Editorial: The Best of 2024

Written by Grady Fiorio Original Publishing Date: February 7th, 2025

The best of the best for 2024

2024 was a funky year for cinema. Still recovering from the strikes, 2024’s releases have been a mix of 2023 holdouts, indie films that got SAG waivers, and blockbusters that crammed shooting and post into less than a year. The gaming industry has been hit with even more layoffs and shutdowns, with projects like Sony’s failure to launch Concord becoming one of the biggest failures in gaming history, killing a studio and taking hundreds of jobs, and a rumored $400 million with it. It admittedly hasn’t been as strong as years past, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t good art out there; you just gotta look a little harder.

If you’ve been reading my site for a while now, you know the drill. Just like my "Best of 2023", I'm going to cover more than just films, but also TV and games. Flipside Reviews is my sounding board echo chamber for talking all things art, so I’m gonna throw it all at the wall and you can decide what sticks. Unlike many other yearly recaps that most media outlets do, I've waited until the full end of the calendar year to do my ranking. This way, I can squeeze in as much as possible, while not cutting out anything that comes in at the tail end of the year (looking at you, The Brutalist). With that being said, there were still some things I missed out on. Despite the “horny masterpiece” cries from Letterboxd, I missed Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. I also wasn’t able to catch Alfonso Cuarón’s miniseries debut Disclaimer, nor the underground action hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, by Chinese director Soi Cheang. I only have so much time in the year to write off as “art research” and not “stuffing my face with popcorn.” Not all of these are top 10s or top 5s, but just what I really enjoyed this year. The rankings aren't perfect, and I still find them constantly changing. Still, I can wholeheartedly recommend everything here and give it my "Watch it in IMAX and brag to everyone about it" seal of approval.

Much of the media I talk about in this list I've written about at length in individual reviews. Click on any titles that are underlined to check out their review and get more of my thoughts.

The Best of TV

Honorable Mention: X-Men 97

Legacy sequels are a dime a dozen these days: Top Gun: Maverick, Bill and Ted Face the Music, and the recent Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. They all succeed and falter to varying degrees, but very rarely do they ever go beyond recontextualizing their source material and growing with the audiences who began with it in the first place. In comes X-Men ‘97. A move that surprised most Marvel fans, Disney decided to reboot the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, which mysteriously ended on a cliffhanger after five seasons of quite successful family animated TV. X-Men ‘97 seeks to rectify that by not only picking up directly where the source material left off, but maturing the narrative to match the now-adults who watched the series as children. It’s by no means a hardened HBO drama now, but the writing team took the framework of a Saturday morning cartoon to tell stories about loss and heartache against a world that seeks your extermination. The clear standout was the Genosha-focused episode, “Remember It.” Pulling a Game of Thrones “Red Wedding,” the tone of the series takes a radical shift that’s refreshing for both legacy sequels and Marvel alike. It’s by no means perfect, with a few too many filler episodes that caused my interest to dip in and out, but X-Men ‘97 shows that legacy sequels can be meaningful reinterpretations of classic stories, and not just regurgitations of the hits. It also doesn’t hurt when one of your lead characters has giant metal claws.

4. Shōgun

It’s hard to find a TV phenomenon bigger than this year’s Shōgun. With a record-breaking 18 Emmys, Shōgun gains power from its silence, letting audiences do all the talking, and talk they did. For the month of March, it seemed impossible to escape from Shōgun madness, and probably for the better. Serving as a readaptation of the James Clavell classic novel, Shōgun explores the power vacuum brought about by the death of Japan’s Shōgun, from the perspective of marooned Dutch sailor John Blackthorne. While the series kept spectacle fights and battles to a minimum, Shōgun centered its focus around the politics of power and religion that firmly separated the lands of East and West, during the rise of one of Japan’s most historically significant eras. The series was also a clear flex of FX production abilities. While I’m not generally a fan of swirly lens bokeh and warped edges, the series' production value was undeniably off the charts, complemented by a killer score from Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Nick Chuba. It’s a modern score that reinterprets the ideas of classical Japanese music often found in similar series, adding a deeper layer to the music and tying it to the series' theme of the battling East and West. In the world of Shōgun, power is not earned, but taken, and taken it shall.

