Wolf Man

My View:  Wolf Man  (2025) R  In Wolf Man, Blake’s (Christopher Abbott) and his wife Charlotte’s (Julia Garner) marriage is falling apart. Blake inherits his childhood home, a remote house in rural Oregon, after his father disappears and is presumed dead. Blake takes the family, including his young daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), to his father’s home to get away from it all. An unseen animal attacks Blake, and as the night progresses, he transforms into something unimaginable. So we all know the lore of what happens when a wolfman bites you…you turn into one. So when Blake, at the time a candidate for father of the year, gets bitten by a creature, we all know what is coming. The problem with this film is that we also know what is coming after that turn, and that’s the problem with this film. It takes a creative bit of writing and turns it into a normal and not too scary horror film. I enjoyed they used primarily practical effects, such as going old school in the transformation. I was never scared during the film, even during its opening sequence, when we see Blake as a kid with his father having to deal with their own wolfman while out deer hunting. It’s too bad because I had high hopes for this film since it is from Leigh Whannell, who gave us the very creative 2020 film The Invisible Man. Wolf Man spent a lot of time building up the monster but never delivered the goods, much like when the wolf man gave out a cry into the night that was more of a yip that a mighty howl.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Wolf Man Movie Now playing in theaters. 

The Brutalist (2024)  R   The Brutalist begins in the aftermath of WWII when visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) flee post-war Europe to restart their lives. When László begins working for a wealthy client, Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), he little realizes how much his life will change. Director Brady Corbet brings us a tale of greed, art, and sacrifice. It’s a story where artistic vision clashes with new world money, with both sides unwilling to back down. László Toth is an architect who left his wife behind to find freedom and maybe even fame in America. He is an artist who sculpts with buildings, creating incredible structures that dazzle the heart and mind. Harrison Van Buren is a wealthy man who wants to build a tribute to himself in his hometown. It’s a monument to a man whose ego is almost as big as László’s, but the difference is that László has talent. Harrison only has money to back up his ego. This is a film that spans years, as we follow László through some tough times until he is given what becomes his cross to bear, Harrison’s massive building. László is not a perfect man. His and his wife's experiences in the Holocaust haunt him, causing him to develop a heroin addiction to numb the past. Adrien Brody gives us a powerful performance of a man tortured by both the past and the present as Harrison keeps changing the plans for the building, cutting costs. Brody's performance is extraordinary, full of fire and wonder, but also filled with heartbreak and sorrow. He is a man consumed by his work and nothing else. Brody is matched by Guy Pearce, who portrays Harrison, a man who is certain that his vision for greatness is always right, no matter what the facts tell him. Pearce gives us a man who likes to push people to the edge and has no problem with those people if they fall off that ledge as long as he gets his way. Their scenes together are a master class in acting, chess-like, with one making a move that is countered by the other. Brady Corbet has given us an epic film following a man on a journey to achieve what only he can imagine and who will do anything to make it come true.  Note: This film is 3 hours and thirty-five minutes long, not including the 15-minute intermission at around the two-hour mark. I have seen a host of films that have been extremely long in 2024, and many have felt their length. This film never felt long while I was watching it in a theater. It is that captivating.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Brutalist Website Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  The Room Next Door (2024)  PG-13  The Room Next Door is about two women, Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton), who were best friends when they were younger. Having lost touch, Ingrid is surprised when Martha reaches out to meet her. It seems Martha has something she wants to ask Ingrid to help her do. That something is to go on a trip that Martha plans on not returning from forever. The Room Next Door is the first English language film from the acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, known for such films as Pain and Glory (2019), The Skin I Live in (2011), Volver (2006), Talk to Her (2002) and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down (1989). What would you do if an old friend from the past, someone you haven’t seen in a while, wanted you to be there when they died? And the death would not be a natural one. That is the dilemma that Ingrid has when Martha asks her to come to a remote rental home and stay with her until she takes a pill that will cause her death. The Room Next Door is a film that allows two gifted actors to carry a dialogue throughout the film as they discuss life, past loves, and, of course, death. It’s almost a dance between the two characters, one who is determined to go out on her own terms and the other who knows that the inevitable is coming but keeps on hoping for one more day to spend talking with and soaking up all that she can from a friend that has lived a glorious life. I think The Room Next Door is a film that will have the audience leave in silence, inclosed in their thoughts. I know I was.  My Rating: Full Price  The Room Next Door Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Back in Action  (2025)  PG-13  In Back in Action, Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz) have been living the quiet suburban life with their daughter, Alice (McKenna Roberts). However, Matt and Emily have a secret, and it has just come out, which will endanger all their lives. They are former CIA spies that made a lot of enemies. The review of the film will be up on Friday night.  Back in Action Website Now playing on Netflix. 

My View:  Unstoppable  (2024)  PG-13  Unstoppable centers around the life of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), who was born with one leg but didn’t let him stop him from reaching his dream of becoming a wrestler at the collegiate level. We all love a Rocky-type story, but when the film keeps harking back to Rocky (twice Robles visits the Rocky steps in Philly), you want to say enough. Jharrel Jerome gives a wonderful performance that gets lost in a script that hits over the head with plot points out of every underdog movie out there. Crappy father figure? Check. Great mom whose only flaw is she keeps going back to crappy father figure? Check. A hero who won’t take no for an answer, always going the hard route (even when he turns down a full-ride scholarship)? Check. An invincible opponent who seemingly can’t be beaten? Check. And on it goes, for over two hours. I am a wrestling fan (having even gone to some of the Olympic events back in 96), and I was clueless about what was happening in the big wrestling scenes (so you might have some trouble, too). Even the strong supporting cast, including Jennifer Lopez as the mom, Michael Pena as Anthony’s high school coach, Mykelti Williamson as Anthony’s boss at his part-time job, and Don Cheadle as Anthony’s college coach, can’t help overcome a script that never finds its footing. Add in Bobby Cannavale, who plays Anthony’s stepdad, who pulls every bad dad trick in the book to make it look like Anthony will never succeed. It’s a film written using the old underdog rules. But, with this type of film, we know he will. I mean, even Rocky got a second shot at the title.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Unstoppable Info The film is now playing on Amazon Prime. 

