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The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne from a screenplay by David Hemingson. The period film is set in the early 1970s, and it revolves around Paul Hunham, a grouchy, disliked teacher at Barton Academy, who has to supervise the students who were unable to return to their homes for the Christmas holidays. He soon forms a bond with a rebellious and troubled student who recently lost his father. The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Carrie Preston. So, if you loved the feel-good comedy, sombre drama, and compelling characters in The Holdovers, here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Pluto TV & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Madman Films

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is an adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi. Based...

Gifted children (or prodigy) movies are driven by an intriguing paradox: what if they don’t realize their full potential if not adequately challenged? But what if the pursuit of intense challenges inculcates within them a fear of failure which can adversely impact their childhood and beyond? In a world where individuals can be casually stigmatized for being ‘different’, extraordinary intellect can’t always be a gift. Movies like A Beautiful Mind (2001), Shine (1996), Good Will Hunting (1997), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The End of the Tour (2015), The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016) dealt with super-smart people burdened with mental or emotional problems. The films mentioned below grapple with such problems or quandary (of kids & teens), some with unflinching profundity and some hide its relevant messages beneath saccharine narrative layers.

Honorable Mention: Vitus (2006)

Fredi M. Murer’s light-hearted and leisurely paced Swiss drama tells the eponymous tale of a 12-year-old piano prodigy (Teo Gheorghiu...

The sexual orientation of film characters isn’t always what it first seems – some leading men have reinterpreted their parts as they move from page to screen

Gus van Sant’s feel-good drama Finding Forrester, which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this month, has been forgotten with good reason. It recycles from his earlier film Good Will Hunting the story of a wayward teenage genius nurtured by an older mentor, only this time the boy’s talents are literary, not mathematical. But it does have some curiosity value thanks to its title character.

The reclusive novelist William Forrester, played by Sean Connery, has a secret that is never mentioned on screen. I discovered it by accident when I met Van Sant in 2008 while he was editing Milk, his film about the openly gay politician Harvey Milk. It was odd, I suggested, that despite being out himself, Van Sant hadn’t...

Looking for what's new on Netflix streaming for October 2014? You've come to the right place.

We've rounded up the best TV shows and movies arriving soon. So take some time to peruse this list, and maybe block off a weekend or two so you can binge-watch Season 5 of "The Vampire Diaries" or something.

Here's a much larger rundown of what subscribers can expect in September, courtesy of Netflix. All title dates are subject to change.

Available October 1

"Annie" (1982)

Based on the Depression-era comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," this adaptation of the smash Broadway musical follows America's favorite urchin (Aileen Quinn) as she captures Daddy Warbucks' (Albert Finney) heart with her unquenchable optimism. In the meantime, Annie must try to dodge the treacherous head of the orphanage (Carol Burnett). Directed by John Huston, Annie features the hit song "Tomorrow."

"Annie: A Royal Adventure" (1995)

Annie, the charming orphan with a head full of red curls,...

Yesterday, "The Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger died of natural causes at the age of 91. I'm surely not alone in saying how appreciative I was of the existence of "Rye" when I read the novel for the first time as an awkward high school student. It's a testament to the story's timelessness that almost 60 years later, "Rye" continues to be such a relatable experience for young readers. But Salinger wasn't just an influence for those suffering through teenage angst — his work was felt throughout the filmmaking world, even if he himself didn't have a hand in the creation of such projects.

After the jump, read about five films that either drew inspiration from Salinger or utilized his work as a plot point, and be sure to head to the comments section to share your thoughts and memories of the acclaimed author, and any other movies you can feel his presence in.

By Stephen Saito

When Stanislavsky decreed, "there are no small parts, only small actors," Matt Damon was listening. In a career that started with one line in "Mystic Pizza," Damon has risen to the ranks of the A-list. Yet as Damon's star has gotten bigger, the roles have gotten smaller -- most recently, the "Bourne" star reaffirmed his status as king of cameos with his brief appearance in "Che: Part II," in which he plays Father Schwartz, a German priest fluent in Spanish who attempts to negotiate with rebel forces in Bolivia, with screen time of less than a minute. Though his finest pint-sized performance likely went down on the small screen last year in Sarah Silverman's serenade "I'm Fucking Matt Damon," no one has done more random onscreen favors for friends than Damon, who has been around the world more than Jason Bourne and worn crazier get-ups than...