1861 Best Movies to Watch From United States of America (Page 99)

The documentary sees WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes as a wandering journeyman, a prodigal son returning home. Cody—sharply dressed and occupying the center of a fancy studio hall—offers detailed insight into his bond with his late father and legendary wrestler Dusty Rhodes, various gimmicks and ventures that steadily refined his skills, and his ultimate goal to finish his father’s story and win the elusive WWE Championship. WWE slaughters a fattened calf for Cody, showing videos and photos of every major promotion he worked for outside the company, including their biggest competitor AEW. It’s a polished, surprisingly comprehensive film, that like many WWE documentaries, drags a bit too long and admits WWE was the bad guy in the story.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Ashley Fliehr, Brandi Runnels, Chelsea Cardona, Christian Brigham, Cody Runnels, Colby Lopez, Dustin Runnels, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Joe Anoa'i, Kevin Steen, Mark Calaway, Matthew Massie, Nicholas Massie, Paul Michael Lévesque, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Stephen Amell, Tyson Smith, Vince McMahon

Director: Matt Braine

Rating: PG-13

If this South Korean cult favorite relies a little too much on jump scares and twisty plot developments, its relatively emotionally distant story is nevertheless given a welcome boost in character thanks to an impressive overall look and feel. Shadowy and foreboding from beginning to end, A Tale of Two Sisters seems to be designed for group viewings where friends can spook each other out without losing track of the film's momentum. But it's far from shallow: patient horror fans should enjoy unpacking the movie's densely layered character dynamics, which become all the more disturbing and sorrowful after learning all of the film's secrets.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Actor: Kim Gap-soo, Kim Kap-soo, Lee Dae-yeon, Lee Seung-bi, Lim Soo-jung, Moon Geun-young, Park Mi-hyun, Seung-bi Lee, Woo Ki-hong, Yum Jung-ah

Director: Kim Jee-woon

Rating: R

As long as you don’t take it too seriously and see it for the silly ‘80s comedy that it is, then A Fish Called Wanda comes as a pleasantly hilarious way to pass the time. The heist doesn’t make much sense but the farce the characters put on is as delightfully silly as they come. There are traces of Cleese’s Monty Python sketch humor here, as you’ll see in the puns and the wild physical gags he makes, and Curtis proves that comedy is her true calling. But some of the best parts of the movie are when the British characters rib with the Americans—it’s a classic feud, one you won’t help but laugh at, regardless of where you’re coming from.

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Actor: Al Hunter Ashton, Andrew MacLachlan, Cynthia Cleese, David Simeon, Geoffrey Palmer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jeremy Child, John Cleese, Kate Lansbury, Ken Campbell, Kevin Kline, Llewellyn Rees, Maria Aitken, Mark Elwes, Michael Palin, Michael Percival, Neville Phillips, Pamela Miles, Patricia Hayes, Peter Jonfield, Robert Putt, Roger Brierley, Roger Hume, Roland MacLeod, Sharon Marino, Stephen Fry, Tom Georgeson

Director: Charles Crichton

Rating: R

There are certain things in a family that are kept secret from kids, especially when it paints the parents in a negative light. One such secret is that a parent betrayed the other, leading to the existence of another family. A Family Thing takes that secret in Arkansas, in a story of two brothers divided by race, that is more common than acknowledged in America. While the film could have delved deeper into the divide, Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones deliver great performances, crafting brotherhood slowly bridged by curiosity, despite its difficult beginnings. A Family Thing is an underrated family drama that could've gone wrong, but it works because of the writing and the performances.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: David Keith, Grace Zabriskie, Irma P. Hall, Jacqueline Williams, James Earl Jones, Mary Jackson, Meg Thalken, Michael Beach, Paula Marshall, Phillip Edward Van Lear, Reggie Hayes, Regina Taylor, Richard Lexsee, Robert Duvall, Rufus Thomas, Xander Berkeley

Director: Richard Pearce

Rating: PG-13

Summary: it’s a really unusual movie, especially for a star like Robin Williams. It’s almost an indie film actually. Robin Williams plays Lance Clayton, the father of a typical rude teenage boy Kyle Clayton (Daryl Sabara) wherein Sabara’s character meets an unusual demise, and out of embarrassment of the situation the father ghost-writes a suicide note from his son. This white lie leads to another and another and so on until his lies spread further than anticipated. The movie definitely earns points for making the film that was set out to be made. They wanted to make a dark comedy and a dark comedy was what they made. It’s even uncomfortable to watch at times. Between Lance’s love life and Kyle’s non-existent one there’s enough awkwardness that you feel like you can’t wait to get to the next scene just so this one can be over. All in all the actors did a truly fantastic job. Each character seemed well developed by the individual actor to the point where every gesture, line delivery, and awkward silence seemed too natural and organic. Additionally, the writing was exceptional for this movie, as no dialogue was ever wasted. Each and every little detail in each and every shot of each and every scene was very carefully designed to continually push the aesthetics, this film is a big success.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Alexie Gilmore, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bruce Hornsby, Cheri Minns, Daryl Sabara, Ellie Jameson, Ellyn Jameson, Evan Martin, Geoff Pierson, Henry Simmons, Jermaine Williams, Jill Talley, Krist Novoselic, Lorraine Nicholson, Mitzi McCall, Morgan Murphy, Naomi Glick, Rebecca Erwin Spencer, Robin Williams, Toby Huss, Tom Kenny

