Watch Guide
July 2022
INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)
Independence Day is given a new meaning in this Roland Emmerich film. Emmerich is known for his disaster films, with titles like Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, and Moonfall under his belt. He also directed the cult classic Stargate. Independence Day is not exactly a complex plot-driven thought experiment, but it does imagine an alien invasion with a certain level of juvenile delight. Looking back from 2022, I think Bill Pullman’s portrayal of an American president is the least believable thing about this movie. Once you get past that, you’re in for a fun ride.
POINT BREAK (1991)
Rolling Stone said Point Break was “the greatest female-gaze action movie ever.” Though somewhat of a cult classic, Point Break received mixed reviews. It’s not quite as hedonistically aesthetic-driven as Independence Day, but it’s also not some kind of mind-bending drama, and I’m not sure why some critics thought it should be. It was entertaining enough for Roger Ebert. It’s about an FBI agent who has to infiltrate the surfing community to apprehend a group of bank robbers. The worst thing I could say about it is it’s sort of airheaded; I mean, it’s about surfers, but everything lines up.
WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S (1989)
This goofy comedy is a late 80s classic. Two finance employees confront their boss Bernie after discovering insurance fraud at their insurance company. To reward them, Bernie invites them to his beach house for Labor Day, where he hosts parties every weekend. The two employees arrive to find him dead and attempt to pretend he is alive for the entire holiday to avoid culpability for his passing.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (2008)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall was actually written by the film’s star Jason Segel. It feels a lot like a Judd Apatow movie, if that makes sense, but he only produced, not directed it. It follows Peter, whose longtime girlfriend just broke up with him. He goes on vacation to Hawaii to help him move on but coincidentally ends up staying at the same resort as her and her new rockstar boyfriend.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022)
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are making a name for themselves as oddball directors. Known jointly as The Daniels, they first garnered attention with their music video for “Turn Down for What.” Their first film was an absurd black comedy that involved Paul Dano riding Daniel Radcliff off a deserted island powered by his flatulence. Everything Everywhere addresses the more existential side of absurdism. It’s an unapologetic action movie that refuses to explain its elaborate plot devices while investigating the meaning of life in a seemingly endless universe. It’s patent why it’s already winning awards, despite its recent release date.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022)
Another vaguely patriotic summer flick, Top Gun: Maverick, shows Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprising their roles from the original film. Pete “Maverick” is an aging captain who hasn’t received a promotion due to his tendency for insubordination and the proliferation of drone technology. Tom “Iceman” calls Maverick back to the TOPGUN program to train new graduates for what is essentially a suicide mission. Oddly enough, the country they’re attacking is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Google informed me that it was Iran. Maverick follows the format of the original film to an extent, but since that format is training for a mission and then executing it, I suppose that’s acceptable. Regardless, the film is worthwhile for the scene with Kilmer.
Curated by Andrew Scott
June 2022
THE CRYING GAME (1992)
You probably know Neil Jordan from his Anne Rice adaptation Interview With a Vampire. The Crying Game covers a lot of ground politically. It starts by introducing an IRA member, Fergus, who takes on the role of guarding a British soldier, Jody. While under Fergus’ guard, Jody asks him to take care of his girlfriend, Dil, if anything happens to him. Jody perishes when British forces attack Fergus’ IRA unit. Fergus escapes to find Dil. Eventually, he discovers there’s something special about her.
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon is based on a Life article about an actual event. The film stars Al Pacino with direction from Sidney Lumet, who had also directed 12 Angry Men and Serpico and, more recently, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. The film is about a bank robbery gone wrong, forcing protagonist Sonny and his accomplice to take the bank staff hostage. John Wojtowicz, represented by the character Sonny, said the film was only 30% accurate but later showed approval of the actors’ representations. Wojtowicz received $7,500 and 1% of the film’s net profits to have his story told on the silver screen.
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991)
Gus Van Sant is known for his films Milk, a biopic on gay activist Harvey Milk; Elephant, based on the Columbine Shootings; and Drugstore Cowboy. My Own Private Idaho is more of a cult classic. It focuses on the relationship between two young hustlers in Portland. Van Sant originally penned the script in the 70s, neglecting it after reading City of Night by John Rechy, deciding it was better. Eventually, Van Sant rewrote the script with two plotlines, one that relates to Rechy’s book and the other that serves as a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henriad. Initially, Van Sant couldn’t fund the project and planned to use real street hustlers, but Keanu liked the script enough to show it to Phoenix.