Indiefest:  Black Box Diaries  (2024) Black Box Diaries is a documentary following Japanese journalist Shiori Itô, who has been sexually assaulted by a high-profile broadcaster. Her case has been dropped almost from the beginning because of the broadcaster’s job and his close ties to the Japanese government. Ito’s assault was back in 2015, and she was a 22-year-old grad student who thought she was interviewing for a job at a network. Instead, she was drugged and raped, but because of incredibly outdated rape laws, it was almost impossible to bring charges against the man through the Japanese judicial system. Ito, using her journalistic training, goes on a quest to bring justice and to change the laws of a system that makes it so that only 4% of rape cases are ever brought to trial. Black Box Diaries is a heartbreaking story, told by Ito through the use of video diaries and making a trail of audio and video recordings as she finds her way through the legal system, one that was designed to defeat her. It's a story that takes years to have an outcome and you wonder the toll it took on her to make this journey. Ito warns us at the film’s start that the experience of watching this tough documentary could trigger survivors, telling us that if it gets too much, we should close our eyes and breathe. What Shiori Ito found in making this film was that while she felt alone at the start of her journey, by the end, she was supported by a movement that gave her hope for her future. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Black Box Diaries Website  Now playing on the Paramount+/Showtime platform. 

My View:  September 5  (2024)  R    September 5 takes place during the 1972 Munich Olympics, as an American sports broadcasting team finds itself covering a hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes. The 1972 Olympics were groundbreaking for a couple of reasons. It was the first Olympics that was broadcast live around the world. It was also the first Olympics that Germany had hosted since the days of Hitler’s reign over the 1936 Olympics. This made a perfect setting for a terrorist attack, where a group of Palestinian militants held ten Israeli Olympic team members hostage while the entire world watched. The film centers on the ABC broadcasting crew, working under the sports section of ABC, who were put into action in the early morning hours in a situation they were unprepared for but would make history in their coverage of the events that unfolded. The story is told through the men and women who worked tirelessly to cover a breaking story that shocked the world. In the mix was a network executive, Roone Arledge, played skillfully by Peter Sarsgaard, who decided to keep the coverage in the sports department there on the grounds (literally right across the area where the hostages were being held) instead of giving the story off to the news department in New York. The second in command and the person who drives the plot is producer Geoffery Mason, played by John Magaro. Margaro does an outstanding job of showing us a man who has to rally his team to cover the crisis while dealing with network bosses and buying satellite time to keep the coverage going. September 5 is a powerful movie that tells the story of a group of people who banded together to show the world what was happening while doing something that had never been done before. Show a hostage crisis in real time to a worldwide audience. Even if you know the outcome, September 5 will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, with an ending that has such an impact. So go back in time and witness, through this impressive film, the guts and courage of a group of people making history.  My Rating: Full Price   September 5 Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Forgotten Film: The Elephant Man  (1980) PG  In Victorian London, a surgeon, Dr. Treves (Anthony Hopkins), comes across at a ‘freak show’, a person called ‘The Elephant Man” because of his oversized and disfigured skull along with other bodily deformities. The man on display is 21-year-old Joseph Merrick (John Hurt), who makes a living in the sideshow. Dr. Treves rescues Merrick and brings him to a hospital, where he discovers Merrick prefers to be called John and is a well-read and articulate man. Back in 1979, when it was announced that David Lynch was going to direct a film called The Elephant Man, myself and others at my film school thought we would be getting a bizarre and weird horror film, much like Lynch’s first film Eraserhead (1977), a midnight movie screening staple, which is a film that is so weird and mind-blowing, it has to been seen. Little did we know we would get a film that tells the tale of a man who was labeled a freak but was thoughtful, kind, and creative. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Picture. While it did not win any Oscars, it put Lynch at the forefront of hot directors, which he would use to make Dune. Shot in glorious black and white by Freddie Francis, the film is a brilliant look at how we see and judge people by their appearance first before ever getting to know someone. And by the way, the man who was the driving force behind getting the film made, including shot in black and white, was the great Mel Brooks.  My Rating I Would Pay to See it Again  The Elephant Man Info The film is available to buy on DVD and is streaming on Kanopy. RIP David Lynch (1946-2025).

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wolf Man:  Pattern Maker

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Companion  (2025) R Iris (Sophie Thatcher) meets a dashing young man named Josh (Jack Quaid) at a grocery store. Josh talks Iris into a weekend getaway on his country estate, but there she learns a very strange thing: she is a sophisticated human companionship doll at Josh’s command. If it’s up to Iris, it won’t be for long. Just to show what kind of film this will be, the film’s producer is Zach Cregger, who gave us the wild horror film Barbarian (2022). Companion Website In theaters on Friday, January 31, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

Better Man

My View:  Better Man  (2024) R    Better Man tells the true story of Robbie Williams, who dreamed at a young age that he would become a world-famous pop star. We follow Robbie as his meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and then dramatic resurgence as a British pop superstar plays out before our eyes. So, looking at the poster from the film, you can see that Robbie Williams is portrayed by a chimpanzee, done with CGI and using actor Jonno Davies in the role, including speaking the lines, with Williams doing most of the voice-over narration. Yes, it takes a few minutes to get used to this take on a musical (humans portray all the other characters), but I enjoyed it after a while. It helped with Robbie becoming part of a boy band, and I didn’t have to keep searching for him among all the other guys that looked like him. There are a couple of breathtaking songs in the film, including a spectacular musical number that takes place on Regent Street, one of the most famous streets in all of England. The film was problematic for me in two ways. One is here in the States; Williams isn’t very well known, except for his song Millennium (the video was a take-off of James Bond films); he never became the big star that he is in England and Europe. So, I never knew if a song was an original song made for the film or if it was one of his hits. Secondly, the film becomes overindulgent, with Robbie constantly fighting himself and always being confronted by images of himself telling him that he is not good enough to be a star. Better Man all comes to a head near the end of the film, in a sequence that should have been the big triumphant scene, but instead, Robbie fights all his past selves. It takes a long time to get to that point, and you would think that would be the end, but instead, we get a last song that, while fans of Willams will know is part of his repertoire; it just doesn’t fit the rest of the film. Better Man is a film that starts with a gimmick that you forget is there for a bit but keeps hitting you over the head with it, and that is just too much for someone who isn’t a Robbie Williams fan like me.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Better Man Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Last Showgirl  (2024)  R   In The Last Showgirl, Shelly (Pamela Anderson) has been a part of a Las Vegas revue show for over 20 years. Shelly has given up everything to be a part of the show; it is part of her life, and suddenly, she is told that in two weeks, the show will close forever. Director Gia Coppola knew what she had in Pamela Anderson, someone we all love but who has a limited dramatic range. So Coppola went out and got a powerful supporting cast, including Dave Bautista, as the stage manager and former lover of Shelly, Brenda Strong, and Kiernan Shipka as two of Shelly’s showgirl pals, Billie Lourd as Shelly’s daughter, and Jamie Lee Curtis as an over the hill showgirl, now waitress, who is Shelly’s best friend. Coppola often lets the supporting cast do the heavy lifting in scenes and lets Anderson sit back and react. The Last Showgirl is a movie that probably would have been a successful short film because the storyline is incredibly weak and has a hard time even filling its short 85-minute run time. We get a lot of scenes of Anderson on Vegas casino rooftops looking out over the Las Vegas skyline or practicing her dance moves for her attempt to get a job in another Vegas show. Every scene where Anderson is asked to create emotion on screen seems forced. It’s telling that the scene that I came away remembering the most from this film was when Jamie Lee Curtis decides to quit another waitress job and dance on the casino floor for herself and no one else. Jamie Lee gives us a magical and memorable scene. It’s too bad it wasn’t Anderson doing the scene.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Last Showgirl Website  Now playing in the theaters. 

