Avi's 10/10 Flick Picks
Avi's Favorite Recommended Films available for purchase, rental, and /or streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Super Hero Classics:
X-Men: Days of Future Past (Rogue Cut):
My all time favorite X-Men Classic! The Magneto and Professor X's forces are forced to unite to combat the Sentinels (specialized Weapons that can locate and adapt to assassinate mutants). As they go to battle, Wolverine is sent back in time to stop the conflict. Featuring an all-star cast of the prequel and original live action films, a remarkable crew, and a jaw dropping score, this film is a sci-fi epic and adventure that defies time!
Cast includes: Patrick Stewart, James MacAvoy, Ian McKellan, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Peter Dinklage, Anna Paquin, Evan Peters, and Elliot Page
Available on Amazon Prime Video:
https://amzn.to/4hO71Ao
Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021):
A prime example of why Director's Cuts are often the best! Zach Snyder's original planned DC Superhero Epic that brings heavyweights: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg together to combat Darkseid's extraterrestrial forces, led by Steppenwolf sent to earth to steal it's very essence. A surprisingly thoughtful, novel-like, psychological, adventure epic that lives up to it's own legend!
Cast Includes: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Mamoa, Ezra Miller, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Ciaran Hinds, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, and Ray Porter
Available on Amazon Prime Video:
Dramas With Heart:
Cool Hand Luke
(1967):
Social Misfit Lucas "Luke" Jackson struggles to adjust to civilian life after military service. His exploits land him in a Florida Prison Chain Gang paving public roads. Despite this setback, he finds purpose in lifting the spirits of his fellow inmates as he navigates his own unpredictable personality. Some of the finest film acting, screen writing, and visual imagery ever recorded on film!
Cast Includes: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Jo Van Fleet, Dennis Hopper, and Harry Dean Stanton
Available On Amazon Prime:
Lawrence of Arabia
(1962)
David Lean's remarkable adaptation of Colonel T.E. Lawrence's autobiography: Seven Pillars of Wisdom depicts Lawrence's involvement in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during WWI. Featuring some of the most iconic desert nature and battle sequences of Arab Modern History, as well as the complex relationship between Lawrence with the Arab Chieftains and Future King of Iraq, Prince Faisal... This picture brings jaw dropping visuals, soaring music, and a powerhouse cast, including the breakthrough roles that made Peter O'Toole (who plays Lawrence) and Omar Sharif (Sharif Ali) world renowned leading men.
Cast Includes: Peter O' Toole, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quayle, Jose Ferrer, and Claude Rains
Available on Amazon Prime:
A Man For All Seasons
(1966)
The iconic adaptation of Robert Bolt's play. This remarkable gem depicts the final years of English Lawyer, Writer, and Politician, Sir Thomas More. More finds himself in a crises of faith as Henry VIII breaks away from the Roman Catholic Church to ensure his divorce from Queen Catherine and marriage to Anne Boleyn. A devoted Catholic and loyal civil servant, More and his family must decide what principles are worth compromising for politics and personal well-being. Featuring my favorite English actor of all time, Paul Scofield, as More, and a powerhouse ensemble cast, this picture tugs at both the heart and the mind.
Cast includes: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Susannah York, Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, John Hurt, Orson Welles, Nigel Davenport, and Vanessa Redgrave
Available On Amazon Prime:
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Epics
The Hobbit Trilogy (Extended Editions)
(2012-2014)
The magical 3-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel, The Hobbit, takes us there and back again, as Bilbo Baggins is recruited by the wizard Gandalf the Grey to join the company of 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield. Together, the company, and their allies attempt to retake the Lonely Mountain from the villainous dragon, Smaug, while discovering an even more ancient evil attempting to reawaken the armies of darkness over Middle-Earth.
Cast Includes: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Aiden Turner, Dean O' Gorman, Evangeline Lilley, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, and the late Christopher Lee.
Available on Amazon Prime Video: