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A.R.O.
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Last Active 01-03-23 11:21 pm
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 Lists
03.28.24 20NEEK23 - Musics ♦03.02.24 20NEEK23 - Films ♦
10.21.23 Neek's 2023 Cram List ♦10.16.23 favorite alex garland movie
10.12.23 favorite robert eggers movie10.09.23 favorite ari aster movie
08.06.23 20NEEK22 - Album Ranking06.28.23 Neek's 2000 Ratings Spectacular (+ 7 YE ♦
05.13.23 Black Sabbath: Album Covers Ranked04.14.23 Metallica: Album Covers Ranked
02.15.23 Neek's 2023 Movie Hub01.11.23 20NEEK22 - Film Ranking ♦
11.28.22 i need a new favorite band05.05.22 Best Album Covers: Apr. 2022
05.01.22 Neek's 2022 Movie Hub04.24.22 neek is nonbinary and old ♦
04.21.22 Paramore NEEK'D03.23.22 Best Album Covers: Q1 2022 ♦
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Neek's 2022 Movie Hub

hoping this can be a space where my film nerds can goss about new 2022 releases? i'll be updating this as the year goes on
1Brian Tyler
Scream (2022)

Scream // 3.9 // Horror (Slasher)
dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

5cream takes a thrilling stab at the franchise legacy, nailing the series' familiar mix of cultural aping and twisty whodunnit licks better than any sequel prior. The "Ready or Not" directors nail the tone, know just when to hold back and when to let it rip, only occaisionally stumbling in some character beats and redundant plot points. Still, things feel dire when the need to, and it never loses its edge while delivering a deliciously delirious third act that shouldn't land, but somehow does just right.
2Deserta
Every Moment, Everything You Need

Death on the Nile // 3.2 // Mystery (Drama)
dir. Kenneth Branagh

This belated sequel to Branagh's "Orient Express" lacks the sheer amount of star power that lent that haughty mystery some credence, "Nile" might be the more enjoyable of the two (if not the better). Even outside of the gorgeous backdrop, the emphasis on melodrama and attempts to involve Poirot's pathos into the mystery are well-founded, even if they land with a weak thud more often than not. Still, things are notably more engaging this time around, and I can't imagine it being a bad pick for an escapist night with a few glasses of wine. And hey, at least it’s better than Belfast.
3Ramin Djawadi
Uncharted

Uncharted // 2.0 // Adventure (Action)
dir. Ruben Fleischer

Possibly the most flavorless action film I've seen in years (quite a statement, believe you me), Uncharted takes the wit and charismatic flair of the videogame series and squanders it with unfortunate casting (barring the confident Sophia Ali as Chloe) and the charisma of a dead fish. Its few moments of creativity (the flying pirate ship is as inspired a setpiece we could get) are flattened by stock action, flaccid chemistry, and a complete waste of the cinematic potential the entire franchise was built on.
4Michael Giacchino
The Batman

The Batman // 4.5 // Superhero (Noir)
dir. Matt Reeves

A gripping, moody action film framed so well through its crime genre lens that it immediately eschews any tonal comparison to the Nolan films, it's also very much a Batman film. Possibly the most comics-literate of any adaptation, it also has the strongest grip on the heart of the character since Batman Returns, and Pattinson melts into the character with charismatic grief. It's gorgeous, dense, and intricately plotted, with very little (but of course some) fat to trim. Perhaps the most commendable aspect is how well they transition the character of Batman to the 2020s--a very different social era than just ten years ago (we just can't have Batman mindlessly shelling the impoverished with rubber bullets these days). Batman's slow turn from a spirit of vengeance to a symbol of hope for a better future is moving to watch in a world plagued by common trauma.
5Son Lux
Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once // 4.7 // Sci-Fi (Action)
dir. Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

An ADD-riddled blitzkreig of nonstop gags, action, and existential crises, EEAO tears straight at the heart of all conflict--a lack of understanding. This is a film of openness, acceptance, and the universiality of human feeling. It's a plot so extreme and unbelivable, and yet so relatable in a time where we can't help but imagine how different things could've gone. This one deserves a proper rewatch, but I just can't believe how deftly the Daniels meshed all these contradictary genres, emotions, and visuals into a wholly moving product--it's nothing short of witchcraft. See this as soon as possible. (Also, believe it or not, I worked a day on this production. I've got the hotdog hands mug to prove it!)
6Garbage
Beautiful Garbage

