Film

Video production

Stanislavski’s system (1935): art of experiencing.

Bechdel test

• The Lord of The Rings, but with female interactions only

• Film crew

  • Above the line
    • Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) defines between nonspeaking extras, under-fives (50 words), and a day player (full part).
    • The director decides creative vision and works with actors, cinematography, sound design, costume design, set design, and editing. Screenwriter creates the script or screenplay.
    • The producer is the business manager. Major film have $100 million budget. A four-quadrant movie appeals to young and adult men and women. , editor
  • Cinematographer leads photography. Clapper loader or second assistant camera (2nd AC) used to load film stock into camera magazines.
    • First unit films key face-to-face drama between the principal actors.
    • Second unit films action sequences with stunt performers, pickup shots, and supplemental B-roll footage.
  • Stages: development, greenlight, pre-production, principal photography and post-production.

• Shot composition, scene sequence, pacing

  • Framing, blocking, and mise-en-scène
  • Camera coverage is the amount and kind of footage shot to capture a scene.
  • Camera angle can be high (above subject) or low.
  • close-up shot or head shot, medium shot, wide shot or long shot.
    • Two shot of two people.
    • Shot/reverse shot presents a conversational back and forth. Often with an over-the-shoulder shot.
    • A master shot records the entire scene spatially and temporally. An insert is another angle or length with the same action. A cutaway shows different action.
  • Dutch tilt portrays unease or tension. Associated with German expressionist cinema.

• Shooting

  • George Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak Company.
  • 35 mm film is standard. Four peforations per frame (4-perf) is the standard negative pulldown. Super 35 uses the same film stock but allows a wider 3-perf image by using space normally reserved for optical sound.
  • A take is a single continuous performance.
  • Clapperboard synchronized sound and video and has scene number, camera angle and take number.
  • A film leader includes a countdown and a 2-pop 1 kHz tone 2 seconds before the start.
  • Dailies are raw footage viewed and discussed daily.
  • MOS is a film segment with no synchronous audio.
  • Vicon motion capture with reflective markers. Virtual camera can render live scenes.

• Lighting

  • Three-point lighting: key light at a higher position. Backlight or rim light.
    • Fill light: softer, dimmer light from the side at eye level.
    • Back light contours the subject from background with a rim of light.
  • Low-key lighting uses a single key light to create chiaroscuro, dramatic contrast between light and dark. Often a 8:1 lighting ratio between key light and fill light.
  • Lens flare

• Editing assembles footage into a cohesive narrative.

  • Edit decision list is the sequence of clip files and timecodes. Final Cut Pro XML and Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) can represent complex operations.

• Continuity editing

  • Temporal
    • Match on action: the same action occurs before and after the cut
    • Indicate ellipsis or temporal discontinuity with a fade (transform to or from black), dissolve (transform between two shots), or bridging showing the passage of time through railroad wheels, seasonal changes, etc.
    • Indicate flashback with sepia toning, more grainy film, or younger characters or objects.
    • Split edit: audio starts before (J-cut or prelap) or after (L-cut) the video.
    • diegetic sounds originate within the world of the film
  • Spatial
    • Establishing shot presents all the space, orienting the viewer
    • 180-degree rule: always shoot from the audience side of the “stage”
    • Eye-line match: subject before the cut looks towards the focus of the next cut
    • 30-degree rule: two consecutive shots must be from viewpoints at least 30 degrees apart to avoid a jump cut, a jarring jump in the image. An axial cut is a jump cut at the same angle, closer or further from the subject.

• See [music.html] for sound engineering.

• Bottle episode is mostly dialogue with limited setting and cast.

Visual effects

• Compositing combines separate sources into one image. Mainly green screen or chroma key. Previously matte painting.
  • Screen pre-blur slightly blurs the entire source image, softening its edges with the background but reducing sharpness. Clip rollback identifies pixels which were pure background and brings back some of their foreground information.
  • Needs white clip, black clip
  • Color spill is when green color reflects onto the foreground subject. Despill bias chooses a skin tone or hair color and defines it as 100% foreground. Alpha bias shifts the color range of the image slightly away from green.
  • Edge feathering blurs the edges between foreground and background.
  • Rear projection: film actors in front of a screen, which has an image of the background (plate) for moving vehicles or process shots. Background can appear more blurry or washed out. In front projection, the projector is in front of the actors and projects on a highly reflective screen.
  • Pepper’s ghost: a 45-degree piece of glass reflects a hidden mirror image room containing the ghost. The hidden room can be below the stage.
• Special effects use props, prosthetic makeup, scale models, animatronics, atmospheric effects.
• Motion capture. Performance capture includes emotions and expressions.
• Rigging of animated characters with a movable skeleton and a surface mesh or skin
• Industrial Light & Magic.
• Beta movement: apparent motion when presenting still figures in quick succession.
• Phi phenomenon: stimuli are presented quickly and near each other, showing the appearance of a shadow passing between the stimuli. The stimuli themselves do not appear to move.

Classical Hollywood cinema

• active, clearly definable characters.
• linear, goal-driven narrative with clean resolution.
• “invisible style” emphasizes immersion and continuity
• medium shots of gestures and facial expressions.
• Significant objects are centered, addressed towards the camera, in focus.
• clear separation of foreground and background.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_basic_principles_of_animation

Children’s

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968) by Fred Rogers teaches love, gentleness, and courage.
Sesame Street (1969) has bright and friendly characters that teach academics and morals: red Elmo, yellow Big Bird, orange Ernie, green Grouch, blue Cookie Monster, and the purple Count.
Schoolhouse Rock! (1973) on ABC.
The Muppet Show (1975) is a variety show featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, the Swedish Chef and Beaker.
Reading Rainbow (1983) on PBS.
Thomas the Tank Engine (1984).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987). The ninja Yoshi trains the turtles in ninjutsu and fight Yoshi’s usurper The Shredder, who is working with Krang, an alien brain from Dimension X.
Barney (1988).
Power Rangers (1993). Five teens can morph into superheros wearing color-coded spandex suits. They also have animal-themed robots which can combine into a giant humanoid Megazord.
Teletubbies (1997) on BBC.
Bob the Builder (1999).
Disney Channel: Lizzie McGuire (2001) stars Hilary Duff, Hannah Montana (2006) stars Miley Cyrus, Zack & Cody (2008)

Winnie the Pooh (1926)
Looney Tunes (1930): Wile E. Coyote, Roadrunner, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig
Paramount: Betty Boop (1930), Popeye (1933)
Tom and Jerry (1940)
The Flintstones (1960): Fred and Wilma, pet Dino.
Scooby-Doo (1969): Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers.
Doraemon (1974): time-traveling robot cat who helps ten-year-old Nobita Nobi, who is unlucky but kind.

PBS Kids

• Arthur (1996)
• Dragon Tales (1999)
• Clifford (2000)

Nickelodeon

• The Smurfs (1981)
• Rugrats (1991)
• Blue’s Clues (1996)
• Spongebob (1999): Patrick Star, Squidward, Sandy Cheeks, Mr. Krabs, Gary the snail, Pearl the whale, Mrs. Puff, Plankton. Krusty Krab
• Dora the Explorer (2000)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005). 12-year-old Aang is the Avatar and the last Air Nomad. Friends Katara, Sokka, and Toph. The Avatar can bend all four elements and maintains harmony among the four nations. Fire Lord Ozai and princess Azula try to conquer the world. Exiled Fire prince Zuko tries to capture Aang to regain his lost honor, accompanied by his uncle Iroh.

Cartoon Network

• Dexter’s Laboratory (1996)
• Johnny Bravo (1997)
• The Powerpuff Girls (1998): Blossom (pink), Bubbles (blue), and Buttercup (green)
• Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999)
• Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999)
• Totally Spies! (2002)
• Teen Titans (2003)
• Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (2004)
• Ben 10 (2005)
• Adventure Time (2010) follows Finn and his dog Jake.
• The Amazing World of Gumball (2011).
• Steven Universe (2013) by Rebecca Sugar.

Disney Channel

• Kim Possible (2002)
• Phineas and Ferb (2007)

Animation

Pixar

• Toy Story (1995)
• A Bug’s Life (1998)
• Monsters Inc (2001)
• Finding Nemo (2003)
• The Incredibles (2004)
• Ratatouille (2007)
• WALL-E (2008)
• Up (2009)
• Inside Out (2015)

Disney movies: mostly musicals.

• Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto
  • Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie
• Non-musical:
  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
  • The Emperor’s New Groove (2000).
  • Treasure Planet (2002).
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
• Pinocchio (1940)
• Fantasia (1940)
• Dumbo (1941)
• Alice in Wonderland (1951).
• Sleeping Beauty (1959).
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
• The Jungle Book (1967)
  • The Bare Necessities.
• The Little Mermaid (1989)
• Beauty and the Beast (1991)
• Aladdin (1992)
• The Lion King (1994): Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John.
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).
• Hercules (1997). Musical.
• Mulan (1998). Musical.
• Lilo & Stitch (2002)
• The Princess and the Frog (2009)
• Tangled (2010) TODO
• Frozen (2013)
• Moana (2016)

DreamWorks

• The Prince of Egypt (1998) TODO
• Shrek (2001) journey to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).
• Wallace & Gromit (2005)
• Madagascar (2005)
• Bee Movie (2007)
• Kung Fu Panda (2008) fantastic story, character, and wuxia film.
• How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Other

• Fox Animation: Anastasia (1997) musical and Ice Age (2002).
• The Lorax (1972) short by Dr. Seuss on CBC.
• The Polar Express (2004) by Robert Zemeckis.
• A Christmas Carol (2009) by Robert Zemeckis stars Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman.
• Coraline (2009)
• Despicable Me (2010)

Cartoon series

• The Simpsons (1989) by Matt Groening is a loving and satiric sitcom.
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/11en5ja/the_decline_of_the_simpsons/
• Homestar Runner (1996) is a long web series features self-reference and antagonist Strong Bad.
• South Park (1997) by Trey Parker and Matt Stone reflects on current news.
  • I’m not your friend, buddy! from the episode Canada on Strike.
• Family Guy (1999) by Seth MacFarlane: parents Peter and Lois Griffin, children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian. Set in Quahog, Rhode Island.
  • Pepperidge Farm Remembers parodies a bakery ad.
• King of the Hill (1997).
• Red vs. Blue (2003) satirizes Halo.
• The Venture Bros (2004) on Adult Swim.
• The Boondocks (2005) explores identity and cultural perspectives as a Black family settles in a white suburb. Uncle Ruckus is a Black worker who has internalized racism and believes in white supremacy.
• Archer (2009): Sterling Archer, mother Malory Archer, girlfriend Lana Kane, gay bomb specialist Ray Gillette, HR Pam Poovey, accountant Cyril Figgis, neurotic personal assistant Cheryl Tunt, scientist Dr. Algernop Krieger.
• My Little Pony (2010): Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, a pegasus, Fluttershy, a pegasus, Pinkie Pie.
• Gravity Falls (2012): Disney mystery comedy
• Rick and Morty (2013): Morty Smith is caring and fretful. Grandfather Rick Sanchez, a cynical mad scientist. Sister Summer. Parents Jerry and Beth.
• BoJack Horseman (2014) features a deep search for change and accountability.

Japanese anime

Studio Ghibli: timeless stories in beautiful, imaginative worlds. Mostly by Hayao Miyazaki with music by Joe Hisaishi.

• Spirited Away (2001)

• Castle in the Sky (1986)

• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) TODO

• My Neighbor Totoro (1988) TODO

• Princess Mononoke (1997) TODO

• Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) TODO

• Kiki’s Delivery Service

• Ponyo (2008)

• The Boy and the Heron (2024)

• Grave of the Fireflies (1998) is a devastating war film.

• Chibi style: large, color shaded eyes. Defined lines, bright colors, minimal lip movement. Large heads. Kawaii 可愛 or moe.

• deredere (“lovey dovey”). shojo 少女 young woman, seinen 青年, shonen 少年, seinen 青年 young adult, josei 女性 woman. bishonen 美少年 beautiful boy, bishojo 美少女 pretty girl. yaoi gay and yuri lesbian. tsundere characters act hostile to hide shy feelings. yandere is violently obsessive and stalking. isekai 異世界 different world. Doujinshi are fanfic manga. Otaku (“nerd”) and derogatory weeaboo or weeb. waifu is an anime character that one is attracted to.

• Osamu Tezuka is the father of manga. Astro Boy (1952) is a robot with human emotions. Buddha (1972).

• Action

  • Gundam (1979): mecha.
  • Dragon Ball (1984). The Saiyan Goku fights Vegeta, Freeza, Cell, and Majin Boo. Began in Shonen Jump.
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1987). Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando. Battles with supernatural abilities called Stands.
  • Hunter × Hunter (1998).
  • Akira (1988): cyberpunk dystopia.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh (1998). Yugi is possessed by an Egyptian Pharaoh and fights other gamers wielding Millennium Items in the Shadow Games.
  • Naruto (1999). Young ninja Naruto Uzumaki dreams of becoming the Hokage or village leader.
  • Gintama (2003): bizarre satire.
  • One-Punch Man (2009) about Saitama, the cyborg Genos.
  • My Hero Academia (2014): Izuku Midoriya becomes a superhero.

• Sailor Moon (1991): magical girl.

• One Piece (1997): Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. Best-selling manga.

• Great Teacher Onizuka (1997)

  • Worried Hiroshi Uchiyamada meme

• Rurouni Kenshin (1994): follows pacifist former assassin Himura Kenshin in Meiji Japan.

• Neon Genesis Evangelion (1994): dark emotional and philosophical depth in an apocalyptic mecha action. NERV teen soldiers Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu pilot Evangelion mechas to fight Angels. Set in fortified Tokyo-3 fifteen years after the Second Impact. Anime glasses trope, where eyes are covered by glowing glasses.

• Fullmetal Alchemist (2001): Edward and Alphonse Elric search for the philosopher’s stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life.

• Bleach (2001): teen Ichigo Kurosaki becomes a Soul Reaper. He fights evil spirits and guides people to the afterlife.

• Death Note (2003): Light Yagami finds the notebook of the shinigami Ryuk and becomes the vigilante Kira. Detective L tracks him.

• Fate/stay night (2004): anime from an adult visual novel (VN) series.

• Code Geass (2006): exiled prince Lelouch leads mecha battles against the Holy Britannian Empire.

• Steins;Gate (2009): time travel.

• Attack on Titan (2013): struggle against giants.

• RWBY (2013) by Monty Oum: Ruby Rose, Weiss, Blake, and Yang train to become Huntresses at Beacon Academy.

• Your Name (2016).

• Redo of Healer (2016): dark rape and revenge fantasy.

• Ghost in the Shell (2017). Cyberpunk supersoldier Major (Scarlett Johansson) investigates her past.

• Doki Doki Literature Club! (2017). Visual novel by Dan Salvato: cheerful Sayori, shy Yuri, assertive Natsuki, and bubbly Monica. Metafictional psychological horror.

• Jujutsu Kaisen (2018): high schooler Yuji gets possessed by the Curse Ryomen Sukuna, a former sorcerer.

• Demon Slayer (2019): highest-grossing Japanese film.

• Spy × Family (2019): spy marries an assassin and adopts a telepath daughter.

• Re:Zero (2012): time loop Isekai. Subaru is killed helping princess Emilia of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

• Mushoku Tensei (2012): sexual themes. Follows Rudeus Greyrat. Sexual themes.

Golden Age of Hollywood, 1930-1948

1928 Greta Garbo is a great actress in silent films like A Woman of Affairs.

1927 The studio system begins with the invention of sound film. Big Five includes Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM, Warner, 20th Century, Paramount, and RKO. Little Three includes Columbia, Universal, and United Artists.

1934 Hays Code self-censorship begins after Catholics campaign for morality. Insists on films where right wins over wrong. Ends by 1966.
1948 The Paramount case ends the studio system. It bans studios from owning theaters or block booking.

Marx Brothers: vaudeville act with Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo.
Buster Keaton: The General (1926)
Metropolis (1927) is an art deco dystopia exploring class divides.
Charlie Chaplin: City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940).
Mae West: I’m No Angel (1933)
Frankenstein (1931).
The Mummy (1932) is atmospheric. The Mummy (1999).
Dinner at Eight (1933) stars Jean Harlow.
The Invisible Man (1933).
It Happened One Night (1934): romance between a roguish reporter (Clark Gable) and a runaway socialite (Claudette Colbert). Criterion.
King Kong (1933) represents a battle between modernity and nature.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers pioneer dance film with long shots and integral dance routines like Top Hat (1935). Royal Wedding (1951) culminates in a ceiling dance to You’re All the World to Me by Lerner.
Stagecoach (1939) by John Ford stars John Wayne.
Rat Pack
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) stars Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.
Wizard of Oz (1939) stars Judy Garland.
The Philadelphia Story (1940) and Bringing Up Baby (1938) star Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.
Citizen Kane (1941) by Orson Welles. Longing and loneliness for childhood joys “Rosebud”. Sight and Sound best film.
Abbott and Costello: Who’s on First? (1945).
Brief Encounter (1945) follows a passionate affair in England.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) follows George Bailey, who contemplates suicide on Christmas, and his guardian angel Clarence Odbody, who shows him the lives that he has touched. Loosely based on A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Christmas movie.
The Red Shoes (1948), a dark ballet film. Criterion Collection, Ebert Great Movie.
Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder starring Gloria Swanson.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) by Tennessee Williams stars Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. A Southern belle enters an abusive relationship. Brando’s character has an emotional breakdown, which was rare to see.
Roman Holiday (1953) stars Audrey Hepburn.
Charade (1963) stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. 94% approval.
Godzilla (1954) pioneers the kaiju film to represent the terror of the bomb.
Some Like It Hot (1959) stars Marilyn Monroe.
East of Eden (1955) is a period drama starring James Deen.

