Which of the major streaming services has the best price? Obviously, it’s Peacock, thanks to the option to sign up and watch films and TV shows for free. If you can handle a few ads, that is. Naturally, there are Peacock premium tiers that unlock more content and get rid of the ads. But the free-access Peacock is still one of the best deals you can find. There are a lot of great films that you can enjoy at a moment’s notice. They just happen to be a little difficult to find if you don’t know where to look. That’s why we’ve done the work for you and put together this list of the best movies you can watch on Peacock.
Can’t find anything you like on Peacock? Lucky for you, we’ve also curated guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
Casino (1995)
It’s hard to go wrong with a Martin Scorsese crime epic. And for Casino, Scorsese reunited Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, while adding Sharon Stone to the mix. In the 1970s, Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Niro) is hired by the mob to oversee their gambling operation in Las Vegas. While greatly increasing profits, Sam has a tumultuous relationship with his lover-turned-wife, Ginger McKenna (Stone). Sam even befriends Nicky Santoro (Pesci), the enforcer sent to protect the mob’s interests. Unfortunately, the good times don’t last forever. And Sam can’t trust anyone as the walls close in on him.
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, James Woods
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: R
Runtime: 178 minutes
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The Bourne Identity (2002)
You know his name. Matt Damon made his debut as Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity, and it created a modern action franchise. In the initial film, Jason awakens without his memory after suffering gunshot wounds. While trying to piece together his past, Jason learns that he is a highly skilled fighter. He also befriends a young woman named Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente) while they are both pursued by an assassin known as The Professor (Clive Owen). The people who gave Jason his orders want to silence him forever. That’s easier said than done. Trying to have Jason killed just pisses him off.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Genre: Action, Thriller
Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Director: Doug Liman
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 119 minutes
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Parenthood (1989)
Parenthood may look like a comedy on the surface, but it has plenty of drama as well. It revolves around the trials and tribulations of the extended Buckman family. Steve Martin leads the large ensemble cast as Gilbert Buckman, a man who loses faith in his abilities as a father when he realizes that his children need therapy for their emotional issues. With a fourth child on the way, Gil doesn’t know who he can turn to. Gil’s father, Frank Buckman (Jason Robards), has problems of his own when his other son, Larry Buckman (Tom Hulce), shows up with his new child while on the run from criminals. The family can and does pull together, but not everyone has what it takes to be a parent.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Steve Martin, Joaquin Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Tom Hulce, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton
Director: Ron Howard
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 124 minutes
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Chicken Run (2000)
Stop-motion animated films are a rarity, but Chicken Run is ahead of the pack. This hilarious flick cast Mel Gibson as Rocky Rhodes, a circus rooster who inadvertently finds himself on a farm owned by Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth and Miranda Richardson). The Tweedys don’t treat their chickens well, and they also want to convert the farm so it can turn their birds into meat pies. Ginger (Julia Sawalha) emerges as the leader of the chickens, and she asks Rocky to teach her comrades how to fly. If that doesn’t work, then they’re going to need a bold plan to escape their fate.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Tony Haygarth, Benjamin Whitrow, Timothy Spall
Director: Peter Lord, Nick Park
Rating: G
Runtime: 84 minutes
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King Kong (2005)
After making the Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson could have made any movie. But what he really wanted to do was remake King Kong. And his remake does stay fairly close to the original film, with director Carl Denham (Jack Black) arranging a fateful trip to Skull Island with a motley crew of characters. An actress named Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and a screenwriter, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), also come on the voyage. What they find is Kong, the eighth wonder of the world. Unfortunately, they make the mistake of bringing him home with them.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Adventure, Action
Stars: Andy Serkis, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks
Director: Peter Jackson
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 187 minutes
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The World’s End (2013)
Director Edgar Wright reassembled Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for the final installment in his Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. In The World’s End, Pegg plays Gary King, a forty-something alcoholic who is unhappy with his life. To recapture his youthful spark, Gary reunites with his friends Andrew Knightley (Frost), Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), Peter Page (Eddie Marsan), and Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), to complete an epic pub crawl. Unfortunately for Gary and his buddies, their night of revelry soon uncovers an alien invasion. And that knowledge lands them in more trouble than they ever imagined.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Edgar Wright