3. The Franchise

Nothing is more painful than life, and nothing is funnier than pain. Tell that to a 1st Assistant Director, and he’ll probably laugh right after telling you to go fuck yourself. Yes, ladies and gents, we have another movie about making movies, or rather this time, a series. From the creator of Veep comes The Franchise, which is *checks notes* Veep... on a film set. Who could’ve guessed? Following a bumbling group of producers, ‘roided-up movie stars, horny script supervisors, and a 1st AD all caught up in the middle of it, The Franchise explores the chaos that is not just filmmaking, but franchise filmmaking. Taking place on the set of a major superhero cinematic universe, The Franchise rips into the genre, while respecting the blood, sweat, and tears that go behind it, in what is, for my money, the funniest show of the year. Forced product placement of Chinese tractors, pyrotechnics accidentally blowing up a centuries-old bridge, and the search for “the Armenian Richard Pryor, but a goat” are just a handful of the crazy yet unfortunately believable shenanigans that take place on set. Each episode compounds off-beat personalities as they all try to squeeze in their time in the limelight and be the creative visionary of a project long gone off the rails. Compared to most movies/series about complex industries, The Franchise is pretty inside baseball, throwing you directly into the thick of a film set with no explanation of the roles and lingo. It’s definitely for a niche audience of filmmakers, but dear god, if you fall into that Venn diagram, The Franchise serves up some of the best laughs of the year. Unfortunately, HBO disagreed, canceling any hopes for a Season 2. Thankfully, Season 1 stands mostly self-contained and can be enjoyed on its own.

2. The Sympathizer

Park Chan-Wook, Robert Downey Jr., A24, and HBO, all coming together like Hollywood Voltron to make a Vietnam War miniseries. Dear God above, my prayers have been answered. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, The Sympathizer unites some of the best names in foreign, independent, and mainstream cinema to give us a refined post-Vietnam political thriller like no other. Based on the novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer follows the story of a reluctant Viet Cong spy as he is pushed out of an early retirement to continue his work in the United States at the end of the war. He’s caught between two worlds as the North and South Vietnamese armies pull at his allegiance. RDJ plays not one but five different roles in the series, representing the overreaching arm of the American government and culture into the lives of the Vietnamese. It’s a riveting take on the life of a spy and is masterfully crafted by showrunners Park Chan-Wook and Don McKellar. The Sympathizer’s best surprises are best left unsaid, so I’ll leave you to uncover the real truth.

1. Fallout

As gaming starts to become Hollywood mainstream, we find ourselves at a new crossroads for video game adaptations. No longer are we subjected to the torture of Uwe Boll films and straight-to-DVD Resident Evil movies. Of Hollywood’s new attempts at turning video games into prestige drama, TV seems to have been the best format, which makes sense given that trying to cram a 40-hour adventure into a two-hour movie doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So how does Amazon’s Fallout fare? Given that it’s at the top of the list, I think you’ve already figured that out. Fallout is not only a great TV show, but in my eyes, the best Hollywood video game adaptation yet. It blows The Last of Us, The Witcher, and Arcane out of the water (hot take, I know) to give us not only a faithful adaptation of the source material, but also reinterprets it to make it feel completely new again. Unabashedly, my inner 15-year-old can’t help but nerd out when seeing power-armored Brotherhood of Steel soldiers airdrop out of a helicopter to battle the NCR atop Griffith Observatory. The cool factor is off the fucking charts. But make no mistake, Fallout’s three converging story arcs are a thought-provoking exploration of perseverance to find a reason to live in a land gone mad (sound familiar?). Riding the line between hysterical and horrifying, Fallout brings together an incredible lead cast to give us three unique perspectives on the wasteland, matching three common variable playstyles from the game. While his screentime is kept to a minimum, Kyle MacLachlan is a standout as Overseer Frank MacLean. Using his Twin Peaks Cooper charm, MacLachlan cooks up a nuanced character that serves as a meaningful MacGuffin for the equally excellent Ella Purnell’s Lucy to chase. Showrunners Graham Wagner & Geneva Robertson-Dworet, in conjunction with Executive Producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, have done an excellent job of translating the world Black Isle created and Bethesda has shepherded, to create a series that is hysterical, action-packed, and authentic. I don’t want to set the world on fire, but I sure as hell want to see what Amazon is cooking up for season 2.

