly awkward lonely writer of love letters and his smart, funny and curious operating system. Even though it takes place in a futuristic world that has engineered artificial intelligence, Her stays completely focused on the relationship’s development. She’s always learning about science, philosophy and her own existence as an OS. He becomes less lonely and more narcissistic.
The film follows the couple beyond their honeymoon phase into the slow and numbing stagnation typical of long term relationships — something that’s rare in film. Even though it doesn’t create the warm and fuzzy feeling you’ve probably gotten used to, it does create emotional depth.
Besides that, Her is also very aesthetically pleasing, with lots of warm and saturated images. You wouldn’t have expected it from Spike Jonze, the infamous director of the Jackass series, but he wrote and directed Her to near perfection. Not a lot of works try to show that what is melancholy can also be beautiful, but this film does an excellent job. — Jamie Sarkonak
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance is a documentary detailing the events of the Oka Crisis in which a land dispute between Mohawks and town councillors of Oka, Quebec culminated in thousands of warriors standing off against thousands of soldiers and police.
The conflict starts in the colonial period. According to the film, the Mohawk land known as Kanehsatake was granted to the Sulpician order by the French king in the early 18th century. Power shifted to the British and, as JR Miller writes, “repeated requests” to recognize Mohawk land rights on Kanehsatake “were ignored or evaded by government,” allowing Oka to make the argument that the land was municipal property to develop.
The ensuing dispute involved blocked roads, riots rife with racism and at least two deaths. Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, working for the National Film Board, represents various aboriginal perspectives and skillfully crafts a story from interview and action-driven footage. A sense of injustice pervades the film as the Canadian military behaves brutishly, as does a sense of needlessness: one speculates how differently the town of Oka would have approached the entire situation from the beginning if the land designated for development was not even necessarily owned, but claimed to have been owned by white people.
Kanehsatake is an powerful film documenting a conflict that’s been taking place for longer than 270 years. That being said, the film is a biased means of determining the legal arguments that motivated the Oka crisis. — Josh Greschner
You can watch the full film on the National Film Board website.
Stranger Than Paradise
Two loafing gamblers who wear fedoras (which would probably bear the same connotation in 1984 as it does now) partake in uneventful misadventures involving empty movie theatres, horse races and Cleveland.
The plot plays out at a glacial pace, but the pervading drab nihilism of the black and white colour scheme makes for unexpectedly hilarious deadpan moments. With a sitcom ending, the movie is as hypnotic as it is entertaining.
The film also presents pieces of the immigrant narrative as the dour main character Willie’s occasionally hostile behaviour and his revelling in American superficialities such as football, TV dinners and cheap beer reveal a more profound and meaningful Americanism: the denial of a pre-immigrant life.
Stranger Than Paradise is a light-hearted interpretation of the modern condition anticipating both 90s films depicting suburbia and indie film’s popularity surge. Millenials will relate. — Josh Greschner
30 Century Man
Scott Walker was a crooning 60s teen idol before going solo and maturing near the end of the decade. His range of musical influence broadened and he wrote his own original compositions, yet audiences lost interest after four albums. Walker released music sporadically over the following decades before emerging from seclusion as a nonpareil avant-garde musician with the albums Tilt in 1995 and The Drift in 2006.
30 Century Man, named after one of Walker’s songs, traces the artist’s evolution. The documentary dispels myths about Walker by interviewing him as a central subject while demonstrating his influence through interviews with Radiohead, Damon Albarn, Brian Eno and David Bowie. The film’s most interesting moments are glimpses into Walker’s studio process that involves meticulously searching for sounds; Walker directs a percussionist to scrape a garbage can across a wooden box and how to punch a raw slab of meat. Late career, Walker doesn’t write songs so much as create haunting atmospheres for cryptic poems sung in an operatic baritone.
30 Century Man is a proper introduction to one of pop’s most enigmatic figures. If you’re seduced into his world, the trajectory of Scott Walker’s work is an exhilarating musical journey. — Josh Greschner
Ryan
The 13-minute Ryan centers around Oscar-nominated animator Ryan Larkin, who left the National Film Board after developing addictions and spent the last few decades of his life living on Montreal’s streets. Filmmaker Chris Landreth animates himself into a documentarian interviewing Larkin.
