Jian Gui Archives
In this edition of Underrated Horror Movie of the Month, we dive into the 2008 supernatural flick, The Eye. Read why you should watch it!
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
How To Master Your Craft Like Composer John Williams
John Williams and Stephen Spielberg Even if you've never heard of John Williams, he has made your life better. His music is an integral part of movies including Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., Schindler's List, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones, enhancing those experiences for all. He is a true master of his craft with a different level of caring and sensibilities about music's impact on storytelling. Part of what got him there was his family heritage and innate talent. He built on that by learning about music, practicing like crazy, experiencing music in multiple ways, and soaking in all he could from a variety of masters of different crafts. Family heritage and innate talent Williams' father was a jazz drummer. His mother was a dancer. His parents' friends were musicians. Their home was always filled with music and musicians. He and all his siblings studied music. It was just a part of who they were. He inherited a talent for music. His family nurtured it, giving it every opportunity to grow. The lesson for you is not to fight the tide. Nurture your natural instincts. People generally enjoy things for which they have an innate talent. Embrace what comes easy and what you enjoy. Musical learning Williams was an avid student of music, getting piano lessons and studying music at UCLA, Los Angeles City College, and Juilliard in New York. He learned to play multiple instruments including piano, trombone, ukulele. He learned about harmony and orchestration, and studied late Romantic and Modern music. It's no wonder that his movie scores were so lush and complex, often performed by full symphony orchestras. Invest in learning – all kinds of learning: book learning, class learning, workshop learning, learning about things you're not sure you need to learn about, and especially learning about things you already know about. Because you can never learn all there is to learn. Practice like crazy As Williams said in the wonderful celebration of his life and work, 'Music by John Williams,' he practiced piano several hours a day, and 'all day' on weekends. He said it was more akin to athletic training than normal practice. Later in his career he wrote every day consistently for years. It's like the old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice. Give yourself the opportunity to practice skills. Be disciplined about it. Be devoted to it. Diverse experience Williams claims he never planned to be a film composer. He worked as a jazz pianist, then studio musician on film and television scores. Along the way, people asked him to orchestrate short pieces, then conduct some sessions. At one point he helped with music editing. Embrace diverse experiences and intelligent failures as essential steps in building your own strengths. Soak in what other masters have to share Early on Williams worked under legendary film composers like Alfred Newman and Franz Waxman. Later in his career he collaborated with some of the world's great musicians like Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. Perhaps his greatest, most enduring collaboration was with Stephen Spielberg, partnering with him on the music side of his storytelling. That was his cause - storytelling. He used leitmotifs to tell stories, writing specific themes for different characters, places, or ideas. As Spielberg said, in Indiana Jones, even the individual snakes had themes. Williams was always trying to get better. When something he composed didn't match the film director's vision, he adapted. When he first saw Spielberg's Schindler's List, he told Spielberg the film was amazing and that "You need a better composer than I am for this film." Spielberg replied, "I know. But they're all dead!" The minute you think you're a master, the only way to go is down. Instead, devote yourself to a worthy cause and the pursuit of mastery. Implications for you 1) Embrace your innate talents and build on those. Don't try to be what you're not. 2) Invest in learning to acquire knowledge – books, courses, workshops and the like. 3) Practice to build skills – often on your own. 4) Be open to a wide range experiences in projects, assignments, roles including some that push you in new directions. These are the four components of strengths: innate talent, learned knowledge, practiced skills, and hard-won experience. If, and only if you want to go to the next level, then 5) Spend time with master craftspeople to develop craft-level caring and sensibilities for a cause that matters to you. Click here for a categorized list of my Forbes articles (of which this is #953)
Digital Trends
13 hours ago
- Digital Trends
If you have to watch underrated Hulu movies July 2025, stream these ones