Indiefest:  Nickel Boys  (2024) PG-13   Nickel Boys tells the story of Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two Black teenagers sent to the Nickel Academy in Florida after being accused of crimes they did not commit. To survive the horrors of school in the Jim Crow era South, the boys will need to rely on their friendship. Nickel Boys is an amazing film where we see the world through the eyes of Elwood in the first half of the film. The camera shows us what he is seeing, whether it is the curtains that Elwood’s grandmother is ironing, seen from the floor up as Elwood is under the ironing board, or as an adult when Elwood hitches a ride in a car that turns out is stolen. Elwood is sent to Nickel Academy deep in the Jim Crow South, where his life will depend on his wits and the friend that he makes in Turner, a fellow teen stuck in this horrible place like Elwood. For some, this film will confound you with its point of view, camera work, and editing, where we go back and forth to different time periods in Elwood’s life, often making you feel unsettled. About halfway through the film, this point of view shifts, but I won’t ruin the reason for you. It’s an amazing part in the film and makes the second half take off. Part thriller, part mystery, Nickel Boys is a groundbreaking film that creates a unique look at how to tell a story. If you can make it through the first 30 minutes of the film and feel comfortable going on, you will be rewarded with a film that will make you wonder how director RaMell Ross was able to create such a powerful and moving film that breaks a lot of conventional filmmaking rules.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Nickel Boys Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  Hard Truths  (2024) R  Hard Truths is about Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a woman who is depressed and angry at the world. Pansy finds offense in almost every situation and is always on the verge of flying off the handle. She has alienated her husband Curtley (David Webber) and her adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), who don’t dare say anything to her for fear of her reacting with rage. Pansy’s only person she can talk to is her sister, Chantal (Michele Austin), a person who sees good in everyone. However, even Chantal has a breaking point, and Pansy may find herself alone in dealing with the world. The film is centered on the performance of Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who portrays Pansy as a woman who is mad at the world and would rather spend her time in bed than be out in the world surrounded by fools. However, while Pansy might hate the world, she needs to feel loved, which is a key to her character that we see develop throughout the film. Hard Truths is a film where a performance transcends the storyline. It’s not an easy film to watch because Pansy is not an easy person to be around. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a fireball on the screen, giving us a woman who has an opinion on everything and everybody, and who sees a world that is out to get her, so she fights back at every turn. I can’t imagine the energy that it took to do this performance, but it’s to Jean-Baptiste’s credit that we stick with the film until the end when everything comes to a head. Marianne Jean-Baptiste's full range is seen in a scene near the end of the film, and it's a marvel to experience.   My Rating: Full Price  Hard Truths Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Shaft in Africa  (1973)  R  P.I. John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is recruited to go to Africa and infiltrate a modern slavery ring that is sending young Africans to work on chain gangs in Europe. Shaft came out in 1971 and was an enormous hit. Now Shaft has one of the greatest opening title sequences with that incredible song by Isaac Hayes, but its plot is pretty weak, depending mostly on the star power of Roundtree to carry it off, with a lot of talking and minimal action. I think Shaft in Africa is the best of the three Shaft films of the early 70s. I love how they made Shaft a James Bond-like character, with even a few cool Bond-like gadgets. The film has a ton of action scenes and some cool hand-to-hand fights, plus a plot that moves pretty quickly once Shaft gets to Africa. The film's Ethiopian setting is utilized to its fullest potential, and Roundtree still possesses that star power.  My Rating: Full Price  Shaft in Africa Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and Apple TV.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Better Man:  Rushes Runner

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Captain America: Brave New World  (2025)  Following the election of Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) as President of the United States, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who now holds the mantle of Captain America, finds himself at the center of an international incident and must work to stop the true masterminds behind it. This film is part of the Phase Five of the MCU.  Captain America: Brave New World Website   The film is in theaters on Friday, February 14, 2025.

Until Next Time!

