Tired of Christmas movies already, are you? Well, worry not, here’s is a list of entirely secular movies without a glowing mutant reindeer or a snowman that comes to life from what must be voodoo in sight. From some genuine classics to some not-so-great movies with genuinely great parts, these 10 movies all have one thing in common: They’re leaving Netflix on the same day you’re going to start your new (and likely doomed) fitness routine. So kick back and enjoy before you start breaking a sweat.
10
Taxi Driver (1976)
You’ve already seen Taxi Driver, everyone has, but Martin Scorsese’s 1976 look into madness is as relevant as ever, and it’s one of those movies you can never see too many times. Robert DeNiro’s Travis Bickle is a lonely, obsessive psychopath who you feel for as he descends deeper into his delusions, but never so much that you can’t be horrified by his act of political violence. This movie literally never gets old, which unfortunately says a lot about who we are.
9
Training Day (2001)
Like Taxi Driver, Training Day is a true classic with an utterly magnetic central performance. Denzel Washington won his long overdue Academy Award for playing corrupt LAPD officer Alonzo Harris, who you hate for how bad he is, but also, paradoxically, would want to spend some time with as he looks like a lot of fun to be around. This movie is fun, funny, and endlessly quotable.
8
Captain Phillips (2013)
Captain Phillips is mostly remembered for a single line, “I’m the Captain now,” uttered by Somali pirate Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi) when he takes over a container vessel helmed by Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks). While not an amazing film, Captain Phillips is a genuinely solid hostage drama and Tom Hanks delivers with his customary dedication. Especially effective is the scene after the drama is over and he breaks into tears, finally coming to terms with what he’s been through. It came during a point in Hanks’ career where he was delivering a number of seemingly same-y roles — like Sully and The Post — but without that context, it’s a very good movie.
7
The Hangover (2009)
If those last three were a bit too heavy for this time of year, go for The Hangover, the movie that made Todd Phillips such a big director DC gave him two shitty Joker movies to indulge himself with. The Hangover was the biggest comedy in 2009 for good reason as it’s still a really fun hang; full of ridiculous characters and classic moments like Zach Galifianakis’ Alan Garner and that scene with Mike Tyson and a tiger. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen The Hangover, enjoy the trip down memory lane with one of this millennium’s best comedies.
6
The Hangover Part II (2011)
The Hangover films are definitely a case of diminishing returns but each movie has some fun stuff in it. While the second movie is nowhere near as good as the first, the Thailand-set adventure has some really fun new stuff, like a drug dealing monkey and Ed Helms’s character getting the Mike Tyson face tattoo.
5
The Hangover Part III (2013)
I’m not saying The Hangover Part III is a good movie, but if you’ve already watched the first two you’ll have to watch this as well, that’s just the way it is. Plus, the image of a giraffe being beheaded on a highway overpass as Galifianakis jams out to “MMMBop” is still delightfully dark.
4
The Mask (1994)
Whereas Dumb and Dumber remains one of the funniest films ever made and Ace Ventura is still quite funny despite some terribly-aged anti-trans jokes, Jim Carrey’s other 1994 comedy that turned him into a superstar isn’t quite as good. The Mask often comes off as too much schtick — sometimes it’s downright annoying — but it’s on this list because there are a handful of truly great sequences. When Stanley Ipkis (Carrey) dons the mask and breaks into “Cuban Pete” it is incredibly joyful, as is the scene where Stanley’s dog wears the mask, becoming a ravenous maniac. The best scene though is the love letter to animation great Tex Avery, when Stanley, wearing the Mask, hoots and hollers like Tex’s wolf while watching Cameron Diaz perform.
3
The Martian (2015)
The Martian is all about Matt Damon as an astronaut stuck on Mars and struggling to survive until he is rescued. Like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, The Martian is the kind of lonely movie wholly relying on a great performance to carry it though — thankfully, Damon was up to the task. Also, much like Cast Away, it’s funnier than you remember (or, if you haven’t already seen it, it’s funnier than the trailers make it appear).
2
Baby Driver (2017)
Yeah, okay, it’s hard to tune into a Kevin Spacey movie after learning what a horrible creep he is, but if you can get past that initial hump of pushing “play,” Baby Driver is a treat. This Edgar Wright movie is as good as the best of his work with a soundtrack that goes hard. Ansel Elgort plays “Baby,” a quiet, intriguing getaway driver who is unmatched in his field. The movie is funny, exciting and never slows down, all of which creates an environment where, hopefully, you can forget about Spacey.
1
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The buzz about Mad Max: Fury Road when it came out ten years ago was that it was the rare perfect film. A decade later, there’s not a bit of tarnish on this epic about rusty cars racing through a postapocalyptic desert. Turn this movie on and it’s impossible to turn off.
