TOP FIVE
Trap
Dahomey
The Substance
Conclave
Anora
Honorable Mention:
The Room Next Door
Nosferatu
A Real Pain
TRAP
I saw *Trap* with my friend Max. This is an excerpt from our conversation at dinner before the movie:
ME: I’m so excited to see this.
HIM: Me too, it’s gonna be fun. You’ve seen the trailer.
ME: No, I know nothing about it.
HIM: For real?
ME: Yes I know absolutely nothing about it apart from the fact that it’s starring Josh Hartnett and it’s written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I know nothing about it and you’re not saying another word.
HIM: Okay!
I want to see more movies under those conditions! Hartnett got my Most Deserving of a Comeback award on this list back in 2013. I’ve been a fan of his back to the previous century, way back to 1999, when he was in *The Virgin Suicides.* Yes, he’s super hunky and loaded with charisma but he’s developed into a really wonderful actor. Maybe he always was and I was just blinded by his hunkiness.
I haven’t seen all of Hartnett’s movies but *Trap* is (from what I’ve seen) the best performance of his career. His natural likeability is used to chilling effect. I got the same feeling I got seeing Nathan Lane in *The Iceman Cometh* - - he was saying, “You had ideas about what I was able to do. I can do more. Here it is.”
DAHOMEY
My brother Howard is a big fan of the French-Senegalese director Mati Diop. He saw her latest film, *Dahomey,* at the Vancouver International Film Festival and said it was absolutely the best he saw there. I bought a ticket to see it when it was playing in New York.
It was unbelievable. Beautiful images, elegant camerawork, expert use of sound and music. It was a documentary but with artistic flourishes that you don’t expect from a documentary.
The movie is about a set of 26 artefacts that the French government returned to Benin (formerly known as Dahomey) in 2021. The centerpiece of the film is a debate between Beninese students protesting the fact that they will not be grateful for the return of 26 artefacts when the French had plundered 7,000 artefacts in the late 19th century.
A documentary typically tells you things, instructs you on its subject. This movie presented you with questions rather than with answers.
THE SUBSTANCE
I’m a huge fan of horror movies, I love them. *The Substance* is next level. It’s not scary - - it’s disturbing, unsettling. Which is a different thing. The movie isn’t grounded in reality but the issues they’re examining are 100% real so it really delivers. The performances by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are so brave and fearless, they really surrendered to the madness, always a thrill to see.
My favorite moment in the movie was a scene in the third act when the writer/director used a bit of the soundtrack from *Vertigo.* It got me thinking of the unexpected thematic connections between the two movies. I should write an article for the French film journal Cahiers du Cinema, they would be all over that like béchamel sauce on a croque monsieur.
CONCLAVE
Whoa, what a movie. Any movie in which a tightly controlled system is being unraveled by petty power plays, I am on board, that’s always exciting. And what could be more tightly controlled and yet also more petty than the struggle to choose a Pope?
Stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci “Gimme a Smoochie,” and John Lithgow but holy crap Isabella Rossellini steals the movie out from under them. She is pulling up the carpet and those three dudes are falling on their crimson-clad asses. She says next to nothing but communicates so much in her silence. Talk about presence. Clear that lady a path.
ANORA
My brother Howard turned me on to the work of Sean Baker. His movies are challenging in the best way - - the characters are deeply complex and he challenges you to see connections with these marginalized people, people who have probably made choices that are very different from your own. There’s probably not a lot of overlap in the content of your lives but you scratch the surface and you see that we all have similar basic needs and aspirations.
*Anora* is his most ambitious movie to date, it’s painted with a big brush. I was surprised by the characters, surprised by how my feelings changed about them. Baker is a distinctive filmmaker and now that he’s swept the Oscars my wish for him is that he not be sucked into the Hollywood machine! I’m afraid he’ll get lured into doing a slightly edgy Hollywood drama starring Julia Roberts and he will have lost his vision. Or maybe he’ll pull a Hitchcock and the big budget and starry cast of a Hollywood product won’t wipe out his vision, it will amplify it. We’ll see.
