#also the cat this time is not the normal ones its jones cat tiger

[expolikestoart]

Before they were together....

Oh..

But soft, what light from yonder window breaks.

It is the East, and they are the Sun.

@anaroceitweek

[bag-of-broadway-snacks]

My Cats Non-Replica Pt. 2

Alright at the high request I finally bring you part 2 of my ideal Cats Non-rep. However, if you haven’t seen part one this will make zero sense so here's the link. (Also @a-cat-is-not-a-dog @the-metaphorical-jellicle-cat​ I believed Ya’ll wanted to see part 2)

Moments of Happiness

Alright! Coming back for the second act all the cats/toys are gathered around Old Deut’s feet. Its here where we see Gus enter for the first time. He’s a rag doll like the rest but is incredibly worn from years of excitable use, he also has a very plain looking piece of fabric for a blanket. Jellylorum assists him in while Asparagus Jr. (My production would include him as a separate character) pushes over the toy bed that has been tucked away in the corner. Gus sits down on the bed and slumps slightly from loss of stuffing. The rest of Moments of Happiness progresses as normal. Gus the Theatre Cat So once everyone has settled down, Jellylorum starts to sing her portion of the song. The younger kitten characters are gathered up around the toy bed curiously, giving us the impression they don’t get to hear much about Gus anymore. The first two times Jellylorum and Gus mention the famed Fireforefiddle, the kittens are seemingly unimpressed and look at each other awkwardly. But the third time, Asparagus Jr. quickly puts on a quick costume and stands behind Gus, showing the kittens just how impressive the role actually was. Fireforefiddle should be a vague, but terrifying figure. Short of the little girl’s version of the boogie man. The kittens are all very impressed and the song comes to a sweet conclusion. Growltiger’s Last Stand So the first thing I’d like to address about this song is I will not be keeping the parts about the siamese. I did a rewrite of the lyrics here so just assume going forward I will be using those instead. So as per usual Gus remembers the days were he once played Growltiger, but instead of actually becoming Growltiger, he has Jellylorum bring him a large story book for him to read out of. In this sense, he acts as a sort of narrator for the story, often interjecting with different lines of dialog. He throws off his quilt and turns it to show the other side, which is decorated with tiger print. Asparagus Jr. puts on an eyepatch and the tiger print blanket and plays Growltiger instead.  The Growltiger set is pretty much halved in size, only taking up a small portion of the stage, Jellylorum plays Griddlebone as perusal and dresses up very fluffy doll clothing. The navy (who will be taking place of the siamese) are dawning lego pieces as helmets with plastic swords. Growltiger proceeds as normal, although all interaction between Griddlebone and Growltiger is much more toned down and your stereotypical romance scenes. As the last few lyrics fade out, Gus slowly closes the book and everyone renters the stage. Gus’ bed is moved back next to the toy chest and he remains there for the rest of the production. Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

Now finally onto Skimblehshanks! This number progresses as normal, Skimble being dressed in a very fancy doll best. He’s sort of the little girl’s ‘fairy tale prince’ style toy thus is kept very neat and tidy. This is also a good time to mention all of the wigs are fashioned from yarn to really sell the ragdoll aspect.  When it comes time for the train to be formed, a large replica of a toy trained in wheeled out, with ‘Made in Scotland’ printed on the side. Skimble climbs on top of the train for a short while. Where the train would usually fall apart, instead of the cats accidentally flips the train’s switch, causing it to start up and ‘drive’ off into the other side of the backstage. (Actors on the hidden side will move it) Skimbleshanks progresses as normal, ending with him climbing up the side of the bookshelf.

Macavity the Mystery Cat Alright! Finally we see the man himself. Macavity appears and looks far more plastic then the other toys, he has marker on his face and a toy helmet. Unlike the rest of the tribe, he’s the elder brother’s toy and aims to terrorize them in anyway he can. He appears and has a small troupe of toy soldiers cart Old Deuteronomy away, leaving the cats/toys to all scatter quickly, going to hide or search for the leader.  This leaves Demeter and Bombalurina behind. They sing Macavity pretty much normally. Occasionally having the lights in the room flicker throughout the song. Macavity Fight For a moment it seems like the day is saved. We see the back of Old Deut slowly move back onstage, but Demeter sees through that. Leaping onto his back she pulls down the spare fabric and reveals Macavity is back! He attacks the crowd of toys and tries to kidnap Demeter, however he’s stopped by Munkustrap. The fight should be reminiscent of two toys behind slammed together in a fight simulated by a child. Munkustrap ultimately being triumphant and warding Macavity off. But not before the power to the room is cut and the curtains drawn, leaving the room in darkness. The cats huddle together in fear before a flashlight is turned on and shined on the top of the toy chest, revealing the familiar form of Rum Tum Tugger. Mr. Mistoffelees  Tugger appears and assures the tribe that a certain magically Mr. Mistoffelees can help them. Whilst he sings the first few lines, a giant Jack in the Box will be pushed onto stage. Just before the second chorus, the music will stop. Where Misto would usually enter in from the ceiling, Tugger will instead wind the side of the music box. When the jingle ends Misto pops out of the box, wearing a long sparkling tail coat with stripped arms. He climbs down out of the box (with the assistance of Tugger) and waves his hands, turning on bright star lights on the wall behind them before the song continues. Around mid song, rather then the usual cup trick, Misto instead uses a turned over Bustopher Jones hat to summon seven kittens. (played by child actors) Each one looks like a mini version of Misto himself, except the last looking like a mini, less fluffy Tugger. Once the kittens are all pulled from the hat, they assist Misto in his final trick, to bring back Old Deuteronomy.  (I sadly had drawings for this but they just will not load) Memory Finally the ball can get back on track! Except Grizabella arrives for a third time to interrupt. This time the rest of the tribe waits around and listens, refusing to look at her. As she sings they all slowly turn towards her. Munkustrap and Old Deut even reach out towards her as the climax of the song is reached. With her final plea complete Grizabella turns and begins to leave, assuming no one was listening to her. That is until she’s touched by Victoria and welcomed back. Journey to the Heaviside Layer As I mentioned before, the Heaviside Layer is a metaphor in this world for being taken outside the room on some sort of trip. So while the tribe greets Grizabella again, they all assist her in looking a little better. Jennyanydots helps sew her up, Skimbleshanks and Munkustrap brush her off, others help fluff out her fabric. All leading up to the final moments of the song, where all the cats circle around Grizabella, obscuring her form view before quickly running back. Revealing a small Grizabella toy left in place. Most of the toys leave the stage quickly while Munkustrap sits back on the chair, watching. The little girl quietly renters the stage, this time with a coat on. She sees the Grizabella  doll and picks her up slowly, looking her over before hugging her to her chest and running off. Munkustrap smiles and slowly gets off his chair as the cat toys emerge from their hiding places once again. Ad-dressing of the Cats Deuteronomy once again gets onto the chair, this time standing and delivering the song. The cats follow his lead as normal, finishing off the song before bows. And thats it! Thats my ideal production. I really hope you all enjoyed as much as I did!

[letterboxd]

Fantasia 2020.

We emerge from the depths of Fantasia Festival 2020—the largest genre fest in North America—with the ten best things we saw this year.

Fantasia Festival aced this weird shitstorm of a year with one of the best online film festival experiences of 2020 so far. Sure, we miss that unique, zombie-like, end-of-fest haze brought on by midnight madness and inappropriate mealtimes, but quarantine breeds an adjacent kind of mental fog that made Fantasia’s online offering a weirdly natural place to be this year.

Tuning into Montreal from London and Auckland, our Fantasia team (Kambole Campbell, Aaron Yap and Gemma Gracewood) watched as widely as possible, and we recommend most of what we saw—but these are the ten films that stuck out.

Chasing Dream Directed by Johnnie To, written by Wai Ka-Fai, Ryder Chan and Mak Tin-Shu

Hong Kong master of genre Johnnie To once again links up with screenwriter Wai Ka Fai, the writer of Drug War and Romancing in Thin Air. Their new feature Chasing Dream finds itself somewhere between those two, telling the story of an MMA fighter with gang ties named Tiger (Jacky Heung, winner of Fantasia’s Best Actor award) who falls in love with an aspiring singer named Cuckoo (Keru Wang).

To and Wai Ka Fai’s incredibly goofy sense of humor is still totally intact, as they make a complete farce out of the singing competition that Cuckoo enters, with her greatest competitor continually performing so hard that she accumulates injuries, until she ends up in a full-body cast. As Michelle writes: “It’s Rocky meets A Star is Born, with a dash of American Idol, a pinch of musical, and a huge dollop of romance.” This is all to say that Chasing Dream really is a hell of a lot of movie at once. (KC)

Labyrinth of Cinema Directed by Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, written by Kazuya Konaka, Nobu Obayashi and Tadashi Naitō

“It’s time to revisit our history to build a better future.” So begins Labyrinth of Cinema, the final film of Japanese experimental legend Nobuhiko Ōbayashi. Following a trilogy of films contemplating modern Japanese history and war (including the ravishing Hanagatami), Labyrinth is a metatextual and metaphysical trip through the history of Japanese cinema and its intersection with war.

A handful of young characters are quite literally absorbed into the screen of the cinema they’re sitting in at the film’s beginning, jumping through different eras and genres of film, tackling everything from war and propaganda, romance and musical, to chanbara and back again. Jake Cole notes the film’s surprising optimism, writing “even as Ōbayashi grows more sober, the film conveys more and more his strength of belief that cinema is still a force for good, and that if the past cannot be helped, perhaps movies can be rethought and re-crafted to produce a better future”. (KC)

Lapsis Written and directed by Noah Hutton

Noah Hutton (son of Timothy Hutton and Debra Winger) makes his narrative feature debut with a sci-fi-that’s-barely-sci-fi film, which dives into robotics, capitalism and unionization. Not a million miles away from the activist documentaries the director already has under his belt, Lapsis is a low-key, mordant film that captures gig-economy drudgery and the arcane fog of big tech. “Honestly really fucking cool,” writes David, of Hutton’s world-building on a shoestring. “An intelligent and peculiar concept expertly executed and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end.” Dean Imperial’s surliness is a treat. (AY)

Bleed with Me Written and directed by Amelia Moses

Not one of Bleed with Me’s 79 minutes is wasted. If any of the following sound good to you—micro-thrillers, Robert Altman's Images, Rodney Ascher’s The Nightmare, mumblecore Bergman—add Amelia Moses’ debut feature to your watchlist now. It’s an assured start from Moses, who crafts an unsettling, tantalizingly ambiguous atmosphere from the three-hander, cabin-in-the-snow confines, with Scrabble, gaslighting, bloodletting and sleep paralysis thrown in.

