Screening Ideas - Double Bills
by RandomTask-AP | created - 14 Mar 2017 | updated - 2 days ago | PublicHere are pairs of movies to watch together, for various reasons.
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1. Children of Men (2006)
R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine
Votes: 529,596 | Gross: $35.55M
Pair it with "Logan" (2017)
2. Logan (2017)
R | 137 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook
Votes: 832,022 | Gross: $226.28M
Pair it with "Children of Men" (2006)
3. Atomic Blonde (2017)
R | 115 min | Action, Thriller
An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.
Director: David Leitch | Stars: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan
Votes: 206,616 | Gross: $51.69M
Pair it with "John Wick" (2014)
4. John Wick (2014)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.
Director: Chad Stahelski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 739,522 | Gross: $43.04M
Pair it with "Atomic Blonde" (2017)
5. Armageddon (1998)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After discovering that an asteroid the size of Texas will impact Earth in less than a month, NASA recruits a misfit team of deep-core drillers to save the planet.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler
Votes: 451,006 | Gross: $201.57M
Pair it with "Deep Impact" (1998)
6. Deep Impact (1998)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A comet is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth. As doomsday nears, the human race prepares for the worst.
Director: Mimi Leder | Stars: Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 190,466 | Gross: $140.46M
Pair it with "Armageddon" (1998)
7. Bridesmaids (I) (2011)
R | 125 min | Comedy
Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.
Director: Paul Feig | Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Terry Crews
Votes: 309,315 | Gross: $169.11M
Triple Bill with "Rough Night" (2017) and "Girl Trip" (2017)
8. Rough Night (2017)
R | 101 min | Comedy
Things go terribly wrong for a group of girlfriends who hire a male stripper for a bachelorette party in Miami.
Director: Lucia Aniello | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Zoë Kravitz, Ilana Glazer
Votes: 55,846 | Gross: $22.11M
Triple Bill with "Bridesmaids" (2011) and "Girl Trip" (2017)
9. Girls Trip (2017)
R | 122 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
Director: Malcolm D. Lee | Stars: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish
Votes: 40,496 | Gross: $115.17M
Triple Bill with "Rough Night" (2017) and "Bridesmaids" (2011)
10. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
NC-17 | 129 min | Drama, Romance
A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Maria Michi, Giovanna Galletti
Votes: 58,381 | Gross: $36.14M
Pair with “Lost in Translation “
11. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Votes: 489,400 | Gross: $44.59M
Pair with “The Last Tango in Paris”
12. The Stepford Wives (1975)
PG | 115 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.
Director: Bryan Forbes | Stars: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman
Votes: 19,581 | Gross: $8.72M
Pair with "Get Out"
13. Get Out (I) (2017)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Votes: 697,517 | Gross: $176.04M
Pair with the original "Stepford Wives" (Never go near the "SW" remake. Yuck.)
14. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Votes: 216,989 | Gross: $132.09M
Pair with “Field of Dreams” - supernatural journey of self discovery
15. Field of Dreams (1989)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.
Director: Phil Alden Robinson | Stars: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan
Votes: 128,189 | Gross: $64.43M
Pair with “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” - supernatural journey of self discovery
16. Teen Wolf (1985)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
An ordinary high school student discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree.
Director: Rod Daniel | Stars: Michael J. Fox, James Hampton, Susan Ursitti, Jerry Levine
Votes: 59,714 | Gross: $33.09M
Triple feature with “My Best Friend Is a Vampire” and “Teen Witch” - cheesy 80’s high school monster movies
17. Teen Witch (1989)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
High school misfit Louise, at a loss for romance, discovers magical abilities, but the teenage witch finds that she cannot conjure herself true love, so what?
Director: Dorian Walker | Stars: Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, Joshua John Miller, Caren Kaye
Votes: 10,490 | Gross: $0.03M
Triple feature with “Teen Wolf” and “My Best Friend Is a Vampire” - cheesy 80’s high school monster movies
18. My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1987)
PG | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Romance
After a sexual encounter with a beautiful client, a teenage delivery boy finds himself being turned into a vampire.
