Harsh Land (2007)
A drug deal gone wrong in the Texas desert leaves behind a bunch of dead bodies and a suitcase full of money. An antelope hunter who happens to be there and takes the suitcase (Josh Brolin), a psychopathic killer sent to locate the lost money (Havir Bardem), a local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) and a criminal hunter (Woody Harrelson) set in motion the complicated crime plot in the masterful adaptation of The Cohen brothers to Cormac McCarthy’s book. Black-on-black humor spices up this chilling and very violent thriller, which won Oscars for film, direction, screenplay and Bardem for its blood-curdling performance. It’s interesting to go back to the movie after Tom “Trust Sol” and see how it affected the series. Netflix
It Will End in Blood (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis won an Oscar for his phenomenal performance as entrepreneur Daniel Plainview, a tough-as-nails oil prospector in early 20th century California. In the following years, a terrible territorial struggle develops between him and the serpentine preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), who insists on building a church near his land. Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed a powerful epic with biblical undertones that explores the dark roots of American capitalism. The script, the direction and the film were also nominated for an Oscar, but “It Will End in Blood” lost them to “Hard Country” (2007 was a great year for American cinema). Netflix
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The heartwarming Christmas tale for the whole family has had several remakes over the years, but none of them come close to the magic of the 1947 original. Much of it is due to the incredibly sweet performance of Natalie Wood, who was nine years old at the time. Wood plays little Susan, whose divorced mother (Maureen O’Hara) works at the Macy’s department store in New York. For Christmas, she hires a kindly old man (Edmund Gwen) to play Santa Claus, and is surprised to discover that he claims to be the real Santa Claus. The old man’s sanity is in doubt, and after he attacks a man who insulted him, the matter comes to a legal conclusion. The American Film Institute ranked this golden classic fifth on the list of the best (non-animated) fantasy films (with “The Wizard of Oz” at the top of the list). Disney+
Coda (2021)
The American remake of the French film “The Belais Family” which has many hearts on its way to win the Oscar for the best film of 2021. It takes place in a coastal town in Massachusetts whose inhabitants make a living from fishing, and unfolds the story of a hearing daughter of deaf parents (Marlee Matlin and the excellent Troy Kotsor), whose family members rely An increase in their communication with the world. When Ruby (the endearing Amelia Jones) joins the school choir, a door to a different life opens for her and she struggles between her responsibility towards her family and choosing an independent path. It’s quite clear where all this is going, but the director/screenwriter Shawn Hadar enriches the familiar plot pattern with many human nuances. The relationship between the characters feels natural, authentic and not stressful, and the pleasant humor evokes many smiles. Apple TV
The Money Machine (2015)
The sharpest and most subversive of the films that explored the global economic crisis of 2008, his book is actually about people who bet against the market. Adam McKay created a dizzying satire on the excesses of rapacious capitalism that make names for the American dream, and the heroes of his film take care to remind us that their victory is a direct result of the loss of all of us. The fast pace, the frantic editing, the witty soundtrack and the teasing humor are woven with sadness and bitter insights. The wonderful Steve Carell brings to the film the moral and humanistic point of view (which was missing in Scorsese’s equally dizzying “The Wolf of Wall Street”, also accessible on Amazon Prime), and the film leaves a lasting echo. Amazon Prime
Mary Poppins (1964)
Walt Disney wanted to turn Pamela Travers’ beloved book into a cartoon, but the author insisted, and that’s how we got Julie Andrews in the role of the stern English governess with a heart of gold and the sound of bells, who lands from the sky equipped with a flying umbrella. The Sherman brothers wrote wonderful songs for her, and the screenwriters realized that it was actually a story about the education of parents, who neglected their children. The result is one of the most wonderful childhood films, and the years have not dulled the film’s brilliance. The final scene where the children Jane and Michael go with their banker father and suffragist mother to fly kites in the park is one of the most exciting in cinema history. Disney+
Walking Disaster (2015)
Most films in the romantic comedy genre put the emphasis on the romance, and often neglect the comedy. Amy Schumer, not exactly the typical heroine that Hollywood usually casts in love stories (or at all), wrote herself a very funny script, and Judd Aptow made the best of it. Schumer plays a female journalist whose father taught her not to believe in relationships. But when she interviews the doctor Bill Hyder – he is also not an expected casting – something starts to change. It’s a bit of a shame that in the climactic scene that leads to the romantic union the heroine betrays herself (and the film’s feminism), but all in all it’s fun. Netflix
Atonement (2007)
Joe Wright delivers a dizzying adaptation of Ian McEwan’s masterful novel, set in the days before and during World War II. Saoirse Ronan plays 13-year-old Briony, a daughter of a wealthy British family who dreams of becoming a writer. During a summer day when some guests arrive at the family home in the village, a series of misunderstandings cause the richly imaginative girl to accuse her older sister’s (Keira Knightley) lover (James McAvoy) of a crime he did not commit. The drama is intense, the cinematic language is virtuosic, the Oscar-winning music by Dario Marianelli is overwhelming, and only the stunning ending of the book did not find a sufficient counterpart in the film. Amazon Prime
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
The autobiographical tale of the boy with the scissors is one of Tim Burton’s most beloved films. It all started with an illustration of a thin man with blades instead of fingers that the teenage Burton drew as an image for his sense of isolation and the difficulty of communicating with people. At his request, Caroline Thompson wrote the screenplay about the sleepy suburb whose enforced tranquility is disturbed when the perfume merchant Peg (the wonderful Dianne Wiest) brings home the mysterious boy (Johnny Depp in his first collaboration with Burton) whom she finds in a castle on the mountain. The meeting between the introverted artist, and the reluctantly dangerous, and the locals produces sparks, and also a touching love story (with Winona Ryder). Danny Elfman’s seductive music contributes a lot to the magical experience of the film. Disney+