Heat might not have been recognised at the Oscars of its day, but the 25 years since its release have seen Michael Mann's crime thriller cemented as the classic of the genre. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are a formidable pair in this story of a detective trying to catch a seasoned criminal pulling his very last heist. Mann spent nine months shadowing an LAPD officer every Friday and Saturday night in the run up to Heat, responding to calls across the city to get a taste of what the crime there really looked like. The result is a film which exploits every hidden corner of the city in a relentless game of cat and mouse, with what we'd wager is the best telephone scene in cinema history.
Sometimes, the best adaptations of classic literature take the story and transform it until it is almost unrecognizable.Roxannetakes the classicCyrano de Bergeracplay and brings it into modern day with a modern facelift. Instead of France, the story takes place in the Pacific Northwest and Steve Martin deftly plays the Cyrano character, C.D Bales. Entertaining well past Halloween, this anthology series presents "the frightening and often disturbing tales based on real people and events that have led to our modern-day myths and legends". Based on the award winning podcast of the same name, there are two seasons of six episodes exploring real-world horror stories is available to chill your bones now. Peter Weir directed Jim Carrey to one of the strongest performances of his career in this 1998 dramedy that now seems far ahead of its time in the way it foretold people living lives online. Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man who has grown up on a TV show but has no idea that his entire life has been watched by millions.
Ed Harris and Laura Linney are also just phenomenal in this modern classic. In a meta twist, real Hacienda and Factory figures like Dave Haslam, Dave Pickering, Howard Devoto and Tony Wilson himself pop up too. "I'm being postmodern," Coogan's Wilson explains, "before it was fashionable." Les Misérablesbrought the famous play to life and infused it with epic star power. The film also brought many of the play's epic locations, such as the barricades, to life in a way only possible on the silver screen.
Unlike a lot of classic musical movies, the singing was recorded live on set which gave it a more natural feeling and set it apart from other films in the genre. When she's told that her husband in in trouble and she needs to disappear in the middle of the night, Jean is forced into a life of isolation that forces her to reckon with her own ignorance. There's a deliberate slowness to the narrative—an almost carefulness, like someone tiptoeing around a room so as not to be heard—even as it is punctuated by bursts of action. The brilliant Julia Hart co-wrote and directed this very different thriller, a crime movie told only from the POV of one character, the wife of a criminal.
Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel gives her best film performance to date as Jean, a woman who is forced to go on the run with her young child after her criminal husband goes missing. It's a finely calibrated piece of work that reshapes an overdone genre in a way that makes it feel fresh again. Few films have impacted the culture as much as Mike Nichols's 1967 dramedy based on the Charles Webb novel of the same name. It really was one of the first films in a wave of artistic expression that would make the late '60s and '70s the richest time in American film history.
Dustin Hoffman stars as a recent college graduate looking for direction in his life in this sharp, clever comedy that spoke to an entire generation of young people looking for how to change the world. Tim Burton followed the biggest hit of his career with one of his most personal films, this gorgeous 1990 fable starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. Depp plays the title character, a riff on the Frankenstein myth of an outcast who really has a heart of gold.
With a giant heart to balance out its darker themes, this is one of the movies that really defined the Burton aesthetic (and the kind of movie his fans wish he'd make again). If you can track down copies of the Chinese director's Still Life, A Touch of Sin, and Mountains May Depart, you really should do so. Until then, check out his latest work, an epic gangster flick with a mesmerizing performance from Jia's wife, Zhao Tao. Like a lot of great crime movies, it becomes a commentary on the state of the country in which it's set as much as anything else. Despite her husband in her relative present, she falls for Highland warrior Jamie Fraser , becoming caught up in an effort to change history and avert the Battle of Culloden.
Informed by real-world history and tinged with fantasy, each season adapts one of Gabaldon's hugely popular books – we're up to season five. This six-part drama based on a novel by John Le Carre earns the accolade "all star cast". All three won Global Globes for their performances and a second series is in the works. If you're a big fan of BoJack Horseman, you are going to love Undone, a similarly-acerbic animated series following familiar themes of mental illness from the same creators of the Netflix show. Undone follows 28-year-old Alma , a woman stuck in the monotonous rhythm of life who feels utterly unfulfilled in her relationship with her boyfriend Sam .
