So I’ve watched what I’m going to watch. I do like to see all the best pic nominees and I have accomplished that but the list of movies that people considered best of last year is pretty endless. While this list focuses more on this year’s releases than my other lists do (Books & TV) as you can see I do watch things from the previous years so figure they should also get their spotlight. This year I started tracking movies with a 5-star rating, I thougt it would help me remember and maybe compact the recency bias. But to be honest, do I remember Cha Cha Real Smoot as being all that great? No. But I gave it a high rating at the time so we’re going with it.

1. American Fiction – I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, relationships, and look at the literary scene through the lens of ‘Black’ fiction.
2. The Holdovers – The movie really finds a way to show the evolution from start to finish of characters and their understanding of each other with poignant moments.
3. Sharper – I dig a good caper or con and this was a fun layer of who’s screwing who and how with a strong cast including Julianne Moore to pull it all off.
4. Air – I almost didn’t watch this because the topic didn’t interest me but I was totally drawn into this Nike getting Michael Jordan.
5. Nyad – Another movie I almost didn’t watch but man this story is incredible and Annette Bening pulls it off, with the also great Jodie Foster.
6. Flora & Son – Starting with a pretty rough mother and son relationship it turns into something that’s just sweet.
7. Beastie Boys Story (2020) – I mean this was an era, I rarely do docs but this story by remaining members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys along with appropriately Spike Jonze directing is a gem.
8. How to Blow Up A Pipeline (2022) – Environmental activists bring out the heist vibe I dig as we see how they come together and their plan.
9. Language Lessons (2021) – Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass create characters and circumstances that just brought me in as remote Spanish lessons bring them together.
10. Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) – Another sweet flick, an aimless guy starts hosting bar mitzvah parties and develops a relationship with a mother and daughter that turns in just enough of an untropey way.

What were your faves of last year?

The Oscars are out so now it’s my turn. I have a love-hate relationship with doing this list every year. But since it’s all subjective it’s not like there’s a right answer. Standard caveats apply, here goes.

1. Prey – This may not have been the best movie of last year but I was really won over by the prequel/reinvention in this franchise and Amber Midthunder as our protagonist.
2. The Menu – The kind of brutal flick I can get on board with, I like some comedy with my horror, and this take on the most exclusive of restaurants hit it just right.
3. Hit The Road – Iranian family road trip comedy-drama brought out each character and juxtaposed a family trip with a greater drama, with much success.
4. Kimi – A Steven Soderbergh that went somewhat under the radar, Zoe Kravitz gets in a fix trying to escalate something she hears while reviewing a recording, oh yeah and she’s agoraphobic, quite the thriller.
5. The Woman King – Badass warrior women protecting an African kingdom and each other as they battle the greater forces of slavery, engaging battles and emotional notes.
6. Everything Everywhere All at Once – This one you’ve heard of though you may not be able to get the title right, a fun multiverse that felt both epic and personal even if it might be hard to follow.
7. The Banshees of Inisherin – Weird is the word I find I’ve included when describing this but when these two friends’ relationship changes things go a little too far in this small Irish town.
8. RRR – I’ve read that this might not be the best representation of Indian films but leaving that aside it was a fun epic buddy film with music, romance, and action.
9. All Quiet on the Western Front – A brutal look at a young German volunteer for the army and the battles he faces, hard to watch but in many ways beautifully done.
10. Hustle – Pretty formulaic but formulas work for a reason, Adam Sandler’s as a basketball scout puts it all on the line for a player with extraordinary potential.

Honorary mentions: Bros, Do Revenge, Emily the Criminal, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Good Luck to You Leo Grande, The Gray Man, Nope, Rosaline, Stay On Board: The Leo Baker Story.

For critics’ picks check out Metacritic’s roundup.

What were your faves last year?

