Taste is certainly subjective, but if these are the 100 "best" then it's clear the creator of this listicle was scraping the bottom of the barrel as apparent by things like Megalopolis, Furiosa,...
Taste is certainly subjective, but if these are the 100 "best" then it's clear the creator of this listicle was scraping the bottom of the barrel as apparent by things like Megalopolis, Furiosa, and Matrix making the list. Of the 2,666 box office releases in the US alone from 2020-2024, they really think those are in the top 100?
This is a very hot take, but I really liked Furiosa. I watched it on a plane expecting to turn it off halfway through and enjoyed it so much that when we landed with 1/3rd still left, I waited my...
This is a very hot take, but I really liked Furiosa. I watched it on a plane expecting to turn it off halfway through and enjoyed it so much that when we landed with 1/3rd still left, I waited my week of vacation and then immediately turned it back on during the flight home.
It's a great action film, and I went in ready to despise it. Brought back some of the magic of Fury Road, which reminds me that I need to go watch it again!
It's a great action film, and I went in ready to despise it. Brought back some of the magic of Fury Road, which reminds me that I need to go watch it again!
This is again a list that tries to please everyone, and ends up pleasing no one. So much of this list is filled with vibed choices which don't really hold up to their own analysis. Maybe I...
This is again a list that tries to please everyone, and ends up pleasing no one.
So much of this list is filled with vibed choices which don't really hold up to their own analysis.
Maybe I shouldn't be this hard, as I've seen only 25 of them, but putting Top Gun Maverick in the top 10, including Megalopolis or The Brutalist at all, and also include the usual Everything All At Once, Titane, The Substance, and The Green Knight, just does not reflect on good choices overall, but I don't doubt there still is some goodness to be had.
The list has at least given me a confirmation to see some of my backlog.
For having seen The Brutalist in theater I kinda understand why many people would think this is a masterpiece, it has all the form and decorum of excellent films. But its all wasted on delivering...
For having seen The Brutalist in theater I kinda understand why many people would think this is a masterpiece, it has all the form and decorum of excellent films.
But its all wasted on delivering so few interesting emotional moments or ideas especially to justify its length.
Can't say I agree with Ehlirch all that much. I had made something like this a year ago but it was only three movies. If I had to make a Top 10 of the 2020s so far: Oppenheimer West Side Story TAR...
Can't say I agree with Ehlirch all that much. I had made something like this a year ago but it was only three movies. If I had to make a Top 10 of the 2020s so far:
Last year there was this movement to make Megalopolis some sort of misunderstood masterpiece by a large portion of film twitter. This was before it even came out, it seemed like people wanted to...
Last year there was this movement to make Megalopolis some sort of misunderstood masterpiece by a large portion of film twitter. This was before it even came out, it seemed like people wanted to be contrarian on it. They also just like that it was a sort of F U to the current studio system.
I had the same immediate reaction, but still found a pile of good films worth watching. And then I hit "The Matrix Resurrections". That movie sucked so god damned hard.
I had the same immediate reaction, but still found a pile of good films worth watching. And then I hit "The Matrix Resurrections". That movie sucked so god damned hard.
Going through the list, as a data point - The Zone of Interest - To Watch Tar - To Watch, highly recommend The Boy and the Heron - I liked it but not quite the mass appeal of his other films....
Going through the list, as a data point -
The Zone of Interest - To Watch
Tar - To Watch, highly recommend
The Boy and the Heron - I liked it but not quite the mass appeal of his other films. Still like almost everything else they do, yeah this deserves to be here.
Nope - To Watch, heard mixed things.
The Power of the Dog - Eh. I get why it makes these lists, but it did nothing for me. Found it mostly boring.
Asteroid City - Wes is going to Wes but it does feel like a weaker entry for him
Furiosa - This wasn't bad but dear god does it not deserve to be on this list.
Killers of the Flower Moon - To watch
Everything Everywhere All at Once - I went into this skeptical way after it won everything, but it really did deserve all the praise. Feels like a Stephen Chow retelling of more standard stories and nailed all of it.
The Green Knight - I enjoyed it, and yeah it's good. It does come close to the "too artsy for its own good" line, but I don't think it crosses it. I think my short review is "2001 An Arthurian Legend"
Oppenheimer - To Watch
MI: Dead Reckoning - To Watch
Sinners - To Watch
R R R - To watch
The Brutalist - To Watch
Poor Things - Beautiful film with a philosophy 101 vibe that was eh. Still deserves to make the list for certain.
The Substance - To Watch
Dune - I know it's not quite what everyone wanted, but it's still fantastic in my eyes. I think people, when they list out what they wanted this film to be, often wind up with an 8 hour epic that never would've happened.
Metropolis - To Watch. And yeah i know i've heard, but still.
So yeah, anything not on that list I either have never heard of it, don't think i'd enjoy it, or just don't really feel the need to watch it (barbie probably the most recognizable example of that last one).
here's the list with IMDB info and combined ratings from IMDB, Metacritic, TMDB, and LB Title Rating Director Langs Genres Plot Nickel Boys (2024) 77% RaMell Ross EN (English) Drama Chronicles the...
here's the list with IMDB info and combined ratings from IMDB, Metacritic, TMDB, and LB
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't.
Set in the international world of Western classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the very first female director of a major German orchestra.
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."
A single evening at a house party in 1980s West London sets the scene, developing intertwined relationships against a background of violence, romance and music.
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell finds himself training a detachment of TOP GUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.
Fox Rich is a fighter. The entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 90s in a moment of desperation. Combining the video diaries Fox has recorded for Rob over the years with intimate glimpses of her present-day life, director Garrett Bradley paints a mesmerizing portrait of the resilience and radical love necessary to prevail over the endless separations of the country's prison-industrial complex.