Games I Played

While 2024 was not the embarrassment of riches that was 2023’s gaming lineup, there were still quite a few titles to make the year stand out. I usually don’t buy a whole bunch of brand-new AAA titles each year, because $70 for one game ain’t cheap. But thankfully, I was able to get my hands on a few real quality games to spend my year with. Truth be told, not all of these are brand new to 2024, but I think they’re all worth talking about. While some of these are certainly better than others, consider this less of a ranking and more of a general discussion. Embarrassingly, I haven’t seen every adventure through to the end, but I feel that I have played enough of each entry to make a statement on whether or not I enjoyed my time with them. Any game with an asterisk* I’m still working to finish. Thankfully, I’m a man of my word.

Blade and Sorcery*

A VR classic in its own right, Blade and Sorcery made a name for itself by pushing VR physics and combat much further than anything else in the space. Combining (you’ll never guess) blade and sorcery, players are given a medieval physics-based combat sandbox where they can fight against a whole host of fantasy enemies in any way they please. My favorite VR games embrace physics and player freedom, and Blade and Sorcery is a prime example of this. There are next to zero limitations (especially with mods), allowing player agency to drive the fun of the game. Speaking of mods, the now-famous Star Wars: Outer Rim mod turns this into not only one of the best VR combat sandboxes, but one of the best Star Wars games on the market.

While gestating in a six-year early access period, Warp Frog routinely updated the game with new weapons, enemy AI updates, procedural dungeons, and plenty of new ways to disturb your friends when making the wrong judgment call to show them your “combat skills.” But what fans were really waiting for was the long-promised “progression” mode, dubbed Crystal Hunt. While not a full-on Skyrim RPG, Crystal Hunt took the basis of the procedural dungeon crawler system, added a skill tree with new abilities, a weapon/armor shop, and even boss battles.

So how is it? It’s fun, but undeniably repetitive. Quite a bit was added in terms of abilities, but the progression mode itself is just a slightly more advanced version of the already built-in dungeon crawler mode. There are lots of great small details and Easter eggs, but the gameplay loop follows as: three to four combat arenas, a boss battle against a rock monster, buy new gear, repeat. “Finding the fun” isn’t a new concept to Blade and Sorcery fans, but the progression mode doesn’t expand as much as some were hoping. This slightly underwhelming feeling is less of a reflection of the update itself, but rather the fact that so much has been added and built on to the game by Warp Frog, that this seems more like a final cap than an overhaul. It’s a testament to their commitment, not their lack. It might not have been as revolutionary as the game’s initial introduction to the world of VR, but it’s still a welcome addition to what was already easily a top-three reason to buy a VR headset.

Mafia Definitive Edition

The Mafia series is no stranger to ups and downs. While initially labeled a GTA clone, this little 2K franchise that could, proved to hold its own in the gaming space as an independently unique crime thriller, with meaningful stories that can stand toe to toe with any gangster flick. Despite being a nearly 5-year-old remake of a 23-year-old game, Mafia: Definitive Edition strengthens what was already a fan-favorite classic and adapts it to the expectations of the next-gen. Hangar 13 faithfully recreates Illusion Softworks' game, which genuinely feels like a playable version of The Godfather. Forgoing the stylistic flourishes of modern mob movies like Goodfellas and Casino (great films in their own right), Mafia embraces the melancholic roots of the genre, showing us how life in organized crime is one giant horseshoe that always comes back around.

The story of Tommy Angelo is that of a thug who thinks he’s as slick as his hair and fast as a bullet, only to be knocked on his ass when he finds true purpose in the world. That purpose is dangled like a carrot on a string as master manipulator Don Salieri (played wonderfully by Glenn Taranto) gets Tommy to do his dirty work, putting his family in danger and the barrel of his gun to the ones he once called friends. While the gameplay is nothing to write home about, the cinematic presentation and tight structure get you hooked, in and out, before you can say “gabagool.” Clocking in at a cool 10 hours, the story never overstays its welcome. It’s a high-caliber experience with an ending that leaves you feeling gutted like a fish. Mafia: Definitive Edition proves that good stories never die, they just get retold.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth*

I am such a sucker for Final Fantasy. Really. I’m not sure what exactly it is about it, but the world, the characters, and the atmosphere create gaming universes so unique that you can’t help but love spending time in them. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is no different. Continuing directly where Part One of this three-part road trip left off, Rebirth keeps the momentum going by laterally expanding the world into much more diverse open spaces than the first game’s Midgar. There are a whole host of new activities here, from Chocobo racing to the addictive card battler Queen’s Blood, and even a full-fledged playable piano. This infinite wealth of to-dos leaves the game feeling closer to Sega’s Like a Dragon (Yakuza if ya nasty) series.

