The director of ‘Oldboy’ delivers a sexy, savage, utterly compelling con thriller tangled up in national and sexual politics in 1930s Korea.
Category: BAFTA winner
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ – Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale on Netflix
This elemental ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is both an escape from and a fantastical reflection of the horrors of Francisco Franco’s reign of terror in 1944 Spain.
‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ on HBO Max and HBO Now
Madonna made a memorable big screen debut with this colorful and playful American indie set in the bohemian culture of 1980s New York CIty.
‘The Hunger Games’ – May the odds be ever in your favor on Hulu
The hit young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins comes to the big screen with Jennifer Lawrence in a star-making performance as reluctant hero Katnis Everdeen.
John Cleese falls for ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ on Hulu and Paramount+
Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin costar in this zippy mix of caper comedy, sexy romantic comedy, and Pythonesque zaniness, one of the funniest films of the 1980s.
Steven Spielberg’s ‘Empire of the Sun’ – Innocence in wartime on HBO Max
Christian Bale made his film debut as British schoolboy in a Japanese prison camp in World War II Shanghai in this superb war drama.
‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’ on Amazon Prime
Luis Buñuel’s sly, dry, deadpan masterpiece of upper class hypocrisy uses satire to skewer social pretensions and moral hypocrisy
Underdog Oscar winner ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ on Hulu
Danny Boyle’s underdog movie about a slum kid in India who defies all odds was the most unabashedly, tragically, rapturously romantic film of 2008.
Mickey Rourke is ‘The Wrestler’ on Hulu
Darren Aronofsky directs this warm but heartbreaking tale of a professional wrestler who is long past his prime trying to find a life after the ring.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ – Tom Hardy is the post-apocalyptic road warrior on HBO Max
George Miller’s long-awaited sequel was the most visceral, thrilling, and intelligent action film of 2015. Charlize Theron is superb as Imperator Furiosa.