Director: Jimmy Huston | Stars: Robert Sean Leonard, Evan Mirand, LeeAnne Locken, Cheryl Pollak
Votes: 4,236 | Gross: $0.17M
Triple feature with “Teen Wolf” and “Teen Witch” - cheesy 80’s high school monster movies
19. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
R | 117 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow
Votes: 62,609 | Gross: $41.51M
Pair with “Spy Game”, which could be an unofficial sequel to this movie.
20. Spy Game (2001)
R | 126 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 167,135 | Gross: $0.03M
Pair with “Three Days of the Condor” as an unofficial sequel. (If you want to stretch things into a triple feature, add “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”)
21. The Post (2017)
PG-13 | 116 min | Biography, Drama, History
A cover-up spanning four U.S. Presidents pushes the country's first female newspaper publisher and her editor to join an unprecedented battle between press and government.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk
Votes: 162,380 | Gross: $81.90M
Put first on a double bill with “All the President’s Men” even though it was made decades later. It’s the first part of the struggle between President Nixon & The Washington Post.
22. All the President's Men (1976)
PG | 138 min | Drama, History, Thriller
"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam
Votes: 126,111 | Gross: $70.60M
Put second on a double bill with “The Post” even though that movie was made in 2017. It’s the struggle between President Nixon & The Washington Post.
23. Spartacus (1960)
PG-13 | 197 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton
Votes: 143,265 | Gross: $30.00M
Pair with "Gladiator" (2000) - The original sword and sandal epic with its most noteworthy remake.
24. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,621,176 | Gross: $187.71M
Pair with the original "Spartacus" (1960) - How does this stand against a film steeped in the real life drama of the US Blacklist?
25. Miss Sloane (2016)
R | 132 min | Drama
In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. But when taking on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds winning may come at too high a price.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 82,544 | Gross: $3.50M
Pair with "Molly's Game" (2017). These are two movies about smart women taking large risks both starting Jessica Chastain. - But only one was written by Aaron Sorkin. How do they compare?
26. Molly's Game (2017)
R | 140 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
Director: Aaron Sorkin | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera
Votes: 187,884 | Gross: $28.78M
Pair with "Miss Sloan" (2016). These are two movies about smart women taking large risks both starting Jessica Chastain. - But only one was written by Aaron Sorkin. How do they compare?
27. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Not Rated | 66 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.
Director: Sergei Eisenstein | Stars: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Ivan Bobrov
Votes: 61,467 | Gross: $0.05M
Pair with "The Avengers" (2012) as suggested by the guest on "The Canon" podcast from April, 2018.
28. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,898 | Gross: $623.28M
Pair with "Battleship Potempkin" (1925) as suggested by the guest on "The Canon" podcast from April, 2018.
These are unsubtle movies that wear their points right on their sleeves. Particularly the scene with Loki raiding the opera gala.
29. The Congress (2013)
Not Rated | 122 min | Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Director: Ari Folman | Stars: Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Votes: 19,916 | Gross: $0.14M
A meta look at the influence of pop culture, virtual reality and the road ahead. Tougher commentary than "Ready Player One"?
30. Ready Player One (2018)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When the creator of a virtual reality called the OASIS dies, he makes a posthumous challenge to all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune and control of his world.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe
Votes: 486,596 | Gross: $137.69M
Put head-to-head with "The Congress" does it hold its own or is the message hamstrung by also being a big-budget tentpole helmed by the genius who directed so many of the creations on which the movie is commenting?
31. Flash Gordon (1980)
PG | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth.
Director: Mike Hodges | Stars: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol
Votes: 61,562
Pair with "Thor Ragnarok" (2017)
It's an over-the-top fun space adventure B-movie with an A-list cast about a hero in a fish-out-of-water scenario with the fate of the world in his hands.
32. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 816,538 | Gross: $315.06M
The spiritual remake of "Flash Gordon" (1980).
It's another over-the-top fun space adventure B-movie with an A-list cast about a hero in a fish-out-of-water scenario with the fate of the world in his hands.
33. Grease (1978)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Director: Randal Kleiser | Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
Votes: 300,725 | Gross: $188.76M
Pair with "The BreakfastClub" (198x).
These are generational pictures of American suburban teenage angst. Face off between the Baby Boomers and the Gen X-ers
34. The Breakfast Club (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Votes: 436,771 | Gross: $45.88M
Pair with "Rebel Without a Cause"
These are generational pictures of American suburban teenage angst. Face off between the Baby Boomers and the Gen X-ers
35. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama
A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.
