Mad Max: Fury Road

My brother suggested to see this on my birthday, and in the first few moments I thought I had made a mistake by agreeing. It was so stylized and apocalyptic and harsh. But as it went on I loved it. A two-hour chase movie that pulled me in with compelling characters and fascinatingly intricate world-building, whose action isn’t draining or empty. Plus there’s a guy playing a guitar/flamethrower!

Miss Stevens

I randomly found this in the ‘Hidden Gems’ section of Netflix. More about the characters than a high-stakes plot, it’s a quiet comedy/drama about a teacher that takes three high school students to a drama competition over a weekend. It has a cool soundtrack and great performances, particularly the lead actor Lily Rabe, and Timothee Chalamet as one of the students. Both sweet and serious without overdoing either. Give it a try!