A SINGLE MAN (2009)
A Single Man is fashion designer Tom Ford’s first of two films. It’s about an aging English professor contemplating taking his own life after the death of his partner of 16 years, who died in a car accident. Ford based the movie on a Christopher Isherwood novel of the same name. The film stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Nicholas Hoult, landing Firth an academy award nomination.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (2001)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a French historical fiction film directed by director Céline Sciamma. Sciamma became the first woman to win the Queer Palm Award at Cannes. She cast her former lover Adèle Haenel in a leading role as Héloïse, a French noblewoman betrothed to a man she doesn’t want to marry. The film is about Héloïse’s relationship with Marianne, a painter Héloïse’s family commissions to illustrate her.
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE (2009-Present)
Few reality shows have come close in quality and originality as RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show’s host is the titular RuPaul, who, if you didn’t know, is probably the world’s biggest drag queen. RuPaul got his start in the Atlanta creative scene, working as a musician and filmmaker, performing in clubs with a band or as a singer, and producing low-budget films. In the 90s, he started performing in New York, releasing his first dance album in 93. RuPaul started working for MAC cosmetics as a model, continuing to produce music until 2008 when he launched Drag Race. The show pits drag queens against each other. Contestants tailor outfits to perform judged lip-syncing battles like America’s Next Top Model.
Curated by Andrew Scott
May 2022
THE GRADUATE (1967)
If you don’t know Mike Nichols for The Graduate, you might have seen his work on Charlie Wilson’s War or the film adaptation of Catch-22. The Graduate is known for informing Rushmore director Wes Anderon’s style. I watched TheGraduate several times after completing my undergraduate program. I don’t think there’s a film that encapsulates the feeling of having just graduated better. Of course there’s a pretty significant twist to the film that makes it somewhat less relatable, but a compelling watch nonetheless. Nichols based The Graduate on the novel of the same name, published four years earlier. The author, Charles Webb, was a bit of an oddball, selling off all his possessions, living in nudist colonies, and divorcing his wife to protest the institution of marriage.
ADVENTURELAND (2009)
Adventureland, like The Graduate, captures that post-graduation feeling of having spent thousands of dollars on an education and still not having a clear path to a stable life. Unlike in The Graduate, there’s no bizarre sexual tension. Adventureland is much more like a conventional contemporary rom-com. By way of it being more expressly relatable, it becomes less artistic. It almost feels marketed toward millennials. The film’s narrative drive comes from the main character’s inability to find work after graduating college. With no other choice, he takes a job at an amusement park called Adventureland over the summer to save up for Columbia’s Journalism school.
DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)
“Dazed and Confused” is a song popularized by Led Zeppelin. The phrase also describes the state of the disaffected drug-addled youth of 1970s hippie culture. But it’s also somewhat representative of many people’s emotional state towards the end of their academic careers. Dazed and Confused is kind of like if That 70s Show was a movie. It’s centered around a town’s high school in the mid-70s kicking off with junior Randall “Pink” Floyd as he struggles with his football coach’s request to abstain from drug use over the summer. It gives you a good idea of how different life was in the 70s. None of the characters display any real drive to attend college because, at the time, it wasn’t a requirement to access middle-class life. It features breakthrough roles for several actors, including Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey.
BILLY MADISON (1995)
I wouldn’t argue that Adam Sandler has made no mistakes in his career. Billy Madison is not one of those mistakes, though, and I would even say it was a character-defining role for him. Sandler co-wrote the film, but Tamra Davis, who you may know from her work on Half Baked, directed it. Billy Madison is about the spoiled son of the founder of a fictional Fortune 500 company, Madison Hotels. Billy behaves in an exceedingly juvenile manner. As a result, his father plans to leave the company to the Vice President instead of Billy. After revealing he bribed his grade school teachers to pass him, his father challenges Billy to graduate high school again to prove he’s smart enough to run a business.
