The definition of success is different for everyone. Swimming in the sea of financial sharks, owning a great apartment, and enjoying the pleasures of a big city is considered a great achievement for some but, possibly, you need to redefine things in life. Going back to your roots gives you an opportunity to climb not the career ladder but expand your own personal space which is way more horizontal. Beautiful Italy in the background, a house to renovate, a few friendships to build, and a romance to start. Yes, you can have a good money year, but also A Good Year, and the latter is far more worthy. Enjoy.
All the good in the world is tinted with some evil. But if you come across a particularly nasty bad guy who makes life for people in your town a living nightmare, you need to take action. And just as in every good recipe for success you need a few key ingredients. Courage, skill, humor, wit, friendship, and trust with a pinch of madness won't guarantee anything, but do you have a choice? Will you accept the evil and stand silent? One woman was brave enough to collect a team to challenge a very unscrupulous man and you know which side you're on. A classic western and some good-willed cowboys to cheer. The Magnificent Seven.
It's rare that all family members add up equally to the family fortune. It often happens that one hard-working and successful man keeps the rest of the less accomplished, lazy bunch afloat. The fortune is tempting like a lottery win and there are many eager candidates for the inheritance. You can wait for years for the death of the prospective benefactor, but what if one day he dies a tragic death leaving all the gold behind? Who is there to blame? A plot with a few twists in Knives Out. Enjoy.
It's a challenge to play someone well-known and characteristic without the cringe effect. Freddy Mercury was such a person for sure. But having an unsurpassed music gift calls for an unsurpassed acting talent, and then the story just clicks. Queen's music enchanted us with this brilliant feeling of unity and power against the world's injustice. Bohemian Rhapsody reminds you about that magic and brings you closer to the person whom it all wouldn't be possible without. Painful self-discovery, disease, and the world at one's feet for one brilliant musician and his band that changed the music industry and moved generations.
You can live your quiet, uneventful life, not bothering anyone, getting in trouble, or aiming too high in life or career opportunities. But trouble tends to find you. What if you were mistaken for a millionaire with a reckless wife and thrown into a crime you had no intention of getting involved in? What if someone pissed on your carpet, and while having no other grudges, this one was offensive enough to trigger your anger? What if you were called like someone else, and this surname made you entangled in a weird family situation and placed among some greedy enemies? The Big Lebowski. When a guy just can't be left on his own. Enjoy.
Ambition can blind you at times. You can be driven by ego and achievements and be misled by what is worthy. Life also puts obstacles in front of you, challenges that make you learn your lessons and change your course of action. This journey gives you people who can shift your perspective and teach you the important things. And very rarely in life, you have a chance to talk to real spiritual leaders and change, admit to the wrong you caused, and improve. Based on real Heinrich Harrer and Dalai Lama with World War 2 and China's takeover of Tibet in the background. And a journey of one self-centered boy, who believed he could win the world on his own until he met the right kind of people and became a man. Seven Years in Tibet.
When you look at the pictures of couples that have spent their lives together and celebrated decades, you want that for yourself. You want that company, that happiness, that time, and that love. Success, money, and health are just a part of life. Another part contains the downs you agree on at the altar. And you know that the downs will be coming and testing you and your love. Those downs can be like monsters, and you'll be afraid. It's easy to run away and find something less scary, to go back to grade one while you're graduating. But true love is not just pictures and anniversaries. Love is moments in between. What if your relationship is changing due to an incurable disease, and you're there to witness it? Two men in love and a trip down a memory lane and coping with life's hard tasks. Supernova.
Life gets boring, problematic, and stressful. You're not as good as you wish you'd be, and it's no point denying that you're on the right path to success. What if you could make it just a bit less tiresome? A bit more exciting? A bit more relaxed? What if drinking just a bit of alcohol every day could solve your life problems? Experiments can be dangerous. Limits once set might be too narrow. And substance abuse is a long and windy road that can take you to the top and pull you down as just as easy. Drunk - a great picture of the drinking rollercoaster and a few guys adding to their lives a bit (and a bit more) buzz.
For an average person, it takes a lifetime to finally own a home, save up enough for retirement and enjoy the autumn of their lives, spending what was once earned by hard work. But if you want to have a lot and you want it fast, you have to act in a different way. Acquiring lifetime savings of lonely elderly, imprisoning them in care, at the same time building a safety nest for oneself, and creating a clever machine that seems to work clockwork is one way to act. However, not all old ladies and gentle and polite. Some might be related to dangerous people with dangerous methods. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So if they want to get you killed... you know the rest of the story. A great portrayal of a strong woman and some food for thought on where to draw the line between personal success and the violation of basic human rights. I Care a Lot.
