I rarely pay to see a movie at a theatre, so this was one of the rare ones because it got so much hype. I've also seen Dune and Dune 2 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Yeah, I've read the 3 main ones. I actually quite like the David Lynch version, but I've been a fan of his since Eraserhead, which fucking blew my mind.
No, it’s more of a mystery/race against the clock kind of sci-fi movie, but it’s all grounded in a really emotional story. One of the few movies I’ve seen recently that just felt like it immediately cemented itself as a sci-fi classic.
The Martian is cool because it has a bunch of cool science stuff but also the idea of humans coming together to reach a common goal is just awesome. And space is SCARY!
I watched this recently and was trying to work out the meaning behind >!the dinosaurs that appear. I guess they entered the cave at some point.. but then wouldn’t they have needed to enter it on the same day they were repeating?!<
This part always blows me away. A sequel that almost no one was asking for comes out 35 years later and is both additive to the original movie while standing on its own 2 feet.
I love Denis
To add to what people are saying, yes it’s a sequel but it also stands on its own. You could watch this without having ever seen the original and it would still make sense (though seeing the original certainly informs and improves the sequel).
Definitely one of my picks for best recent movies. Funny how Denis Villeneuve’s films just keep showing up on this list. He’s definitely one of the greatest directors of his generation. You could even just sit down and marathon all his work
So many of these comments are just naming their favorite films and some not even in the last 8 years....haha good luck op.
Edit: I guess I should thrown in a name but Ladybird(2019) was absolutely amazing and makes me laugh and cry every time I watch it. It's definitely a must see.
been seeing the thumbnail on netflix a few times but these days every movie looks equally shitty somehow, so i never bothered.
thanks, will check it out tonight.
It needs to be prefaced with a serious trigger warning though. Absolutely brilliant and well-made film that I never wanna see again thanks to a particularly harrowing scene that had me truly disgusted and got my blood boiling.
Vastly underrated. Is this the first time Crowe really leaned into his weight gain and owned a more gritty presence in a film? Suits him perfectly and Gosling plays off him so well.
Juicy throuple with a side of tennis? Challengers
Horror/thriller? Barbarian
Enjoyable feel good somewhat sci-fi comedy? Palm Springs
Nice wholesome drama? Captain Fantastic
Weird but good? Poor things
Lowkey Sci-fi? Arrival
Musical? La La Land
Korean Drama Thriller? Parasite
Satire? Death of Stalin
Animation? Spiderverse movies or Coco
Adam sandler comeback? Uncut Gems
Feelin UK? The Gentlemen
Want great acting? The Father
Want great sci-fi but with existentialism? Everything Everywhere All at Once
Want good horror? Hereditary
Want documentary? Free solo
Want an unbelievable story? Society of the snow
Do you like sad/melancholic? Aftersun
Do you like experimental? The Zone of Interest
Tons more but this is a start
I was just recommending this the other day. “Incredibly stressful film that was very well done. You might not want to watch it twice though.”
Not sure I’d sell it as a “Sandler comeback” film
What makes it unsettling/stressful? I want to watch it but I've seen a lot of comments saying it's hectic so I kind of want to know what I'm getting into
You’re watching someone make bad decision after bad decision and at every opportunity to get out of the loop he’s created, he makes a worse decision.
Effectively nonstop
I can see how it has cinematic appreciation, but i would not recommend it for limited time / casual viewing like OP might be looking for. I love film but was underwhelmed and would put so many more films above this.
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Spiderman Across the Spiderverse.
The Mitchell's vs The Machines
Past Lives
Godzilla Minus One
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Jojo Rabbit
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Portrait of A Lady on Fire
Little Women (2019 version)
Get Out
Logan
I consider jojo rabbit Taika Waititi’s magnum opus everything about it is hilarious/ perfect. I think he even trolled fans because to tell people you love it you have to say it’s about a boy who dreams of being the best nazi ever and has hitler as his imaginary best friend
Agreed, Taika is a great director/actor/writer, but JoJo is on a whole other level from his other work. Very few scenes in any movie hit me as hard as the red shoes.
