“Thief” (1981)

In Michael Mann‘s “Thief,” a low-level safecracker (James Caan) falls in love with a diner waitress (Tuesday Weld), dreams about raising a family with her and tries to escape his life of crime by getting out from under the thumb of a narcissistic Chicago mafia boss (Robert Prosky). The film’s story is, in other words, a very familiar one to fans of the noir and crime genres. But there is so much more to “Thief” than just its story — the visual beauty in every frame, the hypnotic power of its Tangerine Dream score, the blue-collar frustration simmering throughout it and, perhaps most powerfully of all, the middle-aged desperation and exhaustion driving its protagonist.

It may not be as well-known or widely beloved as other Mann films — namely, “Heat” and “Collateral” — but it holds many of the same qualities that make those movies great. Caan’s lead performance is seismic, and the film itself is as complete an achievement of artistic vision and control as anything else Mann has ever made.

“The Aviator” (2004)

2004’s “The Aviator,” director Martin Scorsese’s second collaboration with longtime creative partner and leading man Leonardo DiCaprio, is one of the more under-appreciated entries in Scorsese’s filmography. An ambitious, visually inventive dramatization of the life of aviation pioneer and filmmaker Howard Hughes (DiCaprio), “The Aviator” works simultaneously as a complex portrait of obsessive-compulsive disorder and a glamorous exploration of the undaunted, reckless levels of ambition that helped build both Hollywood and modern America from the 1920s through the 1940s.

Cate Blanchett won her first Academy Award for her performance in the film as Katharine Hepburn, one of the great loves of Hughes’ life, and rightly so. Her chameleon-like performance is emblematic of “The Aviator” itself, a film overflowing with technical artistry that yet never loses its grasp of the moving, sometimes ugly humanity at the center of it.

“The Sandlot” (1993)

A love letter to both childhood and baseball, 1993’s “The Sandlot” is a coming-of-age comedy that will live on for-ev-er. Directed and co-written by David Mickey Evans, the film follows a diverse group of young kids who play recreational baseball together as they grow closer and experience different adventures over the course of a single summer in the early 1960s. Full of quotable lines and memorable, enduring cinematic moments, “The Sandlot” works whether you are 12 or 34.

Nostalgic and yet clear-eyed, it is a film that understands the ways both good and bad that childhood is so different from adulthood, and it captures that separation, as well as the fleeting beauty of youth and hard-earned camaraderie, with equal parts humor and heart. It is not just a classic, but the rare kind of film that feels like it has existed forever, despite only being 33 years old.

“The Terminator” (1984)

It is a testament to the artistry of “The Terminator” that, despite being ripped off and imitated countless times over the past 40 years, the film still stands on its own. Directed and co-written by “Avatar” and “Titanic” filmmaker James Cameron, the film’s story of a cyberkinetic assassin sent back in time to kill the mother (Linda Hamilton) of mankind’s future savior gives it the chance to work alternately across its 107 minutes as a thrilling chase movie, inventive retro-future drama and chilling, unrelenting slice of sci-fi horror.

Co-writers Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd bely the complexity of the film’s time travel story with a simple, elegant narrative structure defined by periodic confrontations, chases and escapes, and the result is a high-concept thriller that effortlessly holds your attention and, in typical Cameron fashion, delivers some of the most indelible images in cinema history along the way.

“Spy Game” (2001)

2001’s “Spy Game” is one of the most underrated films that “Top Gun” director Tony Scott has ever made. Set during the last days of the Cold War, the film follows a veteran CIA operative (Robert Redford) who sets out to save his former protege (Brad Pitt) from execution in a Chinese prison and, in doing so, begin to unravel the betrayals that created the high-stakes situation in the first place.

Twisty and propulsive, “Spy Game” is slighter than its star power and Cold War premise would suggest, but not as superficial as its minuscule reputation would have you believe. It is an entertaining and stylish spy thriller made by one of cinema’s most boundary-pushing mainstream stylists, and it is well-deserving of two hours of your time.

“The Menu” (2022)

An acid-tongued, blackly comic thriller, “The Menu” is a contemporary spin on a typical haves-vs-haves-not horror film set in the world of high-end culinary dining. Ralph Fiennes leads and supercharges the film with his performance as the maniacal chef of a famous, ultra-exclusive restaurant who decides to surprise his latest guests with a menu full of increasingly savage and distressing turns.