Casablanca (1942) stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, American expat and nightclub owner, and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund his true love. It is a story about longing and sacrifice during World War I. Ilsa shows up to As Time Goes By.

• Bogart’s group of friends like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin nicknamed the Rat Pack.
• “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
• “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
• “We’ll always have Paris.”
• “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

Alfred Hitchcock. Rebecca (1940), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) stars Cary Grant, Psycho (1960). Sexually assaults actresses like Tippi Hedren.

• The 39 Steps (1935): British spy thriller, universal critical acclaim.
• Vertigo (1958) pioneers the dolly zoom to convey a fear of heights. Sight and Sound best film.
• Strangers on a Train (1951) involves doubles, double-crossing, light and dark, with evil placed on the left.

Film noir

• The Maltese Falcon (1941) stars Humphrey Bogart as a private detective and Mary Astor as his femme fatale client.
• The Big Sleep (1946) stars Humphrey Bogart as another private detective.
• Gilda (1946) stars Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.
• The Third Man (1949) by Orson Welles. Ebert Great Movie.
• The Night of the Hunter (1955).
• David Lynch: Blue Velvet (1986) neo-noir. Mulholland Drive (2001) surrealist mystery stars Naomi Watts.
• Dark City (1998). Ebert 4/4.
• Mystic River (2023) by Clint Eastwood: neo-noir. Stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon.

New Hollywood, 1960-1980

In 1968, the MPAA film rating system replaces the Hays Code.
Four-wall distribution is briefly popular, where studios rent theaters for a fixed fee and keep all revenue.
Alan Smithee was the pseudonym used by film directors who wished to disown a film where they were not able to exercise creative control.

Pillow Talk (1959) stars Doris Day.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) depicts an interracial marriage.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) stars Natalie Wood.
Easy Rider (1969) road drama film by Dennis Hopper stars Jack Nicholson.
Chinatown (1974) by Roman Polanski stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in the California water wars.
Don’t Look Now (1973): a married couple grieves the death of their child. Ebert Great Film.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) stars Warren Beatty and portrays outlaw heroes and bloody violence. Roger Ebert calls it “a work of truth and brilliance”. Pauline Kael writes a 20-page review.

The Godfather (1972) by Francis Ford Coppola stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino as the new don Michael Corleone.
The Godfather Part II (1974) stars Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone, Michael’s father.

Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. In The Producers (1967), two men fraudulently oversell shares in a musical celbrating Adolf Hitler. Blazing Saddles (1974) satirizes the Western.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) stars Gene Wilder.

Raging Bull (1980).
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.
American Graffiti (1973) by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola about one night of cruising culture in California.
Dazed and Confused (1993) by Richard Linklater about a last day of school.
Do the Right Thing (1989) by Spike Lee about racial tension on a hot summer’s day.

Foreign cinema

French

• Sarah Bernhardt is a leading stage actress.
• The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) by Carl Theodor Dreyer stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti. Silent.
• Children of Paradise (1943). Roger Ebert Great Movie.
• Beauty and the Beast (1946). Roger Ebert Great Movie.
• Orpheus (1950) by Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais.
• The Earrings of Madame de (1953) is a romance.
• French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague), 1958-1968 is more documentary, social, existential, and ambiguous.
  • The 400 Blows (1959) coming-of-age. Ebert Great Movie.
  • Breathless (1960) by Jean-Luc Godard: a criminal and his girlfriend. Ebert Great Movie.
  • Hiroshima mon amour (1959): romantic drama.
• Fantastic Planet (1973).
• À Nos Amours (1983) by Maurice Pialat is a French coming-of-age drama.
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019).

European art cinema (1950s): literary themes with complex characters, slow pacing, long takes. Deemphasizes goal-driven plot in favor of subjective experience wandering about life. More jump cuts and nonlinear narratives.

• Bicycle Thieves (1948). Sight and Sound best film. Italian.
• Umberto D. (1962) about an elderly man in Rome getting evicted. Ebert Great Movie.
• Ingmar Bergman: Persona (1966), The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), Cries and Whispers (1972).
• Federico Fellini: 8 1/2 (1963).
• Jeanne Dielman (1975). Long takes on a widowed Belgian housewife. Sight and Sound best film.
• Larisa Shepitko: The Ascent (1977). Criterion.

Asia

• Golden Age of Asian cinema
  • Tokyo Story (1953) by Yasujirō Ozu. Sight and Sound best film.
  • Akira Kurosawa
    • Ikiru (1952). Universal acclaim.
    • Seven Samurai (1954) by Akira Kurosawa. Universal acclaim.
    • Rashomon (1950)
• China
  • Journey to the West 西游记 (1986).
  • Dream of the Red Chamber (1987).
  • Red Cliff 赤壁 (2008) stars Tony Leung.
  • Three Kingdoms (2010) epic series.
  • The Last Supper (2012)
  • Yongzheng Dynasty 雍正王朝 (1997): critical acclaim.
  • Kangxi Dynasty (2001)
  • Qianlong Dynasty 乾隆王朝 (2003)
  • Lust, Caution (2007) by Ang Lee.
  • Street Angel (1937) on Shanghai before the Second Sino-Japanese War.
  • The Eight Hundred 八佰 (2020) on the Battle of Shanghai.
  • Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998) by Joan Chen. Golden Horse winner.
  • Hard Boiled (1992) stars Tony Leung.
  • Zhang Yimou: Red Sorghum (1987), Raise the Red Lantern (1991), To Live (1994), House of Flying Daggers (2004).
    • Hero (2002) stars Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, and Donnie Yen.
  • Chen Kaige: Yellow Earth (1984) with Zhang Yimou. Farewell My Concubine (1993) is dark and won the Palme d’Or.
  • Summer Palace 颐和园 (2006).
  • The Blue Kite 蓝风筝 (1993) by Tian Zhuangzhuang.
  • Beijing Love Story 北京爱情故事 (2012).
  • Still Life 三峡好人 (2006) by Jia Zhangke 贾樟柯. Golden Lion.
  • The Left Ear 左耳 (2015).
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_films_set_in_Asia#East_Asia
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_China
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:CCTV_shows
  • Chinese drama (C-drama)
    • The Starry Love (2023)
    • Put Your Head on My Shoulder (2019)
    • The Untamed (2019) cultivators
• Hong Kong
  • Wong Kar-wai
    • 1994. Chungking Express 重庆森林 stars Tony Leung and Faye Wong.
    • 1994. Ashes of Time stars Tony Leung, Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin.
  • City of Glass 玻璃之城 (1998) by Mabel Cheung stars Shu Qi. Opens with a car accident. Young lovers marry other people then rekindle their love. Their children fall in love.
  • Tempting Heart 心動 (1999) directed by Sylvia Chang.
  • In the Mood for Love 花样年华 (2000) stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung.
  • Buddha Mountain (2010) starring Sylvia Chang, Fan Bingbing and Chen Bolin.
  • The Empress Dowager (1975) stars Lisa Lu.
  • 1976. The Private Eyes 半斤八两 was the highest-earning Hong Kong film.
  • 1980. The Bund drama set in the 1920s. Stars Zhào Yǎzhī 赵雅芝.
  • The Mermaid (2016). A playboy businessman (Deng Chao) who falls in love with a mermaid (Lin Yun) sent to assassinate him.
  • My Missing Valentine (2020): romcom.
• Taiwan
  • Qiong Yao 琼瑶 novels. Poetic, literary, melodramatic, some questionable relationships.
    • Actors 二秦二林, ocassionally Qín Xianglín 秦祥林 and Lín Fèngjiāo 林鳳嬌, wife of Jackie Chan. Screenwriter Zhāng Yǒngxiáng 张永祥.
    • 1964. Fire and Rain 烟雨濛濛 novel.
      • 1965. The Rain of Sorrow stars Gua Ah-leh in her debut.
      • 1986. Lovers Under the Rain stars Qín Hàn 秦漢 and Liú Xuěhuá 刘雪华.
    • 1973. Outside the Window. Stars Qín Hàn and Lín Qīngxiá 林青霞 in her debut.
    • 1979. The Wild Goose on the Wing stars Qín Hàn and Lín Qīngxiá.
    • 1981. My Cape of Many Dreams stars Qín Hàn.
    • 1987. Deep Garden 庭院深深 stars Liú Xuěhuá and Qín Hàn.
    • 1988. One Side of the Water 在水一方 stars Liú Xuěhuá and Qín Hàn.
    • 1990. Mute Wife Yǎ Qī 哑妻 stars Liú Xuěhuá.
    • 1998. My Fair Princess. Stars Zhao Wei.
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Chiung_Yao
  • Zhāng Yǒngxiáng screenwriter
    • 1965. Beautiful Duckling.
    • 1974. Rhythm of the Wave stars Qín Hàn.
    • 1979. The Story of a Small Town 小城故事 stars Lín Fèngjiāo.
    • 1980. My Native Land stars Lín Fèngjiāo.
  • 1976. Eight Hundred Heroes, historical war drama. Stars Qín Hàn.
  • Hou Hsiao-hsien directs A City of Sadness (1989), The Puppetmaster (1993), and The Assassin (2015) starring Shu Qi.
  • 1993. Justice Pao 包青天 on CTS. Historical action.
  • 1994. The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants 七侠五义 historical based on the 1879 novel by Shí Yùkūn 石玉昆.
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Heroes_and_Five_Gallants
  • 1994. Eat Drink Man Woman 饮食男女 by Ang Lee stars Yáng Guìmèi 杨贵媚 and Zhāng Àijiā 张艾嘉.
• India
  • Satyajit Ray: Apu Trilogy (1955) and The Music Room (1958). Ebert Great Movie.
  • Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995): romance between nonresident Indians.
  • Om Shanti Om (2007)
  • 3 Idiots (2009) stars Aamir Khan and R. Madhavan.
  • Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) stars Salman Khan.
  • Dangal (2016) “wrestling competition”.
  • Jawan (2023) stars Shah Rukh Khan.