Rating: R
Runtime: 109 minutes
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Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dazed and Confused is a cult classic stoner comedy with a ridiculously stacked cast of future stars, such as Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey. But the crux of the movie revolves around Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London), a high school junior looking ahead to his senior year on the last day of school. While the incoming freshmen are hazed, Pink rejects that tradition. Instead of harassing Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins), Pink invites the freshman student to accompany him and his friends for a night of partying and unexpected self-reflection. Don’t worry, it’s still a comedy first and foremost.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Sasha Jenson, Michelle Burke, Christine Harnos
Director: Richard Linklater
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
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Elizabeth (1998)
It’s good to be the queen, even when your life is nothing but constant turmoil. In Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett had a star-making turn as Elizabeth I. Elizabeth came to power centuries before, back when it was practically unheard of for a woman to wield such power. That’s one of the reasons why Elizabeth’s enemies will do almost anything they can to diminish her and seize control of the throne for themselves. At least Elizabeth has a discreet romantic relationship with Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). But can anyone truly be trusted in Elizabeth’s court? Don’t be so sure.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 123 minutes
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Despicable Me (2010)
If you’re looking for a family film option, Despicable Me is a great alternative to the Disney flicks. Steve Carell lends his voice to Gru, a supervillain so nefarious that the Minions willingly serve him on every single one of his nefarious plans. When Gru decides to literally shoot for the moon, by stealing it, he adopts three orphaned sisters: Edith (Dana Gaier), Agnes (Elsie Fisher), and Margo (Miranda Cosgrove). Although Gru only did that to get his shrink ray, he finds himself actually caring for his adoptive daughters. This complicates things when even Gru’s followers acknowledge that he’s no longer the same evil genius that he used to be. He has too much love in his heart.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Rating: PG
Runtime: 95 minutes
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Away From Her (2007)
There are some very interesting dilemmas that come up in Away From Her. When Fiona (Julie Christie) suffers from an advanced form of Alzheimer’s disease, her husband, Grant (Gordon Pinsent), reluctantly agrees to put her in a nursing home. In Grant’s brief absence from her life, Fiona not only forgets about him, but she forms an emotional bond with another patient named Aubrey (Michael Murphy). While Grant wonders if this is his wife’s revenge for his own infidelity, Aubrey’s wife, Marian (Olympia Dukakis), makes her presence felt and forces Grant to decide what matters most: His wife’s happiness or his own.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Kristen Thomson
Director: Sarah Polley
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 110 minutes
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Being John Malkovich (2016)
John Malkovich has the unique distinction of not only starring in a movie that’s named after him but also being the MacGuffin of the story. In Being John Malkovich, would-be puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) discovers a portal that connects directly to John’s mind. This allows Craig to inhabit the actor and romantically pursue his co-worker, Maxine Lund (Catherine Keener). Unfortunately for Craig, Maxine is far more attracted to Craig’s wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), when she uses the portal to inhabit John’s body. As for John, the world-class actor becomes desperate to discover why he’s losing control of himself … and he doesn’t like what he finds.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, John Malkovich
Director: Spike Jonze
Rating: R
Runtime: 113 minutes
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Bridesmaids (2011)
Bridesmaids is a wild comedy that spins out of the pending marriage of Lillian Donovan (Maya Rudolph). Lillian’s two best friends, Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) and Helen Harris III (Rose Byrne), develop an intense rivalry while serving as Lillian’s maids of honor. It doesn’t help Annie that she’s at a low point in her life, while Helen is wealthy and resourceful. The rest of the female ensemble cast isn’t afraid to get raunchy, and this movie also launched Melissa McCarthy into greater stardom for her role as Megan Price, another one of Lillian’s maids of honor.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Paul Feig
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
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Catch Me If You Can (2002)
It may surprise you that Frank Abagnale, the con artist at the heart of Catch Me If You Can, is a real man whose colorful exploits inspired Steven Spielberg to bring his story to the big screen. While it may not be entirely true, the story certainly makes for an entertaining movie. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Frank, a young man who forges bank checks before embracing his innate talent to pass himself off as a professional pilot, lawyer, and even an attending doctor. FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) spends years chasing Frank while also developing an appreciation for his skills, which leads to an unexpected friendship between them.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Genre: Crime
