Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Scientist Will Rodman is working on a drug that will hopefully cure his father's Alzheimer's Disease. After the drug fails and the test subjects (which are monkeys) all get put down, Will becomes the guardian of Caeser, an unusually intelligent ape. As Caeser's intelligence grows, however, he proves to be a threat to mankind.
Beautiful Boy (2016)
Based on the memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy shows one boys experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction. This movie draws the viewer in with it's heartbreaking story and beautiful acting.
The World According to Sesame Street (2006)
The characters that live on Sesame Street made a movie in three developing countries- Kosovo, South Africa, and Bangladesh to teach kids about the importance of accepting one another and being part of positive social change. This film takes advantage of the fact that children relate to these characters and use the fact that children will listen to and absorb this information to send an important message that is still relevant today.
The Big Short (2015)
In 2007, Michael Burry (Christian Bale) realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.
El Camino (2007)
Saslaya, a 12-year-old girl, escapes from her native Nicaragua with her little brother in search of their mother, who emigrated 8 years ago to neighboring Costa Rica. The film merges a reality for many children in Nicaragua with poetry and fiction. The director Yasin Gutiérrez has conducted years of research on the children left behind by immigrants.
Yasi has an interesting background and other superb films. Here is a link if you want to read more about her: http://www.ishtaryasin.com/bio.html
This film can be used for different subjects such as, immigration, children, social issues, Central American Studies, and more.
The Hate You Give (2018)
"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?” The Hate You Give follows Starr Carter, a black teenager who witnesses the death of her friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer, as she struggles with police violence, grapples with the influence of the local gang King Lords, and decides how to testify for justice. This movie, based upon the book by Angie Thomas, reflects many of the issues we currently face and is an incredible film that is important to understand.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Miles Morales is an African American and Puerto Rican teenager living in Brooklyn. He tries his best to integrate into his new college, but everything changes when he is bitten by a radioactive spider and discovered superpowers. At the same time, the city's most formidable criminal mastermind, the Kingpin, has developed a nuclear particle accelerator capable of opening a portal to other universes.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Pattison and Willem Defoe star in this bizarre yet spectacular horror film about two lighthouse keepers who try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. Brilliantly shot in black and white with almost "square" aspect ratio, this film transports you into another era. Trust me, you do not want to miss this film!
Inception (2010)
In Inception, Dom Cobb is one of the most unique thieves in the corporate world. He can enter peoples dreams and steal secrets from their mind. Doing this dangerous job has cost him a lot in his life, until one day, when he is told that one job can bring his life back to normal. The task? Inception. Plant a thought inside somebody's mind.
Just Mercy (2019)
Just mercy tells the incredible true story of Bryan Stevenson. After graduating from Harvard law Stevenson heads to Alabama where he defends inmates who were wrongfully condemned or who were not given proper representation. The film follows the beginning of Stevenson's career focusing on one of his first and most prominent cases being that of death row inmate Walter Mcmillian.
Ice Age (1942)
Set during the Ice Age, a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe. - IMDB