“Lee Marshall anchors the film with a deeply moving performance as Rowan,” writes Finhorror. “With every facial expression, movement, and line reading, she sells vulnerability and discomfort while showing a minimal amount of effort.” Would pair well with Mickey Reece’s Climate of the Hunter (florid dinner conversations, immaculate food-porn and psycho-sexual tension) for an ace double feature. (AY)

PVT CHAT Written and directed by Ben Hozie

New York filmmaker Ben Hozie examines online relationships and modern sexual fantasies with PVT CHAT, starring Uncut Gems breakout star Julia Fox as Scarlet, a cam-girl dominatrix. The film splits its focus between Scarlet and Jack (played by Peter Vack), an internet gambler who mostly remains inside his NYC apartment as he becomes fixated on her. While there’s palpable discomfort in Jack’s increasing obsession with Scarlet, the film doesn’t mock the practitioner nor the customer, and it doesn’t moralize over either of their actions—it simply leaves them plain to witness, as though a normal element of contemporary digital living.

The genuineness of the relationship between Scarlet and Jack is ambiguous—the line between performance and sincere emotion distorted via pixels. As they continue to open up to each other the line blurs further, and PVT CHAT becomes a fascinating observation of how online communication has changed and commodified the ways in which we interact with each other. (KC)

Tezuka’s Barbara Directed by Makoto Tezuka, screenplay by Hisako Kurasawa

Speaking of obsessions, Japanese filmmaker Makoto Tezuka might have chosen his father’s strangest work to adapt into a live-action film. As it says in the title, Tezuka’s Barbara is an adaptation of ‘godfather of manga’ Osamu Tezuka’s Barbara, his most hallucinatory and sexually explicit work. Opening with a Nietzsche quote about madness and love, Tezuka’s Barbara more or less conflates the two, as the main character Yosuke, an author who specializes in lurid and trashy paperbacks, falls obsessively in love with Barbara, a homeless drifter he meets in the street.

Beautifully lensed by Christopher Doyle, legendary cinematographer of Chungking Express and In The Mood For Love, Tezuka’s Barbara takes on a magical and ethereal quality, particularly in its sex scenes. Yosuke’s increasingly deranged obsession with Barbara and the young Tezuka’s depiction of it is compellingly weird, from its vivid colors and almost antiquated costuming to its Eyes Wide Shut-esque rituals of the wealthy. Deranged, perhaps opaque, but a riveting visual journey, especially with its context in mind. (KC)

Special Actors Written and directed by Shinichiro Ueda

Special Actors is the new film from Shinichiro Ueda, who turned heads with his bonkers cult film One Cut of the Dead. It may appear a little less surprising to those already familiar with his tactics, but it’s no less entertaining for it. Special Actors starts one way, as the tale of an aspiring actor looking for work, and ends somewhere else entirely. Brought into a company named ‘Special Actors’ by his estranged younger brother, Kazuko embarks on a different kind of performer’s journey, not just restricted to film and commercials, but also playing implanted mourners at funerals, fake boyfriends—whatever the client desires.

This is an Ueda film, so of course it takes a huge swerve, transforming into a bizarre and entertaining caper as the Special Actors are hired to infiltrate a cult. Ueda is more than aware of the classic conflation of film with “fakery” (as Orson Welles would call it)—the structure of a caper and its layers of illusion, truth and everything in between aligning with the requirements of stagecraft—and he has more than a little fun with it. As a result, so do we. (KC)

Feels Good Man Directed by Arthur Jones / Available on demand now

The internet was a mistake. Even if you try to stay out of the digital trash-fires, you’ll likely have heard of the ‘Pepe the Frog’ meme. Turns out, we need to pay attention to these things, particularly with another US election looming. In Feels Good Man, Arthur Jones introduces us to Matt Furie, the humble cartoonist behind the original Pepe, and then takes several wild and weird side-roads, with the most unexpected-but-entertaining talking heads, as we learn just how 4Chan and the alt-right adopted, weaponized and took the frog all the way to the White House, earning official hate-symbol status. “I came in expecting a solid documentary about a meme, and I ended up getting that and a compelling narrative about today’s troubling world,” writes Zach. (GG)

Sheep Without a Shepherd Directed by Sam Quah, written by Yang Weiwei

Dare we say “Letterboxd meets Parasite”? Sheep Without a Shepherd, Sam Quah’s debut feature (based on Jeethu Joseph’s highly rated film Drishyam), is a cinephiliac feast about have-nots taking on upper-echelon corruption. Lead character Weijie (Xiao Yang) is a working-class, obsessive cinephile who vomits his movie knowledge any chance he can get. When his family is pulled into a case of police corruption, this same cinephilia may be the only thing that gets them out of it. It’s a sturdily wrought Hitchcockian homage, with a well-calibrated balance of suspense, humor and pathos.

“What a gut punch of a movie in the best way,” writes Amanda. “A little messy at times, especially in the end, and some questionable forensics, but this is something I’ll definitely be revisiting.” The jury is still out on whether the ending—make that the many endings—worked, but for the most part Letterboxd members enjoyed the cat-and-mouseness of it all, along with its moral questionability. (AY)

You Cannot Kill David Arquette Directed by David Darg and Price James / Available on demand now

You Cannot Kill David Arquette is a rousing, eye-opening and mostly upbeat gawk at the life of the Hollywood star whose fortunes have lately run dry. Although he is out of shape and has very young children (and very cute Basset hounds) to think of, Arquette is desperate to reignite his love of pro wrestling. In a quest to prove to his heroes that he’s serious about the sport, the actor participates in backyard wrestling matches in Virginia, joins street-fighters in Mexico, and goes down a K-hole at the hands of health professionals.

“Arquette is searching for a shred of legitimacy in a world that’s always made him feel like a fraud, and by the end of this loveable, hilarious, and ineffably heartfelt doc it’s almost impossible not to believe in him,” writes David Ehrlich. As compelling a look at mental health as physical, the film benefits from the inclusion of conversations with those closest to Arquette (both of his wives feature), and there’s a heart-skipping scene involving the late Luke Perry. (GG)

Lastly, our team wanted to shout out to Daria Woszek’s Marygoround for the best end credits dedication of the year. Thanks, Fantasia! Roll on 2021.

[all-my-novels]

BLOODY SUNDAY: Chapter 1

Previous | Current | Next

NOTE: Keep in mind this has not been edited or beta-read, it is completely raw. I also wrote this three years ago. Have fun!

@steakfryday @deepestbelieverstranger @slowreaderslowerwriter @poetinprose

Chapter 1: Setting Up Shop

May 30th, 1998 was a warm summer day--one of the pleasant ones at the start of summer before the heat hits. It was the kind of day where Cody Springer, manager of the town's one-and-only general market, would leave the windows open. This meant that Jethro, Cody's brown-and-white tiger tabby tomcat, could curl up in the window instead of going outside via the catflap. He stretched out on the windowsill beside the floral arrangements.

Summertime meant slow business for Jethro. Newsworth, South Carolina was hardly the center of criminal activity but being one of only a handful of officers often kept him on his paws. All of the small town’s inhabitants were starting to slow down in the first few weeks of the glorious summer. Seasonal laziness was a staple here and Jethro found he rather enjoyed the break. As he listened to Cody open up the shop, he settled his head on his paws and closed his great green eyes.  A soft purr vibrated out of his chest. It was eight-oh-clock on a Saturday, so neither of them were expecting any visitors just yet.

A jingle at the door interrupted Jethro’s initial belief that the day was going to be slow. At two minutes past eight, one of Cody’s human customers arrived to the store. Drawn out of his blissful nap, he lifted his head and swiveled his ears toward the new noises at the front of the store.

With a jolt of alarm, he recognized the person arriving as Jane Hashimoto, the human belonging to the Japanese Bobtail Sakura. Sakura was one of his younger sister Channary’s girlfriends. The other one was Daisy, a big yellow tabby who was also Jane’s companion. She was supposed to be at her house last night, but if Jane was just now arriving, there could be a problem. Always ready to fear the worst, Jethro leaped from his perch and ran to the front. He jumped up behind the cash register and gave a distressed meow.

"Miss Hashimoto, you're mighty early this mornin'," Cody said. , He sat a box of dog food down and brushed his hands off before he made his way over to her. "You need somethin'?"

"Oh no, everything is fine," she replied, struggling to open her shoulder bag. It seemed to be wriggling dangerously. "I'm just here to return your--ah!" Her last words were cut off when Channary, Sakura, and Daisy burst out of her bag. They tore off down the aisles and into the back of the store. "Ah--your cat, and mine, apparently," Jane gasped, tucking loose strands of silky dark hair behind her ear.

Upon noticing his sister’s arrival, Jethro deduced she was in no immediate danger, and ran off after her toward the back aisles of the store. Excited chirrups floated out of her lungs, guiding him to the ladies. His paws slid across the smooth wood floor as he scrambled to a stop. Channary, Sakura, and Daisy sat in a small circle of sorts behind one of the soup displays. Their tails fluffed out and wiggled as they laughed. Thoroughly enjoying themselves, they hadn't noticed Jethro, who strolled up behind the cats. Sakura peered over the tops of their ears.

"Now, what kind of trouble did you three get yourselves into?" he huffed, narrowing his eyes at his sister and her girlfriends. With laughter still dancing in her eyes, Channary looked up at her brother and grinned.

"No trouble," She said with a dismissive flick of her tail. "Just a small misunderstanding. I guess Jane thought I was lost, so she shut all three of us indoors last night and wouldn't let us leave. Then she put us in her purse this morning--her purse!" The calico lifted a paw to her mouth and laughed.

“Is that really all that happened?" Jethro asked, frowning.

"Yes! I promise you, we didn't do anything illegal, Jethro. That's stupid. We're both police officers; if we got caught doing anything illegal it'd be the end for us all!" Channary flung herself on her back and splayed all four limbs out in a dramatic display. Sakura and Daisy burst into a fit of giggles. Jethro merely rolled his eyes in response, padding away from his sister and her girlfriends. His sister had always been a little trickster. He decided to leave her to her friends and made his way back to a quieter place.

