Movies Worth Watching #6
Happy Thursday! I feel like the week has been speeding by, but I suppose most people relate in some sense. For this week’s article, I figure I’d do another Movies Worth Watching—a self-explanatory series where I talk about some movies I like and why you should check them out without any major spoilers.
Later in the week, I plan to write a review for either Close (2022) or Cocaine Bear (2023). Maybe both! Quite a paradox in genres I know, but be on the lookout for that. Hoping to enjoy both. Lastly, Go Sabres; hopefully, they can squeak into the playoffs.
1. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Genre - Crime/Thriller
Director - Quentin Tarantino
Writer - Quentin Tarantino
Starring - Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
About - When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Why You Should Watch
Say what you want about Quentin Tarantino, pretty much any of his films are worth talking about. My favorite of his varies depending on my mood, but his first feature, Reservoir Dogs, is up there. It’s impressive how Tarantino the film is—his distinct dialogue and style—despite being his first.
It usually takes a filmmaker a few tries before they truly come into their own and Reservoir Dogs is Tarantino bursting onto the scene, setting himself for the powerhouse that is Pulp Fiction a couple of years later. Loyalty and trust are the central driving forces of the film, touching on themes of identity, memory, and meaning. When a jewelry heist goes wrong, who’s to blame? Is there a rat or is it all paranoia?
2. Reprise (2006)
Genre - Drama
Director - Joachim Trier
Writers - Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Starring - Anders Danielsen Lie, Espen Klouman Høiner, Viktoria Winge
About - Fueled by literary aspirations and youthful exuberance, two competitive friends endure the pangs of love, depression, and burgeoning careers.
Why You Should Watch
I wrote at length about the genius of Joachim Trier’s Oslo Trilogy before, and it still remains my favorite trilogy ever made (though the Before Trilogy is a close second). These nearly flawless films touch on humanity’s complexity and the sentiment that most people don’t have their lives figured out. Even those with natural talents, privilege, or a seemingly perfect life might not be where they want to be.
The films of the Oslo Trilogy—the others being Oslo, August 31st (2011) and The Worst Person in the World (2021)—only relate in setting and themes, with the first being 2006’s Reprise. Reprise takes a simple story of two friends with similar aspirations and how they end up in seemingly different circumstances.
3. Marriage Story (2019)
Genre - Drama/Romance
Director - Noah Baumbach
Writer - Noah Baumbach
Starring - Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Julia Greer
About - Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.
Why You Should Watch
Marriage Story got a lot of hate in a comedic way back in 2019 with the infamous fight scene between Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson). While out of context, it is funny to poke fun at and laugh about, I feel like the viral sensation of it took a lot away from the film because it’s actually very good.
That’s not to say Marriage Story is a perfect film, but it deserved more praise from the audience-side when it came out. Thankfully I think that praise is there nowadays. There are plenty of beautiful moments, specifically the separation of a married couple’s effect on all parties involved within this small family.
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Genre - Drama
Director - Frank Darabont
Writers - Stephen King, Frank Darabont
Starring - Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
About - Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Why You Should Watch
Pretty much everyone has seen The Shawshank Redemption by now, and if you haven’t, I don’t know what to tell you. Arguably the best Stephen King adaptation, The Shawshank Redemption is a powerful film about regret and hope and has beautiful bits of optimism by the end that aren’t too evident on the first watch.
The sprawling nature of the film—covering several years in a prison from the 1940s to the 1960s—isn’t daunting or slow in the slightest. We’re immediately invested in the characters and much of that is thanks to the immaculate performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. It’s been one of my favorites since I was a kid.