A Glean movie guide
The Under 2-Hour Watchlist
Big stories, short runtimes.
Acclaimed films that respect your time without sacrificing quality.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Whiplash
A relentless, high-stakes exploration of ambition and perfectionism that feels like a thriller.
Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
- 02
Get Out
A masterfully crafted social thriller that keeps you guessing until the final frame.
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
- 03
Gravity
A visually stunning survival epic that maintains a breathless pace from start to finish.
Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer, is on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
- 04
12 Angry Men
A masterclass in tension and dialogue set entirely within a single jury room.
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
- 05
Toy Story
The groundbreaking adventure that proved animation could have immense heart and wit.
Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.
- 06
John Wick
A sleek, stylish action showcase that redefined modern stunt choreography.
Ex-hitman John Wick comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.
- 07
Lady Bird
A sharp and deeply relatable look at the complexities of mother-daughter relationships.
Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.
- 08
Ex Machina
A chillingly quiet sci-fi thriller that explores the boundaries of artificial intelligence.
Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
- 09
Fargo
A darkly hilarious crime story filled with unforgettable characters and snowy atmosphere.
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
- 10
Run Lola Run
A kinetic, high-concept race against time that never slows down for a second.
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.
- 11
The Grand Budapest Hotel
A whimsical and meticulously designed caper with a unique sense of humor.
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
- 12
A Quiet Place
A high-concept horror film that uses silence to build unbearable levels of suspense.
A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.