LEGALLY BLONDE (2001)
Reese Witherspoon stars in this comedy adaptation of a novel of the same name. Author Amanda Brown based the story on her experience at Stanford Law School, which she attended despite her interest in fashion. Brown never actually completed her law degree, but her character Elle Woods does. Elle’s boyfriend breaks up with her after confessing his aspirations of becoming president. Essentially, he doesn’t think she’s intelligent enough to be a respectable first lady. Devastated by this, Elle decides to apply to Harvard Law School to win him back.
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986)
This movie is the embodiment of senioritis. The titular character, played by Matthew Broderick, who is all set to graduate, decides to feign illness and hang out with his best friend, who is legitimately sick. It’s a classic John Hughes flick, who is known for his comedic use of magical realism in late 80s and early 90s films. He’s probably most well-known for the Home Alone franchise.
Curated by Andrew Scott
April 2022
DON’T LOOK UP (2021)
I secretly think Don’t Look Up received such bad reviews because of how harshly critical they were of the media. A lot of reviewers scolded Adam McKay for portraying exaggerated levels of corruption. But Don’t Look Up is intentionally cartoonish since it’s a comedy. Though comedies seldom score well with critics for some reason. I recall someone in my timeline tweeting, “Don’t Look Up is ugly Melancholia,” referencing one of Lars Von Trier’s deeply depressing films about the end of the world. Truthfully, Don’t Look Up is not an artistic masterpiece, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s a darkly funny thinkpiece. In that regard, It was a great success. The film itself is an allegory for climate change.
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: THE FACTS (2019)
Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a broadcaster for the BBC, aside from being a biologist, natural historian, and author. If not the most prolific nature documentary narrator, he is the most renowned. In 2019 and 2020, he presented two documentaries for the BBC about climate change, Climate Change – The Facts and Extinction: The Facts. The first hour-long installment focuses on how the world will change after global warming reaches a point of no return and how it has already changed. The second documentary is about what has come to be known as the sixth mass extinction. Also called Holocene or Anthropocene extinction, the idea is widespread loss of life after a certain period is the direct result of human activity.
PLANET EARTH (2006)
Planet Earth reimagined the nature documentary. One of David Attenborough’s many great narration works, Planet Earth was the first nature doc to be filmed in HD and the most expensive nature series commissioned by the BBC. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver in the American version, the series is 11 episodes, 50 minutes long, covering different environments. There’s also a spinoff called Planet Earth: The Future, addressing humankind’s effect on nature. Planet Earth used an expensive digital camera called the Red Dragon, which was state of the art at the time, having been founded as a company that year. Red cameras are now an industry standard. The combination of high-definition video, innovative recording techniques, and expert narration make Planet Earth one of the greatest nature documentaries.
CHINATOWN (1974)
I’m throwing this one in for a bit of fun. Chinatown is a classic neo-noir film starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, directed by Roman Polanski. While not based on a true story, Chinatown was inspired by the California water wars. Los Angeles has had a long history of droughts, starting in the late 1800s. In the first half of the 20th century, LA started siphoning water from Owens Valley using aqueducts designed by William Mulholland. LA was using so much water from Owens that Owens began having problems, which led to death threats for Mulholland and farmers bombing the aqueducts. Chinatown imagines what would have happened if Mulholland was actually assassinated, drawing inspiration from the St. Francis Dam disaster that collapsed, killing about 430 people.
KOYAANISQATSI (1982)
Koyaanisqatsi is the Hopi Indian word for “life out of balance.” Directed by Godfrey Reggio and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the film is a visual poem with no dialogue or narration. It does, however, feature a soundtrack from contemporary classical minimalist composer Phillip Glass. The sped-up and slowed-down segments of the film attempt to document humankind’s relationship to nature, though, as you may have guessed from the lack of dialogue, there is no defined plot. Roger Ebert said Koyaanisqatsi was “an impressive visual and listening experience.”It’s currently preserved in the National Film Registry of the US Library of Congress. Reggio and Glass also collaborated on two subsequent films, Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation and Naqoyqatsi: Life as War, to create the Qatsi, or Life, trilogy.
