5 Best Movies to Watch From Bad Robot

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1. Infinitely Polar Bear, 2014

A calm and cute story about a manic-depressive father in late 70’s Boston taking care of his two daughters. Starring familiar-face Mark Ruffalo in the lead. The film is inspired by its director’s own experience as one of the two daughters, which added to the amazing performances, makes for a movie made and filled with love. But as it manages to keep a smile on your face most of the time, it also doesn’t shy away from hard and moving sequences. A Sundance movie filled with heart.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Alicia Love, Ashley Aufderheide, Beth Dixon, Brianne Siddall, Chris Papavasiliou, Christopher Alan, George J. Vezina, Georgia Lyman, Imogene Wolodarsky, Keir Dullea, Liam McNeill, Mark Ruffalo, Mary O'Rourke, Mike Jablon, Nekhebet Kum Juch, Patrick Shea, Scout Lyons, Wallace Wolodarsky, William Xifaras, Zoe Saldana
Director: Maya Forbes
Rating: R

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2. Presumed Innocent, 2024

You can tell showrunner David E. Kelley, who played a part in legal dramas and mysteries like Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, and Big Little Lies, is a master of the genre. Presumed Innocent is carefully paced, confidently performed, and smartly written, making it a thrilling watch regardless if you’ve seen the 1990 feature and 1987 novel of the same name. It’s not without its misses though, the biggest one being the lack of believable chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Reinsve, who seems miscast in this series. As much as I loved her in The Worst Person in the World, she seems to exude an awkward sensuality that affects the realism of the series. On the other hand, Ruth Negga, who plays Gyllenhaal’s wife, and Peter Sarsgaard, who plays his political rival, command every scene they’re in and perfectly match Gyllenhaal’s crazed intensity. Whenever the show skews formulaic, it’s their solid performances that save the scene.Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Bill Camp, Chase Infiniti, Elizabeth Marvel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Nana Mensah, O.T. Fagbenle, Peter Sarsgaard, Renate Reinsve, Ruth Negga
Rating: TV-MA

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3. Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, 2024

In 1966, Elizabeth Taylor and her friends recorded themselves talking about the ups and downs of her life. These candid conversations are the basis of The Lost Tapes, a revealing tell-all that allows Taylor to set the record straight in her own words. Here, you get to see and hear the many parts of Taylor--her romanticism, activism, and passion, as well as her fun banter with the journalists, friends, and lovers who alternately interview her. Of course, the downside to having Taylor and her loved ones narrate a biography is you only get one side of the story, while the thornier parts of her life are skated over. Things like child labor and having to play a married-24-year-old at 16 years old, or being physically abused and suffering a miscarriage, these are things Taylor, and therefore the documentary, shy away from expounding. But while it may not be the definitive documentary on Taylor, it certainly is the most personal and intimate. It also serves as a reminder of how we’d all like to be remembered—in our own and our cherished friends’ words.Genre: Documentary
Actor: Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, George Hamilton, John Heyman, Richard Burton, Roddy McDowall, Samuel Marx
Director: Nanette Burstein
Rating: R

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4. Batman: Caped Crusader, 2024

It’s easy to mistake stills of Batman: The Caped Crusader with Batman: The Animated Series, that iconic ‘90s series that many of us grew up watching. And while they are more or less helmed by the same showrunner, the newer adaptation is sleeker and cleaner, stripped of color and replaced with noir. It sounds ironic, but despite its Art Deco setting and near-monochrome design, The Caped Crusader feels refreshing to watch. It explores plenty of other villains besides the usual suspects, forgoes actual powers for skills and gadgetry, and uses plain but engaging dialogue to get its points across (no annoying snark here). This Batman goes back to his Detective Comics roots, in other words, and this show is like a police procedural that anyone of any age (and DC exposure) can enjoy.Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Crime
Actor: Hamish Linklater
Rating: TV-14

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5. Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose, 2024

Fans will love diving into this four-part documentary about former Major League Baseball player Pete Ross, especially since Rose dictates how the series goes. Director Mark Monroe gives Rose plenty of space to wax poetic about his dismissal from the MLB after a major gambling scandal and offers very few opposing voices to make this doc truly objective. It also has no business being this long; much of the documentary consists of a standard lookback into his career and recycled accounts of the scandal, which could be condensed into a half-hour. Rose is most interesting as his present, 83-year-old self: a fascinating if entitled character who believes deep down he’s done nothing wrong.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Al Michaels, Chad Lowe, Lesley Visser, Marty Brennaman, Pete Rose, Pete Rose Jr.

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