Welcome to the first installment of a series we’re calling, Pixel’s Picks! Every week, we’ll select movies or video games that we feel should be a part of everyone’s play/watchlist; giving you our quick thoughts on what makes them special. These titles could either be hidden gems that not many may have heard of or well-known classics that deserve to be revisited. So if you’re ever at a loss come Friday evening on what to watch or play during the weekend, consider checking out our list as we’ll be posting every Friday moving forward. Without further ado, let’s get into our first round of picks!

The Apu Trilogy

Alright, so we’re cheating here with the first one but you know what? This may be the greatest movie trilogy of all time, so we’ll give it a pass. The Apu Trilogy, directed by Satyajit Ray, the father of Bengali cinema, tells the coming-of-age story of a boy named Apu. Each movie focuses on the three crucial stages of a person’s life. Starting with early childhood, moving into adolescence, then finishing with young adulthood. These movies are so immaculately crafted and beautiful, with a warmth and intimacy that focuses on the little, everyday moments during these transient sagas of life. You can see Ray develop and mature as a filmmaker with each title as he refines and masters the art of efficiency while becoming more creative behind the lens with how he portrays his characters, for whom he has so much love.

These movies are also a love letter to Bengali culture, specifically rural Bengal. And as a Bangladeshi, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic and even a little melancholic while watching. The Apu Trilogy is an important part of cinema’s history directed by one of cinema’s greats, so please go check it out; although be forewarned, they are quite sad, but you know what? We all need to cry sometimes.

Holiday Affair

Although the holidays are over, we’re still in the early days of January so we won’t judge anyone for extending their holiday spirits by spending an evening watching this gem. Holiday Affair, starring Psycho’s very own Janet Leigh and the film noir star Robert Mitchum. It’s a feel-good romantic comedy set in New York City about two characters, Connie Ennis and Steve Mason. Connie is a widower and a mother to six-year-old Timmy. She meets Steve, a veteran working as a salesman for a busy department store, while working as a comparative shopper. Her job has her buy an expensive toy train from Steve, then after some plot events pertaining to this toy unfold, Connie has to go back to the store and face Steve again; and off goes the “Will they won’t they” story, even though Connie has a longtime suiter named Carl – but we don’t need to talk about Carl.

On the surface, this movie might sound like your run-of-the-mill Christmas love story, but it differs in that it’s so incredibly grounded, honest, and vulnerable with its writing and performances. Leigh and Mitchum have a wonderful chemistry and the dialogue writing never comes across as corny or rushed, which is often the case with these types of films. Holiday Affair should be on everyone’s backlog come the holidays, or whenever you feel like you want to get into that spirit.

Vagabond

Our final pick for this week is Vagabond. Directed by arguably the greatest female director of all time, and one of the most influential filmmakers during the French New Wave, Agnes Varda. It tells the story of a woman named Mona, played by the captivating Sandrine Bonnaire, as we see flashbacks of her life living as a vagabond on the margins of society. This movie remains one of the most acutely disturbing films I’ve ever seen. A movie that’s carried by an absolutely astounding performance. Seriously, Bonnaire in this film is unnervingly and almost uncomfortably raw and honest in her performance. The film deals with themes of loneliness and is a microscope into the inner life of those living a part of the rebellious counterculture during the late 60s. We won’t say much else just that if you want to see one of the final works by one of cinema’s greatest directors, you need to see Vagabond.

Be sure to check out our YouTube and TikTok channels where we’ll be posting the video-ized versions of this series. That’s it for this week, thanks for reading and we’ll see you next Friday!