Parents: Most of these film selections are rated PG-13 or R, but are considered important to film history, see the Parent Info page for more details.
Summer Reading List? Pfft. This is a film class. Please view 3-5 of the following films or limited series to expand your film horizons! I tried to include a wide variety of films that you may not have heard of, or even considered watching, but will still be interesting to you if you give it a chance. An extra credit classwork assignment grade will be offered in August. You have to actually watch the films, because the assignment involves discussing the film, so it'll be obvious if you haven't watched it.
If you don't have access to these streaming services, check to see if your local library has a copy - they have more movies than you'd think! If you can't find any of these, I will also accept 3-5 films made before 1990, or any non-English films made outside of the US.
Amazon Prime Video
Arrival
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
District 9
The Fifth Element
Napoleon Dynamite
O Brother, Where Art Thou
Rushmore
Train to Busan
The Sixth Sense
Disney+
Avatar
Edward Scissorhands
The Mandalorian
The Princess Bride
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The Sound of Music
Toy Story
Up
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
HBO Max
Citizen Kane
Cloverfield
Dances with Wolves
Dirty Dancing
Dune
Jurassic Park
My Neighbor Totoro
Night of the Living Dead
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shining
Hulu
Akira
Atlanta
The Breakfast Club
The Handmaid's Tale
Let the Right One In
Little Miss Sunshine
Once Upon A Time in America
Watchmen
Netflix
Blade
Don't Look Up
Forrest Gump
Her
Midnight Mass
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Mudbound
The Platform (El Hoyo)
Stranger Things
YouTube (Free with Ads)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Illusionist
Ip Man
The Killing (1956)
Last of the Mohicans
O Brother, Where Art Thou
On Golden Pond
Train to Busan