Jethro was more interested in finding a window to look out of at the moment than bothering with those troublemakers. Bunching up his muscles, he jumped onto a different windowsill, settled down and gazed out the window.

Silently, he studied his surroundings. He made a mental note of the blue jays who started to build a new nest in the bushes below. A little mouse was having a difficult time trying to nibble on the daisy heads. He sometimes hunted when he wasn't feeling up to eating what Cody offered, and he liked getting a head start on his prey's movements. At the moment, Jethro was more interested in getting the rest of his nap in, so he tucked his paws underneath him and shut his eyes.

The doorbell jingled again about an hour after Jane had entered. Slightly irritated that he'd been woken yet again, Jethro jumped down from his perch with an unhappy growl and stalked to the front of the store. Before the new customer could see, he forced himself to put on a good face. Customer service was always key, after all, and Jethro had mastered the ability to hide his emotions.

He recognized the man walking in as Reverend Michael Jones, a member of the Newsworth Coastal Church, a non-denominational. He was owned by one of Jethro's very dear friends, Reverend Luke, who was one of the members of the very church he attended. The Holy Church of Cats also happened to be a non-denominational. He and Jethro had gotten close after Jethro was chased out of most of the other churches. Luke was the cat who finally accepted him.The two struck up a friendship after Jethro attended the first few sermons.

"Good mornin'," Michael said as he walked up to the front counter. Luke climbed up Michael's clothes to sit on his shoulder, looking quite dignified. His coat made him look like a little business cat due to its tuxedo pattern. Jethro jumped up onto the front counter, giving Luke a happy chitter in greeting. Luke returned the greeting, hopping from Michael's shoulder to Jethro, bumping his forehead against his companion's. It was a normal friendly greeting between two cats.

"Jethro," Luke purred as the two cats made their way down from the desk. "It's good to see you. I trust you have been well?"

They ambled back towards the aisles, with Jethro deciding to lead them down the one with all of the flowers. The enticing scents were pleasant to him, and gave a calm, gentle atmosphere. Jethro and Luke were walking shoulder-to-shoulder, so close that their pelts were brushing slightly.

"Of course," Jethro replied. "Things have been slow around here. Summer sets in, and everybody gets lazy, including the criminals. Lucky for us, I suppose."

"Certainly, but the work of a child of God is never done," Luke said, almost as if he was reminding him. Jethro nodded in agreement. "And how about your sister?"

"Not keeping her nose out of trouble, I assure you," Jethro replied, half-laughing and half-grunting. "She was brought in by Jane Hashimoto -- you know, Sakura's human? She'd gotten locked into her house last night when she was with Sakura and Daisy." The reverend chuckled lightly at that, flicking one ear in response to Jethro's story.

"She's always been a trouble maker, that one. I wish she would come down to the church more often. It seems almost as though she has an aversion to it." Getting onto his back paws, Luke leaned up to sniff at some roses, then rubbed his head against them to leave his scent. "I'll bet dear Polly would love some roses. She's always liked the scent."

"Speaking of that, how is Polly?" Jethro remembered all too well the reverend's growing family. He'd been just barely present for the birth of Polly and Luke's kittens; they'd come a bit early which forced her to have them out in the reverend's human's barn. Luke had called for Jethro and he managed to make it in time to watch as the first one was delivered. It had been somewhat of a difficult birth, so Jethro had done his best to keep up with the family and make sure they were doing alright.

A smile crossed Luke's face. "She is well. I know she and the kittens had the Lord watching over them. They are a bit small, but they did open their eyes yesterday." Jethro could feel the happiness radiating from his friend's core, and he couldn't help but smile in return. He was happy for them. Luke and Polly had tried unsuccessfully for kittens many times. They had wanted a family for a long time, and he thought it only fair that they could get them. "How about you, Jethro? Will I be seeing any tigers running around soon?"

The question didn't catch him off guard, but it did make Jethro sigh. It was true that he longed for a family, though he was gay and asexual. Having a litter was a dream of his that he hoped to achieve someday. However, that wouldn't be able to happen unless Orion, his boyfriend, decided to allow him to mate during one of his heats. That was unlikely.

"Probably not, Luke," Jethro replied wistfully. "Orion -- well, you know how Orion is. He's so frightened that our being together will ruin my reputation and he's nervous about the idea of having kittens. He doesn't think he'll be a good father."

"Nonsense," Luke assured him. "None of us are perfect. Why, my parents made many mistakes while raising me, but I like to think I turned out okay." A rusty purr came from Luke's chest at that. "The poor boy. He has so many anxieties."

"When you grow up the way he did, you get them." Jethro knew that Orion's kittenhood hadn't been pleasant. Many cats outright refused to acknowledge him as a tom, including his parents. He was lucky to be in a somewhat accepting environment now, but he was still shunned by other members of his family and the more conservative town folk. "He's also afraid of how our kittens would grow up. Ethnically, they'd be Jewish, but if they wanted to be Christian like me, he's afraid it could cause problems. Of course, his parents will want him to raise them Jewish and they won't accept anything less."

"Well, I support you and him, no matter what path he chooses." Luke put a paw on Jethro's shoulder encouragingly, making the bigger tom smile. "Now, then. Perhaps we should make an inquiry to your human about those roses..."

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 65: Onion Friend

“Good things the kids are keeping themselves busy.”

It’s been exactly fifty episodes since Onion Trade, and it’ll be another forty-five until Onion Gang. Awfulness of the latter episode aside, this seems like pretty good pacing for a character as beautifully bizarre as Onion to get the spotlight. 

Steven is largely kept out of the Gems' story throughout the Week of Sardonyx, and that’s never made more explicit than in his romp with Onion. Amethyst’s voice during dinner is drowned out by Steven’s fascination and revulsion with Beach City’s weirdest weirdo, and the episode revolves around Steven putting up with him for Amethyst’s sake. We don’t even see Pearl or Garnet, but we don’t have to: Onion Trade is all about Steven’s separation from the grown-up’s table.

Let’s start with his story before we get into the meat of the Week of Sardonyx implications. His main function, as per usual when he’s paired with Onion, is to serve as the straight man. In true sequel fashion, Onion’s absurd creepiness from Onion Trade gets ramped up: right off the bat he’s hiding in Steven’s cupboard to steal his food (as the latter narrates his own actions to nobody, because this is a silly episode from the start). Even if we learn he didn’t paint them, it’s honestly not even surprising to find portraits of Amethyst in his garage, because it’s hard to be surprised by anything he does.

After a relatively tame dinner scene—Onion is probably too old to be messing with his food, even if his age is hard to pin down, but this is still normal kid behavior to an extent—we reach the nightmare that is his room. We still get a nice blend of regular weird and creepy weird, aided by Zach Callison’s fantastic portrayal of bewilderment. He’s just so confused about Onion bounding on his bed instead of a trampoline, and even if this is hardly the strangest thing about this environment, I love that Steven’s still upset by it.

But like Charlie Brown with the football, Steven keeps up hope. He somehow sees no reason to be suspicious about Onion’s mouse or video tape, which makes their inevitable twists hilarious and super gross. So of course, when he finally decides enough is enough (featuring Callison’s best-ever use of the word “okay”), Onion decides to perform his first unambiguously kind action. Does he do it just to subvert Steven’s expectations? Or does he also consider sharing his snake and birth video “kind”? Even if he could talk beyond Callison mumbling, I doubt we’d ever know. But throwing a wrench into his actions by giving him a moment of true friendship is a great way to keep Onion unpredictable.  

While it lacks the narrative oomph of Garnet being revealed as a fusion in Jailbreak, this episode gives a similar sense of satisfaction as all the implications about Clan Onion are confirmed. At first, the only hint that he and Sour Cream are related is the pun we get when combining their names, but more clues start piling up as we start to get a sense of their family. We know the unnamed fisherman who speaks gibberish is Onion’s dad from Onion Trade. We learn in Joy Ride that Sour Cream’s stepdad is a fisherman who speaks gibberish. We meet Vidalia (a type of onion) with Marty (who looks an awful lot like Sour Cream) suspiciously leaving Greg’s van in Story for Steven’s flashback. With this knowledge, we can shape an image of a family featuring Vidalia and the fisherman as parents and Sour Cream and Onion as half-siblings, but it’s never stated outright until Onion Friend. It’s not really a twist, as all the information (save the fisherman’s name, which we learn here is Yellowtail) was already there, but it still allows for that gleeful “I knew it!” moment.

Vidalia is the fifth mother we’ve met on Steven Universe, but only the second we’ve seen interact with her child-aged child (Nanefua’s kid is a grown man, Rose is only accessible by videotape, and Barb was on the job). Vidalia is the polar opposite of Dr. Maheswaran: a chill artist with free range kids and a shotgun in the house. We don’t even know her last name, just as we don’t know Dr. Maheswaran’s first name (although Ian Jones-Quartey says it’s Priyanka). They both love their kids, but where one expresses it through strict control, the other does so with wild freedom.

While neither style is strictly superior—compare and contrast Onion and Connie on your own time—I’m thrilled that the show’s desire to portray different types of mothers extends beyond the Crystal Gems. “Moms are people too” is a refreshing stance to take in a medium where mothers are often the portrayed as the most grounded (read: boring) member of the family.

One thing I find fascinating is that both of these mothers are voiced by women who have worked extensively behind the scenes in animation beyond voice acting. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (who also played Major Motoko in Ghost in the Shell) is a veteran anime voice director, starting with a bang with the legendary English dub of Cowboy Bebop. And Jackie Buscarino (who also played Pacifica Northwest in Gravity Falls) worked her way from production assistant on shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Dexter’s Laboratory to full producer on shows like…well, like Steven Universe.

There’s nothing wrong with actors who are just actors, but even if it’s just a coincidence, I love that some part of the casting crew went for known industry multitaskers to play family matriarchs. Because yeah, no disrespect to Yellowtail and Doug, but Vidalia and Dr. Maheswaran are obviously running their respective houses.

(If Buscarino wasn’t so great at portraying Vidalia, I would’ve killed to have Wendy Hoopes in the role, because I’m pretty sure Vidalia is who Jane Lane grows up to be.)