Director: Nicholas Ray | Stars: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus
Votes: 97,986
Pair with "The Breakfast Club" (1985)
These are generational pictures of American suburban teenage angst. Face off between the Baby Boomers and the Gen X-ers
36. Back to the Future (1985)
PG | 116 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
Votes: 1,307,590 | Gross: $210.61M
Pair with "Hot Rub Time Machine" (2010)
37. Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
A malfunctioning time machine at a ski resort takes a man back to 1986 with his two friends and nephew, where they must relive a fateful night and not change anything to make sure the nephew is born.
Director: Steve Pink | Stars: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke
Votes: 186,563 | Gross: $50.29M
Pair with "Back to the Future" (1985)
It's cruder and far looser, but it's as close as anyone dared to get to remaking a classic.
38. The Theory of Flight (1998)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two miserable people find happiness together: a man dreaming of flying, and a woman dreaming of living.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Jones, Holly Aird
Votes: 2,735 | Gross: $0.07M
39. Dance Me to My Song (1998)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A woman with cerebral palsy communicates with the world via her computer with a voice box. Her caretaker is a short-tempered woman who begrudges the woman the care she needs. Things change ... See full summary »
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Heather Rose, Joey Kennedy, John Brumpton, Rena Owen
Votes: 462
40. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 451,110 | Gross: $30.86M
Pair with "The Fifth Element" (1997) as parallel romantic comedies - one from fantasy, one from sci-fi
41. The Fifth Element (1997)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm
Votes: 506,582 | Gross: $63.54M
Pair with "Princess Bride" (1987) as parallel romantic comedies - one from fantasy, one from sci-fi
42. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Thriller
A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman
Votes: 139,204 | Gross: $0.09M
Pair with the original "Assault on Precinct 13". Are they the same movie?
43. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A Highway Patrol Officer, two criminals and a station secretary defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West
Votes: 55,649
Pair with the original "Night of the Living Dead". Are they the same movie?
44. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,223 | Gross: $248.16M
Pair with "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014). Deep pop culture echoes.
45. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana
Votes: 1,273,878 | Gross: $333.18M
Pair with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). Pop culture connections and homages. Especially Starlord's first space adventure and Indy's first adventure.
46. Ghostbusters (1984)
PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
Votes: 450,526 | Gross: $238.63M
Pair with “Frighteners” (1996)
47. The Frighteners (1996)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
After a tragic car accident that kills his wife, a man discovers he can communicate with the dead, and he uses that gift to con people. However, when a demonic spirit appears, he may be the only one who can stop it from killing the living and the dead.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin
Votes: 95,539 | Gross: $16.76M
Pair with “Ghostbusters“ (1984)
48. Flight (I) (2012)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, John Goodman
Votes: 376,306 | Gross: $93.77M
49. Sully (2016)
PG-13 | 96 min | Biography, Drama
When pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey
Votes: 298,275 | Gross: $125.07M
50. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
PG | 99 min | Comedy, Drama
An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone
Votes: 117,595 | Gross: $106.59M
Pair this with "Green Book" (2018)
51. Green Book (2018)
PG-13 | 130 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
Director: Peter Farrelly | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco
Votes: 572,826 | Gross: $85.08M
Pair this with "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989)
52. A Quiet Place (2018)
PG-13 | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
Director: John Krasinski | Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Votes: 583,953 | Gross: $188.02M
Pair with "Bird Box". Similar stories.
53. Bird Box (2018)
R | 124 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 386,519
Pair with "A Quiet Place," which is considered superior and released the same year.
54. Upgrade (2018)
R | 100 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Set in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.
Director: Leigh Whannell | Stars: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen, Abby Craden
Votes: 206,898 | Gross: $11.98M
Pair with "Venom" (also from 2018). Similar stories, but this uses imagination in lieu of budget to develop character and style more effectively.
55. Venom (2018)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze
Votes: 538,640 | Gross: $213.52M
Pair with "Upgrade" (also from 2018). Similar stories, but this relies on budget, special effects, name recognition and a gonzo performance from Tom Hardy.
56. The Searchers (1956)
Passed | 119 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.