NO IMPACT MAN (2009)
No Impact Man is a 2009 documentary about how Colin Beavan, a blogger and nonfiction writer, his wife Michelle, a journalist, and their toddler daughter decided to experiment with minimizing waste. Beavan’s family experiment started for a book he was writing but was recorded as a film when one of Michelle’s friends found out. For one year, the family committed to producing no trash, saving compost, only purchasing food grown within a 250-mile radius, using no carbon-based transportation, and eschewing paper products. They also did not buy any new products or clothes and lived as freegans. In a blog post about the experiment, Michelle admitted that she was the most affected and that it lowered their energy bill to zero. She lost weight and cured her insomnia and pre-diabetic condition.
Curated by Andrew Scott
MARCH 2022
ALIEN (1979)
It’s Women’s History Month, so I’m recommending Alien. Directed by Ridley Scott, who also adapted Blade Runner, Alien is highly regarded as historically significant to the portrayal of women in cinema. The science-fiction horror film follows the crew of a commercial spacecraft that stops to investigate a distress signal. The film has been around since 1979, and I’d be surprised if you haven’t at least seen a still image of the monster that attacks the team for the remainder of the film. Renowned Swiss artist H.R. Giger, who is known for his biomechanical style, collaborated with the crew. Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon was actually directly inspired by one of Giger’s works. Sigourney Weaver starred as the main character and took a role that challenged traditional gender stereotypes.
JACKIE BROWN (1997)
Several critics regard Jackie Brown as Quinton Tarantino’s best work. I actually had to watch it for a class in my undergrad program. Jackie Brown is a neo-noir crime thriller about an eponymous flight attendant who smuggles money across the border for an illegal arms dealer in LA. The LAPD gets involved, and Brown has to figure out how to escape the situation without landing in jail or dying. Like most noir films, Tarantino based Jackie Brown on a book, in this case, it’s Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. Leonard also wrote Get Shorty, which inspired a film and television series by the same name. Jackie Brown features a star-studded cast with Pam Grier as the lead, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, and Michael Keaton.
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (2005)
I would be remiss to avoid mentioning any film directed by a woman for Women’s History Month because what is a more gender-challenging role than the director? Me and You and Everyone We Know has been somewhat of a hipster staple since it came out almost 20 years ago, though engagement with it has declined significantly since the 2010s. It’s directed by Miranda July, who just released her third feature film starring Evan Rachel Wood, Kajillionaire. July also stars in Me and You and Everyone We Know. Though Miranda states mostly being inspired by the riot grrrl movement and less so by other films, Me and You similarly captures a human intimacy seen in flicks like Bottle Rocket, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite, Lost In Translation, and Little Miss Sunshine. Like many of these films, Me and You usually gets labeled as a comedy, but I think it’s far too sentimental to lump in with titles like Knocked Up or The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It’s really just a quirky drama. As much as I dislike the term “New Sincerity,” I feel like it applies to films like this, being that film critic Jim Collins coined the phrase to describe Wes Anderson’s style. I think Kmart realism, a term usually applied to Alt Lit which also peaked in the aughts, also works. The main love interest works in a department store at a mall. I wouldn’t be the first to apply Kmart realism to film; critics have also called Blue Valentine an example of Kmart realism.
PERSEPOLIS (2007)
Persepolis is an adaptation of a graphic novel of the same name by Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi also directs the film. Persepolis is an autobiographical coming-of-age story about growing up during the Iranian Revolution. Stylistically the film plays out like a cross between Maus and Amélie. Persepolis follows Satrapi as a new fundamentalist regime takes over in Iran. Her story is unique because she was alive at a time when she was old enough to remember what it was like before and can thus compare it to the way it is now. Satrapi grows into a rebellious teen in an intolerant society. Her parents, worried she’ll get arrested, send her to Europe. Eventually, she comes back, only to leave yet again on her own, to where she currently resides, France. Persepolis was historically imperative to humanizing Islamic people in America after the 9/11 attacks and war in Iraq. Originally published a year before the attacks, Satrapi published an English translation in 2003, and the film itself came out in 2007.
CHARLI XCX: ALONE TOGETHER (2021)
I was surprised to see the critical acclaim this documentary was getting. If you’re a Charli fan, you’ll definitely want to check this out. Alone Together follows Charli XCX’s lockdown narrative and the recording of her subsequent album, How I’m Feeling Now, which was a reflection of her experiences during that time. Over the course of the film, Charli attempts to tackle the emotional difficulties she faces as she realizes how reliant her self-esteem is on her fans and seeing crowds cheering her name on a regular basis. The film also documents her relationship with her on-and-off-again boyfriend. While not directed by Charli, she records much of the footage, thus offering a glimpse into her creative process.