The Father
Mostly watched it to understand why Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar over Chadwick Boseman. Not only was his win unambiguously deserved, the movie as a whole is well crafted.
I was…not ready for whatever this movie was. I can’t say I enjoyed it and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. It was unique, but just felt like it lost the plot and went off the rails at some point. To each their own though.
Not a fan of Brad Pitt so I had no plans to watch it but finally said what the heck recently. I loved it! I watched it 3x in a 2 week span and that’s atypical for me.
Knives Out is great, a hot take would be saying that Glass Onion was as good as or better than it.
... Because it wasn't. But that first one was really good.
Jojo Rabbit is a movie about nazi youth directed by Taika Waititi. It’s funny and heartbreaking at the same time. My whole family went to see it and we all loved it.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Don't know how no one has recommended this yet, it's my favorite after Spiderverse! It is one of those that has great themes, it balances THREE great villains amazingly well, and the animation is stellar.
Watched it three times in theaters.
Everything Everywhere All at Once: a bonkers sci fi film that’s really about family.
The Holdovers: A movie about a Teacher, a Lunch Lady, and an older teen stuck staying at a private school over the holidays. It’s a movie that takes place in 1978, feels like it was made in 1978 and is heart warming with a bit of a “found family” sort of feel. Check out the trailer and you’ll know exactly what kind of movie it is. Great performances all around. The actress who plays the lunch lady won the (very well deserved) Oscar.
Okay, hear me out, but... *Cats* is a "must-see" movie.
Not because it's any good, but because it is so bafflingly, uniquely terrible that you kind of have to watch it to see why. It's Hollywood hubris at its worst; a big budget movie made by an Academy Award winning director, with several award winning actors, that somehow manages to make the wrong decision on every level. It's insane.
Is it disturbing? I told my husband I haven’t seen Requiem for a Dream and he was shocked but then said he’s not sure if he wants to watch it again with me.
It's disturbing in the sense that it's very "real". So not horror or gore but just really bad people do horrible things to innocent people and you see the suffering first hand.
American Fiction from 2023 was hilarious and moving. The first time director/screenwriter/producer won a well deserved Oscar for the screenplay. Jeffrey Wright’s performance was amazing.
[Trailer here.](https://youtu.be/5_4RlHpqVWM?si=4f2m5NyHq8aA74nG)
It surpasses the first movie in my opinion, absolute top notch action, I only watched it a few weeks ago as I wasn’t desperate to watch it, will be watching it again many times in the future for sure.
I saw the move several times but never noticed >!the ghost!< being actually visible in some shots.
Also, the movie has one of the best [teaser trailers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXK-tqy3QS0) I've ever seen, which leans more into the psychological horror elements that seemed dialed back in the final cut. Definitely my favorite film of 2022.
Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two
I almost always get bored when a movie is over 2 hours (even movies that I like) but I never once wanted either movie to end.
There’s a few pretty good ones from my list that were already mentioned so here’s a few others from the last 8 years:
The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Promising Young Woman, Sound Of Metal, Tenet, Green Book, Bad Times at El Royale, I Tonya, Lady Bird, Three Billboards outside Ebbing MO, Captain Fantastic, The Witch, Birdman,
The Holdovers. Everything about that movie was incredible: the cinematography, acting, soundtrack, premise, even the transporting back to the 70s. It’s now in my top 5 of all time.
Godzilla Minus One.
It’s so good, focuses on the human aspect, especially dealing with PTSD from WWII. It also won an Oscar this year for best visual FX.
Parasite
Another vote for this. Thanks!
It’s the movie I’ve most enjoyed watching in my whole life.
[удалено]
The second watch is even better 🤯
I rarely pay to see a movie at a theatre, so this was one of the rare ones because it got so much hype. I've also seen Dune and Dune 2 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
You should read the book Dune, if you like the movie. Unbelievable the movie does a very good job of reproducing the event of the book though.
Yeah, I've read the 3 main ones. I actually quite like the David Lynch version, but I've been a fan of his since Eraserhead, which fucking blew my mind.
Spotlight and Arrival. Watch it ASAP
I’ve seen people mention Arrival in other threads I think. Is it scary?