Werner Herzog: New German cinema

• “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” (1972) on Spanish conquistadores searching for El Dorado.
• The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) on a foundling child.
• The Transformation of the World into Music (1994).
• Invincible (2001).

Action, 1980

British James Bond films. Drives an Aston Martin DB5.

• Sean Connery: From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
• Roger Moore: Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985).
• Pierce Brosnan: GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Die Another Day (2002). Judi Dench as M.
• Daniel Craig: Casino Royale (2006), Skyfall (2012) sung by Adele, Spectre (2015) featuring Writing’s on the Wall by Sam Smith, No Time to Die (2021) sung by Billie Eilish.
• James Bond Theme and gun barrel sequence.

Spielberg. Music by John Williams emphasizing leitmotif.

• Jaws (1975) pioneers the summer blockbuster, marking a shift to simple stories and action movies.
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Aliens appear over Devils Tower.
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
• Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) stars Harrison Ford.
• Jurassic Park (1993): Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum).

Star Wars (1977) by George Lucas pioneers the Hollywood blockbuster. Music by John Williams. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).

• Original
  • A New Hope: Darth Vader
  • The Empire Strikes Back
  • Return of the Jedi.
• Prequel trilogy (1999)
  • The Phantom Menace. Naboo senator Palpatine is secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and plans to become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) rescue 14-year-old Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Queen of Naboo. They meet Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old slave on Tatooine and the Chosen One.
  • Attack of the Clones
  • Revenge of the Sith.
• Sequel trilogy stars Rey (Daisy Ridley)
  • The Force Awakens (2015)
  • The Last Jedi (2017).
  • The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
• Rogue One (2016)
• The Mandalorian (2019)
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
• The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
• Spaceballs (1987) by Mel Brooks. Ridiculous Speed, Ludicrous Speed, and going plaid speed. Merchandising scene.

The Terminator (1984) by James Cameron stars Arnold Schwarzenegger sent back in time by Skynet to kill Sarah Connor to prevent John Connor’s resistance movement.

Day of the Jackal (1973): political thriller, Ebert 4/4.
Rocky (1976) is a sports drama of the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone).
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979): BBC adaptation of the John le Carre novel.
The Karate Kid (1984). Ebert 4/4.
Hunt for Red October (1990) from the Tom Clancy novel.

Ghostbusters (1984) stars Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver.
Die Hard (1988) stars Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.

wuxia

• Enter the Dragon (1973) by Bruce Lee.
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) by Ang Lee starring Michelle Yeoh.
• Stephen Chow: Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) stars Michelle Yeoh.

Sitcom

I Love Lucy (1951) stars Lucille Ball.
All in the Family (1971)
The Brady Bunch (1969) follows a blended family.
Happy Days (1974) on midwestern life.
Dallas (1978) soap opera on a feuding oil family.
Only Fools and Horses (1981) by John Sullivan follows a market trader.
Blackadder (1983).
Seinfeld (1989) starring Jerry Seinfeld and cowritten by Larry David is a fun sitcom. Soup nazi.
Friends (1994): Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Ross (David Schwimmer), Monica, Phoebe. The Rachel is a feathered haircut that frames the face, requiring regular trims, brushes, and rollers.
Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), an Italian-American everyman on Long Island.
Yes Minister (1980) follows minister Jim Hacker tries to reduce bureaucracy. His Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) resists change.
The West Wing (1999) by Aaron Sorkin stars idealistic president Bartlet (Martin Sheen).
House of Cards (2013) follows Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) on Netflix.
Cheers (1982) follows the lives of staff and regulars at a neighborhood bar. Sam Malone (Ted Danson).
The Golden Girls (1985) stars Betty White and gives depth to older women.
30 Rock (2006) by Tina Fey centers feminist comedy.

• How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?
  Oprah Winfrey (1986) runs an influential tabloid talk show and book club. Cheerful, relaxed, great at listening. The Oprah Effect helps nominate Obama, represent LGBT people, and launch the Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz shows. “Rapport talk”: public confession and emotional expression creates intimacy with remote audiences.
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) by Joss Whedon is a teenage romance. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
  The Sopranos (1999) studies Tony, a depressed mob boss.
  Gilmore Girls (2000) emphasizes a mother-daughter relationship.
  The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) examines race and family.
  Arrested Development (2003) is a sitcom following the demise of an unlikable rich family.
• There are dozens of us… Dozens!
  Desperate Housewives (2004) on ABC.
  The Office (2005) emphasizes cringe comedy.
  Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) by Larry David rails against unfair social customs.
  It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005) stars Charlie (Charlie Day), Dennis Reynolds, Sweet Dee Reynolds, and Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito).
  The Good Place (2016) is a fantasy sitcom. Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is welcomed to heaven by mistake. Indecisive ethics professor Chidi is assigned to be her soulmate. Tahani is a wealthy British philanthropist and model. Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto) is an amateur DJ killed in a botched robbery and introduced as Jianyu Li, a monk who took a vow of silence. “Architect” Michael (Ted Danson) runs the neighborhood with help from the robot Janet.
  Community (2009) by Dan Harmon.
  Parks and Recreation (2009) on NBC. Follows Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt), Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), and Ben Wyatt in the Parks department of Pawnee, Indiana.
  Modern Family (2009) set in LA on ABC.
  Ted Lasso (2020) on an American football coach hired to coach English football. Owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), timid Director of Football Operations Leslie Higgins, egotistical striker Jamie Tartt, aging Irish captain Roy Kent, laconic Coach Beard, assistant coach Nate Shelley, marketing Keeley Jones, psychologist Dr. Sharon M. Fieldstone, Rebecca’s evil husband Rupert Mannion, Sam Obisanya, Dani Rojas, reporter Trent Crimm.

Comedy and humor

Monty Python (1969): surreal sketch comedy on BBC. Michael Palin.

• Dead Parrot: customer John Cleese insists that the parrot “is no more”, “has ceased to be”, “bereft of life, it rests in peace”, and “is an ex-parrot”. But the shopkeeper Michael Palin says it is merely “pining for the fjords”.
• Cheese Shop sketch: John Cleese asks for various cheeses, but the shop has none of what he asks for. The shopkeep Michael Palin insists that the shop is very clean, to which Cleese replies “Well, it’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.”
• Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
• Spam
• Argument Clinic
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
  • “Tis but a scratch” and “Tis just a flesh wound.” -Black Knight
  • Attack of the killer rabbit, and the Holy Hand Grenade. “Thou shall count to three, no more, no less.”
• Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983)
• Fawlty Towers (1975) follows rude hotel owner Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) in Devon.
• A Fish Called Wanda (1988) by John Cleese.

BBC

• The Two Ronnies (1987)
• A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989)
• Have I Got News for You (1990)
• QI: Quite Interesting (2003) hosted by Stephen Fry. Stars Alan Davies.
  • The Book of General Ignorance (2006).
• 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005) hosted by Jimmy Carr. Stars Sean Lock, Jon Richardson.
• 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (2012) hosted by Jimmy Carr, with Rachel Riley placing tiles and Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner.
• Would I Lie to You? (2007) stars David Mitchell and Lee Mack.

Carry On (1958) stars Jim Dale.

Father Ted (1995) explores loneliness and purgatory.

• “These are small, but the ones out there are far away. Small. Far away.”
• “I hear you’re a racist now, Father.”

Peep Show (2003) stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

The Pink Panther (1963) features Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

• “Does your dog bite?” “No.” “I thought your dog did not bite.” “That is not my dog.”
• Jazz theme by Henry Mancini.

Leslie Nielsen with Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker make fast-paced visual and verbal puns, gags, slapstick comedy, running jokes, and dark humor.

• Airplane! (1980) parodies the disaster film Zero Hour! (1957).
  • Uses the propeller sound from Zero Hour with a jet plane.
  • Surely your joking! Don’t Call Me Shirley.
  • A hospital? What is it? It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.
  • Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
  • What do you make of this? This? Well I can make a hat, or a broach, or a pterodactyl.
  • The fog’s getting thicker. And Leon’s getting LARGER!
  • I take it black, like my men.
• Police Squad! (1982) on ABC parodies police procedurals.
• The Naked Gun (1988).

Austin Powers (1997) by Mike Myers satirizes James Bond.
Silicon Valley (2014) on HBO.

