25. COMPANY

Going into Company completely blind probably is the best way to experience it, but that doesn’t mean it’s an experience worth having; just that if you know anything about what's coming, it’s likely to be a much worse film. Aside from that, writer-director Casey Affleck's story-within-a-story-within-a-story approach is unnecessarily layered and dense, and Atticus Affleck (Casey's son, doing a Timothée Chalamet impression) presents as far too modern for the rural gothic setting. To Casey’s credit, he has a great eye, creating some truly beautiful shot compositions from behind the camera. It’s too bad he couldn’t get out of his own way with other aspects.

24. BLACK CHURCH BAY

Somewhere in Black Church Bay, there is a worthy story about repression of sexual desires and being your true self in the face of judgment and controversy. However, when telling that story through the lens of a problematic protagonist, it loses some oomph. On top of that, there is a mystery at the center of it all that goes unanswered, which makes it all a bit unfulfilling. Pair that with a final-shot metaphor that is so embarrassingly on the nose that the audience — a Swiss film festival audience, mind you — audibly groaned, I can’t say I walked away with much to recommend.

23. A LONG WINTER

Aside from the beautiful mountain landscapes, writer-director Andrew Haigh fails to commit to any of the ideas he throws at the wall in A Long Winter. Is it about alcoholism? Repressed sexuality? Antiquated gender roles? What does it mean to be a man? A missing woman? Yes and very much no. It certainly touches on all those subjects, but it’s not long before it moves on to the next grand idea. That lack of cohesive throughline only exacerbates the glacial pacing. Also, when people say, “that guy has it” …whatever it is, Fred Hechinger ain’t got it — not here, anyway.

22. COLD WAR 1994

This negative review is unfair. For one, Cold War 1994 is a prequel. I didn’t know that, and I have no experience with this franchise. Second, it has the densest subtitles I’ve ever seen. They are robust with exposition, layered with voiceovers and on-screen character introductions in text. I couldn’t keep up. I was lost within the first half-hour, especially with the time-jumping. I only knew “him good, him bad.” Then, the action scenes are muddled. This might be a great movie if you have the proper background and are smarter than I am (not hard), but I never found my footing with this one.

21. THE END OF IT

The concept of choosing to die when death is optional is full of potential, but The End of It squanders it with a generic mid-life crisis tale. Why does it matter? Why do I matter? What is my purpose? Is this all life is about? All those questions are discussed, as well as themes about ageism towards women, but there aren’t many satisfying answers. Rebecca Hall does excellent work, but much like the Black Mirror-like premise, it's somewhat wasted. Admittedly, the ending adds a jolt of electricity, but the build-up to it is so emotionally disconnected that it probably doesn’t hit as intended. Overall, a missed opportunity.

20. BUCKING FASTARD

Look, I adore filmmaker Werner Herzog, but after seeing Bucking Fastard (great title, by the way), I need to recalibrate. Maybe I only love him as a documentarian and personality. This movie is nothing more than an interesting (and well-acted) idea, which is admittedly clever for about 30 minutes, stretched to its ends without a story to sustain it. It’s like Herzog asked what a Martin McDonagh script directed by David Lynch would look like (there is even a “For David Lynch" dedication at the beginning). The results are intriguing until they really, really aren’t, punctuated by a nothing ending.

19. CLARISSA

Clarissa boasts a terrific ensemble, beautiful landscapes, and intoxicating Nigerian culture. However, it does a terrible job of setting up its characters or rooting them in time and place. Although it generally comes together in the end, the first 90 minutes are spent in a haze of confusion as you’re trying to figure out who is who, and given the poorly contextualized flashbacks, when is when. As such, it simply takes too long to get your bearings to allow you to care about how it might play out. On the plus side, it makes me want more African interpretations of old white classics.

18. MISTY GREEN

I saw writer-director Chris Rock do stand-up just after getting divorced, and you could tell how bitter he was. Misty Green seethes with that same bitterness. To be fair, he's right to be angry about racism, sexism, mental health treatment, and the underbelly of the Hollywood grind; however, he throws it all at the screen with little-to-no cohesiveness and zero additional insight. He's just yelling at clouds. It doesn’t help that Misty (a star-making turn from Rosalind Eleazar) is wholly unlikeable and borderline irredeemable since her problems are her own fault. If you want me on your side, Mr. Rock, give me someone to root for.

17. SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM

Full disclosure… This is the first movie I’ve seen from Aardman, and while I appreciate the remarkable craft that goes into their stop-motion claymation, this style of kids' movie is decidedly not for me. I’m sure Shaun the Sheep is a cute distraction for younger children that inspires many toy purchases. However, I was worn down by the dialogue-free cuteness, even at only 80 minutes. I don’t want to yuck anyone's yum, so maybe take my review with a grain of salt if you are less cynical than I am. But, frankly, to quote Danny Glover's character in Lethal Weapon, “I’m too old for this shit.”

16. DOLPHINS: MY CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Dolphins: My Close Encounters is a standard, non-Attenborough nature documentary, meaning it’ll hold the attention of those already interested in dolphins and conservation efforts but probably few others. The internal conversation about staying neutral as a scientist versus interacting with your subjects is philosophically intriguing, as are the discoveries made during the two decades Angela Ziltener has spent studying this multi-generational dolphin pod. However, it's all fairly dry and lecture-y, which makes it feel more like a college course than a theatrical viewing experience. Still, if nothing else, watching dolphins frolic in crystal clear waters for 90 minutes may provide moments of zen.

15. CLUB KID

If you want to stand out with an oft-told story, you need to add something fresh to the equation. Club Kid fails to do that. I’ve seen the story of a slacker-y ne'er-do-well finding himself after bonding with a kid so many times, from Big Daddy to Bad Santa to Role Models to…you get the idea. As such, it’s easy to see exactly where Club Kid is headed. That familiarity and paint-by-numbers plotting results in indifference. I mean, look, the film is perfectly fine, but if you’ve had 50 McDonald's cheeseburgers, a perfectly fine 51st McDonald's cheeseburger doesn't really move the needle, does it?

14. WHERE IS AVA?

Where is Ava? isn’t a zombie movie, but it follows the same tropes that every “avoid the infected” movie does. You know the ones: hunt for supplies, don’t trust strangers, and so on. That’s not a complaint, per se; it just is what it is. To its credit, this French-language thriller starts strongly, building dread around every dark corner; however, it cries wolf too often, so that feeling of tension fizzles as the story begins to drag. But a third act revelation brings it all back by subverting expectations and getting messy with it (a compliment). It’s not required viewing, but I’m glad I experienced it.

13. THE HOUSEWIFE

Having lived in Germany since 2021, I look at movies about Nazis a lot differently than I used to. I think I’m harder on them at this point because I'm much closer to the content. As such, despite Naomi Watts’ stellar performance, The Housewife registers more as an interesting idea than an interesting film. It’s mostly undone by predictability, rushed storytelling, and a wavetop exploration of its themes. Also, Tye Sheridan just doesn’t have what it takes to deliver what his role requires, especially opposite Watts. Sadly, it just feels too slight for the heaviness of the subject matter, which left me wanting.

12. DIAMOND

In his first directorial effort in more than 20 years, Andy Garcia follows a blueprint set by Apple's Sugar: classic noir vibes in modern day Los Angeles with a wild twist. I imagine the twist will be divisive (I didn't hate it), but ignoring that, Garcia paints a beautiful picture of vintage LA, complete with Hollywood legends like Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman to add lived-in legacy shading. Garcia was clearly inspired by Phillip Marlowe stories, and his appreciation for that hard-boiled detective, as well as his love for LA, adds an undeniable charm and earnestness that wallpapers over the film's many imperfections.

11. TENZING

For better or worse, Tenzing feels like a biopic from the 90s. It doesn’t want to do much more than entertain…and, hey, if you happen to learn something along the way, all the better. It lightly touches on the racial and cultural hurdles that Tenzing Norgay (a committed Genden Phuntsok in his first English-speaking role) faced, but never with the weight or resonance they deserve. The film also fails to convey the true risks involved with climbing Everest, and Tom Hiddleston isn’t given much to do, either. But these are nitpicks, and while I could continue nitpicking, Tenzing remains an easy-going yet forgettable, crowd-pleaser.

10. THE WEIGHT

Although The Weight has a certain throwback charm, an appropriate Depression-era patina, and Ethan Hawke doing typically great things, the story lacks the tension and palpable stakes amongst the chaotically claustrophobic direction to make it anything more than a passing diversion. It’s the type of movie that would have been in heavy rotation on TNT in the 90s, resulting in a large audience of people who took moderate enjoyment from it without ever raving about it. It’s perfectly cromulent and inoffensive in that way. I suppose one could say they don’t make movies like this anymore, but that’s not necessarily a compliment.

9. INK

Director Danny Boyle’s take on the rise of British tabloid The Sun is a kinetically chaotic underdog story that is carried by an electric Jack O’Connell. But it’s presented in a way that makes you root for Larry Lamb (O’Connell), and he really isn’t someone you should root for. Plus, while there are shades of it, not enough is said about Rupert Murdoch’s (Guy Pearce) money-over-morals decision-making that we still feel to this day. If you don’t take Ink too personally, it is a fun and energetic experience; if the ills of modern media infuriate you, you’ll be pissed that Boyle wasn’t more damning.

8. THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK

The beauty of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is its simplicity. The storyline is as basic as it gets, which is only amplified by its 88-minute runtime, but that simplicity puts John Turturro's acting muscles to work in an effort to rope you in. With support from several old-head acting legends in bits parts, not to mention being a love letter to New York City and an analog world, it all works wonderfully. It reminded me a lot of last year's Tuner, right down to the elegantly jazzy score, and it will probably end up standing alongside that film as an underseen throwback gem.

7. A TALENT FOR MURDER

For various reasons but mostly their pretentiousness, I haven’t liked any Tom Ripley adaptation. A Talent for Murder changes that. By telling two concurrent stories — one about Patricia Highsmith (a surly Helen Mirren) workshopping her next Ripley book to a publisher (Alden Ehrenreich), the other the re-enactment of said story as it develops between the two (with Ehrenreich also portraying Ripley) — the character becomes far more accessible. It's all carried by Ehrenreich, who gives a career-best performance full of layers and nuance through dialogue and narration that is appropriately literary. The film isn’t flashy, presenting as both a stage play and childhood storytime, but it’s good old-fashioned filmmaking.

6. WICKER

Wicker feels like a long-lost fairy tale from The Brothers Grimm, and frankly, I don’t know if it works with any other cast. Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Peter Dinklage have all demonstrated their willingness to get weird with it, and those proven sensibilities are needed to sincerely sell a story so fantastical, bawdy, and ultimately heartwarming. That commitment doesn’t stop with the performers either, as the dedication to world-building, quotable dialogue, and character design are impeccable. If that wasn’t enough, it nimbly explores gender roles in the household without being preachy. All in all, Wicker is Edward Scissorhands for a new generation.

5. WILD HORSE NINE

Wild Horse Nine is exactly what you’d expect from writer-director Martin McDonagh. It’s dark, very funny, increasingly violent, and surprisingly emotional. In fact, if I were forced to find something negative, all I could point to is that it’s maybe a little too similar to McDonagh’s previous outings, most notably In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin. That said, those two films are instant classics, so even if Wild Horse Nine feels somewhat familiar, how is that a bad thing? Even more so when you add John Malkovich’s best performance in decades and the always terrific Sam Rockwell to bring it home.

4. THE DEBUT

It feels weird to call an Oscar winner and five-time nominee a revelation, but I don’t know what other word to use to describe Julianne Moore in The Debut. Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg seems to know this world intimately, exploring both the positive and negative power of the stage, from helping people find their voice to the ego trip of method acting. It’s that palpable authenticity that allows The Debut and Moore (and Paul Giamatti, for that matter) to fire on all cylinders, from the laugh-out-loud hilarity to the heart-sinking sadness. It's a surefire awards contender and one of the year's best movies.

3. I PLAY ROCKY

Fans of Sylvester Stallone, Rocky, and movies about movies should be enamored with I Play Rocky. Okay, so maybe there are no deeper insights in Stallone (Anthony Ippolito in a star-making performance). And maybe you won’t learn anything you didn’t already know. I mean, this oft-told story is what it is. But, honestly, who cares? This is the type of crowd-pleasing, popcorn entertainment that movie theaters are made for, and it made me want to rewatch the entire Rocky franchise immediately. What bigger compliment can there be? As for Ippolito, it should do for him what Elvis did for Austin Butler.

2. BABIES

I couldn’t tell you the last movie to speak to me the way Babies did. So much of this story could be snapshots from my own life: the constant questions, being the childless adult at a kid-packed pool party, being an “uncle" to friends’ kids, the Bosch conversation, the sick parent, mature dating — it all hit close to home. It doesn’t hurt that Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick seem like two of the most relatable people in Hollywood, so their perfect casting made it all the more, well, relatable. If you’re like me — a 45-year-old who has never wanted kids — prepare to feel seen.

1. JOSEPHINE

There are so many words I could use to describe Josephine: brutal, devastating, infuriating, daring, empathetic, powerful, timely, relevant, and necessary. Better yet, let’s just call it what it is: a near masterpiece. Writer-director Beth de Araújo and her young star, Mason Reeves, pulled raw emotions out of me that I didn’t even know were there. While I’m telling you that, I’m also telling you that I will never watch this movie again, which is a compliment, believe it or not. The biggest of trigger warnings for parents because they may not be able to handle it, but they should try because it’s that damn profound.