Ryan is clearly influenced by Larkin’s visual style. Larkin made a series of short experimental films for the NFB in which animated figures walk, run, expand, contract, burst and regenerate in a sort of psychedelic liquidity. Landreth’s film uses vivid colour and exaggerated character features to represent emotional states — Landreth’s character is scarred with colour while Larkin appears as little more than glasses, a section of face and a tuft of hair. Yet the film is fundamentally realist. Landreth, if not having invented a style filmmaking, has integrated genres to create a singular film. Ryan won the 2004 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
Larkin’s story could be presented as a feature length film (as other filmmakers have done), but the 13-minute version deserves multiple viewings. Ryan is also an excellent primer for audiences new to the National Film Board. — Josh Greschner
You can watch the full film on the National Film Board website.
Jodorowsky’s Dune
One of the best movies made about a movie that never actually was, Jodorowsky’s Dune looks back at the efforts of off-the-wall Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky after he was handed the reigns of one the most popular sci-fi franchises that had yet to be adapted to film: Dune. The end result would’ve been epic, but financial, technological, and time constraints meant that the movie as Jodorowsky saw it was never made. This documentary is a fascinating look into the mind of one of the most innovative filmmakers you’ve probably never heard of. Definitely a must watch for any sci-fi buff out there. — Zach Borutski
Superbad
I don’t think I’ve met a single person that hasn’t seen Superbad less than twice. That being said, those same people never seem to be opposed to revisiting it whenever the mood takes them. One of the most relatable movies on this list, mostly because it mostly focuses on teenagers trying to get laid (something we’re all not that far removed from), Superbad may appear to be your run-of-the-mild raunchy comedy, but actually hides a very sincere heart beneath its exterior. The relationship between main characters Seth and Evan ground the movie even in its most absurd moments. It’s a great modern coming-of-age tale. — Zach Borutski
Spirited Away
Spirited Away is a great film from Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese director who can do no wrong when it comes to animated films. Already boasting films like My Neighbour Totoro, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Kiki’s Delivery Service in his catalogue before the release of Spirited Away, Miyazaki fans had high expectations for this film. They weren’t disappointed. The film follows a young girl who is transported to a mystical spirit world and her quest to reunite with her parents who have been turned into pigs. The premise may sound silly, but the film endures with memorable characters, great music, and beautiful animation all tied together to create a masterpiece. A must watch for anyone who’s a fan of Manga, and really, anyone who just likes really good films. — Zach Borutski
The Motorcycle Diaries
I wish there were travel movies that didn’t devolve into raunchy, brainless comedies. Don’t get me wrong; there are times where we all need a raunchy, brainless comedy. But there’s more to travel than that. The Motorcycle Diaries examines how we grow as people when we travel, following a medical student and his biochemist friend across 1952 South America.
The medical student is Ernesto Guevara, who would later become famous as Marxist revolutionary – and angsty teenage t-shirt icon – Che Guevara. The Motorcycle Diaries is based on the memoir he wrote about his voyage. Although there are scenes that depict events that led to his communist views, the film never gets preachy or self-referential.
They encounter many hardships, and people facing worse hardships than they do, but it never gets too dark. The film incorporates lots of humour, as the two friends joke about their situations. Their motorcycle is on the verge of falling apart from the start of the voyage, but the film holds together. It’s one to watch if you want something light that still has some depth. — Kevin Schenk
Che
After seeing The Motorcycle Diaries, why not continue with Che? Che is a two-part biopic about the revolutionary directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Benicio del Toro. I don’t know why it’s often forgotten, but it may be because it’s in Spanish.
I have to confess that I’ve only seen the first part, but the second is on my list. The first, at least, focuses on the Cuban revolution. Che transitions between black and white footage of post-revolution Che presenting to the United Nations in New York to colour footage of the revolution. It makes the scenes in New York look like real documentary footage, and it’s a great visual technique to contrast the revolutionary with the politician.
The film goes into great detail to show not just the battles and military strategies, but the daily lives of the revolutionaries. Soderbergh manages to make us feel like we’re really in the jungle, and makes us feel the impact of each lost revolutionary life. Put your personal politics aside and check out this historical biopic. — Kevin Schenk
The Man From Nowhere
Korean culture has received a lot of attention recently thanks to the growing popularity of K-Pop. But did you know they also make a shitload of great films there, with production values that often exceed that of Hollywood movies? Yes, I get it, you’ve seen Old Boy and were incredibly disturbed. But there’s more than that.
It’s hard not to spoil The Man From Nowhere, so just know that the basic premise revolves around a mysterious, solitary man whose only friend is a little girl. She gets kidnapped by gangsters. What follows is a murderous rampage of well shot and choreographed fight scenes.