THE TINDER SWINDLER (2022)
This woman-directed Netflix original does not intrinsically address women’s history or feminism, though it does address media literacy. The Tinder Swindler is a documentary which is, as you may have guessed from the title, about a serial con artist who defrauded several women around the world using the Tinder dating app. The doc tells the tale of Israeli scammer Simon Leviev through the perspective of a few of his victims. After serving time for theft and fraud in various countries, Leviev changed his legal name from Shimon Hayut and fled Israel to Europe. There he posed as the son of Lev Leviev, a successful Russian-Israeli businessman. Leviev reportedly finagled around $10 million from women in Ponzi scheme-like fashion, pretending to be targeted by his “enemies.” He then used the money his victims loaned to beguile and manipulate new women, pretending to repay previous marks by sending them forged bank transfers.
Curated by Andrew Scott
FEBRUARY 2022
CASABLANCA (1942)
A fun thing about watching classic films is seeing how they influenced contemporary movies and tv shows. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca is a great example. There are so many quotable lines that viewers who have not seen it before are bound to recognize from references in other works. Without giving away too much, this romantic noir is about an American nightclub owner in Morocco who gets mixed up in the Second World War, which he’d been avoiding. Trigger warning: there’s a scene in this film where Bergman’s character behaves in an overtly racist manner, but again, without ruining the plot, it’s done intentionally. In the context, I believe it’s supposed to make you question her character, but I found it particularly jarring and, unfortunately, representative of the period. You have to remember that this is an extremely lauded film for a reason. It ends up being an ironic commentary on how acceptable racism was in countries that were actually fighting against the Nazis.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)
Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine is the story of two lovers who seem to need each other on a chemical or molecular level when they decide to erase the other from their memories after becoming estranged. Believe it or not, this process has been somewhat successfully practiced on mice. Michael Gondry’s imaginative vision and Charlie Kaufman’s absurdist writing blend faultlessly to tell this story taking place primarily in a dream. Carrey’s previous experience producing visual comedy with his body allows him to effortlessly adapt to a more surreal role.
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002)
This film is oddly similar to the previous one in that they both are romances starring comedians out of their element. In Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler plays Barry, an emotionally unstable business owner with seven overbearing sisters. One of his sister’s coworkers, Lena Leonard, sees him in a picture on her desk and decides to meet him in person. The film chronicles Barry and Lena’s courtship as Barry wrestles with his intense emotional problems. The film is driven by director Paul Thomas Anderson’s idiosyncratic writing and Sandler’s surprising performance. Punch Drunk won Anderson best director at Cannes, Sandler best actor at Gijón International Film Festival, and several other nominations.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)
There are a lot of films that work at challenging the classic tropes of a masculine hero who needs to save the helpless female damsel in distress. Princess Bride does not do that, nor will it come anywhere close to passing the Bechdel test. Released in ‘87, it gets more difficult to call it contemporary every year, but Princess Bride has no interest in being modern. You couldn’t even call it neo-romantic. It’s intentionally pulpy, jejune, and anachronistic in a dreamy reminiscent sort of way, pulling it off through its light-hearted wit. While often being categorized as a comedy, it’s a far cry from Robin Hood: Men in Tights, but it does tend to lean on puns rather than getting steeped in despondent drama. At its heart, Princess Bride is about love, but it’s also about chivalry, a Chaucerian fairy tale conscious of being in the wrong period.
WILD AT HEART (1990)
David Lynch is known for outlandish films and his show Twin Peaks, oddly enough, after his first surrealist film, Lynch forays into more traditional storytelling with his subsequent four films, where viewers can detect a distinct plot with a rising action, climax, and ending. Wild at Heart is where Lynch begins to break down again and embrace his surrealist style. Though, more along the lines of hysterical realism, viewers can sense Lynch getting bored of conventional narratives. The over-the-top performances from Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe foreshadow the dreamy delivery seen in later works. Though somewhat controversial among critics, it won the Cannes Award and several nominations for Academy Awards. The plot follows an impulsive young man and his lover whose mother tries to separate them. Based on a novel by the same name, the writer liked the adaptation enough to collaborate with Lynch on his following work, Lost Highway, in which Lynch dives fully back into the abstract.
