1. Dune
There is no compulsion to break up the exposition with jokes for fear of losing the audience, and that is partly why “Dune” is so effective at keeping the audience engaged. There is a Shakespearean conspiracy plot and some gorgeous costumes, but the story feels more like a historical drama set in the distant future. (Hannah-Shaw Williams)
Even though the film should be dour and stilted, I found some unexpected pleasures in “Dune,” a film that starred Jason Momoa as nordicprime.net swaggering warrior Duncan Idaho, Timothée Chalamet as resigned hero Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson in lots of headscarves, Oscar Isaac as the doomed noble lord, Javier Bardem spitting, and so much more. I can confidently say this is my Dune, even if it is not the next “Lord of the Rings.” (Hoai-Tran Bui)
2. West Side Story
In Steven Spielberg’s film, the characters dance, sing, and suffer horrendous tragedies in front of a gritty, semi-realistic backdrop (complete with lens flares!). In “West Side Story,” love is ultimately destroyed by a violent, hostile environment, as it’s a story of love that cannot survive. According to Anita, “Life can be bright in America.” But not for these characters. Life is also abundant here. The movie is one of Spielberg’s best, and one of the most alive in recent memory. It’s a big deal. Evangelista (Chris)
Steven Spielberg’s first musical is a marvellous explosion of colour, emotion, and kineticism. It achieves what many thought was impossible: It improves upon an Oscar-winning, undeniable cinematic triumph. (Ben Pearson)
Although musicals are pure theatricality, Spielberg gives this classic an authentic feel that makes you believe people might have actually danced and sung back in 1957. There’s nothing better than an old-fashioned story in a colourful new package. In the words of Ethan Anderton
3. The Green Knight
In my opinion, David Lowery’s adaptation of Sir Gawain, starring Ralph Ineson and his wonderful gravelly voice, is one of the greatest adaptations of the original poem. In “The Green Knight,” richly colored and tightly written, the protagonist and audience are brought to an understanding of why Gawain’s quest isn’t as meaningless as it seems, through mediaeval notions of chivalry. (Hannah Shaw-Williams)
This film has mesmerising imagery – smoking battlefields strewn with bodies discarded by an unsettling Barry Keoghan, Gawain seeing his life flash before him as he imagines being reduced to a skeleton in the forest, a headless saint lying dead in a lake, naked giants marching past the insignificant little humans, and a Green Knight who seems like an Eldritch horror. “A Ghost Story” is also about inevitability, which I love. As with nature and the passage of time, the Green Knight is more of a force of nature than an antagonist. (Hoai-Tran Bui)
Despite having a fraction of the budget of a big blockbuster, David Lowery’s film looks stunning – a rich, foggy, magical, haunted world where giants stalk the land and ghosts abound. (Chris Evangelista)