Almost every character is memorable in some way, and the film is beautifully shot. It did extremely well in the box office, and earned a host of awards and nominations. You won’t regret checking it out. — Kevin Schenk
New World
Think gangsters, and you probably think of the Italian-American mob, Japan’s Yakuza, Hong Kong’s Triads, or even post-Soviet Russia. But if you’ve been pining for great modern gangster films, check out some of what Korea’s offering. New World is one recent example, starring three big Korean actors including Choi Min-sik, the lead actor from Old Boy.
The film revolves around an undercover cop infiltrating a highly corporate Korean crime syndicate trying to select an heir. It’s part-Departed, part-Godfather, part-Goodfellas, and it all comes together to make a unique crime thriller that you likely haven’t seen yet.
Apparently it’s the start of a planned trilogy. I can’t wait for them to make the rest. — Kevin Schenk
Lord of War
Think Nicolas Cage and you probably think of over-acting, shitty movies and the bees, oh god, not the bees. So it’s understandable that a film not only starring Cage as an international arms dealer, but also narrated by him sounds hilariously bad. But it’s actually pretty great.
Lord of War follows Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian-American arms dealer, as he negotiates deals in dangerous third-world countries while evading Interpol with his brother, played by Jared Leto. It’s not based on any one true story, but the film draws inspiration from and refers to many real events.
The film’s subject matter is dark, but Cage’s fortunately-not-cheesy narration and a dose of humour keep it from being depressing. — Kevin Schenk
Hard Boiled
Ever think of how cool action movies are, with cool guys in trench coats leaping through doorways shooting with two guns at the same time? Then it’s time to find out where all of that comes from: Hong Kong director John Woo.
Enter Hard Boiled, the last John Woo film from Hong Kong before he moved to Hollywood to make a bunch of forgettable movies and Face/Off. It stars Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, two of Hong Kong’s most well-known actors.
The story doesn’t really matter; it’s the action that shines, and the gun-fu that influenced everything from Tarantino to The Matrix. A lot of scenes will seem oddly familiar. That’s because you’ve seen them reimagined dozens of times. — Kevin Schenk
Drug War
Hong Kong cinema is most famous for the period in the 80s and 90s, where martial arts and action crime movies (see: John Woo) dominated. But let’s not get blinded by nostalgia. There are still great movies coming out. Johnnie To is one filmmaker still producing gold, which has gained him a cult following including Quentin Tarantino.
Drug War is a 2012 crime drama set in China. It focuses on a police unit trying to bring down a meth-smuggling ring by using a gang member condemned to death. It’s dark, moody and atmospheric throughout.
Just don’t go in expecting dudes in trenchcoats jumping through windows with doves flying everywhere. There’s not much action until the very end, but that’s not the point of this film. — Kevin Schenk
Ronin
Did you know that there’s a 1998 action film starring Robert De Niro and Jean Reno that’s actually pretty good? Probably not, because everyone forgets about Ronin. But it’s one of my favourite movies to just put on when I don’t know what I feel like watching. It’s also one of the last action movies made before all action started getting shot with super-tight angles and shaky cameras.
Ronin revolves around a group of guns-for-hire tracking down a MacGuffin — sorry, tracking down a briefcase. But I’ve forgotten most of the plot, even though I’ve seen it many times, so that’s definitely not why you’re watching it. Instead, watch it for the action, intrigue, and two great, realistic car chases.
Ronin works as a great end to an era of action films that often look cheesy and oddly-filmed when we look back (see: anything involving Pierce Brosnan). — Kevin Schenk
Like Mike
If you came to The Gateway’s screening of Space Jam in November, you definitely need to follow it up with Like Mike. A pair of magic basketball shoes and Lil’ Bow Wow makes for the perfect nostalgic study break. Like Mike offers a textbook feel-good storyline: an exploited orphan finds an old pair of basketball shoes at a thrift store and winds up getting signed by the fictional Los Angeles Knights in the NBA at age 14.
Calvin goes from selling chocolate bars to flying on private jets and living with his favourite fictional basketball player, Tracy Reynolds. Don’t be fooled, though; with NBA Productions footing the bill, Like Mike features plenty of cameos from the NBA’s biggest stars, including Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.
Plus, if you’re wishing for a 4.0 this semester, watching Like Mike again will make you believe that anything is possible. — Beth Mansell
The Imitation Game
This is hands down Beezlebub Crackermunch’s best movie to date. If you like him in Sherlock, you’ll love him in The Imitation Game. Based on the biography of Alan Turing, this movie takes a look at the real life cryptanalyst in 1939 Britain.