• Russ Hanneman: I have doors that open like this, not like this.
  The White Lotus (2021) on HBO.

Buddy cop

• Rush Hour (1998) stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
• Hot Fuzz (2007) by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.
• The Other Guys (2010): opens with Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson as heroic protagonists. They “aim for the bushes” with dramatic shots and a Foo Fighters soundtrack, then die. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star in the rest of the movie.

Short Cuts (1993) by Robert Altman in LA.
Dave Chappelle (2003) explores race.

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) mockumentary. “these go to eleven”.
Borat (2006) mockumentary by Sacha Baron Cohen playing a Kazakhstani journalist.
Documentary Now! (2019) mockumentary hosted by Helen Mirren.

Weapon of Choice (2001) music video stars Christopher Walken.

Game shows
MythBusters (2003) by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.
Variety show

• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) on CBS.
• Come Dancing (1950) on BBC.
• Simon Cowell: The X Factor (2004) and Got Talent (2006).
• Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2011).
• The Voice of China (2012).
  Quiz show
• Name That Tune (1952).
• What’s My Line? (1950).
• University Challenge (1962).
• Jeopardy (1964). Ken Jennings.
• Pyramid (1973).
• Wheel of Fortune (1975).
• Cash Cab (2005).
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2008).
• Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (2007).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reach_for_the_Top
  Takeshi’s Castle (1986) in Japan.
  Sasuke Ninja Warrior (1997) in Japan.
  Wipeout (2008) features John Cena.

Crime

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949): British black comedy. Ebert Great Movie. Alec Guinness plays eight characters.

On the Waterfront (1954) stars Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint. Scored by Leonard Bernstein.

Martin Scorsese

• Taxi Driver (1976) dreamlike. Stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent.
• Raging Bull (1980) on boxing. Stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Criterion.
• Goodfellas (1990) stars Joe Pesci.
• The Age of Innocence (1993) stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder. Ebert Great Movie.
• Casino (1995) is an epic crime film.
• The Irishman (2019).

Quentin Tarantino shoots stylized violence and profanity.

• Pulp Fiction (1994) stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman.

• Reservoir Dogs (1992) with Steve Buscemi.

• Inglourious Basterds (2009) stars Christoph Waltz as the Jew Hunter.

• Django Unchained (2012) explores the relationship between Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio.

• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate.

• Charlie’s Angels (1976) stars Farrah Fawcett.

• Scarface (1983) by Brian De Palma stars Al Pacino.

• Boyz n the Hood (1991). Criterion.

• Point Break (1991) by Kathryn Bigelow stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey.

  • You’re about to jump out a perfectly good airplane, Johnny! How do you feel about that?

• One False Move (1992). Ebert 4/4.

• Menace II Society (1993). Criterion.

• Shawshank Redemption (1994) stars Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman).

• Coen brothers:

  • Fargo (1996). Ebert 4/4.
  • The Big Lebowski (1998) by the Coen brothers is a wacky crime comedy starring Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges).
  • No Country for Old Men (2007) by the Coen brothers is a neo-Western.

• Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is a heist comedy starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Casey Affleck.

  • Who you calling bud, pal?
  • Brad Pitt cheats on his wife Angelina Jolie.

• Super Troopers (2001) about bored patrol officers in Vermont.

  • our shenanigans are cheeky and fun! Yeah, and his shenanigans are cruel and tragic.

• Hana-bi (1997) by Takeshi Kitano.

• The Departed (2006) by Martin Scorsese stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg.

  • Jack Nicholson cheated on his wife.

• Dexter (2006) follows Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer.

• Mad Men (2007) is centered on Don Draper at a New York City ad agency.

• Breaking Bad (2008) stars Bryan Cranston’s Walter White. Better Call Saul focuses on Saul Goodman’s story.

• Peaky Blinders (2013) on BBC stars Cillian Murphy. British youth gang around 1900.

• Mindhunter (2017) on Netflix.

• Uncut Gems (2019) by Safdie stars Adam Sandler. Criterion.

Police procedural

• Law & Order (1990) on NBC follows NYPD murder investigations.
  • Special Victims Unit SVU follows Detective Olivia Benson.
• Judge Judy (1996). Legal drama.
• NYPD Blue (1993) on ABC.
• CSI: Las Vegas (2000)
• The Wire (2002) humanizes cops and criminals.
• To Catch a Predator (2004) stars Chris Hansen.
• Criminal Minds (2005).
• NIS (2007).

Sherlock (2010) stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman as John Watson, and Louise Brealey as Molly Hooper, Moriarty.

Scifi and fantasy

Doctor Who (1963)

Star Trek

• The Original Series (1966) by Gene Roddenberry. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) of the Federation starship USS Enterprise is bold and adventurous. Spock is the half-Vulcan science officer. Dr. McCoy is grumpy but brilliant. Scotty is the engineer. Sulu is the helmsman.
  • Space: the final frontier… to boldly go where no man has gone before!
  • Kobayashi Maru no-win scenario. Kirk decides to change the conditions of the test.
  • 1968. First interracial kiss on American television, between Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner.
  • Beam me up, Scotty!
  • Redshirts are characters who die soon after being introduced.
  • S1E21: The Return of the Archons: Festival night of violence.
• The Next Generation (1987): Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is thoughtful. Commander Riker is charming. Data is an android. Worf is a Klingon warrior. Dr. Beverly Crusher.
• Deep Space Nine (1993)
• Voyager (1995)
• Enterprise (2001)
• Discovery (2017)
• satirized in Galaxy Quest (1999) starring Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Hector Barbossa, James Norrington, Governor Swann (Jonathan Pryce), Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).

• The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
• At World’s End (2007).

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Directed by Peter Jackson with music by Howard Shore.

Harry Potter. Produced by Warner.

• Sirius Black (Gary Oldman)
• Severus Snape (Alan Rickman)

Time travel.

• Jacob’s Ladder (1990) is about a soldier trying to understand his death. Stars Tim Robbins.

• Triangle (2009) involves interlocking time loops. A group boards an abandoned ocean liner after their boat capcizes. Stars Melissa George.

• Primer.

• Memento (2000) uses nonlinear narrative to explore memory and perception.

• Source Code (2011). A soldier repeats a simulation of a train explosion to find the terrorist. He requests to be left in the simulation with his love interest and disconnected from life support. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan.

• Edge of Tomorrow (2014) stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Cage fights in an invasion of France against aliens. He gains a time loop ability from alien blood and teams up with Blunt, who has the same power, to kill the Omega who controls all the aliens.

• 12 Monkeys (1995) is a time travel film starring Brad Pitt.

• Predestination (2014) stars Ethan Hawke. A temporal agent chases after a terrorist. As a bartender, he meets Jane, who grows up in an orphanage and becomes pregnant by a man who deserts her. She becomes a man John due to birth complications, and the baby is abducted. John is recruited to the Temporal Bureau and falls in love with his younger self.

• The War of the Worlds (1938) by Orson Welles on radio incites a panic.

• Rod Serling: The Twilight Zone (1959) is a philosophical fantasy anthology. Also Night Gallery (1970) and Planet of the Apes (1968).

• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Sight and Sound best film.

• Blade Runner (1982) by Ridley Scott adapts Philip K. Dick cyberpunk. Detective Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hunts a replicant. Tears in rain is a moving death soliloquy.

• Tron (1982).

• Brazil (1985) by Terry Gilliam. Criterion.

• Back to the Future (1985) by Robert Zemeckis: Doc Brown (Christopher Llyod). DeLorean time machine with a “flux capacitor” that activates at 88 miles per hour and 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988).

• Paul Verhoeven

  • RoboCop (1987). Very violent. OCP corporation reanimates deceased police officer Alex Murphy. Murphy tries to arrest OCP executive Jones, but Directive 4 prevents him from acting against OCP execs until the CEO fires Jones.
  • Total Recall (1990) stars Sharon Stone.
  • Basic Instinct (1992) is an erotic thriller. Stars Sharon Stone.
  • Starship Troopers (1997) satirical.

• Tim Burton

  • Beetlejuice (1988).
  • Edward Scissorhands (1990).
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005): Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp).
  • Alice in Wonderland (2010).

• The X-Files (1993): FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) hunt monsters.

• Roland Emmerich

  • Independence Day (1996) pioneers mass destruction shots.
  • The Day After Tomorrow (2004) shows a global flash freeze after climate change disrupts the North Atlantic Ocean circulation.
  • Stargate (1994) film. Stargate SG-1 (1997) on Showtime: US defends against the Goa’uld, the Replicators and the Ori. Mixed reviews.

• Michael Bay

  • The Rock (1996) is an Alcatraz heist starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage.
  • Armageddon (1998) shows blue-collar drillers sent to stop an asteroid. Contact (1997).
  • Transformers (2007)

• The Fifth Element (1997) stars Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm.

• The Matrix (1999) by the Wachowskis pioneers bullet time. Cyberpunk.

  • “You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
  • There is no spoon.

• Firefly (2002) by Joss Whedon is a space Western.

• A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) by Steven Spielberg.

