February

This might seem like an intense pick for the first day of the month, but the movie offers insight and context for the state of race relations in the US from the 1970s through to today. It is an amazingly well done documentary and perfect to watch to celebrate and reflect on the first day of Black History Month.

Okay, so this is an obvious choice but what are you going to do? It not only is the only movie that makes Groundhog Day a worthwhile holiday to celebrate (sorry, rodents) but also is a modern classic.

For those that have never had the pure joy of watching this film it is about an arrogant weather reporter Phil (Bill Murray) who gets stuck in an endless time loop of reliving the same day over and over and over and over. While trapped he goes on one of the most astounding character arcs of any movie of all time, and the darkness and slapstick and lighthearted humor are blended together masterfully by Director Harold Ramis.

This is a must watch if you've never seen it, a classic in the truest sense of the word and a fundamentally amazing movie.

Jango, it is pronounced Jango, the D is silent.

Django is a freed slave turned bounty hunter who makes a name for himself in 1858 Texas while trying to make a living and win back his wife who is still a slave. This is a Quentin Tarantino film so that quest results in a massive amount of lost life and bloodshed, to like a ridiculous degree.

It was criticized for it's glorification of violence, but this movie is keeping in the realm of the Spaghetti Western with much more focus on race and what it meant to be "freed" in that time and place as a black man. If you have a stomach for a few buckets of blood it is well worth a watch

Denzel Washington takes on the role of Frank Lucas, a, for lack of better turn of phrase, up and coming drug dealer in 1968 in Harlem. This film is based on the real drug kingpin Frank Lucas and Washington's portrayal of the calm, calculating, and brutal man is fantastic to watch.

While on the surface it may feel like this movie follows the standard 'rise of the drug lord' movie formula ala Scarface, thanks to Director Ridley Scott and the writing and acting the audience is brought into this world and made to feel almost complicit in what Lucas is doing and really questioning who the real bad guys are.

It follows a lot of conventions of a normal Marvel movie, hero is already super badass and then becomes more badass. He has powers and tech that make him damn near godlike. But this one of the first critically acclaimed and high-grossing superhero movie staring not just a black main character but also a largely black cast.

Chadwick Boseman, who tragically died in August of 2020, plays King T'Challa a.k.a. The Black Panther and has to hold the nation of Wakanda (a secret, super advanced society) while fending of both internal and external threats, often with War Rhinos.

If you've somehow avoided watching any other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies a lot of this flick might be confusing, but it stands well on its own and is worth a watch for the fight scenes alone (not counting the final CGI cat battle which is cool but also silly).

Another modern classic that should just be watched whenever you need a laugh and a chance to unwind, Barbershop follows Ice Cube as he tries to save the Barbershop his father handed down to him.

This warm-hearted and family friendly flick is perfect for when you feel like community has fallen away in the 2020-21 era. The relatively predictable plot is brought to life with joy and humor and phenomenal acting. This movie may not change your life, but it might make you enjoy the life you have just a little bit more.

Starting this week we thought we'd dive into some Valentine's Movies. And what makes Red Dawn a Valentine's movie you ask? Nothing, except the color red and a pretty mild love story woven in.

Yet at it's core this movie is about the love these young men and women have for each other in the face of overwhelming odds. Those odds? The Russians have invaded America and occupied the small town where they live. They take to the mountains and become guerilla fighters trying to take their town, and country, back.

The action, the pacing, the action, the stakes in this film are all well above what you might expect from the premise and the budget, but this film is an action classic and a good way to ease into the more lovey-dovey nature of this week.

Okay, so we weren't really done recommending action movies for Valentine's Day. But this is the sweetest action movie you'll ever see.

John Cusack plays a hitman who ends up back at his high school reunion to assassinate someone for some reason (he doesn't like to know much about his victims) and rekindles his flame with his high school sweetheart. No one knows what happened to this guy, he just vanished after high school (turns out he was training to be an assassin and then was, you know, an assassin so he kept a low profile).

The action is both hilarious and executed perfectly, the twists and turns are predictable and unpredictable, and this twist on high school and homecoming type movies makes it a romantic comedy (with murder) for the ages.

On the surface this is a parody of Top Gun, just beneath that surface, though, this is a stand alone comedy that brings slapstick comedy back to it's full glory.