No, it’s more of a mystery/race against the clock kind of sci-fi movie, but it’s all grounded in a really emotional story. One of the few movies I’ve seen recently that just felt like it immediately cemented itself as a sci-fi classic.
Sounds like my favorite kind of movie. I’m excited to find it! I wonder if my library has it.
Also check you Library streaming apps like Hoopla and Kanopy. Sometimes they have what you need or you find other movies you need.
Arrival is streaming on Pluto TV now too. It's a free streaming app. There are commercials.
Arrival was also made by the guy who made Dune.
No. Emotional scifi movie. Please watch it. Highly recommended.
Oh great. Sci-fi is my favorite genre for books and movies! Thanks!!
Emotional is right, hits different as a parent!
I saw it on a flight the first time and got very moist eyes towards the end. Now that I'm a dad I'll expect to cry like a baby. Very good movie.
Movie is great, take an hour to read *Story of Your Life,* the source short story. If you have children you will be broken by it.
Did you see prisoners?
I hate to tell you about the time slippage, but that one is a decade old!
I was going to say "did you read the question, they said last 8 years!". I can't believe Arrival is from 2016!
Ohh .. Spotlight came in 2015...my bad. Damn. Time flies quickly.
What is spotlight? Is it the exposing the Catholic Church film? A few hits when I search for spotlight.
Yes! It was really fantastic and had a great cast.
Yes to both movies and I would add The Martian. It’s on every month recently, and my wife and I have to finish it when we stumble across it.
The Martian is cool because it has a bunch of cool science stuff but also the idea of humans coming together to reach a common goal is just awesome. And space is SCARY!
Palm Springs
This one was surprisingly good.
I remember that movie being such a breath of fresh air in a film-barren COVID landscape.
It also gives me covid vibes. That feeling of being stuck in a place, every day feels the same, weird feeling of doom
Hilarious and interesting concept. Great movie
I watched this recently and was trying to work out the meaning behind >!the dinosaurs that appear. I guess they entered the cave at some point.. but then wouldn’t they have needed to enter it on the same day they were repeating?!<
Drugs.
Yep. LSD specifically.
It was mushrooms
They ate mushrooms
I'm so happy I knew nothing about this movie when I saw it appear on Hulu. It was a great surprise.
"Wait, what??"
I gotta be honest, after careful evaluation over the past few years, I think this is a top 5 movie for me.
I would 100% recommend. I found it because it came up in recommendations after watching Brooklyn 99. I’m annoyed that I didn’t know it existed earlier
I fucking hate groundhogs day movies. I didn't hate this one. And I'm not a big Sandberg fan
Cristin Milioti though, she's brilliant
This needs to be higher.
The Florida Project-Dafoe at his best. So good!
It's not for everyone because of how bleak and real it is, but he definitely nailed it in that role!
I stumbled upon this movie randomly but I was blown away by how genuine this movie is. It instantly became one of my favorites!
As someone who lives around Disney, it was very depressing to see landmarks I drive by everyday on a more grounded level, if that makes sense .
Hell or High Water. The performance of Ben Foster alone makes it worth the watch but Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges are also amazing.
Blade Runner 2049
Definitely blade runner 2049, the cinematography is incredible
How does this relate to the other Bladerunner movie? Is it a sequel or something?
Yes it's a sequel
One of the most intelligent sequels ever made. The original is my all time favorite movie, and I think BR 2049 surpassed it.
I think in terms of visuals the original is still unparalleled.
This part always blows me away. A sequel that almost no one was asking for comes out 35 years later and is both additive to the original movie while standing on its own 2 feet. I love Denis
To add to what people are saying, yes it’s a sequel but it also stands on its own. You could watch this without having ever seen the original and it would still make sense (though seeing the original certainly informs and improves the sequel). Definitely one of my picks for best recent movies. Funny how Denis Villeneuve’s films just keep showing up on this list. He’s definitely one of the greatest directors of his generation. You could even just sit down and marathon all his work
So many of these comments are just naming their favorite films and some not even in the last 8 years....haha good luck op. Edit: I guess I should thrown in a name but Ladybird(2019) was absolutely amazing and makes me laugh and cry every time I watch it. It's definitely a must see.
