1) The Holdovers (Alexander Payne) The full-meal deal movie of the year: laughs, tears and lovingly art-directed '70s nostalgia. https://youtu.be/AhKLpJmHhIg?si=S3xcVaj-AzEUJAPo
2) Asteroid City (Wes Anderson) Anderson's trademark lateral tracking shots and meticulously curated mise-en-scene remain as breathtaking as usual, and the whole thing casts such a magical spell that you'll think you're dreaming. Can I take up permanent residence in "Wes Andersonville"?
https://youtu.be/9FXCSXuGTF4?si=qC8DFsihBiszHP_6
3) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese) A mournful, aching epic that shines an unforgiving spotlight on one of the most shameful chapters in modern American racial history, it's the kind of dauntingly ambitious filmmaking very few directors even attempt in these days of corporate, IP-driven franchise movies. Despite echoes of previous benchmarks of American cinema like "There Will Be Blood" and "Days of Heaven," Scorsese's masterpiece remains very much its own thing. An intermission wouldn't have hurt, though. https://youtu.be/EP34Yoxs3FQ?si=Be2xnQNrlEreZiUa
4) Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos) Lanthimos' most wholly satisfying movie since 2016's "The Lobster" features, in Emma Stone's indelible Bella, the female performance of the year.
https://youtu.be/vjm0udI77KU?si=y5TcDWnXO7fDpYfN
5) Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster) As assaultive and even deliberately unpleasant as it is at times, this is unmistakably the work of a prodigiously gifted filmmaker in total control of the medium. Eight months later and my mind is still blown. https://youtu.be/PuiWDn976Ek?si=h8SjTRdwsYU5TVhH
6) All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh) The finest--and most heart-wrenching--love story of the decade.
https://youtu.be/O97iSjvqBlY?si=9KM1iGBbHF8F0GRd
6) All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh) The finest--and most heart-wrenching--love story of the decade.
https://youtu.be/O97iSjvqBlY?si=9KM1iGBbHF8F0GRd
6) All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh) The finest--and most heart-wrenching--love story of the decade.
https://youtu.be/O97iSjvqBlY?si=9KM1iGBbHF8F0GRd
6) All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh) The finest--and most heart-wrenching--love story of the decade.
https://youtu.be/O97iSjvqBlY?si=9KM1iGBbHF8F0GRd