Charlie Sheen (back when he was only partially crazy) plays a top pilot haunted by his past. After getting recruited for a secret mission he falls in love and overcomes his fears and past. But that quick description doesn't do much to underscore the humor of the film. If you can make it through this movie without laughing at something you should probably see a doctor because you have to be suffering from something that makes you immune to hilarity.

The world is ending. Not really (I hope) but for Steve Carell it is in this apocalyptic love story.

With a human life ending meteor on the way to destroy, well, everyone, Carell joins his neighbor Keira Knightley on one last long shot road trip to tie up a few loose ends.

This movie is darkly funny throughout, and more than anything the encounters they have on their trip with the rest of society engaging in a joyful hedonism and anarchy as the world inches closer and closer to the end is well worth a watch.

The critics didn't all love this movie, but the simple fact of the matter is they are just plain wrong as this is a gem of a film that is criminally underrated.

Chances are if you haven't already seen this it is one of those movies you often say "oh, I should watch that sometime." Well why not right now? This movie came out 79 years ago and will still make you laugh, and cry, and yearn for more. And at the core of everything else going on in this movie is one of the sweetest and saddest love stories ever told.

This legitimately might be the best movie ever made and if you love movies it is a must watch (hell, even if you don't love movies). Modern movies and filmmaking owe so much to it and it never disappoints. Trying to summarize it in one or two sentences seems unfair, so instead we just say stop putting it off and watch it today!

I don't know if there is anything more romantic than coming back from the grave to avenge the death of your life. I'm sure there are people that would disagree, but this dark story of violence and revenge is still one of (if not the) best comic book adaptation ever put to screen and holds up as a cinematic masterpiece and a fan favorite to this day.

Much like Casablanca, if you haven't seen this it has probably been on the list for forever so just do yourself a favor and watch this movie before you miss out any longer.

Okay, so this one may not be a cinematic masterpiece but how can you have a list with Valentine's movies and not include this (or the original, which is also fantastic to watch for this holiday).

Another story of revenge from beyond the grave (yea, we have a type) but this time with all the traditional hallmarks of a great horror romp in a small town. If you can't stand the normal romcom movies this type of year but you want to be in the Valentine's mood this will do the trick for sure.

If you have to watch something romantic on this holiday why not watch the greatest love story ever told (that involves pirates).

The only real flaw with this movie is that you won't want to stop watching it when it is over. It is endlessly quotable, packed with adventure, and brimming with confidence and joy and humor.

When Princess Buttercup gets kidnapped by scoundrels the Dread Pirate Roberts shows up to save her. The good guys become bad guys, the bad guys become good guys, and it has Mandy Patinkin and Andre the Giant. It is inconceivable that you haven't started watching this movie yet.

The premise of this movie was far fetched at the time and seems more far fetched now, but when two former one-term US Presidents stumble on a plot to undermine America they slip their Secret Service detail and go on the adventure of a lifetime.

No other movie can be so funny while still capturing so much of what is wrong (and sometimes right) with American politics. Granted it might be a tough one to watch in 2021 with everything going on, but it is President's Day and if you want to feel good about the Presidency then this is the movie you need to watch.

There was a time when Eddy Murphey being in a movie was comedy gold. And granted his career has had a few ups and downs since then, but this one is still his best and still completely hilarious. With the sequel coming out soon it is well worth a re-watch.

As a prince trying to get out of a pre-arranged marriage, Murphey comes to America to find the perfect wife. What follows is a bit madcap, a bit silly, but so full of good humor and joy that it makes this a standout movie for all time.

Horror comedies are tough, the tones don't mesh well together usually leaving the films feeling uneven and, often, unwatchable. Not so with Get Out. The humor is at times cringeworthy (by intent) and the horror is often hilarious (also by intent) but it is an amazing blend of the genres in a movie that really puts its finger right on the pulse of modern America.

It is so hard to describe the film without spoilers, but let us just say that if you haven't seen it and you want to talk with authority about movies this is another must watch as the title is already a sort of short hand for race and politics.

There really isn't any other sports star in American history as revered and celebrated as Jacki Robinson. Jackie was the first black man to play professional baseball and this epic biopic chronicles that journey in a thoughtful, and thought provoking, way.

The cast is amazing, the directing is perfect, and the movie hits its notes with precision. Even if you aren't a fan of biopics or sports movies it is well worth a watch as it is a nice blend of both that also helps understand a little better just how hard it was to break the color barrier in baseball, something we sort of take for granted now but that may not have happened for a very long time if it hadn't have been for that number 42.