HONORABLE MENTION
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR
A new Almodóvar movie is a virtual guarantee to make my Top Five and this one didn’t quite make the Top Five but definitely is an Honorable Mention. Not one of his best but still very special.
Bad news first: the dialogue was clunky at times. It was his first feature length film in any language besides Spanish (it was in English) and it shows. My guess is that Almodóvar wrote it in Spanish and someone else translated it into English and they left it at that. They should have hired another native English speaker to give the script another once-over, to iron it out and retool it to flow better, with no knowledge of the original Spanish.
The good news: the leading performances by Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton were of course exceptional. The movie had a tenderness and grown-up feeling that one rarely sees these days - - such a treat to see a movie about two middle-aged women who are friends. And as in every Almodóvar movie, the use of music and the production design are off the hook gorgeous.
NOSFERATU
I was hopped up for *Nosferatu* for a while because it was written and directed by Robert Eggers, who made *The Witch* (which I enjoyed) and *The Northman* (which got me frothing at the mouth). I was sure that his brand of occult lunacy would be just the thing for that moldy old vampire saga and boy, was I right. It was masterfully directed - - on the one hand the framing of individual shots was exquisite, so many shots looked like paintings come to life. But then on a deeper level he created an atmosphere of dread and doom. He was playing the short game AND the long game.
May I make a request? All four of his movies have taken place in a relatively distant past. I’d love to see him do a movie that takes place in the 20th century.
A REAL PAIN
A really well made movie. It knew what it was doing and totally delivered on that intention. I was a little surprised that writer/director/star Jesse Eisenberg gave the more impressive role to Kieran Culkin but then halfway through the movie he did give himself a showy little scene, so that made me feel better. It’s a funny movie with unexpected depth.
BEST CAMEO, FEMALE
This role was a little big to be classified as a cameo, it’s really a supporting role - - but what a joy to see Jennifer Grey in an impactful little role in *A Real Pain.* I wonder if Eisenberg wrote the role with her in mind or if she was cast after the fact. She was delightful and I know I’m deep as a dime but she looks fantastic.
BEST CAMEO, MALE
This goes to Dennis Quaid in *The Substance.* What a treat to see a (at one time) major Hollywood actor embody toxic masculinity. He was one of the elements that made it a horror movie.
I just noticed that Quaid also received this award in my very first Top Five list in 2002, for *Traffic!* Congratulations, Mr. Quaid.
REMEMBRANCE OF MOVIES PAST
My friends Jere and Dale had me up to their country house for the weekend this fall. We knew that one day would be cold and rainy so we brought some DVDs, planning on staying inside and watching a movie that afternoon. We had quite a few choices and landed on *Moonstruck.* I hadn’t seen it in probably twenty years and had seen it maybe only twice - - I was surprised at how well it holds up! It’s a very good movie. As good as the performances are and yes, Norman Jewison is a first class director, I feel like the true quality of the movie comes from the script by John Patrick Shanley. It’s so beautifully crafted, you can tell that he has a background in the theatre.
One womp womp note: at the beginning of the movie you see Cher going about her ordinary daily business. Her big curly hair is black with a healthy dose of grey, she’s wearing seemingly little makeup, she’s wearing a shlubby sweater or similar. Then Nicholas Cage takes her to the opera and she gets her hair dyed, puts on a tarty red velvet dress and a quarter inch of makeup. She’s gone all dragadelic. She’s more beautiful before the makeover. At least that’s how I see it.
MOVIE THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE
I was a big fan of *Schitt’s Creek* and I don’t know that they could be lured into doing a movie but I have a good premise. The final season of the show involved Moira doing a movie, *The Crows Have Eyes 3.* I would love for the *Schitt’s Creek* movie to be partially about *The Crows Have Eyes 4* - - footage of the movie being shot, scenes from the premiere, and lots of hilarious high jinx with the family in various situations.