MAN SEEKING WOMAN (2015–2017)
If you’re looking for something a bit more long-form, check out Man Seeking Woman. Man Seeking Woman is a romantic comedy series created by Simon Rich and based on his book, The Last Girlfriend on Earth. The show stars Jay Baruchel and Eric André. Jay is torn between advice given to him by his best friend Mike, played by André, and his older sister. Critics adore the three-season-long show.
Curated by Andrew Scott
JANUARY 2022
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012)
“New year, new me,” we collectively chant each time our earth makes an approximate cycle around the sun. So why not revisit Silver Linings Playbook, or watch it for the first time if you haven’t already seen it? This romance about two people comically struggling with mental illness will inspire new beginnings as you watch the characters work together to help each other turn over a new leaf.
GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
Is it about hunting for goodwill, or is the title simply saying the main character Will Hunting is good? It could have been about thrifting, but it’s not. Good Will Hunting is about an apparent genius struggling with his rough upbringing. Written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, directed by Gus Van Sant, and featuring Robin Williams, this movie is a high point for all four. On top of that talent, the soundtrack prominently features Elliott Smith, even winning him an Academy Award. At times, the plot feels a little unbelievable that someone so failed by the public schooling system could turn their life around so dramatically, but the team pulls it off in a very engaging way.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (1947)
This is the second iteration of Walter Mitty. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was originally a short story by James Thurber, who wrote for The New Yorker, publishing books and plays as well. You can still read it on The New Yorker's website. This 1947 adaptation strays from the original, which is little more than a character study. The 2013 version strays even further. Regardless, Mitty is a character who needs some kind of change in his life and escapes reality regularly through elaborate daydreams. In the 1947 film, Mitty eventually finds himself on a real adventure which gives him a new lease on life and the courage to stand up to the manipulative people around him. Maybe 2022 is the year you finally cut off those gaslighters.
GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
Groundhog Day is a quintessential Billy Murray film whose influence spans Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask to Andy Samberg’s Palm Springs. Murry’s reputation of being difficult to work with helps construct the Scrooge-like character that carries the film. Phil Connors is inexplicably doomed to repeat the same day. At first, it makes him even more cynical, but eventually learns to make the most of it, changing his ways. The reason for the time loop is never explained, but an early draft of the script credits it to a curse put on him by his ex.
RED ROCKET (2021)
Simon Rex is really given a chance to shine with Red Rocket. A former MTV VJ, Scary Movie actor, and rapper who collaborated with Riff Raff, Rex seems perfectly cast as a former adult film actor. It’s not blatantly optimistic as the other films on this list, leaving the audience with an unresolved ending. Instead, it’s more of a critique of the male gaze and thus elicits more change in the viewer than the character. Rex’s character lands himself in a situation where he must experience some fundamental change, but we’re only with him for half the journey.
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH (2021)
Macbeth is more of a cautionary tale than one of new beginnings. But this latest presentation of the Shakespeare play being released around new year’s reminds us not to get too carried away with our resolutions. The Tragedy of Macbeth is the most critically acclaimed adaptation. If you didn’t read it in grade school, the title undoubtedly gives away that things don’t turn out so well for the titular character when he tries to defy the prophecy of three witches in a quixotic pursuit of power.
Curated by Andrew Scott
DECEMBER 2021
BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY (2001)
Bridget Jones is starting to feel her age when her mother reintroduces her to a childhood acquaintance at her Christmas party who, at first, she is attracted to but then embarrassed by. She soon decides that she can’t stand to wake on another new year‘s day alone and starts a diary to help her get her life on track. Bridget Jones‘s Diary is a classic romantic comedy that doesn’t lay it on too heavy but ultimately conveys the age-old values of the season‘s holidays as effectively as a Christmas classic.
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020)
Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and comedian Keegan-Michael Key star in this completely new Christmas musical. Whitaker plays a toymaker who is down on his luck. His daughter sends his estranged granddaughter, who happens to share the same spark he has for inventing, to visit him for the holiday. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey really is as classic as Christmas movies come and perfect for all ages.
