Unbreakable
M. Night Shyamalan (2000)
Unbreakable is my personal favorite film by M. Night Shyamalan and was made back when he was at the peak of his power (before he became a parody of himself. The film is a superhero film disguised as a drama and is one of the more realistic takes on the idea of superheros. Bruce Willis stars as David Dunn, a very average stadium security guard in a struggling marriage who becomes the sole survivor of a deadly train crash that kills 131 passengers. What's weirder, is that David is seemingly unharmed. He attracts the attention of a mysterious man named Elijah Prince (Samuel L. Jackson) who believes David is one of few people who could be considered "unbreakable" - where they have a remarkable endurance and courage with a predisposition towards dangerous behavior. Though they never specifically call David a superhero, the implications are strong.
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One of the cool aspects of this movie is that David does not fully realize his superhero-ish qualities for most of his life. He has never taken a sick day, he has never broken a bone, etc. My favorite scene is when he starts bench pressing to find his max, but set by set, successfully benches every weight his sons adds. What I loved about this scene is that his pain and struggle when pressing the bar back up is the same 100 lbs to 800 lbs, so he isn't a superhuman, his bones are just really, really strong.
I highly recommend this movie to superhero fans who want something a little more complex than a Superman or an Iron man. There's even an M. Night Shyamalan-signature twist ending.
Rating: 8/10
Wind River
Taylor Sheridan (2017)
Wind River is one of those movies that stays with you for awhile. One of the reasons I love Wind River is that it uses its masterfully created story and setting to bring attention to actual issues.
The story follows Jeremy Renner as Cory, a seasoned game hunter, who comes across the body of a young Native American girl. The girl was raped and left to die in the cold, so as this is a federal crime, the FBI dispatches Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to investigate. Jane is inexperienced and has no idea how to navigate the frozen hellscape of of Northern Wyoming, so Cory decides to help her find the culprit, though his own motives differ from hers.
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This movie hits hard. Director Taylor Sheridan's writing never disappoints as he doesn't hold back in showing us how awful the living conditions are at this Indian Reservation. We, as the audience, get taken for a ride as Cory shows us the harsh landscape where we have forced Native Tribes generations ago. The movie brilliantly portrays grief and some scenes will really make you choke up. I think This is arguable Renner's best performance to date and the statistic at the very end of the movie will leave you breathless.
Rating: 9/10
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman (2018)
Okay hear me out, but this is the best spider-man movie to date. Yes, the plot is a tad ridiculous: Teenager Miles Morales gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes the Spider-man of his reality, but when Kingpin tears a hole in space and time, the Spider-men from all different realities and dimensions get thrown into a mix. It's now up to Miles to step up to the mantle of being Spider-man and fix reality and help the different spider-men get back to their own realities.
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First off, This movie is gorgeous looking, with a new animation style designed to mimic an actual comic book. t
Second, this movie is absolutely hilarious. Almost every joke lands and the other spider-men from other realities are goofy and unique. There's Peter Porker, a spider-pig voiced by the talented John Mulaney. There's Spider-Man Noir, a black-and-white hard-boiled detective version of spider-man voiced by Nicolas Cage. There's Spider-woman (aka Gwen Stacy) who is played by Hailee Steinfeld. And lastly, my favorite, Peter B. Parker, an older spider-man who is down on his luck in his universe who has to step up and teach Miles how to be Spider-man who is voiced perfectly by Jake Johnson.
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All in all, this movie might take the cake as my favorite animated movie and I highly recommend this to people of all ages.
Rating: 8.5/10
Arrival
Denis Villeneuve (2016)
Arrival is another one of those movies that'll leave you at a loss for words. It's simply breathtaking cinema and should be watched on the largest screen you can find.
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The story follows a realistic depiction of what the world would do if Aliens suddenly visited. 12 alien ships descend on Earth and land on 12 random locations around the world. Each nation is scrambling to work together to figure out how to respond, with some nations responding more aggressively than others. Amy Adams plays a linguist who is hired by the US government to try and communicate with the aliens. Essentially we get to see how two species who speak and think in opposite ways have to find a common communication to use.
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This movie is not one that you can just passively watch while you scroll through facebook. It is intelligent and intense from beginning to end, with brilliant cinematography and art direction. They even touch on fascinating concepts, such as the aliens writing and thinking is non-linear, so to them, there is no beginning or end with time, so there is no beginning or end to their sentences. This makes communication even more difficult and how the movie portrays it is brilliant.
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When people hear I am a movie fan, they typically ask what movie they should watch. My most popular go-to has always been Arrival.
Rating: 9.5/10
Hell or High Water
Taylor Sheridan (2016)
Another hit from writer Taylor Sheridan is Hell or High Water. This movie, like Wind River, was brilliantly written to show the frontiers that are relatively disconnected from the rest of the country.
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The story follows Chris Pine and Ben Foster as two brothers develop a scheme to rob a string of banks to get the money they need to save their family ranch from being taken by the Texas Midlands Bank. Hot on their tail is Jeff Bridges at his very best, playing a veteran ranger trying to keep himself from retirement. The premise is simple, but has so many layers that you'll be hooked the whole time.
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First off, the performances are A+ in this movie. Chris Pine and Ben Foster are electric and have a truly fascinating brother dynamic on screen. Jeff Bridges was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for his role.
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Sheridan is very keen on showing the audience how desperate people get in the face of poverty. Ben Foster's character is a criminal deep down in his heart who commits crimes because he likes it, but Chris Pine just wants the money to save his family. Together, however, they share truly humane moments that pull at the heart strings.
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With a best picture oscar nomination under its belt, this movie is a true modern-day western done right.
Rating: 8.5/10
Ocean's Eleven
Steven Soderbergh (2001)
If I had to describe this movie to someone I would simply call it this: Ocean's Eleven is the coolest movie ever. I had to include this movie for much different reasons than the others, and that is because this movie is damn entertaining. It is impossible not to have fun when watching Soderbergh's signature style come to life with its star-studded cast. Older readers have most likely seen this already, but younger readers may not have, and to them I say: watch it.
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The story follows Danny Ocean (awesome name by the way) as he plans a heist to steal from three Las Vegas Casinos at the same time. To do this, he gathers eleven accomplices, each with their own unique personalities and skills.
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Everything about this movie is cool. Clooney and Pitt dominate the screen together with witty dialogue and hilarious quotes. The jazz music makes every moment fun and inviting, and the beautiful backdrop of Las Vegas makes for a very fun watch.
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While this movie is not amazing and profound, it has so much rewatchability that you won't even care.
Rating: 8/10