506 Best Movies From United States of America On Itunes Australia (Page 32)

Incredible footage combined with a great soundtrack will keep you frozen in your seat until global warming melts you off (so to speak). Chasing Ice is about a National Geographic photographer who tries to capture a complete overview of what climate change is doing to our planet. Consequently this movie took years to make and countless technical issues had to be dealt with in order to record the time-lapse videos. The result is mesmerizing, and captures something that has never been caught on camera before. This movie is evidence of what our planet is going through that everyone can relate to. Be prepared to be charmed and saddened at the same time.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Adam LeWinter, Dennis Dimick, James Balog, Jeff Orlowski, Kitty Boone, Louie Psihoyos, Svavar Jónatansson, Sylvia Earle, Tad Pfeffer

Director: Jeff Orlowski

Rating: PG-13

A peculiar Western that might not please everyone if it wasn't for its main star, Kurt Russel. It's a mix between classic western material, a horror flick, and a fantasy movie. Yes, it's a lot. And not only that, it can be slow at times. However, in those perks it also finds a lot of originality in a saturated genre, and one more time: Kurt Russel. He's amazing as can be expected, playing the sheriff of a quiet town that gets struck by sudden disappearances. The suspect is a faraway tribe known for its cannibalism practices, the movie follows the sheriff as he leads an expedition to save a disappearing woman.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Western

Actor: Alex Meraz, Brandon Molale, David Arquette, David Midthunder, Eddie Spears, Erick Chavarria, Evan Jonigkeit, Fred Melamed, Geno Segers, James Tolkan, Jamison Newlander, Jay Tavare, Jeremy Tardy, Kathryn Morris, Kurt Russell, Lili Simmons, Maestro Harrell, Mario Perez, Matthew Fox, Michael Emery, Michael Pare, Omar Leyva, Patrick Wilson, Raw Leiba, Richard Jenkins, Robert Allen Mukes, Sean Young, Sid Haig, Zahn McClarnon

Director: S. Craig Zahler

Rating: Not Rated

Chances are good you missed this movie the first time around due to the studio's big mishandling of it's promotion. The posters and trailers were squarely aimed at the lowbrow audience, ironically turning off the kind of viewers that would have appreciated the film. They promised an exploitation flick about an old black man keeping a sexy half-naked young white girl chained up in his shack. Which is, to be fair, exactly what you get - minus the exploitation. Samuel L. Jackson absolutely nails the role of Lazarus, a retired bluesman. He finds and rescues Rae (Christina Ricci) after she's left for dead in the road, and yeah, there's a chain, but.. well, you'll just have to see. Black Snake Moan is funny, sexy, tense, and (surprisingly) heartwarming. And oh hey by they way, its a helluva music-lovers' film in the bargain. Sporting a tremendous soundtrack full of that lowdown dirty blues (some performed by Jackson himself), you owe it to your ears to watch this someplace you have a decent sound system.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Adriane Lenox, Amy Lavere, Christina Ricci, Clare Grant, Claude Phillips, Cody Block, David Banner, David Chapman, Dhonna Harris Goodale, Jeff Pope, John Cothran, John Cothran, Jr., John Pickles, Justin Timberlake, Kim Richards, Leonard L. Thomas, Michael Raymond-James, Neimus K. Williams, Ruby Wilson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Samuel L. Jackson, Willie Hall

Director: Craig Brewer

Rating: R

With an ensemble cast featuring a young Natalie Portman and a less murderous Uma Thurman, Ted Demme's "Beautiful Girls" recreates the worries and woes that thrive in the minds of a tight knit group of working class friends stuck in their own small town Massachusetts world. Warm, quirky and filled with champagne diamonds, both metaphorical and tangible, for anybody who's ever walked the thirty something walk, it's a film that'll make you want to remember all the friends you wish you still had and actually still do.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Adam LeFevre, Annabeth Gish, Anne Bobby, David Arquette, Frank Anello, John Carroll Lynch, John Scurti, Lauren Holly, Martha Plimpton, Matt Dillon, Max Perlich, Michael Rapaport, Mira Sorvino, Natalie Portman, Noah Emmerich, Oliver Osterberg, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Rachel Oliva, Richard Bright, Rosie O'Donnell, Sam Robards, Timothy Hutton, Tom Gibis, Tomas Settell, Uma Thurman

