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

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In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbour is pitted against neighbour in Eddington, New Mexico.

A provocative, era-defining thriller from Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) that unpacks the forces that led us to where we are today, featuring a powerhouse ensemble including Austin Butler and Emma Stone.

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Martin Scorsese’s Gangs Of New York introduces today’s world to the Five Points, a dark corner of the city known to New Yorkers of long ago as the centre of vice and chaos. Into this frontier of extreme lawlessness arrives the young Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Amsterdam is the orphaned son of the slain Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) – once chief warrior of the Dead Rabbits gang that rallied the Irish immigrants of the Five Points. Amsterdam has returned to the Five Points to hunt down his father’s killer. His target is William cutting AKA "Bill the Butcher" (Daniel Day-Lewis), who has since become the merciless new leader of the neighbourhood, a Nativist who detests the newly arrived immigrants and is determined to fend off all so-called "foreign invaders." Amsterdam works his way deep into the Butcher’s inner circle, a world of alternating honour and cruelty from which he can only hope to escape.

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With this thrilling, must-see movie event, writer and director Quentin Tarantino completes the action-packed quest for revenge begun by The Bride (Uma Thurman) in 'Kill Bill Vol. 1'.

Having already crossed two names from her Death List, The Bride is back with a vengeance and taking aim at Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), the only survivors from the squad of assassins who betrayed her four years earlier. It's all leading up to the ultimate confrontation with Bill (David Carradine), The Bride's former master and the man who ordered her execution.

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Disenchanted with the daily drudge of crushing rocks on a prison farm in Mississippi, the-dapper, silver-tongued Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) busts loose.

Except he's still shackled to his two chain-mates from the chain gang - bad-tempered Pete (John Turturro) and sweet, dimwitted Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson). With nothing to lose and buried loot to regain — before it's lost forever in a flood - the three embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this hilarious offbeat road picture. Populated with strange characters, including a blind prophet, sexy sirens and a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman), it's an odyssey filled with chases, close calls, near misses and betrayal that will leave you laughing at every outrageous and surprising twist and turn.

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The year is 1989 and East and West Germany are still divided. Alex (Daniel Brhl) and his sister Ariane (Maria Simon) live in East Germany with their single mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass) who is a staunch Socialist.

When Alex's mother witnesses his arrest on a protest march, she suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma for eight months, just enough time for the Berlin wall to come tumbling down along with all of East Germany's ideals. Eight months later, Christiane wakes up and things have changed. The doctors warn Alex that any shock could bring on a fatal heart attack. He then realises he must convince his mother that her beloved Communism has not been overthrown but is in fact triumphing over Capitalism. Alex then sets out to recreate every detail of the old East inside the four walls of their tiny council flat... what begins as a little white lie, soon turns into a major deception!

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Live-in nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark) arrives to help Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a famous dancer now frail from illness in her grand, isolated house.

Amanda is intrigued by the religious young woman, distracting her from her failing health, and Maud is bewitched by her patient, but she is not what she seems...Tormented by a violent secret from her past and ecstatic messages she believes are from God, Maud becomes convinced she was sent to Amanda not as a nurse, but as a divine saviour. As her grip on reality weakens, Maud is determined to save Amanda's soul, by any means necessary.

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Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) is a young film student struggling to find a firm direction in life when she meets the seemingly unwavering and decisive Anthony (Tom Burke). The two immediately take to one another and an intense romance blossoms between them.

However, as the relationship develops it becomes clear that Anthony is not being honest about all aspects of himself and Julie slowly discovers that the)' could have potentially devastating consequences for them both. One of Britain's most unique filmmakers Joanna Hogg (Archipelago, Unrelated) presents a deeply personal examination of her own youthful experiences in this beautifully crafted, Martin Scorsese produced portrait of self discovery, 'The Souvenir'.

Brazil, 1971. Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship. Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), a mother of five children, is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government.

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Karamakate, a warrior shaman and last of his tribe, transcends the worlds of men and seeks truth through their dreams. He alone knows how to find the mysterious and psychedelic Yakruna plant; for some it has life-saving properties, for others it is a commodity waiting to be exploited.

Two scientists, in two different times enlist Karamakate on their individual quests in an epic adventure into the heart of the Colombian Amazon to find this mythical plant. This Oscar nominated film is seen through Karamakates eyes and bears witness to the effects of colonialism, religion and the exploitation of rubber on indigenous traditions and the environment to which they arc inextricably linked.

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Director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary Mad Max franchise, returns to the world of the Road Warrior. Haunted by his turbulent past.

Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) wanders alone until he's swept up with a group, led by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). fleeing across the Wasteland. In hot pursuit: a warlord who gathers his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly, leading to a high-octane road war.

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When her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) is mysteriously found dead in the snow below their secluded chalet, Sandra (Sandra Hüller) becomes the main suspect when the police begin to question whether he fell or was pushed.

The trial soon becomes not just an investigation, but a gripping psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's complicated marriage. With conflicting evidence and inconsistent testimony, words are wielded like weapons and shocking truths come to light...

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Haunted by his past, WWII veteran and drifter Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) crosses paths with a mysterious movement called The Cause, led by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) aka The Master and his wife Peggy (Amy Adams). Their twisted relationship is the core of this film.

Will Freddie be able to outrun his past? Will The Cause help or hurt him? Can this tortured, violent creature be civilized? Or is man, after all, just a dirty animal?

In this bold and courageous story, Iman works as an investigating judge at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. As political protests against the authoritarian government intensify, he is surrounded by suspicion and paranoia.

From director-writer-producer Todd Field comes Tar, starring Cate Blanchett as the iconic musician, Lydia Tar. The film examines the changing nature of power, its impact and durability in our modern world.

To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken (Ryan Gosling).