If you have a matter to solve, you want to get the job done, don't you? And when the issue concerns the killing of your father, you want to hire the best possible person to make sure the villain will be caught and punished accordingly. And it doesn't matter that you are just a teenage girl in the brutal world of Wild West surrounded by unscrupulous criminals when justice rarely sees the light of day. A unique friendship, an unlikely bond and a quest towards one girl's justice. True Grit.
Life is unfair in its distribution of goods. Some are born rich and healthy, others live in abandonment, poverty, and sickness. Equally is with talent. You might think that those with God's gift are special, distinct, and admirable. That they had finished the best schools, have the best manners, and epitomize the best human virtues. But kings and geniuses equally are only people with the nastiest appalling habits. That said, can you resist the obsession with someone who has something you always wanted to have? Can jealousy make you commit deeds you'd rather conceal? A confession of one musician about another incomparable genius of its epoch. Salieri vs Mozart in Miloš Forman's Amadeus.
Remember Groundhog Day? Thirty years on you can have the same concept adjusted to modern circumstances. And what reliving the same day over and over, and over again means for the 2020s? Is it the same as Bill Murray's never-ending nightmare which led to self-reflection or in time have we changed and our experiences, social contacts, and relationships are relevant only for us? This time, we can see both sides of the spectrum, the perspective of a man, and an equally lost woman. Is there a way out of this time trap? A tragic and funny portrait of us, people, who lost something important, and are numb by the routine and offerings of adulthood. Palm Springs.
Not only actors can act with their mimicry and gestures. The world of fantasy is opened to more than green-screen special effects. It can be created by hours of work, costume design, and arts and crafts. And the result is one of a kind. You can call them puppets, but once you enter their realm, you will buy their unique faces and movements, and soon forget that they aren't real. You will befriend Jen, Kira, and Fizzgig and you will see Skeksis - one of the scariest and appalling antagonists ever created (maybe apart from Peter Jackson's Orks). A very special film, with amazing quality of design, characters, and story-telling, and a dark fable of a boy who is about to end the domination of evil. No wonder Netflix turned it into a series. 1982' The Dark Crystal.
Are you fond of fairy tales? You can argue that they are for children, but written by adults, they have at least a pinch of truth in them. Do you believe in true love? Are you a fan of quests, castles, princesses in distress, and magic? Righteous knights and evil princes? Giants and revenge? And maybe a bit of humor? Then, a perfect story awaits, which still resonates with viewers and fans, despite the passing of time. A good "old" classic, The Princess Bride.
It's one thing if you're moody, mean, and unpleasant. Or when one moment you're blissful and another devastated, spoiling the mood of everyone around you. Your friends and family might think that you're difficult or toxic to handle. But if inside you there were multiple personalities with their unique language, style, age, and life philosophy? And what if these personalities were not necessarily on the side of good? Three young girls kidnapped by a seemingly one troubled individual and trying to escape. And food for thought for all those who believe that there's more to us than just a one-person-one-body equation. Many great Jameses McAvoy in Split.
We all have to deal with loss. If you ever loved anybody, be it your parents, partner, children, or pets, at some point, you'll have to experience excruciating pain, trauma, and deprivation. And you'll be there to deal with the remaining holes of your days. If you're a child facing the disease of your mother, the pain might leave you with a sense of panic and anger incomparable to anything you've ever experienced. It turns out you're not alone. There might be a helping hand. All monsters just seem scary, but they're here to teach us a lesson. A boy learning how to let go of his mother and something all of us can relate to. A Monster Calls.
We've all been there. We have seen he said vs she said rape investigations, we have experienced discrimination at work, we had to fight against our father's, brother's, male politician's, and partner's wishes and ideas about our career choices, maternity decisions, and beliefs. Is there anything we, women, can do to finally feel equal? Is there a way to stop mistreatment and discrimination? Is there anything we can do to stop this porn-inspired, male-dominated world with uneven pays, uneven prospects, and double standards? Let's start with revenge. A sweet girl can do much more than make-up. So important in these times and a step towards the light when the world can be something else than another Handmaid's Tale. Promising Young Woman - a film every man (and a woman) should see at some point in their lives to finally learn.
If there is a series of films, which made magic come true in the most spectacular way, which influenced generations in the past and generations to come, it's impossible to omit the legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien. If there had ever been a more challenging writer, who created not only a story but entire worlds with their own languages, legends, and history, the film adaptation of his work must have been equally challenging. But the real world provides an abundance of talent and means which just wait for the right moment, the right budget, and the right director. Peter Jackson created something so unique and pure, so magnificent and epic, that it will be remembered and rewatched year after year by people all over the world and it will reach fandoms of younger and younger fans. The Hobbit chronologically started with one Bilbo Baggins agreeing on a quest with thirteen crazy dwarves and a wizard, and The Lord of the Rings started with one Frodo Baggins continuing the legacy of what had been found and what needed to be destroyed. And that beginning found us among Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, People, good in acts of kindness, paralyzing and maddening evil, forbidden love, heartbreaking loss, exciting adventure, and a quest for change. And it's been one of the most positive things that ever happened to all movie-goers, whether fantasy fans or not. These six films are truly remarkable. The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings.
