Most central to this is a dynamic Christian Bale as the real-life Dicky Eklund. Writers: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric JohnsonĬast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa LeoĪ film that proves good acting can make a familiar story feel fresh, The Fighteris a boxing drama that is elevated by its strong performances. Running at nearly two hours, it is a film that hits most of the key elements of the story and gets to fully delve deep into Macbeth’s descent into utter madness. Director Justin Kurzel stages all of these sequences with an eye for slow motion and a whole lot of fog, making everything almost feel like a nightmare come to life. It just is quite different from anything else and becomes increasingly brutal in its violent battles. It is a film that is far bigger and louder than any others that have come before it, though such spectacle doesn’t undercut the emotional stakes. Whether it is a big battle scene or a quiet funeral, they both fully inhabit their characters with a dedication that demands your respect. Both are simply outstanding, playing off each other and chewing up every scene they get. It sees a broken Michael Fassbender as the titular mad king Macbeth himself and a nuanced Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.

Writers: Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie, William ShakespeareĬast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, David Thewlis, Jack Reynor, Sean HarrisĪ gritty yet gorgeous take on the classic story by William Shakespeare, 2015’s Macbethis one of the adaptations that fully leans into being cinematic with an epic scope and setting that makes it mesmerizing to watch it all unfold.

Instead, it grapples with the fear of loss and finds an emotional depth that makes it one of the more impactful films you’ll find in the well-worn genre. Even as it follows some of the same beats here and there, it isn’t just your typical coming-of-age story. Even as it is heartwarming and ultimately hopeful in its narrative construction, there is a whole lot of darkness looming in Mud that gives it a more melancholic element that sticks with you. It is an extension of many of the themes about father figures that Nichols has tackled in his other outstanding films Take Shelter and Midnight Special while still very much being its own thing. It is a film that is helmed with a confident hand by one of the most underrated directors working today, Jeff Nichols. One of the films that helped to launch the Matthew McConaugheyrenaissance, Mud is a sturdy drama about a man on the run who finds unlikely friends in two young boys in Arkansas. Image via Lionsgate and Roadside AttractionsĬast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland Featuring stellar performances from an iconic supporting cast - including the late Roger Rees as the Sheriff of Rottingham, and a hilarious cameo from Patrick Stewart as King Richard I - the film is perfect for a night in with a couple of drinks and a lot of laughs. Putting a playful spin on the classic tale of love and revenge, Men in Tights is perhaps the pinnacle of Brooks’ attempts at parodying the genres that influenced his filmmaking, down to the goofy, Old Hollywood style musical number about having to be a man to pull off wearing tights. But perhaps one of his best - and most overlooked - is 1993’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights, featuring Hollywood heartthrob Cary Elwes as the titular archer. The name Mel Brooks is ubiquitous in the comedy world, with the ninety-five-year-old writer/director/actor having busted the boundaries of genre barriers (say that five times fast) with films like Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, and History of the World: Part I. David ShapiroĬast: Cary Elwes, Roger Rees, Richard Lewis, Amy Yasbeck, Dave Chappelle, Eric Allan Kramer, Tracey Ullman

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