An eclectic group of movies makes up Hulu's top 15. Paul W. S. Anderson's In the Lost Lands is toward the top. The fantasy movie based on stories by George R.R. Martin flopped at the box office, but it's found a new audience on streaming. The same can be said for Riff Raff, the little-seen crime comedy starring Bill Murray and Pete Davidson. Outside of the top 15, there is a bevy of underrated movies to watch in July. One of our picks is Sunshine, a sci-fi thriller from the duo that brought you 28 Years Later. Keep reading to see all three of our recommendations. Recommended Videos We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on HBO Max, and the best movies on Disney+. Sunshine (2007) Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland are best known for their collaborations in the 28 Days Later franchise. Yet the duo worked together on 2007's Sunshine, a sci-fi thriller that deserves as much attention, if not more, than their zombie movies. In the year 2057, humanity is facing extinction due to the death of the sun. With Earth freezing, mankind's last hope lies with eight astronauts — including Robert Capa (Cillian Murphy), James Mace (Chris Evans), and Cassie (Rose Byrne) — on board the Icarus II. The group plans to use a stellar-bomb device that could reignite the sun. Sunshine's visuals and score are spellbinding, which pave the way for future space exploration movies like Interstellar. Misunderstood at the time, Sunshine is now regarded as somewhat of a masterpiece. Stream Sunshine on Hulu. The Way Way Back (2013) Fresh off winning an Oscar for their screenplay on The Descendants, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash teamed up for The Way Way Back, a delightful coming-of-age story set in a Massachusetts beach town during the summer. Duncan (Liam James), a timid teenager, is forced to spend the summer with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her rich boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's conceited daughter (Steph). Neglected by his mother and insulted by Trent, Duncan finds solace at a local water park and its kind manager, Owen (Sam Rockwell). The water park becomes Duncan's oasis as he works through his problems with Owen, who takes the young teen under his wing. For those who have felt left out and unseen, The Way Way Back is a heartwarming reminder to be yourself. Stream The Way Way Back on Hulu. Flight of the Phoenix (2004) Flight of the Phoenix was made to be watched on a Sunday afternoon after a long weekend. It has enough action to keep you entertained, but if you happen to doze off for a few minutes, there's no need to rewind because the plot points aren't that major. I mean this as a compliment, by the way. Turn your brain off and enjoy an easy-to-digest survival drama. Based on the novel and the 1965 movie, Flight of the Phoenix follows two pilots — Capt. Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid) and co-pilot A.J. (Tyrese Gibson) — and their attempts to transport the crew of an oil rig out of the desert. A destructive sandstorm causes the plane to crash-land in the abandoned desert. With dwindling supplies and the threat of smugglers, the only way out is to construct a plane from scratch and fly themselves to safety. Stream Flight of the Phoenix on Hulu.
Forbes
17 hours ago
- Forbes
The 20 Best Movies On Netflix According To Rotten Tomatoes
The Best Movies On Netflix According To Rotten Tomatoes The best-rated movies on Netflix are constantly changing, and I thought it was as good a time as any, with July halfway over, to go through the top-ranking films available on the streaming service. This isn't an exhaustive list by any means. A number of smaller movies, documentaries and shorts rank as high, but these are the best-reviewed feature films on Netflix at the time of this publication. This could change as movies come and go and as new reviews tip the scores up or down a percentage point. The following list includes monster movies, animated family films, action flicks, Academy Award winners and much more. The oldest film in the list is from the 1950s. The newest just came to Netflix this year. The rest span decades, genres and are both animated and live-action. Note also that while most of Netflix's catalog is available worldwide, it can vary from country to country. Without further ado, let's dive right in starting with #20 and working our way to #1 – and please let me know what your top picks on Netflix are by shooting me a message on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook. This is one of – if not the – best zombie movies ever made. The South Korean drama takes place mostly on a train as a father and daughter, along with a colorful cast of characters, try to survive a sudden and rather terrifying zombie outbreak. Just bring a box of tissues. Netflix Originals can be pretty generic and bad, even ones with high-profile stars attached. Rebel Ridge was a pleasant surprise. It's basically Jack Reacher if he were black and facing a racist gang of corrupt cops in the South. Also, unlike Reacher, Aaron Pierre's Terry Richmond isn't a killer. I've never seen such a non-lethal action movie before. Before there was Star Wars, George Lucas directed one of the greatest Americana films of all time, recreating the summer after high school in small town America in the 1950s with style and heart. Fast cars, pretty girls, and bittersweet farewells. This movie is a real gem. I believe this is the newest movie on this list. Kpop Demon Hunters is a Korean animated film about, well, Korean popstar demon hunters. Rumi, Mira and Zoey are