Anya Taylor-Joy co-stars in the film as the female date of a restaurant-obsessed foodie (Nicholas Hoult) who finds herself fighting for her life, and “The Menu” steadily and expertly ratchets up the tension over the course of its 107 minutes. The result is an immensely entertaining thriller — one that lingers in your mind afterward less because of its surprising social and cultural observations and more because of the gusto with which it and its performers lean all the way into its absurd, heightened horror reality.

“American Fiction” (2023)

Speaking of biting comedies with an edge, 2023’s “American Fiction” marked the feature directorial debut of writer-director Cord Jefferson. Based on a 2001 novel by Percival Everett, the film follows a frustrated Black novelist and professor (Jeffrey Wright) who, in a moment of frustration and grief, writes a satirical takedown of stereotypical “Black” stories only for the book to be taken seriously and lead to immense financial and personal success.

Both a scathing social satire and a surprisingly moving exploration of having to grow up and become responsible for more than just yourself, “American Fiction” scored five Oscar nominations in 2024. Jefferson took home the Best Adapted Screenplay award that year, while Wright and co-star Sterling K. Brown both earned nominations for their performances in the film. Its success was deserved, to say the least, and if you missed it in theaters, now is as good a time as any to stream it on Prime Video.

Lost

“Lost” is iconic, and the hope is that anyone searching for great sci-fi TV shows to watch on Hulu has already checked this one off their list. But if not, watch the show that inspired an entire generation of stories. The series may start as more of a “how do we survive stranded on an island,” but it’s clear that said island has more mysteries than you can shake a stick at, and uncovering them will bring out the obsessive in any viewer.

Paradise

The second season of “Paradise” took a bit of a quantum leap into science fiction territory that is sure to excite some fans and perplex others. Regardless, the Sterling K. Brown-led Hulu original remains intensely watchable as a group of humans live their days in a Paradise-like bunker waiting out a time they can return to the surface after a catastrophic event. Politics, power grabs, and murder all blend together for a one-of-a-kind show worth the time for a two-season binge in anticipation of a third and final.

The X-Files

A sci-fi classic if ever there was one. “The X-Files” follows FBI duo Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as a believer and a skeptic, respectively, of the weird, odd and paranormal. The two are tasked with investigating case after case of the bureau’s X-Files to determine who, or what, is the perpetrator. Come for the alien abductions and men in black conspiracy theorists and stay for the crackling chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson that birthed a thousand shippers.

Fringe

An “X-Files” for the 2010s, “Fringe” burst onto the scene following an FBI agent, a mad scientist and his reluctant son bobbing around the country looking into weird phenomena. Where “The X-Files” focused on aliens and conspiracy theories, “Fringe” was more interested in fringe science cases like alternate dimensions, cloning, gene splicing and more. The series began as procedural as any other Fox series but through its five-season run it morphed into something truly special.

Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson are both superb in the series but the real star here is John Noble’s turn as Walter Bishop. From series premiere to the finale, Noble was willing to go places and do things few others were willing at the time. The fact that he never received a single Emmy nod will forever be a stain on that ceremony.

Firefly

A cult favorite among many sci-fi obsessives, “Firefly” won’t take long to binge but is worth it for any fan of the genre who may have missed out. A blend of science fiction and a western, the story followed the crew of the Serenity as they hopped around the galaxy making there meager living while harboring a pair of most wanted siblings. Joss Whedon created the show so expect the usual dialog flares and character work you’d expect for better or worse. Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and the rest of the core cast are all pitch perfect in their roles which make the short-lived series a delight from start to finish.

Devs

Back in 2020, “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation” director Alex Garland wandered into the realm of TV for his FX miniseries “Devs.” The sci-fi mystery boasts a stellar cast including Sonoya Mizuno, Cailee Spaeny, Alison Pill, Jin Ha and a creepy Nick Offerman playing both with and against typecast. It follows a software engineer who begins to investigate the mysterious development division of her company, following growing suspicion that they are responsible for her boyfriend’s death. When she discovers a quantum computing machine capable of staggering predictions, she stumbles into a world of immensely powerful tech that calls all of free will into question.

The Strain

“The Strain” may trend much more horror than sci-fi, but the way it goes about said horror has tinges of what the sci-fi lover in search of a binge-watch might need. The series follows a vampiric virus that gets unleashed slowly across New York City – and later the world – and the battle between bloodsuckers and an epidemiologist, a city rat catcher and a turncoat vampire.

The FX series adapts a book from horror maestro Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. “The Strain” may have got lost in the shuffle of the volume of quality TV FX was pumping out back in 2014 when it first premiered, but it’s a four-season show worth watching.

