Watch

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”
― Dr. Seuss

MOVIES & TV

(Harrison’s Tomatoes ranking)

Romantic & Family Comedy

• Kramer vs. Kramer ☑️(88%) – game-changing, genius Dustin Hoffmann, NYC vibes
• Four Weddings and a Funeral ☑️(65%) – decent Brit humor, strange flow, stale
• Say Anything ☑️(88%) – famous Boom-box scene, old-school rom-com, feeling good
• Manhattan ☑️(96%) – NYC ode to love, Diane Keaton wit, touching
• Ladybird ☑️(89%) – outstanding lead, short, intense at times, sweet
• Hannah and Her Sisters ☑️(87%) – Woody Allen ensemble, good story, nothing extraordinary
• Lost in Translation☑️ (90%) – Bill Murray fantastico, Tokyo vibes, spiritual
• Palm Springs ☑️ (90%) – mysterious play on rom-com, witty scenes, and jubilant tunes
• Crossing Delancey ☑️ (88%) – love story to NYC, Jewish relatability in the stratosphere, ponders about love
• Moana ☑️ (94%) – so well done, so uplifting, The Rock impressed me and Lin Manuel does Lin Manuel things. Big fan of this film.

Noir / Edgy / Mystery

• After Hours ☑️(85%) – old-school NYC noir, humorous, classic
• Thelma & Louise ☑️ (70%) – wild ending, superb friendship, odd flow
• Inherent Vice ☑️(79%) – odd, tough to follow, Phoenix wildin’
• Gone Girl☑️(88%) – gnarly, surreal, freaky 
• Parasite ☑️(99%) – nothing short of remarkable, movies like this are now once every five years, and such a powerful message on class conflict, love, family
• Leaving Las Vegas ☑️ (90%) – Nick Cage out of this world, cool 90’s vibes, intense af
• Sex Lies and Videotapes ☑️ (90%) – old school Harvey Weinstein flick, sorta trippy & spicy in an interesting way, sex
• Under the Silver Lake ☑️ (70%) – odd film with star actors but just wasn’t quite gripping enough and way too LA for my taste.

Dark Comedy

• The Big Lebowski ☑️(89%) –worth the hype, trippy, more complex than I thought it would be
• Birdman☑️ (96%) – surreal cinematography, brilliant structure, next-level by Norton & Stone
• Burn After Reading☑️ (95%) – Immensely underrated flick showing the brilliance of the Coen Brothers both from character development & dialogue. A-List cast also brings the goods and Clooney/Pitt steal scenes throughout the movie.
• Trainspotting ☑️ (96%) – obsessed, uplifting, great tunes
• Heathers ☑️ (90%) – Late 8o’s and 90’s lifestyle in American suburbia could not be better encapsulated than it is in this neo-noir, black comedy thriller with Winona Ryder’s greatness shining every step of the way.
• Best in Show ☑️ (93%) – laugh out loud funny, brilliant satire, memorable Eugene Levy & Catherine O’Hara performances.
• I, Tonya ☑️ (76%) – Robbie is brilliant, a few characters were annoying, but great acting all around.
• The Favourite ☑️ (86%) – Brilliant stuff here from all actors and I love the pace & storylines.

Action / Roller-Coaster Crime

• True Grit ☑️(91%)
• Rocknrolla ☑️(80%) – second-half is excellent, gritty British, not the best Ritchie
• City of God ☑️(95%) – leave speechless, exhilarating true story, powerful
• The Gentlemen ☑️(96%) – classic Guy Ritchie, whirlwind, witty
• Match Point ☑️(91%) – sexy British mystery, somehow Woody Allen is involved, twistssss & turnssss
• True Romance☑️(81%) – Tarantino-written, crime, cameos
• Motherless Brooklyn ☑️(84%) – Edward Norton does some brilliant things here in this courageous NYC “period piece” (despite dragging a bit)
• Good Time ☑️(82%) – Safdie Brothers bring us on a roller coaster of edgy NYC underground vibes, crime, fiction, and love (thrilling too)
• Heat ☑️(85%) – Can’t go wrong with Pacino & De Niro, extremely underrated film with relatively deep musings on live & living
• Knives Out☑️(89%) – masterful, a fun ride, terrific ensemble
• Spring Breakers☑️(47%) – barely a film, noir-scape, and no cohesion
• Pain and Glory ☑️(96%) – fun, joy ride vibes, and how can you not watch a movie with this title
• The Bank Job ☑️ (84%) – Certainly the true story element makes this neat and Jason Statham does Jason Statham things, but this still dragged out with strange pacing in the second half.
• Panic Room ☑️ (85%) – Jodie Foster belongs in this type of role, one piece was missing, jaw/gripping
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind ☑️ (60%) – Cool opening but a little slow from there, missed potential

