Your prescription this weekend? Movies. Don’t look at me, it’s the doctors orders! Don’t shoot the messenger, I mean nurse! In honor of Doctor Sleep, we have the top 10 movies here with “Doctor” in the title. You won’t want to ward these movies off with an apple.
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) is based off of the H.G. Wells Novel of the same name. The shipwrecked Douglass is rescued to only be tossed on a bizarre island with animals being turned into humanoid creatures by the enigmatic Dr. Moreau. The story’s ideas are fascinating and asks difficult questions about if man should create life and when is experimentation going to far. Where is that line drawn between furthering evolution and just plain cruelty to unsuspecting beings. Where some of this is explored in the film, these aspects are overshadowed with odd writing and directorial choices made. This subject in the right hands could be truly something special, but with this team put together for this film it lacks the nuance needed to explore it effectively. What I can say about the story structure is that the film is never boring and is paced relatively well. The film actually might be too short to explore the more interesting themes presented by the subject report. The animal humanoid creatures look great and read well on screen. They look like abominations and there is a tragic aspect to their altered forms. These creatures didn’t ask for this and it comes off well with the way the effects are constructed. Val Kilmer as Montgomery is the most interesting character and is utterly insane. He only dives further into this madness as the film progresses through his drug fueled insanity. The film is worth a watch alone for his performance and adds a layer of entertainment that the film desperately needs. Overall not a great film, but it can be entertaining at times due to its erratic story structure. (Joseph Vargas)
The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari is considered to be the first horror movie ever. Watching the movie, you can see how horror has been shaped in its image. From the German Expressionist set design to the eerie score, this is a masterpiece begging for your attention. The film is of a man recounting his experience of encountering the eponymous doctor while at a fair. The doctor is showing off the somnambulist…and horrible things begin to go awry. We are presented with men’s obsession to know the truth and see the consequences of these obsessions. We are even asked who we should fear: the puppet or the one pulling its strings. Even the final twist will have you recontextualizing everything you saw before. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, do yourself a favor and seek it out! (Dexter Hansen)
I remember watching Dr.Dolittle as a kid and enjoying all the talking animals and thinking how silly and funny it was, but, it was upon a re-watch that I found myself laughing sick because I now understand all the adult humor going on. This movie is by no means a masterpiece and can be dissected and broken down if you think too hard on it. However, much like any great, you’re able to forgive those story weakness because of how hilarious it is. This was Eddie Murphy in his heyday and it’s such a pleasure to watch this master comedian do his best. If you’re just looking for a good time and to have some great laughs Dr.Dolittle is worth a watch. (Ben Davis)
During his prime, Michael J. Fox was one of Hollywood’s biggest heartthrobs. He was the boy next door with talent, and he was on all the screens: big and small. Pair that dashing smile with a MD and a heart of gold and you’ve got yourself a winner. Playing a hotshot plastic surgeon on his way to Hollywood, he finds himself detoured in a small town where he learns the meaning of medicine and of love. It sounds incredibly corny, but somehow it works. As mentioned, a lot of it comes down to Fox’s charisma. He brings you on a journey as he goes from a shallow doctor to someone who learns from his misgivings and becomes a better person because of it. It’s a small story in a small town, that is designed to pull at the heartstrings and give you a good laugh. Sure, it’s nothing that special, but that’s the point. Sometimes the best stories are the ones that aren’t flashy and too exciting. They’re the ones about humans living their lives and evolving due to those they meet. Plus, it’s a totally cute romance. Overall it’s a fun 90’s movie that I recommend for when you’re looking for something easy and fun to watch with friends or your partner. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
It’s interesting that the longest running sci-fi series made a return after almost a decade off of the air for film that many fans forget happened. It was intended to be a soft reboot for Americans, luckily for fans that Americans didn’t care for Doctor Who yet until it returned to T.V in 2005. To be fair this movie had a big responsibility, it had to introduce itself to a whole new demographic while continuing with the source material, I think it actually balances it quite well. After the 7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) is gunned down in an alleyway in San Francisco on December 31st 1999, he then regenerates into the 8th Doctor (Paul McGann) and must defeat one of his biggest enemies “The Master” (Eric Roberts). Most people don’t think of number 8 as their favorite because of this being his primary time as the Doctor, he would go on to reprise his role for the minisode prologue to 2013’s 50th anniversary for “The day of the Doctor”. I think McGann is good in this performance, you can tell he’s excited to portray such a huge British icon in his own style. I also think this has the best on screen Tardis interior to date. I think fans of the series owe it to themselves to watch this gem of the series, and for anyone interested in giving it a try then I’d recommend it, or you can try from any of the current 13 Doctor’s until you find something to your liking. It’s a series with pure joy intended for anyone of any age. (Alex Henderson)