As important as it is to see Vidalia as a mom, this episode is also about seeing parents as people outside of that context, which is why Onion and Steven are shooed out for Amethyst and Vidalia to talk. There’s a risk in making an episode about Amethyst talking about her troubles that features only a moment of eavesdropping, but this is another benefit of the Week of Sardonyx’s structure. We know why Amethyst is upset. We hear just enough to know how she’s dealing with it, and how valuable Vidalia’s friendship is. And we know how freaked out Steven is by Onion, making his quiet decision to return to his room surprisingly touching. Surprising not because it’s in any way out of character for him, but because this is otherwise a really goofy episode.

Subtlety is also used to shed a new light on Amethyst’s backstory. She’s always been the Gem most interested in humans (outside of Rose), attracted to human things like food and stuff and pop culture. She uses human slang and wrestles with humans and has that sisterly bond with Steven that makes the two feel like close peers instead of a parent and child. While we know she was fascinated with Greg and hung out with him alone, it’s awesome to see more of how he indirectly affected her forays into the human world.

There’s no indication from the two seconds we get of Vidalia in Story for Steven that she and Amethyst would be best buds, but they’re both punky and rebellious and we see so much of how they would’ve gotten along in their photo montage. Vidalia styles Amethyst’s hair to look like Rose’s. Amethyst morphs into Marty so they can make fun of him. It’s kind of amazing how quickly we’re able to accept that these two utterly nonintersecting characters have a history that informs Amethyst’s behavior to this day.

We sadly don’t see much of these two hanging out after this, but we don’t see Purple Puma and Tiger Millionaire wrestling between Tiger Millionaire and Tiger Philanthropist either, and are led to believe they’ve been regularly fighting the entire time. In that sense, I’ll just assume these two are getting into all sorts of trouble when Steven’s not around. Slippers included.

Future Vision!

This is our first look at Sour Cream’s weird backstory with the Crystal Gems, as Amethyst remembers hanging out with him as a baby. We’ll see more in Greg the Babysitter, but Sour Cream has a unexpectedly major role in Steven’s existence and it’s cool to see that referenced so early.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Despite the angst behind the scenes, Onion Friend is at its core a comedy showcase. It’s a little too forgettable compared to more well-rounded outings, and not quite funny enough to sit with the bigger comedies, but I’m still a big fan. 

Top Fifteen

Steven and the Stevens

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Winter Forecast

Chille Tid

Keeping It Together

On the Run

Warp Tour

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

The Test

Future Vision

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

We Need to Talk

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

No Thanks!

     4. Horror Club      3. Fusion Cuisine      2. House Guest      1. Island Adventure

[opallene]

10 fandoms, 10 characters

Aka apparently laying my soul bare, and if you read this you’ll probably get to know me quiite well. ._.

Rules: Choose 10 different fandoms and pinpoint your favorite character from each one. Then tag 10 more. I was tagged by @citrus-cactus !!

1. Digimon: Koushiro Izumi (Izzy).  It is certainly a close call between him and Taichi, but when I “got back into” Digimon early in high school (and found all of the glorious Japanese content, including and especially the character image songs), I found that Koushiro/Izzy was my spirit guide in a way no other character could be.  Always value the truth-seekers and “explainers” in your world, and be one if that’s your nature (=me, or so I’ve always figured), but that nature is not without its difficulties.  Koushiro was an inspiration to me as he learned to open up; enjoy experiences, the world, and other people more; to not be so serious and insular all the time.  Thank you, Toei, for this beautiful and pure child who helped me learn life lessons and stuff.

2. Pokemon: Clem-onnnntt!  Right back atcha, my fangirl bff!  Our shared obsession with Clemont (and really, all of XY(Z) but especially Clemont) nurtured a great friendship that I am truly thankful for! （*＾3＾）/    But of course, there are GOOD REASONS why Clemont is so worthy of being the object of obsession.  Okay, so there is a theme going so far, I guess.  Socially kind of awkward nerd who focuses on the stuff he already understands well and needs a kick in the pants to get out into the world and Experience Real Stuff.  It’s so relatable how Clemont always really, really wants to do the right thing and gives himself a really hard time when he thinks he’s failed.  Kid has a heart of gold.  His friends don’t appreciate him enough, and as much as I ship Diode, even Ash doesn’t quite deserve him. tbh!!

3. Yuri!!! On Ice: Yuri Plisetsky.  Hmmkay, so this kitty cat doesn’t go out of his way to make anyone like him, but that’s probably what is so good about him.  I like characters who focus on themselves, because I believe I will never have that ”mom” instinct to put others first, and I guess I probably find validation watching characters with a tendency toward self-preservation find their groove and find success.  Yuri(o) is an underdog(cat?) because of his young age.  He fights relentlessly, but crucially, he is playing by the rules - He understands early on that you have to improve your own self in order to win.  It’s not about taking anyone else down a peg.  This is important.  His words can be sharp, but I think he and everyone else know that they’re just a blunt knife for little more than show.  What’s a tsundere to do when the world is full of annoying people?  Oh yeah, cuddle the cat and flaunt that leopard-print luggage with no apologies.  And be as beautiful and as deadly as possible.  l love this rough-edged but ultimately very clean Ice Tiger so much.

4. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Starlight Glimmer.  I don’t talk about MLP much here.  Or, I guess, anywhere?  I’m not really “involved” in the fandom (Bronies: meh), but I’ve seen every episode and am close to catching up on every issue of the comic book.  Twilight Sparkle (nerdy, friendless, insular protagonist - gee, pattern) was always my favorite for a long time, but she eventually got kind of stagnant.  (There’s only so much you can do when she’s “learned all of her lessons” and become an “expert” in the subject of Friendship by the end of the third season...)  Starlight Glimmer is a LOT like Twilight, but she comes with a darker past and a sassier edge (and very specific avoidant tendencies when she’s experiencing anxiety).  She’s very sharp, and maybe a bit more intuitive than book-reliant Twilight.  It’s as if she’s older and wiser than the other ponies in some ways, but far behind them developmentally in others.  Relatable again, I think?  Anyway, everything she does gets my attention.  I look forward to her continued development.

5. The Lion King/The Lion Guard: Fuli.  I guess I have to treat this all as one fandom since it’s the same universe.  Much as I’ve always loved Princess Kiara (and Nala, and, well, every lovely and fierce feline lady), Fuli ultimately gets to be Top Cat.  If you only ever watch one episode of The Lion Guard, make it “Fuli’s New Family.”  It kind of changed my life (errr, even though I’m a grown-up) because just knowing that a cartoon aimed at small children is explicitly sending the message that it’s okay to be a loner sometimes and enjoy your time apart from others is so_extremely_important to me.  I don’t think I ever saw anything close to this type of Validation of Introversion when I was actually a small child, but I’m sure I would’ve made good use of it in coming to understand myself better.  Young introverts of today will not want to miss Fuli.  She’s also got sass and confidence to spare.  A+ Role Model Cheetah.

6. Clarence: Jeff Randell.  This Cartoon Network show is such a gem.  Jeff seems like your basic Type A at first, but...Well, that’s basically what he is.  Jeff’s neuroses and self-destructive habits never fail to make me laugh at myself.  He’s really kind of a selfish character, too, and I think what this show gets right is how...real that is?  Several imperfect personality types are displayed in a forthright manner, while the show still manages to be very light-hearted and silly.  Jeff takes Serious Things (like gold stars in the classroom) Seriously.  He’s kind of a germophobe.  He detects slights easily, and overreacts to them.  He spends money he doesn’t have on collectible crap.  Yep, Jeff is pretty relatable.

7. Archie Comics/Riverdale: Jughead Jones.  All right.  I’m not gonna get into the What Even Is This Version rant about Riverdale, because I don’t think my followers care, but let’s just treat it all as more or less the same fandom since canon gets reinvented in comics all the time anyway.  I’m certainly not well versed in all of the Archie Comics history, but I’ve been reading the 2015 reboot comics faithfully, and scattered classic stories here and there.  Jughead does what Jughead feels like doing and doesn’t give a crap.  Whether it’s because he has a troubled home life and is cynical about humanity, or because he just really, really likes food, Jughead’s interests and point of view are always a little off-beat, and tbh, whatever he is up to is usually far more interesting than the relationship drama that surrounds him.  Plus, he’s kind of a cutie-pie, especially in D. Charm’s art style.

8. The X-Files: Dana Scully.  I mean.  Mulder and Scully both are the eternal best (and probably only fandom-worthy) law enforcement duo to ever exist.  But Scully (The Skeptic™) is a role model for girls and women everywhere.  She elevates science, speaks her mind and does not take shit, including and especially when that shit is coming from her male coworkers.  I am eternally grateful that they were able to cast her as a “normal” woman (pretty, but not a bombshell) in spite of the wishes of the Fox network when the show was being developed.  Scully is badass (but also vulnerable in ways that make her interesting as a character) and will always be one of my favorite fictional ladies ever.

9. Peanuts: Peppermint Patty.  Charles Schulz introduced Peppermint Patty in 1966, when “Women’s Lib” was a hot topic and being a tomboy was still not nearly as acceptable as it would become in later decades.  Peppermint Patty wears shorts and Birkenstocks, and is the best baseball player in town.  Popular fan consensus is that she is a lesbian, but that was never confirmed by the creator.  I think it’s super important that she has displayed all manner of thoughts and emotions, from the blunt “masculine” to the very insecure and emotional “feminine.”  She’s another character who just is who she is, without trying to conform to anything in particular.  I’m pretty sure I thought she was a boy for awhile when I was a kid, lol.  Whether or not they were meant to be read as a couple (heck though, I ship it), I adore her interplay with her constant companion, Marcie.  These two characters really made this comic strip shine above and beyond to me.

10. Hey Arnold!: Helga Pataki.  I’m sorry, but is it actually possible to have a different favorite character from this show?  Helga was Tsundere to the max, before I ever even knew that was a trope.  Maybe she helped define the trope, I don’t know.  In my world, she did.  Everything about Helga was so extreme, but so raw and genuine.  And hilarious, and kind of heartbreaking.  This show went so far as to depict her in therapy over her deeply repressed obsession and her borderline neglect-case home life.  Ballsy for a kids’ cartoon.  I will always be rooting for Helga, and can’t wait for the new TV movie.

Not tagging, but anyone who wants to do this (and say I tagged them), please do!!  You might just learn about yourself...Ahahaha.