“Godzilla Minus One”

If you haven’t seen “Godzilla Minus One,” now’s the time. The film, which grossed more than $100 million at the global box office and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, is set to release a sequel (appropriately titled “Godzilla Minus Zero”) in November 2026. That sequel will have a presentation at CinemaCon on April 14, giving audiences a first look at the pending follow-up.

Considering the immense quality of “Godzilla Minus One,” that should come as fantastic news. The film, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, breathed fresh life into this long-running Kaiju franchise. It’s an intimate, sometimes devastating film, shot beautifully with incredible performances. The Godzilla action hits hard, while the human drama at its center holds its own.

“Oh, Hi!”

Sophie Brooks’ “Oh, Hi!” is a charming and breezy comedy of manners starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman as a couple in for a rude awakening on their first weekend getaway. The main problem? That Iris (Gordon) thinks they’re actually a couple, while Isaac (Lerman) thinks they’re just having fun. He probably shouldn’t have told her that while he was handcuffed to their bed.

Brooks knows exactly how to weaponize Gordon’s immense talent as a comedic actor, giving her a perfect vehicle to unleash her star power in a modern dating send-up. Gordon and Lerman have great chemistry, both as romantic partners and comic opposites. If you’re looking for a date night rom-com, “Oh, Hi!” has you covered. Just make sure you’re already on the same page as your partner.

“Priscilla”

Cailee Spaeny is quickly rising as one of her generation’s signature talents, as evidenced by her placement opposite Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in the second season of Netflix’s anthology “Beef.” At 27, Spaeny’s already been on the acting scene for about 10 years, starting with roles in films like “Pacific Rim Uprising” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”

But one of her first big breakthroughs would come in 2023’s “Priscilla,” in which she starred as the titular wife of Elvis Presley. It was a massive display of talent, directed by Sofia Coppola in a quiet and thoughtful drama. It’s a film that lets you know Spaeny has truly arrived — and that she’s here to stay.

Issa Rae, Creator & Producer

Dhar Mann, Founder, Dhar Mann Studios

Jo Cronk, Co-CEO, Whalar

Rob Wade, CEO, Fox Entertainment

Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios & Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

John Kulback, Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLP

Michelle Khare, Creator & Host, “Challenge Accepted”

Adam W, Creator & Comedy Star

Adam W, Brandon Marshall, 13-Year NFL Veteran & Pioneer of Athlete-Driven Media, Jo Cronk, Ross Smith, Comedy Content Creator, and Ian Trombetta, Global SVP of Social, Creator & Content Marketing, NFL

Adam W, Brandon Marshall, Jo Cronk, Ross Smith, and Ian Trombetta

Shira Lazar, Founder & CEO, What’s Trending, Creators 4 Mental Health

Ian Trombetta

Jessica Ramsden (Rotaniah), Creator

Brandon Marshall

Josh Richards, Entrepreneur, Multi-Hyphenate Creator & Cultural Architect, CrossCheck Studios

Dunia McNeily, Partner, 3 Arts Entertainment

Yongsoo Kim, President, Webtoon Entertainment

Andrew Bachelor, Actor and Creator

Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap

Kudzi Chikumbu, VP, Creator Partnerships, Tubi

Ross Smith

Tony Vassiliadis, EVP, Operations & Strategy, Fox Entertainment

Kayla Cobb, Senior Reporter, TheWrap

“Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” Season 1 (Disney+)

Lucasfilm President and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni‘s new animated “Star Wars” series, “Maul — Shadow Lord,” made its debut this week on Disney+. Set after the events of the “Clone Wars” show, “Shadow Lord” follows its eponymous anti-hero (voiced, once again, by Sam Witwer) as he regains some level of power during the early years of the Galactic Empire. The show, in other words, not only brings back a fan-favorite “Star Wars” character, but also promises to explore the most mysterious chapter of his journey.

Its opening two episodes premiered Monday on Disney+, and the remaining eight chapters of its first season are set to arrive two at a time every week until May 4. If you are a “Star Wars” fan — and particularly fond of Filoni’s animated entries — “Shadow Lord” is a must-see addition to your watchlist this week.

“The Boys” Season 5 (Prime Video)

Prime Video’s popular superhero satire “The Boys” kicked off its highly-anticipated fifth and final season this week. The season’s first two episodes premiered Wednesday on Prime Video, and its remaining six installments are set to follow one week at a time through May 20.