EAGERLY ANTICIPATED
*Wicked Part 2,* of course. I hope I like it better than Part 1, which I only liked moderately. I will definitely see it in the movie theater with my friend Susan Luxemburg (I saw *Wicked Part 1* with her).
Oh dear Lord, Guillermo del Toro is doing a new version of *Frankenstein*! With Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein, the delicious Jacob Elordi as The Monster, also Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Charles Dance. And all of the jewelry is from the Tiffany archives!
The next Paul Thomas Anderson movie is starring Leonardo di Caprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Alana Haim. Allegedly it’s coming out in August but if that were the case don’t you think they’d have even just a TITLE?
The next Alejandro González Iñárritu movie is starring Jesse Plemmons, Tom Cruise, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Riz Ahmed, and Sandra Hüller. It’s not due until the fall of 2026 so we’ll give them a while to come up with a title. With that cast, I am totally there.
Dare I hope…? *The Devil Wears Prada 2.* Starring Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Stanley Tucci “Gimme a Smoochie.” Directed once again by David Frankel. List as being in “pre-production,” which is code for “but I can dream, can’t I?”
MOST DESERVING OF A COMEBACK
I believe in Julia Roberts and her talent. Did you see *August: Osage County*? Dear Lord she was tremendous in that movie. I want someone to cast her in a part that is truly deserving of her talent. I know she would relish the opportunity.
VIVA LA DIVA
Bill Skarsgård in *Nosferatu.* He takes over every time he’s onscreen. Though how can we tell it’s really him? It could be anyone in there - - it could be Jackie Mason, it could be Sharon Stone.
NICE TRY
I read about *Between the Temples* in The New York Times. It sounded very promising: an indie romantic comedy with Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane playing an unlikely couple - - sounds like a slam dunk, right? Well, it was not. It was saved by the performances of those two actors, they were delightful and adorable. But it felt like all of the most overdone stylistic choices of 1990s indie movies had worn out their welcome. Back then the handheld camera, the blurry cinematography, the shaggy dog narrative, and the semi-improvised dialogue added together to make something fresh and engaging. At this point it feels like an excuse for the filmmakers to abdicate any responsibility to make a movie that holds together or is consistently interesting.
HORRORABLE MENTION
My brother Howard and my friend Max both raved about *Companion.* A female-driven horror movie is almost always certain to be a win with me and this one was tremendous. I’m not going to tell you anything about it because there were so many delightful surprises and plot twists. And I found myself thinking about deeper issues embedded in the movie, which doesn’t always happen with a schlocky horror movie.
HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED IT?
My friend Rudha raved about *Past Lives* last year. I missed it in the theater and didn’t find it streaming anywhere that I either already had or could afford. Well a few weeks ago I saw it was streaming on Amazon Prime, one of my platforms, and I put it on my list. What a lovely little movie. Very touching, thought-provoking, meaningful movie.
BREAK-OUT PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Sophie Thatcher in *Companion.* I guess she’s on *Yellowjackets,* which I haven’t seen, so probably fans of that show would say I’m late to the fair raving about her - - but wow, what a thrilling performance. She’s the real deal. I’m excited to see how she develops.
BREAK-OUT PERFORMANCE, MALE
Carlos Diehz really made me sit up and take notice in *Conclave.* He has a quiet presence and continually put the film off kilter in the best way. According to imdb this is his only film to date! Not for long!
BEST CREDITS
This wasn’t precisely the credits, it was the list of production companies that comes before the movie starts. You’ve seen this a hundred thousand times: a movie is made by four to ten production companies and each company trots out their own logo, often a bit of animation and/or music. In *Dahomey* the production companies had just a still image of the logo, no animation, no music, all on a black field. It set the tone of ominous silence.
FAST FIVE
Best Use of Color:
1. *The Wizard of Oz:* Dorothy opening the door after landing in Oz.