But after a near-fatal car crash, Alma finds her life physically begin to change – time is now non-linear, and Alma has the uncontrollable ability to travel back and forth in time. While it's a fun genre-bending romp, what's even more special about Undone, is that it's the first ever TV series to use an animation style called rotoscoping for every single episode. Rotascoping is an animation method in which video is meticulously digitally traced over, creating something that looks both surreal and ultra-realistic.
With splendid writing, acting and gorgeous visuals, Undone is well worth every second of your time. For fans of American mockumentaries, Modern Family is another to add on the 'to watch' list. There are eight series currently on Prime following the lives of one big extended family living in suburban Los Angeles. There's Michell and Cam, a gay couple with their adopted daughter Lily, the Dunphies with their trio of children, and Jay with his young wife Gloria and her son. Their family life is messy but hilarious as they get into scrapes every episode, breaking the fourth wall numerous times along the way. In 1964 Kitty Genovese was murdered in Kew Gardens, Queens as 38 people witnessed her screams without taking action.
Over 50 years later, it's a story that still haunts New York and stands as a reminder to take action. The Witness focuses greatly on Kitty's younger brother Bill Genovese, who also acted as executive producer, and was 16 at the time of Kitty's murder. He goes over headlines, trial transcripts, and police records to determine exactly what happened that day so many years ago. Director Tony Scott and Washington made five films together over the course of 15 years, but only one of those movies was about time travel. Déjà Vu, a ludicrous thriller that's elevated by Scott's blitzkrieg filmmaking style, trades the claustrophobia of Crimson Tide for a freewheeling approach that transcends time and space.
As Washington's ATF agent races through recent history to prevent a ferry bombing, the camera never stops moving and neither does the plot. It doesn't exactly make sense, but, if you like wild-eyed sci-fi capers, this one will leave you reeling. Frank Capra's classic often gets a ton of replay around the holidays, but it's the kind of heartwarmer that works all year long.
This is no mere Christmas movie but a story about the impact that one man can have on an entire community. It really defined the on-screen persona of Jimmy Stewart and has become a beloved film around the world, even in warm weather. Time is a reminder of the people behind bars, and a condemnation of the brutal prison industry. Powers's story taps into the lesser-known, more private aspects of these infamous men's personalities, tackling some of the myth and in doing so showing us more of the men behind them. A gorgeously shot and slow burning drama which draws an unfortunate line from the civil rights movement to our polarised present day. Arguably the most iconic American sitcom ever made, The Office follows the every day lives of workers at a fictional paper manufacturer, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
Based on the UK sitcom of the same name, The Office's success and mockumentary style reinvented a whole genre of TV and launched the careers of comedy stalwarts Steve Carrell, Ed Helms and Mindy Kaling. With nine seasons and some 200 episodes, The Office could be seen as quite the commitment for any viewer but there are too many moments to count which more than make up for the long ride. From Jim and Pam's office romance to Michael's grilled foot and Dwight's passion for fire regulation, there's almost too much to love about The Office.
This film, by La La Land director Damien Chazelle, is set around the time silent movies gave way to the talkies, with Robbie playing one of the great stars of the Roaring Twenties, Clara Bow. A collection of four short stories from celebrated author Satyajit Ray come to life in this Netflix Indian original. The four episodes range from a psychological thriller about a man losing his memory to a satire about a kleptomaniac. Each story has the ability to absorb viewers into the narrative and make them empathize with its characters. The series also features some commendable performances from renowned actors such as Manoj Bajpai, Ali Faizal, Kay Kay Menon, and others. Emmy award-winning director John Kastner asks four patients, two male and two female, to discuss the process of potentially returning to a society that fears them.
In total, 46 patients and 75 staff members were interviewed over 18 months for the documentary. It's truly a rare, well-done look at returning from the fringes of society, forgiveness, and moving forward. You've seen hitman movies, but you've never seen Lynne Ramsay's hitman movie.