The Damned

My View: The Damned  (2024)  R  The Damned takes place in 19th-century Iceland, where Eva (Odessa Young), a widow, runs a fishing station in a remote village. Eva and her fellow villagers see a ship sinking offshore in icy waters. Should they risk their lives in horrible weather and bring back survivors to share their last remaining food for the winter or let nature take its course? Whatever they do, their lives will forever be changed. People have often gone mad in insolation, especially in an unrelenting winter. Add in the lack of food, a demanding and physical job that isn’t paying off with the lack of fish being caught, and a culture where ghost stories are told around the table at night and folktales of ghosts and the dead are believed, and you get a situation ripe for horror. Director Thordur Palsson gives us a story of a group of men led by widow Eva, who are struggling to survive in harsh conditions, having such a bad time at fishing that they have to eat their bait. Odessa Young is the center of the film and plays Eva as a person with a big heart but who has the welfare of her men to consider with every decision she makes. Eva, when we meet her, is a person who is a damaged person suffering from the loss of her husband, and we see just how damaged she is when someone tells a ghost story around the dining table, and she is affected by the story to the core. With her, we see all that goes on in this story, where the tension continually builds as mysterious things happen in the group. Palsson does a spectacular job of setting up this scary story of a group of people who become under the spell of folklore combined with guilt to create a tale of scares and horror.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Damned Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever  (2024)  In the documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, we follow tech millionaire Bryan Johnson, who is willing and able to do anything to slow down the aging process and extend his life beyond all the known medical limits. This is a fascinating look at what one person who has the money, resources, and time can do if they devote their entire life to extending it. To say that any of us would do this just to live longer is asking a lot. Bryan doesn’t have a life other than interacting with his assistant (given the title of Social Media Officer) and his soon-to-be college son. Bryan is relentless in his daily life, taking a mountain of pills, working out, eating vegetarian, and undergoing procedures that most doctors feel are either unnecessary or dangerous. I lost count of how many times a procedure was brought up that was tested on mice/rats but hasn’t been tested on humans. Bryan even flies to Honduras to get gene therapy. This is a therapy that has a ‘kill switch’ that can ‘shut down the gene’ if things go wrong. Isn’t this almost what every villain has done in comic books since the ‘60s? There is an interesting underlying factor in all this: Bryan was brought up Mormon and has cut ties with most of his family because of leaving the religion. Bryan hints he was an unhappy child/adult and seems to point to his religious upbringing and beliefs (he has kids and an ex-wife that he hasn’t seen since he left the church). Second is Bryan’s relationship with his son (who is about to go to college). While I love he has grown close to his son and wants to make up for lost time, I didn’t like that he allowed his young high school senior to do a bunch of Bryan’s lifestyle choices, including plasma trading. While you may learn a thing or two about aging and lifestyle, and it’s no accident that Netflix premiered this on New Year’s Day, a day when people try to go on self-improvement regimens, you may be like me and be a little creeped out by a man who wants to live as long as he can while not living a life.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Don't Die Website  Now playing on Netflix

Indiefest:  The Girl with the Needle  (2024)  R   In The Girl with the Needle, Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) hasn’t heard from her husband in years after he left to join the fight in WWI. She becomes desperate and homeless, but all is not lost when she meets a woman named Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who promises to help her if Karoline does something illegal and possibly dangerous. Karoline is a lost soul, just trying to survive in 1919 Copenhagen, and she keeps getting knocked down. Whenever things seem to be going her way, she gets knocked down again. Vic Carmen Sonne’s performance is both gritty and bold, giving Karoline a backbone that prevents her from completely succumbing to the misery. Shot in absolutely stunning black and white, the world that director/co-writer Magnus von Horn and cinematographer Michal Dymek have created is a stark one, where every corner seems to decay right before our eyes. Each scene creates a feeling of despair and growing suspense, as we sense something is not right but can’t put our finger on it. Karoline’s survival is the focus of the first half of this film. The film’s second half becomes more of a Gothic tale of suspense and mystery. In the end, it transforms into something entirely unexpected and shocking. The Girl with the Needle is a film that will have you on the edge of your seat, with an ending that will stun you. Be aware that this is a tough watch, not suitable for the weak-willed. Like Karoline, you will have to face tough times to reach the end of the journey.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Girl with the Needle Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  The Seed of the Sacred Fig  (2024)  PG-13  The Seed of the Sacred Fig focuses on a family thrust into turmoil when Iman is appointed as an investigating judge in a high-profile case in Tehran. As political unrest erupts in the streets, Iman (Missagh Zareh) realizes that his job has put himself and his family in danger. Shot in secret by Mohammad Rasoulof, this is a film that shows us the growing anti-Iranian government movement (via actual YouTube videos) while centering on a family that slowly destroys itself. Iman has been given a job that could lead to financial success for his family, but he soon learns that the job is asking him to do things to protect the ruling government and throw away any chance of justice. Iman is given a gun to defend himself and his family from anyone who finds out about the rulings that he has made. That gun goes missing in the family home, and now Iman must find out who the traitor is in his own family, even if it means destroying it. The film plays out like a mystery thriller, as we follow the family as they try to stay together even though the world around them is falling apart. However, they can’t survive if their father has become judge and jury with his own children. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a scary tale that is full of lies, accusations, and possible betrayals; all the while, the rights of women are being taken away right by the government, as seen on social media. It’s a remarkable film that, while it takes too long for the final act to come to a conclusion, is a moving portrait of both a country and a family that is being fractured by an iron fist. Where innocence/guilt is judged before even the facts can be determined.  My Rating: Full Price  The Seed of a Sacred Fig Website Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  Porcelain War  (2024)  R In the documentary Porcelain War we follow three people as they deal with daily life in Ukraine as the war with Russia rages on.  Slava Leontyev, his wife Anya Stasenko, and their friend Andrey Stefanov were forced to flee their homes in Crimea during the Russian invasion. They now live in a town in Ukraine near the border with Russia, which is regularly bombed. Before the war, Salva and Anya created porcelain figures, which Salva created, and Anya painted, and Andrey was a cinematographer. Slava and Andrey joined the army when the war started with Russia, wanting to defend the country that they love. Anya has stayed behind to keep the home fires burning (literally) and continues to paint her figurines. This documentary gives us two sides to living in Ukraine. We witness stunning images of pristine forests and pools where they swim, striving to find some peace in a world that has gone crazy. Always by Slava and Anya is a small dog named Frodo. These scenes are contrasted with scenes of bombings, firefights, and searching for mines. We often witness the soldiers fighting the enemy in horrific battle sequences out in the field. Throughout the film, we hear an incredible soundtrack from a band called DakhaBrakha that blends folk songs with the sounds of animals from the forest. Many times, one of the three will talk about their life, both past and present, as we see Anya’s work on the porcelain figurines come to life, illustrating scenes of what is going on in their country and their lives. We get to see how real people deal with a war up close and the spirit they show to continue the fight. Porcelain War is a film that explores the struggle to survive, utilizing art, love, and laughter to overcome hardship. Buildings can be destroyed, but the heart and soul of a people is a much harder thing to kill. As Slava says near the end of the film, ‘Ukraine is like porcelain, easy to break but impossible to destroy.’ My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Porcelain War Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  The Landlord  (1970) PG  Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) is a 29-year-old rich kid who still lives with his very wealthy parents (Lee Grant and Walter Brooke). Enders decides it’s time to go out into the world and make something for himself. So what’s a rich kid going to do but buy an inner-city apartment building in Brooklyn, with the intent of tearing it down and building something that his parents will be proud of? However, Elgar makes the mistake of getting to know his tenants, including a hairdresser, Fanny (Diane Sands), her husband, Coppee (Lou Gossett), who wants to overturn the government,  and a fortune teller, Marge (Pearl Bailey), who convinces Elgar not to kick everyone out. The first half of this film is your standard ‘fish out of water’ comedy, but it makes a turn about halfway through, as we find out that Elgar isn’t a good guy. In fact, he is a self-centered jerk. The film was directed by Hal Ashby (Oscar-winning writer of In the Heat of the Night (1967) and director of Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Detail (1973, Being There (1979), and Coming Home (1979), and it has some outstanding performances, including Lee Grant as Elgar’s stuck up mom, and Pearl Bailey, who is a delight in every scene she is in. The Landlord is a film that, while made in 1970, deals with racial disharmony, gentrification, and income inequality, making this a film that is still powerful today. My Rating: Full Price  Tne Landlord Info The film is available to buy on Amazon. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Girl with the Needle:  Stunt Horse