The new season drops viewers back into the world of “The Boys” and follows both Annie January (Erin Moriarty) and Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) as they attempt to take down Homelander (Antony Starr) once and for all with the help of their scattered allies. At this point, you know whether or not the hyper-violent, blackly comic spirit of “The Boys” is your thing. If it is, then tuning in to watch the beginning of the series’ end is likely a no-brainer this weekend.

“The Testaments” Season 1 (Hulu)

A year after “The Handmaid’s Tale” wrapped up its six-season run, Hulu has unveiled the first three episodes of “The Testaments,” its new “Handmaid’s Tale” spin-off. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, “The Testaments” picks up years after the events of its parent series. It follows two teen girls, the pious Agnes (“One Battle After Another” breakout star Chase Infiniti) and the new-to-Gilead Daisy (Lucy Halliday), as they make their way through the preparatory school for future wives run by Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia and find their shared strength pushing them to rebel against the strict boundaries that have been set for them.

The remaining seven episodes of “The Testaments” Season 1 are set to follow the three released this week one at a time weekly through May 27, and whether you were a fan of “The Handmaid’s Tale” or not, you may want to make some time for the new spin-off.

“Big Mistakes” Season 1 (Netflix)

“Schitt’s Creek” co-creator Dan Levy’s serialized TV follow-up to that acclaimed, award-winning comedy is a collaboration between him and “I Love L.A.” creator Rachel Sennott. The two co-created the new Netflix crime comedy “Big Mistakes,” which follows a pair of directionless siblings (Levy and Taylor Ortega) who end up blackmailed into the world of organized crime.

In addition to Levy and Ortega, the show’s ensemble cast includes Laurie Metcalf, Abby Quinn, Jack Innanen, Boran Kuzum, Elizabeth Perkins and others. The level of talent involved in “Big Mistakes” is reason enough to make it a promising arrival this week, and the all-at-once Thursday release of its first season only makes diving into the show an even more alluring prospect.

“Hacks” Season 5 (HBO Max)

“The Boys” is not the only popular streaming series kicking off its final chapter this week. Perennial awards darling “Hacks” also released the first episode of its fifth and final season Thursday night on HBO Max. The new season picks up where “Hacks” Season 4 left off — namely, with Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) resolving to get both of their careers on track in the face of the former’s restrictive non-compete TV contract.

Following its premiere Thursday night, “Hacks” Season 5 is set to roll out its remaining six installments through May 7, and they are episodes that fans of the HBO Max comedy will no doubt want to cherish starting this week.

“Thrash” (Netflix)

A cross between “Crawl” and “Under Paris,” Netflix’s “Thrash” is a survival thriller about a group of people who end up trapped in a coastal town when a Category 5 hurricane strikes — bringing with it devastation, chaos and some hungry, bloodthirsty sharks.

Directed by “Violent Night” filmmaker Tommy Wirkola and starring Phoebe Dynevor, Djimon Hounsou, Whitney Peak and Alyla Browne, “Thrash” has all the makings of being a ridiculous but nonetheless tense and entertaining thriller. That makes it a potentially very fun way for you to spend a few hours of this coming weekend (depending on how you feel about shark movies).

“The Audacity” Season 1 (AMC+)

A rich tech CEO and self-appointed “inventor of the future” (Billy Magnussen) finds himself and his performance psychologist (“Barry” star Sarah Goldberg) caught up in a data mining scandal in “The Audacity.” The new AMC series comes from creator Jonathan Glatzer, whose previous TV credits include episodes of “Succession,” “Better Call Saul” and “Bloodline.”

A black-hearted exploration of the oversized narcissism and recklessness of Silicon Valley CEOs, the series’ all-star cast includes, in addition to Magnussen and Goldberg, Zach Galifianakis, Randall Park, Rob Corddry, Simon Helberg, Paul Adelstein, Meaghan Rath and Lucy Punch. The show’s first episode debuts Sunday night on AMC and AMC+, and if you find its cast and premise intriguing, you may want to give “The Audacity” a shot this weekend.

“Euphoria” Season 3 (HBO Max)

It has been over four years since the second season of “Euphoria” began and ended on HBO. Against seemingly all odds, though, the series is back this week. The Sam Levinson-directed drama is set to kick off its long-awaited third season Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max with an impressive number of its original stars back, including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie and Colman Domingo.

If the season’s early trailers are to be believed, “Euphoria” Season 3 could very well end up being the show’s most unpredictable and chaos-filled yet, and that alone makes its premiere episode an exciting addition to one’s watchlist this week. The season’s remaining seven episodes are scheduled to follow its premiere one at a time every Sunday through May 31.