JA (Japanese, English, Korean Sign , Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Indonesian, German, Malay)
Drama
Two years after his wife's unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director, receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There, he meets Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), a taciturn young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. As the production's premiere approaches, tensions mount amongst the cast and crew, not least between Yusuke and Koshi Takatsuki, a handsome TV star who shares an unwelcome connection to Yusuke's late wife. Forced to confront painful truths raised from his past, Yusuke begins - with the help of his driver - to face the haunting mysteries his wife left behind.
From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire.
From the extraordinary mind of Palme D'or winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and starring Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, comes a bewildering drama about a Scottish woman, who, after hearing a loud 'bang' at daybreak, begins experiencing a mysterious sensory syndrome while traversing the jungles of Colombia.
This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.
Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil's romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past and in the land: He can castrate a bull calf with two swift slashes of his knife; he swims naked in the river, smearing his body with mud. He is a cowboy as raw as his hides. The year is 1925. The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers in Montana. At the Red Mill restaurant on their way to market, the brothers meet Rose, the widowed proprietress, and her impressionable son Peter. Phil behaves so cruelly he drives them both to tears, revelling in their hurt and rousing his fellow cowhands to laughter - all except his brother George, who comforts Rose then returns to marry her. As Phil swings between fury and cunning, his taunting of Rose takes an eerie form - he hovers at the edges of her vision, whistling a tune she can no longer play. His mockery of her son is more overt, amplified by the cheering of Phil's cowhand disciples. Then Phil appears to take the boy under his wing. Is this latest gesture a softening that leaves Phil exposed, or a plot twisting further into menace?
In the near future where emotions have become a threat, Gabrielle finally decides to purify her DNA in a machine that will immerse her in her past lives and rid her of any strong feelings. She then meets Louis and feels a powerful connection, as if she had known him forever.
In 1980, Queens, New York, a young Jewish boy befriends a rebellious African-American classmate to the disapproval of his privileged family and begins to reckon with growing up in a world of inequality and prejudice.
Just out of jail, rumpled English archaeologist Arthur reconnects with his wayward crew of tombaroli accomplices – a happy-go-lucky collective of itinerant grave-robbers who survive by looting Etruscan tombs and fencing the ancient treasures they dig up.
On an island in French Polynesia a writer returns to her country after having triumphed in France with a novel. However, she is disoriented and in a creative crisis. Faced with the impossibility of writing new works, she decides to accept a simultaneous translation job together with an ambassador. A strange love attraction begins between them, full of contrasts. Little by little she realizes the cynicism of international politics, with a latent threat of new nuclear tests by the French government. Her love affair with the ambassador will be affected by that conflict, and interest and romance will mix in a confusing and absorbing way until the sad end.
Inseparable best friends and cousins Autumn and Skylar precariously navigate the vulnerability of female adolescence in rural Pennsylvania. When Autumn mysteriously falls pregnant, she's confronted by conservative legislation without mercy for blue-collar women seeking abortions. With Skylar's unfailing support and bold resourcefulness, money to fund the procedure is secured and the duo board a bus bound for New York state to find the help Autumn needs.
Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.
Despite second thoughts about their relationship, a young woman (Jessie Buckley) takes a road trip with her new boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Trapped at the farm during a snowstorm with Jake's mother (Toni Collette) and father (David Thewlis), the young woman begins to question the nature of everything she knew or understood about her boyfriend, herself, and the world. An exploration of regret, longing and the fragility of the human spirit, I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS is directed and written by Academy Award® winner Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Inspired by Iain Reid's bestselling namesake novel.
In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with a charismatic and manipulative older man, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
As the world falls, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the wasteland, they encounter the citadel presided over by Immortan Joe. The two tyrants wage war for dominance, and Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.
A father and his son arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. They’re searching for Mar — daughter and sister — who vanished months ago at one of these endless, sleepless parties. Surrounded by electronic music and a raw, unfamiliar sense of freedom, they hand out her photo again and again. Hope is fading but they push through and follow a group of ravers heading to one last party in the desert. As they venture deeper into the burning wilderness, the journey forces them to confront their own limits.
Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.
Celebrating the joy of being back together with your best friends and a perfectly executed shot to the dingdong, the original jackass crew return for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd, and often dangerous displays of comedy with a little help from some exciting new cast. Johnny and the team push the envelope even further in Jackass Forever.
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate Maddy introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one - until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
A novelist attends the trial of a woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, her own family history, doubts, and fears about motherhood are steadily dislodged as the life story of the accused is gradually revealed.
Set in 1889 France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history of gastronomy and love but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
LICORICE PIZZA is the story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973. Written and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film tracks the treacherous navigation of first love.
A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.
The life of internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin is told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.
On behalf of a multinational company, a production assistant drives around the Romanian city of Bucharest, interviewing various citizens who have been injured due to work accidents to cast one of them in a “safety at work” video.
Inconsolable since the death of his wife, Karsh, a prominent businessman, invents a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds. One night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh’s wife, are desecrated, and he sets out to track down the perpetrators.
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
A chaotic family is on a road trip across a rugged landscape. In the back seat, Dad has a broken leg, Mom tries to laugh when she's not holding back tears, and the youngest keeps exploding into car karaoke. Only the older brother is quiet.
The picture revolves around an American filmmaking couple who retreat to the island for the summer to each write screenplays for their upcoming films in an act of pilgrimage to the place that inspired Bergman. As the summer and their screenplays advance, the lines between reality and fiction start to blur against the backdrop of the Island's wild landscape.
Night driver Eghbal, en route with his pregnant wife, kills a dog. Stranded, he seeks help at Vahid’s garage, unaware his rescuer believes him to be the prison officer who tortured him. Convinced, Vahid abducts Eghbal to bury him alive, but doubts soon arise. To confirm Eghbal’s identity, Vahid enlists fellow victims. During their ride, they contemplate the morality of killing their captive and whether he actually is who they believe him to be.
In a Parisian public hospital, Claire Simon questions what it means to live in women’s bodies, filming their diversity, singularity and their beauty in all stages throughout life. Unique stories of desires, fears and struggles unfold, including the one of the filmmaker herself.
