Matt O’Connor
It’s that time again. The end of the month marks another round of some of my favorite films that I think are worthy of your time. As with the previous article in this series, this month’s selection will consist of films from a variety of genres, and there won’t be any major spoilers in case you do plan on checking out some of these movies for yourself. These are 5 more of my favorite movies that are definitely worth the watch.
Interstellar
From legendary director Sir Christopher Nolan, “Interstellar” centers around a group of astronauts that embark on a journey through a wormhole close to Saturn in an attempt to find a new habitable location for humanity. This is one of those movies where you really can’t explain the plot without getting into spoiler territory, but this film features truly spectacular visuals and groundbreaking cinematography. What makes Interstellar stand out compared to a lot of other films that focus on space travel is the inherent realistic possibilities that the film presents in terms of what could happen in the near future. Christopher Nolan is one of the most innovative and creative directors of our time since he puts so much effort into every single one of his movies, and Interstellar is certainly one of his best. You can stream Interstellar on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Keeping the space theme, “Guardians Of The Galaxy” takes the usual tropes that had been established by the superhero genre at the time and completely turned them on their heads. The film centers around a group of outlaws that come together to fight a common threat. This band of misfits consists of legendary outlaw Peter Quill a.k.a Star Lord (played by Chris Pratt), ravenous warrior Gamora (played by Zoe Saldaña), Drax the Destroyer (played by Dave Bautista), trigger happy Rocket Racoon (played by Bradley Cooper), and sentient tree Groot (played by Vin Diesel). Everyone in the cast of this film bounces off each other so well, and Director James Gunn was able to create a brand new world in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we had never seen or experienced before. This one movie helped the Guardians Of The Galaxy go from an obscure Marvel team that practically no one had ever heard of, to some of the biggest names in the world of superheroes. You can find the entire Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy on Disney +.
Flow
Animation is a filmmaking medium that deserves much more respect than it’s currently getting. It’s often seen as a genre of movies that’s specifically made for kids, but that’s far from the case. So many animated films are filled with depth and emotion that can be appreciated by all ages. That sentiment certainly applies to “Flow”, which recently won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars ceremony. Directed by Gints Zilbalodis of Latvia, Flow follows a stray cat exploring a world where the water levels have dramatically risen. The film stands out in so many amazing ways. Even though there’s not a single line of dialogue anywhere in the movie, you can feel the emotion and personalities of the characters through their movements and expressions. The film is also visually stunning, with the jaw dropping bright blue waters helping paint this world we get to explore. Flow was the very first independent film to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and was made entirely through the animation software Blender. It’s truly a groundbreaking film and a big step forward for the medium of animated storytelling. Flow can be streamed on Max and Hulu.
The Shining
Jumping from 1 to 100, “The Shining” is a landmark psychological thriller and is in my top five favorite films of all time. For those who aren’t familiar with the movie, it follows Jack Torrence as he travels to the Overlook Hotel with his wife and son after taking a job as the hotel’s primary caretaker. That’s all I’m gonna say in regards to the plot, as The Shining is another example of a film that you really need to watch without knowing anything going in for you to get the most out of it. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by the legendary Stephen King, and it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, who also directed 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick’s knack for filmmaking can be seen in full swing here with striking shot compositions and unnerving visuals. I wouldn’t necessarily classify this movie as a “horror” film, but it definitely features some scenes that can be quite frightening for some viewers. You can find The Shining on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Scooby-Doo (2002)
Going from one “horror” film to another, I’m ending things off once again with a guilty pleasure film. Based on the classic Scooby-Doo franchise, the movie follows Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby as they reunite to solve the mystery presented by a haunted theme park after previously going their separate ways, I’ll be honest, this film is not very good (at least compared to the previous films that I’ve been recommending), but it’s such a fun watch. This is one of those movies that you watch with your friends at a party and get a laugh out of the jokes that seemingly went over your head or the extremely outdated CGI. Funnily enough, James Gunn (who directed the Guardians Of The Galaxy films) wrote the screenplay for this movie. While this movie is definitely outdated and may not hold up very well compared to some of the other films you may watch from this batch, it’s still worthwhile and a fun time all around. You can find Scooby-Doo on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
