Actors have to be able to portray the full range of human emotion in order to get an audience invested in their character and the story, and Florence Pugh has done just that. Like the best actors in the world, Pugh can make fans truly believe she's dealing with grief, pain or trauma. Of course, there are times when the acting seemingly ceases to become acting. That was apparently the case when Pugh made Ari Aster’s Midsommar.

Florence Pugh recently appeared on The Louis Theroux Podcast, where she revealed that all the pain that her character went through in Midsommar honestly had a real impact on her. She realizes now that the movie actually made her "depressed." Despite that, I love hearing that the movie she made right after, an adaptation of a celebrated book, allowed her to put the darkness away, at least for a while. Pugh said…

Midsommar sees Pugh play Dani, a young woman who is traumatized by the death of her family before visiting a rare midsummer festival in Sweden. While there, Dani, still dealing with trauma and depression, witnesses the dark rituals of the cult putting on the festival. This wild tale concludes with a truly depressing ending, one that Pugh and the director don't actually agree on.

Midsommar, like Aster’s Hereditary before it, is an absolutely dark film that is not for the faint of heart and the sort of feature that can really hit you wrong if you’re in the wrong mood while you watch it. Pugh admits she had to envision some pretty terrible things, including the death of her own family, in order to properly portray the character, and the result was depression.

However, for as dark as Midsommar was, it's great hearing that the process of making Greta Gerwig’s Little Women was something else entirely for Pugh. It seems that a much warmer set allowed her to put aside the darkness she was dealing with at the time. Although, she now admits that it didn’t completely solve the problem as, once filming was over, the depression came back. Pugh continued…

While Florence Pugh is great in Midsommar, it doesn’t sound like she’ll be making a lot of movies like it in the future. While she says she’s better now at managing herself and her emotions, and she gets better with every film, it sounds like while this is an experience she’s glad she had, she’s not looking to repeat it. And, quite frankly, I don't blame her.

Some of the most amusing and iconic characters in cinematic history happen to show up the least in their respective films. Even more disappointing is when an already popular character’s involvement in a film is significantly reduced from their previous appearances.

And, then, there are those characters whose opportunity to become something special is ruined by, not just a lack of screen time but a lack of anything to substantially serve the story with. We cover them all in this list of movie roles who deserved more.

Boba Fett (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)

It is a wonder how this galactic bounty hunter (originally portrayed by Jeremy Bulloch and voiced by Jason Wingreen) became such a wildly revered Star Wars character as he does very little in his appearances in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Even when Temeura Morrison inherited the character for Disney+'s miniseries, The Book of Boba Fett, he was upstaged by Pedro Pascal's title character of the show it was spun off from, The Mandalorian.

Raoul Silva (Skyfall)

Academy Award winner Javier Bardem’s brilliant performance as elusive cyber-terrorist Raoul Silva in 2012's Skyfall comes in pretty late into the plot. While the payoff to the preceding buildup is effective, the otherwise acclaimed Daniel Craig-era James Bond film could have potentially benefitted from more of his cat-and-mouse game with 007.

Beth March (Little Women)

Writer and director Greta Gerwig's Oscar-nominated Little Women is considered one of the strongest adaptations yet of Louis May Alcott’s celebrated 1868 novel. However, even its most adoring fans may agree that the March Sister who gets the least time to shine in the 2019 period drama is Beth, portrayed by Eliza Scanlen.

Clubber Lang (Rocky III)

With all the great characters who would recur in the Rocky movies, it is hard to believe that Clubber Lang is not one of them. Mr. T gives such an intense and mesmerizing performance as Sylvester Stallone's onscreen opponent in the 1982 sequel that deserved a later reprise in some way, shape, or form.

Frozone (The Incredibles)

Bob "Mr. Incredible" Parr’s (Craig T. Nelson) best friend and former partner-in-crimefighting, Lucius, better known as Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), is given the chance to show off his abilities in a few memorable moments from 2004’s The Incredibles. However, the ice-powered superhero deserved a more integral role in the acclaimed Pixar movie that could have provided a more solid and justified build-up toward his return from retirement in the final showdown.

Donny Kerabatsos (The Big Lebowski)

The joke about Steve Buscemi’s character in Joel and Ethan Coen’s beloved cult favorite comedy, 1998’s The Big Lebowski, is that he is rarely given a chance to speak by Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) for mysterious reasons. However, after finally learning more about Donny after his death from Walter’s impassioned eulogy, we wish we could have seen just a little bit more of his life.

The Five Wives (Mad Max: Fury Road)

One thing that makes George Miller’s 2015 post-apocalyptic thriller one of the best action movies of all time is what it consciously chooses to remain a mystery. However, what actually could have used more exposition in Mad Max: Fury Road is the group of young women (played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoë Kravitz, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, and Courtney Eaton) whom Tom Hardy’s title role and Furiosa (Charlize Theron) are racing to protect from Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne).

Batman (The Dark Knight)

Ironically, the most acclaimed installment of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of live-action Batman movies, 2008’s The Dark Knight, is the one that makes Bruce Wayne’s alter ego (Christian Bale) the least interesting character. Actually, one could argue the same thing about Tim Burton’s DC films, 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, despite many believing that Michael Keaton is the best Batman actor yet.

Sloane Peterson (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)

The core and most important relationship in John Hughes’ hilarious 1986 high school movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, is undeniably that of the eponymous troublemaker (Matthew Broderick) and his best friend, Cameron Fry (Alan Ruck). However, we should still know a little more about Ferris' girlfriend, Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara), than we do, which is not much at all.

Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace)

Even the most casual fans of the Star Wars movies would likely agree that Ray Park's Sith Lord was killed off way too soon and should have appeared in at least one follow-up to 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Thus, Darth Maul's return in subsequent animated series and a scene from 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story is one of the few widely accepted retcons in pop culture history.

Charon (John Wick)

It is the late Lance Reddick's performance as Charon that made the minor role in 2014's John Wick so intriguing. However, it was not until 2019's Chapter 3 - Parabellum that we finally got just how hard-boiled the Continental's loyal concierge can be.

The Joker (Suicide Squad)

Many audiences might argue that Jared Leto’s iteration of The Clown Prince of Crime could have used even less screen time in 2016’s Suicide Squad. However, there are a few DC fans who believe the Oscar winner had the potential to make a better impression than he did – as evidenced by his appearance in the recut Zack Snyder’s Justice League – and, perhaps, should have been the main villain instead of a wasted B-plot.

Michael Myers (Halloween Ends)

While marketed as an epic final showdown between the quintessential horror movie Final Girl, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney), 2022's Halloween Ends instead focused largely on the tarnished reputation of a new character named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) and his ill-fated romance with Laurie granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak). With very little screentime for the aging masked boogeyman, the finale to director David Gordon Green’s requel trilogy ended on a severely divisive note.

Boo (Monsters, Inc.)

Much of Boo's backstory is left a mystery, which is why it would have been appreciated to see her return in a sequel to Monsters Inc. instead of the otherwise well-received prequel, Monsters University. Not to mention, what happened to the adorable interdimensional traveler after she returned to her world? There had to have been an intense search for her during the many hours she was gone.

Ned Ryerson (Groundhog Day)

Stephen Tobolowsky’s annoying insurance agent deserved more to do than, essentially, repeat the exact same thing in his brief appearances in the hilarious 1993 time loop movie, Groundhog Day. On the other hand, the popular, bizarre fan theory that Ned Ryerson is really the Devil in disguise and the orchestrator of Phil Connors’ (Bill Murray) insane predicament is proof that the character has achieved icon status.

The Salesman (Sin City)

Perhaps Josh Hartnett’s contract killer, who seems to specialize in assisted suicide, is used the right amount in directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's visually astonishing comic book thriller, Sin City. Then again, the 2005 film noir favorite could have dropped a couple more hints and teases to his story to give "The Salesman" an even more memorable role.

Blanche (Drive)

Considering she was played by an actor who resembles a sultry, Silver Age femme fatale, Christina Hendricks’ role in Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 neo-noir thriller could have been iconic. Perhaps she could have if Blanche was given more than a page’s worth of dialogue in her three scenes from Drive.

Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)

When you cast an actor who has absolutely mastered the art of portraying villainy like Mads Mikkelsen as your antagonist, you better give him enough material to deliver. Unfortunately, the vengeful sorcerer Kaecilius is mostly an afterthought in the MCU’s Doctor Strange – the origin story of Benedict Cumberbatch’s surgeon-turned-Sorcerer Supreme – and is an even less memorable villain than Dormammu, who only shows up for one fun scene.

Scrat (Ice Age)

He was the face of the marketing for, arguably, Blue Sky Studios’ best-animated movie but is treated as an afterthought, appearing in funny interstitial bits outside of the main storyline. At least Scrat (whose name, a combination of “squirrel” and “rat,” is never even explicitly mentioned in any of the Ice Age movies) got to be the star of his own short spin-offs.

Dracula (Renfield)

Obviously, the star of director Chris McKay's 2022 horror-comedy movie is Dracula’s eponymous familiar, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult). However, the film does not spend quite enough time exploring his one-sided, abusive relationship with the ruthless vampire, who is portrayed brilliantly by Nicolas Cage.

Emma Watson (This Is The End)

A fictionalized version of the Harry Potter movies’ Hermione Granger actor only shows up for one scene in This is the End, in which she assumes a house full of male celebrities have ill intentions for her. Yet, it would have been fun to see much more of Emma Watson and her skills with an axe against the nightmarish circumstances outside in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s 2014 post-apocalyptic comedy.

Gorr The Godbutcher (Thor: Love And Thunder)

Some fans of the Marvel movies might say that Christian Bale’s vengeful antagonist is the best thing about Taika Waititi’s follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok. Unfortunately, Gorr the Godbutcher's screentime in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder is, much like the tragic deaths of his family, not justified.

Helga Sinclair (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

In one of the best Disney animated movies from the 2000s, 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, ambitious linguist Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox) is recruited onto an expedition to find the eponymous fabled kingdom by the wealthy Preston Whitmore (John Mahoney). His personal assistant, the attractive Lt. Helga Sinclair (Claudia Christian) is considered the secondary antagonist of the story but boasts far more charisma than the main villain, Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke (James Garner).

Sandman (Spider-Man 3)

The final installment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy is one of the most essential examples of the superhero movie genre's “too many villains” trope, with three villains fighting for screen time. The one with the most engaging and sympathetic arc – and, thus, the one who, arguably, should have been the only antagonist – is Flint "Sandman" Marko (Thomas Haden Church), whose biological makeup becomes bonded with sand after a bizarre accident.

Wizard (Taxi Driver)

The most deeply underrated character in director Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is easily Peter Boyle's Wizard. The wise veteran cabbie is one of the few characters in the bleak 1976 drama whom Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) could genuinely call a friend and, perhaps, if he was around more, he could have helped steer the disturbed former marine in a more favorable direction.

Boris Podgorny (The Fabelmans)

Judd Hirsch’s Academy Award nomination for portraying a fictionalized version of director Steven Spielberg’s granduncle in 2022's The Fabelmans was well deserved. What the character, Boris Podgorny, really deserved, however, was to play a larger role in the story, as long as it would be accurate to the semi-autobiographical story that the esteemed filmmaker was crafting.

Luna Lovegood (The Harry Potter Movies)

Evanna Lynch portrays Luna Lovegood – a refreshingly positive fan-favorite character from J.K. Rowling’s magical Harry Potter novels. However, most fans of the Wizarding World would argue that the Ravenclaw was significantly underutilized in the blockbuster film adaptations.

Jeff Portnoy (Tropic Thunder)

The famously animated Jack Black has higher billing than Robert Downey Jr.'s Academy Award-nominated role in the cast of 2008's Tropic Thunder. Yet, his role as Jeff Portnoy – an unhinged comedian attempting a serious war movie – gets the least amount of screentime or material to work with in star and director Ben Stiller’s hilarious Hollywood satire.

Lady Sif (Thor)

One of the most heavily underrated MCU characters is Lady Sif, who has appeared in every one of Thor's solo movies but only briefly. We might go so far as to say that Jaimie Alexander’s portrayal of the Asgardian Goddess of War should have her own solo movie, or at least deserves a more substantial role in the franchise.

Rhino (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)

Paul Giamatti’s cinematic iteration of the Spider-Man villain, Rhino, makes his grand entrance at the end of the widely reviled sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and was supposed to have a bigger role in a third installment starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Of course, the poor reception to the 2014 film led to the cancellation of the follow-up before Tom Holland stepped in to play the MCU-canon webslinger.

Officer Benjamin Clawhauser (Zootopia)

Voiced by Nate Torrence, the doughnut-chomping Officer Benjamin Clawhauser is about the funniest character from 2016's Zootopia. For that reason alone, the tiger deserves a more integral role in the family-friendly police dramedy about anthropomorphic animals.

Garraka (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire)

The fifth installment of the Ghostbusters franchise gets its subtitle (Frozen Empire) from the main antagonist's power to create a second Ice Age. However, said malevolent entity, Garraka, officially shows up far too late in the 2024 sequel's runtime.

Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan are practically bonded for life after starring in three films together- Little Women, The French Dispatch, and Lady Bird. The actors have bonded and developed a friendship off screen, and the two couldn’t be more supportive of each other. Considering their closeness, it’s no surprise that the actors may have also gotten into an argument or two over the years. Apparently this happened on Little Women, as Chalamet recently opened up about a moment of poor time management on his part that led to his co-star yelling at him.

The duo reunited for an event held by the British Film Institute in London. Both actors are having quite a year with Ronan’s movie Blitz premiering on AppleTV+ and Chalamet’s A Complete Unknown generating positive buzz. Their conversation was adorable, as they recalled their early careers and working together. They shared that during production on Little Women, the Wonka star was particularly in a busy phase of his career. He was juggling promoting Beautiful Boy while also making the Greta Gerwig film, and one morning took time to figure out his personal training schedule in tandem with his other responsibilities. He explained (via Entertainment Weekly):

Despite how pure Chalamet’s intent was, the conversation was dipping into valuable time on Little Women, and it drove Ronan and company crazy, so much so she went to his trailer to get him out herself. Chalamet remembered:

Clearly this was the push he needed, but I can imagine that the whole thing was also pretty hilarious. The last thing Chalamet was probably expecting was his angry co-star in a bald cap when he swung open his trailer door. At that point, the two had already done Lady Bird together, so they were definitely familiar enough with each other for there to be no ill will about the whole thing, and they now laugh about it. I think Ronan was in the right here, as being ready for shooting probably should have been Chalamet’s priority at that moment, and not a personal training schedule.

Hopefully now the Call Me By Your Name actor has his busy schedule figured out now, as he arguably has more on his plate than ever. It feels like he’s constantly promoting something, as he followed Wonka quickly up with Dune: Part 2, and then shortly after he began the press tour for A Complete Unknown. It won’t be long before Chalamet promotes his upcoming Josh Safdie movie, Marty Supreme, which releases next year. Luckily, I’m sure this Saoirse Ronan memory is seared into his brain, and the actor will never be late to hair and makeup again, especially if he’s doing another movie with her.

You can see Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown when it hits theaters on December 25th, and Saoirse Ronan in Blitz, which is now available with an Apple TV+ subscription. Fans of the duo can also revisit their chemistry in Little Women, which is streaming with a Hulu subscription. For more information on other exciting titles heading to cinemas and streaming this year, make sure to consult our 2024 movie release schedule.

The words “period piece” can suggest boring, dry, and slow. But the movies we’re about to discuss on this list are anything but. So the next time you hear that title thrown around in conversation, remember these films that defy this trend of boredom.

The English Patient

Despite The English Patient having a reputation for being labeled as “boring,” the Seinfeld episode couldn’t be farther from the truth. Rather, if one approaches the supposed war story as the romantic drama it truly is, then Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche’s characters connecting over their own tragic pasts isn’t as time-wasting as what’s suggested by arguably one of the best Seinfeld episodes.

Master & Commander: The Far Side Of The World

If you didn’t want to sail the open seas with your friends after watching Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, you’re not doing it right. Part bromance, part naval warfare, and all epic, Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany’s Aubrey and Maturin are a pair that have taught many fans about the values of honor, camaraderie, and scientific curiosity. That Master & Commander reboot still sounds like it should give way to a legacy-quel to this beauty.

Oppenheimer

For a three-hour long, R-rated historical drama about the creation of the atomic bomb Oppenheimer seemed to defy the odds stacked against it. A box office smash the 2024 Oscar-winning juggernaut saw Cillian Murphy’s sterling performance as the lead role anchor an all-star cast. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan’s compellingly tragic tale of creation and regret flies by, landing a solid punch of dread as it closes.

Tombstone

Westerns are a genre that seemed to fade away for a moment, which is unjust considering movies like Tombstone cashed in on the Oscar win of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven in prime fashion. A pulpy delight that harkens back to old school Good vs. Evil stories of this genre, Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer are standouts in a movie that’s stacked to the top with A-game talents. Try telling anyone this movie is boring after watching Doc Holiday deliver his classic line, “I’m your huckleberry.”

Lawless

Based on author Matt Bondurant’s historical novel on his family’s dealings with bootlegging, Lawless is an electric crime drama that has Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke as its leads. In an ensemble that broadens out to include Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, and Guy Pearce, the outlaw spirit is alive and well in this energetic picture.

Hamlet (1996)

A four-hour full-text version of Hamlet would be daunting to many an actor and viewer. Writer/director Kenneth Branagh must have felt that at some point in making his version of Hamlet, which fulfills that tall order. Slightly updating the story’s time period, there are no sacrifices made in terms of the story or the majesty of William Shakespeare’s epic tragedy. It remains a staggering achievement.

Pride And Prejudice (2005)

Where does one begin when praising Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? Is it the pitch-perfect casting of Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett, along with Succession cast member Matthew MacFayden as a particularly dreamy Mr. Darcy? Or is it having the late Donald Sutherland knocking it out of the park as Elizabeth’s warm and gentle father? There’s a lot to love about this movie, and it’s an undeniable fact.

Goodfellas

The time period shown in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas doesn’t feel like it would match the description of a “period piece,” especially in the eyes of those who lived through the eras depicted. But believe it or not, Ray Liotta’s tale of always wanting to be a gangster does qualify, which means this baby packs more violence, cursing, and quotable moments than you’d expect from such a project.

Emma (2020)

The best rom-coms know when to lean into the tropes, and when to innovate to invite a wider audience. Screenwriter Eleanor Catton and director Autumn de Wilde adeptly used that knowledge to deliver an offbeat adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular heroine. Meddlesome matchmaking results in both awkward and heartbreaking moments, which all tie together in a visually colorful feast for the eyes and the heart.

The Last Duel

Director Ridley Scott loves his historical dramas, and 2021’s The Last Duel is firmly in the man’s wheelhouse. Based on the true story of a knight (Matt Damon) fighting an old friend (Adam Driver) over allegations of misconduct, Scott’s eye for violent spectacle is used in a measured capacity to punctuate the proceedings. Jodie Comer’s performance as the victim/accuser at the heart of the duel only further enhances the impressive result.

A Bronx Tale

Not all mafia dramas are created equal, as we saw with Robert De Niro’s directorial effort A Bronx Tale looks at organized crime through the viewpoint of a working-class family. A semi-autobiographical picture written by actor/co-star Chazz Palminteri, we see a young man (Francis Capra / Lillo Brancato Jr) growing to idolize the local boss (Palminteri), while his father (De Niro) tries to keep him grounded in 1960’s-1970’s era New York.

That Thing You Do!

Tom Hanks, in his writing/directing debut, gave the world not only one of the best ‘90s movies, but also a perfect pop song. That Thing You Do! is a beautiful nostalgia piece that remembers the days of Beatle-mania, and all the acts that tried to grab their one hit of wonder. Whether you prefer the theatrical or the extended cut, and there is a difference, The Wonders will always shine as brightly each time you see them do that thing that they do.

A Haunting in Venice

The adventures of Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) took an unexpected turn into the supernatural with A Haunting in Venice, and the franchise was all the better for it. Playing like a horror film that just happens to be an Agatha Christie adaptation, this star-studded threequel could be the best of the bunch.

Steve Jobs

Aaron Sorkin’s best screenplays are like good musical albums: you fall into the rhythm every time you listen. Unjustly overlooked during its 2015 release, Steve Jobs showcased three different periods of transition in the life of Apple’s firebrand innovator (Michael Fassbender). Director Danny Boyle uses film stock changes to signify the period on display, and also proceeded to give us one of Seth Rogen’s most powerful performances.

Thirteen Days

The Cuban Missile Crisis was something you had to live through to truly understand the terror. That being said, director Roger Donaldson’s Thirteen Days comes pretty close to capturing the panic felt by the Kennedy Administration as they navigate through a potential nuclear war. Bruce Greenwood’s JFK is teamed up with Robert Culp’s RFK and Kevin Costner’s Kenneth O’Donnell as the trio that anchors the picture, with a superb bench of supporting actors tying it all together into a gripping historical thriller.

The Favourite

For years “period piece” was almost shorthand for projects that looked like The Favourite does on the outside. Frilly dresses, powdered wigs, and English disputes over minorly hurt feelings are probably what most conjured to mind with Yorgos Lanthimos’ acidicly funny comedy. But instead, it was Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz engaging in a war of wills to curry the favour of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Don’t be fooled, this dark comedy has teeth you wouldn’t expect.

Selma

Director Ava Duvernay’s work on Selma took an often cited moment in history, the Selma to Montgomery marches for equal rights, and turned it into a fresh and haunting look at not-too-distant American history. Digging into the human side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his part in this epic struggle, the Civil Rights Movement becomes personal for all who watch it depicted in this movingly cinematic story.

Gladiator

While Ridley Scott’s attitude toward historical accuracy hasn’t changed, neither has his method of taking ancient history and turning it into a more modern thrill ride. In 2000’s Gladiator, Scott introduced the world to the vengeful Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a man who has as much strategic acumen as he does names. The Roman Empire certainly became an obsession for some after seeing this rousing tale of revenge and eternal glory.

The Godfather

It’s easy to look at The Godfather and merely see Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo’s blockbuster epic that dramatizes the Corleone family’s power struggles. However, looking at the timeline of the entire trilogy and realizing that it spans almost the entire 20th century reframes one of the best movies of all time as one of three-period pieces viewers have not been able to refuse for over 50 years.

1917

1917 is, at its heart, a tribute to Sam Mendes’ grandfather, who served in World War I. Using technical knowhow to make the entire film look as if it’s filmed without cuts, the intensity of the story co-written between Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns is heightened by the almost non-stop pacing of the story. You’ll be hooked throughout the entire picture, from opening to close, feeling as if you’d made the journey yourself.

Brooklyn

Not all period pieces are about social upheaval or warfare. Sometimes, like with director John Crowley’s Brooklyn, the focus is on the life of a young woman (Saoirse Ronan) who emigrates from Ireland to New York in 1951. At times uplifting, bittersweet, and just downright heartbreaking, the Nick Hornby-penned film from 2015 will have you preoccupied with crying and laughing that you won’t be bored at all.

Kingdom Of Heaven

Upon release, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven was slaughtered at the box office. It wasn’t until the almost 3.5-hour extended home video cut arrived that the Orlando Bloom starring epic depicting the Third Crusade found its audience. You should probably watch that version first, and then head back to the theatrical cut, if you’re curious as to how big the differences are.

Dunkirk

Dunkirk’s historical inspiration is a moment that some creators may not find to be too cinematic. Writer/director Christopher Nolan’s clever depiction of a time-shifting narrative showcases three fronts of action in the crucial evacuation effort waged in the titular French location. Displaying the better and darker sides of wartime humanity, it makes for an effective inspiration to dig further into this chapter of World War II history.

The Patriot

Is Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot a bastion of historical accuracy? No. Does Mel Gibson’s problematic history cause people to approach this film with apprehension? Absolutely. For all you can say against this movie, there are almost as many reasons to watch this visually stunning and inspirational story of fighting for U.S. independence. Also, Jason Isaac’s villain and Heath Ledger’s scrappy portrayal of Gibson’s on-screen son kind of steal the show whenever composer John Williams isn’t.

Little Women

To take a time worn tale like Little Women and make it fresh again is something similar to magic. Greta Gerwig did just that with her 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, and in doing so the Barbie director found a way to break our hearts all over again with classic literature.

Amadeus

The rivalry between Mozart (Tom Hulce) and Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is, admittedly, goosed up in director Milos Forman’s Amadeus. That doesn’t make the movie any less worthy of an audience, as it’s a fine example of turning actual history into engaging tragedy. If you weren’t a fan of classical music walking into this one, you might just change your tune coming out.

Gosford Park

Director Robert Altman’s Gosford Park is kind of like a prototype version of Downton Abbey. Only instead of the Julian Fellowes co-written drama revolving around inheritances and marrying for love, it’s a ‘30s murder mystery that weaves a wicked tale. And yes, the late Dame Maggie Smith does get some richly acidic barbs into this picture.

Braveheart

The surprising success of Braveheart is one that still rings throughout the history of movies. Director Mel Gibson and writer Randall Wallace drew inspiration from the exploits of William Wallace (Gibson) and his fight during the First War of Scottish Independence. Romance and comedy mix in with fact and legend to deliver an idealized picture of a time we still don’t know everything about.

The Sound of Music

At its heart, The Sound of Music is a romantic drama, as nun turned-nanny Maria (Julia Andrews) slowly falls for employer Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). Plummer's hatred for the movie aside, the cinematic version of Rogers & Hammerstein’s beloved World War II set musical shows the values of resilience and family, all backed by a stellar soundtrack.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Charles Dickens’ works have always been ripe for reinterpretation, but Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield is one of the most recent examples of why they should still be retold at the movies. Assembling an all-star troupe led by Dev Patel in the lead, the script co-written with Simon Blackwell brings an irreverent lens to this literary treasure but doesn’t skimp on the heart.

American Psycho

If you don’t feel like American Psycho is a period piece, you probably have to go return some video tapes. Skewering the yuppie excess of 1980’s New York, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) guides us through a satirical slasher that’s mainly based in murders and executions…or is it mergers and acquisitions?

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Downton Abbey has to be the premier example of a period piece defying conventions and attracting an audience so wide its films are successes. 2022’s sequel A New Era shines in particular, as it introduces the class drama of Julian Fellowes’ hit series to the madcap world of early film production. Just be ready to shed massive amounts of tears during the final moments of the picture.

You've heard the saying, "The book's always better than the movie." Well, it turns out that's not always true. Sometimes films are able to streamline through a novel's tedious exposition or confusing jargon. Other times they're able to bring fantastical worlds to life in a more spectacular way than you might have imagined. Either way, here are some book-to-screen adaptations that are at least as good as — and sometimes better than — their source material.

Jaws

Never bet against Steven Spielberg, especially with John Williams providing what turned out to be an Oscar-winning score! The 1975 thriller Jaws is widely considered to be one movie that's at least as good as its source material. Spielberg cut out a lot of side plots from Peter Benchley's 1974 novel, and the actors really elevated the book's largely unlikeable characters, particularly Robert Shaw as Quint, turning the film into a classic you can watch over and over.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

There are some pretty big differences between Roald Dahl's 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the 1971 classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder (not to mention the 2005 remake and 2023 prequel). That means it's probably a matter of personal preference regarding which is "better," but it's hard to argue with Mel Stuart's musical fantasy.

The Thing

While John W. Campbell Jr.'s 1938 novella Who Goes There? is considered a classic for its deeply developed characters and an alien that's smarter — and therefore possibly scarier — than its movie's equivalent, John Carpenter's The Thing from 1982 is considered one of the best horror movies of all time. Its truly repulsive monster and effective special effects hold up even decades later.

Stand By Me

Lots of Stephen King novels have been adapted for the screen, and not all of those projects have been great. Stand By Me, however, which was adapted from "The Body," from the Different Seasons collection, is considered one of the best movies from the '80s. Some people prefer the movie, if only for the nostalgia kick provided by its phenomenal casting of Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell.

The Ring

Both the Americanized 2002 horror The Ring and Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel are highly acclaimed, but the book simply can't match the movie in terms of the creepy imagery from the cursed video.

Fight Club

Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are simply incomparable as a dynamic duo in 1999's Fight Club. Not only is the movie considered one of the best of the '90s, and Chuck Palahniuk — author of the 1996 book of the same name — has spoken positively about David Ficher's film.

The Lord Of The Rings

I don't think anyone's arguing the talents of J. R. R. Tolkien here, and indeed many do prefer the world-building and lore of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings saga. However, other fans argue that the films are more inviting, bringing emotion to the characters and cutting through all of the author's descriptive text.

The Hunger Games

There's no question that Suzanne Collins' The Hunter Games books could stand on their own, but it was thrilling to see those terrifying games portrayed on the big screen. From the worlds built for the youngsters' trials to The Hunger Games' ridiculous outfits, it's no wonder many hold Jennifer Lawrence's movie trilogy in such high regard. To me, it was worth it all to see Katniss' red carpet-worthy "Girl on Fire" dress.

The Shining

The Shining is one of Stephen King's best books, and — thanks in large part to Jack Nicholson's unforgettable turn as Jack Torrance — the horror movie of the same name also remains a time-honored classic. Both will scare the daylights out of you, and there are enough differences between Stanley Kubrick's film and the book that The Shining is totally still worth reading after you've seen the movie.

Requiem For A Dream

Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1978 novel Requiem for a Dream is a good read, but you just can't beat the performances turned in by the cast of Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film. Whether it's the heartbreaking tailspin of Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans' characters into addiction, Ellen Burstyn's obsession with being on television or Christopher McDonald's haunting Tappy Tibbons leading a chant about JUICE, this movie elevates the already-harrowing text into something that you won't be able to shake.

Room

Emma Donoghue's 2010 novel Room is told from the perspective of 5-year-old Jack, which gives a different POV to the story of a mother and her son escaping after years of captivity than the 2015 film adaptation. The book is undoubtedly gripping, but the movie holds its own, earning four Academy Award nominations, including a win for Brie Larson for Best Actress.

The Silence Of The Lambs

It doesn't matter how good Thomas Harris' 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs was — and it was definitely good — the 1991 film adaptation won the Academy Awards' "Big Five," which includes the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Talley). Since its release there have been three more movies and two TV series based on these characters, so I'd say that paints both the film and the novel in a phenomenally successful light.

Mean Girls

It's not really fair to compare 2004's Mean Girls to the source material that inspired it. That's because Tina Fey adapted one of the best high school movies of all time from Rosalind Wiseman's self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes, which is a guide for parents to help their teenage daughters survive in a world of cliques, gossip and boyfriends. While moms of teens (myself included) could probably use all the help we can get, there's no way Queen Bees and Wannabees could stand up to Mean Girls' most quotable lines and pop culture references.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird has been a staple in schools since it came out in 1960 for its exploration of themes like race and stereotypes. It wouldn't be fair or correct to say that the 1962 film was better, but Gregory Peck and Mary Badham gave performances that earned them Oscar nominations as Atticus and Scout Finch, respectively. Overall the movie won three of the eight awards it was up for (including Best Actor for Peck), which should make it worthy of being considered as good as Lee's novel.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

While many still prefer Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the 1975 movie made Randle Patrick McMurphy's crimes more palatable for the moviegoing audience and ultimately won five of the nine Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Actor for Jack Nicholson and Best Actress for Louise Fletcher (Nurse Ratched).

Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, but the movie proved why Hitchcock was the master of suspense, with that infamous shower scene likely inspiring audience members to start double-checking the locks on their bathroom doors. While the 1960 film may be as good (or better than) the book, the same can't be said for 1998's Psycho, which is considered one of the worst remakes in Hollywood history.