An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, "The Green Knight" tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger. From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table.
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.
Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.
Return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more.
Poet Siegfried Sassoon survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery, but became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality.
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
Nina, an OB-GYN, faces accusations after a newborn's death. Her life undergoes scrutiny during investigation. She persists in her medical duties, determined to provide care others hesitate to offer, despite the risks.
A dramatization of the life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who had a large hand in the development of the atomic bombs that brought an end to World War II.
Céline Sciamma continues to prove herself as one of the most accomplished and unpredictable contemporary French filmmakers with her follow up to Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019), the uniquely emotional PETITE MAMAN. Following the death of her beloved grandmother, 8-year-old Nelly accompanies her parents to her mother's childhood home to begin the difficult process of cleaning out its contents. As Nelly explores the house and nearby woods, she is immediately drawn to a neighbor her own age building a treehouse. What follows is a tender tale of childhood grief, memory and connection.
After an impulsive travel decision to visit friends, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. Freddie suddenly finds herself embarking on an unexpected journey in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Tomas and Martin are a gay couple living in Paris whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas impulsively begins a passionate affair with young schoolteacher Agathe. But when Martin begins an affair of his own, Tomas must confront life decisions he may be unprepared—or unwilling—to deal with.
In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest.
A waitress agrees to accompany an exotic dancer, her put-upon boyfriend, and her mysterious and domineering roommate on a road trip to Florida to seek their fortune at a high-end strip club.
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the world's fate at stake and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan must consider that nothing can matter more than his mission—not even the lives of those he cares about most.
History exists beyond what is written. The Africatown residents in Mobile, Alabama, have shared stories about their origins for generations. Their community was founded by enslaved ancestors who were transported in 1860 aboard the last known and illegal slave ship, Clotilda. Though the ship was intentionally destroyed upon arrival, its memory and legacy weren’t. Now, the long-awaited discovery of the Clotilda’s remains offers this community a tangible link to their ancestors and validation of a history so many tried to bury.
A modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo. It chronicles four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.
Tennis player turned coach Tashi has taken her husband, Art, and transformed him into a world-famous Major champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she signs him up for a "Challenger" event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Pansy is a woman so full of rage that every interaction she has devolves into lashing out, whether at her utterly cowed husband and son, or random strangers who have the temerity to address her. In contrast, her younger sister Chantelle lives with her two vivacious daughters and plies a successful trade as a hairdresser, putting clients at their ease all day long. Yet beneath Pansy’s abrasive exterior are hints of a more fragile psyche, one motivated by fear and damaged by repressed pain.
Finding himself down and out in Los Angeles, ex porn star Mikey Saber decides to crawl back to his hometown of Texas City, Texas, where his estranged wife and mother-in-law are living. Just as this dysfunctional family seems to be making things work, Mikey meets a young woman named Strawberry working the cash register at a local doughnut shop. He falls right back into his old habits.
In upstate New York in the 1850s, Abigail begins a new year on the rural farm where she lives with her husband Dyer. As Abigail considers the year to come through her journal entries, we experience the marked contrast between her deliberate, stoic manner and her unraveling complex emotions. Spring arrives and Abigail meets Tallie, an emotionally frank and arrestingly beautiful newcomer renting a neighboring farm with her husband, Finney. The two strike up a tentative relationship, filling a void in their lives which neither knew existed.
Israel, in the aftermath of October 7. Y., a jazz musician struggling to make ends meet, and his wife Jasmine, a dancer, sell their art, souls and bodies to the elite, and bring pleasure and consolation to a bleeding nation. Soon, Y. is given a mission of the highest importance: setting to music a new national anthem.
Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN became the stage for a political earthquake as the struggle for independence in the Congo put the world on high alert. The newly independent nation faced its first coup d'état, orchestrated by Western forces and Belgium, which were reluctant to relinquish control over their resource-rich former colony. The US tried to divert attention by sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the African continent. In 1961, Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated, silencing a key voice in the fight against colonialism; his death was facilitated by Belgian and CIA operatives. Musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach took action, denouncing imperialism and structural racism. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev intensified his criticism of the US, highlighting the racial barriers that characterized American society.
With his only connection to the outside world lying in Portland businessman Amir, taciturn, meditative hermit Rob has found solace deep in the heart of the dense Oregon forests and the unique bond with his only companion: his beloved truffle-hunting pig. Tired of grappling with the profound sadness of prolonged grief, Rob relies on a simple daily routine to keep his sanity, self-respect, and dignity, utterly unaware that he has already caught unwanted attention. Now, his best friend is missing, and revenge can only make things worse. Indeed, strange as it sounds, inconsolable Rob only wants his pig back, and if he has to, he'll go to the edge of the world to find her. But first things first. Who has Rob's pig?
Struggling but unapologetically living on her own terms, Inez is moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. With her 6-year-old son Terry in foster care and unable to leave him again, she kidnaps him so they can build their life together. As the years go by, their family grows and Terry becomes a smart yet quiet teenager, but the secret that has defined their lives threatens to destroy the home they have so improbably built.
During the British era Malli a small tribal girl is taken away by British governor Scott Buxton and his wife Catherine against the wishes of her parents.A Rama Raju an Indian cop who works for the British army for him duty comes first and is very ruthless to revolutionary Indians but he is never credited for his due by British government.The British government find that a tribal Komaram Bheem who considers Malli his sister has started his search for her and could be an obstacle for the British army.The governor and his wife announces a special post for any officer who can bring Bheem to them,Rama Raju decides to take the matters in his hand and promises the government to bring him dead or alive.Bheem by now has reached he city in search of Malli and pretends to be a mechanic Afzal during a train accident on lake he and Rama Raju risk their lives and save a kid and become best of friends.But both man will clash with each other and will be thirsty for each other's blood to complete their missions.
EN (English, Hungarian, Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, French)
Drama
When a visionary architect and his wife flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern United States, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious, wealthy client.