Well, I rolled off of my catch-up for 2019 seemingly right into the pandemic. The only movie I remember seeing in a theater this last year was 2019’s Knives Out. Can that be true? Well, someday we’ll be back to feeling comfortable in theaters, until then lots of stuff available on streaming. While I was being relatively budget-conscious this year I did throw down to pay for a couple of last-minute picks because I knew I’d be doing this list but there are certainly more to be seen. For Critic’s picks, you can check out Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes for a consensus.

1. The Old Guard – This is the first movie I remember watching when I decided I was going to start doing a Saturday Night Movie to give some meaning to my weekends during the pandemic, and I just remember it was fun, I’m totally on board for Charlize Theron taking this immortals(?) mercenaries action series into franchise territory.
2. Promising Young Woman – Revenge done very wrong, in this thriller masking as a comedy Carey Mulligan does a beautiful job embodying the double life of this cunning young woman so obviously broken by experiences she couldn’t avert, will she or can she get revenge?
3. Palm Springs – You can’t shake a stick without hitting a time loop movie or tv show but this Adam Sandler and Christin Milioti showcase hit fresh notes through their chemistry and hijinks as well as the more esoteric questions.
4. The Vast of Night – This ’50s set sci-fi/mystery has such a throwback tone but is oddly compelling as two high school kids chase the source of a mysterious audio frequency, does it get them more than they bargained for?
5. The Half of It – This Cyrano style romance gives us a new flavor of the take as we’re as captivated by shy high schooler Ellie as her target is by her letters, as she befriends the jock she’s writing for, complications and sweetness ensue.
6. On the Rocks – Sofia Coppola brings a fun look at a daughter, Rashida Jones, and estranged father, Bill Murray, reconnecting through her suspicions about her husband.
7. One Night in Miami – Most of these plays turned movies feel stilted but this incredible night of icons Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, and Malcom X connecting is thoughtfully and beautifully brought to life by Regina King.
8. Nomadland, Minari, Never Rarely Sometimes Always – These three films bring an interesting look at simpler yet not more straightforward stories of people just trying to make it.

Reply or comment to let me know what some of your favorites were?

It’s a weird time these days but it did give me a good opportunity to play a little catch up with 2019 movies, lots of stuff is streaming and it felt like a good project. There are fun ways to make your movies a project or more of a community like Focus Features Movie Monday Livestreams or AFI Movie Club or start your own movie club and talk about it with video chat. Or just revisit some old favorites, why not re-watch all The Fast and the Furious films for example. You can also find some critics’ picks consolidated into sites like Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes. So knowing that this list could take various shapes and there are things that I could leave on or off, here’s my ten.

• Brittany Runs a Marathon – Our protagonist is the least likely marathon runner but her journey to get her health and her life in order is totally engaging, and you know it’s about more than the running.
• Knives Out – This mystery/comedy is a fun romp through the dysfunctional Thrombey family and the investigation into the murder of it’s crime novelist patriarch, the entire family of suspects, with odd but compelling turns from detective and caregiver.
• Jojo Rabbit – While the juxtaposition of comedy and the horrors of Hitler and the war might be at odds, for me it heightened the childlike POV and the unbearable.
• Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Enjoyed most of the latest Tarantino with a bit of ramble through the last days of Hollywood including an odd Manson overlap and signature flair for good and for bad, and Pitt and his dog Randy were really captivating.
• Booksmart – This coming of age comedy following two potentially too smart for their own goods BFFs through their final days of high school, has lots of hijinks but also lots of heart.
• Parasite – Good but odd and not necessarily in the way I expected with the cryptic things I knew about these two alternate class families and their engagement.
• Little Women – I think everyone’s got the gist of this tale but the update carried me through the family, the romance, and the tragedy.
• The Farewell – Enjoyed the trip to China in this heartfelt family, generational, and cultural tale of a fake wedding as a means to say goodbye.
• Uncut Gems – Tense from start to finish Adam Sandler tries to thread the needle with shady deals and bets along with managing his work and family in this gem.
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire – The slow burn romance and the journey of the 18th century female painter commissioned to paint the portrait of a reluctant bride to be.