Not only does this movie brilliantly portray the work of those deciphering the Nazi Enigma machine, it also focuses on Turing’s life as a closet homosexual man in the 1930s and 40s.
This movie takes on a lot of complicated subject matter: LGBT rights, women’s contributions to early math and science technology, and the portrayal of someone on the autism spectrum. It’s a complex yet fascinating story about the real Turing whose ideas contributed to the development of whatever you’re reading this on today. If you enjoy heavy action battle movies that imply soldiers on the frontlines won the war, this movie is not for you. This film aims to show that there’s always another side to the story, and in this case it was hard data and technology that overcame the Nazis. — Beth Mansell
Bridge of Spies
If you want to watch a Tom Hanks movie over the break that isn’t The Polar Express, Bridge of Spies is the way to go. Hanks plays James Donovan, an insurance lawyer in 1957 New York City who is somehow asked to take on the case of a suspected KGB spy. At the height of the Cold War, Bridge of Spies was the colloquial name of the Glienecke bridge spanning East and West Berlin where the movie eventually takes us to. The cinematic portrayal of East Berlin is hauntingly well done.
While the back-channel exchanges may seem unrealistic, Hanks does well to bring an optimistic tone to the cynical Cold War backdrop. This film embraces the world of espionage while also uncovering the theme of moral decency between two polarized ideological beliefs. Like a typical Spielberg movie, Bridge of Spies is confident and engaging and will likely become another Tom Hanks legacy performance. — Beth Mansell
Air Bud
Air Bud is the lovable story about some kid that doesn’t have a dad gaining confidence through playing basketball with a beautiful golden retriever. The dynamic duo joins the school’s basketball team and have they the time of their lives. It’s a great and uplifting film, but let’s focus on what really matters: the dog is really cute.
That said, the best way to enjoy the Air Bud series is by thinking about the kid who was cut from the team in favour of a dog and how that may have played out for him, how his parents may have reacted, the inevitable lawsuit that followed, and how it divided the town in regards to human and animal rights. — Cam Lewis
The Mighty Ducks
“Goldberg!”
Anyone who doesn’t know this quote should go watch The Mighty Ducks immediately. The story is textbook, but also great: a formerly jaded lawyer who’s only desire in life is to win (played expertly by Emilio Estevez) takes the reigns of the local hockey team, and transforms them from zeros to heros. The characters are unforgettable, the hockey action is hilarious and enjoyable, and the final showdown between Coach Bombay and his former peewee coach is a great and surprisingly tense way to end the movie. Go watch this if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to use a triple deke at any opportunity. — Zach Borutski
Taken
Everybody jokes about this movie — all of Liam Neeson’s ridiculous one-liners, like “she’s been taken,” and the cheesy and predictable plot — but it’s actually really fun to watch. I mean, yeah, it literally is THE generic action/adventure film, but that isn’t a bad thing. — Cam Lewis
Mad Max: Fury Road
All of you know how good this movie is, so I won’t take up that much of your time explaining why you should watch it. Tom Hardy takes over the role of Max Rockatansky in what is essentially a two-hour long car chase masquerading as a movie. Explosions, spectacular fight scenes, and a man with a guitar that doubles as a flamethrower make this movie a must watch if you’ve got a couple of hours to kill. — Zach Borutski
American Beauty
Back in 1999, American Beauty was a fresh, unique and somewhat revolutionary dramatic comedy that painted a disturbingly accurate representation of the depressing reality of the American middle class. In 2015, this concept has certainly been beaten to death, but American Beauty has stood the test of time, and nobody has been able to do it as well as Kevin Spacey and crew did.
The film revolves around Lester Burnham (Spacey), a middle-aged man living with his perfectionist, workaholic wife and insecure, alienated teenage daughter, working a monotonous office job to the point of feeling “sedated” — all the makings of a typical dysfunctional family social commentary. Lester breaks out of his funk when he develops an attraction to his daughter’s friend Angela, which prompts him to quit his job, start working out in his garage, and smoke weed. It’s not the perfect movie by any means; it’s a little cheesy and oddly direct with it’s message, but it’s a classic, and it may change the way you view things on a day to day basis. — Cam Lewis
Game five of the 2015 ALDS — Jays vs. Rangers
The last time I cried in public before Jose Bautista’s home run was when my teacher read Old Yeller to my grade five class. Watch this marathon game if you want to understand why people love baseball. — Zach Borutski
Digimon: The Movie
Digimon was, and still is, a great show. The best part about this movie is that it’s essentially three episodes of the show stretched into a movie that’s 97 minutes long. I’ll take that any day of the week. — Zach Borutski
Tyson
He was, without question, the baddest man on the planet. For those too young to remember, Mike Tyson was a real-life superhero. He embodied an action figure and teenage phenom who rose up the boxing ranks as quickly as his lightning-fast hook. Maybe even too quickly for his own good.