The Scottish director, who many first discovered with 2002's elliptical nightlife odysseyMorvern Callar, can take aJohn Wick-ian premise and invest it with new meaning by reframing it from an askew angle. Between Phoenix's muted performance, Jonny Greenwood's string-drenched score, and Ramsay's expressive jump-cuts, every image crackles with energy, style, and possibility. Michael B. Jordan knows how to throw a punch, and he sure does throw a lot of them in this tense and brutal revenge thriller based on a Tom Clancy novel. With a title like A Vigilante, you might expect this film to be some sort of gun-totting, relentless revenge movie. The indie thriller is much more somber and realist than that, held down by its phenomenal performance from Olivia Wilde as a domestic abuse survivor who takes it upon herself to help others escape unsafe households. An unflinching look at the trauma people endure and the lengths they must go to leave tough situations, the film is not an easy watch, but it's more raw and rewarding than most of the vigilante tales you've seen before it.
The movie stars Megan Fox as a demonically possessed high school student whose spirit is driving her to murder her male classmates, while her best friend, played by Amanda Seyfried in nerd glasses, tries everything she can to stop her. We follow aimless aspiring novelist Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in) as he reconnects with Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), a young woman he grew up with, but the movie never lets you get too comfortable in one scene or setting. When Steven Yeun's Ben, a handsome rich guy with a beautiful apartment and a passion for burning down greenhouses, appears, the film shifts to an even more tremulous and gripping register. Oliver Stone's deeply personal and powerful film about the Vietnam War remains his best work, winning the filmmaker an Oscar for Best Director and nabbed Best Picture too. It stars Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Willem Dafoe in a story that cast a light on morality in wartime in a way that hadn't really been seen before. The brilliant Paul Schrader directed Willem Dafoe to one of his best performances in an underrated 1992 neo-noir.
The Oscar nominee plays a drug dealer in the middle of a mid-life crisis, co-starring with Susan Sarandon and Dana Delany. Largely ignored when it was released, Light Sleeper that has gained a critical following over the last three decades as Schrader and Dafoe continue to artistically excel. When people think of the most influential Hollywood comedies of all time, this 1940 Howard Hawks hit often makes the list.
You'll witness Cary Grant at his most charismatic as Walter Burns, an editor who is watching his best reporter and ex-wife walk out the door. Barry Sonnenfeld directed one of the best adaptations of an Elmore Leonard novel in the history of the great author and anchored it with one of John Travolta's best performances. Everyone remembers the comeback with Pulp Fiction, but this one really allows Travolta's incredible '90s charisma to shine. It's a perfectly calibrated comedy with phenomenal performances all around, including Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, and Gene Hackman too. Sydney Pollack directed an adaptation of the hit 1991 novel by John Grisham and delivered one of the most beloved legal dramas of all time. Tom Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a Harvard Law School grad who gets offered a job at an exclusive law firm, discovering the toxic culture of evil that it not only protects but engages in.
The Firm has held up much better than most mid-'90s blockbusters, in part because of the way it confronts a corruption that has only flourished in the time since its release. This wonderful 1963 film is part romantic comedy and part Hitchockian mystery, courtesy of master director Stanley Donen and the blinding charisma of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Incredibly controversial when it was released, Alan Parker's 1987 thriller has aged very well thanks in large part to great performances from Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro. Rourke plays Harry Angel, a private investigator who is hired to solve a disappearance that leads him to New Orleans at the behest of a devilish man named Louis Cypher (Get it!?!?). Explicitly sexual and violent, it's the kind of movie for adults that truly doesn't get made anymore.
In 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded her live gospel album, Amazing Grace, at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. There were plans to turn it into a concert film too, but director Sydney Pollack couldn't sync everything up and it languished in a vault for 50 years. She had sued to stop its release twice in her lifetime – which is slightly bewildering, given that it shows her on absolutely scorching, righteous, imperious form. If there were ever any doubt that Franklin was the greatest of the greats, Amazing Grace demolishes it. David Fincher's 1995 movie, featuring a particularly good performance from Brad Pitt (maybe you've heard of him?) is an edge of your seat tale that has stood the test of time, hitting all of the dramatic beats that a thriller should. The gleefully dark plot follows two detectives who investigate a string of murders in which the victims are killed in gruesomely creative forms, each linked to one of the seven sins.
