A Movie Every Man Should See

The new Netflix movie, which stars Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, isn't just one of the year's best. It's critical viewing.

View in Browser  Tuesday, November 25, 2025 If you make time for one movie this Thanksgiving week, it needs to be Train Dreams. Now streaming on Netflix, the adaptation of Denis Johnson's 2011 novella is nothing short of transcendent. It stars a never-been-better Joel Edgerton as an American railroad laborer in the early 20th century. As Anthony Breznican writes, "It's an immersive journey through beauty and heartbreak, and an emotionally gripping portrait of a man who tries his best, and ultimately a bittersweet guide to making sure that the inevitable marks you leave behind are benevolent ones." Read Breznican's take on Train Dreams below. It's just as moving as the film itself. – Brady Langmann, senior entertainment editor Plus: 15 cologne deals you can only score during Black Friday Apple Watches are cheaper than ever right now The only menswear sales worth shopping before Black Friday Everyone Needs to See Train Dreams The new Netflix movie, which stars Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, isn't just one of the year's best. It's critical viewing. Trees have a powerful symbolic presence in director Clint Bentley's Train Dreams, a Sundance favorite that began streaming on Netflix this Friday. They are resilient, but not indestructible, much like Joel Edgerton's character at the center of this story. They give, but ask for little. They can be dangerous. They can also be easily unnoticed, blending into the background. But if you look closer, there is power and majesty to behold.   This film looks closer. It is an adaptation of the late Denis Johnson's novella from 2011, and chronicles life on the frontier of the Pacific Northwest just as industrialization is taking hold across the United States in the first half of the last century. Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier, a laborer whose two aspirations are the well-being of his loved ones and to live in harmony with nature, even as his axe helps fell the forests around him to clear paths for a new world to take over.   Train Dreams is harrowing at times, but you come away feeling cleansed (a good cry will do that) not to mention rejuvenated—maybe even a bit inspired. Is there compelling drama in a man trying to do his best, sometimes falling short, and picking himself up to do better? We've seen that there is in its opposite, There Will Be Blood, another film I love, about a similarly determined man from this same era of history, cutting a swath to the future. The difference is Daniel Plainview leaves behind ruin, and ends up with worse than nothing, despite his unspeakable wealth. Granier's story is about living a different way, and you will root just as hard for his hopes and dreams as you did against the man who drinks everyone else's milkshake. READ THE STORY You have to see what Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said to Trump and Pam Bondi. Charles P. Pierce recaps Judge Currie's dismissal of charges against ex-FBI director James Comey from Monday. >> Do you know the origins of Stranger Things? The hit Netflix series is ending soon, but few remember how the show came together. Anthony Breznican retraces the making of a modern TV blockbuster. >> 30 Cocktails That Will Make Your Thanksgiving Boozy and Bearable Thanksgiving is finally here, and if thinking about safe topics to discuss with all three generations of your family is making you break out in hives, then rest assured we've got some recipes to give you the liquid courage to face it.   You've got the turkey basted and roasting in the oven. You've got your grandmother's mac-and-cheese recipe perfected, and the potatoes are mashed. Your slacker cousin finally pulled through with a store-bought pie. But do you know what you'll be drinking on the most important food-and-drink-centered holiday of the year? We promise: There's something for everyone at your dinner table on this curated list of cocktails. By Sirena He The Best Discontinued Omega Watches to Invest in Now Omega is known for some iconic watch silhouettes. There's the Speedmaster, which was the first timepiece on the moon. Then the Seamaster, a chunky dive model favored by none other than James Bond. On the dressier ends of the spectrum there's the De Ville, an elegant watch that has recently been a mainstay on the red carpet thanks to the likes of Andrew Garfield and Cillian Murphy.   While these are all top-tier watches, there's a whole world of discontinued timepieces in the back catalogue that deserve a place in the spotlight, too. Since the brand's been around for over 175 years—since 1848, to be exact—you can imagine how many killer designs have fallen out of the lineup over time. One is the world's first dive watch, the Marine, while another is the OG De Ville which, at a time, sat within the Seamaster range—but we'll get to that later.   They're all built to the same standard as the big dogs—Swiss mechanics, premium textiles etc.—but, since they're fairly off-grid, they tend to be cheaper than the main-character models. 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