With this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.
Alexia suffers a terrible skull injury and has a titanium plate fitted into her head. When she gets out of the hospital, she rejects her parents and embraces passionately the car that almost killed her. The coming years she has problems with her sexuality and meets Vincent. Vincent is a tortured man who tries to preserve his strength by injecting steroids into his aging body. Will they find a way to deal with their emotional problems?
Late on a cold night somewhere in the U.S., teenage Casey sits alone in her attic bedroom, scrolling the internet under the glow-in-the-dark stars and black-light posters that blanket the ceiling. She has finally decided to take the World's Fair Challenge, an online role-playing horror game, and embrace the uncertainty it promises. After the initiation, she documents the changes that may or may not be happening to her, adding her experiences to the shuffle of online clips available for the world to see. As she begins to lose herself between dream and reality, a mysterious figure reaches out, claiming to see something special in her uploads.
Los Angeles, nowadays. Henry is a stand-up comedian with a fierce humor. Ann, an internationally renowned opera singer. Together, under the spotlight, they form a happy and glamorous couple. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious girl with an exceptional destiny, will turn their lives upside down.
Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.
Taeko and her husband, Jiro, are living a peaceful existence with her young son Keita, when a tragic accident brings the boy's long-lost father, Park, back into her life. To cope with the pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man.
Morán works as a clerk in a bank in Buenos Aires. He is as good as invisible to his colleagues. Over dinner with his colleague Román, Morán tells him that he stole exactly $650,000, which is exactly double what he would have made until his retirement. He plans to turn himself in, but not before offering Román to split the money if agrees to hide it for the duration of his incarceration.
As an imminent construction project looms over their beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England rec-league teams face off for the last time. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
Yearning to own a small patch of land and be more than a chicken sexer, the ambitious paterfamilias, Jacob Yi, relocates his Korean-American family: sceptical wife, Monica, and their children, David and Anne, from California to 1980s rural Arkansas, to start afresh and capture the elusive American Dream. However, new beginnings are always challenging, and to find out what is best for the family, let alone start a 50-acre farm to grow and sell Korean fruits and vegetables, is easier said than done. But, amid sincere promises, cultural unease, fleeting hopes, and the ever-present threat of financial disaster, Jacob is convinced that he has found their own slice of Eden in the rich, dark soil of Arkansas. Can grandma Soonja's humble but resilient minari help the Yi family figure out their place in the world?
Six midwestern men all survivors of childhood sexual assault at the hands of Catholic priests and clergy come together to direct a drama therapy-inspired experiment designed to collectively work through their trauma. As part of a radically collaborative filmmaking process, they create fictional scenes based on memories, dreams and experiences, meant to explore the church rituals, culture and hierarchies that enabled silence around their abuse. In the face of a failed legal system, we watch these men reclaim the spaces that allowed their assault, revealing the possibility for catharsis and redemption through a new-found fraternity.
Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
A grief-stricken cantor in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student. The two forlorn souls develop a special connection.
Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non violent refuge he seeks.
In Chile in 1901, three horseman are paid to protect a vast estate. Accompanying a British soldier and an American mercenary is a mixed-race sniper, who realizes that his true mission is to kill the indigenous population.
Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a camping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature.
The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Jérémie returns to his hometown for the funeral of his former boss, the village baker. He decides to stay for a few days with Martine, the man's widow. A mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbor and a priest with strange intentions make Jérémie's short stay in the village take an unexpected turn.
EN (English, Spanish, Italian, Cantonese, French, Hungarian, German)
Comedy, Drama
A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, tracing the rise and fall of multiple characters in an era of unbridled decadence and depravity during Hollywood's transition from silent films to sound films in the late 1920s.
On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family.
A Spanish actor disappears during the filming of a movie. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he has suffered an accident at the edge of a cliff. Many years later, the mystery returns to the present day.
Genius artist Cesar Catilina seeks to leap the City of New Rome into a utopian, idealistic future, while his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.
I've seen 19 of these, and had maybe 5 or so more on my radar that I just haven't gotten around to yet. I wasn't even aware of probably over half of them, but I don't really follow any good...
I've seen 19 of these, and had maybe 5 or so more on my radar that I just haven't gotten around to yet. I wasn't even aware of probably over half of them, but I don't really follow any good sources to learn about foreign and indie/arthouse films. Off the top of my head, my top 5 from this list (of the ones I've seen so far) are:
5- The Green Knight
4- Nope
3- I Saw the TV Glow
2- Zone of Interest
1- Tár
Like others have said, it's a pretty subjective list and missing some charming additions. Honestly though I love how many international films made the list and how many new movies I have to check...
Like others have said, it's a pretty subjective list and missing some charming additions. Honestly though I love how many international films made the list and how many new movies I have to check out! To help balance it out, I'll jump in with my own list of reviews from the list provided as others have done and a few that should be there that aren't. There is no order other than when I come across them on the list.
Personal reviews from the list:
Dune: Part Two: A fine action flick. Great scenery but overall a forgettable movie.
Minari: Really nice movie that gives nice insight into a dysfunctional family. I have a special place for Steven Yeun so I was watching this regardless. Definitely recommend.
Beau is Afriad: The most WTF movie of the last 5 years. Up there with "The Lobster". I couldn't get all the way through, big thumbs down from me. At least it's interesting and not a reboot.
The Worst Person in the World: It was kind of bleh. Like there was some good acting and I think if you identified closely with the protagonist maybe it would be more impactful, but it wasn't for me. A luke warm thumbs down.
Barbie: Boy was this the absolute surprise for me when I saw it. I loved it. It was such a fun concept. I still sing I'm just Ken about once a week. Two thumbs up.
Everything Everywhere All at Once: Freaking amazing. It's surreal done like an absolute genius. I loved the film and it feels like the poster child for what films like Beau is Afraid or The Lobster could be. I was shocked to see it was so universally loved, as when it came out I felt like it had been tailored to my tastes.