• “I, Robot” (2004) adapts Asimov and stars Will Smith.

• Ex Machina (2014): self-absorbed tech CEO Nathan creates Ava, an AI robot.

• Humans (2014) on Channel 4.

• Lost (2004) is atmospheric, following Hurley, Sayid, Locke, Sun and Jin.

• Battlestar Galactica (2004): the only human military capital ship to survive a sneak attack by alien Cylons.

• Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) by Guillermo del Toro is a dark, dreamlike fairy tale set in Spain after the Civil War.

• Christopher Nolan

  • The Prestige (2006) about rival magicians.
  • Inception (2010).

• Twilight (2008) follows teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

  • Kristen Stewart cheats on Pattison, her boyfriend.

• Cloud Atlas (2012) by the Wachowskis. Stars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Epic, Roger Ebert 4/4.

• The Expanse (2015).

• Westworld (2016) stars Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), farmer’s daughter Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood), and madam Maeve Millay (Thandiwe Newton).

• Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology.

• Arrival (2016) by Denis Villeneuve. A linguist discovers how to communicate with aliens.

• Stranger Things (2016) on Netflix. 80s themed in Hawkins, Indiana. Gateway between Earth and the Upside Down.

• Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) by Denis Villeneuve. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya) a Fremen love interest, mother and Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Sietch Tabr tribe leader Stilgar, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Also father Duke Leto Atreides, weapons master Gurney Halleck, Imperial ecologist Dr. Liet Kynes, Duncan Idaho.

Action

Léon: The Professional (1994) stars Gary Oldman.

• Taken (2008) stars Liam Neeson. “I have a particular set of skills.”
• Argo (2012) by Ben Affleck dramatizes the rescue of six diplomats in the Iran hostage crisis.
• Battle Royale (2000) ultra-violent.
  • The Hunger Games (2012) follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson).
  • Squid Games (2021) South Korean.
• John Wick (2014) stars Keanu Reeves, a retired hitman drawn back into the underworld.
• Sicario (2015) stars FBI Special Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), assassin Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), and CIA officer Graver (Josh Brolin).
• Watchmen (2019) is a fantasy take on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
• The Boys (2019) is a dark superhero series.

Mission Impossible (1996) stars Tom Cruise.

• Also Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

The Bourne Identity (2002) stars Matt Damon.

Horror

The final girl is the last person alive.

• Nosferatu (1922). Silent. Ebert Great Movie.
• M (1931). Psychological thriller and social criticism. Universal acclaim.
• Peeping Tom (1960). Criterion.
• The Addams Family (1964).
• Night of the Living Dead (1968).
• The Exorcist (1973).
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) follows Leatherface.
• Alien (1979) by Ridley Scott stars Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship. Prometheus (2012) is a prequel.
  • In space, no one can hear you scream.
• The Shining (1980) by Stanley Kubrick stars Jack Nicholson. His son Danny has visions of Room 237 in Overlook Hotel. “Here’s Johnny!”.
• Friday the 13th (1980) follows teen camp counselors attempting to reopen an abandoned summer camp.
• The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi stars Bruce Campbell.
• John Carpenter: director and composer.
  • Halloween (1978) stars Jamie Lee Curtis.
  • Escape from New York (1981) stars Kurt Russell. Set in a future where the island is a maximum security prison. Hijackers crash Air Force One onto the island.
  • The Thing (1982).
  • Big Trouble in Little China (1986) stars Kurt Russell.
  • They Live (1988): the ruling class are aliens sending subliminal messages to consume and conform in mass media. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum.”
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Freddy Krueger kills people in their sleep.
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991) stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and her interactions with the genius cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins).
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) by Francis Ford Coppola stars Gary Oldman.
• Seven (1995) is a serial killer following the seven deadly sins.
• Scream (1996).
• Event Horizon (1997): a wormhole spaceship opens a gateway to hell. Captain Miller and Lieutenant Starck.
• Ring (1998) on a cursed video tape.
• The Blair Witch Project (1999) popularizes shaky, first-person found footage.
• The Sixth Sense (1999) by M. Night Shyamalan stars Bruce Willis.
• American Psycho (2000). Banker and serial killer Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) satirizes yuppie culture.
• The Cell (2000) stars Jennifer Lopez as she enters the mind of a serial killer.
• Saw (2004) features the Jigsaw Killer.
• Paranormal Activity (2007): a couple record a supernatural presence in their home.
• The Walking Dead (2010) on AMC.
• Black Swan (2010) stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis about ballet and doubles.
• Insidious (2010).
• The Cabin in the Woods (2012) is a satire.
• Train to Busan (2016) is a Korean zombie film.
• It (2017) features a clown in a storm drain.
• Hereditary (2018).
• Annihilation (2018) on The Shimmer.
• You (2018): Joe Goldberg stalks Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail).
• The Lighthouse (2019)
• Wednesday (2022) on Netflix stars Jenna Ortega.
• Immaculate (2024)

Marvel

Big-stakes jokiness

The Fantastic Four (1961) by Stan Lee includes stretchy Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), Invisible Girl, Human Torch, and The Thing. Richards build a spaceship that exposed them to cosmic rays. Fight Doctor Doom.

Spider-Man

• 1962 comic by Stan Lee. Web-shooter and spider-sense. Enemies Green Goblin / Norman Osborn, Doctor Octopus, and Venom. Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson calls Spider-Man a menace. Peter Parker becomes a photographer for the Daily Bugle.
• Spider-Man (2002) trilogy by Sam Raimi: Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) duology by Marc Webb: Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is animated.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

• Daredevil (2003) stars
• Phase One introduces each Avenger. Begins the Infinity Saga fighting Thanos (Josh Brolin), a warlord from Titan.
  • Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010) by Jon Favreau.
    • Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008): early years as Bruce tries to cure himself.
    • The Hulk / Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), Hawkeye / Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson)
  • Thor (2011) banished to earth without his powers, which are in Mjølnir.
    • Thor (Chris Hemsworth), king of Asgard, and his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
    • Captain America / Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) fights Hydra. Falcon / Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is a flier and friend. Comic in 1941.
  • The Avengers (2012) by Joss Whedon. Thor takes the Tesseract and Mind Stone and stages a Chitauri alien invasion.
    • SHIELD director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles the Avengers. Friend Phil Coulson. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).
  • Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (2013) by Joss Whedon on ABC. Melinda May / The Cavalry (Ming-Na Wen).
• Phase Two handles the fallout.
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013) fights the dark elf Malekith. Loki impersonates Odin and controls Asgard. Thor’s girlfriend Jane Foster gets the Aether or Reality Stone and hands it to the Collector.
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Hydra takes over SHIELD. Mind-controlled Bucky Barnes.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
    • Star-Lord / Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Groot the tree (Vin Diesel). They try to sell the Power Stone.
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) fight Stark’s rogue Ultron AI.
  • Ant-Man (2015): Ant-Man / Scott Lang.
  • Netflix: Daredevil (2015), Jessica Jones (2015).
• Phase Three
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016).
  • Doctor Strange (2016) discovers Kamar-Taj, studies under the Ancient One. Kaecilius uses the Book of Cagliostro to contact the demon Dormammu and extend his life using dark dimension energy. The Eye of Agamotto houses the Time Stone, which Dr. Strange uses to stop Kaecilius and Dormammu. “Dormammu, I’ve Come to Bargain”. Master of the Mystic Arts Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Benedict Wong.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) mentored by Stark and fights the Vulture. Spider-Man / Peter Parker (Tom Holland), MJ (Zendaya), Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), best friend Ned Leeds.
  • Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Thor’s sister Hela, goddess of death, controls Asgard and destroys Mjølnir. Thor, Hulk, Valkyrie, and Loki defeat her.
  • Black Panther (2018). Black Panther / T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), king of Wakanda. Defeats his cousin Killmonger.
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Rescue Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm and defeat Ghost.
  • Captain Marvel (2019). Captain Marvel / Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) crashes on Earth in the 1990s, stops a Kree invasion, and befriends the shape-shifting Skrulls.
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019). Thanos Snap kills half the universe. Avengers travel back in time. Black Widow dies to get the Soul Stone, and Iron Man dies killing Thanos, and Captain America grows old.
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Spider-Man goes on a class trip with MJ in Europe. Spider-Man defeats Elementals and Mysterio, but J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) reveals his identity.
• Marvel Studios on Disney+
  • WandaVision (2021): Wanda creates a bubble inside a New Jersey town. Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany).
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021): Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) defeat John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Flag-Smasher leader Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), and Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl).
  • Loki (2021) is forced to work with the Time Variance Authority. Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) unleashes the Multiverse after killing its overseer He Who Remains (Majors).
  • What If…? (2021). Animated series of alternative timelines and the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright).
  • Black Widow (2021) and her estranged sister Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) defeat their old Red Room spy program and its leader Dreykov (Ray Winstone).
  • Hawkeye (2021) introduces Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Echo (Alaqua Cox).
  • Moon Knight (2022). Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) is a mercenary and avatar for an Egyptian god. Steven Grant is his unaware personality. They stop a religious zealot (Ethan Hawke) from freeing a dark goddess.
  • Ms. Marvel (2022). Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is a Pakistani American teen in Jersey City who gets cosmic powers after putting on her great-grandmother’s bangles.
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) is meta. She-Hulk / Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany).
  • Werewolf by Night (2022)
  • Secret Invasion (2023): Nick Fury stops a Skrull invasion.
• Phase Four, half of the universe reappeared five years after the Blip. Begins the Multiverse Saga fighting Kang the Conquerer (Jonathan Majors).
  • Shang-Chi (2021). Father Wenwu (Tony Leung) is possessed and goes to her village to bring her back.
  • Eternals (2022) protect Earth from Deviants but split after they learn they will destroy Earth.
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Doctor Strange spell to erase Spider-Man’s identity goes wrong. Previous Peters (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) and villains appear.
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) stops Wanda from using America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) to travel through the multiverse.
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) joins with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to defeat Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale).
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) builds vibranium tech, and underwater people leader Namor (Tenoch Huerta) wants to destroy it.
• Phase 5
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). His daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) opens a portal to the Quantum Realm, where Kang is.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
  • The Marvels (2023): body swap with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan.
  • Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
  • Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
• Phase 6
  • The Fantastic Four (2025).