Fun / Loose

• Clerks ☑️ (88%) – dating humor, gritty, short & sweet
• High Fidelity ☑️(85%) – Jack Black makes this cool, still tough to finish, and definitely a key sign of the time period
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ☑️(85%)
• The Greatest Showman☑️(86%) – couple fantastic songs, great story, expedited
• Dolemite Is My Name☑️(97%) – this must-watch Eddie Murphy come back will make you laugh, cry, stay inspired, and remember comedic gold’s formation
• Soul ☑️ (98%) – meta & existential, Pixar geniuses per usual, NYC yay
• Toy Story 4☑️ (50%) – super-slow, overdone, and maybe me yearn for the earlier movies

Gripping Dramas

• Bad Education ☑️ (90%) – Jackman & Janney, recent true events, astonishing story
• Whiplash ☑️(90%) – intensely captivating & honestly irreverent take on a protege in an intense field
• Waves ☑️(85%) – first-half electric, A24-ode, intense
• Primal Fear ☑️(88%) – the ending will blow your mind, Richard Gere & Eddie Norton gon’ cray, and I see you 90’s movies
• American History X ☑️(89%) – Eddie Norton is everywhere and you can’t miss this American story that will leave you speechless in scene after scene
• The Revenant ☑️(74%) – Superb Leo, beautiful nature, slow drag
• Molly’s Game ☑️(88%) – thrill ride, crazy story, superb leads
• Full Metal Jacket ☑️(91%) – intense war film with “out there” humor, plays on serious subjects, and superb acting.
• Dallas Buyers Club ☑️(91%) – Matthew does his thing, powerful stuff, not too slow of a drama, and exhilarating final hour
• Million Dollar Baby ☑️(88%)
• Bombshell ☑️(91%)
• Bohemian Rhapsody ☑️(87%)

Slow-Burn Dramas

• Moonlight ☑️(89%) – strong imagery, impactful character development, light plot
• The Founder ☑️(85%) – inspiring entrepreneurial journey, smooth ride, fun too so fun
• A Star is Born ☑️ (91%) – Gaga is breathakingly amazing, morose, and pops
• Little Women☑️(93%) – smart, great ending and writing
• The End of the Tour☑️ (89%) – intuitive, snack-able, gripping
• Tangerine ☑️ (80%) – really dope LA street scenes, sometimes too intense & depressing, other times raw & unfiltered, documetary-esque
• Phantom Thread ☑️ [82%] – intense ending molds this slight, smooth epic into a dark classic. Daniel Day gon’ Daniel Day.
• The Green Knight ☑️[51%]

Life-Changing Dramas

• There Will Be Blood ☑️ (94%) – What more can you say about this epic piece of cinema than absolutely breathtakingly & engrossing. Daniel Day is not from this planet, Paul Dano does his part to play along, and the ending scene has more power than a LeBron James dunk
• Mother ☑️ (94%) – Same guy as Parasite wrote a fascinating thriller here with a couple twists & turns at the end
• Green Book ☑️(97%) – brilliant story & brilliant leads and you will leave with a tear-jerker in this American expose on music, art, relations, culture and so much more (lead actors aren’t too shabby either)
• Dead Poets Society ☑️(95%) – r u kidding me Robin Williams, philosophy & love every step of the way, and have I mentioned the end scene
• The English Patient ☑️(90%) – epic love & war story that will make you jolly, solemn, & euphoric
• A Bronx Tale ☑️(94%) – strong De Niro, not the best, but not the worst

International

• Cinema Paradisio☑️ (88%) – moving, cohesive, and classical
• Amelie ☑️ (85%) – beautifully romantic, French, poignant ending
• Roma ☑️(86%) – whirlwind, deep, well-acclaimed

Science Fiction / Mind-Benders

• 12 Monkeys ☑️(87%) – sci-fi trippy, old school, Pitt kills
• Punch Drunk Love ☑️(50%) – confusing plot, tough to finish, not too splendid
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind☑️(85%) – fascinating, uplifting, Winslet 
• Memento ☑️(81%) – will make you think but failed to live up to expectations, trippy af, and neat final scene
• Mad Max: Fury Road☑️ (96%) – unstoppably victorious movie that makes you remember what movies should be like, can watch this 10 million times and not be freaked out by its dystopian predictions
• Get Out ☑️ (98%) – beyond worth the hype, a brilliant roller-coaster thriller with super acting, dark comedy social commentary, and so many speechless moments (I also think my couch is still clenching…).
• Children of Men☑️ (95%) – phenomenal adventurous film with gritty filmmaking & music, futuristic themes/storylines, and classic British fight war scenes.