It also features the best cardboard box scene in cinematic history, not that we imagine there's much competition for that particular trophy. A fascinating, terrifying true crime thriller about how a hoax caller convinced a manager at a fast food chain to interrogate one of her employees following a theft. It also features a brilliant performances from Dreama Walker as the compliant employee and Ann Dowd as a Karen-before-her-time manager. While many adaptations have taken classic literature and merely brought it verbatim to the screen,Apocalypse Nowtook Joseph Conrad's novelThe Heart of Darknessand blew it up.
Instead of the African Congo, the movie takes place in war-torn Vietnam and director Francis Ford Coppola modernizes the story in a masterful way. Gerwig is known for her coming-of-age films and though the story is still set in the 1800s, it feels modern. Jo's literary ambitions are given new life and Amy, considered by manyLittle Womenfans to be one of literature's most odious characters, has depth and ambition. The classic playCyrano de Bergeracdebuted at the end of the 19th century and has been adapted dozens of times in film form.
The newest interpretation of the tale sees Peter Dinklage in the title role as a lovesick man who pines for a woman that he can never have. Along the way, he helps a friend to woo his unrequited love, even though it tears him up inside. What can a New York lady do when she finds out her husband is having an affair with his dim-witted secretary? If Mrs Maisel is anything to go by, the answer is to head to a grotty watering hole in your nightgown, do a bit of standup comedy, and get hauled away by the police after flashing the entire audience. Set in 1950s New York, this fast-talking fashionista hides her new life as a comedienne from her family and ex while battling sexism, bad crowds and big competition.
Is One Direction This Is Us On Amazon Prime Rachel Brosnahan stars as Midge Maisel in this subtle nod to Joan Rivers' career. Set thousands of years before The Hobbit, this adaptation of Tolkien's mythological works seems to have been in the making almost as long. The budget is estimated at $450 million for five seasons, making it the most expensive TV series ever. Basic details such as the cast and storylines are still a closely guarded secret, though it is rumoured to star Amelie Child-Villiers, Charles Edwards and Will Fletcher. With many growing frustrated with the direction Pirates of the Caribbean had taken by the end of the third film, hope was high that the fourth, On Stranger Tides, would set things right. This Indian original TV show on Netflix captures the life of young IIT aspirants in the town of Kota, a hub of coaching centers where students from all over the country come to prepare for entrance exams.
Set in black and white tones, the series engages audiences with the comic yet pitiable state of teenagers hoping to get selected for the apex engineering institute. It paints a very real image of what these youngsters have to go through, including living in difficult circumstances, dealing with financial pressures, studying for several hours a day, and more. However, the treatment is very light-hearted and you can run through episodes quickly without them feeling like a drag. The first story featuring Apte is about a married woman who is eager to explore her sexuality. It shines a light on an unlikely relationship between a man and his house help. The third follows the story of a couple dealing with infidelity and the tough choices they make.
The last episode in the series is a humorous tale of a housewife who desperately seeks sexual intimacy with her husband. Instead, she finds it with a vibrator, in the most unusual circumstances. With that in mind, don't expect to see any more seasons of iCarly heading to Netflix. Similarly, Nickelodeon's Victorious only has three seasons out of four seasons on Netflix.
As CBS All Access transitions to a more prominent streaming service with Paramount+, it may be the right place for Nickelodeon to drop all six seasons of iCarly and pair with the upcoming revival. Paramount+ launches on March 4, with the new SpongeBob movie streaming there on day one. As TechRadar's entertainment reporter, Tom can be found covering all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. When it comes to mystery movies, this '90s classic is among the, well, usual suspects. Bryan Singer's intricately plotted heist movie is too clever by half, as rewatching the Keyser Söze thriller will certainly remind you.
The killer cast including Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, and a pre-Bio-Dome Stephen Baldwin shines as they trade tough-guy banter and ornate putdowns from Christopher McQuarrie's script. This indie is a sharp, pleasantly nasty tale about women and murder in a tiny Maine town. The movie, by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, opens with a chorus of burly fishermen singing the sea shanty that gives the film its title, but it quickly grows disinterested in any of the dudes.