Russo brothers direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

X-Men include wheelchair-bound telepath Charles Xavier / Professor X, Jean Grey / Phoenix, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Cyclops, Storm, Emma Frost. They clash with Magneto. 1963 comic by Stan Lee.

• Logan (2017).

Kingsman (2014) follows Agent Galahad of the titular spy agency.
Daredevil / Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer. A chemical spill gave him supersenses including hearing people’s heartbeat, reading by touch, and echolocation, and he was trained in martial arts by the ninja Stick.

• Daredevil (2003) stars Ben Affleck.
  • Ben Affleck cheats on both fiancee Jennifer Lopez and wife Jennifer Garner.
    Deadpool (2016) stars Ryan Reynolds.
    Shang-Chi (2021) stars Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina.

DC Comics
DC Universe and DC Studios begins with the Golden Age of Comic Books in 1938.

• The Justice League includes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and the Martian Manhunter.
• Superman was born on the doomed planet Krypton and sent to earth. He is found by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark Kent. He works for the Daily Planet paper in Metropolis. He loves fellow journalist Lois Lane and fights Lex Luthor and Darkseid.
• Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) star Tim Burton.
• Batman (Michael Keaton), Joker (Jack Nicholson), Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).
• Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and Dark Knight Rises (2012) by Christopher Nolan. Batman (Christian Bale), Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), Joker (Heath Ledger), Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman). Set in Gotham, a crime-ridden city including Arkham Asylum.
  • Joker (2019) stars Joaquin Phoenix. Highest-grossing R film.
• Suicide Squad has slapstick violence. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.
• Wonder Woman (2017)
• Watchmen (2019)

American films

The Breakfast Club (1985). Teens from different cliques come to understand and support each other. Actors nicknamed the Brat Pack.
Dead Poets Society (1989) stars Robin Williams. A coming-of-age prep school drama.
Groundhog Day (1993) stars Bill Murray.
Forrest Gump (1994) by Robert Zemeckis stars Tom Hanks. “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Home Alone
The Usual Suspects (1995). Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) describes Keyser Söze.
Sex and the City (1998) features women discovering and opening up about their emotions. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon).
The Truman Show (1998) stars Jim Carrey.
Office Space (1999) satirical. Stars Jennifer Aniston. Peter Gibbons avoids Bill Lumbergh.
Bruce Almighty (2003) stars Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, and Morgan Freeman as God.
Being John Malkovich (1999): surrealist comedy starring Cameron Diaz.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) stars stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.
Mean Girls (2004) stars Rachel McAdams.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006) stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt.
Superbad (2007) by Seth Rogan, a coming-of-age film: Jonah Hill and Michael Cera try to have sex. McLovin.
The Big Lebowski (1998): LA slacker Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges).
David Fincher

• Fight Club (1999): Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).
• Gone Girl (2014).
  Anchorman (2004) by Adam McKay.
  Gossip Girl (2007) on The CW follows it girl Serena (Blake Lively), Blaire, and love interest Dan (Penn Badgley).
  The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) by Martin Scorsese.
  The Big Short (2015) by Adam McKay.
  Barbie (2023) stars Margot Robbie.

Drama

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) stars Jack Nicholson. Ebert Great Movie.
Chariots of Fire (1981) follows Eric Liddell, who runs for God, and Harold Abrahams, who runs to overcome prejudice.
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) directed by Woody Allen. Stars Mia Farrow as Hannah and Michael Caine as her husband.
Rain Man (1988).
Twin Peaks (1990) on the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer.
The Joy Luck Club (1993). Ebert 4/4.
The Piano (1993) by Jane Campion. First female director to win the Palme d’Or.
Hoop Dreams (1994) documentary. Ebert Great Movie.
Crumb (1994) documentary. Criterion Collection.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995). Ebert 4/4.
Eve’s Bayou (1997) Southern Gothic. Ebert 4/4.
American Beauty (1999): stars Kevin Spacey’s as a midlife loser with a crush on a teen cheerleader (Mena Suvari).
A Beautiful Mind (2001) on John Nash (Russell Crowe).
Ghost World (2001): teenage outsiders Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) help Seymour (Steve Buscemi) in his romantic life.
Crash (2004) on racial tensions in LA.
Richard Linklater: Waking Life (2001), A Scanner Darkly (2006). Boyhood (2014) stars Ethan Hawke.
The Fall (2006). Ebert 4/4.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) wins Best Picture.
Milk (2008) on Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
The Social Network (2010) by David Fincher, written by Aaron Sorkin.
Midnight in Paris (2011): dreamlike. Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) meets literary figures.
The Artist (2011): silent black & white film about a rising young actress and an older silent film star.
The Tree of Life (2011).
Once Upon a Time (2011) on ABC. Grimm (2011) on NBC is darker.
Coriolanus (2011) stars Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler.
Game of Thrones (2011) on HBO.

• There is only one God and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: “Not today.”
  Life of Pi (2012) by Ang Lee.
  12 Years a Slave (2013) by Steve McQueen. Best Picture.
  Orange Is the New Black (2013) on Netflix.
  Under the Skin (2013) stars Scarlett Johansson.
  Birdman (2014) follows Michael Keaton as a washed-up actor in one continuous shot.
  Still Alice (2014) stars Julianne Moore. On Alzheimer’s disease.
  The Haunting of Hill House.
  Moonlight (2016)
  Marriage Story (2019) stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver going through a divorce.
  Lovers Rock (2020) by Steve McQueen. Two lovers meet at a reggae house party in 1980 West London. Sight and Sound best film.
  The Last of Us (2023) is a post-apocalyptic drama. The third episode is a poignant love story between two men.
  Living (2022)
  Atlanta (2016) by Donald Glover exploring Black culture.
  Kelly Reichardt: Old Joy (2006) road movie and Certain Women (2016).
  Past Lives (2023) on growing apart, poetic.

Steven Spielberg.

• Schindler’s List (1993) about the Holocaust.
• Lincoln (2012). Daniel Day-Lewis portrays the postwar politics to pass the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery. Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens.
• Minority Report (2002): Precrime arrests criminals with three precogs. Stars Tom Cruise.
• West Side Story (2021): Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler. Tonight duet.

Medical dramas

• ER (1994).
• Scrubs (2001) follows JD, Elliot Reid, Christopher Turk, Janitor, chief Bob Kelso, attending Perry Cox, head nurse Carla Espinosa.
• House (2004) follows Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). Boss Dr. Lisa Cuddy, and friend Dr. James Wilson, head of oncology.
• Grey’s Anatomy (2005) follows Meredith Grey.
• The Good Doctor (2017) follows autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy.

Wes Anderson

• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) stars Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), Raleigh (Bill Murray), Eli Cash (Owen Wilson).
• The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): stop-motion animation based on the 1970 Roald Dahl novel.
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
• The French Dispatch (2021)

Romance

• Love Story (1970) is passionate, tragic, and top-grossing.
• Annie Hall (1977) follows Annie (Diane Keaton) and Alvy Singer (Woody Allen).
• When Harry Met Sally (1989)
• Pretty Woman (1990) stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
• Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) stars Hugh Grant.
• Sleepless in Seattle (1993) stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
• Princess Bride (1987): Westley becomes Dread Pirate Roberts to marry his true love, Princess Buttercup. He defeats Spanish fencer Inigo Montoya, Fezzik the giant, Vizzini the Sicilian.
• You’ve Got Mail (1998) stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
• Shakespeare in Love (1998). Ebert 4/4. Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I.
• While You Were Sleeping (1995) stars Sandra Bullock.
• James Cameron: Titanic (1997) is a tragedy starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
• The Parent Trap (1998) stars Lindsay Lohan as both twins of a divorced couple.
• Lost in Translation (2003). Bill Murray meets Scarlett Johansson in Japan.
• Legally Blonde (2001) romcom: Reese Witherspoon gets a law degree.
• Punch-Drunk Love (2002) romcom stars Adam Sandler.
• Love Actually (2003). Christmas story ensemble by Richard Curtis, starring Bill Nighy.
• The Notebook (2004) stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) directed by Woody Allen. Stars Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, and Penelope Cruz.
• Silver Linings Playbook (2012). Bradley Cooper is released from a mental hospital, and enters a dance competition with Jennifer Lawrence.
• Les Miserables (2012) stars Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, and Helena Bonham Carter.
• About Time (2013) by Richard Curtis stars Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy as the father.
• Fifty Shades of Gray (2015).
• La La Land (2016).
• The Big Sick (2017) stars Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan.
• Crazy Rich Asians (2018): Rachel (Constance Wu), Nick Young (Henry Golding), Astrid (Gemma Chan), and Nick’s grandmother (Lisa Lu).
• No Hard Feelings (2023) stars Jennifer Lawrence.

