Recommended Movies
Okay.
So first, this is a show on HBO and thus is pretty mature. The protagonist is a middle-aged obese woman in Kansas who has a gay best friend and a trans acquaintance. The show starts as she's still stuck in her hometown after caring for her sister who died of cancer. She has an alcoholic mom and an aging dad. I'll be honest: this is not my typical TV fare. However, the show is funny and incredibly touching. There's a whole lot of tenderness and kindness here as the town misfits navigate some tough stuff. Anyhow, IF your parents are cool with you watching more mature TV, give this one a shot. Give it at least 2-3 episodes to really get invested in the characters. Season 2 is just out and it's even better.
Warning: Trailer has mature language.
A sprawling epic that spans the mountains of Montana to the battlefields of World War 1. Three brothers are raised by their father on a ranch in Montana. The youngest brother brings his fiance home, but all three brothers fall in love with her. It's touching, tragic, and beautiful. (Language, nudity, violence. FYI.)
This movie has one of the best trailers and one of the best soundtracks ever. It's about a young man who flies home for his mom's funeral after spending most of his youth numb to the world. I would label it a dark comedy. (It has lots of language, drug use, and brief inappropriate nudity. FYI.)
This movie is one of my favorite of all time. I thought about this movie for WEEKS after I first watched it. It's clever, it's artsy, it's trippy, and it's heartbreaking. While it never got much publicity, it's in my "Top Ten Favorite Movies" list. (It also has quite a bit of naughty language. FYI.)
This one is based on the play/musical Les Miserables (itself an adaptation of a novel originally written by Victor Hugo)and tells the tale of several people during the June Rebellion in France. It's got a lot of famous actors in it like Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen.
While I'm not a huge musical guy, this film is amazing. I definitely cried the last time I watched it. Be aware that the entire movie is sung by the actors; however, the lyrics are easy to understand, and it's a visually stunning movie.
I 10/10 recommend. Everyone has to watch it at least once.
This movie is based on the novel by Thomas Hardy, one of my favorite Victorian authors. If you like to nerd out over British romance, like a strong female protagonist, and enjoy the "Which man should she choose?" genre, you'll like this one. It's ultimately uplifting and doesn't have any spicy content.
This is a series done in the early 70s by a guy in the UK named John Berger. It bills itself as a series about renaissance paintings, but it's really not. It's about the way we see the world.
Of particular interest is this second episode on renaissance nudes. I obviously cannot show it in class, and it's not really about renaissance nudes. Instead, it's about how women are viewed by both men and women. It's a deep meditation at the way we perceive ourselves and others.
(WARNING: contains brief nudity and obviously lots of nudes in paintings.)