2. *The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover:* all of the bizarre monochromatic choices in that movie.
3. *Schindler’s List:* the little girl in the red coat.
4. *Mulholland Drive:* the lustrous, intriguing cobalt blue that appears a couple of times in the movie.
5. Every Almodóvar movie.
DREK
I had my hopes up when I heard that Pablo Laraín was directing a movie about Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie. I liked his movie *Jackie* a lot (Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy) and was just fine with *Spencer* (Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana). Any movie about Maria Callas will get me excited, even if it’s going to be Drek. And Jolie was an inspired choice for the role.
I didn’t like the intention of the movie. The director and screenwriter were trying to explain why Callas was so troubled and difficult. I think it would have been a more rewarding movie if they had presented Callas as troubled and difficult but NOT explain it - - make her inscrutable and opaque. I imagine that’s the way she was in real life.
There were murmurs years ago (maybe even a tentative announcement?) that Mike Nichols was going to make a movie of *Master Class,* the Terrence McNally play about Callas, with Meryl Streep as Callas. That would have been amazing, I’m sure. Callas is similar to Miranda Priestly in *The Devil Wears Prada* and Streep really would have hit the nail on the head, showing the tough outer shell and the soft, easily wounded interior. Allegedly Faye Dunaway is still working on HER *Master Class* movie. I predict that will get my Drek award the year it comes out, if it ever comes out.
BRIEFLY NOTED
*Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga*
I saw 2015’s *Mad Max: Fury Road* on DVD and wished I had seen it in the theater, it seemed like a big movie and would have had much more impact on a big screen with big sound. I was determined not to make the same mistake with the new movie, *Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.* It did not disappoint! It was amazing, bold, inventive, thrilling. I really enjoyed it, it was a real Movie of a movie.
It’s hard for me to believe that George Miller has directed all five of the Mad Max movies. He’s clearly rolled with the times and kept his skills sharp. It’s also hard to believe that he directed *Babe: Pig in the City* (which I’ve never seen) and *Lorenzo’s Oil* (which I loved at the time, I wonder if it holds up).
*Joker: Folie à Deux*
I went to see *Joker: Folie à Deux* with my friends Max, Stephen, and Shane. How could I pass up a major Hollywood movie that not only uses a French phrase but correctly uses the <<accent grave>> above the A?
I was impressed with the first Joker movie, with Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in particular. As I said to my mom, he was deserving of the Best Actor Oscar if you measure the quality of the performance as, “Can you see anyone else playing this role?” In his case, no.
More of the same in the sequel and Lady Gaga was wonderful as his plus one. My three friends didn’t like it because they were expecting it to be a little more fun. It was hardly fun at all, it was disturbing and it filled me with dread. Which I think was the point.
*Queer*
I had my hopes up for *Queer* and maybe that was the problem. I’m an admirer of director Luca Guadagnino and was intrigued by the prospect of Daniel Craig resolutely throwing off the mantle of Bond and playing Burroughs’s homo junkie. For me it missed the mark. The performances by Craig and Drew Starkey (as his impossibly delicious boyfriend) were very strong but Jason Schwartzman stole the movie in his sweet, funny small role. There were a few unbearably touching moments and some spooky flights of fancy, but the spooky bits seemed like warmed-over David Lynch to me. I’ll say I’m glad the movie was made but I didn’t go for it.
*Emilia Pérez*
I also had my hopes up for *Emilia Pérez.* Maybe that’s the problem? I was especially intrigued that it was a musical. But you know, it’s not enough to just be a musical, it also has to be consistently good. There were two or three songs that were total duds, I was amazed that no one on the production team could see that. The performances were stellar, especially Karla Sofía Gascón in the title role. I’d like to think that the songwriting team could do better with their next project.