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Rating: R

Based on a bizarre true story, Woman of the Hour follows Cheryl (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actor, and Rodney (Daniel Zovatto), a serial killer, as they participate in a dating game show. Part of the film is about the tense cat-and-mouse chase that happens between the two, but other parts are less tight. There are flashbacks and flashforwards to Rodney’s other exploits, as well as a subplot about one of the victim's friends seeking justice. Then underlying everything is a potent message about the misogyny that ran rampant in the 1970s. Feminism is supposed to be the throughline that ties everything together, but an imbalance in tone and a clumsy attempt to jam as many stories as possible results in a film that feels sorely undone. It’s admirable that Kendrick, who’s made her directorial debut with this movie, has decentered the focus from the serial killer to the female victims. I’ve had about enough of true crime outings romanticizing the killer. Kendrick is a promising director to be sure. But if only the narrative were tighter, then the film could’ve been memorable, too, instead of just meaningful.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Andy Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Autumn Best, Bonnie Hay, Daniel Zovatto, Darcy Laurie, David Beairsto, Denalda Williams, Dylan Schmid, Geoff Gustafson, James Yi, Jason Simpson, Jedidiah Goodacre, Jessica Chaffin, Jessie Fraser, Karen Holness, Kathryn Gallagher, Kelley Jakle, Matt Visser, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Matty Finochio, Max Lloyd-Jones, Michael Adamthwaite, Michael Jonsson, Nicolette Robinson, Pete Holmes, Rob Morton, Taylor Hastings, Tony Hale

Director: Anna Kendrick

Rating: R

With other available resources that tell a more well-balanced story of Tina Turner's life (notably, the 2021 documentary Tina), What's Love Got to Do with It shouldn't, by any means, be used seen as the definitive portrait of the American-Swiss singer. Still, while this 1993 biopic, insists on depicting violence instead of dissecting it, there's something to be said about how uncompromisingly it shows us what an abusive relationship can look like. As a plea to see beyond the public personas of celebrities, the film makes for an effective statement—especially because of a truly despicable turn from Laurence Fishburne, and the power that steadily builds within Angela Bassett.

Genre: Drama, History, Music

Actor: Angela Bassett, Barry Shabaka Henley, Bo Kane, Chi McBride, Cora Lee Day, Damon Hines, Daniel McDonald, Jackie O'Brien, Jenifer Lewis, Khandi Alexander, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Colyar, O'Neal Compton, Patricia Sill, Penny Johnson Jerald, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly, Richard T. Jones, Rob LaBelle, Rose Jackson, Shavar Ross, Sherman Augustus, Suli McCullough, Timmy Cappello, Tina Turner, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Virginia Capers

Director: Brian Gibson

At first glance, one may think that Welcome to Leith is a well thought-out fictional thriller of people’s most unwarranted night terrors. But if you squint real hard, you will come to realize that it portrays a scary reality in which violence, fear, and isolation is prevalent and that it could happen to possibly any town with little to no effort. Nichols and Walker aim to capture this frightening message in hopes of bringing awareness, using white supremacist Craig Cobb’s attempt at taking over the small North Dakotan town to display objectivity in an otherwise touchy subject.

Genre: Crime, Documentary, Thriller

Actor: Craig Cobb

Director: Christopher K. Walker, Michael Beach Nichols

Rating: Not Rated

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a parody of a parody, a multilayered confection of silliness that befits the musician it celebrates. It's the origin story of Weird Al Yankovic (Daniel Radcliffe) but with the surreal and satirical levels cranked up to a hundred. It's easy to get lost then, in the movie's freewheeling giddiness, but Radcliffe has a way of grounding the ultra-heightened comedy with his conviction and charm. The movie also doubles as a who's who in the 1980s music and comedy scene, and the unlikely pairings it brings together keep you entertained and nostalgic for a simpler, weirder time. 

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Music

Actor: 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Akiva Schaffer, Andrew Steven Hernandez, Anthony N., Anthony Nanakornpanom, Arturo Castro, Chad Guerrero, Conan O'Brien, Constantine Rousouli, Daniel Radcliffe, David Bloom, David Dastmalchian, Dean Sharpe, Demetri Martin, Diedrich Bader, Dot-Marie Jones, Emo Philips, Eric Appel, Evan Rachel Wood, Gordon Tarpley, Jack Black, Jack Lancaster, James Brown III, James Preston Rogers, Jimmy Walker Jr., Johnny Pemberton, Jonah Ray, Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Jorma Taccone, Josh Groban, Julianne Nicholson, Julie Chang, Keanush Tafreshi, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael McKean, Mike Escamilla, Nina West, Paloma Esparza Rabinov, Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, Paul Riley Fox, Quinta Brunson, Rainn Wilson, Richard Aaron Anderson, Rocky Abou-Sakher, Scott Aukerman, Seth Green, Spencer Treat Clark, Thomas Lennon, Toby Huss, Tommy O'Brien, Trenyce, Will Forte, William Guirola

Director: Eric Appel

Rating: TV-14