Arguably the most iconic and memorable action-adventure film ever made and a textbook example of how Hollywood filmmaking can go so right.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
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Tag / USA
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Last Samurai, The (2003)
The best parts of this decent Hollywood-style samurai epic are the heart-to-heart conversations between Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, backed by a lush, emotional score by Hans Zimmer.
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
An astonishing sci-fi-drama that is also one of Spielberg’s very best, complete with awe-inspiring scenes and heartwarming embrace of humanity.
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Lolita (1962)
With incredible restraint and backed by all-round excellent performances, Kubrick’s exploration into a revolting form of sexual obsession is remarkable for its implicit portrayal of an erotic relationship between a (step)father and his daughter.
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Fear and Desire (1953)
Kubrick’s much-maligned first feature, while a sketchy exercise, is still (barely) watchable as it ruminates about war and existence, albeit in too self-important and vacuous a manner.
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Duel (1971)
A young Steven Spielberg tries to master the art of suspense filmmaking in this highly thrilling telemovie.
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Mystery Train (1989)
An essential early work of Jarmusch, this is a cinematic hymn to Memphis city’s rich musical history, filmed as a connecting triptych of oddball characters of various nationalities over the course of one day and night in this ‘ghost town’.
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Da 5 Bloods (2020)
An interesting mess of ideas, genres and styles, Spike Lee’s lengthy new joint is effective when it is polemical, but the main message about how we could draw urgent relevancy from the contemporary Black Lives Matter movement in relation to the painful lessons of the Vietnam War gets muddled in the film’s excesses.
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First They Killed My Father (2017)
An excellent lead performance by a child aside, this is too postcard picture-perfect and poorly-paced a film about the torrid experiences of surviving the Khmer Rouge regime to be considered essential viewing.
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Se7en (1995)
Fincher’s now-classic ‘90s take on the grisly investigative crime movie is engrossing, well-made, and may well chill you to the bone.
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Eternality Tan 