Adult, Fantasy, Film, Historical, Mystery, Nonfiction, Romance

Movie a Day: In Order of Least to Most Enjoyed

Posted on September 18, 2026September 17, 2026 by Molly

In June I decided to try and watch one movie a day for an entire year. The idea is, I will end up spending less time looking at the little handheld screen, and more time looking at the bigger, vertical screen. I’ve mostly been watching films featured in the Library of Congress Nation Film Registry, and more recently Sight and Sound’s Greatest Movies of all Time list. They’re great lists. I hope you take a look.

Below, I listed the films I watched over the last month in order of least to most enjoyed. I only actively disliked two pictures that I finished watching, so things get quite hair-splitty in the middle. All films are available in the Monarch catalog on DVD or BluRay. I also watched a handful of these films on Kanopy, which you can access with an active Mead Public Library account.

Experiment commenced June 30, 2026
Batch timeframe: Aug. 11- Sept. 13, 2026
Movies watched in that timeframe: 30
Total days elapsed: 76
Total movies watched: 59

Did Not Finish/Rewatch:
Hester Street (1975) DNF
Early on in the film, a man meets his family at immigration in New York City. He hasn’t seen his wife in several years, and maybe has never met his young son. He is short tempered and cruel to his wife and hits his son within 30 seconds of coming into contact with him. I could not go on.

Flower Drum Song (1961) DNF
While the cinematography is stunning to look at, everyone gets five guesses why I only made it halfway through this film.

The Black Stallion (1979) rewatch
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was on Kanopy and I had credits left, so I spent an evening steeped in nostalgia.

The watchlist:
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
I love John Ford, but I hated this movie and its sentimentality borne out via working class suffering. It had already fallen out of favor by the time I was old enough to be aware of film, so I never even heard of this movie until my adulthood. The big claim to fame for modern movie-lovers is that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture over not just The Maltese Falcon and The Little Foxes, but goddamn Citizen Kane.

Sergeant York (1941)
Gary Cooper, I hated your dumb pumpkin pie haircut and convenient moralizing that gave you permission to kill Germans as long as it’s for God and country. I consider this military recruitment propaganda of the lowest order. Cooper’s awe-shucks side-of-beef lunkhead country boy countenance annoyed me more than any other movie character I’ve encountered lately. Sergeant York was nominated for Best Picture alongside How Green Was My Valley so what do I even know.

VelociPastor (2019)
B is for “budget” movie, and fellas we’ve got a good one here. Physical copies are hard to come by, so I regret to inform you that at the time of this blog’s publication you’ve got to pay to stream. Here’s hoping that changes when the highly anticipated VelociPastor 2 debuts later in 2026.

The Night of the Iguana (1964)
This felt like John Huston trying to recreate the circumstances that made The Treasure of the Sierra Madre such a singular accomplishment. We’re in Mexico again, but instead of wily prospectors and murderous bandits we have jealous lesbian aunts, aging poets, and a very oily Richard Burton. It’s based on a Tennessee Williams play after all, so of course it’s sordid as heck. Ava Gardner is incredible.

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
Jack Warner didn’t want to cast Monty Woolley in the starring role (which he originated on Broadway) because he was afraid the actor’s homosexuality would be obvious on-screen. This is the kind of thing I think about when I start to get a bit too rhapsodic about the golden age of Hollywood.

The Exiles (1961)
Great experimental doc about young Native Americans who choose life in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles instead of the reservation. Lots of moody, grainy, melancholy black and white footage of Angel’s Flight and the surrounding dilapidated bars and haunts.

The Pawnbroker (1964)
Watch this to feel empty and horrified!!!! This is the first film produced entirely in the US that dealt with the holocaust from a Jewish survivor point-of-view. It’s also the first Hays Code film to contain nudity, and helped catalyze studio movement away from the code completely.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
Haha these people are a bunch of jerks, huh? I didn’t understand this picture.

Marriage Italian Style (1965)
Sophia Loren is sensational, but o! This movie was so mean-spirited!

Parking Lot Movie (2010)
This itches that Clerks-shaped spot many of my cohort had pressed into them in 1994. Most of my friends (and I) were over-educated and under-employed at the turn of the century, so there was a lot of pattern-recognition here.

Hud (1963)
Hud is the evil side of the Long Hot Summer coin. Hud, played by the ever-beautiful Paul Newman, is such a piece of shit I could hardly make it through this thing. Patricia Neal is the best she’s ever been, and she’s never been bad.

