Are you searching for movies to wow you? We’ve got you covered. Recently someone asked, “I’m looking for a film that makes you say, “Wow, THIS is the power of filmmaking. This movie is high art.” Here are some of the top-voted recommendations.
1. No Country for Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men is a Coen Brothers neo-Western crime thriller set in the West Texas desert in 1980. It centers around three characters. First, a welder and Vietnam War veteran (Josh Brolin) stumble into a large sum of money in the desert. A hitman who is in charge of finding the money (Javier Bardem). A sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) investigating the crime.
Additionally, No Country for Old Men stars Woody Harrelson as a bounty hunter and Kelly Macdonald. One viewer said, “The sound editing in this is a masterclass and puts you squarely in the suspense of the chase.” It was the number one voted response.
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comedy-drama centered around a prominent European ski resort in the 1930s. Ralph Fiennes stars as famed concierge Monsieur Gustave H. Gustave provides first-class services, including intimately satisfying the older women guests. Unfortunately, after one of his lovers is found dead, he becomes the prime suspect in her murder.
The Grand Budapest Hotel stars Tony Revolori, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Harvey Keitel, Saoirse Ronan, and Mathieu Amalric.
3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is a neo-noir science fiction film following a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department (Ryan Gosling). After uncovering a long-buried secret, he sets out to find a former blade runner (Harrison Ford) who’s been missing for 30 years.
Blade Runner 2049 also stars Edward James Olmos, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, and Dave Bautista. One user expressed, “Blade Runner 2049. A beautiful movie with no wasted shots.”
4. Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men is a dystopian action thriller film portraying the year 2027. After human infertility consumes two decades, leaving society on the verge of extinction, asylum seekers seek sanctuary in the United Kingdom. However, the U.K. government has subjected many to detention and refoulment (forcible return of refugees).
A civil servant (Clive Owen) must face his demons while helping a refugee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) escape. Children of Men also stars Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris, and Charlie Hunnam.
5. Parasite (2019)
Parasite is a South Korean dark comedy thriller following greed and class discrimination as an impoverished Kim family plots employment with an affluent Park family.
The Parks infiltrate the Kims’ household by posing as highly-qualified individuals. Parasite stars Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-shik, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myung-hoon, and Lee Jung-eun.
6. Enter The Void (2009)
Enter the Void is an English-language experimental art psychological drama fantasy film. Set in Tokyo’s neon-lit nightclub environments, it follows a young American drug dealer, Oscar (Nathaniel Brown), who is shot dead and experiences an after-life experience.
Enter the Void is shot from a first-person m viewpoint as Oscar floats above the city, recalling moments from his life. It also stars Paz de la Huerta and Cyril Roy. Someone suggested, “You won’t be the same after watching this film.”
7. Seven Samurai (1954)
Seven Samurai is a Japanese epic samurai drama in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It centers around a village of farmers desperate to combat bandits who steal their crops after the harvest. So they hire seven master samurai (rōnin).
One user shared, “It’s not necessarily my favorite film, but it’s the one where every time it ends, I just sit there blasted. Seven Samurai is THE definition of cinema.
8. Life of Pi (2012)
Life of Pi is an adventure-drama centering around two survivors of a nasty shipwreck on a lifeboat stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. One survivor is Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), a 16-year-old Indian boy; the other is a mighty Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The film also stars Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu, and Adil Hussain.
9. Drive (2011)
Drive is an action drama following an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlighting as a getaway driver. After growing close to a neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan), and her young son, he and her husband (Oscar Isaac) endanger the lives of everyone by participating in a botched million-dollar heist. Drive co-stars Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, and Albert Brooks.
10. A River Runs Through It (1992)
Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It is a drama film based on Norman Maclean’s 1976 semi-autobiographical novella of the same name. It follows a Presbyterian minister (Tom Skerritt) and his two sons (Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt) coming of age during the early days of the Great Depression, including the Prohibition era.
11. Arrival (2016)
“Linguistic Sci-Fi is legit,” hails one fan of the movie. In Arrival, a linguist helps to understand and works to establish contact with extraterrestrials. This movie makes the list because of its brilliant back-and-forth storytelling. Watch closely because the film flashes between the present and the past.
12. There Will Be Blood (2007)
According to one movie watcher, “There Will Be Blood hits all the wow factors.” In the film, an oil prospector woos to get people out west to sell him their oil-rich land so he can drill for oil. But things get heated when the local preacher smells something fishing. It’s a critically acclaimed masterpiece that touches on many deadly sins – such as greed and power.
A thread inspired this article.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.