The film details a destructive 20-something-year-old Tyson as he effortlessly ripped through the heavyweight division’s contenders. But the sensational slugger was fighting another exhausting foe — his brutish inner demons. Tyson isn’t as idealistically interesting or as witty with his words as Muhammad Ali, but his violent struggle with drugs, drinking and criminal past provides a raw punch to this sports documentary.
He’s more than “that guy with a tattoo on his face that bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997.” Tyson is a candid and genuine story about a suffered soul, whose abused and abusive past delivers a knockout film, for boxing fans or not. — Richard Catangay-Liew
Dragons Forever
The final bout between Jackie Chan and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez is worth it alone. — Richard Catangay-Liew
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of ‘F’
The Dragon Ball series follow a predictable, yet wildly entertaining, formula every saga: Earth’s heroes encounter a strange, new powerful foe (who easily pummels either Yamcha or Krillin), then as they are about to destroy the planet after announcing their diabolical plan for control of the universe (who saw that coming!?), Goku finally arrives out of nowhere (after a 15-episode build up) via Instant Transmission, who unveils some new ultra powerful form or technique, and tears the villain to shreds with a Spirit Bomb (which takes another five episodes), while sparing his combatant’s life, thus saving the world.
Not with these two films.
How many times has Super Super Saiyan 1, 2, 3, 4 (let’s forget that ever happened) and Legendary Super Saiyan transformations been used as a new way to achieve victory? True, these two DBZ installations introduce unseen levels of Saiyan ascension (with new spiky hair of course), but even that overused cliché might not make Goku the strongest in the Dragon Ball universe. Hell, maybe not even the second strongest.
The second of the films revives the series’ most well-developed and hated (yet loved) villain in beautiful CG effects and animations, adding a punch of nostalgia in a new, edgy form. The two films will appease both Dragon Ball purists and newcomers, so long as they love overwhelmingly flashy martial arts slugfests.
Oh, and you also get to watch Vegeta sing karaoke. — Richard Catangay-Liew
Fist of Legend
Forget the unrealistic flying fight scenes with majestic, choreographed and wired stunt-doubles in martial arts epics. The aptly named Fist of Legend favours traditional and realistic Kung Fu matches, giving a most proper remake of 1972’s Fists of Fury, which starred the late Bruce Lee.
The bone-breaking, high-octane action fuelled by rival Japanese and Chinese camps provides a dramatic and racially tense backdrop in arguably Jet Li’s best — and most violent — film. The conflict between the Japanese and Chinese sets up a classic, bloodthirsty, revenge-driven setting, but Fist of Legend orchestrates a plot motivated by a quest for justice and honour.
General Fujita, portrayed by Billy Chau, is a seemingly invincible, robotic and easy-to-hate antagonist, giving Chen Zhen, played by Li, a formidable sparring partner throughout the film. The historical premise and fierce fight scenes, in combination with a chilling soundtrack, make Fist of Legend a must-watch. — Richard Catangay-Liew
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
It’s an ancient art form that requires meticulous preparation and precise perfectionism. Layers of cultural significance and aesthetic tradition are rolled into an ironically simple package, and elegantly presented on a plate, and subsequently conveyed in this film.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary about an 85-year-old sushi chef God who runs Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat basement restaurant in a drab Tokyo office building. Despite the eatery’s less-than-ideal location, it’s historically been regarded as one of the finest restaurants in the world, garnering a prestigious three-star Michelin rating.
Watching the mouth-watering detailed close-ups of masterful nigiri delicately brushed with soy sauce and wasabi will intrigue any viewer to visit the legendary sushi chef — provided they can stand the on-average three-month long waitlist and $300 bill.
Jiro Ono’s customers are always satisfied. And yet, Ono is never satisfied himself. — Richard Catangay-Liew
Battle Royale
What do they call the Hunger Games in Japan? Battle Royale with cheese of course. If you enjoy a bunch of teenagers trying to kill each other but want to skip on Katniss and Peta’s totally unbelievable relationship, then Battle Royale is for you. Unless you can’t deal with English subtitles, but then you’re skipping a third of the movies on this list anyways.