Becky Sharp (1935)
Aesthetically notable for being the first feature film to use the newly developed three- strip Technicolor technology. Indeed, it’s gorgeous to look at, and I loved the rapid-fire dialogue of the sharp-tongued Becky Sharp.

Little Fugitive (1957)
Shot in the style we would now call cinéma vérité, François Truffaut claims the French New Wave couldn’t have happened the way it did without this movie and that it inspired him directly when filming The 400 Blows.

Atlantic City (1980)
I was waiting for the worst character in this film to get murdered because I hated him so much and then he got murdered and I could really start to enjoy myself.

The Watermelon Woman (1996)
This film is unusual to the point that defies my description. It’s funny and sweet and romantic and even a bit edifying. It made me think about representation in film in a whole new way. Please watch this movie.

Five Easy Pieces (1970)
I didn’t know anything about this movie prior to watching, and was charmed with what I saw. The central dysfunction driving the plot made more sense to me than whatever was happening in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Everyone was flawed, but so much more sympathetic than an Edward Albee character. Karen Black delivers the performance of her career.

Key Largo (1948)
That’s right, it’s another fabulous John Huston/Humphrey Bogart collaboration. Add in Lauren Bacall and Edward G. Robinson and you’ve got a highly watchable and troubling top-of-the-line film noir picture.

The Informer (1935)
The thing about John Ford is that he tends to work in at least one crazy bar fight in each of his films. The Informer is no different, and also features my other favorite Ford trope of incomprehensible drunken Irishmen. This morality play was filled with complex and hopeless people pushed to their limits by the circumstances they were born into.

Wanda (1970)
This movie is unique unto itself. Wanda is passive in her own life and has very few resources or prospects. She is totally apathetic in a world that doesn’t care about her. I understood Wanda and saw pieces of myself in her, so I loathed her and rooted for her and forgave her in a really personal way. Filmmaker Barbara Loden would die of breast cancer ten years later and I think that’s a really cruel thing for the universe to do.

Notorious (1946)
Good lord does Ingrid Bergman ever go through it in this Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece. How can Claude Rains be that charming AND a hidden Nazi?

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
John Huston’s dad, Walter Huston, originated the archetypal wise, grizzled prospector we all know and love with his role here. He’s astounding in a film packed full of towering performances, including Bogart’s finest turn as the loathsome Fred C. Dobbs.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Gene Tierney is easy to watch whether she’s the femme fatale or the meek country wife and she seems to be having the time of her life here in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. This short and sweet romance hit all of the expected beats and it didn’t matter that I knew how things would end. This is as cozy as it gets, folks.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance (1962)
When Lee Marvin gets to go full-sneer as the villain I feel so happy. He’s mean and evil as Liberty Vallance and we are all actively rooting for his death in no time. I have a bigbrain and knew the title was trying to impart some subtext to the audience, so I had an inkling at what we were working up to. Anyone devoted to the western genre would love this film.

The Band Wagon (1953)
I struggle with musicals. The first musical I saw in my life was Singing’ in the Rain and it’s pretty hard to go anywhere but down from there. The Band Wagon was written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green who also wrote Singin’ in the Rain and this is right up there in quality. I was astonished to find myself welling up when Cyd Charisse and Bing Crosby finally danced together. They are my symbol for everything that goes right in Hollywood.

Lifeboat (1944)
This movie has everything! The horrors of war! A drowned infant! Madness! Amputation at sea! Nazis on amphetamines! Mob justice! Starvation! Suicide! Romance! Filming took extra long because cast members kept coming down with colds from being soaked and shivering all day.

Gun Crazy (1950)
Don’t look this up. It’s better to go in blind. Get yourself a copy from your local library, or stream it on Kanopy as soon as you can. Why isn’t this movie more well-known? I was breathless the entire back half of the film.

Red River (1948)
Another western? Oh yes, but this one is something else. It’s a story of found family, grit, and fortitude. It’s also kinda about being gay, but that’s mostly us thirsting after a very handsome Montgomery Clift comparing pistols with a very handsome John Cherry. I literally hooted and hollered. It scared the cats. One million out of five stars.