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Love Me (2024) R  Here is the IMDB description of this movie “A post-apocalyptic romance in which a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love after the end of human civilization.” It just makes you want to watch this, doesn’t it? So what if I tell you that the buoy meets a satellite over the airwaves, starts communicating with each other, and decides to explore what it would be like to be human? The buoy picks Kristen Stewart as her avatar, and the satellite picks Steven Yeun. Better? And by the way, the film won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.  Love Me Website The film is in theaters on Friday, January 31, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

Top Fifteen Films of 2024

                                       

1. The Brutalist (2024)  R   The Brutalist begins in the aftermath of WWII when visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) flee post-war Europe to restart their lives. When László begins working for a wealthy client, Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), he little realizes how much his life will change. Director Brady Corbet brings us a tale of greed, art, and sacrifice. It’s a story where artistic vision clashes with new world money, with both sides unwilling to back down. László Toth is an architect who left his wife behind to find freedom and maybe even fame in America. He is an artist who sculpts with buildings, creating incredible structures that dazzle the heart and mind. Harrison Van Buren is a wealthy man who wants to build a tribute to himself in his hometown. It’s a monument to a man whose ego is almost as big as László’s, but the difference is that László has talent. Harrison only has money to back up his ego. This is a film that spans years, as we follow László through some tough times until he is given what becomes his cross to bear, Harrison’s massive building. László is not a perfect man. His and his wife's experiences in the Holocaust haunt him, causing him to develop a heroin addiction to numb the past. Adrien Brody gives us a powerful performance of a man tortured by both the past and the present as Harrison keeps changing the plans for the building, cutting costs. Brody's performance is extraordinary, full of fire and wonder, but also filled with heartbreak and sorrow. He is a man consumed by his work and nothing else. Brody is matched by Guy Pearce, who portrays Harrison, a man who is certain that his vision for greatness is always right, no matter what the facts tell him. Pearce gives us a man who likes to push people to the edge and has no problem with those people if they fall off that ledge as long as he gets his way. Their scenes together are a master class in acting, chess-like, with one making a move that is countered by the other. Brady Corbet has given us an epic film following a man on a journey to achieve what only he can imagine and who will do anything to make it come true.  Note: This film is 3 hours and thirty-five minutes long, not including the 15-minute intermission at around the two-hour mark. I have seen a host of films that have been extremely long in 2024, and many have felt their length. This film never felt long while I was watching it in a theater. It is that captivating.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Brutalist Website   Coming to theaters in January. 

2. Anora (2024)  R   Anora (Mikey Madison), or as she will tell you, Ani, is a sex worker from Brooklyn who meets Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein), who hires her for the weekend. The weekend becomes something more when the two impulsively marry. Little does Anora know that Ivan is the son of an oligarch, and when his family finds out about the marriage, Anora and Ivan are in big trouble. Mikey Madison gives us a performance that knocks you right out of your seat as the take no bull, just trying to survive anyway she can Ani. It's a stunning, take no prisoners display that will make Madison a star and maybe even get her a deserved Oscar nomination. Anora is from award-winning filmmaker Sean Baker, who gave us Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. As with his previous movie, Red Rocket, sex plays a vital role in the plot and how Ani sees herself and her world. Now, at first glance, you will fall in love, as does Ani, with Ivan, played by the beautifully hyper Mark Eidelshtein. However, there is a secondary character that will steal the film from everyone except for Madison. Igor, played by the amazingly low-key Yura Borisov. Borisov, as the muscle in the film, is able to make us follow him as he barely says anything, but his part becomes more important as the film moves along. The film slows down a bit in the last third of the film, but that allows us to see the little things that go on between Ani and Igor. I and my fellow critics were blown away by the final scene of Anora at a screening. We all sat there in silence, watching all the credits roll by, not wanting to break the mood of what we just watched. It's possible that you will do the same. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Anorna Website  The film is available to buy on Amazon and iTunes and is still in select theaters.

3. Conclave (2024)  PG  Conclave begins when the Pope has suddenly died, and Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) has been given the task of leading the secretive and ancient voting process of selecting a new Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have convened, Cardinal Lawrence discovers a trail of secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake. These secrets have the potential to destroy the Church. Conclave is a very different film than what I thought I was getting from watching the trailer. It’s not a bad thing; I just had to adjust my thinking a bit as the film went along. It’s still a bit of a mystery film, but it is more about politics and the attempts to grab power by any means necessary. The film is still a thriller, with lots of twists and turns, as things are slowly revealed to Cardinal Lawrence as he tries to guide the conclave to find the right leader for the church. Politics is at the core of the film, as we see how things can quickly change, where one candidate looks like a sure thing but then things are revealed. Conclave is a captivating film that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.   My Rating: Full Price  Conclave Website  The film is available on Peacock. 