CAROL (2015)
Carol is based on a 1952 romance novel called The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, author of The Talented Mr. Ripley. This Todd Haynes film, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, chronicles an unexpected romance during the holiday season. Blanchett hailed Hayne’s exploration of the female gaze, which he gleaned from studying underground female photographers from the 50s. Needless to say, Carol passes the Bechdel Test.
TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003)
Christmas vacation wouldn’t be complete without a holiday themed cartoon. This one was created by Satoshi Kon, director of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Perfect Blue, and Paprika. Tokyo Godfathers is the story of three homeless people who stumble upon an abandoned newborn in the garbage and their journey to find the child’s parents.
EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS (2002)
Adam Sandler may not have been the first person to notice the lack of mainstream representation of Jewish lore during the holiday season, but he appears to be the person responsible for creating the first Hanukkah Movie. Eight Crazy Nights, in classic Sandler style, is an irreverent comedy about a 30-something alcoholic whose life is spiraling out of control.
HOME ALONE (1990)
Home Alone addresses the Christmas spirit while somehow having a plot that rarely mentions anything traditionally related to it. Kevin McAllister learns the value of family only after fully realizing their absence. Left alone over winter vacation, when his parents forget about him, Kevin has to fend for himself, which is exactly what he wanted. Things get more complicated when two thugs try to break into his house.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
If you have any interest in whatever it is that makes the holidays special, and you haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life yet, I would be skeptical of that interest. The film follows Goerge Bailey as he contemplates suicide. Heaven sends an angel to George to help him through his difficult time in a sense reversing Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol.
THE SNOWMAN (1982)
The Snowman is based on Raymond Briggs' picture book of the same name. The film is a symphonic poem with no dialogue that follows the unspoken bond between a young boy and a mystical flying snowman. Make sure you find the one with an introduction by David Bowie.
Curated by Andrew Scott
NOVEMBER 2021
DUNE (2021)
Dune, Frank Herbert’s notoriously difficult-to-adapt-to-film high-fantasy novel, once again adapted to film. This time, critics are loving it. Rotten Tomatoes currently rates this unreleased film with an aggregate score of 90%. Denis Villeneuve, director of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, has adapted the 400-page novel into two films starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. It’s a good pick for Thanksgiving break because this film serves as a buildup to the sequel. Emotionally, it’s mostly about the main character’s relationship with his ruling-class family, with some sci-fi action injected, of course.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987)
If you’re looking for something more explicitly seasonal, check out the Thanksgiving Classic Trains, Planes and Automobiles. The film stars Steve Martin and John Candy and was directed by John Hughes, who also made Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Home Alone. The misadventure comedy follows a marketing executive’s journey home for Thanksgiving. Roger Ebert included the film in his “Great Movies” collection and said about the film, “Steve Martin and John Candy don’t play characters; they embody themselves.”
SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992)
Scent of a Woman is about a prep school student who accepts a weekend job to look after a blind former army colonel over Thanksgiving break. It’s based on an Italian film of the same name which was adapted from a book. Al Pacino carries the film with support from Chris O’Donnell and Phillip Seamore Hoffman. Pacino’s Academy Award-winning performance is guaranteed to make you say “hoo-ah!” by the end of the film.
C’MON C’MON (2021)
C’mon C’mon is a black and white A24 flick written by the director of Thumbsucker, a lesser-known Keanu Reeves movie. Critics love the story of an unexpected relationship between a man and his young nephew as they bond over a road trip. It’s Phoenix’s first film since his contentious role as the Joker.
THE NICE GUYS (2016)
One of the most wholesome rated-r films ever made, The Nice Guys, is now available on Hulu. This cult classic is a great way to break the tension between you and your parents after returning home for the Thanksgiving weekend. You and your family can investigate the complex plot with Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling, whose witty banter made the film a slow-burning success. Gosling’s loveable goofball creates a winning chemistry with Crowe’s overdramatic hard-boiled ego. Critics have compared it to Inherent Vice for the film’s nod to the genre of hysterical realism.
