Hear ye, hear ye! Today I, your faithful reviewer and soldier of The Times-Delphic that sits through cinematic spectacles like “Madame Web” (2024) to fulfill my duty to this blessed land of Drake, present to you my scroll of the 10 finest motion pictures of all time that I firmly believe you should experience this summer.
After watching countless films that can only be categorized as complete and utter garbage, I thought I might give us a reprieve from drowning in the ocean of splendor that production houses have humbly gifted us this year. My list of films includes some recent rare gems and some solid new-age classics from the 2010s for nostalgia’s sake.
This list has movies from all over the world, so captions or dubbing will be your best friend. The streaming options provided have English captions and English-dubbed versions available. I highly recommend captions overdubbing for a better viewing experience. The movies on this list are a mix of cinematic brilliance and just-for-funsies movies that can put a smile on anyone’s face. It also features pretty much every genre, so take your pick!
10. “Elemental” (2023)
Genres – Family, Romance, Drama
Available on: Disney+
Pixar’s “Elemental” is set in Element City and follows Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) and Wade Ripple’s (Mamoudou Athie) inter-elemental (I totally made that word up) romance. “Elemental” is possibly Pixar’s most romantic film with some brilliant writing and animation and a cute romance that is crafted with great sincerity. The movie is also an ode to the life stories of immigrants and weaves a heartwarming story of different cultures coming together while also highlighting the challenges faced by immigrants and their children. And it features pop singer-songwriter Lauv’s “Steal The Show!”
9. “Forgotten” (2017)
Genres – Thriller, Crime, Psychological
Available on: Netflix
The South Korean film “Forgotten” follows Jin-seok (Kang Ha-neul) as he seeks the truth after his abducted brother, Yoo-seok (Kim Mu-yeol) returns with no memory of the past 19 days. This twisted edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller features what might be one of the best screenplays of all time — with plot twists that I never saw coming. I recommend watching this one with your bestie gang!
8. “Bad Genius” (2017)
Genres – Heist, Thriller, Drama
Available on: Netflix
This Thai film follows Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying), a straight-A student who creates international-level exam cheating rings. An exceptionally well-made heist thriller, this film keeps you on the edge of your seat and somehow manages to make an exam-cheating scam exciting.
7. “Badla” (2019)
Genres – Thriller, Crime, Mystery
Available on: Netflix
The Hindi language film “Badla,” which directly translates to revenge, follows Naina Sethi (Taapsee Pannu), a businesswoman who is being interviewed by her lawyer Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan). Sethi claims she’s being framed for the murder of her affair partner, but not everything is as it seems. This film promises crazy plot twists, a brilliant screenplay and some of the best acting you’ll see on screen!
6. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023)
Genres – Family, Action, Drama
Available on: Amazon Prime Video
The massive hit “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which is the sequel to the 2018 “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” follows Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) on his adventures in the Spider-Verse as he meets up with Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen and other Spider-people (is that a word?). It is a prime example of a sequel done well — fantastic animation and a great story make this film worth a watch.
5. “Hereditary” (2018)
Genres – Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Available on: HBO Max
The horror thriller “Hereditary” follows a mourning family tortured by a demonic spirit after the death of their reclusive and mysterious grandmother. I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t completely lost it after watching this utterly horrifying movie. It is not for the faint of heart, so watch at your own risk.
4. “Thiruchitrambalam” (2022)
Genres – Romantic Comedy, Drama, Family
Available on: Amazon Prime Video
The Tamil language musical “Thiruchitrambalam” (2022) follows Pazham (Dhanush), a food delivery driver, and his best friend Shobhana (Nithya Menen) as they cheerfully navigate his love life. The film also features a hilarious dynamic between three generations as the son, father and grandpa all share the same house. It also features a banging soundtrack and some fantastic choreography. Sweet, beautiful and heartwarming — the film paints a beautiful picture of family, friendship, love and life.
3. “Paradise” (2023)
Genres – Science fiction, Thriller, Dystopian, Drama
Available on: Netflix
The German film “Paradise” is a sci-fi dystopian thriller set in a future world where a person can transfer years of their life to another. When Elena (Marlene Tanczik) is forced to pay her insurance claims off by exchanging 40 years of her life, her husband, Max (Kostja Ullman), who works for the company that created this unthinkable year-transferring technology, looks for ways to get her lost years back. The film features an incredibly interesting story and a gripping narrative that makes you question the morals of society. A must-watch for the dystopian fantasy lovers!
2. “Jab We Met” (2007)
Genres – Family, Romantic Comedy, Drama
Available on: Tubi
Cult classic romantic comedy “Jab We Met” (translates to “When We Met”) follows Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor), a depressed business tycoon, as he meets the bubbly and talkative Geet Dhillon (Kareena Kapoor) and their cross-country adventure that ensues. The film breaks the manic pixie dream girl stereotype with hilarious writing, a brilliant screenplay and a soundtrack that can get anyone dancing. It’s a great pick for a fun evening with friends or a date night with your partner.
1. “I Hate Luv Storys” (2010)
Genres – Romantic Comedy, Satire, Drama
Available on: Netflix
“I Hate Luv Storys” is a hilarious satire of the great Bollywood romantic musicals. The film follows Jay Dhingra (Imran Khan), a Bollywood romance movie hater, and Simran Ahuja (Sonam Kapoor), a Bollywood romance movie lover. Jay, ironically enough, is also the assistant director on the new movie of a well-known Bollywood romance director, and Simran is the art director of this project — and his new boss. So yes, this is a Bollywood romantic musical drama set on the sets of a Bollywood romantic musical drama that makes fun of other Bollywood romantic musical dramas. Apart from taking meta to a different level, the film features an absolutely hilarious cast, fantastic music, some great writing and the ability to put a smile on anyone’s face. Highly recommended to everyone!
And that, my dearest readers, is the end of my list. I hope it brings you some semblance of joy after the mostly disappointing year we’ve had so far at the box office. If it doesn’t, I’m sure we can get The TD to sponsor a voodoo doll-making workshop to “encourage” certain production houses to make films that don’t make you question your life choices for watching them.