Director: Ted Demme

Rating: R

Even if it follows nearly every trick in the playbook, American Underdog positions itself on a big enough scale that makes it work like a charm anyway. Following the story of legendary undrafted NFL quarterback Kurt Warner (Zahcary Levi), the film elevates its familiar beats through stunning, wide-angle football sequences that make the sport feel as thrilling as ever, and a particularly solid performance from Anna Paquin, as Warner's long-suffering partner. But what ultimately becomes American Underdog's real secret weapon is the fact that this isn't a sports movie about skill, strategy, or success; Warner becomes an inspiring figure because of how long he had to persevere with his dream just barely out of reach.

Genre: Drama, Family

Actor: Aaron J. Brooks, Adam Baldwin, Anna Paquin, Beau Hart, Bruce McGill, Chance Kelly, Cindy Hogan, Collin Taylor, Dennis Quaid, Jason Allen Wear, SerDarius Blain, Steven Chester Prince, Trisha Zarate, Zachary Levi

Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin

Shot as a single day, it tells the story of college professor George (Colin Firth) who, unable to cope with the death of his partner months prior, resolves to commit suicide. The movie is not all dark, however, there are moving, deeply human encounters as George moves through his last day. Fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut and set in 1960s Los Angeles, it speaks powerfully of the colour-stripping effects of grief and loneliness. Fantastic performance also by Julianne Moore as Charley, an equally lonely and desperate character, but with a markedly different story. A Single Man is a gorgeous film in every sense of the word.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Aaron Sanders, Adam Shapiro, Colin Firth, Elisabeth Harnois, Erin Daniels, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jenna Gavigan, Jon Hamm, Jon Kortajarena, Julianne Moore, Keri Lynn Pratt, Lee Pace, Matthew Goode, Melissa Goodwin Shepherd, Nicholas Hoult, Nicole Steinwedell, Paul Butler, Paulette Lamori, Ridge Canipe, Ryan Simpkins, Teddy Sears, Tricia Munford

Director: Tom Ford

Rating: R

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star in this crime-comedy as two opposite mom personalities: one a stay-at-home food vlogger, and the other an upper-class businesswoman.

Kendrick’s character (Stephanie, the vlogger mom) agrees to pick up her new friend’s kid from school. However, the kid’s mom disappears, leaving Stephanie to lead an investigation on her own into what happened.

This is a funny no-brainer carried by the two leads’ unlikely but genuine chemistry.

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Andrew Moodie, Andrew Rannells, Anna Kendrick, Aparna Nancherla, Bashir Salahuddin, Blake Lively, Chris Owens, Corinne Conley, Danielle Bourgon, Domenic Cina, Dustin Milligan, Eric Johnson, Geoffrey Antoine, Gia Sandhu, Glenda Braganza, Henry Golding, Howard Hoover, Ian Ho, Jamie Jones, Jason Oliveira, Jean Smart, Jiah Mavji, Joshua Satine, Jung-Yul Kim, Katherine Cullen, Kelly McCormack, Lauren Peters, Lesleh Donaldson, Lila Yee, Linda Cardellini, Melissa O'Neil, Melody Johnson, Michael Park Ingram, Nicole Peters, Noorin Gulamgaus, Olivia Sandoval, Patti Harrison, Paul Feig, Paul Jurewicz, Roger Dunn, Ronnie Rowe, Rosanna Scotto, Rupert Friend, Sarah Baker, Stacey Coke, Sugenja Sri, Umed Amin, Zach Smadu

Director: Paul Feig

Rating: R

Big George Foreman ticks all the boxes of what a biopic should be. It shows us his troubled childhood, his bumpy rise to the top, and his eventual reconciliation with fame and boxing. It’s also nicely shot and polished, an accurately dressed period piece that looks and feels the part. But nothing about the film hits you as particularly new or exciting. Prickly topics like faith and infidelity aren’t so much explored as they are simply covered, and the dialogue sounds like something you’ve heard a thousand times. There’s also a sense that the filmmakers noticed this problem because halfway through, the movie switches into a more lighthearted tone, as if it were suddenly bored of itself. Sure, Big George Foreman is easy to follow and nice to look at, but its formulaic structure fails to distinguish itself from a long and ever-growing line of sports biopics.