4. Sing Sing (2023)  R  Devine G (Colman Domingo), a man in jail for a crime he did not commit, survives by acting in a theater group with other inmates. This is a powerful and emotional film about a group of men in a hopeless situation who find comfort and power in the theater. Led by an incredibly moving performance by Colman Domingo, we see how inspired the men are to find an outlet for their emotions and thoughts. The cast is made up mostly of former convicts who were in the theater program. Because of the casting, we see how moving and powerful acting is to let the men get in touch with their feelings and emotions in a system that doesn’t always allow you to do so. We get to see the men start the process of finding a play, in this case, written for them, that melds Shakespeare with modern spoken word to significant effect. I was struck by how much this cast made us feel what they were going through, giving us an inside look at a world we can only imagine. Sing Sing is a film about healing, no matter what you have done in the past, and using the power of theater and acting to find that way.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sing Sing Website  The film will released again in  select theaters Jan. 17th, 2025. 

5. Wicked (2024) PG Wicked is about Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman who has been looked down upon because of her green skin. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is a spoiled rich girl who is a little boy crazy. At Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they find themselves becoming unlikely friends. We are about to learn that there are always two sides to a story. Wicked is a perfect example of what film can do with an adaptation of a Broadway musical. Take the music and story from the stage and flesh the story out, giving us more about the characters than what we get just from a song. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande shine in this adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. Both are award-worthy performances and, like the two characters, the performances of Erivo and Grande are different but still both fantastic. Grande is perfect as the vain Glinda (pronounced with a hard G, by the way), who knows she is something special and loves the attention she gets just walking in the room, always looking perfect. Grande shows impressive range in her songs and commands the screen in every scene she is in, which is hard when your cast-mate in many scenes, Cynthia Erivo is equally compelling and commanding. Wicked is Elphaba’s story, and Erivo runs with the role, making us fall in love with her character from her first song. It’s an impressive and multi-level performance that gives us insight into what Elphaba thinks and feels as she discovers she isn’t a freak with green skin but someone who can have friends who care about her. The musical numbers range from some solos for both Erivo and Grande to big production numbers that are inventive and fun to watch. The musician number which takes place in the school’s library where the love interest of the film, Jonathan Bailey, as Prince Giyero, does a rousing number that has people dancing upside down that will blow you away. For fans of the Broadway musical, this will be a wonderful addition to a story they love. To the rest of us who haven’t seen it, it’s a beautiful film anchored by two terrific performances and a set design that is truly out of this world. I don’t know if there are any songs you will be humming as you walk out the theater door, but I know that you will be looking forward to part two.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again.  Wicked Website  The film is in theaters and is available to buy or rent on Amazon and iTunes.

6. Flow (2024)  PG   In Flow, when a cat’s home is devastated by a great flood, it goes on an adventure to find a new home. Along the way, the cat must team up with other species to find this new world. One of those species is a dog. The best way to describe Flow is Homeward Bound in an alternate universe, where the cat and its friends don’t know where they are going; they just know that they have to do this together in order to survive. While this is Latvia’s nomination for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category of the 97th Academy Awards, there aren’t any spoken words in the film, only animal sounds (all recorded with real animals). You will fall in love with the plucky cat, who is living a good life in an abandoned house with a ton of green space for the cat to explore and find food. Other than having to hide from a pack of local dogs, things are good until a flood that makes it impossible to stay turns the cat’s world upside down. The cat (we never know if it is male or female) finds a boat to climb aboard, and wouldn’t you know it, a dog is also on the boat. The adventure then starts from there, as we follow the cat and the boat, finding more friends along the way to join on in the journey. Flow is a magical film with animation that must be seen in a theater to appreciate its beauty. As we root for the cat to survive, your heart will beat a little faster at some of the troubles the cat gets into, and a few tears will be shed along the way. Flow is a film not to be missed, and though it is animated, I’m not sure small kids will be as interested as the teens and adults as the adventures go on with our cat and its rag-tag friends. I was stunned by how quickly this film moved and was sad that it ended. I wanted more with the cat. And I’m not a cat person. There is a small bonus scene at the end of all the credits. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Flow Website  The film is currently not available but will be on streaming services soon. 

7. Challengers   (2024) R   Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), who was a tennis prodigy about to set the tennis world on fire before she suffered a devastating injury she couldn’t recover from. Now, years later, she is a coach and married to a former champion (Mike Faist) who is on a losing streak, and the question is how far Tashi is willing to go to get him back on his winning streak with her husbands best friend (Josh O’Conner). Challengers is a movie that appears to focus on sexual relationships, but actually revolves around who has the upper hand and how they can maintain it. This is a film that has so many twists and turns that you almost become dizzy as the three leads vie to land that winning serve, only to have someone else return the serve just as hard. If Zendaya wasn’t a lead in a film before this, she is now. Zendaya is breathtaking as a woman who was at the top of her game, only to have it taken away in an instant, and now is playing through her husband (and he’s not dominating as he should be). It’s a powerful performance that gives you chills it’s so good. I hope this film isn’t being released too early for Academy Award members to forget about this performance because it deserves to be nominated. This is a film in which you will not like any of the characters (ok, maybe the daughter), and you will still be enthralled by all the head games that are being played (keep an eye out for a certain t-shirt that makes a few appearances as an example). For a film that is based on sex, there isn’t a lot in it, which surprised me. Instead, this is about three people who act as they are caring but inside they are all out for themselves. How fragile they are when the stakes are so high, and all the participants are there to win. So take a few practice swings with your racquet and be sure to do some stretching because you will need to be warmed up and limber to handle this film.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Challengers Website    The film is available on Amazon Prime and on Blu-Ray.