Plums and Green Pins

Plums are girls who have reached menarche age, which is between 10 and 15. However, while most girls at the academy wear gray, girls in purple are being groomed to be the wives of commanders and other Gilead elite.

Plums wear pink until they have their first menstrual cycle, which is when they will receive a green pin signifying their fertility and eligibility for marriage. They are often seen wearing other green articles of clothing, like green cloaks and dresses.

Pearl Girls

The pearl girls are young girls who come to Gilead from other countries. They been converted by the missionaries Aunt Lydia sends out. They are often thought of as untrustworthy snitches and obsequious believers who are yearning for a chance to prove themselves as devout followers of Gilead.

They wear white as a symbol of their “rebirth,” and are often coupled with a plum or green-pinned plum for guidance.

Pinks

These are the youngest girls of the academy. They wear pink from early childhood to around 10 to 12 years old or until the age of possible menarche.

While they are toddlers and younger adolescents, they are still subjected to harsh punishments. Agnes shared that when she was a pink, she got caught staring at a boy and her punishment was having her mouth taped and being forced to stand in the dining hall for two days while holding a sign that read “slut.”

Wives

Once a pinned plum is married off to a commander, they become wives, during which point they transition into a teal blue dress. As they are taught, wives are to be subservient, quiet and docile companions to their husbands — never to become too opinionated or concerned with matters beyond their homes. Despite their wealth and high status, they are still women in Gilead, which means they too can be subjected to cruel and harsh treatment if they step out of line.

Aunts

Aunts, who wear long brown dresses, are the only women with some level of authority in Gilead. They oversee both handmaids, and young girls in the process of becoming wives. Aunts are the only women in Gilead that are allowed to read and write. If any other girl or woman is seen writing, it could cost them a finger.

Marthas

Marthas, who wear dull green dresses, are the caretakers and servants. They are usually older, infertile women who tend to the needs of the homes they are assigned to.

Handmaids

We haven’t seen a handmaid yet in “The Testaments,” but they are crucial to Gilead’s population. They wear a blood-colored red dress with a white bonnet cap, and they are not to be heard or seen unless called upon. Their red garments signify their fertility, and they are placed in the homes of high-ranking commanders where sexual intercourse is forced upon them in order for reproduction. Handmaid’s have become a “religious” practice Gilead implemented as a way to curve the dwindling birthrate in the country.

Issa Rae, Creator & Producer

Issa Rae

Raquel Calhoun, TheWrap Reporter, and Issa Rea

Raquel Calhoun, Sharon Waxman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap, and Issa Rae

Sharon Waxman and Issa Rea

Kimberly Donnan, Director of Enterprise, TheWrap

Jo Cronk, Co-CEO, Whalar, speaks onstage during the “The New Playmakers & Creators Shaping the Future of Sports Fandoms” panel

Jo Cronk and Brandon Marshall, 13-Year NFL Veteran & Pioneer of Athlete-Driven Media, speak onstage during the “The New Playmakers & Creators Shaping the Future of Sports Fandoms” panel

Brandon Marshall, Adam W, Creator & Comedy Star, Ian Trombetta, Global SVP of Social, Creator & Content Marketing, NFL, and Ross Smith, Comedy Content Creator, speak onstage during the “The New Playmakers & Creators Shaping the Future of Sports Fandoms” panel

Ian Trombetta

Adam W, Ian Trombetta, and Ross Smith

Adam W

Ross Smith

Brandon Marshall

Audience members tune in to TheWrap’s “The New Playmakers & Creators Shaping the Future of Sports Fandoms” panel

Jo Cronk

Brandon Marshall

Ian Trombetta

Ross Smith

Adam W

Dhar Mann, Founder, Dhar Mann Studios, and Rob Wade, CEO, Fox Entertainment

Aneri Shah, Milky Tran, Hayden Hillier-Smith and guests

Networking Break at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood at the Lighthouse

Kayla Cobb, Senior Reporter, TheWrap, Jessica Ramsden (Rotaniah), Creator , Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios & Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, and Yongsoo Kim, President, Webtoon Entertainment, speak onstage during the “How Creators Are Building Multimedia Universes presented by Webtoon” panel

Jessica Ramsden (Rotaniah) and Yongsoo Kim

Jessica Ramsden (Rotaniah)

