Best Picture

Oppenheimer (2024.11, Astonishing , Full )

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Oppenheimer is an epic film that rewards the hard work required of the viewer. A full exploration of a man, physics, politics, and movie making. (5*)

Poor Things (2024.10, Beautiful , Sex )

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Poor Things, the story of a baby’s mind in an adult woman’s body, is probably the most bizarre movie I’ve ever seen. It is also one of the best. (5*)

The Zone of Interest (2024.9, Disturbing , Truth )

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The Zone of Interest is more than just a story of evil. But the film’s best characteristics are damaged by extraneous scenes. (3.5*)

The Holdovers (2024.8, Fine , Funny)

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In The Holdovers, three people, rife with their own problems, spend Christmas break, 1970, with each other. It is funny and emotional. And it’s a Christmas Movie. (3.5*)

Past Lives (2024.7, Simple, Love)

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Past LIves tells the story of three characters in a whirlwind of fond memories, painful regrets, and doubts of self-worth. A simple and tightly emotional story, but not one you will long remember (3.5*)

American Fiction (2024.6, Engaging , Savvy )

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American Fiction is about racial stereotyping cast as a delicious comedy and moving drama. It is also, I think, a story about its own creation. (4*)

Anatomy of a Fall (2024.5, Puzzling , Murder ?)

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An accident? A suicide? Or was it murder? Anatomy of a Fall will keep you oscillating between the possibilities even past the end. (4*)

Barbie (2024.4, Terrific , Energy )

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So far, at least, this is my favorite picture of the year. Full of sensory and storytelling delight. (5*)

Maestro (2024.2, Powerful , Solid )

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Maestro is a well told story of a romance between two individuals over decades and how it developed in the shadow of fame. (4.5*)

Killers of the Flower Moon (2024.1, Exceptional, Murder )

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Killers of the Flower Moon is an exceptional and powerful movie about the Osage Native American murders of the 1920s, but it’s just too long! (4*)

Avatar: The Way of Water – (Superb Spirit & Beauty) (4*)

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Avatar: The Way of Water is a visual spectacle, a story setting up the next three sequels, and, yes, long.

Triangle of Sadness – Insulting, Disgusting and Cheap (1.5*)

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Triangle of Sadness starts as an interesting riff on money and sexual politics, turns into a disgusting display of sophomore humor, and ends as an insult to the audience. How did this become an Oscar nominee? (1.5*)

Women Talking – Deep and Timely and Simple (4*)

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Women Talking is exactly what the title suggests. What you get is a journey what it is like to be a woman in a man’s world, and how that is changing. It is a fascinating conversation. (4*)

The Fabelmans – A Case Study in Creative Success (4*)

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The Fabelmans is a well crafted movie focusing on the roots of Steven Spielberg’s remarkably successful career. Still, it might not be for everyone. (4*)

Top Gun: Maverick – Well Structured and a Blast (4*)

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Top Gun: Maverick is this year’s most popular movie. It tells a relatively simple story well, bursting with visual and aural excitement. First of this year’s “popcorn movies” and worth every kernel. (4*)

Elvis – The Price You Pay for Ignoring Your Roots (4.5*)

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Elvis (4.5*) In a dazzling production full of sights and sounds, Baz Luhrmann paints the tragic story of a man who struggled to get back to his cultural roots.

Tar – A Unique Reward for Patience and Concentration (5*)

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Tar is movie requiring much patience and concentration, but the rewards are unique. About a female who achieves the top position in the classical music world and then falls, it is also about power, individualism, and, yes, cancel culture. My first (5*) movie of the year.

All Quiet on the Western Front – A Gut Punch Focus on War (4*)

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A German production, All Quiet on the Western Front re-adapts the 1928 novel of the same name, adding some distinctive scenes and commentary to the story of a young German man, and his friends, thrust onto the “Western Front” to fight the French in the final months of World War I. Accompanied by some stunning cinematography, dominating sound and music, and visceral visual effects, the film reaches new heights in presenting the horror of war. It also adds another, very important message about how events are felt differently depending on where you stand on the social ladder.

Everything Everywhere All at Once – Deep and Insane Look at the Multiverse (4.5*)

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Everything Everywhere All at Once is an insane look at one woman’s romp through the multiverse as she learns what is really important about life. (4.5*)

The Banshees of Inisherin – When Friendship Ends (4.5*)

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Set during the Irish Civil War in 1923, in a very small village on an isolated island (Inisherin) off the coast of Ireland, Padraic (Colin Farrell) finds his lifelong friendship is torn when his older best friend, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly, and without apparent reason, finds him “dull” and no longer wants to be with him. The change alters both men, and the entire village, both emotionally and physically. Martin McDonagh’s carefully written and directed script is executed by an Irish-born cast with seemingly perfect chemistry. A must-see film for any adult interested in how and why relationships, of any kind, change and, sometimes, end. (4.5*) The Banshees of Inisherin