Following the feedback and success of our 30 Films to See Before Your 30 feature, we continue our latest series, 5 Movies to Watch This Week. As the title suggests, five movies are featured each week regardless of release date alongside their respective IMDB ratings. Check out this week's picks below and be sure to look for Night at the Museum (starring Ben Stiller), and Annie (starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz) to hit theaters this Friday, December 19.
12 Angry Men (1957)
Written and co-produced by Reginald Rose and directed by Sidney Lumet, 12 Angry Men is a murder trial film that tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt. The film explores the many techniques of consensus-building, and the difficulties encountered in the process, among a group of men whose range of personalities adds intensity and conflict. Meanwhile, a dissenting juror slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. Buy it here or stream it here.
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7CBKT0PWFA
Downfall (2004)
A German war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, Downfall depicts the final days of Adolf Hitler's reign over Nazi Germany in 1945. Charting the last 10 days of Hitler's life, from his 56th birthday on April 20, 1945 to his suicide on April 30, the film uses multiple characters to show the chaos of a country turmoil, from Hitler's henchman under the streets of Berlin, to the soldiers and civilians fighting and dying as the Soviet Army ravaged the city above. Buy it here or stream it here.
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp1RXmM1-60
L.A. Confidential (1997)
A neo-noir crime film based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, L.A. Confidential explores both the dark side of the Los Angeles police force and Southern California's criminal underbelly in the early '50s. As corruption grows, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice. Buy it here or stream it here.
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nnFof4KpKY
Platoon (1986)
Written and directed by Oliver Stone and starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen, Platoon is the first film of a trilogy of Vietnam War films by Stone (followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth). Stone wrote the story based upon his experiences as a U.S. infantryman in Vietnam to counter the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne's The Green Berets. It was the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War. Buy it here or stream it here.
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AykiF9YYF2U
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)
A South Korean film by director Park Chan-wook, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is the third installment in Park's The Vengeance Trilogy, following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy. It stars Lee Young-ae as Lee Geum-ja, a woman released from prison after serving the sentence for a murder she did not commit. The film tells her story of revenge against the real murderer. Buy it here.
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXbV9a5GA4