Sam Register

Yongsoo Kim

Kayla Cobb, Yongsoo Kim, Jessica Ramsden (Rotaniah) and Sam Register

Kayla Cobb, Dhar Mann, and Rob Wade and Tony Vassiliadis, EVP, Operations & Strategy, Fox Entertainment, speak onstage during TheWrap’s “The Next Wave of Short-Form Storytelling” panel

Rob Wade

Dhar Mann

Dhar Mann

Rob Wade

Tony Vassiliadis

Rob Wade, Dhar Mann, and Tony Vassiliadis

John Kulback, Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Brad Haugen, EVP, Digital Strategy & Growth, Lionsgate, Dunia McNeily, Partner, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Kudzi Chikumbu, VP, Creator Partnerships, Tubi, speak onstage during TheWrap’s “Inside the Business of the Creator Economy” panel

Dunia McNeily

Kudzi Chikumbu

Brad Haugen

John Kulback

Kudzi Chikumbu

Dunia McNeily

Brad Haugen

Dunia McNeily, Brad Haugen, John Kulback, and Kudzi Chikumbu

Ian Trombetta, Adam W, and Ross Smith

Guests at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood at the Lighthouse

Sharon Waxman and Jo Cronk inside the portrait studio

Guests at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood at the Lighthouse

Kimberly Donnan and Dhar Mann

John Kulback, Kudzi Chikumbu, Dunia McNeily and Brad Haugen

Shira Lazar, Founder & CEO, What’s Trending, Creators 4 Mental Health, Andrew Bachelor, Actor and Creator, Josh Richards, Entrepreneur, Multi-Hyphenate Creator & Cultural Architect, CrossCheck Studios, and Michelle Khare, Creator & Host, “Challenge Accepted” speak onstage during the “Creators as Storyteller” panel

Josh Richards

Michelle Khare

Andrew Bachelor

Michelle Khare

Shira Lazar

Andrew Bachelor

Shira Lazar, Josh Richards, Michelle Khare and Andrew Bachelor

Andrew Bachelor, Tess Patton, Reporter, TheWrap, and Ivanna Rea, Social Media Manager, TheWrap

Marie-Josée Cantin Johnson, SVP Strategy, Entertainment & Sports Banking at City National Bank, welcomes guests to TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party

TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

Marie-Josée Cantin Johnson welcomes guests

Michelle Khare and Jo Cronk

Guests enjoy TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

Guests enjoy TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

Marie-Josée Cantin Johnson and Oganes Akopyan, Vice President Marketing and Events, TheWrap

Sharon Waxman and Michelle Khare

Emily Vogel, Director of Programming, TheWrap, and Michelle Khare

Sharon Waxman, Shira Lazar, Jo Cronk and Kudzi Chikumbu

Jess Lucero, Creator and Host, Kayla Cobb and Emily Vogel

Guests enjoy TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

Guests enjoy TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood cocktail party hosted by City National Bank

“From Russia With Love” (1963)

The word “essential” suggests that 1962’s “Dr. No,” which was not just the first James Bond movie to star Sean Connery but the franchise’s first big-screen installment, would demand a spot on this list. But “Dr. No” is just not as good as Connery’s second Bond outing, 1963’s “From Russia With Love.”

Director Terence Young’s breezy blockbuster is based on Bond author Ian Fleming’s 1957 novel of the same name and follows Connery’s 007 as he is sent to assist in the defection of a Soviet clerk only to run, once more, into the nefarious agents of Spectre. It’s charming, colorful and, frankly, just a whole lot of fun.

“Goldfinger” (1964)

There is no more iconic James Bond movie in the franchise’s history than “Goldfinger.” Director Guy Hamilton’s 1964 spy thriller follows Connery’s 007 as his investigation into a corrupt gold magnate (Gert Fröbe) who plans to irradiate Fort Knox with a dirty bomb leads him into numerous, increasingly close calls with death.

The film has some of the Bond franchise’s most iconic lines (“Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”), images (the gold-covered body of Shirley Eaton’s Jill Masterson) and details (007’s modified Aston Martin DB5) and it has not lost an ounce of its charm or cinematic power in the 60+ years since its release. It is, perhaps, the most essential of all of Connery’s big-screen Bond adventures.

“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969)

The title for the most underrated of all Bond films goes to 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” The first Bond movie not to star Sean Connery, this Peter Hunt-directed gem features George Lazenby’s one and only turn as 007.