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 // 3.4 // Action (Comedy)
dir. Jeff Fowler

It's rare to see a film own how stupid its script is quite so proudly. It all comes down to direction, Fowler knows exactly how to get a good laugh by playing a ridiculous moment serious. This film is unhinged, spiraling into a neverending third act full of popping color, bombast, and even some wit. Sure, it is a stupid, stupid movie, and one that whiffs hard multiple times--but, true to form, these bumps never slow it down.
7Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough
The Northman

The Northman // 4.8 // Epic (Historical)
dir. Robert Eggers

Eggers is simply a master of his craft, and The Northman proves it further. His detailed consideration to both production design and emotional realism lend a huge credence to his worlds--you could convince me this is exactly how it looked and felt to live in this time with these peoples. This talent warms the smaller moments, and makes its staccato descents into rampant aggression and cruelty all the more powerful. No matter how ricidulous, fucked up, or insane it gets, you believe every single moment. This film is further proof that the culture cycle is complete, and we've finally circled back into another Golden Age of genre filmmaking. Thank Odin.
8Ludwig Goransson
Turning Red

Turning Red // 3.2 // Coming-of-age (Fantasy)
dir. Domee Shi

Pixar proves that no-one can escape making A24 coming-of-age cringe-comedies, and even one this palatable still struggles to find an individuality that these kinds of films live and die on. While the family dynamic is believable and there's an infectious energy that stops things from ever slowing down, the drama here feels far too universal and platitudinal to truly hit home. There are some incredibly effective moments, but most fail to land sorely because we've seen so many of them done before in the exact same way. It's hard to watch a studio such as Pixar lose touch of its uniqueness, but that's exactly what's happened here.
9Nilufer Yanya
Painless

Kimi // 4.1 // Thriller (Tech)
dir. Steven Soderbergh

Soderbergh once again proves himself a master of small-scale thrillers. Kravitz is more than up to the task of leading this incredibly tight and well-paced effort, lending an engaging emotional hook for the audience with her layered and confident performance. The way that Soderbergh stages and frames these encounters is exhilarating in its efficiency, which makes the short bursts of violence all the more shocking and effective. This one hardly reinvents the tech-thriller wheel, but if that's a sub-genre you're interested in, this is a must-watch installment.
10Lali Puna
Faking the Books

Petite Maman // 4.9 // Drama (Fantasy)
dir. Celine Sciamma

Delivering two back-to-back masterpieces between this and "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," Sciamma proves that she's a true wizard in the magic of filmmaking. The way she draws her story in purely visual ways (so, so little exposition is revealed in dialogue) is awe-inspiring, and it makes all these pure little moments feel like huge revelations and discoveries. It's borderline-time-travel plot could easily have been a complete break from the emotional realism, but it feels as true as anything else here. If I had seen this at 8-years-old, it would've done so much for me. Luckily, we can see it now.
11Mark Isham
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent // 3.8 // Comedy (Action)
dir. Tom Gormican

The definition of "get-what-you-pay-for," Massive Talent is less concerned with massive twists and shake-ups as it is a pulpy good time containing exactly what the trailer promised. Pascal is at an all-time best here, and his moment with Cage exude chemistry and comedy. The action sequences are rightfully absurd, playing up Cage's b-movie appeal to beautiful heights. The melodrama also works just as well as it needs to, allowing us to take it just seriously enough to get lost in it. If you're a fan of Cage or any of the genres this is spoofing, this one is worth a stream.
12Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe
X

X // 3.6 // Horror (Slasher)
dir. Ti West

X is a fun genre exercise that feigns interest in revisionist horror ideals and generational politics before settling into a by-the-numbers slasher finale--which is hardly a fault. It roots you in just enough character drama so you're not cheering for their demise, but you're never vicariously attached either. This mix of would-be commentary, pulp violence, and the gorgeous retro glow of the cinematography gives this film a deliciously trashy vibe that shouldn't be skipped by any genre fans, but it's also not a must-see for anyone out of its target audience.
13Danny Elfman
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness // 4.2 // Superhero (Fantasy)
dir. Sam Raimi