The Shawshank Redemption

Adapted from Stephen King's novella from Different Seasons, The Shawshank Redemption was turned into a classic movie that many think surpasses its source material. Frank Darabont's 1994 film adds a lot to the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) and their decades together in prison. The film garnered seven Oscar nominations but did not win any.

Jurassic Park

Michael Crichton set the stage with his 1990 novel Jurassic Park for how dinosaurs could come to exist in the modern era and Steven Spielberg got hold of the idea and ran with it, creating a world for the big screen that we'd only ever dreamed about. As good as the book is, there was just something about seeing the prehistoric beasts walking amongst the humans with our own eyes, and that idea has since inspired two trilogies and several TV series.

Forrest Gump

A lot was changed in the story of Forrest Gump between the 1986 novel by Winston Groom and the 1994 Robert Zemeckis film, but for many, it was Tom Hanks' heartbreaking portrayal that got us, along with plenty of quotes still being repeated today. The six Academy Awards from 13 nominations also speak to it being a pretty good movie adaptation.

The Hunt For Red October

The 1990 spy thriller The Hunt for Red October cut out quite a few subplots and a lot of technical language from Tom Clancy's best-selling debut novel, making it more approachable for a wider audience. Without the popularity of this movie, would we still live in a world with three dozen Jack Ryan novels, a handful of films and a TV series? Thankfully we don't have to consider the alternative.

The Notebook

Nobody tells an epically sad love story quite like Nicholas Sparks, and that includes his 1996 novel The Notebook. However, seeing Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams' chemistry as they brought Noah and Allie's story to life in the 2004 drama was what really stuck with fans over the years.

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is one of the funniest and most quotable movies of the 1980s, and it's considered just as good as its source material, though the two are very different. William Goldman's 1973 novel is highly praised amongst those who have read it, with many fans suggesting that people who have only seen the movie would still enjoy the book.

A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick's 1971 adaptation of A Clockwork Orange is a fairly loyal interpretation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel, save for a few changes to make Malcolm McDowell's Alex more palatable. Many prefer the film's darker ending, as well, to the more optimistic conclusion Burgess wrote.

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women has been adapted twice in recent decades — the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder as Jo March and Greta Gerwig's 2019 film. Because each iteration alters the March sisters' stories to better reflect the societal roles and priorities of a woman in that day, it only makes sense that audiences connect more with the updated material.

The Wizard Of Oz

No matter how classic L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is — and there are plenty who are staunch defenders of the book — there's nothing quite like seeing Dorothy step from her sepia-toned Kansas farmhouse into the fantastic Technicolor world of Oz in 1939's The Wizard of Oz. The film adaptation remains a beloved children's movie all these decades later.

Shutter Island

Both the 2003 psychological thriller by Dennis Lehane and Martin Scorsese's 2010 adaptation of Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio are highly regarded by fans, with many choosing to experience both, despite knowing how it ends. The movie stays loyal to the novel and can be considered at least as good, if not better.

The Devil Wears Prada

In Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada, her fictionalized account of working for Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is undoubtedly fascinating, but Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly on top of the performances of Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and the rest of the cast elevate the story.

The Godfather

Mario Puzo's 1969 bestseller The Godfather was arguably made even better by Francis Ford Coppola by focusing his film on Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone and his relationship with son Michael (Al Pacino), thereby streamlining the novel's grand story.

A Simple Favor

In the movie adaptation of A Simple Favor, many find Anna Kendrick's Stephanie more likable than the blogger in Darcey Bell's 2017 novel of the same name. To that point, Blake Lively makes her own character Emily feel even more dangerous.

Blade Runner

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is considered one of the best sci-fi movies of all time and many think it's even better than its literary counterpart, Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? From Harrison Ford's portrayal of android hunter Rick to the book's bleaker ending, this is the rare film that surpasses its source material in many fans' eyes.

City Of God

Fernando Meirelles' celebrated 2002 crime drama City of God expands on the 1997 novel by Paulo Lins in its performances and how it illustrates gang life in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Respect and homage are paid to the people of the region, and the cinematography shows the beauty that exists amidst the tragedy.

Drive

Many fans seem to prefer Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 movie Drive to the 2005 book by James Sallis, crediting the director and Ryan Gosling with further developing the Driver and other themes in Sallis' work.

Whether is books that are hundreds of years old, or they are from the last few decades, some amazing movies have been adaptions of the classics. Sometimes the movies play it fairly straightforward, while other times huge, but tasteful, changes are made. Either way, this is our list of great movies adapted from the canon of great literature. One note - there are dozens of great Shakespeare adaptions but those deserve their own list, so there are none here. 

Pride & Prejudice

Jane Austen is one of the most beloved authors in Western literature and many of her books have been adapted. Pride & Prejudice, first written in 1813, has been adapted multiple times, including a great version in 2005 with Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth. 

Clueless

Did you know that Clueless is a loose adaption of Jane Austen's novel Emma? The book was set in its time, in 1815. It's always fun when classic books are reimagined well for modern times. 

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott's 1868 classic Little Women is still a wildly popular book, especially with women and girls. Despite being well over 100 years old, it's completely reliable. Over the years, it's been adapted for every medium, but Greta Gerwig's 2019 version may have become the standard to judge all the others.  

To Kill A Mockingbird

It could be argued that To Kill A Mockingbird is the most important book of the 20th Century. It's hard to quantify what kind of effect it's had on younger generations and their attitude on race in America. The movie is almost as important. It's rare that movie has a real impact on society like this Gregory Peck-led classic. 

Sense And Sensibility

Jane Austen's first book, Sense And Sensibility, is still one of the most popular books in the world. As such, it's been adapted countless times on stage and screen, but most people would agree that the 1995 version starring Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson is the best. 

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a dark movie. It's one man's journey into the depths of hell, as set during the Vietnam War. It also shows just how much war is just war, no matter the time or place. It's all based on Joseph Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness, which is set 70 years early in the Congo, but the themes and emotions are the same. 

Great Expectations

A lot of Charles Dickens novels have been adapted into movies. One of the more notorious adaptations is Alfonso Cuarón's Great Expectations from 1998. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Estella and Ethan Hawke as Finn, set in modern-day New York, it's a classic tale of unrequited love. 

Oliver!

The 1968 musical Oliver! is an important movie for anyone who grew up with it. It's scary at times, but it's got some very singable songs for kids of all ages. It's all based on the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist about orphans and street urchins. The most Dickensian of Dickens novels. 

O Brother Where Art Thou?

Leave it to the Coen Brothers to come up with one of the most creative adaptions of one of the oldest stories on earth. O Brother Where Art Thou? is (very) loosely based on Homer's Odyssey. Sure, the brothers change some parts around and set in the South during the Depression, but when you recreate with Cyclops as John Goodman wearing an eye patch, you deserve to be on this list. 

Dangerous Liaisons

Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos is one of the most important and popular French novels of all time. In 1988 Stephen Frears adapted the novel as Dangerous Liaisons and it's, frankly, amazing. It's not the only it's been adapted either. 

The Great Gatsby

Not everyone loves Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby. As only Lurhmann can, it's a mix of period pieces, combined with modern music and sensibility. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Gatsby perfectly as if he jumped off the pages of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic. 

Roxanne

Steve Martin stars as a fireman in love with a beautiful woman played by Darryl Hannah but cannot get over his one physical flaw, a huge nose. If this sounds like the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac, you'd be right. They even worked in de Bergerac's famous sword fighting skills with a tennis racquet fight. It's a great nod to the original story. 

For Whom the Bell Tolls

When For Whom the Bell Tolls was first adapted into a movie, in 1943, it was actually pretty contemporary. Ernest Hemingway released the hit novel about the Spanish Civil War in 1940 and the war had only ended a year before that. While we think of For Whom the Bell Tolls as classic, it was modern at the time.

Young Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's classic horror novel Frankenstein has been adapted dozens of times in dozens of ways. For that reason, we thought it would be fun to list one of the most fun versions of it. Young Frankenstein is one of Mel Brooks' greatest movies and is responsible for one of the funniest scenes in any spoof film when Frankenstein and his monster sing and dance. 

The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002)

Alexander Dumas is responsible for some of the most lasting stories in Western civilization and The Count Of Monte Cristo is near the top of that list. Like others on this list, it's no stranger to being adapted to stage and screen but for our money, the 2002 version with Jim Caviezel in the lead role wins. 

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

It's hard to overstate the influence that Jules Verne has had on science fiction literature. He is the godfather of all, really. A lot of his books have been adapted for the big screen, but the 1954 Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under Sea starring Kirk Douglas is still the best. It's remarkable how well it holds up all these decades later. 

Bridget Jones's Diary

One of the more recent novels and adaptions on this list is Bridget Jones's Diary. The book was first released in 1996 and the beloved movie, the first in a successful series starring Renée Zellweger as Bridget was released five years later. The book's author, Helen Fielding, has made no secret that it was heavily influenced by Pride and Prejudice, even naming one of the characters Darcy. In a great twist of fate, Mark Darcy is played by Colin Firth in the movie, who also played Mr. Darcy in an adaption of the Jane Austen novel on the BBC in the '90s. 

The Lord Of The Rings

You knew we couldn't leave The Lord of the Rings trilogy off this list. Even though the books feel timeless, they didn't actually get released until the 1950s. They were instant hits and instant classics, though. 

Treasure Island

There have been a lot of adaptions of Treasure Island, as with others on this list. It's hard to pick one to go with from this list and it's tempting to go with the Muppet version from the '90s. There is also a wild version starring Orson Welles from 1972. Ultimately though, the definitive adaption of this beloved Robert Louis Stevenson classic has to be the 1950 Disney version. 

Lord Of The Flies

It's a little surprising the Lord Of The Flies hasn't been adapted more, to be honest. The classic William Golding novel has been adapted twice, but not since 1990. It's such a classic tale, one that kids still read today in school it seems like it would be ripe for a modern retelling. 

Scrooged

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been told in many, many different ways over the years. If you want a really fun version, look no further than the somewhat raunchy Bill Murray-led retelling of the classic tale in Scrooged. Carol Kane as the ghost of Christmas Present is particularly fantastic.  

All Quiet on the Western Front

Until recently, there number of World War II films far outnumbered those set in the First World War. That has been changing lately and one very fine example is the 2022 German production of All Quiet on the Western Front. It became a huge hit all over the world on Netflix and it's a pretty faithful adaption of the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque. There is also an amazing pre-code version from 1930 worth checking out. 

The Secret Garden

How many people knew someone or was someone who thought The Secret Garden was the greatest book they'd ever read as a kid? Everyone, right? The book, released in 1911 and written by Frances Hodgson Burnett has been a staple in kids' bedrooms for more than a century now so it's no surprise that it's been adapted a number of times, most recently in 2020 starring Colin Firth.

Cruel Intentions

We couldn't resist. We had to include Cruel Intentions on this list. Not only does it have one of the best examples of music being used to perfection in movies, but it's also a really fun movie to laugh with or laugh at. It's based on Les Liaisons dangereuses, but it's so ridiculous it's hard to see through the modern retelling to the original. That doesn't make it less amazing. 

Beowulf

The epic poem Beowulf is one of the earliest examples of English literature. It's also notoriously hard to read in the original old English and has been the bane of high school kids forever. That didn't stop Robert Zemeckis from adapting it in 2007 to the big screen. It's a trippy movie, but it's as hard to follow as the poem is. 

The Man in the Iron Mask

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in The Man in the Iron Mask, one of the many adaptations of a version of the Alexander Dumas characters from The Three Musketeers. It's a fine movie, but there are other adaptions that are ultimately more fun. 

The Age of Innocence

Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence was an instant classic when it was released in 1905. It's been such a big hit over the years, it's no surprise it's received three different film treatments, going all the way back to the 1920s and the Silent Film Era. In 1993 Martin Scorsese released a fantastic version starring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis. 

Doctor Zhivago

Like a lot of Russian literature through the centuries, Doctor Zhivago is pretty impenetrable at first, but well worth sticking with until it clicks. The same could be said about the movie, released in 1967, less than a decade after the book was first published. 

Of Mice And Men

john Steinbeck's Derepression-era Of Mice And Men is one of the truly great novels of the 20th Century. First published in 1937, the book, about migrants headed to California in the 1930s, has been adapted a number of times, including most recently in 1992 starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.

Nineteen Eighty-Four 

George Orwell's classic 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of the most referenced books of the last 75 years. The term "big brother" has become synonymous with government surveillance. The movie, released in 1984 and starring John Hurt is a faithful adaption as disturbing as the book.

Bram Stoker's Dracula

The story of Dracula has been told dozens of times on stage and screen, so it's hard to pick one for this list, but since we must, let's go with Bram Stoker's Dracula from 1992, if for no other reason than Francis Ford Coppola keeping the author's name in the title. It's as faithful an adaption as there is, and truly a classic for anyone who grew up with it. 

The Three Musketeers (1948)

Three are a ton of different versions of the Alexander Dumas characters from The Three Musketeers. If you want a really fun adaptation, look no further than the version from 1948 starring Gene Kelly. It's literally everything you could ever want from a swashbuckling movie in the golden age of Hollywood. 

One year after Sylvester Stallone and genetically modified dinosaurs ruled the Earth (and the box office), 1994 gave us some of not only the best movies of the ‘90s, but also some of the greatest films of all time. And, as hard as it is to believe, it has been 30 years since these amazing action movies, beloved Stephen King adaptations, and all-time great romantic comedies hit the big screen and found a permanent place in the hearts of generations of moviegoers.

If you want to go back and revisit 1994, one of the best movie years ever, you don’t need a time machine. Instead, you can go back in time by watching these iconic movies. Better yet, we’ve provided multiple ways you can enjoy these Best Picture winners, Disney classics, and game-changing indie flicks that launched the careers of some of today’s most well-known actors and filmmakers… 

The Shawshank Redemption

Despite initially being a box office bomb, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption has since earned a reputation for being one of the best movies of all time. This cherished adaptation of Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption tells the unforgettable story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) as he endures years of mental and physical abuse in a Maine penitentiary while patiently planning his escape. 

A staple of midday HBO programming throughout the mid-to-late ‘90s (and various other channels ever since), this sprawling and incredibly moving story about the resilience of the human spirit is the stuff of wonders.

Rent/Buy The Shawshank Redemption on Amazon.

Pulp Fiction

Several years after making a name for himself as a filmmaker you had to watch with Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino established himself as one of the best directors of the ‘90s with his 1994 megahit, Pulp Fiction. With its non-linear narrative structure that jumps between multiple intertwined storylines, this dark comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and a revitalized John Travolta became an instant classic upon its release.

Though it has a certain timeless quality, Pulp Fiction is one of those movies most associated with 1994, maybe because it captured the attention and hearts of millions of moviegoers that year and ever since.

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Forrest Gump

Though there’s an argument to be made about Pulp Fiction or Shawshank Redemption being more deserving of the Best Picture trophy at the 67th Academy Awards, there’s no denying Forrest Gump’s place in cinematic history. This epic story of one man’s (Tom Hanks) journey that takes him from rural Alabama to Vietnam and back (and everywhere in between) is a powerful and inspirational film like no other.

It was impossible to escape Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 summer blockbuster, during its theatrical run, in the lead up to the Oscars, and pretty much ever since. It may be set between the 1950s and 1980s, but this is a 1994 film if we’ve ever seen one.

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Speed

Undoubtedly one of the best ‘90s action movies, Jan de Bont’s Speed further established Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as two of the brightest stars in Hollywood and became an instant classic upon its release. With its two leads (who had electric chemistry), intense premise of a bus that can’t go below a certain speed or it will explode, and one of the most iconic shots of the ‘90s, there’s so much to love.

Watching Speed 30 years later is just as fun of an experience as it was in 1994, but now we get loads of nostalgia along with it.

Stream Speed on Starz.
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Clerks

Kevin Smith’s small-budget, black-and-white comedy, Clerks, introduced the world to one of the funniest, sharpest, and most unique voices of a generation back in 1994. Following Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) over a single day, Smith’s indie hit captured the essence of 20-somethings just trying to get through their day-to-day lives, and the wide range of conversations they have to pass the time.

It’s funny looking back on what’s become of Smith and his View Askewiverse in the 30 years since Clerks was released, and we’re all a little better off having both in our lives.

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The Lion King

The Lion King doesn’t have an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, not because it wasn’t good (it’s great), but because the award didn’t exist when the Disney megahit was released in the summer of 1994. From the opening credits sequence to the closing shot of Simba looking over the Pride Lands, this movie is outstanding. The songs, the animation, the characters, everything about this animated film just works, and it works well.

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The Crow

Though a lot of the conversations surrounding The Crow have to do with the tragic on-set accident that claimed the life of star Brandon Lee, Alex Proyas’ 1994 dark and gritty adaptation of The Crow is also remembered for being a slick, unique, and unforgettable action-drama about a rockstar coming back from the dead to avenge his fiancee.

From its visuals to its costuming to its remarkable soundtrack (The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and more), The Crow perfectly captures the spirit and essence of the mid-90s in every way imaginable.

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Hoop Dreams

Steve James’ Hoop Dreams wasn’t even nominated for Best Documentary at the Oscars, but looking back, it was the best documentary film released in 1994. This nearly three-hour feature documents the lives of two Chicago teenagers – William Gates and Arthur Agee – as they attempt to make their basketball dreams come true despite being forced to overcome all kinds of obstacles.

Powerful, inspiring, and culturally significant, Hoop Dreams has since earned a reputation as being one of the best basketball movies of all time, and one of the better explorations of the triumph and tragedy of student athletes.

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Reality Bites

Ben Stiller made his feature film directorial debut with the 1994 cult classic, Reality Bites. Centering on a group of college graduates living together in Houston, Texas, the movie perfectly captures the angst, fears, and desires of a generation branching out on their own for the first time and coming to terms with the fact that life is complicated, messy, and kind of bites.

Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Jeneane Garofalo, and Stiller are all incredible in their respective roles, and each actor can find a way to center on the likable and not-so-likable traits of their characters.

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Interview With The Vampire

Neil Jordan’s 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic horror novel, Interview with the Vampire, features what could be described as some of the best and moodiest performances of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt’s career. Centering on the years-long journey of Lestat de Lioncout (Tom Cruise) and Louis de Pointe du Lac (Pitt) as they go from city to city and century to century, the film is full of one iconic scene after another.

Rent/Buy Interview with the Vampire on Amazon.

Dumb And Dumber

Few actors have ever had a better year than Jim Carrey did in 1994. Following the box office and pop culture hits that were Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask, Carrey concluded his remarkable 12-month run with Dumb and Dumber, an outrageously hilarious movie about two dim-witted friends who travel across the country to return a briefcase. Causing all kinds of problems along the way, Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) find themselves in a series of absurd situations.

The first feature film directed by the Farrelly brothers, this all-time great comedy road trip movie is just as popular decades later and is never not funny.

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Four Weddings And A Funeral

Written by Richard Curtis and directed by Mike Newell, Four Weddings and a Funeral is one of those movies that never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. With the perfect blend of comedy and drama, good times and bad, this charming romantic comedy about a young British bachelor (Hugh Grant) becoming awestruck with an American woman (Andie MacDowell) who’s set to get married, as well as his group of friends, is delightful in every way imaginable.

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True Lies

James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up for a third time with the 1994 action-comedy, True Lies, a film that both poked fun at the genre while also introducing some of its best characters and explosive moments. The idea of Schwarzenegger living a double life and lying about his occupation to his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) shouldn’t have worked as well as it does, but somehow they were able to pull it off.

Watching True Lies 30 years later is just as fun as it was back in the day thanks to those expertly crafted action sequences, quick-witted humor, and all-time great performances from the lead actors.

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Little Women

There have been several adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women over the years, but one that captures the heart and soul of the 19th-century novel better than most is the movie made by Gillian Armstrong in 1994. Starring Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Trini Alvarado as the four March sisters, this adaptation is a loving tribute to the work and legacy Alcott left behind more than a century earlier.

Stream Little Women on Pluto TV.
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Natural Born Killers

Featuring one of the darkest romance stories of all time, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, which was based on a script written by Quentin Tarantino, follows lovers-turned-killers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) as they sweep each other off their feet and embark upon a blood-soaked crime spree around the United States. 

An attack on American pop culture and the country’s obsession with materialism and the “if it bleeds, it leads” media mentality, Stone’s inventive and violent movie has earned quite a reputation over the years.

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As hard as it is to believe, each of these movies turns 30 in 2024. However, after revisiting them, it’s easy to see why they remain so popular and impactful all these years later.

How many times have you watched an incredible acting performance and looked up to see how many awards it won only to find out that the Oscar went to someone else that year? It’s shocking how many times this has happened over the years for some of the greatest actors and actresses of all time. Here are 32 times an incredible performance didn’t win an Academy Award for one reason or another.

Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction)

Though he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson’s name wasn’t called at the 67th Academy Awards. This is nothing against Martin Landau’s performance from Ed Wood, but Jackson’s foul-mouthed and righteous hitman is an all-time great character that should have been recognized.

Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver)

Robert De Niro received an Oscar nomination for his career-defining portrayal of Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 psychological thriller, Taxi Driver, but the unhinged and memorable performance wasn’t enough to win Best Actor. It’s hard to be mad, as Peter Finch’s Academy Award-winning turn in Network is the stuff of legend.

Harrison Ford (Witness)

One of the best actors without an Oscar, Harrison Ford has only one Academy Award nomination to his name, the 1985 crime thriller, Witness. Though not Ford’s most iconic character, his take on Philadelphia detective John Book as he goes to great lengths to protect a young boy is nothing short of amazing.

Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption)

Morgan Freeman gave the performance of a lifetime as Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The Shawshank Redemption. If the movie would have come out any other time besides 1994, a year dominated by Forrest Gump, there’s a good chance the aging prisoner and accomplished smuggler would have earned Freeman an Oscar.

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)

Bill Murray’s portrayal of cynical, washed-up actor Bob Harris in Lost in Translation will forever be one of the comedian’s most beloved roles. While Sean Penn’s performance in Mystic River is more than deserving of an Oscar, it’s a shame the iconic comedian didn’t get properly recognized for a once-in-a-decade showing.

Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)

Whoopi Goldberg showed off a more dramatic side with her lauded portrayal of Celie Harris-Johnson in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of The Color Purple. It’s absurd that the emotional, dynamic, and powerful performance didn’t win Goldberg a much-deserved Oscar, which went to Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful, instead.

Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List)

Schindler’s List features one of the best Ralph Fiennes performances with his portrayal of Nazi work camp commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s 1993-defining film. And while the movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Fiennes’ unforgettable turn was not among them. Instead, he lost out to Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive.

Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)

If you’re looking for one of the best New York City movies, Tootsie has you covered. If you’re looking for a movie featuring an acting performance that should have won an Oscar but didn’t, Sydney Pollack’s 1982 comedy has you covered there as well. Seriously, how Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Michael Dorsey wasn't awarded is something we just don’t get.

Denzel Washington (Malcolm X)

Denzel Washington eventually won a Best Actor Oscar for his unforgettable turn in Training Day, but the actor was robbed nearly a decade earlier after not winning the big prize for his take on the titular Civil Rights leader in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.

Florence Pugh (Little Women)

Florence Pugh was already a rising star at the time of Little Women’s release, but her portrayal of Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age drama took her to new heights. Though she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, Pugh lost out to Laura Dern from Marriage Story.

Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained)

Here’s something wild to think about – Jamie Foxx not only didn’t win an Oscar for his performance in Django Unchained, he wasn’t even nominated for Best Actor. Admittedly, it was a stacked list of actors – Daniel Day-Lewis, Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Denzel Washington – but not even being named is just something.

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

The Wrestler felt like Mickey Rourke’s big redemption arc, more so than the character he portrayed in Darren Aronofsky’s great wrestling movie. Despite pushing himself to the breaking point from both a physical and emotional standpoint, Rourke lost out to Sean Penn’s take on Harvey Milk in Milk.

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Michael Keaton gave the performance of a lifetime in the 2014 mind-bending drama film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), one that seemed to channel the actor’s past in such a way it felt like an autobiography. However, stealing the show as Riggan Thomson, a.k.a., Birdman, wasn’t enough, as the prize went to The Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne instead.

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)

Saoirse Ronan has been nominated for an Oscar on four separate occasions, but not a single win, which is something. One of the performances that deserved an Academy Award the most was that of Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. The portrayal of a confused high school senior on the verge of entering the next stage in her life lost out to Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Tim Curry (Clue)

Tim Curry’s portrayal of Wadsworth in Clue, a butler or undercover FBI agent depending on which ending you watch, is a role that is beloved by fans of the classic murder mystery comedy. However, it wasn’t recognized at the Academy Awards or other ceremonies, which is the real crime.

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Rosamund Pike’s take on Amy Elliott-Dunne earned the sole Academy Award nomination for David Fincher’s Gone Girl, a nod that was more than deserved. However, the incredibly nuanced and dynamic performance failed to win the Best Actress Oscar, which went to Still Alice’s Julianne Moore instead.

Jimmy Stewart (Rear Window)

Jimmy Stewart is one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors of all time and his portrayal of L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is one of the his top-tier performances. However, his take on an injured photographer who uncovers a murder mystery didn’t even get a nod at the Academy Awards.

Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind)

Kate Winslet gave one of her most powerful and unique performances in the 2004 sci-fi dramedy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Her take on Clementine Kruczynski, a woman who had all memories of her ex-boyfriend wiped from her brain, was rich, beautiful, and iconic, but just wasn’t enough to win Best Actress.

Al Pacino (The Godfather)

Al Pacino put himself on the map with his portrayal of reluctant crime boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The gradual evolution of the character over the course of the film’s three-hour runtime should have been enough for an Oscar, but like co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall, who were also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, he didn’t get the win.

Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard)

Gloria Swanson’s "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." line from Sunset Boulevard is one of the most iconic quotes in all of Hollywood and part of an Oscar-worthy performance. While Swanson was nominated for her take on aging film star Norma Desmond, she didn’t take home the top prize.

Jack Nicholson (The Shining)

Though considered one of Jack Nicholson’s best roles, his portrayal of Jack Torrance in The Shining didn’t result in an Oscar win. In fact, Nicholson wasn’t even nominated for the unforgettable performance. 

John Cazale (The Godfather Part II)

John Cazale’s Fredo Corleone in The Godfather Part II is one of cinema’s great tragic figures as well as one of the late actor’s best characters. What’s even more of a travesty is the fact that the late actor didn’t even receive an Oscar nomination for his efforts. Tragically, Cazale would never receive an Academy Award nomination prior to his shocking death in 1978.

Angela Bassett (What's Love Got To Do With It?)

Angela Bassett received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Go to Do with It?, but the miraculous turn as one of American music’s most famous and influential figures didn’t earn her a Best Actress win. 

Edward Norton (American History X)

Reformed neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard is one of Edward Norton’s most controversial and complex characters of his career, and the American History X performance earned him a Best Actor nod at the 71st Academy Awards. However, Roberto Benigni from Life Is Beautiful ran away with the top acting prize.

Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca)

Somehow, Ingrid Bergman, who was astonishing as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca, not only didn’t win Best Actress at the 16th Academy Awards, she wasn’t even nominated for her iconic portrayal of a woman caught between two men and two different lives in the 1943 black-and-white classic.

Paul Giamatti (Sideways)

In a perfect world, Paul Giamatti would have won the Oscar for Best Actor in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, but alas, that is not the reality in which we live. Miles Raymond is one of Giamiatti’s best characters and carried the movie about two friends on a wine trip they’ll never forget.

Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men)

An amazing courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men is still arguably one of the best movies of all time. While its star, Henry Fonda, received a Best Picture nomination as a producer, his dynamic and rich portrayal of a juror who insisted on getting things right didn’t earn him an acting nod, which is a real miscarriage of justice.

John Goodman (The Big Lebowski)

You can add John Goodman to the list of great actors who have never received an Oscar nomination, which just doesn’t make sense. It’s especially maddening when you consider his legendary portrayal of Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski, a character loosely based on John Milius, per Far Out Magazine.

Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line)

Joaquin Phoenix has since won an Oscar, but his portrayal of Johnny Cash in James Mangold’s 2005 biographical drama, Walk the Line, was more than deserving of the top acting prize at the Academy Awards. What’s interesting is the fact that Phoenix was beat by his future The Master co-star, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won for his take on Truman Capote in Bennett Miller’s Capote.

Ellen Burstyn (Requiem For A Dream)

A little more 25 years after winning an Academy Award for Best Actress thanks to her outstanding performance in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Ellen Burstyn had another shot at capturing an Oscar with her turn as Sara Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream. Her take on a woman battling unchecked depression, anxiety, and a diet of weight loss pills gave audiences one of the most incredible and sympathetic characters of the early 21st century. Unfortunately, this also happened to be the same year Erin Brockovich was released. 

Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood)

There Will Be Blood is remembered more than a half-decade after its release because of the Academy Award-winning performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, but one of the three-time Oscar winner’s castmates was also deserving of recognition. Paul Dano’s Eli Sunday (he also played the smaller part of Eli’s twin brother, Paul) is one of the more fascinating characters of modern cinema, and he should have received an Oscar for his troubles. Dynamic is an understatement for this overzealous, petty, and temperamental preacher.

Robert Shaw (Jaws)

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster, Jaws, won three Academy Awards – Best Filming Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound – but Robert Shaw, who acted his tail off as the boat captain, Quint, wasn’t recognized. This shameful act by the Academy, especially after watching the USS Indianapolis monologue, still stings nearly 50 years after the fact. That scene alone deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination and win.

Many of these actors won an Academy Award either before or after these movies and performances we just covered, but it’s just wild to think about how some of these roles didn’t take home the big prize at the Oscars.

Sure, it may be the nostalgia talking, but the 1990s gave us some of the best family movies of all time. The final decade of the 20th century produced such iconic movies as Home Alone, The Sandlot, and Mrs. Doubtfire, and that’s only from those first few years. There are certainly some popular ‘90s movies that are terrible in hindsight, but there are more than a few gems that hold up 25, 30, or even 34 years later.

Below, in no particular order, are 20+ family movies from the ‘90s that we just can’t get enough of, be it watching with family and friends or by introducing our childhood favorites to kids of our own. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and talk about some of the best ‘90s movies that are fun for all ages. 

The Lion King (1994)

As crazy as it sounds, it has been 30 years since The Lion King roared into theaters (and the heart of a generation). Arguably the best movie from the Disney Renaissance era, this animated musical took William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, added all kinds of animals, some catchy songs, and stunning visuals to create an experience like no other. 

Toy Story (1995)

Back in 1995, Pixar helped usher in a new era for animation, and movies in general, with the landmark CGI experience that was Toy Story. For nearly 30 years, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Bo Peep, and all the other toys from this hilarious yet heartwarming movie have been a part of pop culture, and that’s all thanks to the way this film captured the attention and hearts of moviegoers around the globe.

The Little Rascals (1994)

Again, this could be the nostalgia talking, but watching The Little Rascals all these years later is so much more fun than you’d expect. This adaptation of the classic short film series of the same name has laughs, action, more laughs, and quite a few lessons geared towards just about everyone. Plus, the cameos, which include Mel Brooks, Reba McEntire, and a certain former United States President add so much.

Newsies (1992)

Newsies, the 1992 musical starring Christian Bale as a New York City newsboy who helps lead a revolution, may have been a box office bomb, but it’s still a great and entertaining movie. Even more than 30 years after its theatrical release, this beloved movie about a group of young boys who rise up against a powerful and greedy newspaper tycoon still strikes a chord with new generations.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

If you’re looking for a great Tim Curry movie, a wonderful pirate movie, or just one of the best Muppet movies of the past 30 years, then Muppet Treasure Island is going to do the trick. This 1996 swashbuckling musical comedy adaptation of Treasure Island follows a young boy as he hits the high seas with everyone’s favorite characters in search of fame and fortune.