There are nearly 10,000 DVD and BluRay discs currently in circulation at Mead Library alone. With access to Kanopy and the rest of the Monarch system, we have a pretty healthy array of visual material at hand. I am happy to take suggestions. In fact, I LOVE being the only library in the system to own weirdo indy titles no one has heard of. Use the “Recommend a Purchase” tool to indicate what you’re after and selectors (me) will work to get that title out for circulation. We also have this handy Your Next Five Movies tool to use when it’s hard to choose from the 10,000 discs on the shelf.

I’d like to take a moment to brag about the condition of Mead’s DVD collection. Of the sixty or so movies I watched since June, only one skipped out of the whole bunch. The clerks who shelve and maintain our collections do an incredible job of keeping these materials useful for literal decades. Thank a library clerk that next time you’re in the building.

Film, Horror

Horror Films With Great Sequels

Posted on September 18, 2026September 1, 2026 by Sydney Anderson

Believe it or not, it’s almost October, and if you’re a horror fan, that means you’re probably already thinking about all the scary movies you’re going to watch. Today, I thought I’d take the opportunity to explore an underappreciated niche of the horror genre: the truly great sequel. If horror movies have been unfairly maligned until quite recently, horror sequels have had it even worse. I thought it would be fun to take a stand against the stereotype by showcasing some films that were later followed up by sequels that are, in my opinion, just as good or better than the originals. Interestingly, both of these stellar sequels happen to work as standalones – it’s not necessary to watch the original in order to follow the plot or to appreciate the movie as a whole. Maybe that says something about the importance of creating something that can stand on its own, even when making a sequel. That being said, seeing the original of course always helps. As such, I’ve presented both sequels alongside the originals that inspired them. Enjoy!

Cloverfield

Definitely dating myself here, but I remember the mystery surrounding Cloverfield’s release. Nobody knew what the movie was about, or even what the title meant – and of course, that only made everyone eager to find out. I didn’t have the opportunity to see Cloverfield in theaters, but I got it on DVD not long after, and I think I was just as surprised as everyone else by the movie we got – a fusion of found footage horror and alien invasion disaster film, in which a group of friends’ scramble to survive an extraterrestrial attack on New York City is captured on a personal camera. Those two genres might not sound like they go together on paper, but think again. Alien invasions are an old trope, but Cloverfield makes that idea scary again by narrowing the focus. By placing the audience alongside a single group of characters and limiting what we can see to what their camera can capture, Cloverfield makes us feel the terror of their helplessness in the face of the unknown. Cloverfield took audiences by surprise and revitalized two genres everyone thought they knew backward and forward, and even now, there’s still not really any other film like it.

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Film, Staff Picks

Old Movies Deserve More Love

Posted on September 11, 2026September 9, 2026 by abbiebourelle

Lately I have found myself watching more old movies. To be honest, dear readers, I am becoming weary of all the CGI and special effects that these new movies produce with wild abandon. I long for the days when artists designed amazing physical props that would ignite the imagination and contribute to a story. There is something enrapturing about suspending your disbelief and appreciating a well told story. When I speak of old movies I am talking about ones that were either from the days of black and white film and up to the 1960s. I do greatly enjoy movies from the 80’s (1980’s for those of you born in this century), but I wish to go back farther than that as many classic and well known hits came to the screen in the 80’s. I would like to introduce you to some older films that I believe deserve greater appreciation. Dear readers, prepare to be transported in time as I introduce some old movies that deserve more love.

The Uninvited (1944)

Surprisingly, my husband brought this movie to my attention. He had read an article that it was this movie that began many of the modern tropes that we see in horror movies today. Because we are very spoiled with being library card holders with access to thousands of movies and books, I was able to request this movie from another library in our system (you can as well with the link, dear reader.)

I must say, this movie impressed me. If you are looking for gothic horror-this is for you. An adult sister and brother (Pamela and Roderick) are vacationing on the moody coast of Cornwall when they come across a sprawling gothic mansion. Pamela immediately falls in love with the place and convinces Roderick that they can afford it if they go in on it together (they get a good deal on it, in fact). Moving in they soon discover that their new home, Windward House, is considered haunted by the locals. At first they brush off these stories, but soon the sibling duo encounter strange happenings in the house: drafts, cold spots, and the sound of sobbing in the night. The dog even refuses to enter the second floor.