Admittedly, there is a fair amount of Ubisoft-style bloat in the open world that the game would have been much better without. However, the compelling narrative and characters that string you through the adventure make the whole experience worthwhile. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful score by composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki. Not only is this one of the best Final Fantasy scores, it’s one of the greatest scores ever composed. I genuinely don’t understand how this series is constantly able to musically upstage itself with every new release, but the music here is phenomenal. The Grasslands, Queen’s Blood, and Kalm themes are a few of my favorites in particular. Seriously, why isn’t this on Spotify yet?

Unfortunately, due to outside circumstances, I wasn’t able to jump into the game at launch and only started playing recently. Just over 20 hours in, I’m really enjoying my time with Team Avalanche, and I can’t wait to roll credits. Hopefully, there will be a full review once I’m able to wrap up this massive journey.

Baldur’s Gate 3*

Yes, Baldur’s Gate 3 is amazing. I need not tell you that. It’s also big, stupidly big. Again, you probably already knew that. Just like everybody else, I got sucked into this goblin-tricking, bear-shagging, RFK brain-worm-eating adventure. There’s not much that hasn’t been said about Larian’s smash hit, doing the seemingly impossible by bringing CRPGs back into the mainstream. The real magic comes from their ability to somehow capture the magic and imagination of Dungeons and Dragons, putting it into video game form. It’s a high that so many developers have chased, yet only the rare few have actually achieved. By taking these layered mechanics and putting them in the AAA gaming space, Larian proves that old dogs can do new tricks. Admittedly, things start to fall apart near the game’s overstuffed Act 3, but the wealth of opportunities here can’t be understated. You don’t need me to tell you this. Play Baldur’s Gate 3.

The Best of Movies

Honorable Mentions: A lot...

Movies, movies, movies. What would we do without them? Probably kill each other with rocks, like in the Stone Age. Thankfully, the only Rocks we have now are on $300 million rescue missions to save Santa Claus, but you probably didn’t see that anyhow. However, what you should see are some of these great films I’ve got queued up. Don’t take my ranking too seriously, I’m only saving my best for last. But before we jump into those, I have a rapid-fire list of honorable mentions that are worth, at the very least, a “second screen experience” if you work in development at a major streamer.

First, we have Madame Web… No, I’m just fucking with you. Festival films made a hell of a splash last year, starting with The Substance. This Cronenberg-inspired body horror flick came as a huge surprise as a full-on genre film, with great performances, practical effects, and a poignant message that slaps you right on the ass. Surprisingly, Dennis Quaid gave a better performance here as Ronald Reagan than he did in the Reagan film (go figure). This was also a big win for the new kid on the block streamer MUBI, nodding both them and director Coralie Fargeat their first Best Picture nomination.

Speaking of Best Picture noms, Sean Baker’s Anora featured another of the year’s most stellar performances in its star Mikey Madison. But the festival films don’t stop with… Joker 2. Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain. I was one of the rare few that didn’t hate Joker 2. I wouldn’t say that I particularly liked the film, but I respect what Todd Phillips was trying to achieve, even if he didn’t fully achieve it. I appreciate directors taking bold swings, especially in the blockbuster space. Say what you will about Joker 2, but you can’t deny that it was a bold swing. Story aside, the cinematography by DP Lawrence Sher was phenomenal (thanks for answering all my nerdy questions), and seeing it projected on 15/70 was one hell of an experience. Another controversial pick was Shyamalan’s new thriller Trap. It made absolutely no sense, but was great fun in the theater as a modern schlock film.

With some more generally appealing movies, documentaries didn’t slouch this year either. Yacht Rock and Casa Bonita Mi Amor make a banging double feature for fans of great music and mediocre food. Robert Eggers also finally brought us his long-awaited new interpretation of F. W. Murnau’s classic 1922 symphony of horror, Nosferatu. The atmosphere and tone were really on point, with some of his best cinematography to date, which is really saying something.