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 139 minutes
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The Constant Gardner (2005)
Ralph Fiennes’ Justin Quayle is the titular character in The Constant Gardener, but his love for horticulture pales in comparison to his feelings for his wife, Tessa Abbott-Quayle (Rachel Weisz). When Tessa’s work as a humanitarian activist leads to her murder in Kenya, Justin pulls out all the stops to discover why his wife was killed. While reminiscing about his life and love with Tessa, Justin uncovers a deadly conspiracy and a pharmaceutical company that is more than willing to kill to protect its secrets.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlethwaite
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 129 minutes
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The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1990)
There aren’t many movies that can fearlessly pull off an NC-17 rating, but The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover was unique for its time. Richard Bohringer stars as Richard Boarst, aka “The Cook.” But the movie really belongs to Helen Mirren’s Georgina, the wife of a brutal mobster named Albert Spica (Michael Gambon). Both Georgina and Richard have reasons to despise Albert, but it’s bookstore owner Michael (Alan Howard) who wins Georgina’s heart. Albert may not really love his wife, but that doesn’t mean he’ll simply allow her to find happiness with another man.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Stars: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard
Director: Peter Greenaway
Rating: NC-17
Runtime: 124 minutes
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Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled private detective, Philip Marlowe, isn’t exactly in vogue anymore. But the classics never truly go out of style. In the 1975 adaptation of Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, Robert Mitchum steps into the role of Philip as he finds himself in the midst of two difficult cases that may be related. In the first, a bank robber named Moose Malloy (Jack O’Halloran) hires Phillip to find his missing girlfriend, Velma (Charlotte Rampling). And in the second case, Phillip is helpless to prevent the murder of his client, Lindsay Marriott (John O’Leary). But not even police intimidation can keep Phillip from finding answers and solving the mystery.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Anthony Zerbe
Director: Dick Richards
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
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Jerry Maguire (1996)
“Show me the money!” was one of the quintessential catchphrases of the ’90s. But Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire was about more than that easily quotable line. Jerry (Tom Cruise) wanted to bring a personal touch back to being a sports agent. Instead, he was rejected by all his previous clients except one: Rodney “Rod” Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.). Unfortunately for Jerry, Rod is in the final year of his contract, and he’s a very demanding client. Meanwhile, Jerry finds new love with Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger), an idealistic young mother who believes in Jerry’s dream. Yet even their bond is tested when Jerry places his career over their relationship.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jerry O’Connell
Director: Cameron Crowe
Rating: R
Runtime: 139 minutes
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The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
You’ve probably seen Che Guevara’s face on countless T-shirts and posters, but how much do you really know about one of the 20th century’s most famous revolutionaries? The Motorcycle Diaries is based on Che’s own account of his 1952 trip across South America with his friend, Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna). Back then, Che was simply known as Ernesto Guevara (Gael García Bernal), an idealistic medical student. However, the journey proves to be a transformative experience for Ernesto, as the injustices committed against the native people fuel his new ideology. The Motorcycle Diaries never forgets to portray Ernesto/Che as a man, not an icon. And the problems he fought against remain decades after his demise.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mía Maestro
Director: Walter Salles
Rating: R
Runtime: 126 minutes
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
How far would you go to escape the incurable pain of a difficult breakup? In the mind-bending flick Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet come up with a very unconventional answer. Offered the promise of a cutting-edge relief for heartache — a memory-wiping process that can make them forget the entire relationship — both the fierce Clementine (Winslet) and the meek Joel (Carrey) undergo the bizarre procedure, and we see the highs and lows of their entire time together through Joel’s eyes as it’s all cleansed from his mind. With a remarkable cast and Carrey making one of his most impressive and affecting straight-man performances, Eternal Sunshine is one of the great cinematic experiences you owe yourself.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Michel Gondry
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
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The Blues Brothers (1980)
They’re Jake and Elwood — the Blues Brothers — and they’re on a mission from God. Starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi as the titular brothers in the very first film based on popular Saturday Night Live characters, The Blues Brothers is a musical comedy about a pair of siblings trying to save the orphanage that raised them from foreclosure. With guest appearances and musical numbers by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and more, The Blues Brothers is part music education and part classic SNL-flavored comedy.