Pamela and Roderick are likeable people and quickly make friends with the neighbors, especially Stella Fitzgerald whose mother died in Windward House. Stella now lives with her grandfather and is mysteriously forbidden from entering Pamela and Roderick’s new abode. Why? Could Stella be the key to the haunting? What secrets lurk within the walls of Windward House? You cannot go wrong with this movie. The acting is great, the atmosphere is spooky and gothic, the special effects in terms of the ghost were phenomenal for the period. I highly recommend The Uninvited (1944).

Click HERE to request a copy of The Uninvited (1944)!

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Biography & Memoir, Film, Historical, Uncategorized

What have I been watching and reading lately?

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Beth

I have always found myself drawn to history. My interest ranges from more recent history all the way back to ancient histories of Egypt, Greece, and beyond. One of my favorite genres to read is historical fiction, usually I find myself with more questions at the end of a historical fiction book than I had prior to starting. Some stories really just stand out to me more than others. When that happens to me, I go searching for either books, documentaries, or movies about the actual event, or the actual person I have just finished reading about.

I find myself frequently visiting the WWII era. My journey started like most, learning in school of Anne Frank, and although I was young when the movie Schlinder’s List, I remember watching it. So much from that time period is hard to fathom, that I believe, that is what keeps bringing me back to it. Whether it be through books, movies, or documentaries if something that I have not read or seen comes to my attention, I usually dive right in.

I found that happening a lot in the past year. I feel like when the big box office shines light on this era, it brings attention back to a pivotal point in our history. With big office movies like Nuremberg and Truth & Treason hitting the screens last fall and available for streaming or DVD this past winter, I have spent the good part of this year in that era specifically on one story.

The story that stuck with me the most this past year has been Truth & Treason.

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Film, Uncategorized

Great Film Scores

Posted on March 13, 2026March 10, 2026 by Sydney Anderson

Did you know that April 3rd is National Film Score Day? That’s still a while away, but there’s never a bad time for a dive into the fascinating world of film music. Can you imagine Star Wars without ‘Binary Sunset’, or Jaws without that musical panic attack of a main theme? I’ve been a bit of a nerd about movie music for as long as I can remember. Maybe that comes from growing up around the time that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (scored by Howard Shore) was coming out, and having my mind blown by Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (scored by Javier Navarrete) a little later. In my opinion, the right score is often what takes a good movie and makes it truly great. Today, I’ll be writing about a selection of movies, all available through the Monarch Library System, that I feel exemplify the art of the film score. Let’s get started!

Anna Karenina

To adapt Tolstoy’s classic about a woman pursuing forbidden love in a society where reputation is paramount, director Joe Wright took a high-concept approach. To convey the artificiality of the story’s world of 19th-century Russian aristocrats, this adaptation sets the bulk of the action on a literal stage. Dario Marianelli’s score is the perfect companion for this ambitious adaptation, sweepingly theatrical where it needs to be, and then all at once achingly real. One thing I love about this score is the variety of musical arrangements involved, including brass ensembles, romantic strings, a haunting vocal solo, and more. If you’re a fan of period pieces, and especially of any of Joe Wright’s previous work – which includes the beloved 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – you should definitely check out this gorgeous and underrated film.

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Film, Horror

Just Some Good Horror Movies

Posted on October 24, 2025October 9, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

There’s nothing like watching a scary movie when fall is in the air. Every year, horror buffs look forward to the countdown to Halloween, when it’s socially acceptable to binge-watch as many horror movies as you want, and even the squeamish might give the genre a try. Today’s list isn’t complicated. It’s just a selection of horror films, all available at Mead, that I really liked, and that I hope you’ll like too. One quick note: these are the preferences of a long-time horror aficionado – viewer discretion is advised for all of these selections. With that out of the way, let’s get started!

Stopmotion

Stopmotion follows Ella, creative assistant to her mother Suzanne, a celebrated stop-motion animator. Ella yearns to find her own artistic voice, but she’s been smothered by Suzanne’s personal and professional mistreatment. When Suzanne’s health takes a turn for the worse, a mysterious young girl begins to haunt Ella. The apparition encourages her to abandon her mother’s unfinished film and tell a different, very macabre story. Ella thinks she’s found her chance to come into her own – until the film begins to haunt her. Stopmotion is a brilliant work of psychological horror – I was literally on the edge of my seat by the end. I really appreciate how the film doesn’t overexplain itself. It’s left up to interpretation whether the haunting represents Ella’s abusive upbringing, the toll of her devotion to art, fear of mortality triggered by her mother’s failing health, or something else entirely. Furthermore, the stop-motion animation sections of the film impress, both on a technical level and in scare factor. Stopmotion is a good story well told, capable of sending shivers up a jaded horror buff’s spine, and it absolutely deserves a place on your watchlist.