An absolute slapper of a comic book film that goes a long way towards both driving away long-term fans (likely missing the character content updates the MCU has got them hooked on) and convincing long-term haters and weary moviegoers alike that this franchise has some steam left in it. By adding an established character as the main villain, the trademark Marvel melodrama is amped up to an extreme, and combined with constant delirious visuals and unhinged square-offs, Raimi has successfully delivered the first Marvel film to deliberately, finally not give a fuck.
14Soundtrack (Film)
Top Gun: Maverick (Music from the Motion Picture)

Top Gun: Maverick // 4.3 // Action (Drama)
dir. Joseph Kosinski

An action film for those that think "they don't make them like that anymore," well, now they do. Combining modern-day pyrotechnics and stunt techniques with a vital story on legacy and ego, Maverick is an unlikely panacea for the franchise fatigue we all feel these days. Rather than milking nostalgia for cheap kicks, it doubles-down on the stakes, kickass action sequences, and surprisingly strong drama of the original, essentially delivering everything that audiences loved about Top Gun (which held up incredibly well) and even more.
15Michael Giacchino
Jurassic World: Dominion

Jurassic World Dominion // 1.8 // Thriller (Sci-Fi)
dir. Colin Trevorrow

Hopefully the last 2010s-styled action film, Dominion depicts a franchise imploding in on itself. Crushed under the weight of too many characters, a plot that doesn't directly involve dinosaurs, and a metric shitton of misplaced reverence for franchise "feel" over form and function, this is essentially Jurassic's Rise of Skywalker. It fails as an action movie, a drama, and as a sci-fi film, and its lone joys are the rare scenes that manage to eek a few thrills out of its "x dinosaur + y setpiece" sequence chart. I was a Fallen Kingdom apologist, but this is inexcusable.
16Howard Shore
Crimes of the Future

Crimes of the Future // 4.5 // Sci-Fi (Horror)
Cronenberg has always been smart enough to know that the human condition is a Jenga tower—remove one block as simple and vital and pain and everything, both socially and bodily, will be irreparably changed. Every one of the toppling concepts and designs of Crimes of the Future emanates from this simple premise of “a world without pain,” and while they might suffocate a slighter artist, Cronenberg remains head above water to deliver a number of kaleidoscopic statements on our rapidly changing world, and how artists play their part in facilitating that. He’s at the top of his game, and his brilliant cast and crew rises to his every eclectic whim of sex, gore, love, and fear. Once again, the man is ahead of his time.
17Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow
Men

Men // 1.7 // Horror (Thriller)
dir. Alex Garland

Men

Written and Directed by a Man

It's interesting that this is what it takes for people to finally rain down hard on these 50-year-old cis male gender politics “we get it” pictures, when so many of these same people loved Last Night in Soho, but that's just me. It's backasswards male apologism that frequently places its passive protagonist in fetishistic positions of peril before throwing together one of the most tone-deaf third acts in modern history. It's a grotesque, unconsidered film, one that drew more eyerolls than jumps from the audience in its most crucial moments. Stop making these.
18Mark Korven
The Black Phone

The Black Phone // 4.1 // Thriller (Supernatural)
dir. Scott Derrickson

Old-fashioned but refreshing, The Black Phone maintains relentless tension that is never bogged down by weighty themes of youth violence and generational trauma. While all the threads might not pay off perfectly, there's no denying how electric and empowering the third act feels when the tables are turned--thanks in no small part to the film's fantastic young actors and Derrickson's empathetic vision.
19Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad
Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder // 3.4 // Superhero (Fantasy)
dir. Taika Waititi

Free-wheeling into nothingness, Love and Thunder feels like the lightest, slightest entry to come from the MCU in a long time--for better and worse. For better, there are some stellar sequences (largely in act two) that blend humor and action to a sublime degree. For worse, it squanders its dramatic potential with a limp-dick finale that feels like both a regurgitation and reset for the franchise, and it refuses to up the stakes past its shallow kidnapping hook. Wonky shit. Though I will say, it's amazing to see Portman back as an action star finally.
20Henry Jackman
The Gray Man