Problem Child (1990)

Problem Child, which somehow has a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score, is a wild, crass, and dark black comedy about a young orphan getting a second chance in life, only if his hellish behavior and over-the-top antics don’t get him sent back to the orphanage. Though far edgier and mean-spirited than most movies on this list, Problem Child has a certain charm that makes it so much fun to watch.

My Girl (1991)

My Girl features perhaps the most traumatizing death sequence involving bees, and one of the most heartbreaking funeral scenes, and still manages to be one of the all-time great coming-of-age dramas of the ‘90s. Over the course of a single summer, Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) experiences more in a few months than most do in a lifetime, learning invaluable life lessons and making unforgettable memories in the process.

The Parent Trap (1998)

What starts out as one of the best summer camp movies quickly turns into a timeless classic about two long-lost twins (both played by Lindsey Lohan) forming a bond with one another after swapping places in an attempt to get their long-split parents back together. Yeah, The Parent Trap is a remake of a Disney classic, but Nancy Meyers adds her signature touch to this wonderful film.

Babe (1995)

Who would have thought that the man best known for creating the Mad Max franchise and all its over-the-top action would give us one of the best kids movies of the ‘90s? That’s exactly what George Miller did with Babe. Though directed by Chris Noonan, Miller’s signature style is all over the script, production value, and even great camera work in this tremendous under-pig story, with Christine Cavanaugh voicing the beloved animal star.

Home Alone (1990)

There are great Christmas movies, and then there is Home Alone, Chris Columbus’ timeless holiday film anchored by Macaulay Culkin in his career-defining role of Kevin McCallister. There are plenty of reasons this classic home-invasion movie has remained so popular the past 30+ years, but the biggest thing is that it simply works. Everything about the movie, from the casting to John Williams’ score to the trap-filled production design, is top-notch.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) 

Thankfully a movie where the dog doesn’t die, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is just as fun an adventure today as it was upon its release in 1993. There’s comedy, drama, action, and some truly memorable banter between the four-legged characters on their epic trip home, with superstar voice actors like Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, and Don Ameche 

Jumanji (1995)

The surprisingly scary Jumanji is one of those ‘90s movies that struck the perfect balance of broad humor, heightened drama, emotional depth, and unpredictable action to create a once-in-a-generation experience, especially those of us who were youngsters at the time. The concept of an enchanted board game unleashing the jungle on a quiet New Hampshire town is bonkers, but made all the more normal with Robin Williams heading things up.

Space Jam (1996)

Space Jam is one of those “right place at the right time” movies in that it was released at the peak of Michael Jordan’s career, and took advantage of the popularity resurgence of Looney Tunes characters. (Roger Rabbit's animation+live-action prowess certainly helped.) Seriously, watching MJ team up with Bugs Bunny and Bill Murray to defeat the Monstars never gets old.

Matilda (1996)

There have been a lot of great Roald Dahl adaptations over the years, and one of the best is Danny DeVito's 1996 fantasy comedy, Matilda. Mara Wilson’s titular character and her magical powers are just as awesome as they are wholesome. A near-perfect kids movie that tackles many different topics, Matilda is a gem worth revisiting for old time’s sake.

The Sandlot (1993) 

The first half of the '90s knocked it out of the park when it came to great sports-centric kids movies, including the unanimous MVP, The Sandlot. Taking place over a single yet consequential summer, this coming-of-age classic is full of heart, imagination, and some of the greatest life lessons a kid's brain can grasp, and that's on top of being a great baseball movie. 

Doctor Dolittle (1998)

A movie that made way more at the box office than one might guess ($294.5 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo), Doctor Dolittle is also one of Eddie Murphy’s funniest films, at least outside the R-rated scope. Taking a classic story and giving it a modern-for-that-time facelift worked out for this hilarious movie about a doctor who can speak to animals.

Hocus Pocus (1993) 

It just doesn't truly feel like Halloween until we watch the Sanderson Sisters – Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary (Kathy Najimy) – aiming to feast on the children of Salem in Hocus Pocus. Impossible to avoid and even more impossible to stop once you press play, this 1993 Disney classic has become a staple of the season for over 30 years.

The Addams Family (1991) 

While the macabre titular family has fronted plenty of adaptations over the years, 1991’s The Addams Family remains in a league of its own (along with its A+ sequel). As Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) tries to find and reunite with his long-lost brother Fester (Christopher Lloyd), Morticia (Anjelica Huston) is forced to find a job, while Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Puglsey (Jimmy Workman) attempt to make their school play one to remember. Joan Cusack is just the cherry on top.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

While there are some socially questionable issues with Mrs. Doubtfire, they shouldn’t keep this Robin Williams classic off anyone's list of the best family movies from the ‘90s. Even if you don’t agree with Daniel Hillard’s (Williams) parenting tactics or his general attitude about others’ wishes versus his own, there’s no denying the fact that this is pure physical comedy gold. The incredible lines, the ridiculous situations, and that “hot dog” impression work so well because of the top-notch cast.

Mighty Joe Young (1998)

A live-action Disney movie that time forgot, Mighty Joe Young holds us remarkably well over 25 years after its theatrical release. Starring Bill Paxon, Charlize Therron, and a massive gorilla (or at least a man in a suit), this action-packed and dramatic remake of an earlier film of the same name is a lot of fun and has all the heart.

Beethoven (1992)

Honestly, Beethoven is a movie that is just as much fun revisiting as an adult as it was watching way back in the day as a kid. Maybe it’s being able to relate to Charles Grodin’s neurotic and stressed-out George Newton, or maybe it’s the sinister villains, or maybe it’s the sight of a St. Bernard giving it to some yuppies. Regardless, this movie is all killer, no filler.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

It’s hard to believe it has been so long since we first met The Mighty Ducks cast back in 1992, but what’s not hard to believe is the fact that the movie still holds up so well after all these years. This all-time great hockey film has wonderful action on the ice, a remarkable sports underdog story, and awkward cameos from sports stars. What’s not to love?

Little Women (1994)

There have been multiple adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, and Trini Alvardo as the four March sisters is one for the ages. Heartfelt, humorous, and enchanting, this movie has it all.

Flubber (1997)

One of the best ‘90s movies on Disney+, the 1997 remake of Flubber follows Robin Williams’ Philip Brainard as he inadvertently creates a powerful and sentient green goo with all kinds of abilities. All kinds of hijinks follow as the lowly college professor tries to save his job, and his own job, from being shut down. 

Cool Runnings (1994)

The 1994 Disney movie, Cool Runnings, is one of the inspirational sports stories that seems too good to be true, but alas, it’s based on the real-life story of the Jamaican bobsled team. This improbable group of Olympians, led by disgraced coach Irving “Irv” Blitzer (John Candy), attempts to prove the world wrong in this hilarious comedy.

Little Giants (1994)

One of the funniest Rick Moranis movies, Little Giants, sees the beloved actor take on the role of Danny O’Shea, a gas station owner who forms a team of undersized and overlooked outcasts to fill his new football team. With his eyes set on finally beating his older brother, Kevin (Ed O’Neill) and his dreaded Pee-Wee Cowboys, Danny and his team try to pull off the impossible in this wholesome sports flick.

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

If you’re looking for a great movie pairing action stars with kids, look no further than Kindergarten Cop. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays Detective John Kimble as he goes undercover as a school teacher, is at the top of his game in Ivan Reitman’s hilarious 1990 comedy and gives us some of the most quotable lines of any Schwarzenegger movie of the era.

Free Willy (1993)

One of the biggest movies of 1993, both in success and the size of its non-human star, Free Willy is one of those quintessential early ‘90s flicks thanks to its style, attitude, and the unforgettable shot of Jason James Richter’s Jesse standing beneath a massive Orca jumping out of the water. For all the sealife exploitation that this movie may or may not have further inspired, it's still a classic.

Each of these movies still holds up all these years later and reminds us of just how many great family movies there were in the ‘90s. However, if you’re looking for something a little more modern, a ton of new family movies are streaming on various platforms.

After spending the majority of her life acting, Emma Watson has used the last few years to pursue other passions outside of the profession. While the iconic Harry Potter cast member has been open about why she stepped away from performing, now she’s opened up about why she’s “glad” she did it.  

Emma Watson is now 33, and in an interview with British Vogue, she explained how entering her 30s was also a “moment of real change.” This shift led to her directing her first commercial, starting her master’s in creative writing, and ultimately stepping away from acting. When asked if it’s been easy to turn down roles, she said:

Continuing to speak about what she’s done since making her last film, which was Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women, Emma Watson explained that sometimes her characters felt “much realer” than her. She had been consistently working since she was 10, so I can totally see where she’s coming from. Continuing to explain this point and why she’s left the spotlight, she said that she’s made an effort to try new things:

It’s nice to see that Watson has found some of her “own voice and creative space and sovereignty” by taking a break from acting. She has said in the past that she “wasn’t very happy” performing, noting that it made her feel “a bit caged.” Now, she feels more free.

In between being part of the Little Women cast and now, the Meg March actress has directed a Prada commercial, continued her work as an activist and even started a gin brand with her brother Alex, called Renais. However, while she’s taken a substantial break from acting, make no mistake, Emma Watson is not retiring, as she said she’ll “absolutely” return for the right project.  

While we likely won’t be seeing an Emma Watson project on the 2024 movie schedule, she still has a lot going on to get excited about! So, as we wait to see what she does next, you can stream the films that started her career – the Harry Potter movies – with a Max subscription.  

Before the end of the year, Timothée Chalamet will take us to a world of pure imagination when he takes on the role of the world-famous chocolatier and candy maker, Willy Wonka, in Paul King’s upcoming movie, Wonka. A perfect choice for the part played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp in previous adaptations of Roald Dahl’s beloved and quirky character, Chalamet has more than a few performances under his belt that showcase all the ways in which he is perfect to take on such a well-known figure like Willy Wonka...

As part of our partnership with AMC Theatres, where you can now purchase tickets for IMAX screenings of Wonka, we’ve gone through Chalamet’s rather extensive filmography and picked a handful of performances that have us as excited for his turn as a kid finding a golden ticket hidden in a bar of chocolate.  

The French Dispatch (2021)

Wes Anderson’s 2021 anthology comedy, The French Dispatch, features tremendous performances from the likes of Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, and other stars, including Timothée Chalamet, who appears in the delightful chapter titled, “Revisions to a Manifesto.” 

This hilarious and impactful episode follows journalist Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) as she is sent to cover the “Chessboard Revolution,” a student revolt led in part by Zeffirelli (Chalamet), a romantic and existential youth who has one problem: he’s having trouble writing the group’s manifesto. With wild hair, a rather thin mustache, and a love of life, liberty, and rebellion, it’s hard to not get swept away by his presence. Though in over his head, Zeffirelli is a lightning rod, quite literally, and it’s a demonstration of Chalamet’s ability to find the balance between quirkiness and earnestness with a character.

Little Women (2019)

In Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Timothée Chalamet took on the role of Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, who’s a close friend of (and later proposes to marry) Jo March (Saoirse Ronan). Though the character had been played by the likes of Douglass Montgomery and Christian Bale in the 1933 and 1994 film versions respectively, Chalamet best captured the youthfulness, likeability, and joyful nature of the beloved Laurie.

There’s a scene very early on in the movie where Jo and Laurie have a splendid time at a party. While the rest of the guests dance and laugh about in a luxurious ballroom, the two free spirits have fun of their own while outside. Acting prim and proper when in front of windows looking into the party, the two frolic and trash about when hidden from view in one of the most cheerful and intoxicating scenes in the entire movie. If Chalamet can channel even an ounce of the charisma he had in Little Women, we’re in for a real treat with Wonka.

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Though far more dramatic than his performances in The French Dispatch and Little Women, Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Elio Perlman in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name is a performance that has us excited for Wonka. This swirling and beautifully shot movie about forbidden love between a 17-year-old and a graduate student (played by Armie Hammer) shows a side of Chalamet that is both endearing and enchanting.

There are no song-and-dance numbers (though Sufjan Stevens’ “Mystery of Love” is a delight) and Chalamet plays a hopeless romantic dealing with his first love, but there’s something so pure, innocent, and exposed about his portrayal that is nothing short of magical. Like Willy Wonka, Elio is open to life and new experiences, no matter the cost.

A Rainy Day In New York (2019)

Numerous actors have played the “Woody Allen” character in the filmmaker’s various movies over the years, including Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris), John Cusack (Bullets Over Broadway), and Jesse Eisenberg (Cafe Society), in that they portray slightly humorous and exhaustingly neurotic protagonists. Another name on that list is Timothée Chalamet, who plays Gatsby Welles, a brainy, eccentric, and charming college student in A Rainy Day in New York.

Throughout the movie, Gatsby gets separated from his girlfriend (played by Elle Fanning) after she goes off to interview a famous director for the school paper and then stumbles into an actress (played by Selena Gomez), with whom he falls madly in love. Chalamet is captivating in his portrayal of a young hopeless romantic trying to find himself and true love in the Big Apple and has this tremendous sense of youth and electricity that carries much of the movie. Despite his flaws, of which there are many, it’s hard not to be enamored of his very person.

Lady Bird (2017)

Two years before appearing in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation, Timothée Chalamet had a supporting role in the filmmaker’s solo writing/directorial debut, Lady Bird. In the movie, which centers around Saoirse Ronan’s titular character, Chalamet takes on the role of her teenage crush, Kyle Scheible, a confident and somewhat mysterious popular kid at her Sacramento high school. 

Yeah, he’s kind of a teenage dirtbag and isn’t as pure and innocent as initially appears, but Chalamet’s character is just so cool and mysterious it’s almost impossible to hate him. This isn’t to say Willy Wonka will be anything like that, but the chocolatier, like Kyle, has always had this element of mystery that adds so much depth to the various adaptations.

Beautiful Boy (2018)

Felix van Groeningen’s 2018 biographical drama, Beautiful Boy, centers on the tumultuous father-son relationship shared by David Sheff (Steve Carell) and Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet) and tells a heartbreaking yet uplifting story about addiction, redemption, and unconditional love between a parent and child. Based on the memoirs written by both the father and son, this endearing drama is full of highs and lows, and everywhere in between, all of which work to make this an unforgettable film.

This isn’t the happy-go-lucky Chalamet character like we’ve seen in the trailers and promotional material for Wonka, but it is still a role that has us excited to see what the actor does when playing one of Roald Dahl’s most famous characters. The dynamic range of the young actor and the way he handles himself in incredibly difficult situations is something to behold, to say the least.

Timothée Chalamet has proven time and time again that he is one of the most talented and versatile actors on the planet, and hopefully, this small sample of his work stands as a testament to that. If you’re like us, and even more excited about Wonka after revisiting these six performances, make sure to purchase your tickets at AMC Theatres, where the movie will be playing, starting December 15, 2023.

Every year, the Academy Awards ends with the honors of Best Picture being announced to the world. Admittedly, the Academy doesn’t always get it right. For every Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, there’s a potential Crash to take its place the next year. So let’s talk about the Best Picture losers that really should have won, and why these golden competitors deserved more. 

Belfast

Kenneth Branagh’s bittersweet story of Buddy (Jude Hill) growing up during The Troubles in Ireland was bested by CODA as the top of the 2022 Academy Awards winners lineup. It was a surprising upset that made history for streaming originals, but it also left a beautifully formed tale of childhood and struggle behind in the dust.

1917

Bong Joon-ho’s darkly comedic Parasite, was an absolutely sterling choice for Best Picture. However, looking back on 2019’s films to be honored, Sam Mendes’ 1917 was both a technical and emotional marvel. Depicting World War I through what looked like a single take, the powerful film should have emerged victorious.

A Star Is Born

On the sliding scale of egregious wins/losses at the Oscars, 2019’s Academy Award winners possess one of the most upsetting upsets in the show’s entire history. Director/star Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born failed to secure the win over Peter Farrelly’s Green Book when it came time to award the top prize. You can still hear the screams from that night floating through the air, if you listen close enough.

Arrival

2017’s Academy class of nominees saw La La Land and Moonlight duking it out for Best Picture honors, right to the epic Oscar night mistake that saw victory proclaimed and reversed in the same moment. If only Arrival had seen its fortunes faring better as the true BP winner, perhaps this whole incident could have been avoided entirely. We’ll never truly know.

The Big Short

How strong of a year did the Oscars have in 2016? There are several movies that could have handily taken the prize, despite the fact that Spotlight’s Best Picture win is still something to celebrate. Much like that true-to-life drama, Adam McKay’s The Big Short was a movie that tackled personally identifiable issues and should have won the top prize in the process.

Whiplash

You could very easily mention Birdman’s 2015 win in a room of movie fans and draw a fair amount of sighs and cheers. At the same time, if you said something like "Whiplash was the true best picture of 2014," you just might hear a more unified response supporting that very claim. 

The Wolf of Wall Street

Oh, The Wolf of Wall Street, how you deserved so much more. Though 12 Years A Slave took the top prize, 2014’s Best Picture race did have some other competitors that felt as deserving as the winner. What’s even crazier than this film not winning is that Margot Robbie wasn’t even nominated for her star-making performance.

Gravity

Another heavy hitter that looked like it might take Best Picture in 2014 was Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. Though it was nominated in the same class as Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years A Slave, Sandra Bullock’s bad day in space was an absolutely golden flick that should have triumphed.

Hugo

2012 gave the world another divisive Best Picture winner that’s still questioned to this day: The Artist. However, if Hollywood wanted to honor the art of filmmaking, with another movie made with visual gimmicks and a story full of heart and emotion, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo would have been a fantastic choice for the honors. 

The Social Network

Some upsets in the category are so large the world tends to skate over history in favor of a more fitting result. 2011’s victory for The King’s Speech is definitely present, since just as we’ll continue to call out Andrew Garfield deserving an Oscar nod, we’ll continue to highlight how The Social Network should have been the top movie of this Academy Awards scrum.

Up in the Air

The first year of the modern Academy Awards with an expanded Best Picture field, The Hurt Locker was named the top flick of its class. And yet another story about wounds that cut personally and professionally should have really been the belle of the ball. It’s ok: Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air will still reign in our hearts, even if the Academy was not so kind.

Inglourious Basterds

Some might argue that with a newly expanded nominee field came some nominations for movies that could have won the “popular film” Oscar. If anyone tells you Inglourious Basterds is one of those movies, you look them straight in the eye and ask them to repeat it. This just might be Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, and that's a bingo.

Frost/Nixon

History comes alive at its best in movies like Frost/Nixon. Watching the verbal sparring match between Michael Sheen and Frank Langella was one of the joys of the film. Ultimately, No Country For Old Men took the top prize at the 2009 Academy Awards, but there’s a silent majority that would make the case for this being the truly deserving title. 

Milk

At once deeply heartwarming and utterly tragic, Gus Van Zant’s Milk chronicled the life and loss of openly gay politician and activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). A member of the highly competitive year that saw No Country For Old Men win top honors, the picture deserves extra consideration to this day. 

Michael Clayton

Some years are just too good in the history of film, and it’s a shame there aren’t more ties for movies that equally deserve the win. No Country For Old Men saw itself at the heart of that very storm as the victor of 2008’s Oscars. That being said, good luck trying to make a case against Michael Clayton being the true victor of that year, especially with that explosive finale.

Brokeback Mountain

Mark 2006 down as yet another Oscar competition where the winner was marked as a controversial bad kid of the family. Crash would take the top prize, but you could already hear viewers openly questioning why Brokeback Mountain’s heartbreaking tale of forbidden love didn’t make the grade. 

Good Night, And Good Luck

Crash’s 2006 win saw a field of better, more competitive films losing out on the Best Picture moniker. Even with George Clooney walking away with a Best Supporting Actor win for Syriana, the loss of his directing/co-writing efforts in Good Night, and Good Luck still remains one of the most notable mistakes. At least the film made the list of CinemaBlend's 100 Best Movies of the 2000s, and rightfully so.

The Aviator

How, how, how did Million Dollar Baby beat The Aviator in 2005’s Best Picture race? Martin Scorsese’s historical drama brilliantly danced between celebrating old Hollywood opulence while also diving into the tortured psyche of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio). Scorsese eventually scored a big win with The Departed a couple years later, but this loss still stings quite a bit.

The Green Mile

When Stephen King goes to the Oscars, his work goes in style. Just five years after Frank Darabont sent The Shawshank Redemption to its Best Picture showdown, the legendary collaborator scored another nod with The Green Mile. American Beauty won that year, a win that over time and consideration makes this King loss all the more upsetting.

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan feels like a movie that should have, without question, won a BP trophy at the Oscars. That feeling was firmly in place right until the night the actual victor, Shakespeare in Love, took home its spoils. Go ahead and take some time to punch the floor if you have to. It’s perfectly natural.

L.A. Confidential

Titanic truly was the ship of dreams for James Cameron and most everyone involved in its production. It was a mythic victory that made history for years to come, but was it really the correct choice? When the BP race that included that film also featured L.A. Confidential within its ranks, you don’t need to be a detective to know the real answer.

Apollo 13

Here’s an interesting Academy Awards two-step: in 1995, Forrest Gump won Best Picture, but it probably shouldn’t have. Meanwhile,1996 saw Mel Gibson’s Braveheart winning those same honors; the same year that the Tom Hanks starring Apollo 13 should have brought home the gold. 

The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect movie; full stop. Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s fairy tale for adults is still a well-regarded picture to this very day, standing as one of the best films of all time. And yet it couldn’t beat Forrest Gump for the big prize at the 1995 Oscars. I wish I could tell you that was the right choice.

Goodfellas

As far back as Oscar watchers can remember, the loss of Goodfellas to Dances With Wolves was one of the worst upsets to behold at the Academy Awards. Whether you’re a clown or not, that competition was not funny or amusing and may have inspired some fans to swear as much as Joe Pesci has in his entire career with Martin Scorsese.

Working Girl

1989's Oscars were all about Rain Man fever, as Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman's dramedy took home that year's top prize. Which is fine and good but, if the Academy wanted to reward that genre in a better fashion, director Mike Nichols' Working Girl was right there, waiting for the chance. At least Carly Simon's iconic "Let The River Run" won Best Original Song in that same year, so the Melanie Griffith/Harrison Ford/Sigourney Weaver love triangle didn't go home empty handed.

Broadcast News

The Last Emperor is the movie that won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture; at least that’s what it says in the history books. And yet, there’s quite a bit of room for doubt, when taking into account that the powerhouse dramedy Broadcast News was also up in that same race. At the same time, the movie’s loss is one that Albert Brooks’ Aaron Altman would view as just another day at the office.

Network

1977 was a red hot year in Academy history, as Rocky became the underdog to rise up and claim ultimate Oscar victory. While the flick's place in the pantheon of sports movies is without question, the presence of Sidney Lumet’s Network in that same contest makes me wonder if the right choice was made, or if anyone else is as mad as hell that this satire wasn’t chosen as the top film.

Little Women

Greta Gerwig not being nominated for directing Little Women is an Oscar travesty. But the fact that the movie failed to win Best Picture in 2020 just makes that fact even more heartbreaking. And considering how the movie's story breaks viewers' hearts with a classic and well-known piece of literature, it’s even more aggressively aggravating. 

The Post

The Shape of Water absolutely deserved Best Picture in 2017, especially when it came to striking a blow for genre films at the Oscars. Even with that in mind, Steven Spielberg’s political/journalistic epic The Post is admittedly a more traditional pick that stands as one of the best “What If” cases in Academy Awards history.

The Martian

Admittedly The Martian is a movie that, while technically being a work of science fiction, rides the lines of more traditional Oscar genres rather well. You can argue whether it’s a comedy or a drama contender, especially thanks to the Golden Globes debacle that inspired that same question. What you can’t argue is that Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel wasn’t a prime contender for the Academy's biggest honor in 2016.

Brooklyn

Director John Crowley’s Brooklyn was a quietly effective story that recounted the immigrant experience and all of its highs and lows. But not all of the beauty in the world could push this film ahead of Spotlight in 2016’s Oscars race; and that’s something that will continue to stick out for as long as we keep these records.

The Queen

2007 saw Martin Scorsese winning pretty huge for The Departed, after losing some well-fought battles with films like Goodfellas and The Aviator. At the same time, Stephen Frears’ The Queen was sitting right there, expertly navigating the story of Princess Diana’s death and how Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) worked though the ensuing public fallout. 

Even royalty can somehow be overlooked at the awards show, proving how unpredictable this long-held tradition truly can be. The Academy Awards have always been a night of winners and losers, and all anyone can do is hope that the right balance between both sides is struck. 

But there will always be a history of people arguing over who the real winners were, as you can see with the films we’ve highlighted above. So when things don’t go the way you hoped on Oscar night, take comfort in the fact that there’s usually someone that’ll be in that same corner you’re cheering from.

Some of what many would consider to be the greatest movies of all time are also those based on classic and beloved novels. And while there are folks out there who think you don’t need to read the book after watching the movie, there are dozens of examples that prove otherwise. 

From Academy Award-winning dramas to a few landmark fantasy films and just about everything in between, here are 32 books that you might still want to read after you watch the movie. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s start strolling through this library of great titles… 

Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and the Michael Crichton book on which it was based are both cultural touchstones in their respective worlds. And while they share the basic concept of a disaster falling upon an amusement park full of cloned dinosaurs, there are some key differences that make reading the book an entirely different experience.

The Shining  

Stephen King is no fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, the 1980 adaptation of his horror novel of the same name. Kubrick’s version makes all kinds of changes when it comes to the characters (played by Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, and Danny Lloyd) and the overall departure of his original intentions.

The Harry Potter Books

Even though there were eight Harry Potter movies (The Deathly Hallows was split in two) that were all at least two hours long, a lot of material was cut when adapting J.K. Rowling’s popular fantasy books. While we wait for the upcoming Harry Potter series on Max, now would be a great time to go back and read all the novels.

Dune

Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Dune (the second half is due in March 2024) gets a lot of things right when it comes to adapting Frank Herbert’s influential sci-fi epic, but like other movies based on fantasy novels, there’s a lot left on the page. This classic, 896-page epic won't be a quick read but it's a classic. 

To Kill A Mockingbird  

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is considered one of the great American novels, and it's a must-read (if you haven’t already) even after watching the 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. The narration by Scout throughout Lee’s book adds an incredible quality and pacing to the story, a childlike wonder that isn't quite captured in the screen version.

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz  

L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is totally worth reading, especially if you’ve seen the 1939 film adaptation. And while both share similar story components, the original text is full of so much more, including a longer stay in Oz, an army of mice saving Dorothy and company from the poppy field, and very different versions of those well-known characters.

The Hobbit And Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels, some of the best literary experiences of all time, were famously turned into two trilogies by Peter Jackson. And while the movies are awesome in just about every possible way, Tolkien’s original books include so much more story. No extended version could contain all of this.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer 

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer stands a good chance of winning a ton of awards, and rightfully so. But if you want to go back and read more about J. Robert Oppenheimer, his life, and role in the creation of the Atomic bomb, American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s 700-page biography is going to fill in a lot of the blanks.

The Color Purple  

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a Pultizer Prize-winning novel that should be read at least once in your life. Yeah, it was turned into a decorated movie adapted by Steven Spielberg (with a musical-based version coming out in December 2023), but Walker’s rich text and plot threads add so much to the story.

World War Z   

It’s hard to imagine a movie adaptation being less like the source material than 2013’s World War Z. Unlike the movie, which focuses on one character experiencing Hell on Earth, Max Brooks’ novel is set up like an oral history with each chapter focusing on a different, and sometimes, terrifying event, narrated by various characters. 

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption has been the highest-rated movie on IMDb for a very long time, and is considered one of the top-tier Stephen King adaptations. Interestingly enough, the 1994 movie starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is based not on a novel, but a 127-page novella, originally included in the book Different Seasons.

It

Stephen King’s It, all 1,138 pages of it, tells the fascinating and frightening story of a group of kids (later adults) teaming up to defeat a demonic entity multiple times throughout their lives. The 1990 miniseries, and a pair of theatrical releases that followed years later, only touches on part of King’s epic, and the full story must be explored. 

Ready Player One 

Steven Spielberg’s 2018 adaptation of Ready Player One is fun and all, but it’s an almost completely different experience when compared to Ernest Cline’s original novel. There are more than a dozen major differences ranging from minor changes to massive reimaginings of key sequences.

The Martian  

If you got a kick out of the blend of comedy, drama, and intense sci-fi action in Ridley Scott’s The Martian, then Andy Weir’s novel of the same name is going to be something to check out. It has the same tone but more of it.

All You Need Is Kill (Edge Of Tomorrow)

All You Need is Kill was later turned into Edge of Tomorrow (also known as Live Die Repeat) with Doug Liman taking on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel. There were all kinds of changes made for adaptation ranging from its characters and story to how the ending plays out.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower  

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is based on his book of the same name, is a wonderful adaptation that mostly sticks to the source material. However, there are enough changes to make reading the coming-of-age novel worth a read, specifically its epistolary presentation.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump the movie and book are two completely different beasts, so much so that watching and reading each version is an entirely different experience. Nearly every aspect of the story was changed in some way when being adapted into an Oscar-winning film, including Forrest’s personality and its ending. Forrest even goes to space in the book, which never happened in the movie.

Pride And Prejudice 

With so many different adaptations of Pride & Prejudice over the years, sometimes it’s fun to go back and read Jane Austen’s original novel to see how each version sticks, or diverts, from the source material.

I Am Legend 

Though I Am Legend the book and movie follow an almost identical path through the majority of their respective stories, the 2008 film adaptation starring Will Smith makes a drastic change to Richard Matheson’s original novella with its ending. We won’t ruin it for the uninitiated, but it completely changes how you see Dr. Robert Neville. 

2001: A Space Odyssey 

Stanley Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke shared credit on the 2001: A Space Odyssey screenplay, which Clarke later turned into a novelization. In addition to some shifts in the tone and style, the novel also makes the main portion of the story a mission to Jupiter opposed to Saturn as seen in the classic sci-fi epic.

Gone Girl  

We could write a whole article about how David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of Gone Girl differs from Gillian Flynn’s novel. In fact, the entire third act was rewritten by the acclaimed author for the movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

The Accidental Billionaires (The Social Network)

Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book, The Accidental Billionaires, which was later adapted by Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher as The Social Network, details the founding and early days of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. If you’re looking for a more detailed (as surprising as that may be) look at the social media giant, this book will do the trick.

The Hunger Games Books

Some would say The Hunger Games is a better movie than book, but the only way to know for sure is by reading Suzanne Collins’ 2008 young adult dystopian novel and its various sequels (and prequel).

In Cold Blood  

In 1967, Richard Brooks adapted Truman Capote’s 1966 true crime thriller, In Cold Blood, a painstakingly crafted breakdown of a quadruple-murder and the two men who carried out the senseless act of violence. Capote’s words just fly off the page, especially in the tense and foreboding opening chapter. 

Fight Club 

Fight Club the movie and book have the same basic premise: a nameless narrator befriends the man he’s always dreamed of being, starts an underground combat group, and then things get out of hand. However, if you want to see characters and situations not covered in David Fincher’s movie, as well as a different ending, check out Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

Little Women 

There have been a total of seven adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s 19th-century coming-of-age novel, Little Women, each making minor changes of their own over time. If you’ve seen one, two, or all of them, you should probably read the book to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. 

No Country For Old Men 

The Coen brothers’ Academy Award-winning adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men is one of the best films of the 21st century, but the book is also more than worthy of a read. It’s sparse, it’s violent, and features a lot more of Tommy Lee Jones’ character as he provides the narration throughout.