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Film, Horror, Uncategorized

Vampire Cinema

Posted on September 19, 2025September 16, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

In my opinion, it’s never too early to start thinking about the scary movies you’re going to watch in the lead-up to Halloween. Vampires are having a bit of a moment right now, so there’s no better time to explore the history of one of the most iconic and enduring subgenres of horror cinema. Unfortunately, it would be pretty much impossible to cover the entire history of vampire movies in a single blog post: there are just too many great ones! So, with the acknowledgement that any short list of vampire movies will also necessarily be an incomplete one, I’d like to use this space to talk about a few of my favorites. Let’s get started!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is indisputably the grandfather of the modern vampire story, and I thought for a while about which of its’ many, many cinematic adaptations should go on this list. Should I spotlight F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the loose adaptation of Dracula that invented the vampire film genre as we know it today? Or should I highlight the legendary performance of Bela Lugosi? How about Christopher Lee? While those are all great options, in the end I decided on this 1992 adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola. Forget what you’ve heard about Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, because this movie also features excellent performances from Gary Oldman as Dracula, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Winona Rider as Mina Harker, and Tom Waits (!) as Renfield. This take on the story departs from Stoker’s novel in that it explores the idea of a potential romantic connection between Dracula and Mina Harker. No matter how you feel about the adaptational changes to the original story, this film is undeniably stylish. With Coppola’s directorial touch, a haunting score by Wojciech Kilar and gorgeous Oscar-nominated costumes by Eiko Ishioka, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is nothing short of an unforgettable cinematic experience .

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Adult, Film, Horror

Horror Movies for Mother’s Day?

Posted on May 9, 2025April 30, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

Hear me out. There are a couple reasons why you might want to watch a scary movie on Mother’s Day. Firstly, maybe your mom just likes horror movies! But if I may put my film nerd hat on for a second, one of the most important tricks in the horror toolkit is taking something people typically think of as safe and comforting and making it frightening. When a director or a screenwriter focuses on familial relationships alongside or within the scares, they can reliably create a memorably chilling cinematic experience. The following films include scared moms, scary moms, and sometimes both, and all of them are excellent picks for any horror fan at any time of year.

Alien

The Xenomorph, the iconic creation of artist H.R. Giger, is technically only doing what comes naturally for the propagation of her species. Unfortunately, that involves using the crew of the Nostromo as hosts. Only Ellen Ripley may have the strength not only to survive, but to fight back. In the forty-six years (!) since this film’s release, Alien has become the gold standard for sci-fi horror. Anchored by Sigourney Weaver’s unforgettable protagonist, the film provides both spine-tingling suspense and heart-pounding adrenaline rushes. The Xenomorph may be one of the all-time feats of cinematic creature design. As far as the film’s applicability to Mother’s Day, the sequel just so happens to contain one of the most iconic Mama Bear one-liners in all of cinema. You know the one.

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Film, Uncategorized

From Stage to Screen

Posted on March 14, 2025March 5, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

Movie musicals are having a bit of a moment right now, best illustrated by the smash success of Wicked. Speaking as a theatrical aficionado, I couldn’t be happier. That being said, I think it’s a bit of a shame that compared to movie musicals past and present, movies based on plays tend to fall by the wayside. After all, where better to see capital-A Acting than with a script meant to be performed live? If you’re interested in seeing world-class performers and great scripts, check out these movies based on plays, selected from Mead Public Library’s catalog.

Amadeus

First thing’s first: this movie’s depiction of the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri isn’t remotely historically accurate. That said, this movie’s version makes for an incredible story. Based on a play by Peter Shaffer adapted from an even earlier play by Alexander Pushkin, this film imagines that Salieri was consumed by jealousy over Mozart’s genius. Salieri, portrayed by F. Murray Abraham in an Oscar-winning performance, falls deeper into resentment and obsession until he finally begins to plot murder. I have to lay all my cards on the table here: this is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s visually enchanting, and the performances from F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce deserve every bit of their acclaim. I’m also a particular fan of how the soundtrack expertly weaves Mozart’s music into the intrigue. In addition to Abraham’s Best Actor win, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, and much more at the 1985 Academy Awards. I could go on all day, but ultimately, I simply adore this movie, and I hope you will too.