The Gray Man // 3.1 // Action (Thriller)
dir. Joe Russo & Anthony Russo

The Russos tactful but surface-level command of their actors and action worked wonders for the Avengers films that already had plenty of expositional heavyl-lifting baked in, but they ultimately falter here at getting the audience to, well, give much of a shit. That being said, it's a frenetically paced action-thriller that delivers exactly what it promises, with approx. 90% of its back-half comprising of non-stop action sequences in beautiful technicolor glory. Gosling and Co. are all in wonderful form, so if you need a dumb fun watch, look no further. (Actually worked reshoots on this one too. Got to watch the Russos direct, much cooler experience than watching this!)
21Michael Abels
Nope

Nope // 4.4 // Sci-Fi (Horror)
dir. Jordan Peele

A genuinely freaky film with a steadfast focus on sympathetic characters and crushing suspense, Nope weaves a tight web around its themes without ever spelling them out for the audience--a fault that Peele has fallen prey to in the past. It's genuinely impressive how well everything comes together in the end, even a couple weird bumps in the road do little to distract from that mysterious dark cloud that looms over the entire film. It's hard to praise this one more without dipping into spoilers, but this one proves that Get Out wasn't just lightning in a bottle--Peele is now officially a director to be reckoned with.
22Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard of Ozz

Bullet Train // 3.9 // Action (Comedy)
dir. David Leitch

Biased because this was my first Hollywood gig, but I thought this was just so much fun. It's rickety pacing and constant barrage of info and characters can be a bit much, but often it only adds to the energetic undercurrent riding through this feature. Leitch once again proves himself as one of the best action directors working in Hollywood today, as his effervescent style and tight choregraphy lands winces as often as they do laughs. Don't think too hard. Give in.
23Alan Silvestri
Predator

Prey // 4.3 // Action (Sci-Fi)
dir. Dan Trachtenberg

A top-notch example of how well small-scale action filmmaking melds with unique genre fare, this is the strongest streaming-only feature released so far this year. Trachtenberg wowed me years ago with his Cloverfield sequel, and this was no different--it's a thrilling, brilliantly choreographed and designed action feature. It's also probably the best Predator film ever. More like this, please!
24Michael Giacchino
Lightyear

Lightyear // 2.1 // Sci-Fi (Adventure)
dir. Angus MacLane

Easily the weakest Pixar film yet, Lightyear strains to be a zippy-fun space adventure, but (literally) can't even take off. Everything has a dull, gray, weight to it. The humor is lifeless, as are the people. It's plot is scattershot, if not always boring, it's always frustrating. I won't even go into the "twist," but lets just say this has the same exact third act as Lost in Space did 20 years ago. And it worked better then.
25Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis // 3.0 // Biopic (Music)
dir. Baz Luhrmann

Like all Luhrmann films, it's half an incredible, dizzying assault on the sense, and half a soggy, paperthin melodrama. When it hits, it absolutely hits, especially in its first two acts' constant interpolation of music to tie sequences together, and watching Austin Butler is an ever-agonizing, beautiful experience. However, this shit spreads its third act across an hour-length of Elvis withering away while performing the same show 800 times while Tom Hanks performs a "I'm old and manipulating you" scene every 8 minutes. Their relationship is the core element of this film--at the same time, it's the shallowest.
26Junkie XL
Three Thousand Years of Longing

Three Thousand Years of Longing // 3.5 // Fantasy (Romance)
dir. George Miller

Deeply felt but frustratingly elusive, Miller's latest work chops itself up into mini-stories and beautiful expositions to challenge our notions of storytelling. Still, in revealing so much of the craft, he also removes some of the magic. Its visuals are lush and eye-popping, but its constant diversions delay our connection to our two leads (phenomenally played by Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba.) It certainly finds its way by the moving finale, but it ultimately proves another, possibly unintended point: the storyteller is always more important than the story. And luckily, with Miller, we're in great hands.
27Kendrick Lamar
Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers

Breaking // 3.9 // Thriller (Drama)
dir. Abi Damaris Corbin

Featuring an awe-inspiring turn from John Boyega in the ravenous lead role, Breaking is a blistering debut feature that succeeds both as a thriller and as a social warning. Everyone in this film is caught in the spiderweb of our labyrinthine bureaucracy, and does their best to wriggle their way into doing the right thing within its rigid confines. Its ratcheting tension comes both from our unfortunate familiarity with this kind of true story (even if you don't know the story, you can guess how it ends) and from the masterful performances from every level of the cast (particularly Nicole Beharie and the late Michael Kenneth Williams). Ultimately, the craftsmanship at work here does justice to its essential themes. For a film like this, that's all you can really ask.
28Disasterpeace
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On OST

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On // 3.6 // Comedy (Mockumentary)
Dir. Dean Fleischer-Camp

Marcel the Shell is a lovely and bittersweet tale that ultimately relies too much on the cute charm of its protagonist to make a perfect landing. There's a serious poignancy to Fleischer's character and his observations, but you wish they could've taken the forefront in a debut that feels absolutely stretched to feature-length, as it bullies itself into having a mystery plot and being a metaphor for COVID isolation. I also found it strange that in a time of several high-profile films taking potshots at "the internet", Marcel stubbornly follows suit, when it's hard to think of another character and situation that could benefit more from its limitless information and sense of community.
29Florence and the Machine
Dance Fever

RRR // 4.3 // Action (Historical)
dir. S. S. Rajamouli

Bold and packed to the brim with tight action scenes and dense storytelling, RRR is a historical epic that openly challenges Hollywood stagnation with vivid imagination. The central dynamic between our two leads works wonders at centering the audience through its length, and its dazzling display of spectacle stops them from ever considering the clock. While its musical numbers and didactic translation may serve as a barrier for those not familiar with foreign filmmaking, it's a film that anyone can love and should give a chance.
30Terence Blanchard
The Woman King

The Woman King // 3.3 // Historical (Epic)
dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood

As a timely, thrilling historical action flick, The Woman King flourishes—but first and foremost it’s a haphazardly constructed drama packed with soapy reveals and Instagram-model white slavers. As truly wonderful as it is to see a major Hollywood feature rest squarely on the back of wildly skilled black actresses, the film never tops its lavish, violent hook, and loses complexity the longer we know these characters. It’s often too aware of its own conceit, as Disney-esque strings swell over wide shots of black girls training and playing, plunky keys introduce powerful kingdoms as if they were fantasy lands. As great as it can be at times, The Woman King would rather sensationalize its story instead of normalizing it. We can only hope that this leads to more ticket sales, because this is the type of film I would love to see age poorly in the face of better films like it.
31Sachiko M
Bar Sachiko

Morbius // 1.1 // Superhero (Action)
dir. Daniel Espinosa

Morbius takes the cake as the single worst superhero film released since the genre's cultural zenith. The fact that years and years of examples of how to make a crowd-pleasing action spectacle has gone to waste is almost inconceivable. Nothing here works. Not a single dramatic, action, or suspenseful moment landed. There was one rapturously weird music cue (those that have seen will know what I mean) that saved it from total oblivion, but this film overall just lacked the style, charisma, or heart needed to connect with an audience.
32Soundtrack (Film)
Barbarian

Barbarian // 4.1 // Horror (Thriller)
dir. Zach Cregger

This lucid, stylish thriller starts light on scares but effortlessly grounds you in its characters and weird visual language soon enough to deliver on the goods once it matters. This is an eerie film, but one that knows when to take these people seriously and when not to. As it somersaults into its conclusion, it threatens to go over the line several times, but largely manages to remain exploitative rather than insensitive.
33Finneas
Blood Harmony

Vengeance // 4.6 // Mystery (Drama)
dir. B.J. Novak

A sobering but pitch-perfect skewering of liberal narcissism, Novak directs his debut feature with as much prescision as he acts. This at once managed to be an intriguing mystery but never once lost sight of the conflict that its Southern setting brings to the table. The fact that it manages to be one of the strongest political films in recent memory, while also commenting on media's own need to sensationalize stories over people. If people don't matter--why tell stories at all?
34John Powell
Don't Worry Darling

Don't Worry Darling // 2.4 // Thriller (Psychological)
dir. Olivia Wilde

This was not it. There are some great visual and creative choices that manage to keep this afloat for at least a while, but the plot is as thin as a cracker and the characters were in total service to it. This is largely the writing's fault rather than Wilde's direction, and it still features several great scenes and performances (namely Pugh's and Pine's). But when it comes down to it, the film's feminist bite doesn't land. It's sloppy storytelling with a powerful but unfocused message, and that's that.
35Vespero
Liventure #21

