Why not start with my desert island movie? A meandering reminisce about Federico Fellini’s childhood in Italy, Amarcord is a colorful concoction of wacky characters, childhood rambles, gorgeous scenery, and glorious production design. Grab an Aperol Spritz, kick your legs up, and let the soothing atmosphere of Fellini whisk you away.
Forget the tissues; bring a towel for this devastating Studio Ghibli war film. You thought the Boy in the Striped Pajamas was sad? Nothing can prepare you for this impeccably animated venture through war’s miseries seen through the lens of two young brothers trying to find the light in the dark–the fireflies in the hazy smoke of grief.
An explosively funny satire about terrorists, Four Lions imagines what it would be like if four stooges tried to enact a terrorist attack. In this ballsy, ballistically funny film, we see a terrorist blow up a pigeon, a man blame his car troubles on the Jews, a rocket launcher backfire, and just about everything backfire for these idiots in training. Not since Christopher Guest has a mockumentary hit its target with such comedic force.
The latest from Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story ) sees George Clooney play a handsome movie star who loves visiting Italy and has a reputation for sleeping with models. In other words, George Clooney is playing George Clooney. In this diverting pleasure, you get to witness Clooney’s best performance and a whimsical meta farce that is part Fellini and part The Player.
Before she was directing Barbie , Greta Gerwig was one of the most amiable actresses out there. Watching her dance, cry, laugh, mess up, and triumph in this black and white film about a woman in quarter-life crisis is akin to watching someone’s 20’s sprint by before your very eyes. Overflowing with energy and ebullient visuals, this is one of those hangout movies that packs actual depth below the surface.
It’s The Shape of Water for kids! The fish-out-of-water comedy from animation’s greatest director, Hayao Miyazaki, sees a fish become a human and befriend a small boy in a seaside town. In images so visceral you practically dive into them, Ponyo captures a swell of cute moments and a tidal wave of emotions as these youngsters navigate the lyrical tides of true love.
There have been a lot of crazy protagonists in cinema, but only one crazy enough to drag a steamship over a mountain from one river to another. Heeeere’s Fitzceraldo, a man who makes Jack Nicholson in The Shining seem…normal? The director was crazy enough to replicate it, which just adds to this ethereally bonkers production.
This might be the greatest mystery in movie history! When a group of schoolgirls go missing in the Outback, we aren’t sure whether they ran away, were taken, murdered, or whisked away by something supernatural. What’s perhaps most mysterious, however, is how Peter Weir could have made such a unique, lyrical, and perpetually original film. Images take on the shapes of impressionist paintings by Monet and Renoir; the atmosphere seems to breathe, speak, and lilt, and the mystery itself takes shape in your mind, reappearing out of the mist whenever its name is mentioned.
Okay, so maybe not a hidden gem for those who know ball (*movies), but Charlie Chaplin’s silent comedy speaks volumes to the power of true love. When a homeless man falls in love with a blind girl, our eyes are opened to a bouquet of splendid laughs and, in the end, joyful tears.
He might not be as well known as John Wick or Liam Neeson, but this Nobody packs a similar visceral punch. These villains really gotta stop messing with old guys’ families, cause elderly heroes like Bob Odenkirk are gonna keep enacting sweet revenge.
Another underrated action flick, unless of course you know ball (*movies). This action flick about a rogue police officer might be the greatest piece of stunt cinema ever recorded. Along with Buster Keaton and Tom Cruise, Chan delivers a jaw-dropping whirlwind of stunts that accumulates toward an action finale so bonkers you might find yourself laughing in disbelief.
Did she kill her husband or was it an accident? Those who love arthouse movies and or true crime docs probably found themselves glued to this mystery court procedural. Well, considering most people didn’t see the film, they probably didn’t. But you can still fall for Anatomy of a Fall today!
Tom Cruise has been in a lot of massive productions like Mission Impossible that reach a mass audience, but he occasionally slips into quieter roles as well. In Michael Mann’s Collateral, he plays a hitman with a solemn fortitude as he holds a taxi driver at gunpoint while navigating around the shadows of industrial sprawl.
It’s quite ironic that one of the most laughable films ever made (Twilight ) made two of the greatest actors on the planet, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. In this quiet art flick, Stewart showcases incredible range and talent in a tale of grief that packs a subtle yet effective punch. Part ghost tale, part human drama, Personal Shopper might not have flown off the shelves, but those who get on its wavelength are bound to be swept away.
The funniest movie ever made. The Naked Gun is a police satire that packs more one-liners and quotables than any other movie ever. You might be confused by the silly Leslie Neilson at first, but like a blind man at an orgy, you just gotta feel things out.
A hidden gem on Disney Plus? Sort of. While plenty of people saw Pete’s Dragon in theaters, it remains a rather obscure production in the Disney oeuvre, without as much acclaim as it should have for being such a daring and mystical family film.
A moody, mysterious epic that many people have yet to see, The Conformist is about a man whose allegiances are shifting under a fascist regime. Beneath a swirl of paranoia, autumn leaves, red and blue hues that visualize the clashing political sides, The Conformist unfolds on a scale every bit as epic as a David Lean film but remains somehow intimate–a blend every director crafting a giant production tries to emulate.
Cotton candy colors swirl, dancers twirl, couples embrace, and Gene Kelley makes the most of his limited space on the streets of Rochefort. It’s arguably the second greatest musical ever made, for me at least, just behind Singing in the Rain and perhaps The Sound of Music. It’s a shame more people haven’t seen this gloriously colorful concoction, but maybe more will see it through streaming.
One of the greatest bromances ever is between a boy and his…balloon? Yep, you read that right. The Red Balloon is a miraculous bromance between a lonely boy and his red balloon on the streets of Paris that positively soars. What a wonderful film, indeed.