Genre: Drama, History

Actor: Al Bernstein, Al Sapienza, Anthony Marble, Austin David Jones, Azaria Carter, Barry Hanley, Bill Martin Williams, Billy Slaughter, Brian Ibsen, Deion Smith, Deneen Tyler, Dwayne L. Barnes, Eric Hanson, Erica Tazel, Forest Whitaker, Greg Wattkis, Jasmine Mathews, John Magaro, Jonathan Mercedes, Joshua Wade, Judd Lormand, Julia Lashae, K. Steele, Kei, Khris Davis, Lara Grice, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Madison Dirks, Martin Bats Bradford, Matthew Glave, Matthew Rimmer, Michael Harrity, Michael Papajohn, Philip Fornah, Raion Hill, Robert Cicchini, Robert Larriviere, Sam Trammell, Samantha Beaulieu, Shein Mompremier, Sonja Sohn, Sullivan Jones, T.C. Matherne, Tom Virtue

Director: George Tillman Jr.

Rating: PG-13

Better than any movie starring a talking CGI gorilla has any right to be, The One and Only Ivan isn't so much a family adventure so much as it's a light character study that younger viewers should also enjoy. The film still runs into a number of the same problems you might expect—haphazard plotting, celebrity voice acting that adds nothing to the characters—but it's still remarkably thoughtful and has the maturity to explore much sadder territory. As much as movies originally released on Disney+ can at times feel like products churned out from an assembly line, this one feels far more sincere, with a real message behind it.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Actor: Angelina Jolie, Ariana Greenblatt, Betsy Graver, Brooklynn Prince, Bryan Cranston, Chaka Khan, Danny DeVito, Davina Sitaram, Dean Phillippi Sr., Eleanor Matsuura, Hannah Bourne, Helen Mirren, Indira Varma, Jacqueline Ramnarine, Jeremy Oliver, Kevin Mathurin, Kriss Dillon, Max Dowler, Mike White, Owain Arthur, Phillipa Soo, Ramón Rodríguez, Roberto Vivancos, Ron Funches, Sam Rockwell

Director: Thea Sharrock

Rating: PG

It’s not easy to talk about dysfunctional families, especially when that family is your own. Talking about the reprehensible parenting, but also the love, the understanding behind their neglect, and the few moments when they actually had your back, can be a hard balancing act, which makes Jeannette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle a challenging one to adapt in film. Because of this, its Hollywood adaptation does have a disjointed tone to it. Woody Harrelson’s Rex initially charms us and his children with his dreams and stories, and time proves his other side, though Jeannette and the audience are asked to forgive him too. It’s not an easy thing, and the ending they reached doesn’t feel totally earned. But it’s still a touching adaptation that captures Walls’ family, warts and all, one that's buoyed up by the strength of its cast.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Alanna Bale, Andrew Shaver, Brenda Kamino, Brie Larson, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Chandler Head, Charlie Shotwell, Chris Gillett, Darrin Baker, Dominic Bogart, Eden Grace Redfield, Ella Anderson, Hamza Haq, Iain Armitage, Joe Pingue, Josh Caras, Kenny Wong, Kyra Harper, Max Greenfield, Naomi Watts, Nathaly Thibault, Olivia Kate Rice, Philippe Hartmann, Robin Bartlett, Sabrina Campilii, Sadie Sink, Samantha Hodhod, Sarah Camacho, Sarah Snook, Shree Crooks, Tessa Mossey, Tyrone Benskin, Vlasta Vrana, Woody Harrelson

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Rating: PG-13

The broad, symbolic strokes of The Killing of Two Lovers—how its story is set up and the general atmosphere it evokes—are stunning to behold. It's a naturalistic story whose ordinary moments feel like they're being told at the end of the world, given how deliberately chilling Robert Machoian's direction is. Unfortunately, once you start getting into the details of the plot and its characters, their actions and decisions don't lead to particularly interesting insights about the separation and the couple's relationship to each other or their children. The end result is something that's clearly driven by a compelling mood more than anything, but whose resolution still feels anticlimactic.

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Actor: Arri Graham, Avery Pizzuto, Barbara Whinnery, Chris Coy, Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi

Director: Robert Machoian

Rating: R