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway
Director: John Landis
Rating: R
Runtime: 133 minutes
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Lost in Translation (2003)
You won’t find a worthy clone of Lost in Translation anywhere. That’s part of the reason this unique, funny, and emotionally genuine film earned Bill Murray his only Oscar nomination thus far for Best Actor. The actor most known for making us laugh stars as Bob Harris, a movie star on the downward slope of his career who’s in Tokyo to shoot an ad campaign for Japanese whisky. Scarlett Johansson is Charlotte, a young college grad accompanying her husband John (Giovanni Ribisi), a celebrity photographer too busy to spend much time with her. With nothing in common but their nationalities at first, Bob and Charlotte find each other, and a sweet, understated romance blossoms as the pair explore a world as alien to them as the surface of Mars.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
Director: Sofia Coppola
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
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Love Actually (2003)
While Love Actually is usually considered a Christmas movie, it’s equally suitable for Valentine’s Day. The film ambitiously features multiple storylines that are loosely connected. Perhaps the most crowd-pleasing tale belongs to David (Hugh Grant), the new Prime Minister of England. He falls head over heels for Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). Meanwhile, Mark (Andrew Lincoln) is hopelessly in love with Juliet (Keira Knightley) despite the fact that she just married his best friend, Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Not all of the stories have happy endings, but it’s largely an uplifting film that embraces the virtue of finding someone to love.
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Stars: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley
Director: Richard Curtis
Rating: R
Runtime: 136 minutes
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Serenity (2005)
You don’t necessarily have to watch Joss Whedon’s space western series Firefly before catching Serenity. But it certainly helps. The entire cast returns for this stand-alone adventure, which also features Chiwetel Ejiofor as “the Operative” who has been assigned to kill or retrieve River Tam (Summer Glau) from Serenity’s crew. Inside River’s brain is a secret that can shake the Alliance to its core, and the Operative will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening … even if it means killing every friend and ally of the crew.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Genre: Sci-fi
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director: Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 119 minutes
Traffic (2000)
Who wins in the war on drugs? Very few, according to director Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic. Through three loosely connected stories, Soderbergh explores the lives of users and dealers, as well as the people dedicated to putting them away. In Mexico, police officer Javier Rodriguez (Benicio del Toro) discovers that he has been used by one crime family to target another. In the United States, Judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) prepares to become the new drug czar while dealing with his daughter’s increasingly destructive addiction. Meanwhile, Helena Ayala (Catherine Zeta-Jones) learns that her imprisoned husband is a drug lord … and she will have to embrace the dark side of his business to secure her family’s future.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Luis Guzmán
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Rating: R
Runtime: 147 minutes
They Live (1988)
Long before the Rock made acting look easy, wrestler Roddy Piper headlined John Carpenter’s sci-fi/horror film They Live. Piper’s John Nada was an unassuming drifter until he came across a pair of sunglasses that let him see that the world has been overrun by aliens. Through subliminal messages, the aliens encourage humanity to consume and obey while secretly working with collaborators to bring mankind to its knees. John and his friend, Frank Armitage (Keith David), may be unlikely saviors, but they’re also Earth’s only chance to wake up from this nightmare.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Drama, Sci-fi, Horror
Stars: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Director: John Carpenter
Rating: R
Runtime: 94 minutes
In Bruges (2008)
In Bruges is an unusual story about two hitmen: Ray (Colin Farrell) and his mentor, Ken Daley (Brendan Gleeson). After a hit gone wrong, Ray and Ken are forced to hide out in Bruges, a town in Belgium. While Ray struggles with the guilt from his actions, he also develops a relationship with Chloë Villette (Clémence Poésy). However, Ray’s chance to start a new life is threatened by the arrival of his vengeful boss, Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes), who wants to see both of his employees pay for what they’ve done. This may sound like a crime thriller, but it really is darkly comedic and oddly uplifting at times.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy
