griggs's - Favourite Films of the 21st Century (So Far) List

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The acclaimed latest from writer-director Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire), 'Perfect Days' is a luminous reflection on the beauty found in everyday life.

Koji Yakusho (13 Assassins) stars as Hirayama, a contemplative middle-aged man who lives a life of modesty and serenity, spending his days balancing his job as a dutiful caretaker of Tokyo's numerous public toilets with his passion for music, literature and photography. As we join him on his structured daily routine, a series of unexpected encounters gradually begin to reveal a hidden past that lies behind his otherwise content and harmonious life. Featuring an unforgettable soundtrack of classic rock and pop, this is a tender, shimmering and ultimately life-affirming marvel.

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Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring

an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.

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As she braced for an IRS audit, middle-aged emigré Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) felt a failure as wife, daughter, mother, and businesswoman.

It was a heck of a time to discover that she could tap into the abilities of countless variant versions of herself across reality - and that she would need them to conquer a threat poised to collapse it all. Audacious fantasy-action farce from the makers of "Swiss Army Man" co-stars Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

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Los Angeles, city of angels. Amnesiac and wounded, a mysterious femme fatale wanders on the sinuous road of Mulholland Drive. She finds a shelter at Betty's house (Naomi Watts). an aspiring actress just arrived from her hometown and in search of stardom in Hollywood.

First of all intrigued by the stranger who calls herself Rita (Laura Elena Harring), Betty discovers that her handbag is dull of dollar bundles. The two women get to know each other better and decide to investigate in order to discover Rita's true identity....

Amid the azure waters and sunbaked desert landscapes of Djibouti, a French Foreign Legion sergeant (Denis Lavant) sows the seeds of his own ruin as his obsession with a striking young recruit (Gregoire Colin) plays out to the thunderous, operatic strains of Benjamin Britten.

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From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ang Lee comes an epic American love story, 'Brokeback Mountain'.

Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys, and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.

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In this wild and incredible tale, young Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is brought back to live by a brilliant and unorthodox scientist.

Eager to learn and hungry for the worldliness she lacks, Bella runs off on an adventure that inspires in her a fantastical evolution leading to a fierce dedication to equality and liberation.

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At a lavish ceremony hosted by her sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist), the wedding of Justine (Dunst, in an award winning performance) and her fiance Michael (Alexander Skarsgard, True Blood) is marred by fractious familial exchanges and Justine's battle with her own inner demons.

Meanwhile, the mysterious planet Melancholia emerges from behind the sun and appears to be headed on an apocalyptic collision course with the Earth...

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Dreamy-eyed grade-schooler Mason (Ellar Coltrane) is facing upheaval: his struggling single mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette) has decided to move him and older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) to Houston - just as their long-absent father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) re-enters their world.

Thus begins a decade of constantly unfolding heartbreak and wonder as Mason swims against the tide of family moves and controversies, faltering marriages, new schools, first loves, lost loves, good times and scary times that shape the person he will be.

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Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart.

But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. From the visionary mind of Ari Aster comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairytale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight.

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On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of one story.

Through coincidence, chance, human action, past history and divine intervention they will weave through each other's lives on a day that builds to an unforgettable climax.

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The multi-award winning, BAFTA-nominated King of Venereal Horror David Cronenberg (Crash, The Fly, Dead Ringers), leads viewers through a fascinating exploration of the modern overlap between advanced technology and death.

In an eerie, deceptively placid near-future, a techno-entrepreneur named Karsh (Cassel) has developed a new technology that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved one's dead and buried in the earth. While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Kruger) from cancer, a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his Shroud technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy.

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"Shiva Baby" is a darkly playful comedy of chaos about a young bisexual woman grappling with tradition and independence over the course of one climactic day-long shiva, a Jewish gathering of friends and family during a time of mourning.

A highlight of 2020's Toronto International Film Festival and SXSW, and featuring a standout lead performance from emerging actor-comedian Rachel Sennott, the acclaimed feature debut from writer-director Emma Seligman is bold, modern filmmaking at it's most daring, hilarious and unforgettable.

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Trapped on her family's isolated farm, Pearl (Mia Goth) must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother.

Lusting for a glamorous life like she's seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations, and repressions all colliding in this stunning, technicolor-inspired origin story of X's iconic villain.

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Jamie Foxx stars as Django, a slave who teams up with bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to seek out the South's most wanted criminals with the promise of Django's freedom.

Honing vital hunting skills, his one goal is to find and rescue the wife (Kerry Washington) he lost to the slave trade long ago. When their search ultimately leads to Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the infamous and brutal proprietor of "Candyland", they arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), Candie's trusted house slave. Now their moves are marked and Candie's treacherous organisation closes in on them.