2024 was also the year of the rereleases, with Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and Tarsem Singh’s The Fall. Two incredibly different yet equally beautiful films that speak to the inner soul of viewers. Seeing The Fall on the big screen, and Interstellar on 15/70mm IMAX, were easily some of the most amazing film-going experiences I’ve ever had. It’s moments like those that remind us why the cinematic experience is so important. And now… The Rest!

10. Strange Darling

It seems like every year there is that one movie you should go into blind. Strange Darling is that film for 2024. So what can I tell you now? Director JT Mollner delivers an incredibly unexpected thriller by only giving you enough pieces of the puzzle to leave you guessing. You’ll constantly be trying to put the film together as you watch it, with a new piece of misdirection to throw you off the trail. Shot on gorgeous 35mm (which the film promptly lets you know right at the start), Strange Darling clearly takes its inspirations straight from the heart of 1970s New Hollywood Era filmmaking. To create this aesthetic, actor Giovanni Ribisi takes a back step behind the camera, serving as the film’s director of photography. He does have a brief cameo, but his turn on the Arriflex is quite commendable and sharply adds to the tone set by Mollner. Performances by co-leads Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner are also unforgettable, as they slowly pull and manipulate the audience in wildly different directions. Strange Darling is tight, exciting, and a constant thrill ride. I can’t recommend it enough.

9. Gladiator II

Say what you will about Ridley Scott’s recent output, but damn am I a sucker for historical epics. In that regard, Gladiator II delivers. Scott has greatly improved his ability to direct action since the days of the first film’s jump-cut-fueled shakey fight scenes. With this new cinematic eye, Scott creates such a fun spectacle factor for his long-awaited sequel. Rhinos and ship battles in the Coliseum? Check. Denzel Washington scheming a massive military coupe? Check. Historical accuracy? Stop asking stupid questions. The world of ancient Rome is incredibly dense and rendered in beautiful 2024 modern technology. It is admittedly a bit of a retread of the first film, but the third act does enough to recontextualize the events and justify its own existence. Audiences seemed to be a bit more hit-and-miss on this one, but it’s hard to live up to the legendary status that the first film built up over the past 24 years. Is Gladiator II a bit messy? Sure it is. But I can’t complain when it’s so much fun. In all honesty, I still wish we got Nick Cave’s original Gladiator II script, involving Maximums roaming Hell, resurrecting from the dead, and becoming a time-traveling God of War. It probably would have been a mess that Dreamworks would have never funded, but a boy can dream. Thankfully what we got was a wild enough ride. Is Gladiator II as good as the first film? No. But it’s entertaining as all hell, bringing plenty to the table to make the whole experience worth it.

8. Midnight Caller

Formerly known as Warhol, Midnight Caller is a wild thriller following midnight shock jock, Dave Dawson, as he gets a call from a listener, claiming that someone is actively breaking into their house. The line between prank and reality is fractured as Dave pushes the caller deeper into madness, and the radio producers threaten to shut down the show. It’s simultaneously nail-biting and hilarious, as Dave’s personality walks a fine tightrope between being a real asshole and a real human. The film expertly plays on our expectations of what we think rational people should do, because let’s face it, nobody in this film is even remotely rational. It’s a tightly woven deep dive into our primal obsession with fame, and the disturbing lengths we’ll go to reach it. Brain rot, propaganda, algorithmic social media, and the lack of basic empathy in the face of danger are all targets of Midnight Caller, and it just so happens to do it all in 80 minutes. Working with a budget of just 100k and shot over the span of 12 days, director Adam Ethan Crowe takes lead from the characters, pushing himself to the limits, and fulfilling Andy Warhol’s prophecy: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” What will it cost to get yours?

You can watch the film here.

