It is the end of another year of wonderful cinema and here is my list of the best films of this year. All the films got my five stars. Catch them on Netflix or Blu-Ray or free-to-air when you can.
DRAMA
The Post, All the Money in the World, I Tonya, Phantom Thread, Mr Stein Goes Online, Catch the Wind, Custody, The Price of Success, Jalouse, The Guardians, Bloody Milk, The Light of the Moon, Loveless, The Open Door, Foxtrot, What Will People Say, Word of God, The Real Estate, Under the Tree, A Horrible Woman, Darling, While We Live, Ted – Show Me Love, Becoming Astrid, Border, Amateurs, The Swan, Ravens, Butterflies, Cold of Kalandar, More, Microhabitat, West of Sunshine, BlacKkKlansman, Boys Cry, There is no Place Like Home, Happy as Lazzaro, We’ll Be Young and Beautiful, Dogman, First Man, Bohemian Rhapsody, The City Without Jews, The Last Supper, Boy Erased, Ramen Shop, Longing, Animal, Birds of Passage, Violeta Al Fin, Loveling, Un Traductor, Lean on Pete, Can You Ever Forgive Me, The Kindergarten Teacher, The Wife, Aga, Wajib, Roma
ROMANCE
All of You, The Boy Downstairs, Adrift, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Book Club, Crazy Rich Asians, The Guest, Ladies in Black, The Seagull, Promise at Dawn, Tutor, Outdoors, Call Boy, The Reports on Sarah and Saleem
COMEDY
Two is A Family, La Tribu, Abracadabra, The Saint Bernard Syndicate, The Breaker Upperers, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Thicker than Water
ACTION
Black Panther, Loving Pablo, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Skyscraper, Beirut, Mission Impossible – Fallout, The Darkest Minds, American Animals, Venom, Sobibor, Deadpool 2, El Angel, Widows, Creed II
THRILLER
Double Lover, Unsane, Chappaquiddick, Utoya: July 22, Searching, Murer – Anatomy of a Trial, The Body Collector
HORROR
A Quiet Place, Thelma
QUEER
Beach Rats, A Moment in the Reeds, Nobody’s Watching, Saturday Church, Love Simon, Golden Years, Lola Pater, Euphoria, My Big Gay Italian Wedding, Colette, The Marriage
DOCUMENTARY
The Gospel According to Andre, BPM (Beats per Minute), Black Divas, Coby, Braguino, Julia ist, Gurrumul, Whitney, Ferrante Fever, George Michael: Freedom, Mario, Abu, A Kid Like Jake, Water and Sugar: Carlo di Palma the Colours of Life, Our New President, The Waldheim Waltz, The Oslo Diaries, Love Gilda, The Mossad: Imperfects, Madam Prime Minister, The Museum, Sam Spiegel: Conquering Hollywood, The Prince and the Dybbuk, My Generation, Black Honey – the Life and Poetry of Avraham Sutskever, Conventional Sins, Kusama Infinity, Yellow is Forbidden, Filmworker, Of Fathers and Sons, Lots of Kids A Monkey and a Castle.
Filmed in grainy 16mm, Lim Lung Yin’s OHONG VILLAGE is a modern-day retelling of a disconnected and discontented filial relationship in a small ebbing fishing village. The decision to use film gives this drama a vintage quality to it that is Euro-style reflective and melancholic.
Oscar 2025 nominations have been announced, with EMILIA PEREZ leading with 13 nominations, followed by THE BRUTALIST and WICKED with 10 nominations each, rounded up by CONCLAVE and A COMPLETE UNKNOWN with 8 each. Other noteworthy contenders were ANORA, THE SUBSTANCE, and the surprise entry I’M STILL HERE from Brazil. Unexpected announcements include Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong for THE APPRENTICE as well as Felicity Jones for THE BRUTALIST and Monica Barbaro for A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Notable snubs were director Edward Berger for CONCLAVE, Angelina Jolie for MARIA, Daniel Craig for QUEER, Nicole Kidman for BABYGIRL and Denzel Washington for GLADIATOR II.