The godfather
It insists upon itself.
This is the most r/movies thread ever. Hey OP try Hereditary!
And Midsommar on top of that.
No excuse for not keeping it in the past 8 years but it makes sense that people are label movies they like as must sees.
Wind River I can’t believe it hasn’t been mentioned yet but it’s excellent. Please please please watch it!
Has one of my favourite scenes in cinema... The "flanking" moment.
Omg that scene, holy shit… “you didn’t see it” that line kills meeeee I literally felt it as soon as I read your comment. It’s exquisite
Pretty traumatic at parts, just for fair warning. Great movie.
been seeing the thumbnail on netflix a few times but these days every movie looks equally shitty somehow, so i never bothered. thanks, will check it out tonight.
Yeah this movie just feel so far under the radar it’s excellent. Let me know what you think! I hope you like it!
Why are you flanking me?
Agreed. Unexpectedly really good.
It needs to be prefaced with a serious trigger warning though. Absolutely brilliant and well-made film that I never wanna see again thanks to a particularly harrowing scene that had me truly disgusted and got my blood boiling.
The Nice Guys
Vastly underrated. Is this the first time Crowe really leaned into his weight gain and owned a more gritty presence in a film? Suits him perfectly and Gosling plays off him so well.
Damn, that was 2016? I was thinking it’s much older! Great film.
Few movies moved me like Past Lives did. I can highly recommend that one.
Your Name[2016] by Makoto Shinkai
Fucking amazing movie. Absolutely broke me mentally and emotionally. No movie made me cry to such a degree.
Watched it last weak. Truly beautiful piece
*adding to my list*
Your name and a Silent Voice are, personally, the 2 greatest Japanese anime movies of the past 20 years for me.
Cool. I haven’t ever seen ANY Japanese anime movies, so it’s definitely a neglected category for me!
Oohhh! Any movies by Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki then. I personally prefer Isao Takahata's, but Miyazaki's storytelling is exquisite.
and Suzume !
‘Get Out’ goes pretty hard
I don’t tend to rewatch many movies but this is one that gets better on each watch.
Juicy throuple with a side of tennis? Challengers Horror/thriller? Barbarian Enjoyable feel good somewhat sci-fi comedy? Palm Springs Nice wholesome drama? Captain Fantastic Weird but good? Poor things Lowkey Sci-fi? Arrival Musical? La La Land Korean Drama Thriller? Parasite Satire? Death of Stalin Animation? Spiderverse movies or Coco Adam sandler comeback? Uncut Gems Feelin UK? The Gentlemen Want great acting? The Father Want great sci-fi but with existentialism? Everything Everywhere All at Once Want good horror? Hereditary Want documentary? Free solo Want an unbelievable story? Society of the snow Do you like sad/melancholic? Aftersun Do you like experimental? The Zone of Interest Tons more but this is a start
uncut gems was great but I it’s just an unsettling watch. I guess that is what makes it great.
I was just recommending this the other day. “Incredibly stressful film that was very well done. You might not want to watch it twice though.” Not sure I’d sell it as a “Sandler comeback” film
What makes it unsettling/stressful? I want to watch it but I've seen a lot of comments saying it's hectic so I kind of want to know what I'm getting into
You’re watching someone make bad decision after bad decision and at every opportunity to get out of the loop he’s created, he makes a worse decision. Effectively nonstop
Classic 'whodunnit?- Knives Out
Poor things and everything everywhere all at once were just incredible Arrival was really good too Thanks for the other recommandations
I'm going to go with an under the radar one: Upgrade
The Banshees of Inisherin.
The (head cannon) sequel to In Bruges
You’re an inanimate fucking object!
If a movie can elicit two completely opposing reviews, then it is a “must-see” movie.
I can see how it has cinematic appreciation, but i would not recommend it for limited time / casual viewing like OP might be looking for. I love film but was underwhelmed and would put so many more films above this.