What were some of your favorites?

I had a little lapse on my end of year lists but I can’t wrap the year without a list of movies. There are always more movies than one can see and although even a not great movie is enjoyable the top ten list is sometimes a challenge. With a little last minute binging and a few undone here’s where I’m netting out.

1. Call Me By Your Name – This wasn’t an epic film but it captured the mood of the location and the moment and the emotions in a way that sweeps you away.
2. The Shape of Water – More on the epic side this fantastical tale of a mute woman falling for a creature held captive at an institute she works at, though for fave films check out his previous Pan’s Labyrinth.
3. Dunkirk – Multiple point of views and timelines may add to the confusion but also add to both the intensity of the individual stories and as well as the overarching battle, you know for a historical flick.
4. The Big Sick – This shows that romantic comedies don’t need to follow the specific formula and glad that Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon were talented enough to turn their story into one that can entertain all.
5. Ingrid Goes West – Aubrey Plaza can maybe do no wrong and her turn as an unhinged social media stalker really works that balance of comical, sympathetic, and topical making it my indie pick of the year.
6. Get Out – I’ve never been one to think that a good genre movie can’t be a good movie and this break out shows that you can be suspenseful and topical and fun.
7. Logan – This one reminded me of what a good comic can be, stands on its own with a good story and lots of action (pretty brutal action), and while it sits within the X-Men series it’s sufficiently standalone which is a rare treat for comic capers these days.
8. Baby Driver – Not without its flaws but I love a good heist film and the chase scenes and musical accompaniment was a fun romantic escape.
9. Atomic Blonde – Good classic spy fun and seeing Charlize Theron as the smart, tough, and sexy lead as she hits Berlin in the Cold War trying to lock down a list of agents.
10. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – This offbeat little vignette of a movie has some odd turns but the performances of McDormand and Harrelson keep you engaged as this mother fights to find her daughter’s murderer.

What were your faves from last year?

And after a little extra delay, without further ado…

1. Moonlight – So everyone has heard of this one by now and yes it’s good, the three sections combine to tell the story of a boy to man poignantly dealing with themes of identity, sexuality, race…
2. Manchester by the Sea – Yep it’s a bummer and yep it’s worth watching, following Casey Affleck’s broken character as he returns home to care for his nephew.
3. 20th Century Women – This one gets my coming of age vote for this year as Annette Bening turns to those around her to help raise her son, with a nice vibe set in ’79.
4. Deadpool – I most enjoy Marvel when it’s good story, good action, and a good dose of humor and this one does just that, leaning heavy into the humor category, fun.
5. Hell or High Water – Getting to know the bank robber brothers and the lawmen who follow them as things go down a path that they can’t return from, it’s hard to pick someone to root against.
6. Hunt for the Wilderpeople – I wasn’t sure what I was getting into on this odd New Zealand boy and his foster father on the run from the law in the wilderness is oddly fun and touching.
7. La La Land – I have noted this as the most overrated film of 2016, and while I was truly put off by the casting of non song and dance peeps in the leads, as well as a few other things, this still made an enjoyable escape via homage to musicals, though something like Sing Street was almost more fun.
8. The Nice Guys – This buddy crime thriller flick has enough heart and humor to make the ride with Gosling and Crowe on their continued failures as they try to solve the crime that is of course more complicated without killing themselves or each other a bunch of fun.
9. Arrival – As long as I don’t think too much about the plot of this film, I really appreciate the film-making and the slant on communication and humanity through a slightly new take on alien invasion (though yes big on aliens), it kept me engaged and intrigued.
10. Nocturnal Animals – Ok I just watched this so that might be swaying me but I feel like this movie would be worth watching just for the visuals alone, though Ford also did a nice job weaving together the present ‘success,’ the naive past, with the fictional noir.

Order as always might be someone subjective and I have missed a few of the more talked about films this year (Lion, Fences, Hidden Figures, Paterson…) so no telling is those would make my personal list. For a gander at what other films critics are talking about check out Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.