A stylish, wintery blockbuster, the film mines shocking emotional depth out of the relationship between Lazenby’s Bond and Diana Rigg’s Countess Tracy di Vicenzo, who ranks as one of the few female leads in the Bond franchise’s history who actually gets the mercenary womanizer to settle down a little. That fact only makes the film’s third act all the more haunting and unforgettable.

“The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977)

Before Daniel Craig, no actor had played James Bond longer on screen than Roger Moore. Most of the films that Moore made, unfortunately, would not classify now as “essential.” But “The Spy Who Loved Me” does. Director Lewis Gilbert’s 1977 blockbuster follows Moore’s cheeky, charming Bond as he teams up with a Soviet KGB agent (Barbara Bach) to stop a megalomaniac (Curt Jurgens) who plans to destroy the world and create a new society under the sea.

The film is, like many of Moore’s Bond movies, over the top and silly, but it manages to make that work better than any other. Richard Kiel’s Jaws remains one of the Bond franchise’s most visually memorable antagonists, and the film itself is overflowing with pitch-perfect details and show-stopping action sequences. This is Silly Bond at its absolute best, and that is to say nothing, either, of the film’s all-time great Carly Simon theme song.

“GoldenEye” (1995)

“GoldenEye” is the best James Bond film that actor Pierce Brosnan ever starred in. Directed by Martin Campbell and released after a six-year franchise hiatus in which Brosnan predecessor Timothy Dalton decided to step away from the 007 role, the film pits Brosnan’s Bond against ex-MI6 agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) in an intense battle to prevent the latter from using a dangerous weapon against the citizens of London.

Brimming with memorable performances from supporting stars Famke Janssen, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming and Minnie Driver, among others, “GoldenEye” saw Judi Dench become the first woman to play MI6 head M, a role she would go on to thoroughly redefine. In case all of that was not enough, “GoldenEye” additionally inspired one of the best video games ever made, and that only adds to its already sterling legacy.

“Casino Royale” (2006)

Few James Bond actors have ever faced as much public scrutiny heading into their screen debut as 007 as Daniel Craig did in 2006, and even fewer have so quickly proven their doubters wrong. “Casino Royale” brings back “GoldenEye” director Martin Campbell to tell the story of author Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, and the result is a straight-faced, grounded thriller that has all the sex, action and blood that viewers had come to expect from the Bond franchise up to that point, as well as more depth, intelligence, emotional power and stirring, tragic romance than anyone could have seen coming.

The only criticism one could make of the film is actually a further testament to it, and that is that Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd makes such a lasting impression in “Casino Royale” that none of the Craig movies that followed it were ever really able to get fully out from her shadow.

“Skyfall” (2012)

You can take your pick between which of Daniel Craig’s two greatest James Bond outings — 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 2012’s “Skyfall” — is best, because you can’t go wrong either way. “Skyfall” is, in almost every way, a counter to “Casino Royale.” Where the latter is a gritty, purposefully rough exploration of Bond’s MI6 beginnings, “Skyfall” is a painterly, Roger Deakins-photographed dive into a Bond who already feels like he’s been doing the whole spy thing too long.

Littered with visually stunning images and quietly powerful emotional grace notes, “Skyfall” has the best Bond song of the modern era, a show-stopping opening sequence and a villain in Javier Bardem’s Silva that stands as, perhaps, the franchise’s greatest-ever antagonist.

For All Mankind

“For All Mankind” may wear the unfortunate crown of “Best Show on TV Not Enough People Are Watching.” The series takes an alt-history approach to the space program after asking the question, “What if the Russians beat us to the moon?” Each passing season jumps the narrative forward another decade to unpack how the changing focus on tech and spacefaring advanced some things and changed the course of others.

If what you loved most about “Project Hail Mary” was the heavy science Grace and Rocky pull throughout their travels, this could be your quickest fix. Buckle up, though, it’s a ride.

3 Body Problem

Contact with alien life can go really good or really bad – in the case of Netflix’s “3 Body Problem,” it’s very bad. The adaptation of Liu Cixin’s sci-fi epic follows a group of scientists being prepared for the arrival of alien life and an impending conquest to follow. The story has just as dense science as it does mystery, aliens and actionm, which lends itself to being a great replacement for those hankering for more after “Project Hail Mary.”

The Expanse

“The Expanse” is the best hard sci-fi show to come out in the last decade. The series – an adaptation of the James S.A. Corey books – examines what our solar system might look like once we take to the stars.

Humans mostly fall into three factions: the U.N., made up of Earth and the moon, the latest settlers of Mars, and the people of The Belt – those who grew up in the furthest reaches of the system on asteroids or space stations. When a new alien molecule finds its way into human hands, it sparks off a mad fight for control.