American Psycho 

After making your friends watch American Psycho, why not have a book club with Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name. Surprisingly enough, Mary Herron’s 2000 adaptation is a toned down version of Patrick Bateman’s descent into madness, and cuts back a lot of the central character's outlook on life and other social groups.

Trainspotting  

Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, which was later adapted into a film of the same name by Danny Boyle, is more of a series of short stories than the film starring Ewan McGregor. The book is also written in the Scottish dialect. While the text can sometimes be a challenge, it's never enough to take away from this story that is at times hilarious and other times heartbreaking.

Matilda  

Danny DeVito did an outstanding job bringing Roald Dahl’s Matilda to life back in 1996, but this doesn’t mean it’s a 100% faithful adaptation. This is a good reason to go back and read the timeless children’s book, as it’s similar but different, familiar yet fresh. There are also a number of changes in the 2022 musical inspired by the book, meaning fans of the Netflix movie should check out the book if they haven’t already.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted for screen and stage numerous times, but it’s never too late to go back and read the fantastical and whimsical novel. It’s fun to see how Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Tim Burton’s more faithful 2005 adaptation compare to this fun children’s book with all its bad eggs and imaginative treats.

The Exorcist 

William Peter Blatty wrote both the novel and film versions of The Exorcist, but this doesn’t mean they are entirely the same. The book, which came out only two years before William Friedkin turned it into a movie, is surprisingly even darker, more sinister, and more graphic. On top of that, there are also numerous minor differences throughout its story, so much so that reading it is a fresh experience.

With a whole slew of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations coming to theaters (and streaming services) in the coming months, you can expect to see some major changes to this list in the near future. 

Even before I knew that she was Hollywood royalty, I had a feeling that actor and musician Maya Hawke was destined to be one the industry’s sharpest and most sought-after stars. The multi-talented daughter of Academy Award nominees Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman has already managed to achieve a pretty stellar career so far and in such a short time. The key, in addition to her proven skill, is the variety found in the best Maya Hawke movies and TV shows, which we have assembled below.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

As Riley becomes a teenager, a new group of more complex emotions begins to emerge.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Maya Hawke voices Anxiety in one of the best movies of 2024, Inside Out 2 – a heartwarming sequel to one of the most beloved Pixar movies yet.

• Stream Inside Out 2 on Disney+
• Rent Inside Out 2 on Amazon
• Buy Inside Out 2 on Blu-ray on Amazon

Maestro (2023)

A portrait of the loving, but complicated relationship between legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and actor Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan).

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Seven 2024 Academy Award nominations — including Best Picture — went to writer and director Cooper's Netflix original biopic, Maestro, which also stars Hawke as Leonard and Felicia's daughter, Jamie Bernstein.

• Stream Maestro on Netflix

Stranger Things (2016-Present)

A group of average, close-knit people from a small, Midwestern community are forced to contend with extraordinary circumstances that continue to follow them for years throughout the 1980s.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke TV shows: The moment Maya Hawke became a household name was the day she joined the Stranger Things cast in Season 3 in the scene-stealing role of Robin Buckley. She immediately became a fan-favorite character in The Duffer Brothers’ Netflix original sci-fi hit, which has a fifth and final season in the works.

• Stream Stranger Things on Netflix

Little Women (2017)

Romance, poverty, personal tragedy, and other life-changing moments of four sisters (played by Maya Hawke, Kathryn Newton, Willa Fitzgerald, Annes Elwy) in Civil War-era America are recalled by the second eldest sibling, a writer.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke TV shows: For her screen acting debut, Hawke had the honor of the playing Jo March — the primary character of Louisa May Alcott’s seminal novel, Little Women — in this three-part limited series adaptation produced as part of PBS’s Masterpiece that also stars legends like Emily Watson, Angela Lansbury, and Michael Gambon.

• Stream Little Women on Amazon Prime
• Stream Little Women on Peacock
• Stream Little Women on Tubi
• Stream Little Women on Plex
• Buy Little Women on DVD on Amazon

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

As a former Western TV show star (Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio) contemplates the uncertain future of his career, his best friend and longtime stunt double (Academy Award winner Brad Pitt) has a foreboding encounter with a bizarre group of people in late 1960s Los Angeles.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: In one of Maya Hawke’s first feature-length gigs — also her first collaboration with one of her mother’s most frequent collaborators — she briefly appears in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast as a real-life Manson Family member known as “Flowerchild” in writer and director Quentin Tarantino’s dark, but dazzling, love letter to cinema’s silver age.

• Rent or buy Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on Amazon
• Buy Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on Blu-ray on Amazon

Human Capital (2019)

The lives of two suburban families clash when the teenage daughter from one (Maya Hawke) and the son from the other (Fred Hechinger) start a relationship that eventually proves to lead to tragic circumstances.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Hawke also appeared in another star-studded thriller from 2019 called Human Capital — director Marc Meyers and writer Oren Moverman’s adaptation of Stephen Amidon’s novel — which also stars Liev Schreiber, Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, Peter Sarsgaard, and Alex Wolff in its stellar ensemble.

• Stream Human Capital on Tubi
• Rent or buy Human Capital on Amazon
• Buy Human Capital on DVD on Amazon

Mainstream (2020)

A young, struggling filmmaker from West Hollywood (Maya Hawke) finds the unlikely success she has been striving toward when her video featuring a random man she met on the street (Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield) surprisingly becomes a viral sensation.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Co-writer and director Gia Coppola captures the manic, self-absorbed, and self-destructive world of Internet fame in her bold satire, Mainstream, which actually features digital influencers like Jake Paul and Juanpa Zurita among the cast.

• Stream Mainstream on AMC+
• Buy Mainstream on Amazon
• Buy Mainstream on Blu-ray on Amazon

Italian Studies (2021)

An English woman (played by Vanessa Kirby) realizes that she has lost her memory and lives adrift among a group of New York City teens as she struggles to uncover who she is.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Maya Hawke appears in Italian Studies — writer and director Adam Leon’s strange, mysterious drama — as one of the young New Yorkers Kirby’s amnesia-stricken protagonist becomes acquainted with.

• Stream Italian Studies on Hulu
• Rent or buy Italian Studies on Amazon

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)

A group of teens struggle to survive against a band of seemingly unstoppable killers while attempting to break a curse that has plagued their town for centuries.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: In a clear homage to Scream — one of its many classic horror movie references — Maya Hawke (one of the most famous faces in the Fear Street movies cast) appears in the intense opening scene of the first installment of Netflix’s fun, freaky trilogy of slashers inspired by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine’s more mature horror novel series.

• Stream Fear Street: Part One - 1994 on Netflix

Do Revenge (2022)

Hawke plays an introverted preparatory high school transfer who meets a popular preparatory student (played by Camilla Mendes) by chance and both agree to help each other get back at the people who ruined their lives.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Hawke and Mendes make a great team leading the Do Revenge cast in this crowd-pleasing modern take on an Alfred Hitchcock classic (Strangers on a Train) with a coming-of-age twist, a la Heathers or Mean Girls.

• Stream Do Revenge on Netflix

Asteroid City (2023)

A group of people from various walks of life gather in a rural, desert town for an event for young astronomy enthusiasts in the 1950s, only to find themselves trapped after a life-changing event.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Continuing her streak of being a part of acclaimed A-list ensembles in movies, Maya Hawke starred in the Asteroid City cast as an elementary school teacher in one of the strangest Wes Anderson movies yet, which is really saying something.

• Stream Asteroid City on Peacock
• Rent or buy Asteroid City on Amazon
• Buy Asteroid City on Blu-ray on Amazon

While we never covered any of Maya Hawke’s collaborations with her parents in the list above, she would appear in one episode of her father’s limited series western The Good Lord Bird in 2020, shows up in a 2023 comedic thriller called The Kill Room alongside her mother Uma Thurman and was directed by Ethan Hawke as the lead of a Flannery O’Connor biopic called Wildcat, which he also wrote. Maya is also set to star alongside Ethan in Andrew Stanton’s Revolver and, according to Quentin Tarantino, there is little chance of her appearing in a third Kill Bill movie as The Bride’s daughter but one can dream.

Florence Pugh really is an extremely talented actress whether her memorable frown makes you sad for her characters or you see her kicking ass as Yelena Belova in Black Widow. One important thing to know about the Oscar-nominated actress is she’s a master of accents. Despite her love and skill of dialects, there is one thing that she’s always called out for on set while using them.

At the beginning of her career, Florence Pugh spoke in her natural British dialect including in the sports biofilm that gave her international prominence, Fighting With My Family. Then she showed audiences her mastery of the American accents in movies like Midsommar and Little Women the latter of which resulted in her first Oscar nom. Then there's the Russian accent she does as Yelena in the MCU. While speaking to PopSugar promoting A Good Person, for whom Pugh worked with then-boyfriend Zach Braff, the British actress spoke about one thing she frequently got called out for while using a different dialect.

It’s true that if you’re going to play an everyday American as Florence Pugh did in the Zach Braff drama film, you do want to use vocabulary Americans use. The word “shall” is said in more posh, professional circumstances. But despite those occasional mistakes, I’ve got to say that the Don’t Worry Darling actress slays using the American accent. I never hear her British accent slip up when watching her best movies and TV shows, proving she knows exactly what she’s doing. 

Did you know that Florence Pugh’s American accent was so realistic to fans that they thought her British accent was fake? According to Independent, The Wonder actress spoke on the podcast Off Menu about how fans would troll her online for her “fake” British accent when they would hear her onstage presenting an award. Even when featured in Instagram Stories, the Oxford-born actress would receive comments from fans accusing her of “putting on an accent.” It must have been hilarious for her to correct them that the British accent she naturally uses is actually the one she was born with.

One movie of Florence Pugh’s that we have to look forward to soon is We Live in Time. Co-starring with fellow British actor Andrew Garfield, what we know about this romance movie so far is the plot follows a recent divorcee who meets and falls in love with a chef, only for a “difficult truth” to test their relationship. Nothing has been said if Pugh and Garfield will be using their natural British dialects, but I can only assume so since the Irish director of Brooklyn John Crowley will be behind the camera for this upcoming A24 movie. Plus, behind-the-scenes photos (via X formerly known as Twitter) showed the two actors filming a scene in a park in London. So, maybe that means we have a British romance film on our hands.

Florence Pugh is truly the master of accents. She just needs to watch herself when it comes to using British phrases you wouldn’t normally hear coming out of an American character’s mouth. Keep an eye out for We Live in Time with a possible premiere date making its way toward the 2024 movie schedule.

Even though the cast of the Barbie movie is already stacked, I think many of us were hoping and praying that some of Greta Gerwig’s long-time colleagues and A+ actors would make a cameo in Barbie. It turns out, the Oscar-nominated director did try to get her plas Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan into her film, and she revealed to CinemaBlend why it didn’t work out. However, just knowing that they tried to make it happen makes me happy, and if these two Little Women stars would have ended up in this bright pink movie it would have been epic. 

While speaking with CinemaBlend, we asked Greta Gerwig about the planned cameo for Saoirse Ronan that didn’t work out. Earlier this year the Academy Award-nominated actress, opened up about how she felt “gutted” over not being able to pop into Barbie. Turns out, her friend and frequent collaborator was also bummed about the Lady Bird star not being able to visit Barbie Land. The director said:

Not only did we almost get a Saoirse Ronan cameo, we also almost got a Timothée Chalamet cameo too! To see these two reunited on screen in the Barbie movie of all movies would have been truly legendary. I could totally see Ronan as a Barbie and Chalamet as a Ken, I think they’d fit right into Barbie Land. Even if they were only in the film for a few seconds, it would have been epic.

If these cameos would have worked out, this would have marked the third time in a row the two actors and the director worked together. The terrific trio made their debut with Gerwig’s directorial debut Lady Bird, and then Chalamet and Ronan led the Little Women cast in 2019 as Jo and Laurie. 

Understandably, the two actors couldn’t make it in for the shoot. They’re both mega stars who are very, very busy and sadly they weren’t able to join Margot Robbie and co. for Barbie, although they did try. 

While Gerwig didn’t explain why the actors specifically couldn’t be involved, the two stars have multiple exciting films in the works which explain their busy schedules. 

Chalamet likely couldn’t make it because he was off in the desert shooting Dune: Part Two. I think it's safe to assume that there are no direct flights from Arrakis to Barbie Land. Then, he was probably busy playing Willy Wonka in the chocolatier’s origin film Wonka after that. Both films are set to premiere on the 2023 movie schedule, so I get why he couldn’t go serve any Ken-ergy with the other Kens.

As for Ronan, the Barbie director noted she couldn’t make it because she was producing her first film, which is incredibly exciting. That film is called The Outrun, and she’s the star of it too. Currently, it’s in post-production. 

While it's a bit of a bummer that Greta Gerwig, Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan didn’t get to keep their streak alive, I’m overjoyed they at least tried to work it out. It would have been so epic to see the two actors on screen in Barbie Land, however, that fantasy will have to remain imaginary, for now. Maybe…if there’s a sequel we could get this trio of Little Women alums back together so they can keep their history of collaboration alive, and share their takes on Barbie and Ken.  

Florence Pugh truly is one of the most phenomenal actresses of our generation. You may already know some things about this Oscar nominee, like her excellent ability to hide her British accent for roles or being an award nominee since her debut in The Falling. But have you ever noticed the uncanny frown she brings on the big screen that can easily make audiences feel for her characters? Fans have that memorable frown in their minds, and so does the British actress herself, as she explained where that striking facial expression comes from in movies like Midsommar.

It’s no wonder that fans can’t help but notice Florence Pugh’s signature frown that she displays in a lot of her movies. As she sells each performance of hers, the pain of her characters becomes our pain as we watch. While speaking to BBC Radio, the Fighting with My Family actress speaks honestly on where that frown of hers comes from.

See, now I can’t unsee that frown of hers. It’s almost like what you’d see in an animated character where their whole mouth just falls so low to show how sad they are. It’s one thing if this was an acting choice on Florence Pugh’s part, but that truly is the way that she shows her discontent. It's all the more reason why no one should ever try to make this 27-year-old actress cry or our hearts will break with hers.

When you think about it, Florence Pugh really does have a tendency of playing characters who have gone through the wringer. The “beautiful nightmare” from Midsommar had her character, Dani, lose her family in a murder-suicide plot by her sister and left in the clutches of a sinister cult with her unfaithful boyfriend. Filming this movie was no cakewalk for her, as she recalled how intense that iconic crying scene was for her in that she and the other actresses in the scene continued to sob even as the cameras stopped rolling. 

The role truly did take a toll on Pugh, as she never played someone with so much pain before and would imagine the worst things to help her get into character. It’s no wonder that critics and audiences praised this gifted actress’s performance. To hear the actress herself talk about how she nailed that frown, take a look at the video below.

Other than Midsommar, Florence Pugh’s frown played a role in other prominent films of hers. In Little Women, she played Amy, who grew up in the shadow of Jo and her other older sisters who seemed to have had life figured out for them. Amy also didn’t have the best luck in romance, as she was promised to a rich man she didn’t love, only to fall for Laurie, who fawned over Jo. That frown was ever present in the heartbreaking scene of telling Laurie that she spent her entire life loving him only for him never to see that until she was engaged to another man. We also saw a down Pugh in the sisterly bond she shared with Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow when Natasha told her younger sister, Yelena, how much their time together has meant to her. I would probably pull the same face too in those scenes.

Florence Pugh’s frown is apparently not forced or controlled when portraying sadness in her movies. It’s a face that breaks our hearts but helps her achieve such a memorable performance. Her 2023 movie releases include Oppenheimer, which has been going through a censorship controversy, and Dune: Part Two, which premieres on November 3rd.

The recently-turned 33-year-old Emma Watson has been taking a slew of steps on the fashion and even alcohol fronts after stepping back from the limelight. The actress first grabbed our attention in the Harry Potter series and then expanded her acting career with films that proved she was much more than her Hermione Granger character including The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, and Beauty and the Beast. With her last film being her role as Meg in Little Women, the British actress has spoken honestly about stepping away from acting following the 2019 film.

Emma Watson has been in the spotlight since she was 10 and nailed her iconic role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. After her role in the Oscar-nominated film Little Women, she's taken a break from acting to focus on other skills she has. While speaking to the Financial Times, The Bling Ring actress explained why she decided to step away from the profession that made her a household name.

As an actor, your job is to take create a character using your script as a guide. However, that doesn’t mean that you had a say in the writing or the direction your project went in. Actors and actresses perform what’s presented to them, so it makes sense the star was frustrated with being asked about how a project "align[ed] with [her] viewpoint" when she wasn't in charge of the creative process. 

While Watson took some high-profile roles after Harry Potter, it seems at some point this frustration came to a head as the former child star transitioned from Harry Potter life to adult life. She’s said before that it wasn’t until Harry Potter was over and she started her studies at Brown University that she didn’t realize how “sheltered” her life was being around the same people doing the same routine to prep for the Wizarding World films.

The My Week with Marilyn actress also spoke about another frustrating account she endured during her acting career.

Emma Watson went on to talk about developing more of an interest in roles that take place behind the scenes -- including her upcoming venture into making gin with her family. That way, she can get the creative control she’s always wanted. 

Watson was also able to venture into that creative space when she wrote and directed an advertising campaign for Prada. She may have thought at one point being a director was “unattainable” until she discovered that she’s been around a film set for a big portion of her life. Prada may have been the Ballet Shoes actress’ first attempt at directing, but it’s absolutely not her last as she also revealed to the outlet that she’s got another directing gig for a music video lined up. (She also noted we should know the musician once that job officially gets announced.) 

There was a time when we thought that Emma Watson was retiring from Hollywood when her agent said she went “dormant.” That led to the British outlet The Daily Mail believing that meant she was retiring from acting. Luckily, her manager clarified that her agent meant this actress' social media accounts were “dormant, but her career isn't.” The Potter star came back to social media in March, showing off her lovely latest fashions. 

And while she stepped away,  you don’t have to worry about the Hermione Granger actress retiring from acting completely. She's said in the past she would return to acting when the right project came to her. Then, she revealed to the Financial Times she has a movie project lined up that will begin shooting in early 2024.

It appears that anything this talented actress sets her mind on is filled with dedication and strength, whether that be the creation of gin or even taking a mental health break from acting. While we wait for her big comeback, you can watch the entire Harry Potter series with an HBO Max subscription.

It’s fun to think about what current young movie stars we’ll eventually look back on the most fondly and with the most respect in the decades to come. For the moment, it certainly feels like the 20-something talents of Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya are among the brightest stars we have right now, and this fall they will all be among the cast of Dune: Part Two. Ahead of the sequel, Pugh has likened her co-star to a previous named generational talent: Leonardo DiCaprio. 

It’s not the first time the comparison has been made. Both Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio found major success on film early in their careers, most notably for the former through James Cameron’s Titanic. Recently speaking with Vanity Fair, Florence Pugh said of the 27-year-old Dune star, 

If Chalamet is DiCaprio, does that mean Florence Pugh is this generation’s Kate Winslet? That’s the conclusion Vanity Fair draws, and it lines up. Sure, they are both British and blonde bombshells with award recognition early in their careers, but there certainly is an assured elegance about the two of them as well that makes these parallels make sense for them. Pugh continued: 

Florence Pugh shared how much she loved working with her Dune cast because of all the star power and because there are really great people behind the big names. In the 2023 movie release, Pugh will play the role of Princess Irulan, who we got a first look at in the Dune: Part Two trailer, a pivotal character who will once again have the actress and Chalamet playing love interests after the actors first stared together in 2019’s Little Women. Chalamet has previously said they have an inside joke about working together again for these specific roles. 

Since we’re still comparing the actors with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, it’s worth noting that the pair of actors have remained friends since their early roles in Titanic and went on to reunite two decades later for 2008’s Revolutionary Road. Wouldn’t it be sweet if these two find that kind of friendship and working relationship? 

DiCaprio and Chalamet have crossed paths before, and when they did the seasoned actor reportedly told the Call Me By Your Name star his career rules have been “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.” It’s exciting to imagine where these two actors will be years for now, but for now we get to experience a wonderful moment in both their careers. 

Florence Pugh will next be seen as part of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer cast, the movie heading to theaters July 21, but fans will be able to see her reunited with Timothée Chalamet when Dune: Part Two arrives on November 3. 

Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh are two of the busiest young actors in Hollywood. The two Oscar nominees co-starred in Greta Gerwig’s 2019 critical darling, Little Women, and they will again grace the screen together in the officially confirmed, Dune: Part 2. Chalamet will return in the Denis Villeneuve sequel as Paul Atreides. At the same time, Pugh, who was cast earlier this year, will portray Princess Irulan Corrino, a part originated by Virginia Madsen in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation. And apparently, the two have a bit of an inside joke when it comes to their reunion.

While speaking with Variety, Chalamet reflected on his career and his collaborations with Florence Pugh. The actor joked that when it comes to the characters they play in their movies, they believe there's a bit of irony. The acclaimed performer spoke about the insider they have with these words:

In the 2019 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, Timothée Chalamet portrays Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, a young man who grew up with the March sisters and has been in love with the stories protagonist, Jo, since he was a young boy. However, things don’t pan out for Jo and Laurie, and the young man ends up marrying Jo’s more youthful sister, Amy, played by Pugh in Gerwig's six-time oscar-nominated film. So as you can see, there's definitely truth Chalamet’s comments, and one can't help but chuckle when thinking about such a coincidence. 

Laughs aside though, the actor went on to gush about his co-star’s acting ability. Based on his sentiments, the Black Widow actress really brought her A-game to the major Dune role. He said:

This is exciting news to hear from Timothée Chalamet. We, of course, know the Midsommar actress can bring gravitas to almost any role. Even though her most recent film, Don't Worry Darling, mainly received a tepid response, many pointed to Pugh’s shining performance as the film’s saving grace. I'm excited to see what the powerhouse actress will bring to the world of Arrakis.

What’s particularly interesting about Chalamet’s comments are what they might mean for her part as Princess Irulan. Denis Villeneuve's original Dune installment is an adaptation of the first half of Frank Herbert’s original book, and the second part will conclude the novel. In the first book, Irulan (who becomes a much more prominent character in the later novels) is mainly as a narrator. Readers are introduced to her through her historical writings, and she doesn’t appear until the novel’s end. The part was expanded in both Lynch’s version and the 2000 Syfy network made-for-TV mini-series. Could Chalamet’s comments hint at an expanded role for Pugh’s Irulan? Only time will tell. But at this point, just know that as the actor notes, she and Paul probably shouldn't be courting each other.

You can watch Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh reluctantly end up together when Dune: Part 2 hits cinemas on November 3, 2023. Until then, get caught up with the first movie, which can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. For all your movie-going plans, check out CinemaBlend's list of upcoming movie releases.

When it comes to some of the latest and greatest actors and actresses that have truly been making a name for themselves over the last couple of decades, one of the first names I think of is Greta Gerwig. Starting off her career in acting, and later moving into directing major features, Gerwig has become a household name for her excellent skills in regards to not only acting, but as a director. 

If you’re like me and you’re looking for some of Greta Gerwig’s best movies, look no further, as we have 10 picks here that I believe you’ll love from beginning to end, starting off with one of her oldest films. 

LOL (2006)

First off on this list, we have LOL. No, that’s not just a phone message you just read, that’s the actual title of the movie. In this independent film, LOL follows three separate relationships between recent college graduates, and how the technology that they own influences how they act. 

Classified as a “mumblecore” film, LOL is a movie you’re going into expecting to see the personal relationships between people rather than a steady plot, but somehow, it still works wonders and really tells a fascinating story. This was actually Greta Gerwig’s film debut way back in 2006, so it’s astonishing to watch her in this film - where she is great - and then see all that she has done both as an actress and a director. 

Stream LOL through AMC+ on Amazon.

Little Women (2019)

The first of two Gerwig-directed features on this list, Little Women is based on the novel of the same name, mainly following the story of the March sisters during the 19th century, as they try to set off on their own paths in life and make a name for themselves in a world where women didn’t have as many opportunities as they do now. 

This was the second feature that Greta Gerwig directed (we’ll get into the first later down the list), but oh my God, I have loved watching this film over and over again. From the stellar performances of Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan, to the storyline, to the rest of the incredible Little Women cast overall, you can’t not like this film. It’s one of those movies that I’m sure is going to become a classic and it’s all thanks to Gerwig’s amazing direction. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, so you know that it’s good. 

Buy Little Women on Amazon.

Frances Ha (2012)

Next up, we have Frances Ha, a black and white dramedy starring (and co-written by) Greta Gerwig. This film focuses in on the titular character, Frances, a young, 27-year-old womon who is going through a tough time when her best friend that she’s known for years decides to move, and now, it’s up to her to try and make sense of her life and find herself without that one constant to rely on. 

I think what makes Frances Ha such a great outlet for showing off Gerwig’s talent is that she is the lead of this film, so you really get to see her put on a show with not only her dramatic acting skills but her comedic timing. And, honestly, Frances is a character that we can all relate to, with her constantly going through changes but needing to learn to accept them and become a better version of herself. This movie also features Adam Driver in one of his best roles yet, so if you want to see Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver in the same film, be sure to check this out. 

Stream Frances Ha through AMC+ on Amazon Prime.
Rent/Buy Frances Ha on Amazon.

20th Century Women (2016)

My personal favorite on the list of movies that Greta Gerwig has acted in is 20th Century Women, by a longshot. This drama film follows a young boy growing up in the 1970’s, and the three women who are responsible for how he grew up: his mother, his close friend, and the family's tenant. 

I freaking love Gerwig in this role. Seriously. It’s not talked about enough. While this movie also features some stellar performances from the talented Elle Fanning and Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig’s role in this movie needs to be praised, because her part as Abbie truly has made me cry many times. 

She’s so independent, fierce, and the kind of woman that I would honestly want to be my best friend, and Gerwig pulls it off wonderfully. It annoys me that this film didn’t receive as many accolades as it should have, but I can at least recommend it to others to watch. 

Stream 20th Century Women on Showtime.
Rent/Buy 20th Century Women on Amazon.

Jackie (2016)

Moving on, we now have Jackie, a biographical drama about one of the former first ladies, Jacqueline Kennedy, in the time after her husband was killed, and how she learned to adapt to her new role in the White House. 

While the film stars Natalie Portman as the titular first lady, Greta Gerwig portrayed Nancy Tuckerman, who was the White House Social Secretary at the time, and was the personal secretary to Jackie Kennedy until she passed away in 1994, and I loved her role in this. Gerwig again shows just how brilliant she is in a dramatic role, and it really tells a story that people like me, who are quite young and not as informed about history, didn’t know. It was intriguing from start to finish and I would watch it again. 

Rent/Buy Jackie on Amazon.

Lady Bird (2017)

Next up, we have Gerwig’s first directorial effort, one that I think everyone should see, no matter what. Lady Bird is a coming of age dramedy starring Saoirse Ronan about a high schooler who has a strained relationship with her mother and is trying to grow up and learn how to accept herself despite horrible things occurring in her life. 

Lady Bird is an experience. I truly believe that in every sense of the word. While I’ve always been a big fan of coming of age movies, there’s just something about this film that sits with you, because it’s another case of, “I’ve been here before.” You can fully put yourself in the shoes of the main character, and I’d be surprised if you didn’t find yourself tearing up once or twice throughout it’s run time. It’s raw, emotional, and deserved all of the praise that it received. As the first movie Gerwig directed, she knocked it out of the park - even scoring a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director.

Stream Lady Bird on Showtime.
Rent/Buy Lady Bird on Amazon.

Maggie's Plan (2015)

Moving on, now we have Maggie’s Plan, a romantic comedy that is sure to make you smile. Starring Greta Gerwig and Ethan Hawke, along with several other big stars, Maggie’s Plan follows a young woman who is looking to have a child, so she decides to go through with it without a romantic partner. But, when she starts to develop feelings for someone, her plans are thrown into a tailspin. 

Out of all the movies on this list, I feel like Maggie’s Plan is certainly the one that isn’t super serious, but what really makes it stand out amongst many of Gerwig's other films is that she has amazing chemistry with Ethan Hawke. Hawke has done so many great movies, but I personally think that this is one of his best because he and Gerwig somehow make this strange couple that I can’t help but enjoy, and the twists and turns that this film take make it almost impossible to turn away from the screen. 

Rent/Buy Maggie’s Plan on Amazon.

Isle Of Dogs (2018)

Next up, we have a great Wes Anderson film, Isle of Dogs. In this stop-motion animated movie, a young boy is on the hunt to find his missing dog, Spots, and ends up on Trash Island, a place that is inhabited by dogs, where he befriends them and makes it his goal to bring the dogs back home. 

Isle of Dogs is such a great movie. You can tell right away that it’s a Wes Anderson film from the storytelling and the beautiful animation, but what makes it even better is the Isle of Dogs cast, which features Greta Gerwig as Tracy Walker, a foreign exchange student from America, who teams up with the young boy, Atari (Koyo Rankin) in order to help the dogs, and I just love their relationship. Gerwig has some awesome voice-over skills, and should seriously be in more animated movies. I’d love to hear her again. 

Stream Isle of Dogs on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Isle of Dogs on Amazon.

Mistress America (2015)

Now, we have the film, Mistress America, a comedy starring Greta Gerwig and Lola Kirke, which tells the story of a young woman who is having trouble adjusting to her life in college, so she decides to grow closer to her soon to-be stepsister, Brooke, and this in turn upends her life - for better or worse. 

This is another Greta Gerwig film where I really felt I could put myself in the character’s shoes. Even though a lot of the craziness that happens in this movie is something I’ve never experienced, Gerwig accurately portrays something that we all have felt once or twice as we have grown older: loneliness. This feeling that we want to be accepted and have love that never goes away, and that’s perfectly shown through her friendship with Brooke. I think this is a film you only need to see once to get the message, and it’s great to watch because of that. 

Rent/Buy Mistress America on Amazon.

To Rome With Love (2012)

Last but not least, we have a Woody Allen film, To Rome With Love. In this romantic comedy, we follow several different love stories in the romantic city of Rome, Italy, where we see just how much the area can influence how someone behaves, or the ways in which love changes as time goes on. 

Greta Gerwig is a part of “John’s Story,” a part of the film that tells the tale of John (Alec Baldwin), an architect who is visiting Rome with his family and meets a young man and his girlfriend, Sally (played by Gerwig), and this one instance changes his life forever. The story itself is full of moments that will truly blow your mind and make you chuckle, and Gerwig herself is awesome in her role as Sally, the girlfriend of Jack (Jesse Eisenberg). The ending of John’s story is even wilder - you just have to watch it for yourself. 

Stream To Rome With Love on Tubi.
Rent/Buy To Rome With Love on Amazon.

From directing features to starring roles, Greta Gerwig has certainly shown just how skilled she is. I can’t wait to see what she does next. 

As someone who has been a fan of both television and film for some time, there’s one name that I’ve seen pop up pretty consistently in some of my favorite projects, and it's that of Bob Odenkirk. Whether he's starring in critically acclaimed television shows or having roles in Academy Award-nominated movies, Bob Odenkirk has shown just how amazing he is as an actor. 

If you’re like me and you’re looking for the best Bob Odenkirk movies and TV shows that are streaming right now, or available to rent, check out some of these picks below. 

Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul (2009 - Present)

While Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are two very different shows, they take place in the same universe. Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter White, a seemingly normal man who builds a meth empire to provide for his family after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Better Call Saul is a prequel spinoff of that show, telling the story of lawyer / scammer Saul Goodman - otherwise known as Jimmy McGill - who's played by Bob Odenkirk. 