[netunleashed-blog]

Best movies on Netflix UK (August 2018): over 100 films to choose from

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=29963 Best movies on Netflix UK (August 2018): over 100 films to choose from - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=29963 Each and every week Netflix adds at least a few great movies to its already impressive line-up of flicks. This is great news for film fans, but it also means that many of us spend our first hour of downtime scrolling through everything the service has to offer.[UPDATE: Netflix has added two great crime thrillers to its catalogue this week, including Spy Game, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, as well as Infernal Affairs, a cop drama based in Hong Kong that the US movie The Departed is inspired by.]And, as many of us are all too aware, often the dilemma of so much great stuff to choose from (which is known as ‘decision fatigue’ in psychology circles) leaves us feeling fed up. In an attempt to put an end to what we’re coining ���Netflix fatigue’ once and for all, we’ve created this extensive list to the best movies that Netflix UK has to offer you right now. That's right. No more endless scrolling and no more movie-induced anxiety that you've made the wrong choice.If you’ve been signed up to Netflix for more than a few months, you’ll know there are lots of mediocre movie choices. But if you only have time for the best of the best, don't waste those all too precious minutes searching through the site's extensive and exhausting back catalogue. Instead, delve straight into this guide.We'll be updating this cinematic hall of fame at least once a week, so be sure to keep it bookmarked so you can find out what's hot and ready to be watched on Netflix in the UK right now.  The best movies on Netflix To make life even easier, we’ve divided over 150 movie recommendations up into categories to suit every taste. We’ve got indie and thriller through to kids and documentaries.Be sure to keep checking back. Unlike its TV output, which seems to stay on Netflix for longer, movies on the streaming site tend to appear and disappear quickly. Enjoy!  Want to know more about Netflix's take on binging? Here's what we found out when we visited Netflix HQ: If you are a TV fan, then check out our best shows on Netflix feature.Check out what the rivals are up to with the best movies on Amazon PrimeBest Netflix sci-fi movies: fantastic films to stream on Netflix and Amazon nowBest horror movies: scary films to stream right nowOur weekly guide to upcoming things on Netflix In this thrilling crime drama set in Hong Kong, a policeman goes undercover in order to expose a detective who has been leaking important police business to his contacts in the criminal underworld. The mole doesn't know who it is that's tracking him, so ensues a cat and mouse game guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. If the plot sounds familiar, that's because Martin Scorcese's The Departed was based on this movie.  Starring Brad Pitt and Robert Redford, this crime thriller is about a veteran spy who takes on a dangerous mission to try and free his protégé who has been taken as a political prisoner in China.  From the writer of Arrival comes another alien invasion picture that has one of the more interesting twists that we have seen in a while. The whole thing plays out as a pretty simple affair. Micheal Pena is a factory worker who is plagued by visions and finds himself at the centre of a looming apocalypse. Some great set pieces manage to lift what is quite a tepid script - stick with it as the end is something else. Arguably one of Tarantino's best movies, The Hateful Eight is a gory Western set some time just after the American Civil War. As you'd expect from a Tarantino flick, the cast is one of the best bits. Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Maden, Tim Roth and Kurt Russell take the lead roles as a ragtag bunch of criminals, bounty hunters and who knows what else who take refuge in a stagecoach stopover during a blizzard.  When Warcraft first came out it received mixed reviews and in many ways was a financial disappointment. But this action movie, based on the video game of the same name, from Duncan Jones is really compelling for fans of fantasy, monsters and otherworldly evils. Don’t expect flawless performances, but do expect your fair share of magical spells, orcs and sprawling battle scenes. Not every superhero movies takes itself too seriously. Deadpool is the poster child for irreverent superhero fun. Ryan Reynolds plays the lead, a slightly mad, katana-wielding character who blurs the line between hero and villain. It’s the jokes we’re here for, though. And a lot of them packed in.  This South Korean action movie is about Sook-hee, a trained assassin with a thirst for revenge who uncovers secrets about her dark past. Not one for the faint-hearted, Sook-hee leaves a trail of gore, violence and plenty of bodies on her quest. It's been applauded for its action choreography and has been described as Kill Bill meets La Femme Nikita.  Not every Marvel film is about superheroes with otherworldly powers. Guardians of the Galaxy’s lead Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is closer to Han Solo than Superman. He’s a law-breaking rogue, not a saviour of civilisations. The result is a film with more of a sci-fi inflection than other Marvel adaptations. It’s packed with humour too. You don’t have to care about comic book lore to get on-board with this blockbuster.  This star-studded war film features Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal and Jason Isaacs, and follows US tank crews in Nazi Germany during the last days of World War II. Based on real experiences by the crews of these machines, Fury is a powerful and moving account, that was very well received by critics and audiences alike. A biographical war drama directed by Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of conscientious objector Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield). Despite refusing to bear arms through his service during WW2, Doss won the Congressional Medal of Honor and adoration and respect of his peers for his bravery and selflessness in the conflict. Ridley Scott’s bombastic tale of US soldiers caught behind enemy lines when their helicopter crashes in Somalia is frenetic and relentless. You’ll have as much fun watching it as spotting the young actors who you kind of know but don’t know - including Hugh Dancy, Ioan Gruffudd and Ewen Bremner. It’s a bit jingoistic and the bloodshed is sometimes over the top but it’s a superb watch. A masterpiece in both filmmaking and fight choreography, Ang Lee's superb Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tells the tale of a Chinese warrior who steals a sword off of a master swordsman and the cat-and-mouse chase that ensues. Chow Yun-Fat may have been the star of the movie when the was first released, but it is Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi that steal the show. A follow-up was produced by Netflix, which is worth a watch but has none of the charisma of its enigmatic predecessor. Quentin Tarantino’s bloody brilliant kung-fu opus should have been one big movie. But its distributors got cold feet, which meant we actually got two quite different films. The first is pure Shaw Brothers schlock. A revenge tale that follows Uma Thurman’s Bride looking to kill people on her hit list, for murdering her husband and family on her wedding day and leaving her for dead. The second film is a touch more subdued, but no less brutal - starting with a flashback of the infamous wedding and then furthering The Bride’s mission to ‘kill bill’. If you can, watch them together as it’s an epic movie that should be consumed in one sitting. Saoirse Ronan plays a teen assassin, who has been trained relentlessly in the Finnish wilderness by her ex-CIA dad, played by Eric Bana. She's tracked down by a CIA agent, played by Cate Blanchett, who seems hellbent on killing her. Well, unless Hanna can do it first. Watch on Netflix now. Oh, Paul Verhoeven how we’ve missed you. Elle brings back everything the director is famed for - controversy, satire and, well, more controversy. Elle sees the fantastic Isabelle Huppert play a businesswoman who is raped and decides to exact revenge on her rapist, except she doesn’t know who it is. Elle never goes the way you think it’s going to go and, despite the subject matter, is genuinely funny in places. It’s occasionally a tough watch but doesn’t offer the gratuity that some of Verhoeven’s other films are famed for. It’s Hupert here that makes the movie. She is subversive and simply superb.  Natalie Portman takes the lead role in this biographical drama about the life of Jackie Kennedy, which takes place after her husband John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. It’s a compelling but difficult watch at times, all about grief, trauma, consoling her children and Jackie’s struggle to create a legacy for her husband after his tragic death. As well as Portman, the movie has a great cast, including Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, Peter Sarsgaard and John Hurt - it was the final film that was released just before Hurt passed away in 2017.  Beach Rats follows the story of Frankie, a teenager with a girlfriend and a seemingly 'normal' life who secretly meets up with older men to have sex and take drugs. He doesn't identify as gay or bisexual to his partner, friends or family. So this is a very powerful yet somehow dream-like look at his adolescent turmoil as he learns more about himself, the world and his sexuality. Some of the themes of the movie, as well as the visual aesthetic, have been compared to the likes of Moonlight and Beau Travail, so if you were a fan of either or both of those films then give this a watch. Historical drama denial is based on on a book call History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier by Deborah Lipstadt. It's about a case called Irving Vs. Penguin Books Ltd in which Lipstadt, a scholar specialising in the atrocities of the Holocaust is sued by David Irving, a Holocaust denier, for libel. Starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore, the story follows Maggie (Gerwig) who has decided she wants a baby and wants to raise it all on her own. But everything goes a bit wrong when she falls for John (Hawke) who is married to, you guessed it, Moore's character Georgette. A complicated, at times funny and emotional love triangle ensues.  An original Netflix film, Kodachrome follows the story of Matt, played by Jason Sudeikis, and Ben, played by Ed Harris, and estranged father and son duo who embark on a road trip joined by Ben's assistant, played by Elizabeth Olson, to the last place to develop Kodachrome film in the US - a small photo shop called Dwayne's Photo in Kansas.Watch on Netflix now. The Social Network is a biographical drama about the rise of Mark Zuckerberg and the early days of Facebook, as lawsuits, controversies and various other problems rolled in on the journey to it becoming a household name.There's been some controversy about the movie, especially considering Zuckerberg and no one else from the Facebook team were involved in its making. But it received many highly positive reviews, which is down to all aspects of the movie, from the performances from the cast through to David Fincher's directing and Aaron Sorkin's compelling script.  This generated a nice bit of buzz at Sundance and for good reason: Bad Day For The Cut is a grim, gripping Irish thriller about a farmer looking to avenge the death of his mother. First-time Writer/Director Chris Baugh knows how to ratchet up the tension and it certainly knows how to hit some nasty notes. Yes, you’ll probably guess where things are going to go, but it’s still a decent watch. Personal Shopper is a strange, but captivating movie. It shows off the acting prowess of Kristen Stewart who is superb as an American 'personal shopper' living in Paris who caters to the needs of an infuriating supermodel. And it just so happens, Stewart's character is also a medium who starts to interact with what she believes is her not-long dead brother. Personal Shopper is one movie which doesn't let you really know what it wants to be until the end - and that is what makes it great. Mudbound proves that Netflix is getting serious with the movies it is producing. This superb ensemble drama focuses on two brothers (Garret Hedlund and Jason Clarke) back from the second World War and the struggles they face adjusting back to ‘normal’ life. The film pulls no punches when it comes to tackling racism and sexism, both rife in 1940’s Mississippi, but layers these heady issues with a fair amount of levity and brevity. The cast are superb - Better Call Saul’s Jonathan Banks is riveting as always but Jason Mitchell is standout here - but it’s the tight script and wonderful, sweeping direction by Dee Rees that makes this movie truly and Oscar worthy. It’s rare that Tom Cruise gets upstaged in his movies but that’s what happens in Rain Man. This is because Dustin Hoffman puts in a performance of a lifetime as Charlie’s (Cruise) autistic brother Raymond. In the film we see Hoffman recite dates of airline crashes when he doesn’t want to fly, and this brings the brothers on a road trip after their father passes away. Cruise’s character in unlikeable for the most part but his softening to Hoffman’s Raymond is a beautiful watch - sometimes hilarious, sometimes tender.  