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Spiderman Across the Spiderverse. The Mitchell's vs The Machines Past Lives Godzilla Minus One Marcel the Shell with Shoes On Jojo Rabbit Hunt for the Wilderpeople Portrait of A Lady on Fire Little Women (2019 version) Get Out Logan
Hunt for the wilderpeople was lovely
I consider jojo rabbit Taika Waititi’s magnum opus everything about it is hilarious/ perfect. I think he even trolled fans because to tell people you love it you have to say it’s about a boy who dreams of being the best nazi ever and has hitler as his imaginary best friend
Agreed, Taika is a great director/actor/writer, but JoJo is on a whole other level from his other work. Very few scenes in any movie hit me as hard as the red shoes.
Upvote for Hunt for the Wilderpeople!
1917
Another +1 to this one! Such an amazing movie.
JoJo rabbit
The Father Mostly watched it to understand why Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar over Chadwick Boseman. Not only was his win unambiguously deserved, the movie as a whole is well crafted.
Honestly, the new mad max was fucking sick
Sorry to bother you
No problem. Now, what’s your film recommendation?
This was a brilliant movie with an interesting moral dilemma, then it turned crazy town banana pants. Totally enjoyed it
I was…not ready for whatever this movie was. I can’t say I enjoyed it and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. It was unique, but just felt like it lost the plot and went off the rails at some point. To each their own though.
This one is great, yes!
everything everywhere all at once (2023) is one of the best
Added to my list! Thank you
He's asking for good movies, not the most overrated movie of the past decade.
That’s my favorite movie of the last 20 years OP has to add this!
peanut butter falcon
I did not expect to see this on the list.
loved it
Game Night! Excellent modern comedy
Bullet Train. So underrated, full on entertainment.
Not a fan of Brad Pitt so I had no plans to watch it but finally said what the heck recently. I loved it! I watched it 3x in a 2 week span and that’s atypical for me.
Lemon and Tangerine steal Brad Pitts thunder in it anyway.
Found the diesel
Sicario, Arrival.
Hot take but Knives out is great
This is an extremely cold take
How is that a hot take everyone loves that movie
Knives Out is great, a hot take would be saying that Glass Onion was as good as or better than it. ... Because it wasn't. But that first one was really good.
Ohh I did see that one! My husband and I both loved it.
Jojo Rabbit is a movie about nazi youth directed by Taika Waititi. It’s funny and heartbreaking at the same time. My whole family went to see it and we all loved it.
Hereditary and Midsommar
I’m glad I watched each of these, and I would never watch either of them again.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Don't know how no one has recommended this yet, it's my favorite after Spiderverse! It is one of those that has great themes, it balances THREE great villains amazingly well, and the animation is stellar. Watched it three times in theaters.
If we are doing "kids" movies Ill throw in Coco.
Annihilation
I'm still not sure what I watched but it was thought provoking and beautiful.
My thoughts exactly. That damn bear scene 😳
Everything Everywhere All at Once: a bonkers sci fi film that’s really about family. The Holdovers: A movie about a Teacher, a Lunch Lady, and an older teen stuck staying at a private school over the holidays. It’s a movie that takes place in 1978, feels like it was made in 1978 and is heart warming with a bit of a “found family” sort of feel. Check out the trailer and you’ll know exactly what kind of movie it is. Great performances all around. The actress who plays the lunch lady won the (very well deserved) Oscar.
Thanks for the detailed suggestions!
Killer of the Flower Moon was the best I had seen in a while.
Bullet Train
Okay, hear me out, but... *Cats* is a "must-see" movie. Not because it's any good, but because it is so bafflingly, uniquely terrible that you kind of have to watch it to see why. It's Hollywood hubris at its worst; a big budget movie made by an Academy Award winning director, with several award winning actors, that somehow manages to make the wrong decision on every level. It's insane.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Nocturnal Animals is an underrated one that’s one of my favorite movies ever
Great movie but such a hard watch. Kind of movie you only see once.
Is it disturbing? I told my husband I haven’t seen Requiem for a Dream and he was shocked but then said he’s not sure if he wants to watch it again with me.
It's disturbing in the sense that it's very "real". So not horror or gore but just really bad people do horrible things to innocent people and you see the suffering first hand.