Arguably, this is where many people heard about Bob Odenkirk, because his portrayal of Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad was so good, it warranted a whole new series that is about to enter its sixth and final season. And, for good reason, too. It’s a sin that Odenkirk has yet to win a Primetime Emmy award for his portrayal throughout the two shows, as he is phenomenal and really showed his acting talent. If you have never seen either of these series, I’d recommend watching Breaking Bad first, and then Better Call Saul. S’all good, man!

Stream Breaking Bad on Netflix.
Stream Better Call Saul on Netflix.

The Incredibles 2 (2018)

Like nearly every celebrity under the sun, Bob Odenkirk signed on to voice a role in a Pixar film, this one being The Incredibles 2. A sequel to the film, The Incredibles, this movie follows the super-powered family as they take on a new, secret job that could change the lives of supers everywhere. 

While Bob Odenkirk’s character in The Incredibles 2 is quite different from Saul Goodman or any of his other characters, you can tell straight away that it’s him. His character, Winston, is loud and kind of naive but a great character to follow, and loves superheroes almost as much as we do. His voice was the perfect casting, as only Bob Odenkirk could bring that energy to a character like Winston.

Stream The Incredibles 2 on Disney+.
Rent The Incredibles 2 on Amazon.

Nobody (2021)

This movie is awesome and everyone needs to see it. In Nobody, Bob Odenkirk stars as Hutch, a man whose family is robbed one night and he refuses to fight back to avoid violence. This one instance sparks something deep within him, pushing him down a dark path of rage that no one ever expected, and him having to save his family from a new enemy. 

This movie was so good. Watching Bob Odenkirk in it only further proved the fact that the man can also hold our attention in an action film, and makes me want to see him in more movies like this, making this one of his best films. I didn’t think I could ever be afraid of Bob Odenkirk, and yet here I am, quivering in fear of this man who could literally punch the heck out of me. Now, if Nobody 2 could happen, I think that would help. 

Stream Nobody on HBO Max.
Buy Nobody on Amazon.

Mr. Show With Bob And David (1995 - 1998)

This hilarious sketch show, Mr. Show with Bob and David, starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, was a sketch comedy series on HBO that starred the two actors as semi-fictionalized versions of themselves, as they go back and forth between filmed segments and performing in front of a live studio audience. 

Before Bob Odenkirk became well-known as an actor, he was primarily a comedy writer - which isn’t that hard to believe with how skillful his comedic timing is as Saul in Better Call Saul. He wrote for Saturday Night Live, The Ben Stiller Show, LateNight with Conan O’Brien, and more, so it’s no surprise that his sketch show is freaking hilarious and deserves its spot on the list. Seriously, if you ever want a taste of his comedy style, just watch this series. They actually did another show together on Netflix in 2015, called W/Bob and David, so if you want to see a more updated version, be sure to check that out, too.

Stream the Mr. Show with Bob and David on HBO Max.

Nebraska (2013)

In this Academy Award-nominated movie, Nebraska follows the story of the struggle of a resident of Montana and his son to try and claim a sweepstakes prize, as they travel across the country all the way to Nebraska. 

Bob Odenkirk played Ross Grant, the eldest son of the sweepstakes winner in Nebraska, and his performance was spot-on, giving a masterful example of dramatic acting. While he's had other dramatic roles, nothing quite beats his part as Ross, displaying a beautiful array of emotions that capture your heart from beginning to end. I especially loved his moments with Will Forte, who played his younger brother, as their chemistry was great. The film was nominated for six Oscars, and while it didn’t win any, it’s still a great film that you should definitely watch. 

Rent Nebraska on Amazon.

Fargo (2014)

While Fargo is an anthology television series that is based off the movie of the same name, we’re specifically going to talk about Season 1 of the popular dark comedy from FX. In this season, set in the state of Minnesota, two police officers try to solve a series of crimes that might be linked to a dangerous partnership. 

In the first season, Bob Odenkirk plays Bill Oswalt, the Chief of Police who works very closely with the two main characters, Deputy Molly Solverson and Officer Gus Grimly. As an officer, his character is changed and pushed to his biggest limits during the season, and Odenkirk delivered a stellar performance, earning it a spot on this list. 

It’s always funny to see Odenkirk in a role that shows him as someone who works for justice after knowing how great he is as Saul, but honestly, I would have liked to see more of him in Fargo if it wasn’t for the fact that series is an anthology show - and I’m still waiting for Season 5 to begin. 

Stream Fargo on Hulu.

Undone (2019 - Present)

From the creator of Bojack Horseman, this animated Amazon Prime original, Undone, follows the story of Alma (Rosa Salazar), a young woman who discovers that she's developed the ability to move through time after a fatal car crash. After the strange death of her father, she decides to use that new power to discover the truth about what happened to him.

Bob Odenkirk actually plays Jacob Winograd, Alma's dead father and honestly, I absolutely love he and Salazar in this animated series. His voice suits the character of Jacob so perfectly, and the they voice a truly spectacular story that takes you on some crazy adventures. I especially love the scenes with he and Alma, as you can really feel that fatherly love that he has and the emotions he can show just through his voice. Truly a perfect casting and deserving of this spot.

It’s one of Amazon Prime’s best shows, in my opinion, and deserves way more credit. 

Stream Undone on Amazon Prime.

The Post (2017)

In this biographical drama, The Post follows the story of The Washington Post, and the struggles it went through to break the case that changed the world of politics - the Pentagon Papers. 

The cast of The Post was huge, but Bob Odenkirk actually portrayed Ben-hur Haig Bagdikian, an Armenian-American journalist, and the man who initially received part of the Pentagon Papers and urged the Washington Post to publish them, even when he was threatened by the government. Odenkirk was absolutely amazing in his role, alongside the rest of this brilliant cast. While he wasn't nominated for any awards after his part in the film, Odenkirk delivered a gripping performance that will leave you wanting more - fully bringing the real-life journalist to life.

If The Post wasn’t on your radar, it should be now. 

Rent The Post on Amazon.

Little Women (2019)

Based on the famous novel by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women follows the lives of four sisters, and their struggles to change and grow up, moving on from childhood into adulthood with their own passions and dreams, some of which don’t align with how society works. 

Bob Odenkirk played Father March, the patriarch of the March family and ugh, I could cry watching his version of this famous character. Just the way he says “my little women” makes me want to sob every time, because he plays this role so undeniably well, showing just how hard it is to run a family from afar and still try to be there for his girls. His part always makes me cry, which is why it's one of the best movies of his. There are so many fascinating facts about Little Women and it was nominated for several awards, but one of my favorite parts of this movie has always been Odenkirk’s performance, hands down. 

Buy Little Women on Apple TV.

Long Shot (2019)

Last but not least, we have Long Shot. This romantic comedy, starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, tells the story of a former babysitter and the person she used to babysit reuniting now as adults, with one being a journalist and the other the U.S. Secretary of State. This reunion leads to new relationships, drama, and more. 

While I do love Rogen and Theron’s chemistry in this film that surprisingly impressed me, I can’t deny that Bob Odenkirk as the freaking President of the United States made me laugh. Every single damn time he was on the screen when I first watched this film, I was laughing my ass off because I was reminded of, again, how funny Bob Odenkirk is. I would give anything to see him play a dumb-as-nails president again, because he kills it in the best way possible, which is why this movie needs to be on this list. He's just so good in comedic roles; he makes me laugh every single time.

Stream Long Shot on HBO Max.
Rent Long Shot on Amazon.

With Better Call Saul Season 6 releasing in 2022, it’ll only be a matter of time before we see more of Bob Odenkirk. But, until then, hopefully any of these movies or TV shows will be able to hold you over.  

There is just something magical about Massachusetts, a special quality that makes one of the country’s oldest states perfect for the big screen. From the open waters and tight-knit fishing communities of its coastal areas to the unique charm and fighting spirit of the greater Boston area, Massachusetts looks absolutely stunning on film and has long provided for some of the best movies of all time.

It is hard to imagine something like CODA, Good Will Hunting or several other movies set in Massachusetts taking place anywhere besides The Old Colony State. In honor of the Apple TV+ movie's surprising yet well-deserved big win at the Academy Awards, now seems like a great time to take a look at a little more than a dozen of those great films and go over all the different ways you can watch them.

CODA (2021)

The only member of her family who can hear, Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) finds herself in quite a situation in CODA when given the opportunity to attend a prestigious music school, which would mean she would no longer be able to help her family’s fishing business in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Sian Heder, who won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, focuses her coming-of-age drama not just on Ruby's decision but also on her family and a community where fishing isn’t just a way of life, it’s a matter of survival.

Stream CODA on Apple TV+.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a misunderstood and ill-prepared genius with a level of intellect unrivaled by his peers or a certain math professor who attempts to take him under his wing in Good Will Hunting. Following a string of run-ins with the law, the South Boston native is forced to undergo therapy where he learns way more about himself than he could have ever imagined.

This movie is just oozing with that Boston feeling. Thanks to Sean (Robin Williams) recounting how he missed one of the most iconic Red Sox moments because he met the love of his life and all those thick accents, the city becomes another detailed character that feels so alive.

Stream Good Will Hunting on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Good Will Hunting on Amazon.
Buy Good Will Hunting on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Manchester By The Sea (2016)

Following the death of his older brother, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) returns to his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts to take care of his teenage nephew. But in doing so, Lee is forced to relive a traumatic memory and come to terms with his past.

Manchester by the Sea is one of those movies that’s best not knowing what you’re getting yourself into before you press play. Absolutely stunning in every sense of the word, does a fantastic job of capturing that feeling of a small town, and how someone can go from the favorite son to an outcast because of one tragic incident.

Stream Manchester by the Sea On Amazon.
Buy Manchester by the Sea on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Departed (2006)

As one Boston cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover in one of the biggest criminal enterprises in the greater Boston area, one of the outfit’s most ruthless members (Matt Damon) becomes a mole within the Boston Police Department, setting up a collision course where no one will be left unscathed.

With The Departed, Martin Scorsese did for Boston what he did for New York, New Jersey, and Las Vegas with his earlier crime epics, creating not only one of the best movies in his filmography but also one of the most beloved crime dramas of all time. Scorsese and the cast do a wonderful job of making you feel like you’re on the streets of Beantown and not in a dark movie house.

Stream The Departed on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy The Departed on Amazon.
Buy The Departed on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Seeing one last chance at saving the season, Billy Tyne Jr. (George Clooney) and his crew go back out to sea in search of a massive catch while other ships are heading back home to weather a deadly storm. 

The Perfect Storm, which is also set in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is another movie that captures that never-say-die attitude of the men and women raised in the commercial fishing community. Full of heroics, poignant speeches, and an underrated cast of “that guys,” the movie makes for an exciting way to spend a couple of hours.

Stream The Perfect Storm on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy The Perfect Storm on Amazon.
Buy The Perfect Storm on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Social Network (2010)

Following a bitter breakup, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) drunkenly decides to build a website allowing Harvard students to judge their peers by appearance and unwittingly create the large social media platform the world has ever seen.

Although only the first half of The Social Network is set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before Facebook moves on to Silicon Valley, David Fincher finds a way to transport the audience to the Harvard campus (even if he didn’t actually film on the historic campus). Walks through Harvard Square, teams rowing along the Charles River, and the depiction of America’s ultra elite go a long way.

Stream The Social Network on Netflix.
Rent/Buy The Social Network on Amazon.
Buy The Social Network on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Spotlight (2015)

A group of intrepid Boston Globe journalists uncover the biggest scandal within the Catholic church in centuries as they dig up information showing how the church not only knew about systemic sexual abuse, but also how its most powerful leaders tried to sweep it all under the rug.

Tom McCarthy’s Academy Award-winning drama Spotlight doesn’t necessarily paint the city of Boston in the best of lights, at least not its ruling class and Catholic officials, but it does an incredible job of showing how a scandal spread throughout the city as well as how its fallout rocked the city to its core.

Rent/Buy Spotlight on Amazon.
Buy Spotlight on DVD on Amazon.

Little Women (2019)

When her sister’s condition worsens, Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) returns to her childhood home in Concord, Massachusetts, where the young writer is flooded with memories of her upbringing with her three sisters and extensive group of family and friends.

There have been multiple adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless novel Little Women, but Greta Gerwig’s 2019 spin on the classic is in a league of its own. The quaint towns, rolling hills, and crisp autumns all add to the story with the landscape becoming a character of its own due to its influence over the characters as they figure out life and love.

Buy Little Women on Amazon.
Buy Little Women on DVD on Amazon.

The Fighter (2010)

Up-and-coming fighter Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is finally given a chance to prove himself in the professional boxing world, but only if his family, especially his drug-addicted half-brother Dickie Eklund, doesn’t get in the way first.

Although technically a gritty drama about a boxer trying to make a better life for himself, The Fighter feels like “Lowell, Massachusetts: The Movie” with its depiction of the working class city and its downtrodden residents. It’s rough around the edges and doesn’t have the best manners, but it sure is beautiful.

Stream The Fighter on Starz.
Rent/Buy The Fighter on Amazon.
Buy The Fighter on DVD on Amazon.

The Town (2010)

South Boston bank robber Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) lives his life one heist at a time, but that all changes when he takes a liking to a hostage. But even though Doug may have had a change of heart, his partners-in-crime and a morally bankrupt FBI agent aren’t going to let him get out so easily.

There’s a lot going for The Town, but the two things that stand out the most are Jeremy Renner’s amazing accent and that brilliant final gun battle at the consecrated grounds of Fenway Park, which is honestly up there with the best shootouts of all time.

Stream The Town on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy The Town on Amazon.
Buy The Town on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Mystic River (2003)

Three childhood friends, forever connected yet torn apart by a shocking event, find themselves facing another crisis when one of their daughters goes missing and is later found dead.

Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful, and the director does a marvelous job of showing the good, the bad, and the in-between in Boston’s blue-collar stomping grounds. Unsettling at times and triumphant at times, the movie stands as one of the Eastwood’s best efforts.

Stream Mystic River on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Mystic River on Amazon.
Buy Mystic River on DVD on Amazon.

Fever Pitch (2005)

Lindsey Meeks (Drew Barrymore) thinks she has met the man of her dreams, but little does she know but her boyfriend, Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon) is not only a Boston Red Sox fan, he’s the biggest fanatic in all of New England.

What The Farrelly brothers’ adaptation of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch does really well (besides being a superb romantic comedy) is it captures the obsessive behaviors of sports fans and how the outside world sees them. Add in the fact it was filmed the year the Red Sox broke the curse, and you have something special.

Stream Fever Pitch on Starz.
Rent/Buy Fever Pitch on Amazon.
Buy Fever Pitch on DVD on Amazon.

Patriots Day (2016)

When the 2013 Boston Marathon ends in tragedy, a police officer (Mark Wahlberg), an FBI agent (Kevin Bacon), and hundreds of other law enforcement professionals race against the clock to track down those responsible and bring them to justice.

Peter Berg’s 2017 thriller, which was based on actual events, brilliantly depicts the unprecedented response from a united Boston in the wake of a senseless terrorist attack. From the first explosions to the final moments of the days-long manhunt, this fast-paced thrill ride shows Boston, Massachusetts, and New England at its best.

Rent/Buy Patriots Day on Amazon.
Buy Patriots Day on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Stronger (2017)

After losing both legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal) goes on a powerful journey that tests him physically, mentally, and emotionally as he attempts to move on from the tragedy.

Jeff Bauman’s story is one about someone who found a reason to fight and carry on even when so much was taken from him in emotionally powerful Stronger, which perfectly sums up the attitude of those impacted by the incident.

Stream Stronger on EPIX.
Rent/Buy Stronger on Amazon.
Buy Stronger on DVD on Amazon.

Ted (2012)

Years after wishing his teddy bear would come to life, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (Seth MacFarlane) are still best friends, but these days he’s a drinking, weed-loving, foul-mouthed party monster who encourages John’s slacker lifestyle.

The outrageously hilarious Ted plays out like a greatest hits of all things Boston, Massachusetts, and New England with icons and iconic locations around every corner. Probably not the first movie you think of when it comes to the area, but Ted doesn’t a damn good job of making you feel like you’re there.

Rent/Buy Ted on Amazon.
Buy Ted on DVD on Amazon.

Like the state itself, a list of movies set in Massachusetts is full of diverse characters, legendary locations, and all kinds of surprises. This also happens to be the case for the 2022 new movies schedule.

March is Women’s History Month, a global celebration of our achievements from all social, cultural, economic and political backgrounds. It’s a great time for all genders to come together to raise awareness and advocate for women’s equality and gender parity. Whether it's through films about unsung ladies of the past in Hidden Figures, or A League of Their Own, fictional tales of the female experience like 2023’s record-breaking hit Barbie or biopics for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Frida Kahlo, let’s pause and reflect this March by watching an excellent movie!

For some brief history on the month itself, it’s been around since 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28, which authorized March 7, 1982 as the beginning of "Women's History Week," proclaiming that American women of every race, creed and ethnic background had helped found and build the United States. The recognition came around 60 years after the women's suffrage movement gained momentum in the early 20th century. We’ve come far since then yet they exist across the world still fighting for these rights even today. The Hollywood industry is still dominated by male voices and executives, so let’s support female-led stories by streaming these great films, many of which are by women directors, too:

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)

If we’re going to celebrate Women’s History Month, we might as well talk about how the topic coincides with cinema over the years. Early in the medium, the French actress Renée Jeanne Falconetti portrayed Joan of Arc in a landmark movie of the silent film era that is still very much celebrated and taught in classes nearly a century later. It depicts the trial, conviction and execution of one of the most inspiring female figures.

While very old, it’s a timeless one that doesn’t need words to depict the emotions Joan feels as she defies gender norms and speaks up, despite knowing she’ll be burned at the stake for her “crimes.”

Stream The Passion Of Joan Of Arc on Max.
Stream The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (for free) on Tubi. Rent/Buy The Passion Of Joan Of Arc on Amazon.

Hamnet (2025)

Jumping way ahead from the oldest to the latest movie on this list is eight-time Oscar nominee, Hamnet, based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell. The historical drama depicts the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway as they deal with the loss of their eleven-year-old son, Hamnet, and how the famed play Hamlet ultimately comes out of the experience. Helmed by Chloé Zhao, Hamnet showcases the often overlooked wife of the great playwright and the deep feelings of grief she must have gone through as a mother, beautifully told with Jessie Buckley’s award-winning performance.

Rent/Buy Hamnet on Amazon.
Watch Hamnet streaming on Peacock (starting March 6).

What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993)

Back in the ‘90s, Angela Bassett gave an all-time great performance as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It, based on the singer’s autobiography I, Tina. The movie showcases how the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll came to be. From her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee after being abandoned by her mother to becoming famous after meeting bandleader Ike Turner (played by Laurence Fishburne). She has an empowering story about how she triumphs over an abusive relationship with Ike and reached great heights as an artist.

Stream What’s Love Got To Do With It on Peacock.
Stream What’s Love Got To Do With It (for free) on Tubi.

Persepolis (2007)

Persepolis is a unique biopic because it’s told through black and white animation, and is based on Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel of the same name. It’s a coming-of-age story about Satrapi as she grows up during the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The movie’s storyline highlights gender oppression during political revolution through a rare firsthand account. Satrapi also co-wrote and co-directed the film herself.

Rent/Buy Persepolis on Amazon.

The Farewell (2019)

Chinese-American Lulu Wang made a deeply personal film with The Farewell about the nuances of the immigrant experience between women. The movie is about a young woman named Billi (Awkwafina) who finds out her grandmother, or Nai Nai as she calls her, only has a few months left to live, but it’s being kept secret from her. Through the close bond Billi and her Nai Nai have, The Farewell beautifully explores generational conversations through a Chinese-American perspective and pays tribute to the importance of family matriarchs.

Rent/Buy The Farewell on Amazon.

The Fire Inside (2024)

Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside highlights pro boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, who became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in boxing and is the only boxer ever to hold all four major world titles in three different weight divisions. Written by Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, The Fire Inside tracks Claressa’s early career – including her time at the 2012 Summer Olympics. It tells an important chronicle of an athlete from the perspective of a Black woman from a working class town, speaking to the larger battles women in predominantly male endeavors must face.

Stream The Fire Inside on MGM+.

Rent/Buy The Fire Inside on Amazon.

Cabaret (1972)

Women’s History Month is a wonderful time to check out Liza Minnelli’s iconic role in Cabaret. She plays Lucy Bowles, an openly sexualized woman who performs at the Kit Kat Klub in Berlin in 1931. Through the musical’s plotline, Sally is a woman empowered by her expression of her sexuality and ambition. It also notably explores abortion prior to Roe vs. Wade passed in the U.S. a year after its release.

Rent/Buy Cabaret on Amazon.

The Woman King (2022)

The Woman King is about the real history of a West African kingdom in the 19th century where women were the appointed fighters. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic follows an all-female unit of warriors called the Agojie, who defended the kingdom of Dahomey through the eyes of a new trainee of the Agojie, Nawi (played by newcomer Thuso Mbebu), after she refuses to marry. She is taken under the wing of the tight-knit group of warriors, played by Viola Davis (who did most of the stunts in the movie), Lashana Lynch, and Sheila Atim. It’s action-packed, empowering that exposes us to the might of the all-female battalion, which did exist from the 1600s to 1904.

Stream The Woman King on Hulu.
Rent/Buy The Woman King on Amazon.

A League Of Their Own (1992)

In 1992, a movie written by, directed and fronted by a group of women was hard to come by, but A League of Their Own was clearly ahead of the game. Penny Marshall’s classic tells the fictionalized account of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II, with a seriously incredible cast. Tom Hanks plays Jimmy Dugan, who manages players portrayed by Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell. It’s a rare spin on the sports genre usually claimed by male-dominated teams that confronts sexism in sports and in daily life. It’s a piece of history, a good present-day talking point and full of entertaining ensemble performances. Oh, and… “there’s no crying in baseball!”

Stream A League Of Their Own on Peacock.
Rent/Buy A League Of Their Own on Amazon.

Lee (2024)

Another WWII-era film, but much, much less cited than A League Of Their Own is Lee. The Kate Winslet movie follows Lee Miller, a fashion model turned World War II photographer, who even posed in Hitler’s bathtub for a powerful photograph while immortalizing not only the war, but specifically from a female perspective that the other photographers were not getting with their own eyes. When CinemaBlend spoke to Winslet just ahead of its 2024 release (which the actress tried to get made for almost a decade, by the way) she shared how playing the photojournalist touched her life.

Stream Lee on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Lee on Amazon.

Hidden Figures (2016)

For years, we’ve associated NASA and space travel with the male astronauts, but Hidden Figures taught many of us something new about the Space Race: the three Black lady mathematicians who contributed greatly to NASA’s achievements.Theodore Melfi’s 2016 film told the true story of Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson with the talents of Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe. Hidden Figures is the perfect example of bringing unacknowledged women in history to light, along with their struggles at the time when they were discriminated against due to racism and sexism.

Stream Hidden Figures on HBO Max.
Rent/buy Hidden Figures on Amazon.

9 To 5 (1980)

The Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin-led classic recently turned 45 years old, and yet it remains a relevant movie for workplace discussion. The 1980 comedy that also stars Dolly Parton (and featured her hitmaking song) sees three female employees who band together to stick it to their egotistical boss. While it’s a fictional story, 9 to 5 does show Hollywood’s beginnings when it comes to really tackling feminist issues. Even now, it allows us to reflect on what we’ve since improved as a society regarding this topic, along with what elements of it that are still achingly applicable to the present day.

Rent/Buy 9 To 5 on Amazon.

On The Basis Of Sex (2018)

Mimi Leder’s Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic On The Basis of Sex, starring Felicity Jones, is also a great pick for Women’s History Month. Since we lost the Supreme Court justice in September 2020 – watching this is a great way to honor a woman who fought for women’s rights in the U.S. government, arguably more than any other figure in history. On The Basis of Sex tracks Ginsberg’s journey, from her time at Harvard Law School to her appointment as the second woman to be a Supreme Court Justice.

Stream On The Basis Of Sex on Netflix.
Rent/Buy On The Basis Of Sex on Amazon.

Set It Off (1996)

Set It Off is an important film to the storytelling of Black women in Hollywood history starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise – and was a big hit at the time of its release. It’s about four friends who decide to rob a bank for the betterment of their lives (and their families). Each of them have different reasons for doing the heist that put a lot of attention on avoiding stereotypes and developing the characterization of its leading women.

Stream Set It Off (for free with ads) on PlutoTV.
Rent/Buy Set It Off on Amazon.

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret (2023)

Judy Blume is one of the most beloved female authors in the world, and has used many of her books to get into controversial topics like masturbation, teen sex, birth control and menstruation. In 2023, her best known work, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, was adapted to film, and it’s such a sweet watch! The movie directed by Kelly Fremon Craig taps into the often awkward and existential experience of girlhood as it follows its lead character as an 11-year-old living in 1970 who is dealing with moving to a new town, getting her period and bigger questions regarding her parents and family.

Stream Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret on Netflix.

Rent/Buy Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret on Amazon.

Frida (2002)

In the world of art, perhaps the most celebrated female artist is Mexican surrealist, Frida Kahlo. The icon was featured in 2002’s Frida, Julie Taymor’s memorable biopic starring Salma Hayek as Kahlo, covering the artist’s life, her memorable work, including her love life, which famously included a tumultuous relationship with muralist Diego Rivera and a wide array of lovers, both male and female.

Frida is female-forward and an outlier in Hollywood today, as it was directed by a woman and has a Latina woman at the forefront, who is also bisexual. The role earned Hayek a Best Actress Oscar nomination after its release. It remains an inspired homage to the artist and a poignant portrait of her struggles, how she overcame them, and the odds against her.

Stream Frida on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Frida on Amazon.

Barbie (2023)

On the lighter side, it’s also a good time to go on a journey to the bright pink world of Barbie Land where “every night is girls night.” Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster, which became the highest-grossing releases to be directed by a woman when it was a feminomenon in the summer of 2023. Through the comedy and Best Picture Oscar nominee, not only does the beloved, historical and often controversial doll get the live-action treatment, it also serves as a jumping-off point to discuss gender dynamics and the patriarchy. Margot Robbie gives an incredible and rather hilarious performance as Stereotypical Barbie while she makes a journey (with Ryan Gosling’s sublime Ken) to the Real World to find the human who has made her suddenly “think about dying” and get flat feet.

Stream Barbie on Max.
Rent/Buy Barbie on Amazon.

She Said (2022)

On October 5, 2017, it was reported by the New York Times that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein had been accused of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and rape with incident accounts across 30 years. The investigative story led to over 80 women additionally coming forward to accuse him, leading to him being sentenced to prison for 16 years. She Said explains how it happened as the two reporters who broke the story, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, go after it. She Said a gripping look at what it takes to be an investigative journalist and delves into the reasons why Weinstein’s misconduct did not have consequences for decades. Maria Schrader’s direction is also very respectful to victims of sexual assault and rape.

Stream She Said on Peacock.
Rent/Buy She Said on Amazon.

Confirmation (2016)

2016’s Confirmation has Kerry Washington portraying Anita Hill during her historic 1991 testimony against Clarence Thomas. The historical moment brought about a larger conversation about sexual harassment following the law professor deciding to speak out about her history with the Supreme Court nominee which turned into a media frenzy at the time. Confirmation dramatizes a huge moment in U.S. history that led to more women running for elected positions following it and examines the double standard often found between men and women in the public sphere.

Stream Confirmation on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Confirmation on Amazon.

Whale Rider (2002)

New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro wrote and directed 2002’s Whale Rider, a family drama based on a 1987 novel of the same name about 12-year-old Maori dreams of being the chief of her tribe. Pai is a direct descendant of the Whale Rider, as the daughter of her village’s leader, but because she is a girl, she cannot inherit the position. It discusses gender in an understated, but powerful, way and was shot on location in New Zealand’s Whangara. Keisha Castle-Hughes’ role as Pai earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination at the age of 13. She was the youngest nominee in the category before Beasts of the Southern Wild’s Quvenzhané Wallis surpassed her ten years later.

Stream Whale Rider (For Free) on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Whale Rider on Amazon.

Selena (1997)

One of the most influential women in music was the Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. In 1997’s Selena, the biopic explored the artist's beginnings as a singer to her time as a sensation who’s still beloved today. This movie not only tells the empowering yet heartbreaking life of the “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” singer, who made strides few women had before it has an incredible breakout performance from Jennifer Lopez prior to her own massive fame.

Rent/Buy Selena on Amazon.

Colette (2018)

An under-the-radar pick for your Women's History Month viewing is 2018’s Colette. Wash Westmoreland’s drama of France’s 19th century novelist Colette through an incredible performance from Keira Knightley. Colette’s relationship with Willy (played by Dominic West), a “literary entrepreneur” leads to him exploiting her writing as his own to make money on her work that provides a unique and relatable voice to a female audience. Colette is another instance of film giving us a glimpse of a quite untold story of a woman ahead of her time.

Stream/Rent/Buy Colette on Amazon.

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

When Desperately Seeking Susan came out in 1985, it was a huge deal for a movie to be written, directed, produced and led by women. (And, is honestly still rather hard to find). It’s about a New Jersey housewife Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) who becomes obsessed with a woman (Madonna) through personal ads. When Roberta gets mistaken for her hero, she goes on a fun adventure in New York City that’s very much unlike her stay-at-home life. At the time, it was a great commentary on women's roles in society, and promoted nonconformity.

Stream Desperately Seeking Susan on (for free) Tubi.
Rent/Buy Desperately Seeking Susan on Amazon.

Queen Of Katwe (2016)

Back in 2016, Disney made an inspiring biopic, Queen of Katwe. Directed by Mira Nair, Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan girl, learns to play chess and becomes a Woman Candidate Master after competing in the World Chess Olympiads. It was adapted from an ESPN magazine article and book by Tim Crothers. Black Panther’s Lupita Nyong’o stars in the Queen of Katwe as Phiona’s mother and David Oyelowo, plays her chess teacher, Robert Katende. Queen of Katwe shows the poverty of Katwe, but how a supportive family and team can inspire great accomplishments despite the odds against one.

Stream Queen of Katwe on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Queen of Katwe on Amazon.

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

1993’s The Joy Luck Club is about a group of Chinese-American immigrant women living in San Francisco, who regularly meet to play mahjong and tell stories. Each of them have adult daughters navigating their own experiences growing up in America with Chinese immigrant parents. While The Joy Luck Club is not based on a specific famous woman in history, it’s an endearing narrative on mothers, daughters and the generational divides that can pull them apart, but ultimately the bond between them is timeless and powerful.

Rent/Buy The Joy Luck Club on Amazon.

Happy Women's History Month and happy streaming!

Over the past decade and change, few actors in young Hollywood have found as much success as Timothée Chalamet, and that’s saying something. Whether it’s his breakout performance in Call Me By Your Name, his portrayal of a young and ambitious leader in the Dune films, or his take on one of the most transformative musicians of all time, the multi-time Academy Award nominee has proven that not only is he here to stay, but he’s here to make a statement.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

There have been a great number of music biopics over the years, and it’s safe to say that James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown is deserving of a spot on that list. Released in late 2024, this long-awaited drama follows a young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) as he rises through the ranks of the American folk movement and pop culture of the early 1960s. Exploring the man, his songs, and the legend that has followed him over the years, the movie paints a brilliant portrait of one of music’s most brilliant minds.

Chalamet is utterly perfect in his portrayal of the legendary folk singer, and his performance is made even better by his commitment to learning and playing the songs instead of taking the easy road. And you know, it wouldn’t be surprising if he played spoiler at the Academy Awards.

