Standouts:
Baby Reindeer (2024) - This show blew up in popularity last month and it's really not hard to see why. I usually don't care for the Netflix originals end up feeling like an "event" among people, but this one actually felt deserved. This is such a deeply disturbing story about the horrific things people will to do others and themselves out of insecurity. The acting is absolutely incredible and I adore the dark, underlying sadness to both Donny and Martha's characters. I'm aware that some developments have been made with Richard Gadd's stalker (who inspired the story), but I don't feel confident enough to say if I truly believe her or not. 10/10
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - An excellently made court drama with a great performance from Jimmy Stewart. I can see this film being potentially boring for a lot of people, but both its dialogue and mystery are set up masterfully. Despite being two and a half hours long, this went by at as surpsingly good pace and a lot of that can be contributed by just how good and real the acting is. Like 12 Angry Men, there's so much depth in terms of character revealed in how both sides of the court argue and bounce off each other. I feel as if that's the react secret behind what seperates a dull courtroom film from a truly great one such as this 10/10
Laura (1944) - A beautifully gothic tale about how men percieve women and left a noticable impact on the femme fetale trope. I learned beforehand that David Lynch was influenced quite a bit by this movie and I definitely can see the resemblence between this movie's Laura and the one in Twin Peaks. There's a lot said here about the ideolized women that lived in our heads vs the depth of their lives we never see. In a weird way, the early reveal of Laura still being alive holds up as somewhat subversive against the usual murder story tropes of film noir. As a whole, it's one hell of an elegant film. 10/10
HThe Boy and the Heron (2023) - Hayao Miyazaki is one of my all time favorite directors, so getting to see (well, what was supposed to be...) his swan song was pretty emotional for me. I can't say with full confidence that I understood exactly what everything meant, but it spoke to me as a very passionate film about passing down an artistic legacy. When I saw the old guy with his blocks, I instantly understood that he was supposed to represent Miyazaki himself and that the boy was potentially meant to be his own son. I'm not sure if I'd place it high amongst his other films, but it's still a wonderful film nontheless. 9/10
All of Us Strangers (2024) - Goddamn, this movie is sad. It's absolutely haunting with it's depiction of grief and it has such a quietly sad quality to it. It somehow manages to both be an engaging love story and a tale about moving on from death while marrying those two elements perfectly. Just about every scene is packed with vulnerability and sensitivity and it's absolutely incredible. I have no doubt that ending shot is going to stick with me for a long time. 9/10
Others:
Gia (1998): 9/10
Faust (1926): 9/10
Top Gun: Maverick (2022): 8/10
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): 8/10
Barefoot Gen (1983): 8/10
The Butterfly Effect (2024): 8/10
Cujo (1983): 7/10
Constantine (2005): 7/10
Ferrari (2023): 7/10
The Pursuit of Happiness (2006): 6/10
Top Gun (1986): 6/10