On the Waterfront (1954)

On the Waterfront is another of those classic movies I've been meaning to watch since always but I kept putting off because you don't simply watch a classic if you're not in the mood for it. Also, I wasn't a huge fan of Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire which also stars Marlon Brando, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. 

The film tells the story of Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), a young dockworker with a short, unsuccessful career as a boxer. One day, he witnesses a murder of a fellow worker at the hands of Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), the local mobster and boss of the dockers union he works for. When the dead man's sister, Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), enters the picture, looking for her brother's killer, Terry falls for her, feels guilty about her brother's death and begins to question what's really right. 

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)

I guess it's because I don't live in the United States and because religions aren't really my thing, but I knew virtually nothing about Scientology. All I knew was that it is a cult, that you have to pay to be a part of it, and that Tom Cruise is a member of this so-called church. So what did I do to learn more about it? I watched HBO's documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.

This documentary is based on Lawrence Wright's book of the same name and provides a deep look at the history of the Church of Scientology, how it went from being a cult to a religion, how it works, the role of celebrities, and its allegations for abuse, harassment and misconduct.

Destination Wedding (2018)

As you may already know, I'm not in romantic comedies but when I saw the trailer to Destination Wedding on YouTube months ago, I knew I would end up watching it because Keanu Reeves is my freaking kryptonite and Winona Ryder is awesome.

The film follows two cynical, miserable and unpleasant people, Linsday (Winona Ryder) and Frank (Keanu Reeves), who meet at the airport while on their way to a destination wedding. They get off to a bad start when he cuts in front of her at the gate; things get worse on the plane when they learn they are both heading to the same wedding. As they are forced to spend time together, they begin to bond over their mutual distaste for the groom, who is Frank's half-brother and Lindsay's ex-fiancé. 

The Lion King 1½ (2004)

Although The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was pretty bad, as direct-to-video sequels usually are, when I learnt about the existence of The Lion King 1½ (which is wrongfully called The Lion King 3 in Italy. It's translated in Italian, of course) I knew I would end up watching it.

Set after the events of the original movie but before the first sequel, The Lion King 1½ follows Timon (voiced by Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (voiced by Ernie Sabella) as they watch the original movie in a theater. Timon wants to fast-forward to when they come in, but Pumba suggests to tell the audience their story and so we learn about Timon's unhappy life in the meerkat colony, how the Hakuna Matata originated, how the two met, and their lives together before and before they met Simba (voiced by Matthew Broderick).