Director: Martin McDonagh
Rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
If there’s a moral to Drag Me To Hell, it’s this: If an elderly woman with vaguely supernatural powers begs you to extend her mortgage, say “yes!” In director Sam Raimi’s return to horror, poor Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) valued her promotion at a bank more than the well-being of her customer, Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver). For her heartless decision, Christine is cursed by Sylvia, which will doom her to eternal torment in Hell if she doesn’t find a way to escape its reach. Therein lies the problem, as Christine’s attempt to break the curse leads to even bigger sins. How far is she willing to go to save herself and her soul?
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver
Director: Sam Raimi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 99 minutes
Lucy (2014)
Scarlett Johansson plays the title character in Lucy, as she becomes an unwitting drug mule for a dangerous criminal, Mr. Jang (Choi Min-sik). Lucy’s salvation comes when she is exposed to a drug that unlocks previously dormant powers within her body that allow her to become mentally and physically superior to everyone on the planet. However, Lucy’s new powers come with a high price, and her life is rapidly drawing to a close. That’s why she turns to Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman) for help as Mr. Jang’s forces close in on her.
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik
Director: Luc Besson
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
Children of Men (2006)
Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men is a masterpiece that has only become more timely in the 14 years since its debut. The movie takes place in a future where a pandemic has rendered almost everyone on Earth incapable of having children. With humanity facing extinction, a cynical man named Theo Faron (Clive Owen) finds himself tasked with protecting Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the last woman pregnant on Earth. Theo and Kee’s journey is unrelentingly difficult. But the power of the story and the skill of the filmmakers and actors make this film an unforgettable experience.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Stars: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Rating: R
Runtime: 109 minutes
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Winner of five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter also features two legendary actors in their primes: Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. The Deer Hunter is one of the most far-reaching, deepest movies about the Vietnam War, moving from the steel mills of Pittsburgh to the mountains of Pennsylvania to Vietnamese jungles, all while exploring the experiences of Russian Americans. It’s an outstanding addition to the gritty New Hollywood era of filmmaking popularized by directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Brian De Palma, using film as a lens to psychoanalyze society and history. Despite The Deer Hunter‘s success, however, Michael Cimino never reached quite the same heights as those directors.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep
Director: Michael Cimino
Rating: R
Runtime: 183 minutes
Eastern Promises (2007)
Eastern Promises is a gangster movie for a new generation. Russian-born Nickolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen) is a driver for one of London’s most notorious organized crime families, part of the Vory V Zakone Eastern European criminal brotherhood. When he crosses paths with Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a North London hospital, they stumble across a prostitution ring that will test Nickolai’s loyalties. As he is pulled between Anna and what is right and the family that has always supported him, Nickolai’s life hangs in the balance.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Suspense
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel
Director: David Cronenberg
Rating: R
Runtime: 101 minutes
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
It’s extremely difficult to improve on a classic Western, but director James Mangold brings a lot of life to the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale share the top billing in their respective roles as the outlaw Ben Wade, and an impoverished Civil War veteran named Dan Evans. After Evans has a disastrous encounter with Wade, he is recruited to escort Wade to a prisoner transport train at the specific time in the name of the movie. But there’s treachery afoot, and the two men reach a grudging respect while struggling to survive. It’s a modern classic.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Western
Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda
Director: James Mangold
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
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