Martin Scorsese loves to depict a real-life story that, when translated to the screen, seems unbelievable. The Wolf of Wall Street was originally a gonzo financial thriller, but under Scorsese’s direction, it became a spectacle full of fourth wall breaks, physical comedy scenes, and some finance lessons. Howard Hughes’ already unbelievable, glitzy Hollywood life was dramatized in The Aviator, a haunting portrait of an enigmatic tycoon.

It’s not a coincidence that both of those movies starred Leonardo DiCaprio — together, Scorsese and DiCaprio turned realistic figures into complicated characters that feel larger than life. In 2023, Scorsese doubled down on his strengths with Killers of the Flower Moon, a retelling of an oft-ignored part of history that both shines a light on it while still recognizing what it means for him to tell the story.

Over the course of almost three and a half hours, Scorsese tells the story of the Osage Nation, the Indigenous tribe that found oil on their Oklahoma reservation. Instantly, each tribe member became wealthy, though white “guardians” were often appointed to manage the money through racist policies.

Enter Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), who, after returning from military service, settles down with his uncle, King Hale (Robert DeNiro), who appears as a great friend to the Osage people. However, all is not what it seems: Hale is actually masterminding a series of crimes against the Osage to capitalize on their wealth. Even while he falls for Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Ernest commits crimes that become more and more intense until Mollie’s family begins disintegrating around her.

It may be long, but it needs every minute to let its story sink in, especially with its epilogue that reveals what Killers of the Flower Moon really is: a story belonging to the Osage people but told by white men. With an upcoming Criterion 4k release, you can witness every part of this saga in more detail than ever.

Read our full review of Killers of the Flower Moon here.

Although one of the lesser-known flicks from Universal’s horror boom, 1941’s Man-Made Monster strangely proved to be one of the most impactful. A copyright infringement case centered around its re-release's new title 15 years later ultimately led to the formation of American International Pictures. Furthermore, it was responsible for transforming its leading man into one of the genre’s greats.

Lon Chaney Jr. had already racked up dozens of credits by the time he was cast as Dan McCormick, a sideshow act whose freakish immunity to electricity makes him the sole survivor of a deadly bus collision with a pylon (considering its suspiciously similar plot, Unbreakable director M. Night Shyamalan may well be a fan). But celebrating its 85th anniversary this day, the sci-fi chiller marked his horror debut. Remarkably, by the end of the following year, he’d become the first ever actor to assume all of the studio’s four main villains (Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy, Dracula, Wolf Man).

Read our full review of Man-Made Monster here.