7. Conclave

As any Catholic knows, our relationship with religion is strange. Based on feelings of hope, guilt, desire, freedom, and bondage, it’s hard to be under the eyes of God. In every church, Christ hangs from a crucifix with tears of blood streaming from a crown of thorns, adorning your sins and reminding you of both heaven and the hellfire below. Steeped in controversy, charity, and corruption, the Catholic church is nothing short of a living paradoxical conundrum. But how does it function? How does the church see the new light of day? Handmade for lapsed Catholics, Conclave is director Edward Berger’s answer to this question. Following up his 2022 Oscar hit All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave takes us deep within the walls of the Vatican, exploring mysterious movings of a conclave as they vote for the next pope. Conclave gives an unprecedented look at a secretive 2000-year-old process that has guided the lives of Catholics everywhere. Designed as a political thriller, Conclave’s Cardinals of fashion school dropouts lie, cheat, and steal in the name of God and the Catholic church, all in hopes of being ordained as the new pope. Be it vape-hitting Cardinal Tedesco or populist favorite Cardinal Bellini, everyone has an ulterior motive as they vie for the ring. In the middle is Cardinal Lawrence, played masterfully by Ralph Fiennes. Caught between the duties of church and man, Lawrence navigates the lies and deceit while trying to make his own exit from the church without becoming a contender. Conclave’s strength comes from its tough-as-nails script from scribes Peter Straughan and Robert Harris, making each character feel fully realized and believable. Enhancing the atmosphere is the stunning cinematography by DP Stéphane Fontaine and the production design by Suzie Davies. The controversial ending does feel a bit unrealistic, given the political climate of the Catholic church, but the message still stands. Would you forgo dogma if it meant doing the right thing?

6. Kneecap

The Queen’s English can get right fucked if you ask Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí, the trio making up the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap. Following the semi-true origin story of how the band came to be, Kneecap puts audiences in the middle of Ireland’s politically charged IRA as they fight against British rule, especially when it comes to the suppression of their native tongue. In comes Liam and Naoise as they deal drugs and spread “Irish cheer” through the use of their controversial Irish language hip-hop. However, when Liam’s arrest puts their future in jeopardy, Irish language middle school teacher J.J. reluctantly comes to save the day as a barrier between the British and the certifiably Irish. Together they form a musical trio, pissing off the corrupt IRA and the ghost of Margaret Thatcher alike. It’s a wholly original take on music biopics, using a layer of honesty and humor solely missing from the genre. The music is catchy as hell and will have you walking out singing lyrics you can barely pronounce, but feel in your soul as you tell the British to go fuck themselves. Director Rich Peppiatt infuses the film with the same playful style as the group’s music. Stylistically, it’s as if Scott Pilgrim was on some unholy mix of LSD and Ketamine and given a box of Che Guevara’s Lucky Charms to use as a screenplay. That might sound like a jumbled-up drug-fueled political mess, but I guarantee you, it’s magically delicious (don’t do drugs, I’m not liable for your dumb decisions).

5. War Game

When the world’s most powerful country tightrope walks a future of chaos, how does a group of limited government officials keep the rope of democracy from snapping and leading her people to demise? War Game provides a window inside the War Room of the White House in this political thriller documentary. Taking place over the course of six hours, War Game follows a group of bipartisan former government officials (many having served in past presidential cabinets) as they partake in a simulation where a rebellion builds on American soil in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2024 election on January 6th, 2025. Played out like a hyper-real version of Dungeons and Dragons, these officials have six hours to keep America from falling into a second civil war, maintain democracy, and ensure a peaceful transition of power. Funded by the Vet Voice Foundation, a vet-based group fighting extremism in the military, War Game seeks to give audiences a look into the workings of American de-escalation, while providing an understanding of how conspiracies and extremism threaten democracy through the likes of everyday individuals. It’s a chilling reminder of the threat America constantly faces, told expertly through the directing and editing choices of directors Tony Gerber & Jesse Moss, as well as editor Jeff Gilbert. While not directly attacking the left or right, War Game is an honest look at democracy under attack by bad actors within our own nation. The film pissed off quite a few J-6ers who review-bombed the film for using the attack on the capitol as a point of reference, but let that be an attractor, not a deterrent. There is a real threat to a free United States by fascists. War Game is both a powerful reminder of this and a great precursor to our next film…

4. Civil War

War. What is it good for? Quite a bit of movies, it seems like. Alex Garland’s newest film Civil War brings us to a not-so-distant future, where the heroes of our previous film fucked up and didn’t save the day. The post-truth age has caught up with the American public, sending us into a wallowing pit of violence and despair. Heavily inspired by Apocalypse Now, Civil War takes us up the proverbial river of America’s heartland as a group of journalists document an American Civil War, asking how we got just so fucked up. The film’s power comes from taking imagery seen all over the world in countries considered less developed and sticking it firmly in American iconography. “Patriots” turned suicide bombers wrapped in American flags. The US military turning arms on people they once called brothers. It’s not every day you see the Lincoln Memorial bombed and ravaged by American militia groups in helicopters, but it sure as hell gets the point across. We too are just as susceptible to extremism and terrorism within. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: “The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization.” Call it on the nose all you like, but Civil War gives us a pretty clear idea of what road we’re headed down if we keep treating each other the way we do.