Director: John Ford | Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond
Votes: 96,342
57. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 436,343 | Gross: $101.16M
58. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Votes: 83,599 | Gross: $24.38M
Suggested pairing with "Beverly Hills Cop" by "Unspooled" podcast
59. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.
Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher
Votes: 203,435 | Gross: $234.76M
Suggested pairing with "In the Heat of the Night" by "Unspooled" podcast
60. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 436,343 | Gross: $101.16M
Suggested pairing with "John Wick" by "Unspooled" podcast. Retired killer reluctantly returns to work.
61. John Wick (2014)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.
Director: Chad Stahelski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 739,522 | Gross: $43.04M
Suggested pairing with "Unforgiven" by "Unspooled" podcast. Retired killer reluctantly returns to work.
62. The Mask (1994)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss is transformed into a manic superhero when he wears a mysterious mask.
Director: Chuck Russell | Stars: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene
Votes: 421,068 | Gross: $119.94M
Pair with "Venom" (2018).
63. Venom (2018)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze
Votes: 538,640 | Gross: $213.52M
Pair with "The Mask" (1994) from which this liberally borrows plot points - right down to the dog.
64. The Prodigy (2019)
R | 92 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A mother concerned about her young son's disturbing behavior thinks something supernatural may be affecting him.
Director: Nicholas McCarthy | Stars: Taylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott, Peter Mooney, Colm Feore
Votes: 28,332 | Gross: $14.86M
65. Brightburn (2019)
R | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
Director: David Yarovesky | Stars: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Abraham Clinkscales
Votes: 107,891 | Gross: $17.30M
66. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,072,851 | Gross: $112.00M
Pair with "Cool Hand Luke" - rebelling against authority
67. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
GP | 127 min | Crime, Drama
A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon
Votes: 188,612 | Gross: $16.22M
Pair with "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest" - rebelling against authority
68. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,072,851 | Gross: $112.00M
Pair with "The Dream Team" as a sequel or comedy version
69. The Dream Team (1989)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Four mental patients on a field trip in New York City must save their caring chaperon, who ends up being taken to a hospital in a coma after accidentally witnessing a murder, before the killers can find him and finish the job.
Director: Howard Zieff | Stars: Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle, Stephen Furst
Votes: 16,384 | Gross: $28.89M
Pair with "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest" - This is the comedy version
70. Point Break (1991)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Votes: 202,428 | Gross: $43.22M
Pair with “The Fast and the Furious” (2001)
71. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Los Angeles police officer Brian O'Conner must decide where his loyalty really lies when he becomes enamored with the street racing world he has been sent undercover to destroy.
Director: Rob Cohen | Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster
Votes: 419,770 | Gross: $144.53M
Pair with “Point Break” (1991). Basically a remake
72. Casablanca (1942)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Votes: 606,276 | Gross: $1.02M
Pair with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1980)
73. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,223 | Gross: $248.16M
Pair with "Casablanca" (1942)
74. Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
R | 141 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
1969. Four strangers check in at the El Royale Hotel. The hotel is deserted, staffed by a single desk clerk. Some of the new guests' reasons for being there are less than innocent and some are not who they appear to be.
Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm
Votes: 164,711 | Gross: $17.84M
Freaky cinematic places to stay.
Pair with "Hotel Artemis" (2018)
75. Hotel Artemis (2018)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.
Director: Drew Pearce | Stars: Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown
Votes: 58,481 | Gross: $6.71M
Freaky cinematic places to stay.
Pair with "Bad Times at the El Royale" (2018)
76. The Natural (1984)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sport
A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Votes: 52,483 | Gross: $47.95M
77. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 464,875 | Gross: $75.61M
78. Cliffhanger (1993)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner
Votes: 140,011 | Gross: $84.05M
Pair with "Free Solo" (2018) - The Hollywood version vs the real thing
79. Free Solo (2018)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe
Votes: 77,466 | Gross: $17.54M
Pair with "Cliffhanger" (1993) - The Hollywood version vs the real thing
80. Wonder Woman (2017)
PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis
Votes: 699,898 | Gross: $412.56M
Marvel vs. DC - with Captain Marvel
81. Captain Marvel (2019)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck | Stars: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law
Votes: 611,059 | Gross: $426.83M
Marvel vs Dc - with Wonder Woman
82. Man of Steel (2013)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien child is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His peace is threatened when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane
Votes: 812,137 | Gross: $291.05M
The idealized superhero. The dream defender. Pair with "Brightburn" (2019)
83. Brightburn (2019)
R | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
Director: David Yarovesky | Stars: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Abraham Clinkscales
Votes: 107,891 | Gross: $17.30M
What if Superman had to go through the normal adolescent rebellious emotional growth without anyone who could control or guide him? It'd probably be a nightmare.
