It’s the holiday period baby, which means ’tis the season for forced conversations with work colleagues/racist aunties/that friend’s weird new boyfriend.
In order to get through the endless wave of Chrissy parties and social events on the horizon you better be chocker block with some A+ banter material and one of the easiest topics to chew the fat over is film.
Because we love you all so much, we’ve put together this list of movies (that are available to watch now on Foxtel Movies) that you can casually bring up and recommend when stuff starts to get awks. Also we’ve chucked in a HOT TAKE for each flick if you really wanna up the stakes.
Lion (PG)
“Did ya hear that Lion movie went and bloody well swept the AACTA Awards the other day?”, is the perfect intro to bringing up this ripper Aussie flick which won all of the things at the industry’s prestigious award ceremony in early December. For good reason too, the supremely emotional story is a real bewdy.
HOT TAKE: Despite what everyone says, Dev Patel’s Aussie accent actually sucks.
Jason Bourne (M)
With any film series with more than say, two, flicks in its franchise, the only true way to succinctly discuss it, is by definitively ranking said movies in order of greatness and then stubbornly refusing to be swayed otherwise. The fifth entry into the Jason Bourne movies, with Matt Damon again running around with equal amounts of bullets and amnesia, is generally considered one of the best. By most sane human beings anyway…
HOT TAKE: Jeremy Renner is the best Bourne.
The Girl On The Train (MA15+)
Based on the hit novel of the same name, The Girl On The Train sees Emily Blunt as an alcoholic mess of a human who gets intwined in a tale of murder and infidelity. Not only is it a super tense and enjoyable thriller but any movie that’s based on a novel is ripe for heady discussions on the pros and cons of its adaptation.
HOT TAKE: The changing of the setting from the book from London to New York was a great choice.
Suicide Squad (M)
The DC comics answer to Marvel’s insanely popular connected universe of films has had one heck of a bumpy ride and Suicide Squad, which sees Aussie star Margot Robbie join a crew of Batman’s greatest baddies for some heisting, is one of the most talked about. Absolutely ratled by critics but beloved by many fans of these decade old characters, Suicide Squad chat (and comparisons with the recent Justice League flick) can and WILL get heated.
HOT TAKE: Jared Leto’s Joker portrayal wasn’t kooky enough.
La La Land (M)
You want divisive movies, we’ll give you divisive movies. La La Land, which admittedly won a butt load of Oscars, is either a heart-warming and magical musical about love and following dreams, or a cheesy af pastiche that is way too in love with its own aesthetic. Banter for days.
HOT TAKE: Ryan Gosling is a BAD singer.
Hidden Figures (PG)
If you’re looking for some solid meaty film banter why not go intersectional as heck and ask who has or hasn’t seen Hidden Figures. Set in the 60s and following the incredible, yet seldom celebrated efforts of three black women working at NASA, you’ll be chatting feminism, race, patriarchy and the systems that enable bigotry all at once. NEAT!
HOT TAKE: They could have focused a LITTLE bit more on the men who helped NASA’s success.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (M)
Sure a lot of people will be discussing the new Star Wars flick that is dropping this month, but that just means it’s ripe for some comparisons with last year’s stellar Rogue One. As a stand-alone movie outside the episodic main saga, Rogue One is a Star Wars movie unlike any other, with some even preferring the pacing and narrative choices.
HOT TAKE: The robot K-2SO is heaps funnier than the OG films’ C-3PO.
Arrival (M)
If you wanna get real deep and philosophical this Xmas gathering, Arrival, with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner learning to communicate with aliens, is the movie to chat about. Touching on discussions around human cognisance, language as a culture and even hot dang time travel, digging into this flick will keep the fat chewed for a solid amount of time.
HOT TAKE: Jeremy Renner is weirdly hot.
Logan (MA15+)
A refreshingly poignant and sombre take on superhero movies, Hugh Jackman’s final film as the incorrigible Wolverine is as close to a noir movie as a comic book blockbuster can be. For bonus points say you watched the Blu-ray version which is entirely in black and white, cause that’s just how hardcore of a film nut you are.
HOT TAKE: Hugh Jackman overstayed his welcome as Wolverine and was in TOO many X-Men films.
Passengers (M)
Another flick that was either beloved or loathed, Passengers, which sees Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence floating around an emptry space ship for a couple of hours is sure to create some heated debate.
HOT TAKE: Chris Pratt’s character is a huge misogynist who abused his power to condemn J-Law to a life beside him.
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