Licorice Pizza: A movie I went in ready to love and came out frustrated by. It was lackluster, tropey, and largely forgettable. Thumbs down.
Jackass Forever: Honestly I couldn't believe this was on the list. It was a nice addition to the Jackass franchise, but even as someone who grew up with Jackass and CKY, I'm surprised it was considered. Fun watch though!
Flow: Overall I have warm feeling towards the film. It was an interesting concept and I'd say it largely done well. It proves you don't need a crazy animation studio to make a nice animated movie. Highly recommend.
Furiosa: Honestly, I loved it. I thought it would be schlocky crap - if the Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy movies were anything to go off - but it was a fun little rollercoaster. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth were both brilliant. A surprising two thumbs up!
I'm Thinking of Ending Things: Another mindfuck, and another unpleasant one. I got through it and it was an interesting concept. I love Jessie Buckley but the movie disappointed.
Asteroid City: Anderson is high on his own supply. I'm a big Weshead and will always tromp out the cinema for a new one - I haven't seen the Phoenician Scheme yet but I will before it departs. This is by far and away my least favorite Wes Anderson movie. I love Robert Cappa who Jason Schwartzman is based on and I love Jason Schwartzman. This should have been a slam dunk. But it was a movie without a rudder or purpose. Two thumbs down.
Drive My Car: Another one that should have been a slam dunk. I love Murikami. Like, I've read all his works. And this was... ok. Mostly forgettable.
Top Gun - Maverick: For an action movie I'm here for it. But come on boomers, can't you even retire from action films?!?! A 60+ pilot is saving the day? Pass the freaking mantel already. Thumbs up if I turn off my brain, but too annoyed about the framing.
Movies that I think should be on the list:
The Menu: Man, if you're looking for surreal with messaging this is it! Ralph Fiennes is just so freaking good. The whole cast knocked it out the park. 10/10 would watch so many times.
Paddington in Peru: How can you not have Paddington on the list? Best franchise of the 21st century!
Young Woman and the Sea: Well done, great cast, and very inspiring movie.
El 47: One of the best movies I've seen in a while and such an interesting insight into such a specific event. Two thumbs up!
Saltburn: Just an absolute mindfuck that I loved the whole time. Barry Keoghan was unbelievable and plays the psychopath roll so so well. He was my one highlight in Banshees of Inshirin. Great film would watch many times!
Cruella: Thought it would be a total waste of time and fully loved it. Emma Stone does an amazing job and it's a very fun twist on the original.
All Quiet on the Western Front: How much could you really do with this well trodden piece? It turns out much more than I thought. Great interpretation and absolutely freaking brutal. they pull no punches and the result is a really impactful movie.
The Whale: Not much to say about this one other than it both grossed me out and tugged at my heartstrings. Great cast, great film.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Maybe it's the whiplash from the Shia film, but this is how you pass the mantel of Indiana Jones - what Top Gun could have done.
Inside: Another mind fucky film. I love Dafoe and this film is classic him.
Inside - Bo Burnham: Just adding this because it's such a time capsule of that period. Great songs and a really weird look back at early Covid.
Oh wow, I am not a cinephile but I've been watching a lot of "odd" movies, and a bunch are on this list! I'll share some thoughts on the less common ones: Films I loved unconditionally Poor Things...
Oh wow, I am not a cinephile but I've been watching a lot of "odd" movies, and a bunch are on this list! I'll share some thoughts on the less common ones:
Films I loved unconditionally
Poor Things - This film is such a wacky commentary on feminism, I loved it from beginning to end. I don't think it's for everyone, but the humour and absurdity were right up my alley.
Dick Johnson is Dead - a documentary about the director's fear of her dad's death. It's very sweet and touching, and Dick Johnson is a total sweetheart. It's the most heartwarming film about death I've ever watched.
RRR - it is silly, wacky, and over the top, and absolutely amazing. The songs are also super catchy. I wish in real life you could defeat racism with a dance-off.
Red Rocket - follows an unlikable and self-important porn actor as his star is in decline. Pretty hilarious.
Challengers - I'm a big tennis fan, I like Zendaya, and the soundtrack was done by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. But you don't need to know anything about tennis to enjoy this messy love triangle.
Worst Person in the World - apparently this is part of a larger series but I've only seen this one - I really enjoyed it, and the foibles of a young woman trying to figure her shit out resonated for me. (Probably because I'm also a relatively young woman trying to figure my shit out, and have done some pretty bone-headed things.)
Zola - it is a pretty zany and unrelenting tale, and seeing Nicholaus Braun as the hapless boyfriend was the icing on the cake.
Drive My Car - super slow and meandering, but I found it really expressed characters' mindsets and feelings in a way that allowed you to really sink into them. (I watched it on a plane, which probably helped.)
Tar - chilling and hilarious in turns. She's easy to loathe but also you can see how she got there. Best scene is easily the one with the accordion - she's such a salty asshole.
Films that were interesting
Decision to Leave - this is a Korean film with a lot of cultural weight and symbolism that was occasionally lost on me, but it's a very intense story of an earnest detective investigating a man's death. All is not as it seems. There's an intense romance at the centre, but it tells a really interesting story with unique characters, and, for me, a very unexpected ending.
Annette - I ended up loving the soundtrack a lot more than the film, it's super catchy and there's a lot of clever incorporation of music in different scenes. You also get to see Adam Driver's ass. A lot. I didn't like the ending the first time I watched it, but now that I know where it goes, I have a greater appreciation for it. Unique and really cool.
Titane - this film is bizarre from beginning to end, and I wouldn't say I liked it...but I can guarantee you have never watched anything like it.
Pig - I did not like the ending, but seeing Nicolas Cage in a serious role without chewing on the scenery was a surprise. (And I like when Nicolas Cage loses his shit.) Not my favourite, but interesting.
Saint Omer - this film had a lot of layers, and I really appreciated the various ways that the protagonist and the subject are paralleled.
I Saw the TV Glow - once I realized it was a trans allegory, it became a lot more interesting and resonant, but without that knowledge I found it aimless and strange.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things - trippy and weird, really great acting by all involved.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always - absolutely brutal film about teen abortion. Very well done, very hard to watch.
Armageddon Time - I think the filmmaker himself has said that it does not take enough account of Johnny's perspective and experience, once again using Black stories as a framework for exploring white guilt, but the film does show really clearly how identities and privileges can layer and be opposed in nefarious ways.
Lover's Rock - part of a five-part series called Small Axe, this was actually my least favourite of the five "episodes", but it centred Black joy and freedom in a way that's rarely portrayed. I liked other episodes better (1, 3, and 5 especially), but the whole series is worth watching.
Films I hated
The Brutalist - the first half hour is pretty incredible, as is the ending confrontation sequence, but the film absolutely did not need to be three hours long. I hated the two middle hours.
The Green Knight - I think I am the only person in the world who hates this movie - I found it needlessly stuck up its own bum, and as my husband pointed out, the ejaculate was alarmingly realistic.
Licorice Pizza - I thought I was going to like this movie, but I found the "romance" horrifically age-inappropriate and he was horrible to her. Has a horrible message, especially for young women.
The Boy and the Heron - if someone other than Miyazaki made this, we wouldn't be talking about it.
A couple of great films not mentioned:
What Do We See When We Look at the Sky - made by Georgians (in the Caucasus, not the US state), this is a very odd and quirky film, which maybe gets closer to old-school Wes Anderson than current Wes Anderson (judging by some of the comments here about Asteroid City).
The Menu - I agree with @rosco that The Menu is great!
Macaluso Sisters - Italian film, follows the lives of five sisters before and after a major tragedy.
Mandibles - absurd film by Quentin Dupieux, about two dumbasses who find a giant fly and want to get rich off of it.
VHYes - surreal film evoking nostalgia about late night TV in the 80s and 90s, invoking old VHS tapes.
Judas and the Black Messiah - a really powerful film about Fred Hampton, and the horrible things the FBI did to ruin his life and his movement.
Disclosure - a documentary about trans representation in films, as discussed by actual trans people. Super hard to watch, but probably really good for cis people to reflect on.
Linoleum - a story about a man trying to achieve a dream, despite his life falling apart around him.
Love Lies Bleeding - not sure how other people responded to this, but I found the characters interesting, the story pretty weird and wild, and the ending mysterious and wonderful.
Problemista - a quirky yet harrowing tale of life in immigration turmoil, as told by Julio Torres.
Swan Song - Mahershala Ali stars as a man with terminal cancer considering whether to clone himself so that his family doesn't need to suffer from his death. So pensive and melancholy, but incredible film. I have heard no one talk about it but it's one of my favourite films of the decade.
I initially hated The Green Knight as well. Not necessarily because it felt pretentious - personally I loved the atmosphere the film set up, something about the lack of background noise and music...
I initially hated The Green Knight as well. Not necessarily because it felt pretentious - personally I loved the atmosphere the film set up, something about the lack of background noise and music made it hit differently - but more because the story felt wrong. I have read several versions of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, including Tolkien's version that is told in poetic verse, and in all of them Gawain is described as unassailably virtuous. He's the type of knight who only fails because the task was impossible, not because of a moral inadequacy or lack of skill.
In the film, he's none of those things. The character Gawain bears little resemblance to the legend, so the story isn't even close to the same. Yes, the overall plot is the same, but Gawain doesn't make the same decisions so he doesn't get the same results. In the end, it felt like there were more questions than answers in the story, and it felt unfulfilling.
If the move had been marketed as a "what if" scenario, I would have known a bit more of what to expect. I might have even enjoyed it. Instead, they act like they are faithfully following the legend and answering questions that I quite frankly didn't think were even presented anywhere. It's not telling the legend, it's exploring what would happen if Gawain was no better than any ordinary man of his time. If I approach the movie from that angle, it's much easier to enjoy despite the slightly pretentious style.
Maybe the difference for me is that I wasn't already familiar with the story, and so the film seemed just incredibly long and navel-gazing, and a lot of the journey seemed really unnecessary. I...
Maybe the difference for me is that I wasn't already familiar with the story, and so the film seemed just incredibly long and navel-gazing, and a lot of the journey seemed really unnecessary. I was completely baffled why people loved it so much. Your description makes a lot of sense though on why it might not work for people familiar with the source material (and I personally get grouchy when I feel like reinterpretations get too far from the source material without a good reason...so it was probably doomed for me regardless).
I've thought about reading the Green Knight - do you have a recommendation on a specific version? (I don't mind reading old timey lit or Tolkien, it just takes some time to digest.)
I can't remember any of the specific versions other than Tolkien's translation, I know one was part of a collection of Arthurian tales but I don't remember which. Tolkien's stuck in my mind...
I can't remember any of the specific versions other than Tolkien's translation, I know one was part of a collection of Arthurian tales but I don't remember which. Tolkien's stuck in my mind because 1. I'm a huge Tolkien nerd and 2. It was in old verse that used alliteration more than rhyming so it was an odd read. I recommend it if you want something that feels like it's from a millennia ago, but not if you just want a quick and easy retelling of the tale.
The ones I've seen Roughly from ones I most enjoyed to least: Barbie Nope Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Everything Everywhere All At Once Top Gun: Maverick I'm Thinking of Ending Things...
The ones I've seen
Roughly from ones I most enjoyed to least:
Barbie
Nope
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Top Gun: Maverick
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Titane
Poor Things
Anora
The Green Knight
The Matrix: Resurrections
Beau is Afraid
The overall list is a pretty interesting one. Several of the ones I haven't seen are on my watch list, some that weren't on my radar, and some that are on my "not interested list". I was surprised that Banshees of Inisherin wasn't on the list, as that seemed like a crowd favourite.