Director Adam McKay was known for creating big belly laughs before The Big Short came out. And that’s what makes this movie such a surprise. It is funny in places, but it’s also a super-sharp look and - shock, horror - endlessly entertaining look at those who betted big the the housing bubble in the US would burst  in the mid 2000s. Filled with fantastic characters (played by Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell) and a superb script, this is a must see. Dope was a revelation when it was released in 2015. Part coming-of-age drama, part hip-hop homage, the movie is about a group of teenagers who go to a party and end up tangled up in drug dealing. While that sounds all very gritty, the film plays it for laughs more than often, punctuated by moments of drama. A heartfelt and considered look at Martin Luther King Jr's struggle to gain equal voting rights, campaigning in racially-charged Alabama, Selma was one of the finest films of 2014 and was rightly nominated for a Best Picture Oscar as a result. It may have missed out on the top gong, but David Oyelowo's performance as the civil rights leader is a powerful one, with a supporting cast recreating the inspiring story with great respect. Don’t let the title or, for that matter, the plot put you off, Warrior is a fantastic movie, centred on two brothers who find redemption and solace in the biggest MMA tournament ever held. A superb script and superb performances from Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as the brothers and Nick Nolte as the alcoholic father, make this a must see. Not only did Network spawn one of the greatest lines shouted in a movie - "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" - it also shone a light on US network television and its constant push for higher ratings. The plot is great: longtime anchor Howard Beale finds out that he is about to get fired, so to drive ratings he announces he will commit suicide on air. What ensues is a harsh look at TV that's still prescient today. Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the most divisive directors around and he's not looking to change that with The Neon Demon. Like Only God Forgives and the slightly more accessible Drive, Neon Demon is stylish, blood soaked and, well, cold. It features a fantastic central performance by Elle Fanning and never compromises - this makes for a difficult but ultimately rewarding watch. Anyone who doubts the acting caliber of Tom Hardy needs to watch Bronson immediately. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn who found fame with Drive and the divisive Only God Forgives, Bronson is a fragmented, surreal look at one of the UK’s most famous prisoners, Charles Bronson. Hardy commands the screen as the titular inmate, bulking on the body mass and belting out charisma and chaos in equal measure. It’s not for everyone, thanks to its obscure storytelling, but this is a unique film and one that demands your attention. Pulp Fiction is Quentin Tarantino at his finest. Endlessly quotable and always a refreshing watch, Tarantino re-invents what a crime movie should be. He does this be interlocking seemingly unrelated stories in a non-linear way, riffing on pop culture and breathing new life into old actors - including John Travolta, Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson. This film deserves all the accolades it's garnered over the years. It's just a shame Tarantino has never bettered it. Okja is a fantastic movie that proves Netflix really does know what it's doing when it comes to commissioning films. Made by Bong Joon Ho, one of the greatest directors around, the film is the strange tale of a little girl and her best friend, a giant animal called Okja. The friendship is threatened when a CEO (a superb Tilda Swinton) wants to take Okja for nefarious means. The whole movie may well be an ode to animal activism but it's such a refreshing movie that you don't mind it preaching to you on occasion. Now you have this on-board Netflix, can you please grab the UK rights for Snowpiercer - another superb Bong Joon Ho movie that never saw the light of day in Britain.   This is a movie that was close to not being made. Just as shooting began, funding was pulled and it means that star Matthew McConaughey may have had to drop out, as he needed to put all the weight on he had lost for playing Ron Woodroof, an electrician diagnosed with Aids. Money was found, though, and we're glad it was as this is a sometimes harrowing but strangely uplifting account of someone who goes to the extra mile to get their hands on an experimental Aids drug that can lessen the effects of the disease. McConaughey is fantastic as the makeshift drug runner while his partner in crime is Jared Leto as Rayon, a trans woman who helps him on his journey. Despite the budget cut, there was Oscar nominations aplenty for the film with it winning Best Makeup. Considering the makeup was done on $250 budget, this is an impress feat. A quirky tale about a man called Harold Crick (played by Will Ferrell) who lives a normal, kinda dull existence and one day begins to hear someone narrating his life. Everything about the narration is super accurate, but when it reveals he's doing to die soon he tries to find the author to stop her, well, killing him off.  Some Like it Hot is a classic, and for good reason. Winner of numerous Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and featuring three of Hollywood's greats at the top of their game, it's a hilarious movie, with unforgettable central performances.After witnessing the Valentine's day massacre, two male musicians try to escape town in disguise, as women. If you've never watched it, treat yourself. If you have, you don't need any convincing to watch it again. Watch on Netflix Now This laugh-out-loud, yet totally heart-warming, comedy from Judd Apatow is perfect for easy Sunday watching. It's about a TV presenter, played by Katherine Heigl, who has to navigate the tricky ins-and-outs of having an unplanned pregnancy with the unemployed and kinda immature Ben, played by Seth Rogen. Watch on Netflix now.  Stanley Kubrick's 1964 satirical dark comedy classic has landed on Netflix. This dark comedy explores the fears around the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union, and the threat of impending nuclear disaster. Directed, produced and also co-written by Kubrick, the story centres around a US Air Force general who decides to order a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It then follows the action of a bomber after it's set off, as well as the heated debates about calling off the whole operation before the general brings about the end of the world. Okay, so it might not be the light and easy watch you were looking for on a lazy, hungover Sunday. But it's a classic that's one of Kubrick's best.  The World's End is the worst of the Cornetto Trilogy but that's only because the other two are the superb Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. The premise is great: Gary King (Simon Pegg) gets his old friends together to relive a pub crawl of their childhood. The only problem is, everyone has grown up into self-respecting adults except him. But none of this matters when the group of lads get themselves into a very strange situation. Full of fantastic sight gags that made Baby Driver the success it was, The World's End doesn't quite hit the high notes it should but it has a lot of fun trying in the process.  What a brilliant film. Pride manages to weave 'message' with entertainment effortlessly, charting the true tale of gay rights activists in the UK that help raise money for a small mining town when the strikes are happening. There's superb performances by all but it's the ever-brilliant George MacKay whose standout. The plot for this one is fantastic. It’s a road movie centred around two teenage bike thieves who go on an adventure after they get word that seven tonnes of cocaine has been shipwrecked off the coast of Ireland. Their plan is to get some of it and sell it for a better life. This is one of the funniest comedies to come out of Ireland for a while. It’s got a distinct Adam & Paul feel but is thankfully a bit lighter. Young Offenders is a coming-of-age story with oodles of charm.  A classic Jim Carey comedy, Ace Ventura Pet Detective follows a PI who specializes in missing animals cases. When the mascot for the Miami dolphins goes missing he's in for the case of his life. Expect a madcap adventure with a lot of energy and laughs. Richard Linklater's latest is a bedfellow to Dazed and Confused. Instead of the ’80s, though, the '70s is used as a backdrop instead and the focus here is very much what it is like to be a boy growing up into an adult. As with most Linklater movies, not much happens in the movie but the characterisation is so spot on, that it really doesn't matter. One of the best films you probably missed in 2016, The Nice Guys is cult director Shane Black at his best. Achingly funny and whip-smart, too, the film is about a private eye and a heavy in the '70s and the shenanigans they get up to. While Black went full Hollywood with Iron Man 3, The Nice Guys sees him back where he belongs - among the indie elite.  We don't really need to tell you the synopsis of the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, do we? A load of paranormal enthusiasts/hunters all come together to stop an otherworldly threat. You know the drill. The great bit about the 2016 remake is it's a female-fronted ghostbusting team, featuring comedians and actors Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. Critics were pretty divided when this version came out, with many praising the fresh approach but not being too keen on some of the story and script. Then again, it was always going to be near impossible to create a story so similar to the original. A cult comedy horror made in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a whole lot of fun. Hillbillies Tucker and Dale head out to a cabin in the woods for a vacation and, well, all horror breaks loose. With barrels of laughs and buckets of blood, don't expect award-winning performances but it's a lot of fun. Alexander Payne proves once again that he is one of the best directors around with Nebraska, a film that follows elderly Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) who embarks on a 750-mile journey to Nebraska to cash in the supposed winnings of a sweepstake. Nebraska is full of heart but also home truths when Woody arrives back in his hometown after years away. Based on Bret Easton Ellis' tale of greed, capitalism and serial killing, this 2000 dark comedy-meets-horror flick has a stellar cast, including Christian Bale, Reese Witherspoon and Willem Dafoe, among many others. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a deep and intense rollercoaster ride through sprawling monologues, 80s pop tunes and murder.  Martin Freeman stars in this Australian post-apocalyptic thriller that's based on a short film of the same name. It's about a world overtaken by a zombie virus and a husband and wife who are trying to survive with their young daughter. They've managed to stay uninfected so far because they've been living on a houseboat, but as you can imagine, that all changes. It's been mostly praised by critics, who enjoy its refreshing take on the zombie genre, its emotional depth and Freeman's performance. A series of murders has ravaged London, which leads many of the locals to believe there's only one explanation: the mythical Golem must be to blame, a mythical creature from darker times. But, as you'd probably expect, it turns out it isn't a creepy monster that's to blame after all.  