Curated by Andrew Scott
OCTOBER 2021
MALIGNANT
Annabelle Wallis from The Tudors, Peaky Blinders, and Annabelle returns to the horror genre to star in James Wan's Malignant. Wan is the man behind the Saw franchise and The Conjuring movies. Wallis portrays Madison Lake Mitchell, who begins to see visions of murders after her abusive husband injures her head. Once she realizes these visions are actually happening, Madison approaches the authorities to help discover who is responsible for a series of murders.
VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE
If you're looking for some mindless entertainment, the Venom franchise returns with Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The first installment grossed $856 million worldwide despite getting panned by critics. The film, which is carried by Tom Hardy, is more about having a good time than headier entertainment. Andy Sirkus, or Gollum as most people know him, directs Let There Be Carnage, and it's based on a story co-written by Hardy himself.
TITANE
For a more thoughtful way to scratch your spooky itch this month, check out Titane. Titane is a body horror film directed by Julia Ducournau, responsible for the coming-of-age horror drama Raw. Titane made Ducournau the second woman to win the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. Titane's plot is filled with thrilling twists and turns, causing Rolling Stone magazine to refer to it as "genre-bending."
SQUID GAME
A gory Korean survival drama, Squid Game exploded on Netflix upon release. Squid Game is about a contest where 456 members play various children’s games like Red Light, Green Light, Tug of War, and Marbles for a cash prize reward. It sounded simple to the main character, Seong Gi-hun, until he found out the penalty for losing each game was death. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk first pitched the nine-episode series in 2008 but was unable to find support until 2019, when Netflix picked up the script to grow their foreign programming selection.
Curated by Andrew Scott
SEPTEMBER 2021
September brings not just Virgo season but for many it is a time for back to school, and with a new school year comes fresh lists of reading material. From learning about Chess, Addiction recovery, moving forward in a career, family history, or discovering a new comic book or video game. We assembled our September collection in the hopes of finding a good book, podcast, or movie to curl up with as the fall season begins.
Please let us know your favorites and your own favorite way to welcome Autumn with your favorite books, TV shows, movies, or podcasts. We’d love to hear from you!
AUGUST 2021
To continue the celebration of summer, we present our August collection of curated ‘reads’,‘watches’, and ‘listens’. With August being Leo season is a time for generosity, to be generous to others and as always to be generous with ourselves by keeping an eye out for our own physical and mental health.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, it is also the month playing host to Grief Awareness Day (August 30). Thus inspiring our selection of self-care podcasts, and hopefully plenty of books and movies throughout the month to escape into. Whether that’s escaping onto a mountaintop for National Climb a Mountain Day, spending time with friends and family, listening to your favorite song, or to cheer on your favorite athlete in the Olympics.
Please let us know your favorites and your favorite way to celebrate the final month of Summer with your favorite books, TV shows, movies, or podcasts. We’d love to hear from you!
JULY 2021
Here we present a curated selection of July and all things summer-themed books, podcasts, and movies to enhance your summer season. Whether lounging on a beach with a fresh book or working from home/office, here are some pieces to read, watch, and listen to help pass the time in and out of the sun.
Despite the high energy of Cancer Season, it is also a time for family, friends, personal reflection and self-care. The Cancer season collection was compiled in the hopes of meeting both the high energy and expectations of the season, while allowing the space to take (for some) a much-needed exhale.
Our selection of Eco-Fiction to commemorate the small holidays in July to raise environmental awareness, from Clean Beach Week (July 1-7) to Plastic Bag Free Day (July 3).
It's difficult to summarize the history and culture of America on the Fourth of July within one word, let alone one book, movie, or podcast. But here some
Feel free to share your favorites that remind you of summer and all that it entails. We’d love to hear from you.
Summer Movies
Thelma and Louise (1991)
E.T. (1982)
The Inkwell (1994)
Summertime (1955)
The Endless Summer (1965)
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Movies for Cancer Season
The Stranger (1946)
The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
Daughters of the Dust (1991)
What Dreams May Come (1998)
EcoFiction Films
Avatar (2009)
MadMax: Fury Road (2015)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Wall-E (2008)
Fourth of July
Hidden Figures (2016)
Captain America (2011)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Forrest Gump (1994)
The Sandlot (1993)
The Music Man (1962)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Curated by: Media Smart Citizens Content Creator Martha Reckers.