It seemed like The Imaginiarium of Doctor Parnassus would be a fun and interesting movie even before Heath Ledger’s tragic passing. But after tragedy struck, the story behind the making of this movie became almost as interesting and emotional as the movie itself. With Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell coming on board to finish Ledger’s role and donating their wages to his young daughter, it is difficult to not at least root for the movie. The movie overall is also quite fun, imaginative, and original, which you can easily expect from a Terry Gilliam movie. It is worth a watch simply because of its originality. (Robert Bouffard)
Growing up as a kid, November was always my favorite month for two reasons. First, it is my birthday month. Two…it was always Bond month! What could get a 10 year more excited than hours and hours of action, womanizing, and cheeky innuendos? Not much at all. The great occasion calls for looking back at the film that started the Eon Productions canon for Bond with Dr. No. Sean Connery was super manly with his lisp and Scottish brogue along with his swaggering across the screen. When that Bond theme hits, you know you’re in for a ride. This film is stacked with exotic locales, beautiful woman (especially Ursula Andress in her iconic white bikini), three blind “mice”, and a “dragon” of course. But what good is a Bond film without a great Bond villain? The titular Dr. No is memorable with his short screen time with his super powerful metal hands and his silly plastic suit that was perfectly lampooned by Austin Powers. Joseph Wiseman gives a strong performance as the world of SPECTRE is introduced as Bond’s destiny to tangle with this evil organization begins. The film that set the stage for so many clichés and traditions in the spy and action genres, Dr. No is a go to classic. This must have been great if it launched a successful 50 year franchise, right? (Shane Conto)
A ’70s homage to ’30s screwball comedy? OK, so maybe that doesn’t have you making haste to your Amazon cart or streamer of choice to load it up. But throw in Barbra Streisand in possibly her most fun role and you should at least have your curiosity peaked. It’s chaos, comedy, and character mashed together and hurtling towards a never boring journey and a classic film that is nothing if not a great time. (PapaSift)
Full disclosure, the first time I ever viewed Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb was so I could write this piece about it. I’ve never subscribed to nor respect the notion or belief that just because a film is considered a “classic” or is incredibly old it means it is automatically objectively good. That being said, holy shit is Dr. Strangelove fantastic to this day. Before watching it, I knew very little about the film; in fact, my knowledge was limited to knowing it was in black and white and that Peter Sellers played a guy in a wheelchair with a funny accent. How delightful it was to be surprised by all the little aspects of the film that make it a classic. As a fan of both film and history, Dr. Strangelove represents a marriage of both. The film being released in 1964 makes the plot that much more significant. It takes a mighty well-executed film to take the concept of nuclear war and use it for both a compelling drama and an absurdist comedy but Kubrick pulls it off. There were times I asked myself if I was meant to laugh or be concerned. It is an understatement that the cinematography in this film does not get talked about enough; moreover, the blend of the black and white aesthetic with the camera placements and techniques that Kubrick is using. To me, Dr. Strangelove reminds me of Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk in the sense that it is a wartime setting with one event told from three different perspectives. The fact that this film was made in 1964 with the elements, techniques, writing, performances, and cinematography that could rival any modern film make Dr. Strangelove an achievement in its own right. The very notion that this film is using one of the darkest times in the history of our world (a time when people were legitimately scared that a nuclear holocaust could occur at any moment) as a backdrop to tell a hilarious tale not only speaks to the bravery of Kubrick to tackle such a subject but the overall impact of the film in 1964 and today. (Dylon Turner)
K: “Mister…”
SS: “Doctor.”
K: “Mister Doctor?”
SS “It’s Strange.”
K: Maybe. Who am I to judge.”
Doctor Strange is undoubtedly one of the best films of the MCU (Personally, I rank it 10). Everything about this movie is just perfect. Benedict Cumberbatch is the best-cast in the MCU since RDJ and plays the smug, but intellectual Steven Strange with what seems like ease. I know my editor and all-around-homie Blake thinks his American accent is off, but it is so inconsequential to everything else about his character that I forgive that with ease because everything else about him seems to be lifted straight from the comics to the screen.(Editor’s note: the accent nearly turbos the entire movie). Combine his performance with a direction from the masterful Scott Derrickson and what you have is a recipe for amazing. This movie also introduces magic in the MCU with ease and not with bringing up large gaping questions for the MCU at large. It also does a great job with its creativity bringing about effects that compare to Inception, and a very original way of defeating a comic book villain. The only two knocks against this movie are that Rachel McAdams’ character is fairly wasted and the character arc is nearly identical to Tony Stark in the first few MCU movies. Those two knocks are fairly inconsequential for the movie itself especially in comparison to the nearly immediate reaction to Strange becoming a fan-favorite character with new powers and abilities, and sets up a future that makes his story the one I am most interested in pursuing after this film and especially after Endgame. (Aaron Schweitzer)
Also See:
Doctor Zhivago, The Doctor (1991), Dr. T and the Women, Doctor Detroit, Doctor Dolittle (1967)