By Trenton Grierson

Of the Gleaner

Grab your popcorn and silence your phones, the movie is about to start! The Oscars may be five months away, but that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from releasing some of the greatest films of this decade in the past month.  Films like Nightcrawlers, Interstellar and Fury have topped the box office in recent weeks not just because they have all-star casts, but because of the originality of the plot-line and the director’s effort to be as accurate as possible.

Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey, is Paramount Pictures’ near-future sci-fi epic . With Earth’s natural resources near total depletion, NASA dispatches Cooper (McConaughey), a former NASA test pilot, to find a suitable habitat on one of three distant planets that are orbiting a black hole.

Because this film relies heavily on multiple scientific theories, such as the relative effects of gravity on time and the human body, some scientific oversight was necessary. Nolan enlisted theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, a professor at CalTech and long time friend of Stephen Hawking, to ensure the realism of this film.

Between the spectacular CGI and excellent performance of the cast, this movie is a must-see. Since this film was shot on 70mm film, IMAX is the best choice to truly experience the magnificence of this film.

Another film that left me in awe was Columbia Pictures’ Fury, which tells the story of a heroic U.S. tank crew during the final days of World War II.  This film, however, is not your typical war film that focuses on the patriotism of the soldier. Instead, Director David Ayer depicted the horrifically graphic nature of war and the psychology of a battle-hardened warrior. For this reason, Fury is not a date night movie, but rather a retelling of a collection of true stories that should be shared with a veteran in your life.

Besides the violent imagery, this film’s true beauty shines because of its historical accuracy. The director refused to use any recreated props for the film. Between the use of the last functioning German Tiger tank down to the smallest details like the brand of cigarettes used by the actors, no expense was spared to make the audience immersed in the plight of the Fury’s crew as they battle a relentless and fanatical enemy.

Nightcrawler, the final film on this list, had me hanging on the edge of  my seat for nearly the entire fim. Lou (Jake Gyllenhaal), a sociopathic drifter who is looking for a stable job, stumbles on to the scene of a fiery car crash and watches as a camera crew films the victim being rescued for the next morning’s news circuit. The next day, Lou buys a police scanner and a camcorder and begins his career as a nightcrawler journalist. Because of his lack of emotions, he won’t let anything, or anyone, get in the way of the perfect shot.

The suspense of this film, combined with the uncertainty of Lou’s next action, makes this film one of the greatest thrillers I have seen in a long time. This film also gives a very good depiction of the mentality of  a sociopath, as Gyllenhaal had to live with someone afflicted by the disability, and he also interviewed multiple psychologists.

Now that winter has come and there isn’t much to do outside, I would recommend getting a movie ticket. It may be a little expensive, but the effort put into the making of the movie and the emotional experience these films put you through make them well worth any price.