Pair with "Man of Steel" (2013) &/or "Superman" (1980)
84. The Player (1992)
R | 124 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected, but which one?
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 65,817 | Gross: $21.71M
Triple Bill with “True Crime” (1999) and “Rumor Has It” (2005). This film predicts the other two movies as creatively bankrupt productions.
85. Rumor Has It... (2005)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Sarah Huttinger is a woman who learns that her family was the inspiration for the book and film "The Graduate" -- and that she just might be the offspring of the well-documented event.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo, Shirley MacLaine, Kevin Costner
Votes: 61,687 | Gross: $43.00M
Pair with "The Player" (1992) - This is a predicted folly
86. True Crime (1999)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Can an over-the-hill journalist uncover the evidence that can prove a death row inmate's innocence just hours before his execution?
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, LisaGay Hamilton, James Woods
Votes: 38,540 | Gross: $16.64M
Pair with "The Player" (1992) - This is a predicted folly
87. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
R | 169 min | Drama, War
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Votes: 1,497,195 | Gross: $216.54M
Pair with "The (Fighting) Sullivans" (1944)
88. The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
Approved | 112 min | Biography, Drama, History
The lives of a close-knit group of brothers growing up in Iowa during the days of the Great Depression.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Anne Baxter, Thomas Mitchell, Selena Royle, Edward Ryan
Votes: 2,360
First on a bill with “Saving Private Ryan” (1998). (The original "Fighting Sullivans" title is better.) This launched the premise that establishes the premise of the mission in Speilberg's film
89. Harold and Maude (1971)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack
Votes: 81,871
Pair with "Secretary" (2002) - unconventional romances
90. Secretary (2002)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.
Director: Steven Shainberg | Stars: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren
Votes: 98,652 | Gross: $4.06M
Pair with "Harold and Maude" (1971) - unconventional romances
91. Iron Man (2008)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Votes: 1,125,419 | Gross: $318.41M
Is this the mold for all Marvel movies?
92. Doctor Strange (2016)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
Director: Scott Derrickson | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong
Votes: 805,454 | Gross: $232.64M
Pair with “Iron Man” (2008) to compare very similar stories
93. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 719,976 | Gross: $56.95M
Pair with “Interstellar”
94. Interstellar (2014)
PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy
Votes: 2,102,123 | Gross: $188.02M
Pair with “2001: A Space Odessey”
95. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
PG | 76 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Batman is wrongly implicated in a series of murders of mob bosses actually committed by a new vigilante assassin.
Directors: Kevin Altieri, Boyd Kirkland, Frank Paur, Dan Riba, Eric Radomski, Bruce Timm | Stars: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach
Votes: 56,892 | Gross: $5.62M
Pair with "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" (2000) - One telling of the beginning of Batman's career
96. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000 Video)
PG-13 | 76 min | Animation, Action, Crime
The Joker is back with a vengeance, and Gotham's newest Dark Knight needs answers as he stands alone to face Gotham's most infamous Clown Prince of Crime.
Director: Curt Geda | Stars: Will Friedle, Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Angie Harmon
Votes: 29,799
Pair with "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (1993) - One telling of the end of Batman's career
97. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 719,798 | Gross: $67.44M
Pair with "The Dark Knight" (2008) - inspiration for structure of "The Dark Knight" & "Skyfall"
98. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,872,387 | Gross: $534.86M
Pair with "Heat" (1995) - Inspired by "Heat"'s structure & then became the inspiration for the structure of "SkyFall"
99. Skyfall (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench
Votes: 731,341 | Gross: $304.36M
Pair with "The Dark Knight" (2008) - inspiration for structure, which took its inspiration from "Heat" (1995)
100. The Searchers (1956)
Passed | 119 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.
Director: John Ford | Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond
Votes: 96,342
Pair with "Saving Private Ryan" - structure (Spielberg clearly liked it. Dunno why.)
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