celebrities with secret identities as badass demon hunters, selling out shows and taking down evil, with plenty of fun Kpop music for the whole family to enjoy. I haven't seen this one, but if you're in the mood for a really well-received teen rom-com, To All The Boys I've Loved Before follows a teenage girl's struggles after all her love letters are made public. Definitely not a kids movie, this one follows a transgender sex worker out to get payback on a cheating pimp/boyfriend. I haven't seen this one, but Sean Baker has made some terrific films like The Florida Project and Anora. I was so pleasantly surprised by The LEGO Movie when this came out over a decade ago. It was surprisingly funny, the music was hilarious, and the story was really well-written, with a heartwarming ending that really tied it all together. Still the best of the LEGO movies. I'll be honest, I hadn't even heard of this movie until compiling this list. The logline reads: 'Tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless blues singer Ma Rainey joins her band for a recording session.' I do love period pieces and 1920s blues music, though! One of a handful of animated films on this list, I Lost My Body is the story of a severed hand that escapes from a dissection lab and goes on a quest to find its body. Certainly a very unique premise, and one that critics and audiences give a high-five. One of the greatest action movies of all time, Mad Max: Fury Road just blasted its way back to Netflix last week. It doesn't matter if you're into post-apocalyptic films or if you've seen any of the other Mad Max movies. This is one you simply can't miss. It's a genuine masterpiece, and it shocks me this isn't at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The classic monster movie turns 50 this year. That's pretty crazy to think about. Jaws pretty much created its own suspense drama, leading to all sorts of great films from Jurassic Park to The Meg. You can't beat the cast or what Spielberg did with the special effects back in the 70s. This is one of the few movies I have a poster for up on my wall. I'll be honest, as much as I love Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, it's probably not even in my top five. Don't get me wrong, it's terrifying and suspenseful and brilliantly shot, but the ending just drives me crazy. I swear, next time I watch it I'm just going to turn it off before that final god awful scene with the psychologist. Other than that, it's a masterpiece! When this came to Netflix a few weeks ago, I called it 'one of the best thrillers ever made' and that's just the cold, hard truth. Not only that, it's one of the best Jimmy Stewart movies ever made, and I say that as a massive superfan. (My other favorites include It's A Wonderful Life, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Philadelphia Story and Harvey). The story of a former beauty queen preparing her rebellious teenage daughter for the Miss Juneteenth pageant. This one was a bit more divisive, with critics giving it a much higher score than audiences (57%). A woman's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War and one of her neighbors suggests that the missile was cursed, and that it was carrying a malevolent spirit. The woman, Shideh, becomes convinced that the now-haunted building is attempting to possess her daughter, Dorsa. It's an interesting blend of horror and war story. Perhaps the only movie on this list that is also a pun, playing off the wildly different 40-Year Old Virgin, this one is about a down-on-her-luck playwright named Radha trying to catch a break before she turns 40. She turns to hip hop instead, and the worlds of rap and the theater collide. The brilliantly unsettling Parasite is a must-watch film for anyone who enjoys dark comedy and suspense, though I have to say this really defies genres in so many ways it's almost hard to pin down. It's a story about family and class and the ways disparity can create suffering. The South Korean film really defies all expectations. You just have to watch it, honestly. I've never really been a huge fan of Godzilla movies outside of the classics. Most American Godzilla films are all about the big special effects and massive destruction and seem to lack the kind of important social commentary that's always been at the heart of these films. Godzilla Minus One is a modern Japanese take on the monster movie, and it's brilliant. What they did on a shoestring budget is just remarkable. Siblings and war orphans Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive during the final months of the Pacific War as WWII draws to a close. Watch this before Godzilla Minus One, since that films takes place in the years after the war and the nuclear bomb. This is one of so many brilliant Studio Ghibli films, though it's as tragic as it is beautiful. This lovely, hilarious, charming family movie tops our list today. Wallace & Gromit, our claymation dog and farmer duo, return for yet another wonderfully eccentric romp involving vengeful penguins and a 'smart gnome.' The return of Feathers McGraw (after more than three decades) and our two heroes make this one of the more delightful family movies out there. That's all folks! Are any of these in your top picks? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