GUILTY PLEASURE
This is a bit of a stretch but my guilty pleasure for this year is *Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age.* Director Rick McKay made a documentary in 2003 called *Broadway: The Golden Age,* a priceless collection of interviews with old timers who had performed on Broadway and in some cases were about to plotz: Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, Kaye Ballard, Kitty Carlisle, Carol Channing, Barbara Cook, Carole Cook - - and that’s just through to C! It’s an amazing movie, so informative, hilarious, and touching.
He did a follow-up in 2021 called *Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age.* Of course it aired on PBS, of course I DVR’d it, of course I did not delete it. I’ve watched it three or four times. I’m calling it a guilty pleasure because this winter, when I was moving, I really should have been watching something new on the DVR, like one of those noir movies on TCM or various other things that had been gathering dust, but instead I was watching *Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age* for the third or fourth time. It puts me in a happy place. Why should that make me feel guilty?
ON SECOND THOUGHT
I loved *Phantom Thread* when it came out and it made my Top Five for 2017. I watched it again recently and what a knockout. It’s so elegant and also so subversive. The three central performances, by Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, and especially a stunning breakout performance by Vicky Krieps - - astonishing. And let’s not forget the show-stopping small part for Harriet Samson Harris. I think it’s Paul Thomas Anderson’s best movie and one of the best of the millennium.
BEST USE OF A POP SONG
I couldn’t choose between two movies so I’m not choosing, I’m giving you both. The soundtrack of *Queer* was loaded with incongruous, anachronistic music by Nirvana and similar, which I found rather off-putting, it being a movie set in Mexico City in in 1950s. So what a treat to hear Vaughn Monroe singing “Riders in the Sky.” Which I’ve always assumed was called “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” But what do I know.
There was a moment in *Companion* when we heard the unmistakable sound of the opening to “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert. You’re gonna grab me with any Burt Bachrach song but this one, in that spot in the movie, had me reeling with joy. And that joy was amplified when they used “Emotion” by Samantha Sang in the closing credits. I was grinning from ear to ear.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
See *Dahomey.* I’m serious. See it.
MOVIE PROJECT
My movie project is going to the movies more often! I got derailed, like we all did, by Covid. I always say that Covid taught me how nice it is to stay home. And then of course so many movies are streaming, and why would I go through the trouble of going to a movie theater and paying money to see it when I can watch it for free at home?
Well I’ll tell you why - - BECAUSE IT’S A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. Number one, you’re seeing the movie on a large screen with good sound. Number two, you’re surrounded by strangers who amplify the reactions of the movie. Years ago my husband and I saw a TCM screening of *North By Northwest* in one of those enormous Times Square movie theaters and neither of us had ever noticed how funny that movie was! We had missed that because we were watching it at home, alone. You hear people laughing and you realize it’s funny. And third, something that people overlook, you can’t stop a movie when you see it in the theater. You watch a movie at home and you pause it to use the john, or get something to eat, or play sudoku for a minute on your phone. You see a movie in the theater and yes, you can get up and leave if you want to, but the movie will not wait for you.
A NEW INVENTION CALLED TELEVISION
*Squid Game* is so fantastic, so exciting. I watched season 1 when it came out and then watched it again ramping up to season 2. I can’t wait for season 3. It has such a cynical view of humanity.
BEST PREVIEW
I turn myself in - - I was watching *Access Hollywood* the other day when I was working from home. Mario Lopez (who looks good but maybe looks a little unnaturally young - - he’s 51) introduced a bit on a new horror movie called *The Monkey.* I guess it’s one of the most-streamed horror previews of all time? Of course I had to watch it and it looks like a lot of fun. But it also looks like one of those previews that’s better than the movie…
BEST FILMWORD BOOK
This is my fourth year with this category on the list and in previous years I called it Best Filmword Biography - - but this year’s choice isn’t a biography so from now on the category is called Best Filmworld Book. You see the distinction.