It's the perfect horror setup: 10 strangers are stranded in a motel thanks to a rainstorm. At the same time a murderer is about to be executed, only for his psychiatrist to make a last-ditch effort to keep him alive. So, how are these two tales linked? Well, that would be telling. Directed by The Wolverine's James Mangold, Identity may think it's brainier than it is but at least it's a whole lot of fun. Creep was a mini indie marvel when it came out a few years back. Ultra low budget, it starred  Mark Duplass and was base on his story about a videographer who puts an ad on Craiglist which leads to some terrifying home truths. In the sequel, Duplass is back and this time he lures someone to his home by claiming to be a serial killer. What ensues is a tense, brilliant low-fi ride. Joining Stephen King’s Carrie on Netflix comes another classic story from the horror author’s creepy collection: Misery. Bringing the tale of the story, which will be making anyone who has seen it wince right now, straight to your living room. The movie follows a famous author who is rescued from a car crash by a fan. We won’t spoil what happens next, but you can probably guess it’s not exactly the warm, homely kind of recovery you’d expect after you’ve had an accident. It’s certainly not one for the faint-hearted, so prepare to hide behind a cushion for about 50% of the running time.  Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula is an under-appreciated gem. It uses some old-school cinematic techniques to give the movie a classic feel and it really works - having back projection for some of the special effects offers up a really unnerving look at Dracula. Gary Oldman is fantastic as the titular character. The only let down is Keanu Reeves who is utterly miscast. If you can put up with that, though, then what you have is one of the most lavish horror movies ever made. The Purge is low budget but brilliantly high concept. The idea is that there is one day a year when the world can go a bit crazy murdering and looting and it's all completely legal. This makes for a fantastic adrenaline rush of a movie that's modelled on John Carpenter style 80s heist movies. It's really good fun, as is a number of the sequels.  Gerald's Game is one of Stephen King's leaner novels, with the majority of the action taking place in one room, with one woman (Jessie Burlingame) alone, handcuffed to a bed, after a night of passion goes awry, with just her thoughts, her dead husband, and a number of things that go bump in the night for company. With this in mind, director Mike Flannigan has managed to pull off an adaptation that could have been very one note, by creatively bringing Burlingame's - a fantastic Carla Gugino - thoughts to life. It's a bit too melodramatic at times and does suffer from the King curse of never knowing how to properly end his stories, but there's a lot to like about this Netflix exclusive. This horror story is all about a robbery gone wrong. The three thieves hoping to steal money from a blind veteran's home are in for a terrifying surprise when they realise he's much more violent, unpredictable and aware than they originally thought.  Blair Witch, the kind of remake, quasi sequel to the scare classic The Blair Witch Project was a big surprise when it first announced. Director Adam Wingard had made the film covertly with the title The Woods and then when it premiered at San Diego Comic-Con, they announced its link to the Blair Witch story and the crowd went, well, crazy. The film is a worthy addition to the franchise. It keeps the shaky cam stuff but also adds in some modern day twists such as drones and GPS. It takes a while to get going but once the scares start they are relentless.  This super-smart horror from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard is a movie that tries its hardest to turn the horror genre on its head, with continual knowing nods to movies of the past and a post-modern spin of the well-worn 'cabin in the woods' theme. Don't go into this movie expecting a normal film-watching experience but do expect to have fun watching a highly original script at play. Thanks to Netflix's sometimes surprising rights, Under The Shadow has popped on to the service around the same time as the movie's Blu-ray release. We're glad it has. It's a fantastic horror film set in Tehran in the '80s, focusing on a mother and daughter seemingly terrorised by otherworldly beings in an apartment block. The dread in this film is slow release but palpable, making it a terrific, scary watch.  This ultra low budget movie comes from the Duplass Brothers and is one of the most inventive chillers in years. The plot is slight, it focuses on a man who answers a Craiglist ad to film what he thinks is a video for the person’s unborn son. And that’s all we will say about the plot as it twists and turns in on itself, terrifying the viewer repeatedly in the process. Stephen King’s classic tale of the trials and tribulations of high school, fitting in, oh and having extremely powerful telekinetic powers has landed on Netflix, bringing the unforgettable and gruesome bloodbath of the 1976 imagining to the small screen.  Hush has a brilliant premise. Directed by Mike Flanagan it revolves around a killer who tries to get the best of a girl in the house on her own. So far so 'every horror movie ever made', but the girl who is being stalked happens to be deaf. Yes, the home invasion genre is getting tired, but Hush manages to quietly breathe new life into it. One of the more high-concept horrors on the list, Would You Rather is about a group of seven people who are invited to a millionaire's house to play a game of 'Would You Rather'. The game turns out to be one of the most sadistic around. Justin Lin directs the latest instalment of Star Trek with bombast. And thank goodness he does, because the explosions and flash camera angles manage to mask some of the cracks in this film. Don't get us wrong: Star Trek Beyond is a lot of fun, but feels a little smaller than the first two rebooted movies. There's more humour, though, and the cast still shine. Next time, though, more Bones please! Alex Garland is a master of sci-fi. He directed Ex Machina, wrote 28 Days Later, and has now directed Annihilation. It has skipped past a wide cinema release, heading direct to Netflix. This sharp supernatural thriller sees Natalie Portman play a botanist investigating a mysterious, and expanding, wall of light in the deep south of America.  Netflix surprised everyone when it revealed it had the streaming rights to the third instalment of the loose Cloverfield franchise, the Cloverfield Paradox, and now it has the original film. Each Cloverfield film is different, and the original uses the 'found footage' narrative device to document an attack on New York by a huge alien monster. While the Cloverfield Paradox didn't quite capture the magic of the original, the first film is definitely worth catching while it's on Netflix. Given it was made in 1985, the effects of Back To The Future still stand up today. Actually, so does everything about the movie. It's a fantastic old-school romp that showcases Michael J Fox as one of the most affable actors around. Spielberg may have only produced the movie but his fingerprints are all over it. Back To The Future is a classic that is endlessly fun and rewatchable. The effects may look a tad dated now but The Abyss was SFX filmmaking at its best when it was released in the late '80s. Directed by James Cameron, sandwiched between Aliens and Terminator 2 in his oeuvre, the film is about a diving team looking for a lost nuclear submarine but instead encounter something wholly different. It's a thought-provoking slice of sci-fi that's more thriller than action. In the not-so-distant future, people are ranked, judged and given jobs not based on their abilities and interests, but on their genetic makeup. Gattaca follows the story of a man with less-than-perfect DNA (Ethan Hawke) who is desperate to travel into space, which is a privilege only reserved for the perfect. With the help of another man with 10/10 DNA (Jude Law), he tries to game the system to bag himself a seat on the next mission to the stars. As you’d expect from this clever sci-fi story, there are lots of challenges, problems and interesting twists along the way. Jim Carey has always been an actor that takes things to extremes - whether it's his face gurning or physical comedy. But nothing was quite like what he did in Man On The Moon, the Milos Foreman directed biopic of Andy Kaufman. Mixing exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of Carey that the studios didn't want released, this is one revealing documentary about the things people do to make people laugh. Full of hubris that you can only get when a documentary crew gets more than they bargained for (see also: The Jinx), Weiner follows the mayoral campaign of Anthony Weiner only for him to be embroiled in a sex scandal as the cameras are still shooting. And the best bit about it is, the documentary was meant to be about Weiner’s comeback after another sex scandal that happened in 2011. It’s a tough but compelling watch.  Director Martin Scorsese may well be known for his Hollywood productions but he has a decent sideline in rock documentaries. The latest to hit Netflix focuses on George Harrison, knitting together archive footage with interviews and home movies. It’s a warm, revealing portrait of arguably the most talented Beatle and one that came out 10 years after his untimely death. With nuclear war still a threat today (and a growing one at that), a documentary on how atomic warfare came to be was always going to feel prescient but The Bomb feels like more than that. It's a full-on assault on the senses that weaves archive footage together to create a non-linear, experimental piece that's more mosaic than montage, with a message that's pretty clear: we need nuclear disarmament and we need it now. The Bomb toured the film festival circuit with live band The Acid and was even shown at Glastonbury's Shangri-La. While it's no doubt not as potent as it was in a live space, it's still well worth a watch. And if you need a non-Netflix companion piece, then check out Storyville, Atomic, Living in Dread and Promise by Mark Cousins. "Metal on metal / It's what I crave / The louder the better / I'll turn in my grave."Like a real-life Spinal Tap, the story of Anvil, the oft-forgotten heavy metal pioneers is as tragic as it is funny and uplifting. A huge influence on the likes of Metallica and metal's megastars, Anvil never got to enjoy the success of their peers, resigned to the axe-wielding history books.Except...Anvil never went away. Continuing to shred on the toilet circuit, the documentary follows the ageing rockers as they make one last attempt at hitting the big time.Throw up the horns, but keep a hanky at the ready – Anvil: The Story of Anvil is as good as a rock-doc gets. The White Helmets is, quite rightly, the winner of Netflix's first-ever Oscar. It was directed by the only British winner of the 2017 Oscars, too. Orlando von Einsiedel directs this stunning look at the day to day operations of the Syrian Civil Defense, volunteers who assist neighbourhoods that have been bombed, helping find survivors amongst the devastation. It may only be 40 minutes long, but the bravery and tragedy you witness will stay with you forever.  Netflix bagged its first Bafta thanks to this stunning documentary. 13th looks at race and the US criminal justice system, showcasing numerous injustices in the way African Americans have been treated in the system. The documentary was made by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who also made the superb Selma. Some Kind of Monster is a intimate look at one of the most successful heavy metal bands ever, Metallica. This unflinching doc focuses on the band as they hit  a crossroads - the departure of their bass player. We see a band that's been together for 20 years talk through their emotions and pain points. By enlisting the help of a therapist, the documentary is a fascinating fly-on-the-wall look at a rock group in group therapy. One of the most important documentaries of the decade, Blackfish charts the life of killer whale Tilikum, who sadly died recently. Kept in captivity as a 'performance mammal' at SeaWorld, the doc explores the unsightly side of why keeping whales in captivity is a terrible idea. Blackfish had such an impact that SeaWorld decided to phase out its orca shows and rebrand itself. Powerful stuff. This Netflix exclusive documentary is a heart-wrenching look at one of the greatest singers of all time. While the highlights are definitely seeing Simone sing live - there's a huge amount of never-before-seen archive footage - it's the eye-opening truths about her troubled life that hit home hardest. Always one for a conspiracy theory - just watch JFK to see how creative his jigsaw-like thinking can get - Olive Stone was the perfect choice to direct Snowden - a film about Edward Snowden, arguably the most prolific leaker the US has ever had. Charting his life from his cut-short army career to his desk job in the NSA, focusing on cyberwarfare, the story humanises a person who already feels like a myth and adds bones to why he decided to go against the US government and uncover a truth that included mass surveillance and more. We know, we know, it sometimes doesn't feel quite right when a cult classic like OldBoy gets remade. Especially one that's been so popular over the years because it's so surreal, dark and chilling. How do you even begin to remake that sense of dark, skin-crawling unease? Well, Spike Lee gave it a good go in 2013. Josh Brolin plays the lead character, who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 20 years and then goes on a mission to find out why. Not for the faint-hearted, it's a decent remake, but as you'd expect didn't excite critics or gain cult status like Park Chan-Wook's original.  