“This is what happens when you let anger write your story.”
The Kite Runner
This horror-comedy never shows its “villains” clearly until the final act.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
A satire about extremism where terrorists behave like incompetent roommates.
Four Lions
This film spans both Afghanistan and the United States.
The Kite Runner
Director of Apocalypto
Mel Gibson
“When discipline becomes care, children begin to listen.”
The Chorus
The choir in this film was made up largely of non-professional child actors.
The Chorus
A western where morality is blurred and justice is mostly personal.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A gold heist during World War II, mainly in France.
Kelly’s Heroes
Director of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Sergio Leone
“You don’t gamble for money. You gamble because silence is unbearable.”
Uncut Gems
This stop-motion-like animation used over 10,000 hand-drawn frames.
I Lost My Body
A horror film where grief and relationship decay are the real monsters.
Midsommar
A lonely, silent road trip across the American Midwest.
The Straight Story
Director of Midsommar and Eddington.
Ari Aster
“Heaven isn’t for saints. Hell isn’t for monsters.”
Constantine
This film’s entire first half was secretly designed as a “bad movie.”
One Cut of the Dead
A surreal social satire where love is a survival requirement.
The Lobster
A war-torn Chinese city during the Second Sino–Japanese War.
City of Life and Death
Director of Uncut Gems
Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie
“The laws here aren’t written. They’re inherited in blood.”
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Its entire emotional weight relies on real-time tension rather than plot twists.
Uncut Gems
A recent dystopian thriller blending pandemic paranoia and small-town toxicity.
Eddington
A small American town collapsing under political tension and conspiracy thinking.
Eddington
Director of The Chorus.
Christophe Barratier