Buy A Complete Unknown on Amazon.

Dune (2021)

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10

Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi epic, Dune, which adapted the first half of Frank Hubert’s landmark novel of the same name, follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he travels to the desert planet of Arrakis as his father is put in control the formidable location. But the young and gifted future heir finds himself in a perilous situation after his family is betrayed by powerful forces, sending him into exile.

Chalamet, already an established star by the time he was cast in the lead role in Dune, became an even bigger name after his commanding performance in this sci-fi thriller. Though you could credit co-stars Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Oscar Isaac for helping the young actor in this regard, there’s no denying his on-screen presence.

Stream Dune on Max.
Rent/buy Dune on Amazon.
Buy it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Denis Villeneuve continued his epic sci-fi adventure in March 2024 with the release of Dune: Part Two, which essentially covered the second half of Frank Hubert’s beloved novel of the same name. Set not long after the first film, this massively successful and Oscar-nominated sequel followed Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in his quest to unite the Fremean to take on House Harkonnen and get revenge for everything they did.

However, the Atreides Chalamet plays in Dune: Part Two is far from the young and inexperienced man he was in the first film. Blinded by ambition, revenge, and his cult of personality, the Muad'Dib becomes something between the hero he was and the villain he tries not to become.

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Wonka (2023)

IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
In December 2023, after what seemed like years of anticipation, Paul King released his Wonka musical starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic chocolatier. Set years before the events of the previous adaptations of Roald Dahl’s classic novel, this charming and fantastical cinematic experience followed the whimsical, optimistic, and imaginative candy maker as he attempted to make a name for himself despite the best efforts of the bitterly jealous “Chocolate Cartel.”

If you’re looking for a vibrant and enchanting performance from Chalamet, then look no further, for this surprisingly successful box office hit has it and then some more. His version of Willy Wonka, with his dreams of opening his own chocolate and changing the world, is nothing short of magical.

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The French Dispatch (2021)

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

One of the best Wes Anderson movies, 2021’s The French Dispatch essentially plays like a magazine come to life. Centering on the final issue of a fictional publication after its founder and editor (played by Bill Murray) passes away, the movie is split into three short films about art, life, and culture, with small interstitials peppered in between.

Timothée Chalamet pops up in the second short film, “Revisions to a Manifesto,” a black-and-white exploration of a student protest, its de facto leader Zeffirelli (Chalamet), and a journalist named Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) sent in to cover the whole ordeal. Though we’re still trying to make sense of The French Dispatch ending and how this short plays into its overall message, this movie is full of incredible performances like the one given by Chalamet.

Stream The French Dispatch on Hulu.
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Bones And All (2022) 

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

Five years after working with Luca Guadagnino on Call Me By Your Name, Timothée Chalamet teamed up with the Italian filmmaker once more for the 2022 romantic horror film, Bones and All. The movie follows Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Chalamet), two young lovers and cannibals who go on a cross-country trip to find their roots. Being pursued by the eccentric and terrifying Sully (Mark Rylance), the couple learn a great deal about their respective pasts and each other.

A movie that will leave you with a lot of feelings, Bones and All is another example of Chalamet’s incredible composure and chemistry with his co-stars on screen. This may be too much for the squeamish to handle, but this is worth a watch.

Stream Bones and All on Peacock.
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Don’t Look Up (2021) 

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

Adam McKay’s 2021 Netflix original film, Don’t Look Up is as funny as it is maddening and beautiful as it is terrifying with its story about two scientists (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) as they try to warn the world that an asteroid will soon collide with Earth and wipe out all of humanity. What should be a simple task turns into anything but thanks to an uninterested media, megalomaniacal billionaires, and an incapable government.

Though he’s not at the forefront of the movie, and is only introduced partway through its runtime, this satirical comedy still features one of Timothée Chalamet’s best performances with his portrayal of a young shoplifter named Yule. Without giving too much away, the character has a big moment in the final minutes of the Don’t Look Up ending.

Stream Don’t Look Up on Netflix.

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 adaptation of André Aciman’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Call Me By Your Name, spends a summer following a love affair shared by 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), and Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old graduate assistant working with Elio’s father. What starts off as a friendship quickly unfolds into something more, something that challenges convention and opens Elio’s young eyes to the world and his own heart.

Timothée Chalamet received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his commanding performance of the young and naive Elio, a portrayal that immediately made him one of the most promising actors in Hollywood and took his career to the next level. He hasn’t looked back since.

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Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Lady Bird (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Greta Gerwig’s 2017 drama Lady Bird centers on Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) as she dreams of escaping her childhood home in Sacramento, California, to move far away to a “city with culture” and attend some prestigious college. This puts her at odds with her loving yet overbearing mother, Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf), who means well but doesn’t want to see her daughter leave.

Although he’s not the main focus of Lady Bird (that honor rightfully goes to Saoirse Ronan and her lights-out performance here), Chalamet makes it seem as if the Kyle Scheible character was not just written for him, but based on him. He’s so cool and confident, you can’t help but watch, even if he’s a massive jerk in this game-changing female-directed film.

Stream Lady Bird on Max.
Rent/buy Lady Bird on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Little Women (2019)

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet starred in another Greta Gerwig movie, this time the 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Told over the course of many years, the film explores Josephine March’s (Ronan) tight bond with her sisters and childhood best friend, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence (Chalamet), though she claims she needs no man to find happiness and fulfillment in life.

Some of the best scenes in Little Women are those shared by Jo and Laurie, especially the beautifully shot scene when Laurie proposes to his lifelong friend only for her to turn him down. As the scene concludes, Laurie says Jo will find someone to marry and be happy and all he’ll be able to do is watch.

Rent/Buy Little Women on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Interstellar (2014)

IMDb Rating: 8.7/10

One of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, Interstellar follows former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) as he's sent to the far reaches of space to explore what could give the citizens of a dying Earth a second shot at survival. When he embarks upon this decades-long journey into the unknown, Cooper leaves behind two young children — Murphy (Mackenzie Foy/Jessica Chastain) and Tom (Timothée Chalamet/Casey Affleck) — not knowing if he’ll see them ever again.

Timothée Chalamet, who appears in only his second film role, doesn’t get all that much screen time in Interstellar since the main focus is on Joseph and Murphy Cooper’s father-daughter relationship, but he makes the most of what little time he gets.

Stream Interstellar on Netflix.
Stream Interstellar on Paramount+.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Beautiful Boy (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Felix van Groeningen’s 2018 drama, Beautiful Boy, tells the story of a tumultuous father-son relationship shared by New York Times writer David Sheff (Steve Carell) and his son, Nicholas (Timothée Chalamet), as the former attempts to help the latter battle drug addiction. Based on two separate memoirs written by the pair, this heart-wrenching story of the dangers of addiction and the undying love a father has for his son will break your heart while also giving you hope.

Carell and Chalamet are both outstanding in Beautiful Boy and make the movie something that you will find yourself thinking about long after the credits roll. At times, it seems like these aren’t two actors on a film set but a father and son making sense of life in one of the best movies on Amazon.

Stream Beautiful Boy on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The King (2019)

IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

David Michôd’s 2019 war epic, The King, which is based on William Shakespeare’s Henriad tells the story of King Henry V of England (Timothée Chalamet) as he goes from an emotionally distant and uninterested heir to the throne, to a king who's left to make sense of the world following the death of his brother and father.

Although there isn’t as much action as some would have preferred, The King remains a strikingly beautiful drama held together by brilliant acting and strong writing. In addition to the outstanding performance by Chalamet, The King also boasts some great turns by Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Lily-Rose Depp, Ben Mendelsohn, and Dean-Charles Chapman.

Stream The King on Netflix.

A Rainy Day In New York (2019)

IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

The 2019 Woody Allen romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York follows Gatsby Welles (Timothée Chalamet) and Ashleigh Enright (Elle Fanning) as they travel to the Big Apple so that Ashleigh can interview a famous movie director for their college newspaper. What starts as a romantic weekend getaway for the wide-eyed couple quickly turns into one big misadventure with each getting caught up in their own struggles apart from one another.

Both leads are phenomenal in A Rainy Day in New York, but Timothée Chalamet’s Gatsby Wells really steals the show with his ambition, boyish charm, and understanding of the ins, outs, and chaos of New York City. The supporting cast, which includes Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, and Liev Schreiber ties both storylines together.

Rent/Buy A Rainy Day in New York on Prime Video
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

With Timothée Chalamet’s continued ascent to the top of Hollywood, which includes a leading role in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, expect to see this list get longer and longer in the years to come.

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It’s that time of year again — the days are shorter, there’s a crispness in the air, and the leaves are changing. What better way to bring in the autumn months than with a marathon of the best fall movies. With classic romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally, instant classics like Knives Out, and oh so many sports movies, there are countless great films to fill up the hours of those cool September weekends, long October nights, and lazy November Sundays. To help you get the most out of your time, we’ve put together a list of the best fall movies and how to watch them.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

When Harry Met Sally, directed by Rob Reiner, tells the story of Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan), and the different stages of their relationship as they go from two college graduates arguing about the viability of male-female friendships to soulmates.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Some of the movie’s best scenes take place during the fall, particularly Harry and Sally talking about recurring sex dreams while walking through New York and the hilarious football game where Harry tries to talk about his divorce with Jess (Bruno Kirby) in the middle of the wave.

Stream When Harry Met Sally on HBO Max.

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Buy When Harry Met Sally on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Knives Out (2019)

When novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) dies under suspicious circumstances, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is brought in to investigate. With every family member a suspect, it’s up to Blanc to get to the bottom of this murder mystery.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Maybe it’s the sweaters, leaves on the ground, or a general sense of chilliness that makes Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunit, Knives Out, such a fun treat to revisit each fall. No matter what draws you back to the unique story, this is a must for anyone looking for one of the best movies on Amazon.

Stream Knives Out on Amazon.

Rent/Buy Knives Out on Amazon.

Buy Knives Out on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

October Sky (1999)

Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a group of friends make a rocket of their own, even if everyone else but their teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern), thinks they're crazy. Miss Riley soon becomes all the support they need.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Joe Johnston’s October Sky has fall written all over it. Cold air, fallen leaves in West Virginia, and the October 1957 launch of Sputnik 1, are three examples in this great biographical drama.

Stream October Sky on Peacock.

Rent/Buy October Sky on Amazon.

Buy October Sky on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

At the start of the fall 1959 semester at the prestigious Welton Academy preparatory school, unconventional yet influential English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) comes into the lives of his students, forever changing the way they look at themselves and the world around them.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Just like wind shaking leaves from a tree, John Keating gives his students the knowledge and confidence to fall from their branches in Peter Weir’s Academy Award-winning coming-of-age drama, Dead Poets Society. The teenage boys undergo a tremendous shift in their lives just as the seasons change in the early days of autumn, a change that will forever stick with them.

Rent/Buy Dead Poets Society on Amazon.

Buy Dead Poets Society on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Rudy (1993)

What Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) lacks in size, he makes up for tenfold with his drive and positive outlook as he tries to pull off the impossible by joining the famed Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team as a walk-on.

Why it’s a great fall movie: David Anspaugh’s 1993 classic Rudy will forever be one of the best sports movies of all time thanks to its unforgettable story of an underdog going against the grain to make his dream a reality, no matter what it takes or costs. As the fall football season gets into full swing, there’s no better time than now to watch this timeless classic.

Stream Rudy on Amazon.

Rent/Buy Rudy on Amazon.

Buy Rudy on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

After being a mild-mannered fox with a wife, son, and weekly newspaper column, Foxy Fox (George Clooney) grows tired of his predictable life and decides to go back to his old ways. When the wise-cracking fox, his family (voiced by Meryl Streep and Jason Schwartzman), and friends become the targets of three local farmers, they finds themselves in a race for survival.

Why it’s a great fall movie: One of the best Wes Anderson movies, this 2009 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox just looks like a fall movie with its warm color palette and visuals of fruit and grain harvests.

Stream Fantastic Mr. Fox on Disney+.

Rent/Buy Fantastic Mr. Fox on Amazon.

Buy Fantastic Mr. Fox on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Just when it seems like things can’t get much crazier for Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), he meets recently widowed Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence). As a way for both to move on with their lives following episodes of severe trauma, the pair enter a dancing competition.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Set in Philadelphia in the middle of the NFL season, David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook is a damn near perfect fall film. With an inspirational story about living with a mental illness, rebuilding bridges, and finding new meaning in life, it’s also one of the best movies on Netflix.

Stream Silver Linings Playbook on Netflix.

Rent/Buy Silver Linings Playbook on Amazon.

Buy Silver Linings Playbook on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

For Love Of The Game (1999)

Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) is in the middle of throwing a perfect game, but he can't stop thinking about his on again, off again relationship with Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston) between each New York Yankee batter.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Sam Raimi's For Love of the Game is part baseball movie and part love story about a couple destined to be a part of each other’s lives despite the odds. A lot of the movie takes place in various seasons, but it always comes back to that fateful fall day in New York.

Stream For Love of the Game on Showtime.

Rent/Buy For Love of the Game on Amazon.

Buy For Love of the Game on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) isn't your typical genius, but behind that hardened exterior is a level of intellect few have seen before. When Will has a run-in with the law, professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) takes him under his wing and introduces him to therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).

Why it’s a great fall movie: There is something about Gus Van Zant’s Good Will Hunting, which was written by stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, that shouts autumn. Conversations in Boston Common, stories set in Red Sox World Series lore, and talk of Sunday afternoons watching the Patriots play all come to mind.

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Rent/Buy Good Will Hunting on Amazon.

Buy Good Will Hunting on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Remember The Titans (2000)

T.C. Williams High School becomes integrated for the 1971 school year, forcing football players of different walks of life to be teammates. Under the leadership of new head coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), the players’ triumphs on the field pale in comparison to the ground they break off the gridiron.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Remember the Titans remains not only one of the best high school football movies but also one of the best sports movies in general. And, with the movie primarily taking place during the Titans’ 1971 football season, there’s no reason not to consider this one of the best fall movie options.

Stream Remember the Titans on Disney+.

Rent/Buy Remember the Titans on Amazon.

Buy Remember the Titans on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) lives at a Maine orphanage under the care of Dr. Wilbur Larch. But, when Wilbur tells Homer he wants him to take over the orphanage and the care of those in need of his services, Homer flees to find a life of his own, connecting with Candy Kendall (Charlize Theron), the girlfriend of World War II pilot Wally Worthington (Paul Rudd).

Why it’s a great fall movie: There are few places as beautiful as New England on a crisp fall day, and Lasse Hallström’s 1999 coming-of-age drama The Cider House Rules proves that.

Stream The Cider House Rules on Cinemax.

Rent/Buy The Cider House Rules on Amazon.

Buy The Cider House Rules on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Little Women (2019)

Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) sets out to write about the bond she shares with her three sisters and their life in Massachusetts. Inspired by their extraordinary lives and everything that has happened to them over the years, Jo hopes to capture the magic of sisterhood.

Why it’s a great fall movie: Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women makes some slight deviations from Louisa May Alcott’s novel of the same name, but the core of this timeless story remains the same. And it’s true that Little Women features all the seasons throughout its sprawling narrative, but one can’t help but think of fall whenever watching it.

Stream Little Women on Starz.

Rent/Buy Little Women on Amazon.

Buy Little Women on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987)

Neal Page (Steve Martin) wants to be home for Thanksgiving, but fate has other plans. When his travel plans are thrown out the window, Neal is trapped with Del Griffith (John Candy), who becomes his companion in this heartfelt buddy road trip movie.

Why it’s a great fall movie: There are few Thanksgiving movies that compare to John Hughes’ Planes, Trains and Automobiles. With one side-splitting moment after another and a lot of weight in the final act of the movie, this beloved classic features a great story about the meaning of family and friendship.

Stream Planes, Trains and Automobiles on Hulu.

Rent/Buy Planes, Trains and Automobiles on Amazon.

Buy Planes, Trains and Automobiles on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

As the temperature continues to drop and the leaves start to change, hopefully these movies remind you of the beauty of fall and its warm memories. However, if you’re looking for something new, take a look at our list of all the remaining 2021 new movie releases.

Florence Pugh is a rising star that has already built an impressive resume of movies and television projects. In July 2021, Pugh stepped into the world of Marvel in one of her biggest roles yet: Yelena Belova in Black Widow. This movie will make Pugh an even bigger star, however, long before Black Widow, Florence Pugh movies and TV shows have captivated viewers and made them rethink those trips with Swedish cults.

Florence Pugh made her screen debut in 2014, so she’s been acting for less than ten years but already has plenty of exciting movies and TV shows available to stream or rent. Here are some of the best Florence Pugh movies and TV shows available to watch.

Midsommar (Amazon Prime)

Ari Aster wrote and directed Midsommar, a horror film that follows a group of college students who travel to Sweden to observe a festival that a friend invited them to attend. Florence Pugh plays Dani, a woman who just experienced a tragedy and -- sort of -- goes to take her mind off of it and be with her boyfriend. Midsommar’s cast also includes Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, and Vilhelm Blomgren.

Midsommar is one of the best horror movies made in the last ten years. It’s memorable, scary in multiple ways, has a great cast, and the Midsommar twist ending will have you talking for years to come. Florence Pugh carries the movie as the lead. You’re invested because of Aster’s great storytelling abilities and because of Dani as a character. Midsommar is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime.

Stream Midsommar on Amazon Prime.

Rent Midsommar on Amazon.

Fighting With My Family (Paramount+)

Stephen Merchant directed Fighting with My Family, the comedy biopic about professional wrestler Paige. The film follows Paige (played by Florence Pugh) as she auditions to be in the WWE and then makes it. Paige and her family are huge fans of wrestling and her brother and she have always dreamed of making it into the WWE.

Paige’s dreams aren’t all she hoped for because she faces jealousy from her brother, and the WWE world isn’t as easy and accepting as she hoped. Fighting with My Family also stars Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, and Vince Vaughn. Fighting with My Family is a movie that charms even those with no interest in wrestling, because at the heart of the film is family and going after your dreams.

Stream Fighting with My Family on Paramount+.

Rent Fighting with My Family on Amazon.

Little Women (Starz)

Little Women is Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic. It follows the four March sisters as they grow up during the post-Civil War era. Little Women’s cast includes Emma Watson, Saorise Ronan, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Eliza Scanlen, and Timothee Chalamet.

Florence Pugh earned her first Academy Award nomination for Little Women. She achieved an even greater accomplishment by changing Little Women’s fans’ minds about Amy March.

Stream Little Women on Starz.

Rent Little Women on Amazon.

Father Of The Bride Part 3(ish) (Netflix via YouTube)

Father of The Bride Part 3(ish) was a special reunion movie filmed during COVID-19 over video chats. It was made to help raise money for World Central Kitchen. It reunited the original cast of the first two movies: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Ben Platt and Florence Pugh join this special as adult versions of Megan Banks and George "Georgie" MacKenzie. They were babies in Father of the Bride Part II.

Father of The Bride Part 3(ish) is a great film to watch if you’re a fan of the original movies. It gives you a big dose of nostalgia and Platt and Pugh fit right in with the chemistry of the cast. The movie is less than 25 minutes so it’s a quick view as well.

Stream Father of the Bride Part 3(ish) on Netflix's Youtube Channel

Outlaw King (Netflix)

Outlaw King tells the story of Robert the Bruce, a Scottish King whose reign of power was during the 14th-Century. The movie follows Bruce as he rebels against Edward I’s rule over Scotland from 1304 to 1307. The Outlaw King is a Netflix original movie that premiered in 2018. It stars Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, and Tony Curran.

Outlaw King adds to the growing collection of historical action movies on Netflix. This film mainly appeals to fans of movies like Braveheart and Gladiator. The film may appeal to those who don’t mind movies that play fast and loose with historical accuracy. Florence Pugh also gives another noteworthy performance in Outlaw King.

Stream Outlaw King on Netflix

Lady Macbeth (Amazon)

William Oldroyd brings the screen adaptation of the novella Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov to life in this 2016 film. Florence Pugh plays the lead of Lady Macbeth Katherine Lester. The film tells a story of a young woman in a loveless marriage who eventually breaks free of her shackles. However, this results in a few deaths and an awakening of Katherine’s darker side. Lady Macbeth's cast includes Cosmo Jarvis, Naomi Ackie, Christopher Fairbank, and Paul Hilton.

Lady Macbeth is one of Pugh’s first leading roles and she gives a layered performance as a once caged woman who now refuses to be caged again. She’s willing to be as ruthless as possible for her independence and freedom.

Rent Lady Macbeth on Amazon.

The Falling (Tubi)

Maisie Williams and Florence Pugh star in The Falling. The 2014 film follows best friends Abbie (Florence Pugh) and Lydia (Maisie Williams) as they attend an all-girls school. Abbie begins to experience fainting spells, which eventually infects the whole school. The Falling cast also includes Maxine Peake, Monica Dolan, and Joe Cole.

The Falling is Pugh’s first major acting role and it's always interesting to watch the first works of an actor or actress to see their career evolution. This film is also a very fascinating and complex movie about female friendships, hysteria, and sexual awakening.

Stream The Falling on Tubi.

Rent The Falling on Amazon.

The Little Drummer Girl (AMC+)

The Little Drummer Girl is a six-episode series that starred Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgard, and Florence Pugh. It was based on John le Carre’s novel of the same name. Pugh plays Charmian “Charlie” Ross, a 20-something aspiring actress who finds herself involved in espionage. She’s recruited to infiltrate a Palestinian group suspected of plotting terrorism in Europe. Park Chan-wook directed The Little Drummer Girl series.

The Little Drummer Girl has so many things working in its favor: a world-renowned director, an interesting premise, and a talented cast with Florence Pugh at the center. It’s almost a must-watch for anyone who has a few hours to spare.

Stream The Little Drummer Girl on AMC+ (via Amazon Prime Channel Subscription)

Buy The Little Drummer Girl on Amazon

Black Widow-Disney+ Premier Access

Black Widow was one of the most highly anticipated summer films going into 2021.  It’s been over two years since Marvel fans have had a major movie release, and Black Widow is one that’s been years in the making. Cate Shortland directed this prequel film that explores Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) aka Black Widow's life after the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Black Widow acts as an introduction to several new Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The cast also includes David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, and Rachel Weisz. The movie is currently playing in theaters and Black Widow is streaming as part of Disney+ Premier Access. You can access the movie online for $29.99 with an active Disney+ subscription. 

Stream Black Widow on Disney+.

These are some of the most interesting Florence Pugh movies and TV shows available online right now but we’re sure her impressive body of work will continue to grow and make its way to streaming platforms.

Since her years with the Harry Potter franchise, Emma Watson has accomplished the difficult feat of transitioning from child star to well-respected adult actress. She’s proven she has what it takes to rule the box office on her own with Beauty and the Beast and that she can tackle a variety of complex roles in films like Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring. However, since her last movie role at the end of 2019, Emma Watson has taken a more low key approach to her acting career -- though that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been keeping busy.

After completely nailing her performance as Meg March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation, Emma Watson has made a surprising career move -- she has, at least for now, chosen not to take on any new acting roles. Her absence from the Hollywood scene has been so notable that earlier this year, rumors began to swirl that she had retired from acting.

In response, she told fans those rumors were false. If she has any news, she said, she will announce it personally. She also statted she has spent the last few months like so many others, trying her best to stay healthy during the global pandemic.

That’s not all she’s been up to, though. Emma Watson, who has made philanthropy and advocacy a big priority over the years, has taken on several interesting initiatives that speak to the issues she’s most passionate about. In addition to using her sizeable Twitter platform to recommend anti-racism materials and send love to transgender fans last summer, she also helped Women of the World announce a new project aimed at spreading awareness about women’s history in London.

Emma Watson was also working quietly behind the scenes to invest her time and money into environmental initiatives. In 2020, she joined the Board of Directors of Kering, on which she is the chair of the company’s sustainability committee (via Vogue). Just last month, she was announced as one of the donors for FabricNano, a London-based startup that aims to reduce dependence on plastics and other environmentally-harmful materials.

Though we know she’s also enjoying time with her boyfriend, Leo Robinton, Emma Watson has always been a pretty private person. That’s understandable -- navigating life in the public eye can’t be easy, especially if you’re someone as famous as she is (and she’s been doing this for nearly 20 years).

It’s good to see Emma Watson is taking the time to work on projects that speak to her, even if they’re happening off-screen. And since she made it clear that she has not chosen to retire from acting yet, if she ever chooses to take on a new film role -- or maybe even reprise one -- it seems likely she’ll still have plenty of fans behind her to support her.

Louisa May Alcott’s influential 1868 coming-of-age novel has been subjected to many, many adaptations, including seven theatrical films alone - notably one from 1994 with Winona Ryder and a young Christian Bale. However, the Little Women cast that has made the biggest impression on modern culture most recently comes from Greta Gerwig’s take on the story from 2019, starring Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, British A-lister Emma Watson, and soon-to-be sci-fi action star Timothée Chalamet, to name a few.

Among the central cast from this celebrated tale of four sisters learning to navigate their professional, social, and romantic lives in post-Civil War New York, there are three Academy Award winners and just as many nominees. One of them is Florence Pugh, who actually earned her first Oscar nod for her role, which I doubt will be her last. In fact, I think every major player from Little Women (veterans and up-and-comers alike) are destined to continue leading careers of great achievement.

To better understand how I would come to form such a prediction, let us take a deeper look at their future. The following is a breakdown of what to look forward to from 12 of the most notable cast members from the acclaimed period piece, starting with one actress who has almost made a career out of period pieces.

Saoirse Ronan (Josephine “Jo” March)

Before she played temperamental writer Jo March, Saoirse Ronan was young Briony Tallis in Atonement, Agatha in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and the title character of the early 2000s-set dramedy Lady Bird - her first collaboration with Little Women director Greta Gerwig. The Irish-born, 26-year-old, four-time Oscar nominee has even more period pieces on the horizon, including a forbidden 19th-Century romance with Kate Winslet in Ammonite, Wes Anderson’s love letter to 20th Century journalism in The French Dispatch, and a murder mystery set in 1950s London that is currently untitled.

Emma Watson (Margaret “Meg” March)

British (but Parisian-born) actress Emma Watson made a doozy of a debut at 11 years old as Hermione Granger in the first of eight Harry Potter films before branching out into playing other literary figures, like Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Belle in Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast update, and, Meg March in Little Women, of course. Other than speaking against the controversial opinions of a woman partly responsible for her career (J.K. Rowling) and speaking in favor of other various sociopolitical causes, hopefully we will see the 30-year-old star return to the screen soon enough in two more novel adaptations, While We’re Young with Perks director Stephen Chbosky and Queen of the Tearling, based on Erika Johansen’s fantasy series - both of which have been in development since 2013.

Florence Pugh (Amy March)

It was not until 2014 when English actress Florence Pugh landed her first acting gig (opposite Games of Thrones Maisie Williams) in The Falling, but only two years later, her lead part in Lady Macbeth would set her on a path to stardom defined by roles in the wrestling biopic Fighting with My Family and Ari Aster’s festival of carnage Midsommar in 2019. Following her Oscar nomination for playing Amy March in Little Women, the 24-year-old will finally join the MCU in 2021 as Yelena Belova in Black Widow and the upcoming Hawkeye series for Disney+. Hopefully, that same year, audiences will see her reunite with Outlaw/King co-star Chris Pine in the 1950s-set psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling from director Olivia Wilde.

Eliza Scanlen (Elizabeth “Beth” March)

Making her feature film debut as the youngest March sister, Beth, in Little Women is Eliza Scanlen - previously best known in the States as Amy Adams’ younger sister on the HBO miniseries Sharp Objects and the soap opera Home and Away in her native country, Australia. The 21-year-old recently appeared in another novel adaptation with an all-star ensemble (Netflix’s The Devil All the Time), wrote and directed the award-winning short Mukbang, and filmed M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, Old, which is set for a 2021 release.

Timothée Chalamet (Theodore “Laurie” Laurence)

Oscar nominee and recent Saturday Night Live host Timothée Chalamet has a few Little Women cast reunions on the horizon, namely The French Dispatch with Saoirse Ronan (the Lady Bird co-stars’ third collaboration) and opposite Meryl Streep (as well as a slew of other heavy hitters) in Adam McKay’s apocalyptic satire Don’t Look Up for Netlflix. The 25-year-old’s most highly anticipated role at the moment is the lead in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune, unless you count fans of Call Me By Your Name, who are excited to see him and Armie Hammer reprise their roles in the upcoming sequel titled Find Me.

Chris Cooper (James Laurence)

Playing Timothée Chalamet’s grandfather in Little Women is Academy Award-winner Chris Cooper, who has since played a major role on Season 2 of the Amazon Prime drama Homecoming alongside Janelle Monae, and Steve Carell’s choice to run for mayor of a conservative town in director Jon Stewart’s political satire Irresistible. He will next appear in With/In, an anthology film featuring segments that all take place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and will star opposite Patricia Clarkson and Elizabeth Olsen in Light on Broken Glass, the story of an aging Broadway star reflecting on her younger years.

Meryl Streep (Aunt Josephine March)

There is no need to introduce this three-time Oscar winner, who plays the aunt of the March Sisters, but, surprisingly, was not one of the Little Women cast members to receive a nod from the Academy this year. Next, Meryl Streep will play the President in Don’t Look Up, and is producing a documentary based on the acclaimed one-woman show Sell/Buy/Date, but lately this cinema legend has called the small screen home, appearing in the Netflix original musical The Prom, Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk for HBO Max, and narrating an Earth Day-inspired Apple TV+ animated short.

Laura Dern (Margaret “Marmee” March)

Meryl Streep’s Big Little Lies co-star Laura Dern also did not earn an Oscar nod in 2020 (for playing the March Sisters’ mother, Marmee, in Little Women), but she did for her role as a no-nonsense divorce lawyer in Marriage Story. Speaking of Netflix originals, the actress still voices Sue Murphy for Bill Burr’s 1970s-set animated sitcom F is for Family, which is heading into its fifth and final season, and her reprisal of paleontologist Ellie Sattler in Jurassic World: Dominion is expected to hit theaters in June 2022.

Bob Odenkirk (Robert March)

We might not have seen absurdist comedian Bob Odenkirk in parts like the March Sisters’ minister father in Little Women, if not for his role on Breaking Bad as slick lawyer Saul Goodman, whom he reprised in the prequel series Better Call Saul, which is set to start filming its sixth season in 2021. Also that year, the 58-year-old Emmy-winner will continue to exceed expectations as an average family man turned dangerous vigilante in Nobody, a new thriller from the director of Hardcore Henry, which Odenkirk is also producing.

Tracy Letts (Mr. Dashwood)

Little Women was actually a reunion moment for Mr. Dashwood actor Tracy Letts in many ways, having previously played Saoirse Ronan’s father in Lady Bird, written the original play and screenplay for August: Osage County (which starred his The Post co-star Meryl Streep), and appeared on the Festivus episode of Seinfeld, which Bob Odenkirk also guest-starred on. Additionally, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Amy Adams drama The Woman in the Window (which he also appears in) and will star opposite Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a couple with ties to a series of disappearances in Deep Water, which is now in post-production.

Jayne Houdyshell (Hannah Mullet)

Another Tony Award winner among the Little Women cast is Jayne Houdyshell, who plays the March family’s Irish maid Hannah Mullet, and will actually star in an A24-distributed film adaptation of the play that earned her a Tony, The Humans, which is in post-production at the moment. Also in post is Red, White and Water, the story of a US soldier coming to grips with a brain trauma and PTSD after a tour of duty in Afghanistan, which the 67-year-old actress will star in opposite Jennifer Lawrence, Samira Wiley, and Brian Tyree Henry, to name a few.