8. The Fire Inside  (2024) PG-13  The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa ’T-Rex’ Shields (Ryan Destiny), a boxer from Flint, Michigan, who, with the help of a local gym owner, Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), trained to become the first American woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal. Claressa realizes that a gold medal doesn’t matter when you’re trying to support your family. The Fire Inside is an outstanding movie based on a real woman, about beating the odds, not just in the ring, but in life as well. Ryan Destiny gives a powerful and moving performance of a young woman who is determined to fight her way to success but is crushed when her success in the ring doesn’t translate to real life in Flint, Michigan. Destiny plays a young woman who doesn’t have the best of home life, is battling the idea that women can’t and shouldn’t box, and the fact that she trains in a gym with limited means but has dreams to one day become an Olympic champion and bring her family wealth and fame. It is rare in a movie when the goal is met halfway through the film as T-Rex, against the odds, wins the first gold medal ever for the American women’s Olympic team (this isn’t a spoiler; it’s in the trailer). But things don’t change for T-Rex when she comes back, and she has to deal with all the problems she had before she won gold. Brian Tyree Henry plays Jason, who reluctantly lets Claressa train at his gym, only to realize she might be the real deal, a woman who can box. Henry was nominated for his role in the 2023 film Causeway, and he just might get another nomination for this role. It is a magical performance of a character who is willing to risk it all for a young woman who has dreams he wants to help come true. There is a scene near the end of the film between Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry that is brilliant between two actors that are bringing magic to the screen. Move over Rocky, there is another rags-to-riches boxing story told here and it's The Fire Inside. It just takes a little longer to come true.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Fire Inside Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

9. The Wild Robot (2024) PG    The Wild Robot takes place when a robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) crashes on Earth and is stranded on an uninhabited island. Roz’s survival depends on her wits and newfound animal friends, including an orphaned baby goose. Roz is going to learn a lot about life and the importance of friends. I will tell you right off the bat that this is not only the best animated film of 2024, but right now, it’s the best film of 2024. This is that rare film that the whole family will fall in love with right from the start. We follow Roz as she learns how to survive on her own, make friends, and become a mom to an orphaned baby goose. The Wild Robot is a film about learning to adapt to your surroundings, how to parent, and how to live your life to its fullest. The animation is gorgeous, the voice cast is brilliant (especially Pedro Pascal as the sly fox), and the story will have you laughing one moment and crying tears the next. The plot is fast-moving, and I loved that there are even a few moments of dark humor thrown in. Lupita Nyong’o is perfect as the voice of Roz, making her a robot with a heart and a mind willing to learn, especially from mistakes. The Wild Robot is a magical tale of a parent’s love for a child, wanting to do everything so that the child can eventually leave the nest and have the tools to go out into the world on their own. The Wild Robot is a stunning film that dazzles with its charm, wit, and heart while wowing us with animation that comes to life. And I can’t wait to see it again on the big screen! My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Wild Robot Website    The film is currently available to buy on Amazon and iTunes and will be back in theaters for a limited time starting Jan. 17, 2025.

10. Nosferatu  (2024)  R  Nosferatu tells the tale of an obsession between a newly married young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) who is haunted by her dreams and a master vampire, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who is so infatuated with her he travels across the ocean to be near her. I am a massive fan of films from the silent era, and one of the best is the 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by the great F. W. Murnau. You have probably never seen the movie, but I can guarantee you that you have scenes from the film as it has constantly been used in music videos and commercials, notably the Queen/David Bowie music video for ‘Under Pressure.’ Now filmmaker Robert Eggers put his stamp on a remake of the silent film that unquestionably delivers the dark gothic feeling from the original film. Nosferatu is a film about desire, and how that desire can take hold of you, making you do things you would never think you would do in the right frame of mind. Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen, a newlywed to Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), both eager to start their lives together. Ellen is a woman who has had vivid nightmares since her younger days, some of which cause her to sleepwalk, and those nightmares have recently returned in frequency and intensity. Unfortunately, Thomas has been given a great opportunity. If he completes the sale of a castle to a foreign buyer, he will get a huge promotion. However, Thomas must leave his wife behind and travel a long distance to a remote castle to conduct the paperwork in person. Little does Thomas know that this is a trap, and the man he is to see is the one who has been invading Ellen’s dreams, Count Orlok. The Count is intent on moving near Ellen and taking her for his own. Nosferatu is a brilliant gothic horror film, where Eggers takes the source material and makes it his own. The original Nosferatu is known for its groundbreaking cinematography and set designs. Eggers, known for his films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and The Northman (2022), puts his own look and feel on the tale while also harking back to the shots that Murnau gave us. It’s an impressive-looking film, with tons of dark passages, lonely streets, and a woman’s bedroom that becomes the focus of a madman driven to find a woman he has been desiring for years. Bill Skarsgård plays the Count, and it’s a performance infused of evil and lust. Eggers and his cinematographer, Jarin Blaschle, don’t let us see the full features of the Count until near the end of the film when the horror that has been building comes to a head. Nosferatu is a masterful work that lovers of gothic horror will thoroughly enjoy. And it has an ending that will keep you talking about long after you have walked out of the theater. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Nosferatu Website  Now playing in theaters.

11. Kneecap  (2024)  R Kneecap starts on that fateful day in West Belfast when a disillusioned music teacher JJ met two self-confessed ‘low life scum’ and decide to create a band. That band, Kneecap, will change the sound of Irish music forever. The first glimpses of this film give you a sense that this is not an ordinary bio-pic. Instead, you discover very quickly that you are in for an in-your-face, funny, and bold piece of filmmaking, all the while feeling that sometimes you are taking the same drugs the guys in the band are. If big-time Hollywood tried to sell you on this film’s plot, you would go, ‘It never could happen.’ What’s fantastic is that it did, and this hip-hop group, using Irish lyrics instead of English to show their independence and creativity, became a success. Even more impressive is that the three leads are portraying themselves. They bring such energy and honesty to the film that it makes the film flow (though with a whole lot of profanity). Naoise (Móglaí Bap) is dealing with a mother who hasn’t left the house since her husband, presumed-dead IRA operative, disappeared years ago. His best mate since childhood is Liam (MO Chara), who is up for anything. Then, you have JJ, the music teacher (portrayed by DJ Próvai), who became part of the band but must hide his identity on stage to keep his job and his relationship with his girlfriend. Added to the mix is that almost everyone, including the local police and a local political underground gang, wants the guys to stop making music. Adding a mysterious and infamous father (portrayed by the always amazing Michael Fassbender), you have a movie with just about everything, including a rousing end. Turn up the volume and prepare to crowd surf with Kneecap. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to speak some Irish by the end of the film.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Kneecap Website The film is available on Netflix.

