The Shining

The adaptation of Stephen King’s novel directed by Stanley Kubrick is hailed as a classic film and has been immortalized in pop culture. The terrifying story of an author’s descent into insanity is perfectly told through Kubrick’s expert directing and Jack Nicholson’s excellent performance. Any fans of horror will love this classic.

4/5

Waking Life

Richard Linklater’s animated drama depicts a man traveling through his dreams, meeting various strange people and discussing numerous topics. This film uses the technique of rotoscoping where the actors act out the scene in full, then an animator traces over the film frame by frame. Linklater also used this technique in his film A Scanner Darkly. If you enjoy Richard Linklater or cerebral films, this is the film for you.

4/5

Superman

In 1978, this film amazed audiences with its revolutionary visual effects. The cast consist of Christopher Reeve starring as the charming hero as well as other Hollywood superstars such as Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Fans of superhero movies will definitely enjoy this film, especially if you have never gotten into the classics. Superman II, III, and IV will be available, as well as Superman returns.

4/5

Hugo

Based off of the book by Brian Selznick, this film directed by Martin Scorsese tells the story of an orphan living a secret life in a train station in Paris. Asa Butterfield stars as Hugo alongside an all-star cast including Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, and Chloe Grace Moretz. Martin Scorsese has always proved himself to be one of the best directors of all time, but this film has always stood out to me when compared to the rest of his filmography. It might be because it’s not incredibly violent, but it was a big departure from his usual style. I recommend Hugo to any fans of films based on books.

3.5/5