You might know adorable Dave Karger from Turner Classic Movies. He did a book last year called *Fifty Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars and Filmmakers On Their Career-Defining Wins.* It’s such a delightful little book. About half pictures and half text, a ratio that appeals to me more and more these days. The stories are so sweet and touching, often revealing. The Keith Carradine story is the one that has stuck with me the most because it reminded me of what a great song “I’m Easy” is. And he’s so charming.
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE
I thought I might give it to Josh Hartnett for *Trap,* that performance was such a stunner - - but I’m giving it to Jason Schwartzman for *Queer.* I was hoping that Hartnett would be fantastic in *Trap* and he was, so no surprise there. Schwartzman was an unprecedented surprise because I didn’t even know it was HIM! He was unrecognizable. Of course I saw his name in the opening credits but never would have guessed that was him. I recognized the voice but not the face or anything else. He was hilarious and adorable and had my favorite line in the movie, probably my favorite line of the year. I don’t want to spoil it, email me if you want me to share.
MOST DESERVING OF A SEQUEL
If you’ve known me for any length of time you probably know that *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg* is one of my favorite movies ever. I invented the term “one-movie genre” to describe it - - it’s completely unlike any other movie ever made. It’s unique.
Spoiler alert! Don’t continue reading if you don’t want to learn anything about the plot of *The U of C.*
The movie starts in 1957 and ends in 1963, the time when the movie was made. Three of the four leading actors have died: Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, and Marc Michel. The only one still alive is my beloved Catherine Deneuve, who catapulted to fame in the role of Geneviève.
Here’s my idea for the sequel: it takes place now, Geneviève is now 81 years old. Her daughter (the little girl you see at the end of the movie) has recently died (the people making the movie can figure out how she died). Geneviève makes a trip to Cherbourg with her granddaughter, who’s in her 30s. Deneuve hasn’t been to Cherbourg since pulling into the gas station and seeing her former lover Guy at the end of *The U of C.*
I see the movie starting with no music. The two women end up in a restaurant and Geneviève starts telling the story of her young romance. Some quiet music creeps in on the soundtrack, which gradually develops into fragments of themes from the movie. And Geneviève starts singing, quietly, rather than speaking, telling the story of her affair with Guy and how he was the father of her daughter, not the man she married. She had never shared this with her daughter. She finishes the story and the music stops.
They visit Geneviève’s mother’s grave. Deneuve pulls a box out of her handbag (please let it be an Hermès handbag) and gives it to her granddaughter. It’s her mother’s pearl necklace. Geneviève’s mother sells it to Roland Cassard in *The U of C* and he ends up marrying Geneviève. In my version of the story Cassard never sold he necklace, he held onto it, hoping he would marry Geneviève. He gave it to her for their first anniversary.
They go to the train station, one of the central locations of the movie. An accordion busker on the train platform is playing “I Will Wait For You,” the song that Geneviève and Guy sing to each other on the train platform. They get in their car and drive back to Paris. Geneviève gets back home to her large and elegant apartment. She opens her undies drawer and pulls out the wartime photo of Guy that she had when they were young.
NEW CATEGORY: BEST MOVIE TO WATCH IN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Sometime in the 90s I was home sick from work because I had a stye in my eye. According to Google, a stye is “a red, painful lump near the edge of the eyelid that may look like a boil or pimple.” I had them quite a few times as a child and a couple times as an adult. I would treat it by soaking a washcloth in very hot water (bordering on boiling) and laying it over the affected eye. I don’t need to explain what happens next, do I?
This was the 90s so my movies were on VHS. To be precise, they were on red plastic shelves mounted around my apartment and in the stairway leading up to my apartment in my cute one-bedroom place on West Wash in Madison. Each video tape had three or four movies on it and I kept a running Excel spreadsheet of what movies were on which tapes (the tapes were of course numbered and shelved accordingly). I looked through my list for a movie I would “watch” without actually seeing it. Sort of a reverse silent movie. The movie I chose was a favorite, *Murder on the Orient Express* from 1974. That movie is very effective with no visuals. Even the opening “silent movie” flashback is effective because of the music.
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