12. Sugarcane  (2024) R    The documentary Sugarcane tells the story of the St. Joseph Mission, where, in 2021, unmarked graves were discovered, bringing out long-buried stories of how Indigenous children were mistreated for years, all in the name of Christianity. The Canadian government forced Indigenous children to attend boarding schools run by the Catholic Church. The film focuses on a team of investigators led by members of the tribe who were housed in the school. Their mission is to discover what happened to so many missing children through the years and why. What they uncovered is a story that will shock and horrify you as we get first-hand interviews with the children (now full-grown adults) who went through what can only be called a house of horrors. What makes this different from a lot of documentaries is that we see how not only the investigators but also the survivors keep working to uncover the horrific conditions that the children went through. For years, the community has been trying to bring attention to what went on in the school. We see how some survivors cannot even talk about what happened; the pain is still too overwhelming to handle. However, there are some who want to find answers, and we follow several survivors as they try to piece together what happened to themselves and others they knew. The community's love and support make it possible for them to continue. As mysteries are solved, pain starts to heal, and an organization that was supposed to spread joy and happiness but only gave heartache is brought out into the light. Sugarcane is a remarkable documentary that will cause you to feel angry, but it will ultimately be replaced by hope. Hope that the pain will lessen with the knowledge of what happened is finally being told. It’s a story of a people who, through their reliance on each other and the rituals of their forefathers, can begin a process of healing. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sugarcane Website  The film is available on Hulu and Disney+.

13. Ghostlight  (2024)  R   Ghostlight is about Dan (Keith Kupferer), a construction worker struggling to deal with life after a family tragedy. He is not talking to his wife, Sharon (Tara Mallen), and has no idea how to relate to his troubled daughter, Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). Dan finds comfort and community after he stumbles upon a misfit company of amateur actors rehearsing Romeo and Juliet. When Dan joins the company, he realizes that confronting his buried emotions is crucial to becoming the actor he aspires to be. As a former theater kid, I always enjoy watching films that showcase the behind-the-scenes stories of putting on plays, particularly when it's a local production. That’s what we get in Ghostlight, a film that follows Dan, a father who isn’t dealing well with a traumatic event that has affected him and his family. Dan is having trouble sleeping and isn’t communicating well with his wife. Almost every time he tries to connect with his daughter, Daisy, she becomes hostile. Things change a bit when Dan stumbles upon a local community theater group, and they convince him to join their group. What makes this film work so well is the performances of Keith Kupferer and his real-life wife Tara Mallen and daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer. The performances are outstanding and feel so touching, as all three characters are trying to deal with the tragedy in their own ways. Even when Dan's daughter Daisy tries to bring him into her therapy sessions, he has chosen not to talk about it. Daisy is always angry, and Sharon is just trying to keep the family going while also trying to keep a lawsuit the family has filed on track. Ghostlight is a heartfelt and moving story that lets the cast take us on a journey of discovering and healing, as Dan learns to get in touch with his emotions through his work as an actor. Ghostlight is a film that examines the power of art to aid in healing and comprehending our emotions and feelings. So, study your lines and help Dan and his family put things back together, maybe in time for a performance of Romeo and Juliet.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Ghostlight Website  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

14. The Girl with the Needle  (2024)  R   In The Girl with the Needle, Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) hasn’t heard from her husband in years after he left to join the fight in WWI. She becomes desperate and homeless, but all is not lost when she meets a woman named Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who promises to help her if Karoline will do something illegal and possibly dangerous. Karoline is a lost soul, just trying to survive in 1919 Copenhagen, and she keeps getting knocked down. Whenever things seem to be going her way, she gets knocked down again. Vic Carmen Sonne's performance is both gritty and bold, giving Karoline a backbone that prevents her from completely succumbing to the misery. Shot in absolutely stunning black and white, the world that director/co-writer Magnus von Horn and cinematographer Michal Dymek have created is a stark one, where every corner seems to decay right before our eyes. Each scene creates a feeling of despair and growing suspense, as we sense something is not right but can't put our finger on it. Karoline's survival is the focus of the first half of this film. The film's second half becomes more of a Gothic tale of suspense and mystery. In the end, it transforms into something entirely unexpected and shocking. The Girl with the Needle is a film that will have you on the edge of your seat, with an ending that will stun you. Be aware that this is a tough watch, not suitable for the weak-willed. Like Karoline, you will have to face tough times to reach the end of the journey.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Girl with the Needle Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

15. Woman of the Hour  (2023)  Woman of the Hour is about Cheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actress who gets a job to appear on a hit national dating show in 1978. Cheryl is unaware that behind the gentle facade, Bachelor Number 3 is a serial killer. Woman of the Hour is a brilliant first directorial achievement from Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the film. It is rare, especially in these days of seemingly constant releases of documentaries and podcasts on true crime stories, that a film concentrates not on the person doing the killing but on the women that he is murdering. Kendrick weaves the story (sadly, it is based on a true one) around Cheryl, who is trying to make it as an actress in L.A. She doesn’t have lofty sights as a star, just as a working actress. So we follow her as she goes from another failed audition to sleeping with a neighbor she can’t seem to get rid of to a call from her agent that she will be on a nationally televised game show. While we are seeing her life, we are also seeing the life of a serial killer, Rodney (Daniel Zovatto), who meets his victims by posing as a photographer. He is the type of guy who says all the right things, with an easy, non-threatening way about him, that makes women trust him. And then he kills them. We see a number of his victims, all trusting him until it’s too late, but Kendrick, the director, does a service to the women that he has killed, not showing them as they die. We just hear things as the camera concentrates on something else. It’s that respect for the women that this horrible person killed that sets this film apart from a lot of serial killer films. The film builds the suspense as we follow Cheryl onto the game show set, and we realize Bachelor Number 3 is the serial killer. Will Cheryl figure him out, or will she become the latest victim?   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Woman of the Hour Website  The film is available on Netflix.

Honorable Mention: Nickel Boys, September 5, Thelma, Inside Out 2, All We Imagine As Light, My Old Ass, Daughters, Deadpool & Wolverine,  The Seed of the Sacred Fig, A Complete Unknown, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Memoir of a Snail, Dahomey, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, Dune: Part Two, Hard Truths, Heretic, Hit Man, The Outrun, The Fall Guy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Babygirl, Super/man: The Christopher Reeve Story.