Long life can give you something which you won't get at school, even being the smartest of the smartest and the most studious. Long life can give you experience and perspective. For someone so devoted to the beauty of flora and fauna, to the endless and awe-inspiring, untouched, and pristine, it must be heart-breaking to see that our planet is being destroyed. There are more and more of us, humans, and there are fewer and fewer green areas, nature reserves, and animal habitats. This war, however, the war of humans vs nature has no chance for us being the winners. Unless we stop our expansion, we will cut the branch we are sitting on and cause our downfall. A few very wise pieces of advice for people, governments, and politicians, and a heritage of a precious person who early on noticed that we are tenants of the same planet, along with animals, and plants. We are not the owners. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.
In our teenage dreams, we are great explorers and achievers, independent artists, and freelance photographers. Then, even if we pursue our passion and complete our dream education, the reality comes back to us with the necessity of having odd jobs to make ends meet. Our parents discourage us from being archeologists, singers, actors, presenting the opulence of life for lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. But to the few, the gift of a vocation has been given along with unprecedented opportunities to find something yet undiscovered. And for the sake of history and memory, it's worth pursuing the passion and literally dig deeper. Based on a true story, one of the greatest archeological discoveries of modern times, and a few fates entangled just before the doom of war. At times like these, it's even more worthy to be true to oneself in terms of work, money, relationships, and love.
One day, you're young and innocent, and all those married forty-year-olds stare at you weighing their thoughts whether to leave their wife and children for you and pursue their desires. And after a wink, the situation is reversed. You are the one who is abandoned for someone younger, prettier, more successful, or (and this is a slap in the face) completely different. You've been there through ups and downs, poverty, insecurities, and crisis, to realize that men run away from the difficult and problematic into the arms of easy and uncomplicated. And much without your control, you are typecast to be the leftover first wife who clings on the last frail remains of beauty and self-confidence. But you can get up on your feet and prevail! And taste the sweet flavor of revenge. Three women against their ex-husbands and an inspiration for many spouses, who treated unfairly, want to get back on their track. The First Wives Club.
What is our sinful nature the most attracted to? Beauty, money, power, exploration. All this - the best that the world has to offer - you can see in Ian Fleming's series of novels, which have been turned into a series of blockbuster films. There isn't a person in the world that doesn't know the 007 agent of Her Majesty's Service, handsome, a bit cynical but sexy, James Bond. The impersonation of masculinity and idol of every man. Since the 60s, all the newest technological devices, the most beautiful women, bizarre and ecstatic action moments, and breathtaking places on Earth (especially requiring money to get to) have been given to everybody in a form of a two-hour long gift. And it is difficult not to enjoy what has been given. The luxury was granted, the thrill of a fight with good and evil always present, real deaths guaranteed our attention, and out-of-this-world goddesses left us, both men and women, obsessed for years. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig carried on their shoulders the charm and effectiveness of the contemporary hero, adding their pieces to the puzzle of our perception, and making it difficult to resist. Still, so much fun to watch, with anticipation of every following film, personal favorites, and the epitome of boyish dreams and adult entertainment. Enjoy.
The majority of women want to have children. You can argue that they don't have to, that there is a choice, and a lot of them are not cracked up to be mothers (not even one feminist wants to be closed in the kitchen). But there are millions of those who love their children, they do want them, anticipate them, and fear any complications that may occur. And without those women, the world wouldn't be the world, and we, human beings, wouldn't even be here. Sometimes, however, things don't go according to plan, and no one gets pregnant, taking these issues into account. How to deal with an unbelievable loss? How does it influence your relationship and family? How difficult is it to get back on track and go on with your life after an unexplainable trauma, and is it possible to forgive? A woman and her tragedy that so many of us can relate. Pieces of a Woman.
Life. Ranging from monotonous to exciting. Full of ups and downs. Falling in love and breaking up. Excitement and depression. Kindness and the ugly truth. Life goes by and before you know it, you fall into the trap of your routine and grow miserable. But if, quite depressed by your current daily chore of being alive, you found yourself in an almost magical trap without escape? What if every day you had to experience the same exact day over and over again? How would it affect you and would it change you for the better? All that life has to offer in the short space of one day and a lot of human self-reflection. Bill Murray at his best. Groundhog Day.