Which is absurd given some of the choices on this list. There's no way furiosa beats out banshees, and if you want to stay in genre, Dune. Edit - Ok wait I see dune, soo dunno.
Which is absurd given some of the choices on this list. There's no way furiosa beats out banshees, and if you want to stay in genre, Dune.
Today I learned there were 100 good movies in the last five years.
Taste is certainly subjective, but if these are the 100 "best" then it's clear the creator of this listicle was scraping the bottom of the barrel as apparent by things like Megalopolis, Furiosa, and Matrix making the list. Of the 2,666 box office releases in the US alone from 2020-2024, they really think those are in the top 100?
This is a very hot take, but I really liked Furiosa. I watched it on a plane expecting to turn it off halfway through and enjoyed it so much that when we landed with 1/3rd still left, I waited my week of vacation and then immediately turned it back on during the flight home.
It's a great action film, and I went in ready to despise it. Brought back some of the magic of Fury Road, which reminds me that I need to go watch it again!
The Matrix came out about 1999. How did it make the list for the best movies of the 2020s?
Presumably that is just shorthand for the Matrix Resurrections
Correct, just like I didn't put "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga".
Might be a joke that no sequels were ever made
This is again a list that tries to please everyone, and ends up pleasing no one.
So much of this list is filled with vibed choices which don't really hold up to their own analysis.
Maybe I shouldn't be this hard, as I've seen only 25 of them, but putting Top Gun Maverick in the top 10, including Megalopolis or The Brutalist at all, and also include the usual Everything All At Once, Titane, The Substance, and The Green Knight, just does not reflect on good choices overall, but I don't doubt there still is some goodness to be had.
The list has at least given me a confirmation to see some of my backlog.
I would say The Brutalist being included is one of the least surprising things. It was considered a masterpiece just a few months ago.
For having seen The Brutalist in theater I kinda understand why many people would think this is a masterpiece, it has all the form and decorum of excellent films.
But its all wasted on delivering so few interesting emotional moments or ideas especially to justify its length.
I agree
There is a list on Letterboxd for those just wanting a quick overview of the top 100 movies.
Can't say I agree with Ehlirch all that much. I had made something like this a year ago but it was only three movies. If I had to make a Top 10 of the 2020s so far:
Immediately loses all credibility having Megalopolis on the list, for a moment I thought Emilia Perez was also there.
Last year there was this movement to make Megalopolis some sort of misunderstood masterpiece by a large portion of film twitter. This was before it even came out, it seemed like people wanted to be contrarian on it. They also just like that it was a sort of F U to the current studio system.
I had the same immediate reaction, but still found a pile of good films worth watching. And then I hit "The Matrix Resurrections". That movie sucked so god damned hard.
Going through the list, as a data point -
So yeah, anything not on that list I either have never heard of it, don't think i'd enjoy it, or just don't really feel the need to watch it (barbie probably the most recognizable example of that last one).
here's the list with IMDB info and combined ratings from IMDB, Metacritic, TMDB, and LB
I've seen 19 of these, and had maybe 5 or so more on my radar that I just haven't gotten around to yet. I wasn't even aware of probably over half of them, but I don't really follow any good sources to learn about foreign and indie/arthouse films. Off the top of my head, my top 5 from this list (of the ones I've seen so far) are:
5- The Green Knight
4- Nope
3- I Saw the TV Glow
2- Zone of Interest
1- Tár
Like others have said, it's a pretty subjective list and missing some charming additions. Honestly though I love how many international films made the list and how many new movies I have to check out! To help balance it out, I'll jump in with my own list of reviews from the list provided as others have done and a few that should be there that aren't. There is no order other than when I come across them on the list.
Personal reviews from the list:
Movies that I think should be on the list:
Oh wow, I am not a cinephile but I've been watching a lot of "odd" movies, and a bunch are on this list! I'll share some thoughts on the less common ones:
Films I loved unconditionally
Poor Things - This film is such a wacky commentary on feminism, I loved it from beginning to end. I don't think it's for everyone, but the humour and absurdity were right up my alley.
Dick Johnson is Dead - a documentary about the director's fear of her dad's death. It's very sweet and touching, and Dick Johnson is a total sweetheart. It's the most heartwarming film about death I've ever watched.
RRR - it is silly, wacky, and over the top, and absolutely amazing. The songs are also super catchy. I wish in real life you could defeat racism with a dance-off.
Red Rocket - follows an unlikable and self-important porn actor as his star is in decline. Pretty hilarious.
Challengers - I'm a big tennis fan, I like Zendaya, and the soundtrack was done by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. But you don't need to know anything about tennis to enjoy this messy love triangle.
Worst Person in the World - apparently this is part of a larger series but I've only seen this one - I really enjoyed it, and the foibles of a young woman trying to figure her shit out resonated for me. (Probably because I'm also a relatively young woman trying to figure my shit out, and have done some pretty bone-headed things.)
Zola - it is a pretty zany and unrelenting tale, and seeing Nicholaus Braun as the hapless boyfriend was the icing on the cake.
Drive My Car - super slow and meandering, but I found it really expressed characters' mindsets and feelings in a way that allowed you to really sink into them. (I watched it on a plane, which probably helped.)
Tar - chilling and hilarious in turns. She's easy to loathe but also you can see how she got there. Best scene is easily the one with the accordion - she's such a salty asshole.
Films that were interesting
Decision to Leave - this is a Korean film with a lot of cultural weight and symbolism that was occasionally lost on me, but it's a very intense story of an earnest detective investigating a man's death. All is not as it seems. There's an intense romance at the centre, but it tells a really interesting story with unique characters, and, for me, a very unexpected ending.
Annette - I ended up loving the soundtrack a lot more than the film, it's super catchy and there's a lot of clever incorporation of music in different scenes. You also get to see Adam Driver's ass. A lot. I didn't like the ending the first time I watched it, but now that I know where it goes, I have a greater appreciation for it. Unique and really cool.
