Summer was an exhilarating time to be a movie-goer. During a period when the actor’s strike threw the film industry in uncertainty, audiences relished movies. Whether it was watching iconic dolls made of plastic or atomic bombs exploding, it provided something special for a wide-ranging demographic. It marked the summer of “Barbenheimer” when two blockbusters released on the same day impacted culture. Listed below are my selections for the summer’s greatest blockbusters. If you’re a movie-buff interested in filmmaking, you definitely won’t regret watching these unforgettable movies.
1. Past Lives
As far as I can remember, childhood crushes have stayed with me forever. At an early age, I fell in love with a girl in school seeking marriage. We always got along well sharing love for art. However, immigration standing in the way of destiny made us part suddenly. Years later, we never saw each other again. As an immigrant longing to reunite with lovers in past lives, Celine Song’s masterpiece “Past Lives” seems like it was made specifically for me. Watching Nora recall the kid in her head for a long time reignited memories of my childhood sweetheart I loved deeply. It made me reflect on decisions speculating whether I would be with companions if it weren’t for immigration. A piece of art, it motivated me to give life a fresh start years after I drifted apart from a childhood sweetheart. It’s the first movie in years that brought me to tears. If movies can change people, it inspired me to leave my painful past lives behind for future that’s hopeful.
2. Oppenheimer
Chances are near zero that movie-goers saw a blockbuster in theaters this summer which blew them away like Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece offered a fascinating look at the father of the atomic bomb. Through the greatest effects of his career, Nolan recreated bombs in WWII warfare. Phenomenal performances, groundbreaking storytelling and stunning visual effects created the best blockbuster of the year. However, what made “Oppenheimer” powerful was its message about bomb damage. From a personal perspective, I identified with Oppenheimer’s negative emotions following bombs that were explosive. Years ago, my life hit an all-time low when my family faced a bomb blast in Saudi Arabia causing sorrow. Watching Oppenheimer haunted by bombs reminded me of terrorist attacks leaving me affected. It’s a profound piece of filmmaking inspiring me to turn my life around years after deafening bomb sounds struck my compound.
3. Barbie
Toys have always been a precious part of my childhood shaping my identity. I remember joy I felt going to stores with my brother every weekend to buy a toy. However, one toy I never got the opportunities to play with was Barbie. Being a boy, I rarely understood appeal of a toy giving my mother joy. Therefore, I was surprised how much I loved Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”. An empowering, heartfelt and meaningful comedy, it captured appeal of iconic dolls made of plastic whose lives are fantastic. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were a match made in heaven, demonstrating plastic dolls living lives of blonde fragility with passion. Through the character of Ken, Gerwig gave me greater appreciations for a doll I assumed wasn’t targeted towards men. Ultimately, though, what resonated most with me was the movie’s meaningful message about motherhood. It’s a blockbuster I will forever treasure for reminding me of my unbreakable relationships with my mother.
4. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part 1
Not many actors attract audiences to theaters by putting lives in danger like Tom Cruise. Since he lit the fuse, Cruise has become one of the world’s greatest movie-stars whose stunts make headline news. From dangling onto an airplane to running across London’s rooftops with ankle strain, Cruise has proven he’s dedicated to experience pain to entertain. This year, I had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of watching the movie-star in person at a special screening of his blockbuster “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part 1”. Action-packed, exhilarating and thrilling, it found the movie-star at top of his game. Riding motorcycles off cliffs without fear, Cruise performed the most awe-inspiring stunts of his long-running career. It reminded me why I appreciate a hero that motivated me to recover from injuries years ago. I’ll forever relish a movie-star whose stunts that astonish motivated me to believe that no mission is impossible to accomplish.
5. BlackBerry
BlackBerry is one of those short-lived smartphones that suddenly lost popularity. Raised in Waterloo where it was founded, I witnessed how BlackBerry made my friend’s dreams come true. He was obsessed with gadgetry boasting how his father worked for BlackBerry. However, our relationship came to conclusions when BlackBerry lost fame. The smartphone’s downfall was beautifully depicted in Matt Johnson’s business biopic “BlackBerry”. Informative, gripping and heartfelt, it captured how competition caused decline of BlackBerry. Johnson captures how a phone founded in Canada during the digital era became a relic of a bygone era. Nearly 16 years after BlackBerry lost popularity, it’s a tribute towards gadgetry my friend valued highly.
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6. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret
Praying has played pivotal roles in shaping my personality. When my family moved to Canada making transitions, I turned towards religion as a solution. Praying became my routine to overcome challenges of immigration at age fifteen. Therefore, I identified with Margaret in Kelly Fremon Craig’s “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret”. Intimate, heartfelt and meaningful, it beautifully adapted Judy Blume’s book about capabilities of religion to the big-screen. Witnessing Margaret pray reignited memories of religion influencing my life in a huge way. It’s reassuring to be reminded about powers of religion setting positive examples making me overcome immigration regret by literature that’s impossible to forget.
7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man is a superhero guided by benevolent teachers using great powers with great responsibilities. I was introduced to web-slinging heroes by my English teacher years ago. He was a tremendous fan of Spider-Man. Chances are he would have loved Joquim Dos Santos’ film “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”. An animated achievement, it celebrated a superhero miles ahead of his time my teacher found inspiring. It’s an extraordinary tribute towards my timeless teacher that managed to weave long-lasting webs inspiring me to believe there was nothing in the world I couldn’t achieve.
8. Bottoms
Bullying is a problem leading my life to hit bottoms. From an early age, I lacked courage to confront bullies causing emotional damage. Being victim of bullies’ temper tantrums, I loved Emma Seligman’s “Bottoms”. Insightful, hilarious and meaningful, it captured bullying affecting lesbians’ well-being. Modern-day comedies don’t make me laugh, but this film had me in stitches. Seligman discusses serious subject matters of bullying with humor. If comedy is an art, it’s one of those movies I will always love from the bottoms of my heart for motivating me to move on years after bullies tore my life apart.
9. Air
As someone that couldn’t care less about shoes people wear, I was surprised how much I loved Ben Affleck’s “Air”. A breathtaking biopic, it captured collaboration contributing to Nike’s success as an organization. Teamwork is a skill that’s rarely come naturally to me. I’ve always struggled to accomplish assignments involving groupwork effectively dating back towards my university studies. Therefore, I marveled at Nike’s teamwork in this movie. Like breath of fresh air, it inspired me to recover years after working within groups caused despair by realizing teamwork contributes to shoes basketball players wear.
10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Few characters with whip-smart charisma inspired my grandpa like Indiana Jones. Years ago, my grandfather came to adore the hero. I enjoyed seeing movies with him every day but age got in the way. Nevertheless, James Mangold’s “The Dial of Destiny” would have made him happy. Action-packed, heartwarming and sweeping, it deserved a better box-office destiny for celebrating my grandfather’s identity. Witnessing Indiana Jones’ final adventure was the perfect way to conclude an extraordinary summer by reminding me of my grandfather that inspired me to pursue dreams of becoming a film writer.
The Film Buff 
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