James Norton (John Brooke)

Also known for a background in theater is James Norton, who plays Laurie’s tutor and Meg’s lover, John Brooke, in Little Women. The British actor has since followed that by playing scandalous 1960s era artist Stephen Ward in the BBC miniseries The Trial of Christine Keeler, and a struggling single father in the 2020 drama Nothing Special. Next on his to-do list is the Amanda Seyfried-led period horror flick Things Heard & Seen, an animated adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, HBO’s Victorian sci-fi series The Nevers, and, if the odds fall in his favor, succeeding the role of James Bond from Daniel Craig.

What do you think? Is James Norton a good fit for 007, or would you rather see the role fall in the hands of someone with a more established action background? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the cast of Little Women, as well as even more inside looks into what is next in store for your favorite actors, here on CinemaBlend.

While few may have expected it, it is not so surprising to learn that the biggest movie star to debut in the Harry Potter films is, statistically, not the Boy Who Lived, but the girl who saved his butt on a regular basis at Hogwarts. Indeed, there are quite a few Emma Watson movies available to stream right now that offer significant proof toward that claim.

The 30-year-old English actress, originally born in Paris, France, achieved instant fame in 2001 at only 11 years old with her first ever acting role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stoneas precocious young wizard Hermione Granger, whom she would reprise in seven more films. More often than not, most child stars who spend years in such a long-running blockbuster franchise later succumb to a destiny as an obscure has-been. Yet, Emma Watson is one of the few (along with her Hogwarts buddy Daniel Radcliffe) to come out completely unscarred, maintaining a reputation as one of the most talented, respected, and charming actresses of her generation.

More impressively, her fanbase surpasses just the “Potterheads,” thanks to surprising turns in films like This Is The End (in which she plays a fictionalized version of herself hardened by the Apocalypse), Noah (Darren Aronofsky’s retelling of the Biblical account of the first Apocalypse), and more that we have compiled below for you to stream. Hopefully you get the ultimate Emma Watson binge you have been looking for with the following 9 films, beginning with the star’s other most successful adaptation of a classic literary fantasy.

Beauty And The Beast (Disney+)

In exchange for her elderly father’s (Kevin Kline) freedom, a young female villager (Emma Watson) makes herself a prisoner to a conceited prince cursed with a monstrous form (Dan Stevens in a motion capture performance) unless he can find true love before it is too late.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: Casting Emma Watson as Belle, the titular “Beauty” of Beauty and the Beast, may have been key to the overwhelming box office success of Disney’s 2017 live action update of their heartwarming Best Picture Golden Globe-winning animated musical inspired by the famous French tale.

Stream Beauty And The Beast on Disney+ here.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (Netflix)

A grieving, introverted high school freshman is befriended by an openly gay senior and his stepsister of the same age who introduce the lonely teen to the bewildering and exhilarating aspects of the social world previously unknown to him.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: Based on the novel by Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the screenplay and directs), The Perks of Being a Wallflower is another one of the more acclaimed (albeit heartbreaking) book adaptations starring Emma Watson, who co-stars with fellow YA fantasy novel movie vet Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) and Ezra Miller, who would go on to play Credence Barebone in the Harry Potter prequel franchise beginning with 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Stream The Perks Of Being A Wallflower on Netflix here.

Little Women (Starz)

A young writer living in New York (Saoirse Ronan) reflects on the romances, poverty struggles, tragedies, and other life-changing moments that she and her three sisters (Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen) have shared in the post-Civil War American landscape.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: This Academy Award-winning (for Jacquelin Durran’s costume design) 2019 reimagining of Louis May Alcott’s groundbreaking novel Little Women is just about the most acclaimed (and, indeed, heartbreaking as well) book adaptation starring Emma Watson to date, brought to new, refreshing life by writer and director Greta Gerwig in her sophomore directorial effort and the rest of its stellar cast, which also includes Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep.

Stream Little Women on Starz here.

The Circle (Amazon Prime)

A young woman (Emma Watson) lands the opportunity of a lifetime when she lands a job working for a world-renowned tech industrialist (Tom Hanks), but her dream come true becomes an ethical nightmare after suspicions arise that that company is hiding more sinister intentions.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: While it is based on a best-selling technophobic novel by Dave Eggers (who also co-wrote the screenplay with director James Ponsoldt), The Circle is actually one of the lesser acclaimed and financially successful book adaptations starring Emma Watson, but her lead performance (as well as that of Tom Hanks as the dubious social media guru, Karen Gillan as Watson’s friend, and John Boyega as another co-worker) make this dystopian social commentary worth a watch.

Stream The Circle on Amazon Prime here.

Colonia (Hoopla)

A young woman’s (Emma Watson) desperate search for her kidnapped lover (Daniel Bruhl) leads her to join a charitable religious commune, which she soon learns is actually a fanatical cult known for being both dangerous and inescapable in 1973 Chile.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: Playing the girl who saves the guy is one of the essential aspects that attracted Emma Watson into playing the heroic lead role of Colonia, a pulse pounding escape thriller from 2016 that is especially disturbing for the mere fact that it is inspired by true events.

Stream Colonia on Hoopla here.

The Bling Ring (Netflix)

A group of fame-obsessed California teenagers (including Emma Watson, American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga, and Happy Death Day’s Israel Broussard, to name a few) figure out that they can live just like the celebrities they worship by tracking their whereabouts on the Internet in order to determine the perfect moment to break in and steal their valuables.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: Believe it or not, the crazy Hollywood heist by high schoolers plot of 2013’s The Bling Ring (which was one of the first post-Harry Potter films to see Emma Watson adopt a wildly un-Hermione persona for a role) is also based on true events, specifically a Vanity Fair article on the topic by Nancy Jo Sales which director Sofia Coppola adapted into the fourth film produced by A24.

Stream The Bling Ring on Netflix here.

My Week With Marilyn (Netflix)

A young aspiring filmmaker (Eddie Redmayne) lands a job working on the London, England, set of Sir Laurence Olivier’s (Kenneth Branagh) 1957 movie The Prince and the Showgirl, where he strikes up a friendship with the film’s star, Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), and learns more about the beloved starlet than he could have ever imagined.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: Wearing a wig to hide her circa 2011 pixie cut, Emma Watson plays an on-set wardrobe assistant not so much obsessed by fame like her The Bling Ring character, but more threatened by it (particularly how the titular blonde bombshell of My Week with Marilyn seems to be affecting her relationship with Eddie Redmayne’s character) in this biographical drama that offers fascinating insight into the hidden life of one of Hollywood’s most prolific figures.

Stream My Week with Marilyn on Netflix here.

Regression (Amazon Prime)

Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) undergoes an investigation of a man (David Dencik) who claims to have no recollection of abusing his daughter (Emma Watson), eventually leading him to confront the possibility that a Satanic cult may be involved in early 1990s Minnesota.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: In addition to having a reunion with fellow Harry Potter vet David Thewlis (best known for playing Hogwarts professor and lycanthrope Remus Lupin), Emma Watson also gets to see what it is like to play a Muggle who falls prey to “witchcraft” for her role in Regression - a gloomy psychological crime drama/horror film supposedly based on true events from The Others director Alejandro Amenábar.

Stream Regression on Amazon Prime here.

The Harry Potter Movies (Peacock)

After learning that he is a wizard, an orphaned boy (Daniel Radcliffe) attends a boarding school that specializes in teaching young students magic, while also (with the help of his new friends) investigating the history of an evil being connected to his parents’ death who may be planning his revenge.

Why Emma Watson Fans Will Like It: As I said before, Harry Potter - the heroic title character of the blockbuster franchise inspired by J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels - probably would not have survived all eight movies if not for the help of his friend Hermione Granger, played to immortal perfection by Emma Watson from age 11 to 21.

Stream all of the Harry Potter movies on Peacock here.

What do you think? Do you believe that even after the Harry Potter films have ended, Emma Watson still possess her own kind of onscreen magic that propels her beyond whatever Hogwarts could teach, or will she always be the same clever Hermione Granger in your eyes? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the former Harry Potter actress, as well as even more of our own recommendations of the best movies and TV shows to stream starring your favorite celebrities, here on CinemaBlend.

Throughout the past century-plus, there have been hundreds — if not thousands — of different stage and screen adaptations of Louise May Alcott's timeless 1868 novel, Little Women. Each one brings a different perspective to the material. Though, by many people's estimations, writer/director Greta Gerwig's new 2019 film stands out as one of the best translations from page to screen we've gotten to date. It's easy to see why. Through its warm presentation, finely-nuanced storytelling, sparkling performances, and stunning attention-to-detail, Gerwig's movie brought a lot of new life to the well-worn book, providing a personal and poignant take on the classic coming-of-age story.

There are many great details and tidbits to be mined from the making of this acclaimed movie. We're here to offer just a mere few. Here are some great behind-the-scenes facts about Greta Gerwig's Little Women that we believe every fan should know!

Saoirse Ronan Cast Herself As Jo March

Persistence — or, perhaps, insistence — can be an admirable trait. Confidence and determination are the keys to getting any job. Though, when it comes to Saoirse Ronan being cast in Greta Gerwig's Little Women, it helps to know people. The actress and filmmaker previously worked together on 2017's Lady Bird, Gerwig's solo directorial debut (she previously co-helmed 2008's Nights and Weekends with Joe Swanberg), and that worked out quite well for both of them. Gerwig was hailed as a great early filmmaker, earning Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominations, while Ronan received her third Oscar nomination for her extraordinary performance.

Therefore, it was the duo's best interest to keep working together. That's why Saoirse Ronan summoned up Jo-level confidence to tell Greta Gerwig that she was playing the part. Here's how Gerwig describes Ronan casting herself in the lead role:

Likewise, a similar thing happened with Meryl Streep. When words spread that Greta Gerwig was directing Sony's newest Little Women adaptation, Streep made a point to reach out to the writer/director and politely insist that she play a part in the proceedings. It's certainly not a hard choice to decide whether or not you want the three-time Oscar winner in your movie.

Greta Gerwig Fought Hard To Direct Little Women

Following the critical/commercial success of Lady Bird, one hopes that Greta Gerwig had tons of opportunities made available to her. It was apparent that she was a seasoned filmmaker right out of the gate, one capable of balancing tones and capturing great performances and a rich sense of setting, which would serve as a fine launching pad to an incredible filmmaking career. As Sony tried getting the ball rolling on a new Little Women, one would think the producers would seek out Gerwig for this new film. But according to Gerwig, she had to fight hard to get her version of Little Women made. It was a book Gerwig claims made her want to be a writer and director, though she wasn't originally on "anybody's list to direct this film."

They Shot A Scene In The Schoolhouse Where Louisa May Alcott's Father Taught

There's an authenticity to Greta Gerwig's Little Women that stands out compared to some cinematic interpretations. While past film adaptations have their own virtues, notably 1994's beloved version starring Winona Ryder, there's a meaningful sense of realism, an emotional honesty, and a semi-autobiographical touch, as noted by Vanity Fair's first-look preview, that makes this film become more resonate and timely in addition to timeless. While there are myriad ways in which this warm feeling was realized, one key aspect was setting. It was shot entirely on location in Concord, MA, which is where the book takes place. The location scouts also found a few notable backdrops that were true to the time period. For instance, they were able to shoot a scene in the schoolhouse where Alcott's father, Bronson, taught, which is not open to the public.

Greta Gerwig Was Secretly Pregnant As She Directed Little Women

Think it's tough to direct a movie? Try doing it while you're also pregnant with your first child. There's no doubt that Greta Gerwig is an immensely talented rising director, established beyond her years and only continuing to prove herself. But it's even more impressive to know that while she was intensely making her solo sophomore feature, she was secretly pregnant. Directing is such a time-consuming process, fully engulfing your immediate attention and focus, that it's hard to know how filmmakers can find time for themselves — let alone their unborn child! Yet, Gerwig found a way to do it. Even the cast was reportedly kept in the dark. Gerwig was six months pregnant when production wrapped and she went into labor just 24 hours after delivering her rough cut. What an incredible woman!

In An Ironic Turn Of Events, The Entire Cast Got Strep Throat

The most devastating moment in Little Women, both the book and film, is the discovery that Beth developed scarlet fever, which ultimately takes her life. It's a somber development that indirectly leads to Jo March writing her first completed novel, based on her personal history with her sisters. But in a crude bit of irony, the whole cast of Little Women caught strep throat during filming. Strep throat, it should be noted, is the predecessor to scarlet fever. This dark symmetry is the sort you thing you simply can't write. As Greta Gerwig joked in an interview, they took meta acting to the max here.

Florence Pugh And Saoirse Ronan Wrestled Each Other Before Shooting Angry Scenes

Every actor has their methods for getting into character. Some of them are more intense than others, but the results are typically presented on the screen — for good or ill. When it comes to Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan, their process of getting intensely, viciously angry at each other for a few key scenes in Little Women required exerting some physical aggression. Specifically, the Oscar-nominated actresses would wrestle to capture the physical as well as the emotional intensity of their given scenes, allowing the hostility shared between their sibling characters to appear both honest and real. This sort of behavior wouldn't seem uncommon for young siblings, and that added to the sincerity of their sister dynamic in these moments.

Each Period Dress Took 40 Hours To Create

In order to meticulously recreate the look of the late 1800s, lots of meticulous work needed to be done — naturally. When it comes to Little Women (2019), there were 75 principal period costumes made, and each one took reportedly 40 hours to create. Additionally, lots of attention was placed into the costumes' color schemes. Each sister got their own color(s). Specifically, green and lavender for Meg, brown and pink for Beth, red and indigo for Jo, and light blue for Amy.

Florence Pugh Shot Little Women Immediately After Midsommar, Called It "Therapy"

Though the best actors make it look easy, the truth of the matter is that acting is a brutally intensive job, requiring you to slip out a fine stream of emotions at a moment's notice, time-and-time again. Florence Pugh has proven to be a gifted performer. She has demonstrated that to audiences several times over the course of the past couple of years — though 2019 was a particularly standout year for the bright, talented Oscar-nominated actress. She starred in Midsommar and Little Women, which is a hell of a feat, especially when you discover that she filmed these movies literally back-to-back. As she revealed in an interview, she went from one set to the other after only a couple of days. That's quite the emotional upheaval. Pugh described making Little Women as "therapy" after shooting this intense A24 horror film.

Greta Gerwig Wanted The Score To Be A Mix Of Mozart And Bowie

A movie's score plays a crucial, sometimes overlooked factor in a movie's success or failure. For as good as Jaws is on its own, for instance, can you imagine what it'd be like without John Williams' iconic theme? Or what Star Wars would be without those opening notes? Not to list two examples from the same composer, but the point stands. Though a score doesn't play a role in the film's visuals, it does inform them, bringing out the fluttering of feelings, thoughts, and emotions our characters feel. The best scores are crafted from a healthy collaboration between the director and the composer. If they can come to an understanding, they can do wonders. When it comes to 2019's Little Women, Alexander Desplat reveals Gerwig wanted a score that was a mix of Mozart and David Bowie.

Emma Watson Found Greta Gerwig's Directing Style 'Such A Relief'

Every director has a different style and a different relationship with their actors. As an actress in the mumblecore scene (and a few mainstream releases) prior to her second career as a bright rising filmmaker, Greta Gerwig is sensitive and in-tune with her actors, and she wants to make sure they get what they want in any given scene. As Emma Watson said in a behind-the-scenes video, this conversational style was "such a relief" to the former child star.

There are a few more facts we didn't get to mention, including how Amy's feminist monologue was literally a last-minute addition inspired by a conversation with Meryl Streep, the accidental inclusion of water bottles, and how Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan each kept bound copies of Little Women published in the final scene, but that's just a credit to how dense and complete this awards-favorite adaptation was. Do you know some more fun facts about Little Women? Let us know in the comment section!

While the current state of the entertainment world is unknown, 2019 was a great year for movies. Director Greta Gerwig's new adaptation of Little Women was one of the most acclaimed movies of the past season, earning a variety of Awards nominations including Best Picture. The movie's script, costumes, and non-linear storytelling were all praised, but it turns out that Gerwig and company missed a few modern water bottles that managed to make it into a shot.

This isn't the first time an beverage has broken the illusion of a period piece, and quickly gone viral as a result. HBO's Game of Thrones was subject to online ridicule when a coffee cup accidentally made it into a scene in the fantasy show's final season. But Little Women is raising the stakes, as one shot of Timothee Chalamet's Laurie features not only a plastic water bottle, but also a hydroflask. Check it out below.

Well, that certainly shatters the illusion. Because while Greta Gerwig transported audiences back to the American in 1861, it looks like a few bits of modern life managed to squeeze themselves into Little Women. Mostly in the form of beverages, because the cast and crew needs to stay hydrated!

This shot of Timothee Chalamet in Little Women comes to us from Twitter. One eagle eyed moviegoer spotted the multiple beverages that made their way onto a scene. And unfortunately, they're both drinks from the future that would mystify Laurie and the March sisters. There's not even modern refrigerators yet, let alone a fancy water bottle that will keep your bevs chilled.

Little Women is still a modern classic, despite this snafu in the editing process. And while audiences get to see the polished final product for movies, projects like Greta Gerwig's movie and Game of Thrones are ultimately just made by people. And as such, there's a degree of human error to these projects. And considering how challenging the editing process is, small details like a water bottle in the background can fall to the wayside.

The above image of Timothee Chalamet's Laurie alongside modern thirst quenchers is sure to make its rounds on social media. The coffee cup misstep on Game of Thrones quickly went viral when it was revealed, with the cast weighing in on exactly who is to blame. It was made into countless memes, so hopefully Little Women doesn't go quite as viral.

Of course, the backlash to Game of Thrones' coffee cup came after tensions about the final season had been steadily growing. The rabid fanbase wasn't happy with some of the narrative choices, especially when it came to Dany's plot line. So when an error was found, naysayers quickly pounced on the subject. Plus, it's just funny to see Khaleesi in Winterfell with a modern coffee cup. At least the cups are in the background for Little Women.

Little Women is available now via video on demand now, and will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray on April 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Those doing their part to self-quarantine have likely found themselves looking for new and interesting ways to pass the time. As much as we support your efforts to make the most of the streaming services you subscribe to, there's another way to fill your free time as a family and no screens are required.

Audiobooks are a great way for families to spend time together and get some reading done at the same time. I'm speaking from personal experience, as "books on tape" were my family's main means of entertainment on road trips when I was a kid. While you might not have a road trip planned in the near future, it's quite possible your family is dealing with an abundance of free time these days. Not only do audiobooks leave everyone's hands and eyes free for puzzles, arts and crafts, cleaning out the garage or whatever other projects are lined up to get done at home, with a well produced audiobook, you're also getting a top-notch reading experience from some world-class narrators. It's with that in mind that I share some recommendations for great audiobooks that should work well for the whole family.

Full disclosure: These are just some of my recommendations for great audiobooks to consider. If you're uncertain whether or not a book is appropriate for your child, I've also provided the link to Common Sense Media's review for each book, which should offer you more insight into the contents of the book and their recommended age bracket.

Finally, all of the books on the list are available through Audible/Amazon. A subscription is NOT required to purchase an individual book through Audible/Amazon, however, with Audible's credit system, a subscription may be a cost-saver if you plan to purchase several audiobooks.

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

We'll start with Harry Potter, because you really can't go wrong with J.K. Rowling's beloved tale of magic and adventure. The story of an orphaned kid who learns he's a wizard truly lives up to the massive hype. What's more, the Harry Potter audiobooks are fantastic. Jim Dale rightfully won two Grammys and several Audie Awards for his voice work on the U.S. release of these audiobooks. To say that he "does all the voices" for the characters, in addition to providing excellent narration of the story feels like an understatement. Dale delivers a brilliant performance throughout the run of these seven books, painting a picture in our minds of each and every character. Even if you've read the Harry Potter books multiple times, the audiobooks are a great way to revisit this story. 

Get the Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Audiobook here.

Common Sense reviews for all Harry Potter Books.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Harper Lee's beloved story is one my family listened to on a road trip when I was a child and I never forgot the experience, nor the story. Set during the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the point of view of Jean Louise Finch (aka Scout), a little girl whose father, Atticus Finch, is called to defend a black man who has been accused of sexually assaulting a young white woman. Harper Lee gives us the opportunity to try to understand the world from Scout's perspective, with themes that include racism, growing up and the importance of community, friendship and family.

Sissy Spacek handles the narration for the To Kill A Mockingbird audiobook, offering a gentle southern accent to Scout's POV.

Get the To Kill A Mockingbird Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for To Kill A Mockingbird.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Whether or not you've seen one of the film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's classic story, Little Women is a must-experience for kids and adults alike. The story of four sisters coming of age in the 19th century is a beloved classic for a reason. Audible actually has multiple versions of the audiobook available, including the recently-released Audible Original production performed by Laura Dern (who played Marmee in the most recent feature adaptation of the book) and a full cast of narrators to handle the additional voices.

Get the Little Women Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Little Women.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

So long, and thanks for all the fish! Why not escape Earth for a bit with Arthur Dent, a man who's rescued from Earth just before the planet is demolished. He and the alien who rescues him, Ford Prefect, embark on an adventure around the galaxy. Full of humor and adventure, Hitchhiker's Guide is the kind of adventurous sci-fi that the whole family can enjoy. And the audiobook is read by the great Stephen Fry, so it has that going for it too. If you like the first book, Douglas Adams has a whole series that follows.

Get the first Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Book 1.

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Even if you've already seen the movie, Ernest Cline's Ready Player One is a must-read for (slightly older) kids and parents alike. Set in the future and brimming with '80s nostalgia, the story centers on a kid who's trying to win a Willy-Wonka-like tournament in the hopes of earning the keys to the OASIS, which is effectively the internet of the future, a virtual reality world where people work, attend school, shop, socialize and play video games. While the core of the book remains intact in Steven Spielberg's feature adaptation, a lot of the story plays out differently in the book, which is why this one is well worth a listen for fans of the film. Oh yeah, and did I mention Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook?

Get the Ready Player One Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Ready Player One.

James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl

Speaking of Willy Wonka, while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory might've been the obvious pick for a list like this, I went with James and the Giant Peach, as it's a childhood favorite of mine and one of Roald Dahl's best. The story follows and orphaned kid named James who's forced to live with his aunts after his parents die. His adventure begins after he drops some magic crystals near an old peach. 

Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt, the audiobook is a great option for families looking for a story on the shorter side, as it only takes about three hours to get through. But if you're looking for more Roald Dahl stories, Audible has a collection available that includes James and the Giant Peach along with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Enormous Crocodile & The Magic Finger.

Get the James and the Giant Peach Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for James and the Giant Peach.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

If you're looking for adventure with a darker tone, you really can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Whether or not Disney gets around to adapting this gem of a story for the big screen remains to be seen, but kids and adults will undoubtedly appreciate Gaiman's story about a kid named Bod who's growing up in a graveyard and being raised by ghosts. Who better to narrate Neil Gaiman's book than the author himself? Ok, this might not be the case with all authors and their audiobooks, but the English writer does a lovely job of bringing this dark, magical tale to life.

Get The Graveyard Book Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for The Graveyard Book.

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

Another great option for an enchantingly humorous audiobook experience is Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, beginning with the first book, A Bad Beginning. So bad it's good? Yes. Even if you've seen the 2004 feature adaptation starring Jim Carrey as the villainous Count Olaf, or the Netflix series starring Neil Patrick Harris, these books are well worth a listen for families interested in joining the orphaned Baudelaire children as they attempt to evade the grasp of said Count.

Why is the audiobook a must-listen? Two words: Tim. Curry. The first book in the series offers narration by the excellent Tim Curry and and multiple other cast members providing voices to the narration.

Get the first A Series of Unfortunate Events Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1.

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

Kenneth Branagh's Artemis Fowl is expected to come to the big screen this year, so now's as good a time as any to read the book before it does. The first book in Eoin Colfer's series introduces us to the titular character, a millionaire, genius and criminal mastermind who also happens to be a 12-year-old kid who's about to embark on a magical adventure. Nathaniel Parker (Merlin, The Haunted Mansion) narrates the audiobooks in this series, including the first one, which clocks in at a reasonable six hours and change.

Get the first Artemis Fowl Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Artemis Fowl Book 1.

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

Adapted twice for the screen, once in 1985 for a PBS TV movie and again in 2007 with a feature adaptation from Gabor Csupo, Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terebithia, a story about two kids who create a magical kingdom in their imaginations, where both of them rule. Narrated by Robert Sean Leonard, the unabridged audiobook clocks in at an easy three and a half hours, which makes this story of friendship a great option for families looking for a relatively quick read.

Get the Bridge to Terabithia Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Bridge to Terabithia.

Bonus:

If you're looking for more of the classic variety, try:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou (author and narrator)

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition - Anne Frank (read by Selma Blair)

The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum (read by Anne Hathaway)

Peter Pan - J.M Barrie (read by Christopher Cazenove)

Dune - Frank Herbert (read by multiple narrators)

Animal Farm - George Orwell (read by Ralph Cosham)

Who would have guessed a movie based on a classic novel about a group of 19th century sisters would become the latest internet viral sensation? Well, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women has. After being nominated for six Oscars and crossing a box office milestone a couple weeks ago, it’s official – it’s pretty much impossible to go on Twitter right without seeing one specific scene in the movie meme-ified.

It’s been building up since the release of Little Women back in December, but now it has really exploded. Saoirse Ronan’s Jo March and Timothée Chalamet’s Laurie arguing in a beautiful green field is everyone’s favorite meme. Its uses are limitless. Check out the five second clip:

We've all been there. The immortalized scene comes two-thirds through the Best Picture nominee when Laurie confesses his love for Jo March after growing up together. But Jo doesn’t think it’s a good idea to be together. She’s uninterested in marrying him despite his affections and the societal pressures on her to marry. The scene informs a big change made to Louisa May Alcott’s book as well. Here’s another one to keep it going:

It’s an impassioned scene that shows Saoirse Ronan’s acting chops and reveals an important aspect of her character. She is resisting what she’s supposed to do because she does not have romantic feelings for Laurie. He tries to convince her otherwise, but she knows she’ll be unhappy if she chooses this path. Check out this one about The Mandalorian:

It feels like this moment just works with anything, doesn’t it? It has become an especially fun way to show an emotion about specific things. Wait… is Saoirse Ronan so good of an actor that she created a new feeling? Here’s another film-related one to chuckle at:

He just can’t! Martin Scorsese is about to make a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert de Niro called Killers of the Flower Moon. But, never mind that. Let’s get back to what’s important here: Little Women memes.

Deleting Twitter would mean less of this hilarious Little Women moment. Someone even took to social media to change up the scene. Check it:

It’s seriously a great scene and this meme doesn’t exactly do it justice. It follows a massive wave of memes surrounding Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story in which Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson take part in a heated argument as well.

Little Women has made an impressive $191 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. It’s Greta Gerwig’s second directorial movie after 2017’s Lady Bird – where Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet also get into a heated bit, but the heartbreaking is reversed.

Real cool that after over 150 years of Little Women existing, the story is more relevant than ever.

The 2020 Oscars are almost upon us, as tonight’s celebration of the best movies at the box office in 2019 will eventually reveal the latest winner to claim the Academy Award for Best Picture. Of course, while most studios are probably prepared to take a financial bath in the name of such a prestigious honor, it still wouldn’t hurt for the nine nominated films to make some money for the accounting department’s troubles.

Out of curiosity, we took the nine Best Picture nominees and, in an exercise of comparative superiority, ranked them by their worldwide grosses to date. While some of these movies are still in theaters (and the figures listed are as of Friday, February 7), this is where the order currently stands.

Those results are sealed in their own metaphorical envelopes, even though their contents are known to the world. But, we didn’t gather together here for no good reason, so let’s open the results together, shall we? Here now are the 2020 Best Picture nominees, ranked from lowest grossing to highest.

#9. Marriage Story

Global Box Office: $2,300,000 (Estimated)

Marriage Story is one of two movies in the 2020 Oscars crop that is a bit hard to peg with an exact figure in terms of box office grosses. We say this because thanks to the film being a Netfilx-distributed title, theatrical release is pretty limited, which is strike one for any sort of total accuracy.

Still, without Netflix releasing its numbers for North American theatrical release, and the limited release in international territories bringing in what it did, Marriage Story is at the bottom of the best picture nominee pile in terms of its settlement with moviegoers. Though who knows what the planned Chinese theatrical release will do for those numbers, should it still take place as planned, in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis.

#8. The Irishman

Global Box Office: $8,000,000 (Estimated)

On a similar scale to Marriage Story, director Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman was put into a limited release in North America, due to continuing disagreement between Netflix and major theatrical exhibition chains. Though even with that particular stumbling block, there was a substantial gain to be had over its streaming service sibling.

Many independent theaters, as well as a month long exclusive run at New York’s Belasco Theatre, helped The Irishman bringing a rather impressive sum, on top of some interesting first week viewership numbers on their native platform. But again, this is based off of an estimate, as Netflix has not released the figures for how much this film made at this time.

#7. Jojo Rabbit

Global Box Office: $65,465,404

Moving into the lowest ranking wide release competitor, writer/director Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit took in the lowest amount of money for a widely released 2020 Best Picture nominee. This end result ended up performing in favor of the international audience, as the split that makes up the $64.5 million result is slightly higher in that particular column.

Grossing roughly $28.6 million domestically and $36.9 million internationally, Jojo Rabbit started modestly in a mid-October limited release platform on the domestic front. By time the film started its wide release strategy, there was definitely a buzz, but the film only ever cracked into the top 10 a handful of times.

#6. Parasite

Global Box Office: $163,119,346

Examining the balance between domestic and international grosses is going to be particularly interesting in some cases when discussing 2020’s Oscar nominees for Best Picture. One case in point is co-writer/director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which performed modestly in domestic theaters, but cleaned up around the world.

Out of the total $163.1 million, only $33.2 million came from the U.S. The rest of the phenomenal result for this hotly buzzed candidate to upset the Best Picture race came from the foreign market, which brought in over 10 times the film’s budget.

#5. Little Women

Global Box Office: $164,616,717

From the word go, writer/director Greta Gerwig’s Little Women has been a box office assassin. Delivering consistently fantastic results, the film actually skipped a limited release platform and started out as a wide release.

What’s even more impressive is that Little Women is one of those cases where the domestic box office outweighs the international figures. Seeing as the film has recently crossed the $100 million mark it was predicted to clear earlier this week, the $64.6 million brought in internationally is not too far behind, but distant enough for this to be a bit of a surprise.

#4. Ford v. Ferrari

Global Box Office: $222,197,462

No matter if you call it Ford v. Ferrari, like those in the US do, or Le Mans ’66, like most of the rest of the world, director James Mangold’s racing biopic has been hell on wheels. Though if you want to compare the finish line results on those same dividing lines, the results aren’t too far off.

With the domestic tally weighing in at $115.6 million and the international result clocked at a solid $106.9 million, those numbers have a variance around $8.7 million between the two. Thanks to this real life story of racing superiority and love of sport, it looks like the box office has found something the world can agree on once again.

#3. 1917

Global Box Office: $253,119,104

As far as the Best Picture nominees for 2020 are concerned, the World War I epic 1917 is sitting pretty as the odds on favorite for who will take home the Academy Award for Best Picture. Co-writer/director Sam Mendes’ vision of a real time fight to the front has impressed critics and audiences, and did so with a pretty impressive showing.

Considering the film opened in limited release on Christmas day, and went into wide release on January 10, the fact that it’s at a cumulative total of $253.1 million so far is something pretty special. It’s the result of another pretty close horse race between domestic an international box office, with $122.5 million coming from the domestic side and the international portion giving $130.6 million to the cause.