Leonardio DiCaprio plays the notorious high rolling stockbroker Jordan Belfort in this award-winning flick from Martin Scorsese. At times it's deadly serious, laugh-out-loud funny and in many ways a fable about the slippery slope a life all about money can send you down. Steven Spielberg's classic 1975 thriller has arrived on Netflix, telling the story of a giant, man-eating shark who likes to snack on people in New England. There was no doubt that Jaws would make our list given that it's often considered one of the greatest movies ever made. In fact, it was the highest grossing movie of all time for a few years until Star Wars hit the scene. In this hard-hitting crime drama Johnny Depp plays the notorious American mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. The story follows the infamous criminal career of Bulger as he heads up the Winter Hill Gang of South Boston. Martin Scorsese's flick Taxi Driver follows the story of a lonely veteran (played by Robert DeNiro) living in New York who becomes a taxi driver and slowly descends into madness watching the corruption and depravity of the city around him. It's not an easy watch, but it's a true classic and considered one of the greatest movies of all time. It's the movie which finally won Leonardo the Oscar and for good reason - The Revenant is a ferocious looks at mankind's survival against the odds. And when those odds include soldiers, bears and inhospitable lands they are definitely no in your favour. Shot entirely with available light, this is a stark movie but one that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.  Before Denis Villeneuve was wow-ing us all with Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, he directed Prisoners. It's a crime thriller with a stellar cast, including Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, about a child abduction. You'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.  This crime thriller flick might not be award-winning, but boy does it keep you on the edge of your seat. Elizabeth Banks plays a woman who is sent to prison on a murder charge she denies, which leads her husband, played by Russell Crowe, to hatch a daring and detailed plan to break her out of prison. Watch on Netflix now. The Stephen King renaissance continues with 1922, a movie based on a little-known short story by the horror author taken from his 2010 Full Dark, No Stars compilation. It’s an assured film with a great central performance by Thomas Jane, who plays a farmer in the 1920 who murders his wife, a crime that sparks off a strange string of events. It’s slow burning but when the horror finally creeps in it’s a tough but mesmerising watch. Ben Affleck's directorial debut is a superb, taut thriller that's based on every parent's worst nightmare - the disappearance of their child. Ben's brother Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan star as two detectives who take on the missing person's case, even though they have little experience in a case of that type. Based in Boston, the film manages to showcase the heart of the city (where the Afflecks are from) as well as tell a tragic tale in the most human way possible. Kathryn Bigelow is one of the greatest action filmmakers around, so was perfect for helming Zero Dark Thirty. Based on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, the movie keeps the terrorist mostly in the background and instead focuses on the people who were key to bringing him to justice. No one would like to see Bin Laden caught more than Jessica Chastain's Maya, an operative who has spent most of her career chasing him. Whatever your take on the War on Terror, this is riveting stuff. With Twin Peaks: Season 3 currently trying to out weird the world, it's a perfect time to immerse yourself in the delicious nastiness of Blue Velvet once more. The film is a triumph of oddness - based around a seemingly wholesome man (Kyle MacLachlan) who gets embroiled in the underworld thanks to his infatuation with a mysterious women. This is David Lynch at his finest. Antonio Banderas! Adrien Brody! John Malkovich! The cast for Bullet Head is an exciting mix of three great actors that you'd think would light up the screen with slick dialogue and electrifying performances alone, but instead Bullet Head throws them all in a warehouse that for some reason is really hard to just, walk out of, with a killer dog. And that's the rather strange, rather ridiculous but somehow still very entertaining premise of Bullet Head. This movie ain't gonna win any awards, but if you're craving a bit of mindless action and drama with three familiar faces at the helm, then Bullet Head might just be your perfect movie for hangovers and lazy Sundays.  Calvary is an intense, disturbing and at some points darkly funny story about a priest in a small, rural town in Ireland who receives a mysterious death threat. While waiting to find out who the shady, would-be killer is, the priest continues about his daily business, which reveals that criminal acts, racism and domestic abuse run rife in the community. It’s whatever the opposite of easy watching is, so be prepared. But it’s a very well-made and captivating move in which Brendan Gleeson really shines as the protagonist priest. One of the first movies to be made under the Netflix banner, Beasts of No Nation sees Idris Elba on fine form as a commandant fighting in a civil war. But the biggest praise has to go to Abraham Attah's Agu - a boy soldier caught in the fighting. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga - who made the first season of True Detective the masterpiece it was - this is a harrowing but great watch. Fargo is the perfect Coen Brothers film. Funny enough to make you chuckle, it's also filled with some ridiculously dark moments, most of which involve Steve Buscemi's bumbling hitman and William H Macy as the cowardly corrupt Jerry Lundegaard. The star of the film, however, has to be Frances McDormand's heavily pregnant, inquisitive and just darn tootin' nice detective. Brian De Palma is a magpie filmmaker. His style apes that of his hero, Alfred Hitchcock, and he loves to make remakes. Blow Out is one of his best. A re-imagining of the seminal '60s film Blow-Up, De Palma moves the action from London to the US and focuses on sound not photography as Travolta stars as a sound effects producer who believes he has caught a real murder on tape.Also consider: Carlos The Jackal | The Purge: Anarchy | Gone Baby Gone | The Spy Who Came In From The Cold | We Need To Talk About Kevin | The Parallax View | Rear Window | Serpico | Natural Born Killers The ultimate romantic film? Perhaps. It’s definitely one of the best watches you are likely to have. When Harry Met Sally is an all-time classic, brimming with confidence that only comes when you nail the acting, script and direction. Sally is played by Meg Ryan, someone who has been friends with Harry (a pristine Billy Crystal) for years but lost contact. They meet up again, when their lives are a little different, and the rest is history. Rob Reiner does a fantastic, subtle directing job here but top marks go to the script by the late Nora Ephron.  Director Damian Chazelle (Whiplash) does it again with La La Land, creating a fantastic musical romance about two creatives trying to make it big in Los Angeles. One is an aspiring actress (the fantastic Emma Stone), while the other (Ryan Gosling) is a jobbing jazz musician hoping for his big break. The song and dance routines are a wonder to watch, but this isn't just a film that relies on gimmickry - it's a well told modern day love story. Yes, it was made to capitalise on the huge success of Indiana Jones, but this is no rip off. Directed by the brilliant Robert Zemeckis and blessed with two of the most charismatic stars of the 80s Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, the movie is an absolute blast. It’s a film about a romance author who heads to Columbia to find her kidnapped sister, only to find herself face to face with an adventurer Michael Douglas. With equal measure action and comedy, Romancing the Stone is full of the fun only a rock-solid 80s flick can muster.  If you're looking for a feel-good movie this weekend, check out About Time. It's a genre-defying film that's about time travel, romance and has a big helping of laughs thrown in for good measure. Domhnall Gleeson plays a man who finds out he can travel through time, so decides to go and win the woman of his dreams. But, as with all time travel tales, things aren't as straight-forward (and not-to-mention chronological) as they seem. Watch on Netflix now. Wes Anderson’s quirky directing is a perfect fit for Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Fox. Lovingly crafted using stop animation that’s voiced by Anderson alumni, and George Clooney, the film works well as a kids animation, but it’s adults that will get the biggest kicks. Director Anderson is going back to stop animation for his next feature - let’s hope it’s half as good as the fantastic Fantastic Mr Fox. Charlie Brown and his dog, Snoopy, are iconic cartoon characters, and in this new computer-generated film, which was co-written and co-produced by Charles Schulz's son and grandson, is a brilliant continuation of that legacy, pleasing existing fans and winning over new ones in a tale that sees Charlie Brown try to impress Little Red-Haired Girl. It's the first Peanuts feature film in 35 years, but the wait was worth it. Yes it may be from the late 80s and nowadays robots should like more like the Westworld hosts rather than a big ol' pile of junk, right? But Short Circuit 2 is still an enjoyable sequel for the whole family. It's about Johnny Five, a sentient ex-military robot who is trying to help a robot inventor who is in some hot water with a bunch of bad guys. It's not going to win any awards for the story or the acting or anything else, really, but if you want to introduce your kids to fictitious robots from times gone by, this is a fun weekend watch. This movie may have not performed particularly well at the box office when it was first released, but it's still a magical movie suitable for all the family. It follows the story of Alice years after she first ventures down the rabbit hole. She's spent years at see and this time finds her way back to Wonderland when she comes across a magical looking glass. When she arrives she quickly embarks on a mission to save the Hatter, who is acting madder than ever.  Are remakes always a bad idea? On paper the 2016 The Jungle Book sounds like a recipe for a dud. It’s a new take on the Disney 1967 animated The Jungle Book, but with less music and more CGI. However, it also fills out the story’s world and adds more backstory for protagonist Mowgli. And, guess what, It works.  The BFG is brought to (larger than) life brilliantly by Stephen Spielberg and the acting talents of Mark Rylance. While the film may be a little too slow for younger viewers, it's a mesmerising watch. Full of the scatological humour of the book, but also slathered in beautiful imagery that blends the real world and CG seamlessly. Spielberg has done wonders to bring Roald Dahl's big classic to the big screen. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, who made the greatest Anime around Akira, Steamboy is a superb Victorian-London infused tale about a young inventor who has to do everything he can to make sure his granddad's inventions don't fall into the wrong hands. It looks amazing, but is sometimes let down by its storytelling. It's definitely worth a watch, though, even if it does get a little too silly. Roald Dahl's greatest book, Matilda, is given a great adaptation, thanks to director and star Danny DeVito. While brilliant at playing one of Matilda's awful parents, it's his direction that's key here - weaving together hyperreal imagery, a faithfulness to the book and the right balance of comedy and unpleasantness. Muppet madness ensues in The Dark Crystal - yet another classic brought to life by the majesty of Jim Henson and his puppet creations. It may not be as loved as Labyrinth but it's still a brilliant children's tale about the search for a crystal that once brought balance to the world.  Source link