Vesper // 2.9 // Sci-Fi (Thriller)
dir. Kristina Buožytė / Bruno Samper

Despite taking place inside a pulsing world of meticulously designed effects and production design, Vesper is still a dramatic disappointment. Mashed together bits of dystopian fiction create a confused setting for this simple story, and the titular protagonist is often too passive to leave an impact on the audience. While its stunning conclusion is worth the wait, it's hard to ignore the basic storytelling issues that impede this from being a true triumph of arthouse genre cinema.
36Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor

TÁR // 4.7 // Drama (Psychological)
dir. Todd Field

A compelling, thrillingly modern character piece, Tár is stuffed to the brim with volumes of episodes about art vs. the artist and the insurmountable pressures present society places on successful creatives. It's a decidedly objective take that encourages the audience to make up their own mind, while also being told explicitly from Lydia Tár's exacting perspective. Cate Blanchette gives the performance of a generation as a magnetic, predatory superstar that finds herself quickly losing control of her life. I can't recommend this one enough.
37Soundtrack (Film)
Pearl

Pearl // 3.0 // Horror (Psychological)
dir. Ti West

Pearl is a candy-coated, widescreen ode to cinema that is so delighted with itself it's impossible to look away. Delivering impactful subversion and sympathy for its titular character, Pearl never quite adds up to more than what it is. Perhaps its because we exist in her solipsistic world-view that each of these supporting characters is colored with less vibrance and reality than herself, but at the same time these conflicts never stack up into a charged or particularly exciting narrative. Ultimately, the film justifies Mia Goth's character from X, but not its own existence as a prequel.
38John Carpenter
Halloween Ends

Halloween Ends // 1.0 // Horror (Psychological)
dir. David Gorden Green

One of the worst fucking slashers (if you could even call it that) I've ever seen, Halloween Ends is an abusrdly misconceived film from nearly every angle. Expounding on the tone-deaf social "commentary" of Kills, Ends throws the trilogy off a cliff with a near-constant cringe factor, appallingly staged kills, and the defamation of any character's logic that has been cursed to live this far. I'd rather be killed by a smart refrigerator than see this one again. A true dumpster fire for the times.
39Petrol Girls
Baby

Triangle of Sadness // 3.7 // Comedy (Satire)
dir. Ruben Östlund

Endlessly entertaining as a comedy, Triangle of Sadness's success as an audacious satire is unfortunately skin-deep. Even if its narrative flops randomly from dazzling to lazy and back again, there are still great pleasures to be had from the inverting and subverting directions of the plot. Ultimately, even the characters are at the mercy of its impulsive nature; as they lose their specificity and bend to the circumstances around them, so does the satire. As an timely political comic it succeeds greatly, but I'd love to see this through the eyes of one of the Cannes judges who handed it the Palme D'or.
40Carter Burwell
The Banshees of Inisherin

The Banshees of Inisherin // 4.2 // Comedy (Drama)
dir. Martin McDonagh

A strong, simple premise bolstered by exemplary direction and performances, it would've been truly difficult to mess this one up. McDonagh succeeds again in delivering a jet-black comedy that makes us question humanity in an elemental way, if in a significantly more lowkey way than his previous film works. Still, Inisherin is regularly alarming, fascinating, and moving in the way it depicts conflict and conscience. Its muted conclusion may frustrate, but rightfully so. These things never do really end, do they?
41Alex G
We're All Going to the World's Fair (OMPS)

We're All Going to the World's Fair // 3.8 // Horror (Drama)
dir. Jane Schoenbrun

A subtle and trancelike probe into themes of online communication and gender dysphoria, …The World's Fair is also a truly unnerving horror film whose lo-fi tendencies never betray an over-reliance on narrative nostalgia. As it morphs distorted, pixellated images to evoke the low-res fears of our youth, it never once stumbles over tired "home video" or "found footage" cliches. Its faults (jerky pacing, confusing linearity, and dense references to lore) are uniquely its own, often due to its modernity and loose form—the same form that allows it to consistently catch the viewer off guard and freak them the fuck out. It's uneven, but it can't help but feel like a new thing. It could be the first sign of the next evolution of indie horror.
42Weird Al Yankovic
Poodle Hat