#2. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Global Box Office: $373,967,035

While writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood may have shown the fortunes of Leonardo DiCaprio’s actor/bon vivant Rick Dalton on the decline, the film itself was met with some pretty warm results upon its summer release. In fact, those extra months may have helped propel it to the runner up spot of this year’s Oscar nominees.

$142.1 million came in from the domestic grosses, with $231.8 million roaming in from overseas, which probably explains part of why Once Upon A Time In Hollywood did so well at the Golden Globes this past January. But have domestic audiences and professionals noticed the film enough to make it a winner at The Oscars? We’re ready to make some frozen margaritas and find out ourselves.

#1. Joker

Global Box Office: $1,071,869,171

Out of this year’s Best Picture nominees, there was one winner at the box office that cleared the rest of the competition by leaps and bounds. While it may have started out as a joke to some, co-writer/director Todd Phillips and Warner Bros quickly proved that the Joker was no laughing matter in terms of box office firepower.

Not only was the $335.1 million domestic haul and its complementary $736.8 million result of Joker’s box office punchline enough to make it the most profitable comic book movie of all time, it was also what made the DC Comics anti-hero picture the highest grossing R-rated film of all time. Beating out Deadpool 2 for those particular honors, it was enough to make everyone sit up and take notice.

The box office results of 2020's Best Picture nominees tells one story, but what will the narrative unfolding during tonight's Oscars look like? There's only one way to find out, and that's by watching the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, which start tonight at 8 PM ET on ABC!

When examined from a macro perspective, 2020 should be a very strange year for comic book movies. When you think about it, this is the first 12 month stretch since 2014 that cinemas won't see any kind of big superhero team-up/crossover on the big screen, as films like Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Justice League (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) have all been scratching that particular itch for audiences. The offerings this year when it comes to superhero action are of a different breed, with scale being pulled back a bit... and sadly, things are not off to a great start with Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn). The film may have opened at number one, but the numbers are not awesome.

Check out the results of the full Top 10 in the chart below, and join me after for analysis!

Prognostication in recent weeks suggested that Birds of Prey would have a similar box office experience as David F. Sandberg's Shazam! in its first three days, the 2019 movie bringing in $50-55 million last April, but things sadly didn't shake out that way. Instead, the spin-off from David Ayer's Suicide Squad wound up having what we can now call the weakest opening for any title in the DC Extended Universe, and one of the weakest openings for a DC Comics adaptation in general in years.

What particularly makes this so unexpected is the amount of buzz that has been building up around Birds of Prey recently. There was a period last week when the film was rocking a Rotten Tomatoes score over 90 percent (it's since come down to about 80 percent), and it very much seemed like the general comic book movie-going audience was geared up to go see it. Somewhere along the line, though, the bottom fell out. It's particularly strange because the feature is definitely clicking with audiences, as it received a modestly strong "B+" CinemaScore grade from ticket-buyers who were surveyed post-screening this weekend.

So what happened? It's hard to say precisely, but there are a few different hypotheses on the table. The first may simply be a simple cooling attitude towards the DC Extended Universe, and a certain ripple effect from Suicide Squad – which is not really a film that has aged all that well in the last three-plus years. Right now the franchise is in a state of disarray as it's working to figure out its direction toward the future, and it's possible that people don't quite know what to make of Birds Of Prey at this juncture. There are also factors like the movie's R-rating resulting in fewer screenings being held; and one also can wonder if the extensive news coverage about the coronavirus outbreak is encouraging some people to stay inside and make plans to sit inside crowded auditoriums.

The positive way to look at this is that it's possible that the film could still wind up having some strong legs. Going back to the positive reaction from both critics and audiences, it's possible that people will be encouraged by word of mouth to check out the movie in its second weekend, particularly with the Valentine's Day holiday on Friday. As we will discuss later, there are a number of films set to debut in wide release in the next few days, but it wouldn't be all that surprising if film fans decided to check out Birds of Prey instead of the newer offerings.

With most studios concerned by the potential of Birds of Prey, no other wide releases hit theaters on Friday, and you'd expect that would result in the titles in the Top 10 simply shifting down one spot each. As you can see in the chart, however, that's not what happened. Sure, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah's Bad Boys For Life, Sam Mendes' 1917, and Stephen Gaghan's Dolittle followed that pattern, but everything else was given a nice shake. After debuting in fourth place last weekend, Oz Perkins' Gretel & Hansel dropped down to seventh place, and with a box office haul of just $11.5 million so far, it doesn't look like it's going to be sticking around for very long. J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker also experienced a similar three-place slip, and it's possible that it will slip to 11th place or lower before next week's report.

Not every title in release fell in ranking, however, as you may have noticed the triumphant return of Rian Johnson's Knives Out, which fell out of the Top 10 last weekend, but is now back in eighth place (it surely doesn't hurt that the movie got a touch of attention from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, nominating it for Best Original Screenplay). For an original film, albeit one with an absolutely outstanding cast, the movie has been performing extraordinarily well, and to date has made nearly $300 million worldwide. It's an exciting cinematic win for fans of mystery movies, if not especially because Lionsgate has already given the greenlight to a sequel that will see the return of Daniel Craig's Kentucky-fried investigator Benoit Blanc working to solve another case.

In the milestones department, Greta Gerwig's Little Women has now officially found its way into the nine figure club, crossing the $100 million mark domestically in the last couple of days (its global total currently stands at $177.2 million). Jake Kasdan's Jumanji: The Next Level is also on the precipice of reaching another significant total, as it's now it's less than $2 million away from eclipsing $300 million in North America. There's no way that it will ultimately be able to make as much money as its predecessor, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, which made over $400 million in America before it was done with its run in early 2018, but still Sony must be ecstatic with the results.

This was definitely a down week for Hollywood, but things should get very interesting in the coming days as couples potentially plan excursions to their local cineplex. After a week with only one new wide release in theaters, studios are flooding February 14th with three of them, including Jeff Wadlow's horror adventure Fantasy Island, Jeff Fowler's video game adaptation Sonic The Hedgehog, and Stella Meghie's romantic drama The Photograph. We'll be back next week to analyze how everything shakes out, including how Birds of Prey manages to do in its second week, so be sure to come back on Sunday!

A few weeks ago, we published a piece titled “The Top 10 Films Of 2019, According To CinemaBlend” – a feature generated by analyzing the average out-of-five scores given to every film members of our staff saw in the previous calendar year. It’s become a bit of a tradition on the site, as we’ve run similar articles annually going back to 2015, and last year we even introduced a new mid-year variant.

Now we’ve taken that same general idea and applied it in a new direction: ranking the nominees for Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards.

All nine of the films up for the top prize at the Oscars were seen by at least 18 members of the CinemaBlend staff, many of us working hard in recent weeks to catch up with titles we missed last year (explaining why the rankings and scores here are slightly different than those in the Top 10 of 2019 feature). Our final analysis? It’s most definitely a crop of movies that we seriously dig. Without further ado, let’s dive into the rankings!

#9. Ford v Ferrari

Average Score: 3.8055556/5

It can’t really be said that James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari was CinemaBlend’s “favorite” new release of 2019, placing 27th overall in our site-wide ranking, but it’s certainly a film that our staff appreciates. It’s a story that’s pretty basic as far as sports movies go, but also one hell of a ride thanks to incredible and tense action sequences and fantastic performances from both Matt Damon and Christian Bale. We wouldn’t be surprised in the least if it wound up winning some major technical awards during the Oscars (it’s nominated in three other categories), but it’s not exactly our number one pick for Best Picture.

#8. Joker

Average Score: 4.0909091/5

Todd Phillips’ Joker stunned the film world when it wound up earning more Academy Award nominations than any other 2019 release earlier this month – a grand total of 11. Because of this, it’s unlikely that the movie walks away from the show totally empty handed (Joaquin Phoenix has some strong odds in the Best Actor category), and there are select members of the CinemaBlend staff who would whole-heartedly cheer if it were to win the biggest prize of the night. Controversial as the comic book adaptation may be, it earned no score below a three in our company survey… though also didn’t end up with an average particularly close to the top.

#7. The Irishman

Average Score: 4.1136364/5

Martin Scorsese might be 77 years old, but he still makes films with the energy of a 20-year-old, and The Irishman is a truly stunning piece of work. It took the filmmakers years and years to actually get the project made, ultimately needing technology to catch up with his grand vision, and what he has created fits every definition of epic. As many have pointed out, it’s definitely what you might call “a lot of movie,” requiring a three-and-a-half hour runtime to tell its story, and that surely dinged its final score, but it most definitely is a piece of art that is greatly appreciated in the CinemaBlend offices.

#6. Marriage Story

Average Score: 4.2272727/5

Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story just missed out on the holy quintinity of Academy Award nominations – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress – as Baumbach didn’t get the nod in that second category, but it richly deserves all of its recognition. Both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson deliver some of the best work of their respective careers with emotional and captivating performances, and it’s fascinating that every viewer who watches it takes something different away from the central conflict and story. Four of the 22 members on the staff who saw it give it 5/5 scores, and nobody gave it lower than a 3.5.

#5. Jojo Rabbit

Average Score: 4.2857143/5

The CinemaBlend staff is filled with movie fans who are very much on the same wavelength when it comes to the wild and hilarious sensibilities of Taika Waititi, and being a film that is very much pure Taika, Jojo Rabbit was most definitely one of our team’s most beloved features from last year (hence it ranking at #6 on our end-of-year list. The World War II satire does a remarkable job executing a very complex tone – finding cartoonish comedy in Nazi-controlled Germany – and it’s stunning how it’s able to have your rolling with laughter one minute, and crying the next. It’s a powerful and relevant piece of work, and a favorite among the crop of Best Picture nominees.

#4. Little Women

Average Score: 4.3095238/5

Coming out at the very, very end of 2019, not everyone on the CinemaBlend staff had the opportunity to see Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and as a result it just missed out being on our Top 10 of 2019. That’s changed in the weeks since, though, and the result has been an improved average score that demonstrates it as one of our team’s favorites among the Best Picture nominees. This is a film that is sweet, stunning, and overloaded with charm – brought to life with brilliant performances from the entire ensemble. And no, we don’t know why Greta Gerwig didn’t get a Best Director nomination either.

#3. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Average Score: 4.3260870/5

While Quentin Tarantino owns two Academy Awards (both for writing), three of his movies have been up for Best Picture in the past, and none of them have won. That means that Once Upon A Time In Hollywood winning this year would be a long overdue achievement for the filmmaker – and there’s not a person on the CinemaBlend staff that would be overly upset with the turn of events. In totality it’s a beautiful and loving tribute to the legendary titular city/industry, but also an exciting piece of revisionist history that features some of the best performances we saw on the big screen last year.

#2. Parasite

Average Score: 4.5476190/5

Alfonso Cuarón's Roma wound up turning a lot of heads when it became the first foreign language film in years to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and just 12 months later Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite makes us question why it isn’t the norm (it’s pure hubris to assume all of the greatest movies are English-speaking). While the story is set in South Korea, the true power of its satire is that it’s universal in its themes, and it weaves a brilliant story that whacks you upside the head halfway through with a twist you could never see coming. It’s surprising, witty, clever and powerful right up to the end.

#1. 1917

Average Score: 4.5952381/5

World War I is easily one of the most extensively covered international events in cinematic history, and yet director Sam Mendes – in collaboration with genius cinematographer Roger Deakins – found a whole new way to let audiences experience the conflict with 1917. The combination of the single take photography with the ticking clock plotline creates a phenomenal immersive experience unlike anything found in your typical war movie, and just the way it’s all pieced together is magnificent. We here at CinemaBlend love it, and collectively as a team it’s our favorite to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

How would you rank this year’s class of nominees for Best Picture at the Oscars? Hit the comments section to let your voice be heard, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our award season coverage!

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Saoirse Ronan is one of the most critically acclaimed young actresses of the last decade or so, and she is only 25 years old. In 2020, Saoirse Ronan earned her fourth Oscar nomination for her role as Jo March in Little Women. Three of those Oscar nominations have been for Best Actress in a Lead Role. Ronan is only the second youngest actress to receive two nominations by 21, and three by 24. With so many accolades at such a young age, it’s clear that Saoirse Ronan has a major career in movies ahead.

Ronan began acting in 2003. Her first acting gig was on an Irish medical drama called The Clinic. However, it wasn’t until 2007’s Atonement that Hollywood and the British Academy started to take notice of this star in the making. She earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Role in Atonement, and her career just escalated since then.

Saoirse Ronan easily balances appearing in indie movies, big blockbusters, and passion projects. No matter what type of project Ronan decides to undertake, she excels with her exquisite execution. If you’re new to the brilliantly acted world of Saoirse Ronan, here are a few of her projects to check out.

Little Women

Little Women follows the March sisters Amy, Meg, Jo, and Beth as they deal with the Civil War and becoming young women. Greta Gerwig directed the latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic. Saoirse Ronan takes on the role of Jo March, the aspiring novelist who wants to make her own way in the world, without the confinement of marriage. Little Women’s cast includes Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, and rising star Florence Pugh.

Saoirse Ronan gives Jo all the spunk, determination, and vulnerability that makes her such a beloved literary figure. Many have played Jo on the big screen prior to Ronan, but this is one of the best screen versions of Jo because of Ronan’s ability to communicate the barriers still faced by women. Little Women is currently still playing in theaters. It’ll be part of many theater’s Oscar Best Picture showcase on Feb 8. Little Women will likely be available to purchase digitally in March 2020.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is a romantic historical drama about an Irish woman, Ellis (Saoirse Ronan), who moves to Brooklyn for work. While there, she falls in love with her life in America and a New Yorker named Tony (Emory Cohen). This makes Ellis torn between her homeland and her new life in New York. It’s based on Colm Tobin’s novel of the same name.

Saoirse Ronan was born in New York City, but her family moved back to Dublin when she was three, giving her both Irish and American roots. She spoke to Indiewire about relating to her character Ellis’ journey in Brooklyn. Saoirse Ronan often gives her whole heart to roles, but she likely gave even more of it in this relatable role. Brooklyn is a quiet movie with great performances by the entire cast, and especially Ronan. The film earned Ronan her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2016. Brooklyn is available to buy or rent on most VOD services. Rent or purchase it HERE.

Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” Music Video

“Galway Girl” is a song about falling in love with a girl from Galway, Ireland. The entire video acts as a tribute to the spirit of Ireland with Ed Sheeran and Saoirse Ronan pub-crawling through different bars on Grafton Street.

Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” music video takes his perspective, so viewers see everything through his eyes. The video mainly focuses on Sheeran watching Ronan’s character and the spirit she brings to the night. It’s a fun video that shows Ronan in a much more playful role than most of her movie roles. Watch Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” music video HERE.

Lady Bird

Lady Bird is Greta Gerwig, Saoirse Ronan, and Timothee Chalamet’s first film collaboration. Lady Bird follows the turbulent relationship between Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf). Their similarities often put their relationship in a constant combative state. Lady Bird earned both actresses Academy Award nominations for Best Lead and Supporting Actress.

Ronan nails the self-involved but sympathetic teen role in Lady Bird. Both Christine and Marion make you gasp at some of their behavior and words, but you also understand their individual struggles and why it fractures this relationship. Lady Bird also shows how despite the fighting, these two characters really love each other. Saoirse Ronan and Metcalf give splendid performances. Lady Bird is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Stream it HERE.

Hanna

Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, and Saoirse Ronan star in Hanna, a movie about a young girl whose father trained her to become an assassin. Hanna is an action adventure movie that Joe Wright directed. In 2019, Amazon Prime Video released a series based on the movie that goes more into the origin of Hanna and her father.

Saoirse Ronan took martial arts classes to do her own stunts. She was a committed actress even as a teen. Along with making Hanna a complete badass, she gave the character some humanity that kept the character from being a soulless killing machine. Hanna is available to stream with a Cinemax subscription. Stream it HERE.

Loving Vincent

Loving Vincent is a completely hand drawn animation about the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh. The drawings of Loving Vincent mimic the famed painter’s actual post-impressionist style. The film is a fictionalized account of Van Gogh’s death told through the journey of Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth). He’s trying to deliver Vincent Van Gogh’s last letter to his brother. Armand’s journey makes him explore if Van Gogh’s death was murder or suicide.

Saoirse Ronan plays Marguerite Gachet, the daughter of Van Gogh’s doctor, Paul Gachet (Jerome Flynn). Marguerite and Van Gogh develop a friendship that makes Dr. Gachet worry about her being a distraction for Van Gogh and his art. Loving Vincent is a gorgeous animation that showcases the uncertainty of Van Gogh’s life and death. Even as an animated version of herself, Ronan gives the character depth. Loving Vincent is available on Hulu. Stream it HERE.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson directed and wrote The Grand Budapest Hotel. It revolves around the adventures of M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) and Zero (Tony Revolori). The Grand Budapest Hotel has an all-star cast that includes Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Owen Wilson.

Saoirse Ronan plays Zero’s love interest Agatha in The Grand Budapest Hotel. The pair have a fun dynamic. Ronan also portrays Agatha as someone who is both clever and kind. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a unique, playful movie with beautiful cinematography. It’s available to buy or rent on most major streaming platforms like Amazon Prime.

How I Live Now

How I Live Now is set in an alternative universe where World War III is currently happening. An American named Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) goes to live with her English relatives. She starts to fall in love with her cousin, Edmond (George MacKay), but then their lives are thrown even further for a loop when a nuclear bomb hits. Daisy, Edmond, and her two younger cousins must try to survive in this new dangerous world.

How I Live Now is a bleak movie, but it captivates you from start to finish. This is mainly due to Saoirse Ronan’s lead role. She takes you through Daisy’s journey as a misfit teen to the only hope of survival for her and her cousins. How I Live Now includes a cast of some of the current biggest young stars. Besides Ronan and George MacKay, Tom Holland plays one of Daisy’s young cousins. How I Live Now is available to stream free on Tubi. Stream it HERE.

The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson directed The Lovely Bones, a film adaptation of Alice Sebold’s bestselling novel of the same name. Saoirse Ronan stars alongside Stanley Tucci, Rachael Weisz, and Mark Wahlberg. Susie Salmon (Ronan) is murdered and her family falls apart. The Lovely Bones is told from Susie’s perspective as she lives in limbo watching her family and friends deal with the aftermath of her death.

Saoirse Ronan expertly breaks your heart in The Lovely Bones. The film is a look at what happens when a life is taken too soon, and the scars that can’t heal. The Lovely Bones really highlights the amazing acting potential that Saoirse Ronan had at such a young age. The movie is available to stream on Hulu. Stream it HERE.

Atonement

Saoirse Ronan plays the child version of Briony in Atonement. Briony is an aspiring writer who witnesses a crime and then accuses the wrong man of it. This tears her sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), and the man she loves, Robbie (James McAvoy), apart.

Atonement showcases how the lives of adults can be a confusing and scary place for a child. It also shows how one lie can destroy a life. Saoirse Ronan gives Briony youthful spirit with a touch of determination and cluelessness when it comes to being an adult. There are three different actresses playing Briony in Atonement, but Ronan definitely stands out the most for her unforgettable performance in the film. Atonement is available to stream with a Starz subscription. Stream it HERE.

Hozier’s “Chery Wine” Music Video

“Cherry Wine” is a song about a toxic relationship. It’s told from the perspective of someone who is dealing with an abusive significant other. Saoirse Ronan stars in the “Cherry Wine” video, and she plays a character abused by her male lover. The entire song and video is about domestic abuse.

Saoirse Ronan doesn’t utter one word in “Cherry Wine,” but she makes all her emotions come across in her facial expressions. Hozier and Ronan show how the intoxicating nature of love can keep people in a cycle of abuse. The song is beautiful and powerful, and the video matches it. Watch Hozier’s “Cherry Wine” HERE.

Watch the Academy Awards this Sunday to see if Saoirse Ronan takes home her first Academy Award. Later this year, Ronan will reunite with Wes Anderson in The French Dispatch. She’ll also star opposite Kate Winslet in Ammonite sometime in 2020. Based on solely on Ronan’s acting prowess, we’ll guess that she may earn another Oscar nomination for her performance in one of those films.

It's Oscars weekend, which means it's also Razzies weekend -- but also time to read the thoughts of anonymous Academy voters. These "honest" Oscar ballots are almost always baffling, although sometimes you get good insight. In this case, a male producer broke out of the gate with his Best Picture contenders, insulting several nominees on his way to ultimately picking Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for his #1 vote.

Here's more from that anonymous male producer to THR on the Best Picture nominees:

Wow. So he's mad that Ford V Ferrari wasn't more accurate to racing but couldn't even follow the timelines of Little Women. I heard about some fans being confused by The Witcher's timelines, but not so much Little Women. At least this producer was not confused by The Irishman's timeline, although he did later complain that "after Hoffa was dead, the movie was done for me, my ass was sore and I wanted to get the fuck out of there."

The producer added that he loved Parasite, but "once the murdering started happening they lost me." For him, the choices came down to Jojo Rabbit and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He put Once at the top and Ford V Ferrari at the very bottom of his list. Apparently he's OK with QT taking creative license with history but creative license with racing is a no-no.

That producer was not the only Oscars voter to share a ballot. An anonymous actress posted a ballot bashing Little Women as "badly acted and confusing," putting it at the bottom of her list. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was at the top with 1917, Joker, and Parasite, followed by Ford V Ferrari. For her, accuracy was also important and movies got called out when they didn't fit her standard:

The actress did like Ford V Ferrari and wishes it had been promoted more to get more attention. She thought Parasite was beautifully done, "but it didn't hold up the second time, and I don't think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films." (Hmm. They're not just regular films too?)

Going into Oscars weekend, it looked like 1917 was all but a lock for Best Picture after all of its other wins. But if the Moonlight/La La Land fiasco taught us anything ... it's that we need an Oscars host to capitalize on such moments. Also, that there's no given in any race. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood still seems to be a pretty popular contender for Best Picture, although I do hope these "honest" Oscars ballots don't really represent too many of the Academy voters. How depressing would that be?

The 2020 Oscars air Sunday, February 9, aka tomorrow, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Here's the full list of nominees. Stick with CinemaBlend for all the winners, speech clips, and analysis.

This year's Awards Season has been an interesting one, with its fair amount of snubs and victories. And with the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards all in the rear view, there's just one more big ceremony coming: The Academy Awards. The Oscars are the biggest night in movies, and we're just days away from finding out who the lucky winners are. Greta Gerwig's Little Women is nominated for a whopping six Oscars, although she was noticeably snubbed from the Best Director category. But her work obviously made the movie what it was, and it turns out that she had her A-list cast of actors play games on the movie's set.

Greta Gerwig wasn't nominated for an Oscar for Best Director, but she did get a Best Screenplay nod, and Little Women is up for Best Picture. She directed the cast of actors at two different ages, as the movie's nonlinear storytelling pivoted between the past and present. The Lady Bird director recently explained why she tried to keep the cast active with actor games on the set, saying:

Well, that's an interesting perspective on the process. It looks like Greta Gerwig encourages her actors to work from the outside in, physical activity and games helping to quiet the mind and allow for more natural performances. What's more, it keeps the group engaged during long hours.

Film shooting is notoriously grueling, and there is plenty of waiting around. When not shooting there is plenty of work being done by the crew, ensuring that lighting, sound, and camera are all in the best place to capture the action. This results in actors getting plenty of downtime. Cue Greta Gerwig's acting games.

In Greta Gerwig's same conversation with People, she went on to explain that it's not an exact science, and the artists she's collaborating with are just trying their best. As she put it,

Having seen Little Women, I have to imagine that these games really helped give scenes life-- especially the group scenes with all four March sisters. Those sequences are delightfully chaotic, with plenty of overlapping conversations and reactions happening at once. Keeping the cast on their toes with games seems like a great way to ensure that each take had the same energy.

It should be interesting to see how Little Women ultimately performs at the Academy Awards. Both Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh are nominated for their roles, while the movie is also competing in Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture, Original Score, and Sound Design. Could Pugh end up pulling an upset and winning Best Support Actress over co-star Laura Dern? Only time will tell.

Little Women is still in theaters now, having recently passed the $100 million mark at the box office. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

We are now just a couple of days away from this year’s Academy Awards, and heated conversations and debates continue to be had about many of the categories – and Best Actress is no exception. The competition for the esteemed prize this year is seriously impressive, with all of the stars up for the prize delivering performances worthy of the nominations received. At this point it’s not terribly easy to pick an absolute frontrunner for the award, but the folks here at CinemaBlend have thoughts on the matter.

In the weeks since the Oscar nominations were announced, we’ve been polling members of our staff about the eight major categories, and have calculated rankings for our favorites in each one. Only those who had seen all of the movies up for a particular prize could vote, and nominees were ranked from one (the favorite) to five (the least favorite). We’ve averaged all of the rankings, and these are the results we came up with for Best Actress:

#5. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

Average Rank: 3.8333333

In CinemaBlend’s survey, the Best Actress category turned out to be the most competitive of all those that we polled for, as evidenced by Cynthia Erivo’s performance in Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet earning the highest average rank of anyone who ended up in the #5 slot. It’s a real testament to the work done by the performer, as Erivo really does do some magnificent work portraying an American icon.

History and stories of Harriet Tubman’s incredible bravery helping to free slaves through the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century have essentially deified the woman in the minds of everyone who learns about her, but Cynthia Erivo’s turn in the biopic adds an important level of humanity to the hero that is really remarkable. This is the first time that the actress has been nominated for an Academy Award (she only made her big screen debut in 2018), and it definitely won’t be the last.

#4. Charlize Theron, Bombshell

Average Rank: 3.5

Charlize Theron is a remarkable chameleon capable of mind-bending transformation. It was 17 years ago that she shocked and horrified audiences with her turn as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ Monster – a performance that resulted in her winning her first Oscar – and she has continued to do remarkable work since. Most recently we saw her simply become anchor Megyn Kelly in Jay Roach’s Bombshell, and it was no surprise weeks ago when it was revealed she had earned her third Academy Award nomination.

In the story of the sexual harassment scandal that rocked the world of Fox News a few years back, Kelly finds herself trapped between trying to protect her career and her family, and feeling the need to speak out about rampant misconduct, and it’s a line that Charlize Theron walks with grace and intensity. The work may not be CinemaBlend’s top pick for the Best Actress prize, but it’s work worth celebrating all the same.

#3. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

Average Rank: 3

With Little Women having been adapted many times in the last century, the role of Jo March has been played by some remarkably talented actresses, including Katharine Hepburn, June Allyson, and Winona Ryder (who actually earned an Academy Award nomination of her own for her turn in the 1994 version), but Saoirse Ronan’s work in the Greta Gerwig adaptation still must certainly be considered one of the greatest. The Irish actress captures every ounce of the character’s bold and determined attitude, and delivers a performance that ensures readers for years will think of her face while reading Louisa May Alcott’s novel.

Though she is only 25 years old, this marks the fourth time that Saoirse Ronan has been up for an Academy Award, and while she hasn’t won just yet, it’s surely only a matter of time. This might not be her year, and she isn’t CinemaBlend’s top choice for the Best Actress prize, but there’s still plenty of love felt about Little Women and Ronan’s work in it.

#2. Renee Zellweger, Judy

Average Rank: 2.3333333

It was about 16 years ago that Renee Zellweger last earned recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, her turn in 2003’s Cold Mountain earning her the award for Best Supporting Actress, and few would be surprised if she returns to the Oscar stage this year to accept yet another trophy for her performance in Rupert Goold's Judy. After all, the work been screaming for Oscar attention ever since it made its debut in front of audiences last fall, because Zellweger really is phenomenal in the movie.

Judy Garland was an immensely complicated person who lived a life filled with both success and hardship, and Judy is a beautiful tribute to her – with Renee Zellweger doing a remarkable job capturing the legend’s essence. It’s really a heartbreaking story, following Garland as she does her final set of performances before her death in 1969, but it’s also lovely and emotional, with the star hitting every note perfectly.

#1. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

Average Rank: 2.3333333

As you can tell from the numbers, we actually had a statistical tie in this category, but having received more #1 votes than Renee Zellweger (three versus two), we are calling Scarlett Johansson our top choice to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards. We also loved her in Jojo Rabbit, declaring her our second pick to win in the Best Supporting Actress category, but we really want her to hit the stage on Sunday holding a trophy for her work in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

Starring opposite Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson is at her most emotionally engaging and empathetic in the story of a divorce unraveling a family. It’s clear that Nicole doesn’t want to hurt Charlie, but she has also felt stifled in their relationship, and needs the freedom to express herself. It’s a special turn from the actress, and most definitely deserving of acting’s highest honor.

Who do you think should win Best Actress at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday? Rank the nominees in the comments section, answer our poll below, and stay tuned as CinemaBlend continues to break down the eight main categories before the big show.

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This Sunday, the 92nd annual Academy Awards are set to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The anticipated awards ceremony includes many competitive categories, including the Best Supporting Actress race in Oscars 2020. It's been a tough race filled with many deserving performers (along with the well-noted absence of Jennifer Lopez, who was snubbed for her celebrated turn in Hustlers), but only one actress will walk away with the gold prize. And while there are predictions in place for who is expected to win, we here at CinemaBlend have our favorites in this category. There's no telling until Sunday if our pick matches the evening's recipient, but here's who we would like to see receive the acting prize.

When it comes to tallying the votes, a number of writers and editors at CinemaBlend ranked their favorite performances from one to five, with the number one pick being their favorite, and number five being their least favorite. After tallying up the scores based on the averages, a conscious was made. The ranking serves as a composite of everyone's collective picks, not merely the choices of any one individual person. It should also be noted that, when it comes to picks three and four, there was a tie in place. Therefore, we differentiated the choices based on which nominee received the most #1 votes. Without further ado, this is CinemaBlend's official ranking of 2020's Best Supporting Actress nominees!

#5. Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell

Average Rank: 4.5714286

An exceptional talent with over a hundred acting credits to her name, Kathy Bates is a legend of the big and small screen, and the Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell is actually the fourth she's earned over her impressive career. Having received previous nominations for 2002's About Schmidt, 1998's Primary Colors, and 1990's Misery (for which she won Best Actress), Bates' latest performance represents another humane, moving performance from the acting veteran.

She plays Bobi Jewell, the fearful, deeply concerned matriarch of the title character who finds her life turned on its head when her son becomes a nationwide humble hero to the target of public, federal and media scrutiny when he's perceived as a potential local terrorist. It's a credit to a number of the movie's dramatic performances, including Paul Walter Hauser and Sam Rockwell in addition to Bates, that Richard Jewell can find its emotional center. Through another engaging performance from this acclaimed actress, the movie provides an intimate look at this '90s scandal.

#4. Margot Robbie, Bombshell

Average Rank: 3.1428571

Ever since she arguably stole the show in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street it's been apparent that Margot Robbie is set to become a big time star. Sure enough, the rising talent has only continued to prove herself in a variety of different movies, including Z For Zachariah, Mary Queen Of Scots, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and I, Tonya, for which the Australian actress received her first Oscar nomination. Even the biggest critics of Suicide Squad agreed that her work as Harley Quinn was aces. A mere couple years later, Robbie has now received her second Academy Award nomination for Bombshell, and it's attention well-deserved.

In the Jay Roach-directed film, Margot Robbie plays a composite character: Kayla Pospisil, a low-level Fox employee hoping to rise up in the ranks of the television news station. Following a traumatic incident with Roger Ailes, the character must reconcile with the insidious underbelly of this toxic work environment. The actress provides another engrossing and devastating performance, one that continues to show the range and depth she will bring into her future roles.