Once upon a time in Hollywood was really good imo. I wish I could see it for the first time again.
- Jojo Rabbit(!!!) - Don't Look Up (!!!) - Parasite - The Zone of Interest - The Joker - The Green Book - Three Billboards - Get Out - La La Land
Had to scroll to far for three billboards. Best one, i think
I saw CODA a few weeks ago. Really enjoyed it.
Mad Max: Fury Road
>past 8 years Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
No cause it came out 2, maybe 3, years ago... Fuck
American Fiction from 2023 was hilarious and moving. The first time director/screenwriter/producer won a well deserved Oscar for the screenplay. Jeffrey Wright’s performance was amazing. [Trailer here.](https://youtu.be/5_4RlHpqVWM?si=4f2m5NyHq8aA74nG)
The VVitch (yes I know it was 2015). The Northman.
la la land three billboards outside ebbing missouri hereditary portrait of a lady on fire spider man: across the spiderverse dune: part two
I just watched Nice Guys last night and that movie is fucking hilarious imo
Joker Oppenheimer Hacksaw Ridge All Quiet on the Western Front
Don’t watch Beau is Afraid unless you’re high af
Arrival was released in 2016 and is one of the best movies ever made.
Huh, what a fun thread to read the night after i had the only quiet night to myself in months and chose to rewatch Faceoff
Both of the Dune movies
Blade Runner 2049 The Menu Hostiles Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Bad Times At the El Royale
Parasite ( a Korean comedy drama about the class divide between the poor and the mega wealthy)
Top Gun Maverick
It surpasses the first movie in my opinion, absolute top notch action, I only watched it a few weeks ago as I wasn’t desperate to watch it, will be watching it again many times in the future for sure.
Most things by A24
If you like action movies "Nobody" is my favorite of the last couple of years.
The Zone of Interest would definitely be on the list.
Tar. I really enjoyed it after watching it with no expectations.
People don’t talk enough about >!the ghost!<
I saw the move several times but never noticed >!the ghost!< being actually visible in some shots. Also, the movie has one of the best [teaser trailers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXK-tqy3QS0) I've ever seen, which leans more into the psychological horror elements that seemed dialed back in the final cut. Definitely my favorite film of 2022.
Because they didn't >!see her. Incredibly subtle!<.
Top Gun : Maverick - the best action film in the last 10 years, and by a long way
Isle of Dogs
These requests often don't attract a lot of comedy recommendations, so I'll throw in a plug for Booksmart (2019).
Split.
Into the Spiderverse, Across the Spiderverse, Mitchell's vs. the Machines, and Soul
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Blade Runner 2049
Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two I almost always get bored when a movie is over 2 hours (even movies that I like) but I never once wanted either movie to end.
Everything Everywhere All at Once. That movie will be especially poignant as a parent
There’s a few pretty good ones from my list that were already mentioned so here’s a few others from the last 8 years: The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Promising Young Woman, Sound Of Metal, Tenet, Green Book, Bad Times at El Royale, I Tonya, Lady Bird, Three Billboards outside Ebbing MO, Captain Fantastic, The Witch, Birdman,
Hereditary, The Lighthouse, Anatomy of a Fall, Get Out, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Dune, Interstellar, Midsommar, Hereditary
Ive enjoyed Whiplash Dune Arrival The Guilty
I think Covenant is a fantastic movie
Arrival Captain Fantastic Deadpool Deadpool 2 Demolition DREDD [2012] Dune Dune 2 Hacksaw Ridge Oppenheimer The Duke [2020] Top Gun: Maverick [2022] Warm Bodies I'll try to add more..
The Lighthouse (2019)
The Holdovers. Everything about that movie was incredible: the cinematography, acting, soundtrack, premise, even the transporting back to the 70s. It’s now in my top 5 of all time.
Godzilla Minus One. It’s so good, focuses on the human aspect, especially dealing with PTSD from WWII. It also won an Oscar this year for best visual FX.
May December and the Holdovers from this year
OP I am in the same boat with kids. Cinema trips have been very very rare. But boy was I glad I made the effort for Top Gun: Maverick. Just fun