It’s officially summertime! The sun is blazing, love is in the air, and the ocean is calling. Anything can happen during the hottest season, andsummer blockbusters are the most highly anticipated filmsof the year! But sometimes, the sticky heat also brings in stormy weather.
Whether you’re rained in with a friend or a lover, finding the perfect film to forget about the troubles outside only feels right. Some of the best stormy night flicks are hidden gems, from wacky sci-fi adventures to steamy crime thrillers. Let your mind escape with stories from around the world as you’re cuddled up in front of the TV.
10’Memoirs of a Geisha' (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36%
Based on the best-selling novel,Memoirs of a Geishais an epic, romantic drama that follows the tragic life of Chiyo/Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi) through her childhood to womanhood. Historically, Geishas represent females highly skilled in embodying the beauty of artistic expression, and directorRob Marshallcrafted an electrifying picture to honor those talented artists of the past.
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Memoirs of a Geishais a symbolic film thatredefines the classic Cinderella trope. Sold to an okiya house, young Chiyo must work off her debt against the glorified Geisha, Hatsumomo (Gong Li), and learn to survive in a war-brewing nation. Sayuri is mentored by the revered Geisha Mameha,played by Oscar-winning actressMichelle Yeoh, who guides her to stardom. Set aside your own worries as the story blooms into Sayrui’s years-long battle to reach for a hidden dream within.
9’Dreams' (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
There are only so many films in the world that can invoke tears within the first ten minutes. With the help ofSteven SpielbergandGeorge Lucas,Akira Kurosawabrought to life his recurring dreams through a series of episodic vignettes.Dreamssets itself apart by allowing fans of the legendary director to journey head-first into his distinctive imagination.
Each of the eight “dreams” brilliantly mixes together Japanese mythology with magical realism. The anthology explores a young boy’s discovery of a fox wedding, a painter’s adventures into a Van Gogh painting, and a man who meets a demon during an atomic holocaust.Dreamis a wonderful film of self-reflection, and Kurosawa masterfully re-ignites the dreamer in all of us.
8’Clue' (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%
Clue, featuring major Hollywood stars such asTim Curry,Madeline Kahn, andChristopher Lloyd, is a comedic mystery film based on the world’s second most popular board game. This hilarious picture is packed with plot twists and is an interactive thrill waiting to explode at its triple-ending conclusion. With a cinematic note, directorJonathan Lynncleverly transforms the rules of the original game to a “T.”
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The film begins when six game-themed guests are invited by letter to a spooky mansion. After their dinner host is suddenly murdered, the panic-stricken guests must figure out “whodunnit.” As the body count piles up, fans of the board game will have a blast witnessing iconic characters come to life as the anxiety heights and unanswered questions reveal the true murderer.
7'2046' (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Wong Kar Waiis one of thebest modern directors of our time, and his films never fail to evoke a sense of dreamy surrealism throughout every frame.2046is a stimulating romantic, sci-fi drama part of Wong’s award-winning, informal trilogyDays of Being Wild(1990) andIn the Mood for Love(2000).
Within a futuristic backdrop, sci-fi author Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) writes of a train that takes passengers to a room called 2046 where they can relive precious memories, feeling no amount of painful emotions. Chow’s arousing journey blurs the lines of reality in this non-linear film bursting with a gloomy sunset palette of colors.
6’Blade Runner: The Final Cut' (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
What makes a human a human? DirectorRidley Scott’sBlade Runner: The Final Cutis a slow-burning, sci-fi thriller flick action-packed with stylistic cinematography and jazzy love tunes. This cyberpunk picture inspired generations of sci-fi media, including even the classic animeCowboy Bebopand is deemed one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time.
Set in a dystopian 2019, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a Blade Runner who ‘‘retires" or hunts dangerous “replicants,” robots made to be more intelligent than the average human being. Deckard becomes entangled in a passionate affair with a prototype replicant that begs Deckard to question his own existence.Blade Runneris an existential mind-bender with a bewitching open ending.
5’High and Low’ (1963)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
A true cinephile can acknowledge that Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films only make up less than half of his artistic portfolio. The iconic filmmaker has certified his all-rounded talent in drama-based films such asIkiru(1952) andDrunken Angel(1948). Then came the award-winning thrillerHigh and Low, which proved thatAlfred Hitchcockis not the only master of suspense.
High and Lowtells the story of a wealthy shoemaker, Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), who is blackmailed for ransom by an anonymous caller claiming to have kidnapped his son. Shortly after, the police realize the blackmailer kidnapped the son of Gondo’s chauffeur, Shinichi, by accident. The second half of the film is a knuckle-gripping race to find out the whereabouts of the blackmailer, Shinichi, and Gondo’s life savings.
4’Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s worldwide success redefined the animation industry in Hollywood. Combining live-action actors with iconic cartoons was not an easy job for animators, but the end result gave legs to a new era during the Disney Renaissance and became the highest-grossing picture in 1988.
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The film is set in old Hollywood, where humans and cartoons co-exist. Toon-loathing detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hopkins) gets entrapped in the world of toons when Roger Rabbit seeks his help after he is framed for murdering Marvin Acme, owner of Toontown. This nostalgic classic is an instant rainy-day mood-maker bubbling with witty humor, film-noir tropes, and beloved characters for all ages.
3’The Godfather' (1972)
The Godfatheris a landmark picture often credited for launching the careers ofFrancis Ford CoppolaandAl Pacino. The trilogy is by far the most authentic to its American gangster theme, andMario Puzo’s story has set unbeatable boundaries for crime dramas.
The first installment centers around the revered American gangster “Don” Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). Knee-deep in the New York crime scene, Brando’s distinctive role as the “Godfather” lights a fire under an old drug dealing rival. The film is known for its dark tones and slow-burning violence, later boiling up to a mafia brawl that threatens the Corleone legacy forever.
2’Laura' (1944)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Who doesn’t love cynical voice-overs, turned-up raincoat collars, and puzzling murder mysteries?Laurais one of the best film-noir pictures of all time and was released just at the peak of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The art of film-noir is long gone in theaters today, but fans of these stylistic crime dramas can argue that every story never gets old.
Laurafollows the story of Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews), who investigates the murder of advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). As McPherson dives deeper into the case, he unexpectedly falls in love with the deceased dame just as bizarre events change the focus behind the real victim. The film is a spell-bounding experience perfectly fitting for the thunder outside.
1’Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
Besides the timelessThe Wizard of Oz, few films are considered near perfection.Singin' in the Rain, directed byGene KellyandStanley Donen, is a romantic comedy musical jammed with nostalgic numbers and momentous scenery for everlasting feel-good smiles.
The film artfully pays homage to the start ofHollywood’s transition into talking pictures. Silent film stars Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont must face the technical challenges of using their voices for the first time. Secrets unravel, and Don’s fiery love interest with a chorus girl stirs a heated rivalry, setting the tone for a gorgeously directed, technicolor masterpiece.