Oldies

• Chinatown ☑️ (90%) – one of the best movies ever made, Jack Nicholson just has a way with the screen in this 70’s juggernaut of a thrilling murder mystery
• The Sting ☑️(92%) – classic Redford, King Paul Newman, neat twists

Newly Minted Must Watch List Movies I Have a Feeling I Will Watch

• No Sudden Move
• Dav
• Val
• Blade Runner
• Unbreakable
• Out of Sight
• Full Frontal
• Anything Else
• Dogville
• Police Story 3
• Dogma
• Fences
• Dogtooth
• Midsommar
• RocketMan
• Under the Skin
• Moon
• Dogtooth
• Force Majeure
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Boyhood
• Yellowstone

TV Comedies That I Know of But Have Never Watched Consistently Enough to Appreciate & Laugh At

• Modern Family
• Scrubs
• Parks & Recreation
• 30 Rock
• The Good Place

Movies Stayed on Must Watch List for Over a Year So I May Not Be As Interested But Still May Watch at Some Point

• The Farewell
• Crimes and Misdemeanors
• While You Were Sleeping
• Kids
• Hollywoodland
• Mulholland Drive
• A Fish Called Wanda
• Death Proof
• 21 Grams
• War Dogs
• The Master
• Honeyboy
• The People vs. Larry Flynt
• The Place Behind the Pines
• Eyes Wide Shut
• Melancholia
• Requiem for a Dream
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• Clockwork Orange
• Trading Places
• The Secret to my Success (80’s)
• Moonstruck (80’s)
• Midnight Cowboy (60’s)
• Barbarella (60’s)
• Good Morning Vietnam (80’s)

PEAK TELEVISION

• Ted Lasso ☑️(91%) – Perky British fun & humor in a smartly written, well acted, uplifting story. Just a flat out well executed comedy.
• New Pope ☑️(90%) – Malkovich is not from this planet in this cooky, strange, yet captivating second season. This is art.
• Better Call Saul☑️(100%) – No words can describe my utter infatuation with the worlds Vince Gilligan creates and this show has broken past Breaking Bad (in my humble opinion). The cinematography is pristine, the writing sublime, acting downright marvelous, and this show makes you think about life. Did I mention dark comedy?
• Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• House of Dragon
• Industry
• Unorthodox ☑️(95%) – A Yiddish-Israeli classic, lead actress is a star in the making, a bit tough to watch at times, thrilling
• Fauda
• Chernobyl☑️(96%) – Speechless rendition of historical accuracy unrivaled in this world. HBO did it again and you won’t be able to look away
• The Crown ☑️ (97%) – Season 4 has taken the show to astronomical heights, exploring not just British royalty, but what does it all mean but who we are, what we want, what’s our purpose. Oh, did I mention it’s immaculately shot?
• Barry ☑️(96%) – Bill Hader made a masterpiece with Fargo-esque dark comedy, my favorite genre
• Sex and the City☑️(89%) – When you add in how much it changed culture, this fun, edgy, hip, suave story about four friends in New York has it all
• Ozark
• The Mandalorian ☑️(89%) – I’m not a Star Wars die-hard, but I find so much joy in this — the storytelling is just perfect and hits most elements of great TV
• Succession ☑️(83%) – takes a bit to get into, but thrilling Machiavellian drama that takes Billions & Sopranos and has a baby 
• Schitt’s Creek☑️(90%) – laugh out loud funny, witty, brilliant, and Moira has Momma Forman vibes in the best way possible
• Six Feet Under☑️(89%) – by the end you will be pulling your hair out but the beginning’s ode to life & death is subtle, nuanced, and edgy. Towards the end, you will dislike every character to get to an average final scene.
• Shtisel
• Casa di Papel☑️(88%) – sexy, sensational, European, sleek, and so much more, this take on the bank robbery has long monologues and some plot holes but the music, mystery, and swag make up for it 
• The Last Dance ☑️(97%) – Michael Jordan. Two words. That’s all you need to know about this inspiring, extremely well-executed viral show
• Normal People
• Ozark
• Yellowstone

DOCUMENTARIES

• Roadrunner ☑️(90%)
• Catfish☑️(80%) – just okay, seriously, it’s just okay and I guess interesting towards the end
• Social Dilemma☑️(87%) – well done, eagerly anticipated and scary look at social media’s ownership of, well, everything we do & think about
• The Inventor: Out for Blood☑️(90%) – jaw-dropping, Jobs-Ian, Orwell-Ian, and downright creepy true story
• Diana: In Her Own Words
• The Queen of Versailles