1991 · Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise · 84 min · Animation, Musical, Romance
Beauty and the Beast is the crown jewel of the Disney Renaissance, a nearly flawless musical that earned its historic Best Picture nomination through sheer craft and emotional power.
2017 · Greta Gerwig · 94 min · Comedy / Drama
Lady Bird is a nearly perfect coming-of-age film that captures the chaos, cruelty, and unexpected tenderness of being seventeen with more precision than any American film in years. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf are extraordinary as a mother and daughter locked in a battle that is really a love story, and Greta Gerwig's directorial debut is so assured it feels like she's been doing this for decades. It's funny, sharp, and ultimately devastating in the quietest possible way.
2021 · Paul Thomas Anderson · 133 min · Comedy / Drama
Licorice Pizza is Paul Thomas Anderson's most joyful and loose-limbed film, a sun-drenched hangout movie set in 1970s San Fernando Valley that runs on the chemistry between its two leads and the sheer pleasure of being in its world. Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman are magnetic together, and Anderson's direction captures the restless energy of youth with a warmth he hasn't shown before. The episodic structure and the age-gap dynamic have sparked legitimate debate, but the film's emotional momentum is undeniable.
2022 · Baz Luhrmann · 159 min · Drama / Biography
Elvis is Baz Luhrmann at his most Baz Luhrmann, a maximalist biopic that prioritizes sensation over traditional storytelling. Austin Butler's transformative lead performance is the film's greatest asset, delivering a portrayal of Elvis Presley that goes far beyond impersonation into something that feels possessed. Tom Hanks' Colonel Tom Parker divides audiences sharply, and the film's frantic editing can be exhausting, but when Butler is performing on stage, the movie captures something electrifying about what made Presley a cultural earthquake.