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Adult, Award Winners, Film

Oscar Round-up: What to Watch While You Wait

Posted on March 7, 2025March 6, 2025 by Molly

For me, it has been a year of folding inward and away from general awareness of the world at large. I have been keeping calm and sane dwelling on my interiority and reading dozens and dozens of cozy mysteries that take place in seaside bookshops and whatnot. Knowing this, perhaps my surprise that Oscar season was upon us can be forgiven. Not only had I not been aware that the big day was imminent until like, the day before the Oscars aired, I had no idea who and what the nominees were. Once I allowed myself the chance to emerge from the dank hole I live in, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of the nominees.

Below, I listed all ten Best Picture nominees, along with films similar in tone to enjoy while waiting for Oscar 2024 holds to arrive. All listed films are available in the Monarch catalog in DVD and/or BluRay format, and often Academy Award winners in their own right. Blurbs sourced from IMDB.

Anora (Neon) starring Mikey Madison and Directed by Sean Baker
What to watch while you wait: Humanist explorations of people living on the fringe. Lucky for us, this is Baker’s bread and butter.

Tangerine (2015) starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor; this film is notable for being the first feature-length film shot entirely on iPhones.
A hooker tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.

The Florida Project (2017) starring Brooklyn Prince, Bria Vinaite, and Willem Dafoe
A single mother and the manager of a roadside motel do their utmost to maintain the innocence of a six-year-old girl’s life.

The Brutalist (A24) starring Adrian Brody and directed by Brady Corbet
What to watch while you wait: Cinematic with a capital “C” period pieces.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) starring Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984) starring Robert De Niro and directed by Sergio Leone
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

A Complete Unknown (Searchlight) starring Timothee Chalamet and Elle Fanning
What to watch while you wait: Musician biopics, but maybe the musician is a big jerk.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) starring Oscar Isaac and directed by the Coen Brothers
A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.

Crazy Heart (2009) starring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal
A faded country musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

Conclave (Focus) starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci
What to watch while you wait: Catholic church-adjacent thrillers and controversies.

The Name of the Rose (1986) starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater
An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.

Doubt (2008) starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams
A Catholic school principal questions a priest’s ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.

Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
What to watch while you wait: epic, sprawling, and ambitious crowd-pleasers

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) starring Peter O’Toole and Alec Guinness
The Story of TE Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during WWI in order to fight the Turks.

Stargate (1994) starring Kurt Russell and James Spader
An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.

Emilia Pérez (Netflix) starring Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon
What to watch while you wait: stories that center on living an authentic life.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) starring Justice Smith and Jack Haven
A teenager just trying to make it through life in the suburbs is introduced by a classmate to a mysterious late-night TV show.

Joyland (2022) starring Ali Junejo and Rasti Farooq
The youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show.

I’m Still Here (Sony Classics) starring Fernanda Torres and directed by Walter Salles
What to watch while you wait: family dramas in times of war or conflict.

Roma (2018) starring Yalitza Cuaron and directed by Alfonso Cuaron
A year in the life of a middle-class family’s maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

Empire of the Sun (1987) starring Christian Bale and directed by Steven Spielberg
A young English Boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during WWII.

Nickel Boys (Amazon/MGM) starring Ethan Herisse and directed by RaMell Ross
What to watch while you wait: reform school buddy films and coming-of-age pictures.

The 400 Blows (1959) starring Jean-Pierre Leaud and directed by Francios Truffaut
A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.

Crooklyn (1994) starring Alfre Woodard and directed by Spike Lee
Semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband, and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.

The Substance (Mubi) starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley
What to watch while you wait: mind-bending horror-adjacent and stylish thrillers. A smidge of body horror.

Mandy (2018) starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Panos Cosmatos
The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.

The Fly (1986) starring Jeff Goldblum and directed by David Cronenberg
A brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.

Wicked (Universal) starring Cynthia Eriv and Ariana Grande
What to watch while you wait: eye-popping, crowd-pleasing musicals.

In the Heights (2021) starring Anthony Ramos and Corey Hawkins
In Washington Heights, a sympathetic New York bodega owner saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life.

Into the Woods (2015) starring Anna Kendrick and directed by Rob Marshall.
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.

Did you notice how I did not include which film was nominated for which award or who won what? There are five million articles out there to this effect. Like the article HERE for instance, if one desired this information.

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