Yes, two days of biopics in a row might seem like a lot but Straight Outta Compton and 42 are so different and yet touch on many of the same issues that it is enjoyable to watch them with the other fresh in your mind.

The film follows NWA from poverty to success and isn't shy about showing the world they live in with all its own flaws and contradictions while still delivering an exceptional performance from an amazing cast.

Want something unique and funny and clever and unlike anything else you've seen? Sorry To Bother you will deliver.

It's a bit of a mad movie, hard to pin down in one genre, and harder than that not to fall in love with. The cast is perfect, the directing is new and innovative, and the movie will make you wonder just what the hell is going on on the other side of the line when a telemarketer calls.

If you love movies but get tired of watching the same thing all the time, then it is time to watch this beautiful madness unfold.

This is an emotional one and is going to be a fairly intense one to watch, but the family dynamics, the bitterness and missed opportunities, and the rift between father and son are all portrayed in a sort of beautiful despair that makes this film an amazing piece of cinematic history.

Denzel Washington plays a bitter and flawed man who takes his own missed opportunities and failures out on his family. It is a powerful and moving film that highlights a superb American drama.

Yes, it is a Rocky film, and it is a sequel and a spin-off all at once, but it is also just a good, uplifting, and solid boxing movie and what list of movies is really complete without at least one boxing movie?

Rocky comes back, again, but this time it is to train Apollo Creed's son and it is a touching and sometimes heartbreaking movie that keeps you engaged and rooting for the hero up till the final minutes.

Yes, Fences was emotionally tough to watch and this one is even harder. We cleverly gave your mind a bit of a break with Creed before it and soul right after. You are welcome.

12 Years A Slave follows the biography of Solomon Northup, a free northerner who was kidnapped and forced into slavery in the south in 1841. This is a period movie, it is a biographical movie, it is historically accurate and brutal and intense. And it is one you just have to watch, but also one you will be absolutely glad you did.

Swinging back into some more lighthearted faire, we get a new installment in the Pixar family where a would be Jazz musician dies and comes back earth to help a new soul find their passion in life.

The willingness to take on life and death so directly is what makes this film stand out, and while it may not be the greatest in the PIxar series, like all of them it will leave you feeling good and warm and optimistic about the future.

This movie answers a question most of us probably weren't asking but desperately needed to know anyway: what would happen if a black police officer in 1972 posed as a Klans member in an attempt to uncover and bust some police brutality, corruption, and racism? The answer to that question is a dark crime comedy that is both enjoyable and, at times, difficult to watch.

Like many period movies on this list this month this one is set in a different time but the themes and the issues it raises resonate way more than perhaps they still should in 2021 and is a movie that should give us all a bit more pause in how we perceive the people around us and our own biases.

This film is surprising not just for the unique style that it presents but also for the critical acclaim and success it received. There are hundreds of animated Spider-Man movies out in the world, but this one takes the character to a new and beautiful place in a way that is both heartwarming and entertaining and dark and sad.

In this world there are many different versions of Spider-Man, all with roughly the same ethos, all with roughly the same powers, but all different and all unique. The movie centers on a young black teen who is set to become a new Spider-Man when his realities Peter Parker is killed, but before that can really happen he has to meet all the other iterations of his new persona from different dimensions. The heartfelt nature of the family story underneath it, the music, and the animation and cinematography take this from what could have been another simple animated cash grab by Marvel to something really quite amazing to watch.

While it isn't a sequel to Get Out (2017), Us (2019) is the second in Jordon Peele's horror movie anthology (well, hopefully it will be an anthology) and is another amazing achievement in horror and one that will likely inspire a whole new generation of horror filmmakers.

Like with Get Out it is hard to discuss this film without accidently revealing spoilers, but if you grew up watching horror movies, or just know their conventions, this one will take those expectations, tell you what they are, then throw them back at you in the most entertaining way possible.

The last film of February and, guess what, we selected another biopic! Yeah, we have a few on here, but this one is focusing on some people whose biographies you probably never heard of before because they are so, so often overlooked.

This drama centers on the careers and lives of the women that worked to make the Space Race a success while working for NASA in the early 1960s. The films title tells you all you need to know about how history (at least till now) regarded these women, but regardless of if the movie is in and of itself a cinematic masterpiece the chronicling of these women in a way that reaches a larger audience makes it a movie that helps dispel some of the "great man" myth of the space race and helps re-write history through the eyes of the people that really made history happen, even though most of us hadn't heard their names before.