Titane - this film is bizarre from beginning to end, and I wouldn't say I liked it...but I can guarantee you have never watched anything like it.
Pig - I did not like the ending, but seeing Nicolas Cage in a serious role without chewing on the scenery was a surprise. (And I like when Nicolas Cage loses his shit.) Not my favourite, but interesting.
Saint Omer - this film had a lot of layers, and I really appreciated the various ways that the protagonist and the subject are paralleled.
I Saw the TV Glow - once I realized it was a trans allegory, it became a lot more interesting and resonant, but without that knowledge I found it aimless and strange.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things - trippy and weird, really great acting by all involved.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always - absolutely brutal film about teen abortion. Very well done, very hard to watch.
Armageddon Time - I think the filmmaker himself has said that it does not take enough account of Johnny's perspective and experience, once again using Black stories as a framework for exploring white guilt, but the film does show really clearly how identities and privileges can layer and be opposed in nefarious ways.
Lover's Rock - part of a five-part series called Small Axe, this was actually my least favourite of the five "episodes", but it centred Black joy and freedom in a way that's rarely portrayed. I liked other episodes better (1, 3, and 5 especially), but the whole series is worth watching.
Films I hated
The Brutalist - the first half hour is pretty incredible, as is the ending confrontation sequence, but the film absolutely did not need to be three hours long. I hated the two middle hours.
The Green Knight - I think I am the only person in the world who hates this movie - I found it needlessly stuck up its own bum, and as my husband pointed out, the ejaculate was alarmingly realistic.
Licorice Pizza - I thought I was going to like this movie, but I found the "romance" horrifically age-inappropriate and he was horrible to her. Has a horrible message, especially for young women.
The Boy and the Heron - if someone other than Miyazaki made this, we wouldn't be talking about it.
A couple of great films not mentioned:
What Do We See When We Look at the Sky - made by Georgians (in the Caucasus, not the US state), this is a very odd and quirky film, which maybe gets closer to old-school Wes Anderson than current Wes Anderson (judging by some of the comments here about Asteroid City).
The Menu - I agree with @rosco that The Menu is great!
Macaluso Sisters - Italian film, follows the lives of five sisters before and after a major tragedy.
Mandibles - absurd film by Quentin Dupieux, about two dumbasses who find a giant fly and want to get rich off of it.
VHYes - surreal film evoking nostalgia about late night TV in the 80s and 90s, invoking old VHS tapes.
Judas and the Black Messiah - a really powerful film about Fred Hampton, and the horrible things the FBI did to ruin his life and his movement.
Disclosure - a documentary about trans representation in films, as discussed by actual trans people. Super hard to watch, but probably really good for cis people to reflect on.
Linoleum - a story about a man trying to achieve a dream, despite his life falling apart around him.
Love Lies Bleeding - not sure how other people responded to this, but I found the characters interesting, the story pretty weird and wild, and the ending mysterious and wonderful.
Problemista - a quirky yet harrowing tale of life in immigration turmoil, as told by Julio Torres.
Swan Song - Mahershala Ali stars as a man with terminal cancer considering whether to clone himself so that his family doesn't need to suffer from his death. So pensive and melancholy, but incredible film. I have heard no one talk about it but it's one of my favourite films of the decade.
I initially hated The Green Knight as well. Not necessarily because it felt pretentious - personally I loved the atmosphere the film set up, something about the lack of background noise and music made it hit differently - but more because the story felt wrong. I have read several versions of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, including Tolkien's version that is told in poetic verse, and in all of them Gawain is described as unassailably virtuous. He's the type of knight who only fails because the task was impossible, not because of a moral inadequacy or lack of skill.
In the film, he's none of those things. The character Gawain bears little resemblance to the legend, so the story isn't even close to the same. Yes, the overall plot is the same, but Gawain doesn't make the same decisions so he doesn't get the same results. In the end, it felt like there were more questions than answers in the story, and it felt unfulfilling.
If the move had been marketed as a "what if" scenario, I would have known a bit more of what to expect. I might have even enjoyed it. Instead, they act like they are faithfully following the legend and answering questions that I quite frankly didn't think were even presented anywhere. It's not telling the legend, it's exploring what would happen if Gawain was no better than any ordinary man of his time. If I approach the movie from that angle, it's much easier to enjoy despite the slightly pretentious style.
Maybe the difference for me is that I wasn't already familiar with the story, and so the film seemed just incredibly long and navel-gazing, and a lot of the journey seemed really unnecessary. I was completely baffled why people loved it so much. Your description makes a lot of sense though on why it might not work for people familiar with the source material (and I personally get grouchy when I feel like reinterpretations get too far from the source material without a good reason...so it was probably doomed for me regardless).
I've thought about reading the Green Knight - do you have a recommendation on a specific version? (I don't mind reading old timey lit or Tolkien, it just takes some time to digest.)
I can't remember any of the specific versions other than Tolkien's translation, I know one was part of a collection of Arthurian tales but I don't remember which. Tolkien's stuck in my mind because 1. I'm a huge Tolkien nerd and 2. It was in old verse that used alliteration more than rhyming so it was an odd read. I recommend it if you want something that feels like it's from a millennia ago, but not if you just want a quick and easy retelling of the tale.
I've seen six of these and enjoyed two of them. I really didn't like Oppenheimer or The Brutalist at all.
The ones I've seen
Roughly from ones I most enjoyed to least:
The overall list is a pretty interesting one. Several of the ones I haven't seen are on my watch list, some that weren't on my radar, and some that are on my "not interested list". I was surprised that Banshees of Inisherin wasn't on the list, as that seemed like a crowd favourite.
Ehlrich gave it a B+ he doesn't really like Martin McDonagh. He also doesn't like Denis Villenueve which explains Dune's absence
Which is absurd given some of the choices on this list. There's no way furiosa beats out banshees, and if you want to stay in genre, Dune.
Edit - Ok wait I see dune, soo dunno.