Reposting mine from the Movie thread
new releases
- Furiosa
2.The Beast
3.May December
4.Zone of interest
5.Evil does not exist
6.Los delincuentes (not sure if this came out in the US. Argentinian movie sortof about a bank heist but mostly about longing for freedom from a boring city life. 3hr long so best enjoyed by skipping work one afternoon to go see it).
7.Challengers (after seeing the trailer for this I’d have put my chances of liking it at ~0%, so shoutout to Clovis and other voices of the internet for making me give it a chance. Was a slightly awkward experience to go by myself in a theater where most of the audience was 14yo girls but it was fun !)
8. Juror #2
Also think there’s several people here who enjoy watching older movies, in a given year I’ll typically watch a lot more of those than new releases (out of taste but also convenience since I’m watching a lot more movies at home than in a theater), so here are some of my favorites I’ve seen this year
best non-2024
Red rocket (2021) was my first Sean Baker movie, the main character is one of the most ethically challenged protagonists put to the screen but somehow this works to make a beautiful movie. Was really hyped to see “Anora” after this, but I didn’t like it that much, felt much more basic (will still try to watch Baker’s previous movies).
24 City (2008) Mountains may depart (2015) Jia Zhangke may be my favorite contemporary filmmaker. He has the advantage of working with a strong subject, i.e. the changes in Chinese society in the last 3 decades (on which I know nothing outside of what these movies taught me). “24 city” has a “fun” concept where it seems like a documentary, half of it being face-to-face interviews with various ppl on their memories related to the (closing) town factory, but it is in fact fiction (or maybe only in part ?). for instance there’s a segment where a middle-age woman recalls her youth where everyone at the factory called her “little flower” bc she looked like the actress from that famous (idk) Chinese movie (the role being actually played by that actress, who is Joan Chen from Twin Peaks. this is only at this point that I went “wait a minute…” and realized that this was not fully a documentary lol)
Millenium actress (2001) Paprika (2006) two animated from same (Perfect blue) director Satoshi Kon, both have similar narrating style, non-linear and somewhat cryptic, where it’s often unclear if what you’re seeing is really happening, so a few months later I’ve already forgot whatever plot there was but the feeling remains. I like Millenium actress a bit more (movie about movies !) but both are great.
The taking of Pelham 123 (1974) Speed (well, without the speeding part) but in the 70s ? I should have watched this sooner
Battle of Algiers (1966) non-romantic retelling of the uprising against France occupation in Algeria leading to independence, shot only a few years after the actual events. powerful !
Universal soldier day of reckoning (2012)
Blue collar (1978)
News from home (1976)
A man escaped (1956)
Also been rewatching more movies than usual this year, most of which were excellent (no originality, just great classics)
best rewatches
Mad max Fury road (rewatched this one 2x. the existence of Furiosa (also seen 2x) actually changes the Fury road experience, mixed feelings on whether it’s in good or bad, but there’s no going back)
Mulholland drive
McCabe & Mrs Miller
Catch me if you can (didn’t really like this much when it came out, but I’ve come around on this Spielberg period and love it now)
Wolf of Wall Street (forgot how good Jonah Hill was in this, peak comedy acting)