Battle Royale takes a ninth grade Japanese class and tosses them on a deserted island to battle to the death. The film is beautiful concise in covering murder, politics, and love within a two hour extended cut. If one victor doesn’t emerge in the allotted time then they all are killed (sorry Hunger Games, no bullshit “has to be a victor” rule). As the film progresses, it also starts losing its own mind to the point that you begin to question its own reality. — Jon Zilinski
Disturbia
Disturbia came before Shia LaBeouf’s multiple appearances in the Transformers series, and long before people began to question the actor’s sanity. Shia plays our teenage protagonist, who happens to have major daddy issues. Shit happens and Shia ends up on house arrest. Completely bored out of his mind he starts watching his neighbors, especially his smokin’ hot classmate from next door. Does she think some teenage boy watching her suntan in a bikini is creepy? Hell no, this is Hollywood. She’s totally into it. At some point there’s a serial killer somewhere, but we’re too busy paying attention to the steamy on screen romance between Shia and Sarah Roemer. — Jon Zilinski
Lola Rennt/Run Lola Run
What if one action could affect the outcome of your entire day? How would one event change the next? That’s the premise of Lola Rennt, or Run Lola Run, a German film set to a throbbing techno soundtrack. It’s stylish and fast-paced enough that you won’t even notice you just watched the same movie three times — or did you? — Kevin Schenk
The Day After
No, this isn’t that movie about the ice storm that destroys New York. The Day After was made in 1983 at the height of the Cold War and depicts the aftermath of total nuclear annihilation. It was one of the highest rated television movies ever, and seen by more than 100 million people when it originally broadcast.
Instead of focusing on the stodgy politicians that would likely be ushered into impenetrable mountain bunkers before the bombs hit, The Day After follows citizens trying to survive the nuclear winter. But the film did manage to influence politicians. President Ronald Reagan said that the film had a part in the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons with a range of 500 to 5,500km.
Take a break from collecting toasters and toy cars in Fallout 4, and watch this film about an apocalypse that almost happened. — Kevin Schenk
The Incredible Journey
Looking for a movie to wind down to? Having an episode of insomnia? Nothing is more soothing than the voice of Rex Allen calmly narrating the adventure of three adorable pets. Seriously, just listen to his buttery voice. Nothing will put you to bed quicker than The Incredible Journey. — Jon Zilinski
The Host
It’s a politically smart, humorous and thrilling foray into the dull, run-of-the-mill horror monster movie genre.
The horrifying, mutated creature in The Host follows a stereotypical rise out of South Korea’s Han Lake, as a defiant and despicable American scientist orders his Korean understudies to dump filthy formaldehyde waste down a drain. But the film is anything but stereotypical monster mayhem.
Gwoemul, the giant predacious beast, isn’t the center of the film. Park Hee-Bong, skillfully played by Byung Hee-Bong, must rescue his daughter from the amphibious animal and fight through the American government’s accusations and lies of an Asian virus, which led to Gwoemul’s birth. The Park family finds themselves at the core of an international incident, where they too are viewed as a villain. — Richard Catangay-Liew
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
We know the Star Wars prequels didn’t live up to hype, but that doesn’t mean that the prequels weren’t entertaining. There are lightsaber battles, space dogfights and a giant battle between Gungans and droids. Star Wars fans need to stop being so picky; Lucas had enough money from the original trilogy to never lift a finger again, let alone make an entire movie, let alone three more movies.
Sure Phantom Menace doesn’t have a focused protagonist, child Anakin is annoying, Darth Maul is killed off too early and the story jumps around frequently. Would you rather have no Star Wars movies ever again? Didn’t think so. — Jon Zilinski
Spring Breakers
Spraaaaang break forever. — Jon Zilinski
Menace II Society
Caine has killed, dealt drugs and unfaithfully cheated on his girlfriend — yet he still represents a genuinely good person. He was a product of the gang-ridden streets where he was raised, of his volatile sidekick O-Dog, and of his drug-addicted mother and thug father.
The temptations of illegal drugs, guns and sensationally gory violence are too much for Caine to overcome, and are necessary for his survival. Optimism for Caine’s character is scarce, and even his path to a promising escape from Los Angeles seems impossible.
The hood film begins with him as an accessory to a savage murder and robbery, and sets up the unfortunate development and downward spiral of Caine’s teenage self. — Richard Liew
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
You don’t want to be the only one who hasn’t seen it when winter break is over, do you? — Kevin Schenk
We’re sure you have your own suggestions, so please recommend them in the comments below!
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