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2) The Martian

The Martian is a moviemaking marvel. At its core, this is one of the most optimistic stories in modern cinema. A single man gets stranded 140 million miles away from home. He’s literally the only human on another planet, one that is hostile to all the elements mankind needs to survive. Rather than curl up and die, the hero of the story, Mark Watney, steels his resolve and discovers a way to maintain long enough to come up with a better plan.

Unbeknownst to Watney, the entire world he calls home learns of his plight. With single-mindedness and absolutely no cynicism or debate, many people temporarily put their entire lives on hold in order to help him. It’s the purest form of selflessness, and they all decide to act this way without knowing whether Watney is the type of person who deserves it. These other heroes, the ones comfortably living on Earth, would provide the same generous offer to anyone.

The Martian is one of the greatest examples of teamwork in the history of film. Virtually every character at some point contributes meaningfully to the cause of bringing Mark Watney back home. There’s true purity in that sort of societal generosity. I loved The Martian as a book and initially felt a twinge of disappointment when I watched the movie in the theater the first time.

Then, I realized that I was judging the film not on its own basis but instead based on my preconceived notions of what I wanted it to be. Since then, I’ve viewed it countless more times in a less biased manner. I’ve come to appreciate what a true masterpiece it is. No film in recent memory embraces the beauty of the social contract better than The Martian.

3) Mad Max: Fury Road

First, the dude gets kidnapped. Then, he gets dragged into a car, chained to a psychotic zealot. When he escapes from that nightmare, he’s still locked at the neck to the other dude. He’s also about to die of thirst. He sees twin hopes in front of him, water and a bolt cutter. Alas, he only has time to prioritize one of them before a one-armed warrior attacks him mercilessly. And this is a good time to mention that the fleet of cars from which he escaped have emerged from the dust storm behind him. They’re getting closer by the second as he takes a beating from an Imperator and a crazed cancer victim.

That’s the first 15 minutes of a two hour film.

Films rarely leave me breathless these days. Mad Max: Fury Road repeatedly left me gasping for air.

4) Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies links two extremely competent men together in an unlikely but meaningful way. One is an unrepentant spy who sleeps soundly because he knows he’s caught. The other is the too-competent lawyer specifically asked to represent him in his impossible legal defense. Together, the two men grow to understand that honor has no borders, and friendship can occur quickly and deeply. Mutual respect links these fascinating individuals in a gritty espionage tale that sneaks in a few moments of legal drama.

When the Coen Brothers write a Tom Hanks role for Steven Spielberg to direct, it’s reasonable to have great expectations. Bridge of Spies still clears that bar, and the subtle reason why is a virtual unknown named Mark Rylance. I first saw him in the late Jon Gielgud’s Prospero’s Books over 20 years ago. I’d completely forgotten about him until now. After just this one role, he’s my favorite Shakespearean performer turned supporting actor since Derek Jacobi.

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