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story // 3.5 // Biopic (Comedy)
dir. Eric Appel

The music biopic is finally taken down a notch by the perfect man for the job--Weird Al himself. His signature offbeat absurdism (fans of UHF will be pleased) has aged splendidly, and while its low-budget charm wears thin when it churns through the beats a little too cleanly, it's an actually funny and sweet victory lap for a musical icon for the ages.
43Let's Eat Grandma
Two Ribbons

Aftersun // 4.9 // Drama (Psychological)
dir. Charlotte Wells

Aftersun joins the ranks of recent expressionist dramas, such as Spencer and The Lost Daughter, which filter their narratives and chronology through their protagonists’ splintered worldviews. What makes Aftersun perhaps the best of the bunch is its ability to effortlessly maneuver roaring shifts in tension, striking gold in its story of self-conscious parenting by emphasizing all the wrong choices without becoming exploitational or maudlin. Its viewpoint isn’t sober or clear-eyed, shining its scrupulous father figure through alternating emotional prisms. Like all the best character studies, it leaves audiences to damn its subject as they see fit.
44Colin Stetson
The Menu

The Menu // 3.3 // Horror (Comedy)
dir. Mark Mylod

While its social satire may lack bite, The Menu is a delectable if slight thriller with a comedic bent. If said comedy didn’t land thanks to the talents of its cast, we might be in deeper waters, but luckily its bloody twists weren’t betrayed by a lack of humor.
45Daniel Pemberton
See How They Run

See How They Run // 3.7 // Mystery (Comedy)
dir. Tom George

A bracingly paced whodunnit without the verve of Knives Out but plenty of the wit, See How They Run manages to be affable entertainment for the majority of its runtime, but peters out in a strangely obligatory-feeling third act. Still, the film further proves that Ronan and Norton are indispensable comedic talents and should be treasured as icons.
46Wild Pink
ILYSM

Good Night Oppy // 4.0 // Documentary (Space)
dir. Ryan White

Just as bleary-eyed yet sharp as its scientist protagonists, Good Night Oppy shines with the same infectious enthusiasm that makes their cause so endearing, even beyond the science. For those fascinated in space travel and technology, the film has a plethora of interesting tidbits, whose depth more than makes up for the occasionally manipulative swelling score and shots of poor Oppy winding down. It’s bittersweet, engaging, and most importantly, inspirational.
47Bedlocked
Bedlocked

White Noise // 2.9 // Comedy (Thriller)
dir. Noah Baumbach

White Noise, meaning the static of speakers, jabbering of voices, or (in Baumbach’s case, and) the chaos of public discourse online. Stacked and stacked on one another, plots and arcs and characters are introduced, abandoned, mocked, and structurally disarranged all for the disorienting notion of confusion. While Baumbach and his excellent ensemble (Driver + Gerwig are fantastic and don’t deserve this) bring together palpable pathos to its message (or lack of one), this formlessness isn’t so frustrating as it is plain disaffecting. In the moment it’s engaging, but as a whole, I’ll have more fond memories of the end credits than anything.
48Sharon Van Etten
We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong

Decision to Leave // 4.4 // Mystery (Romance)
dir. Park Chan-work

As captivating a romance as it is a detective story, Chan-wook’s messy tangling and untangling of lives dives headfirst through its complex plot with unbridled emotion. As magnetism between people overcomes language barriers in the plot, powerful visual storytelling renders their words as mere frosting. This is simply thriller crack with a surprisingly moving drama at its core, with brilliant performances anchoring engrossing characters.
49Alexandre Desplat
The Outfit

The Outfit // 3.5 // Thriller (Crime)
dir. Graham Moore

An old-fashioned, rote but functional one-room thriller, The Outfit owes as much to the stage as it does Hitchcock’s tense editing. It leisurely unfurls like a cat in the sun as Rylance’s meek edge hardens in twist after twist—think that Sideshow Bob rake joke, by the time it finally ends, you’re back on board. It’s a confident directorial debut, one with just enough muscle and restraint to truly play it cool.
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