Documentary

BBC

• Natural History Unit: Life on Earth (1979), Natural World (1983), The Blue Planet (2001), Planet Earth (2006), Dynasties (2018). Narrated by David Attenborough.
• Eyewitness (1994)
• Civilisation (1969) by Kenneth Clark traditionalist.
• Ways of Seeing (1972) by John Berger.
• The Ascent of Man (1973)
• The Shock of the New (1980) by Robert Hughes.
• Connections (1978) by James Burke.

PBS

• Masterpiece (1971).
• Great Performances (1972).
• PBS Nova (1974)
• Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980) by Carl Sagan.
• Nature (1982).
• Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993).

Powers of Ten (1977) by Eames and Cosmic Voyage (1996) presented by the National Air and Space Museum.
Amazon (1997) stars ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin.
Africa: The Serengeti (1994) and Alaska: Spirit of the Wild (1997) by George Casey.
The Living Sea (1995) narrated by actress Meryl Streep.

Gruen (2008) on ABC on advertising.

Cooking show

• Julia Child: The French Chef (1963).
• Graham Kerr: The Galloping Gourmet (1968).
• Iron Chef (1993) on Food Network.
• The Great British Bake Off (2010).

Journalism and Peabody Awards:

• CBS Evening News: Walter Cronkite from 1962, and Dan Rather from 1981.
• Frontline (1983) on PBS.
• PBS NewsHour (1995).
• 60 Minutes (1968) on CBS.
• ABC News Nightline (1980).
• ABC 20/20: Barbara Walters.
• NPR: This American Life (1995) by Ira Glass
• NBC Nightly News is anchored by Lester Holt since 2007.
• NBC Meet the Press (1947): Sunday morning talk show.
• Newsnight on BBC.

Standup comedy

• 1974. Richard Pryor.
• 1977. George Carlin. He says the seven dirty words and loses F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation (1978).
• 2010. Bo Burnham.
• 2012. Bill Burr
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_Central
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_Prize_for_American_Humor

Talk shows

• CBS Mornings: Gayle King from 2012.
• Good Morning America (1975) on ABC: George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, and Michael Strahan.
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)
• That Was the Week That Was (1962) presented by David Frost on BBC.
• The Dick Cavett Show (1969).
• Saturday Night Live (1975) dominates sketch comedy. Eddie Murphy.
  • Chris Rock. Cheated on his wife.
• Larry King Show (1978)
• Nightline (1980)
• David Letterman (1982) is a sarcastic late night show.
• NBC’s The Tonight Show (1992) stars Jay Leno. 2009 Conan O’Brien becomes host.
• The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (1999) is a news comedy, hosted by Trevor Noah from 2015. Alumni:
  • Samantha Bee.
  • Stephen Colbert: The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) on HBO.
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005)
• The Graham Norton Show (2007) on BBC.
• Real Time with Bill Maher (2003) on HBO.
• White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Historical

Epic films

• 1300 BC. The Ten Commandments (1956) about Moses. Stars Charlton Heston.
• 480 BC. 300 (2006) on the Battle of Thermopylae. By Zack Snyder stars Gerard Butler.
• 73 BC. Spartacus (1960) by Stanley Kubrick: Third Servile War against Rome. Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier).
• 51 BC. Cleopatra (1963).
• 4 BC. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1959) stars Charlton Heston. Fictional Jewish nobleman falsely convicted of attempted assassination of the Roman governor.
• 30. The Passion of the Christ (2004) by Mel Gibson.
• 177. Gladiator (2000) by Ridley Scott. Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) seeks revenge against Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
• 180. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
• 900. The Northman (2022): Viking film starring Nicole Kidman.
• 1094. El Cid (1961) by Anthony Mann about a Castilian warlord.
• 1194. Ivanhoe (1952) stars Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine.
• 1296. Braveheart (1995) by Mel Gibson about the First War of Scottish Independence.
• 1400. Romeo and Juliet (1968). Ebert Great Movie.
• 1400. An Age of Kings (1960) on BBC.
• 1413. Henry V (1944) stars Laurence Olivier.
• 1500. Hamlet (1948) stars Laurence Olivier. Ebert 4/4.
• 1500. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) stars Gary Oldman.
• 1592. Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) on the Battle of Hansan Island.
• 1815. War and Peace (1967) during the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1877. The Last Samurai (2003). Meiji Restoration.
• 1893. Gandhi (1982).
• 1902. Doctor Zhivago (1965) stars Julie Christie around the Russian Revolution.
• 1910. There Will Be Blood (2007): oilman Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) kills Eli Sunday (Paul Dano).
  • I drink your milkshake!
• 1916. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by David Lean on the Arab Revolt.
• 1948. Exodus (1960) about founding the State of Israel.
• 1952. Malcolm X (1992) by Spike Lee. Ebert 4/4.
• 1964. JFK (1991) by Oliver Stone. Ebert 4/4.

War

• The Civil War (1990) by Ken Burns.
• M*A*S*H (1972) digests the Korean War.
• The Vietnam War (2017) by Ken Burns.
• The Deer Hunter (1978) stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Savage as steelworkers returning from the Vietnam War.
• Apocalypse Now (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola on the Vietnam War.
• Full Metal Jacket (1987) by Stanley Kubrick is set in the Vietnam war.
  • “Anyone who runs is a VC. Anyone who does not run is a well-disciplined VC.”
  • “How can you shoot women and children? Easy. You just don’t lead them so much. Ain’t war hell?”
• Wooden Crosses (1932) by Raymond Bernard on WWI. Criterion.
• The War (2007) by Ken Burns on WWII.
• Patton (1970) by Francis Ford Coppola.
• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) by David Lean. Ebert Great Movie.
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) by Spielberg about France in World War II. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) saves Ryan (Matt Damon).
• Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) by Clint Eastwood.
• Empire of the Sun (1987) by Spielberg about young English boy who becomes a Japanese POW. Based on a 1984 novel by J. G. Ballard.
• Dr. Strangelove (1964) by Stanley Kubrick. Criterion.
• Dunkirk (2017) by Christopher Nolan.
• Band of Brothers (2001) miniseries by Spielberg.
• Darkest Hour (2017) stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill.
• Black Hawk Down (2001) follows a crew shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu.
• The Hurt Locker (2008) stars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie.
• Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) by Michael Moore is a controversial Iraq War documentary.
• Lessons of Darkness (1992) by Werner Herzog in post-Gulf War Kuwait.
• Oppenheimer (2023). Second-highest grossing R film.
• Chernobyl (2019) on HBO. “3.6 Roentgen Not Great, Not Terrible”.

Drama

• Great Expectations (1946) by David Lean. Ebert Great Movie.
• The Three Musketeers (1973).
• Amadeus (1984) from the 1979 Peter Shaffer play.
• The Tudors (2008) on Showtime.
• Mrs. Brown (1997) follows Queen Victoria (Judi Dench).
• Little Women (1994): coming-of-age historical drama starring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Bale.
• Sense and Sensibility (1995) by Ang Lee.
• Pride & Prejudice (2005) stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet.
• Downton Abbey (2010): historical drama exploring social hierarchy. It is set in a country estate between 1912 and 1926.
• Bridgerton (2020) explores Regency era London.
• The Last Emperor (1987) about Puyi. Best Picture.
• Emma (2020) stars Anya Taylor-Joy.
• Elizabeth (1998) on Elizabeth I.
• Elizabeth I (2005) on Channel 4 stars Helen Mirren.
• The Queen (2006) on the death of Princess Diana stars Helen Mirren.

Biopic

• The King’s Speech (2010) stars Colin Firth.
• JFK (1991). Ebert 4/4.
• The Imitation Game (2014) stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing.
• Jackie (2016) stars Natalie Portman.
• Moneyball (2011) written by Aaron Sorkin.
• The Theory of Everything (2014) about Stephen Hawking.
• Hidden Figures (2016) follows Black women at NASA.
• Selena (1997) stars Jennifer Lopez.
• Muhammad Ali (2021) by Ken Burns.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sight_and_Sound_Greatest_Films_of_All_Time_2022
The Criterion Collection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time%27s_All-Time_100_Movies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Criterion_Collection
https://www.openculture.com/2014/10/scorseses-list-of-39-essential-foreign-films.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Film_genres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sight_and_Sound