There are space battles, there are political intrigues, there are romance and murder and everything in between. “The Expanse” is aces through and through.

Falling Skies

Before Noah Wyle returned to the hospital in “The Pitt,” he played a history professor leading a group of survivors through a world invaded by aliens. At times, the series feels like a sci-fi answer to “The Walking Dead” craze of the early 2010s. Luckily, the series grew into its own thing and “Falling Skies” remains one of the hidden gems that came from TNT’s big push into original programming. If you want a show that has alien enemies and allies in equal measure, dive into this series.

Foundation

Adapting Isaac Asimov’s generation-spawning sci-fi series “Foundation” seems like a Herculean feat, yet, three seasons in, the Apple TV series is pulling it off with flash and care. For someone looking for a hard sci-fi show with as much political maneuvering as there are ship battles, this is the show to sink your teeth into next. Be ready to be confused if you don’t know the source material, but buckle in for the ride, and it’ll be reward after reward in the end.

It might be a bit more “out there” than the other picks to try after finishing “Project Hail Mary,” but Asimov’s stories have proven to be building blocks in some form or another for almost every space story that followed. With as much Spielbergian goodness injected in “Project Hail Mary,” there is also plenty of Asimov and “Foundation” remains one of his greatest stories.

Chase Infiniti as Agnes McKenzie

Chase Infiniti plays Agnes, one of the star pupils at Aunt Lydia’s preparatory school for the future. She is docile, graceful and a devout Gilead follower, but she’s starting to question the society she lives in — especially when newcomer Daisy enrolls in the institution. She lives a well-to-do life with her father and stepmother, the latter of whom resents her because of the legacy of her rebellious biological mother.

Infiniti previously starred in “One Battle After Another,” “Presumed Innocent,” “The Julia Set” and more.

Lucy Halliday as Daisy

Lucy Halliday stars as Daisy. She’s a newcomer to Gilead from anti-Gilead Toronto, whom Aunt Lydia has latched onto Agnes for her to guide her through her assimilation into Gilead has mostly been smooth, though she struggles to get used to the society’s cruel and abusive institutions.

Halliday previously starred in “Blue Jean,” “California Schemin’,” “Static” and more.

Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia

After her pleading rebel handmaid June Osborne for forgiveness in the final of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Ann Dowd returns as the strict and dutiful Aunt Lydia. Though this time, she’s no longer working with handmaids, she’s turned her focus to grooming Gilead’s young girls to be the future wives of commanders.

Dowd previously starred in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Compliance,” “Mass” and more.

Mattea Conforti as Becka

Mattea Conforti comes in as Becka, Agnes’ closest friend at Aunt Lydia’s preparatory school in Gilead. Unlike her fellow students, she doesn’t feel she fits into the structures or pressures of Gilead.

Conforti previously starred in “The Ollie & Moon Show,” “The Super,” “Power,” “Frozen 2” and more.

Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite

Rowan Blanchard stars as Shunammite, one of Agnes’ friends. While she can be sharp with her tongue and quick to judge, Shunammite is a loyal member of her friend group. She aspires to wealth and luxury in Gilead, and she understands the journey to becoming a wife will get her there.

Blanchard previously starred in “Girl Meets World,” “Crush,” “Snowpiercer,” “Invisible Sister” and more.

Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala

Mabel Li stars as Aunt Vidala, one of the younger aunts teaching the girls at Aunt Lydia’s academy. She is strict and unforgiving, and sometimes questions Lydia’s actions while leading the school.

Li previously starred in “Safe Home,” “New Gold Mountain,” “The Tailings,” “Erotic Stories” and more.

Amy Seimetz as Paula

Amy Seimetz stars as Paula, Agnes’ rigid stepmother. While she is focused on preparing Agnes to be a proper Gilead wife, her disdain for Agnes’ biological mother results in bullying Agnes with passive-aggressive digs that may spotlight her own insecurities.

Seimetz previously starred in “Pet Sematary” (2019), “She Dies Tomorrow,” “Upstream Color” and more.

Kira Guloien as Rosa

Kira Guloien comes in as Agnes’ sweet, patient and caring Martha, Rosa. She watches over Agnes during her journey to becoming a young woman of Gilead, while carefully trying not to overstep her role in the McKenzie home.

Guloien previously starred in “Lullaby,” “Glass Houses,” “56 Days,” “Brilliant Minds” and more.