Going through highschool is tough, but what helped Angela Nguyen through it all were movies.

Photo courtesy of “Rottentomatoes.com”

Movies have been a common pastime for students in highschool. From going to watch them with friends and families to binge watching movies at night alone, there are many ways movies play a memorable role in everyone’s life. For Angela Nguyen, a senior student at Silver Creek High School, it has helped her pass the time. Here are her top 10 most selections from 8 through 2021.

1. Mother! (Darren Aronofsky): Released in 2017, it follows through with a young woman renovating her Victorian house in the suburbs with her husband, he invites in a guest who soon invites more people into their lives. The movie is unique because the entirety of it is an analogy for nature, which cannot be picked up unless the audience hyper focuses well and takes into account the setting, storyline, and the bigger picture. 

2. Forgotten (Jang Han Jun): A thriller movie that sprinkles in bloody scenes, it encapsulates a grim tone throughout while emphasizing the theme of being a perfect family. Once Jin Seok moves into his new home, he catches his older brother sneaking out late at night. Piqued with curiosity, he takes the audience along with him to uncover the truth and finds out more than what he wants to know.

3. Get Out (Jordan Peele): This 2017 thriller is an important one to include due to how well the storyline was written. It first introduces Chris, a black male, who is going to visit his very white wife’s side of the family. The soft aura of the pleasantries drop to reveal a strange and uncomfortable setting for him, catapulting the viewers into quick pace scenes that lead into the resolution. 

4. Ready or Not (Matt Bettinelli Olpin, Tyler Gillett): Starring Margott Robbie as the main character, she plays the role as the wife marrying into her husband’s family, but it requires an initiation process – a game of hide and seek with lives at stake. This thriller and horror movie is able to intertwine two separate genres, horror and humor, well enough that it blends seamlessly and creates the perfect movie to watch during any time of the day. 

5. Infinity War (Joe and Anthony Russo): Being the last of this Avenger’s series of movies, it packs a punch by focusing on the entire Avengers crew who will end their biggest arch nemesis – Thanos. Concluding the serieuses phenomenal graphics and sound effects to enhance the audience’s enjoyment. 

6. Parasite (Bong Joon Ho): A 2019 thriller that plays well with tones of the objects within the different settings and an orchestrated soundtrack, it circulates around how the act of being greedy affects society’s social classes. In this movie, it stars a fictional Korean family called the Park’s who rival the Kim’s.

7. A Star is Born (Bradley Cooper): Starring the director himself and Lady Gaga, they take on the roles of a man who is a famous star who falls for a small town artist – Ally. Taking her under his wing, they learn more about each other and music all the while battling with their inner demons in Los Angeles, California. 

8. Crazy Rich Asians (Jon M. Chu): Based on the book itself, the storyline progresses forward by stepping into the lives of a rich Singaporean family from an americanized Asian perspective, Rachel Chu. She endures a lot of the differences between the cultures and learns to better understand what is best for her and her husband.

9. The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey): This family friendly musical is loosely based on the novel itself, mainly highlighting the lives of this one family of PT. Barnum. It goes on to show how he hires people with differences that make them stand out and bring awareness to it, instead of putting them down even more.

10. The Interview (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg): A TV show host named Dave and his producer become the duo that travel to North Korea to learn more about it’s leader, Kim Jong Un. This comedic duo attempts to set up an interview with the great leader, but gets jumped by the CIA who assigns them an easy task. They need to assassinate Kim Jung Un.

When asked what made these movies part of the Top 10 movies for Angela, she responded by saying that, “I like action and thrillers a lot, but it’s always good to have a blend of other genres with it just to know what else there is to watch.” She claims that trying to watch a wider range of movies helps motivate her to try a wider variety of things, such as clubs and taking different types of classes during her years in high school.

“Movies are great to enjoy, but I also enjoy the company aspect of it. Spending time with others while doing what we like makes more memories for me in highschool more than anything else.”