3. The Brutalist

Is the American Dream built, or does it long gestate through generations of power? Lady Liberty swings upside down to those who sail upon her shores, only leaving the few to find her right side up. Captured in wonderful Vista Vision, Brady Cobert commands the silver screen with a sizable spectacle befitting the grandeur of America’s promise, while traversing the dark cave used to mine the foundation of her glory. Taking us on a multidecade journey through time, The Brutalist sees Jewish architect László Tóth on his journey to the States in search of building a new life for his family to join him in America. However, when industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren employs him to build a multipurpose Christian church high enough to commune with God himself, Tóth questions whether the American Dream might actually be a nightmare. While the deconstruction of the American Dream (or its comparison to a nightmare) is nothing new, director Brady Cobert takes the power of Brutalist architecture to create a mountainous spectacle that shows the scale of obstacles facing those seeking glory, and their insignificance in the eyes of the gods above. The Brutalist is absolutely classic American filmmaking. Shot in the aforementioned Vista Vision, not seen in cinemas since the likes of films such as The Ten Commandments, Cobert takes inspiration from spectacle films such as 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, and Gone With the Wind, to make a three-and-a-half-hour-long epic that feels pulled right out of the film canisters of yesteryear, with the combined modern sheen of today’s technology. The score by composer Daniel Blumberg takes part in this grandeur, as the use of blaring horns radiates from the walls while spinning imagery of Ellis Island comes across the screen in 70mm. When talking about scale, I was admittedly worried that the most brutal part of this film would be the runtime; it’s actually paced beautifully. Never once did the movie drag or falter, while still giving you the feeling by the film’s end as if you have lived an entire life with László Tóth. Every victory and every defeat. Admittedly, the second half of the film does muddy the waters a little bit with a noticeable tonal and narrative shift. But these changes never feel out of step with the film’s ultimate goals. It gives you so much to chew on, while still giving you plenty of substance to feel full. The Brutalist will no doubt go down as a cinematic, technological, and narrative achievement. I only hope that Hollywood takes the lesson and makes more. László Tóth believes in America, but does America believe in him?"

2. Megalopolis

I’d say 'The future is now, old man,' but in a twist of fate, the old man brought us the future; some people just aren’t ready for it yet. As Cesar Catalina puts it, 'When we leap into the unknown, we prove we are free.' And free, Francis Ford Coppola is, with his sci-fi epic Megalopolis. 40 years in the making, Megalopolis was nothing short of massive, controversial, and massively controversial. The film follows genius architect Cesar Catalina as he competes with the mayor of New Rome to rebuild the city into a utopia of their own making. Here, Coppola experiments fully with nontraditional act structure, 1920s film techniques, surreal VFX, and a scene where an actor inside the movie theater breaks the 4th wall and talks to Adam Driver on screen. As controversial as it is groundbreaking, Megalopolis was lambasted by many but fondly appreciated by the few. Be it for its auteur style or infinitely layered messaging, a select number of people found the film to be a hypnotizing, once-in-a-lifetime filmgoing experience. With this film, I think Francis is speaking to a deeper part of the human subconscious. He’s sending a message to the collective world about our lack of vision and empathy for ourselves and future generations. It’s stunning, hysterical, visually hypnotizing, and one of the best movie-going experiences I could have asked for. It might lack the production value of László Tóth’s architectural adventure in The Brutalist, but Coppola has a message just as powerful to those willing to listen. Can the power of love be just as strong as the power to control time? Despite what the rest of the world says, I highly recommend you watch it for yourself and see what the movie has to offer you. I can guarantee there is nothing like it.

1. Dune Part 2

Surprise!... Surprise! Surprise! Dune Part 2 is amazing. Who could have guessed it? While it might not be experimental and wild in the way Megalopolis is, Dune Part 2 perfects the traditional art of storytelling by adapting the second half of Frank Herbert’s infamously dense novel. We pick up immediately where Part 1 left off, with Paul amidst the Fremen after the fall of House Atreides. We see Paul rise through the ranks, until he accepts his role as the savior to the Fremen, only for his ultimate goals to come into question. It’s epic, gorgeous, heartbreaking, and eerily politically relevant (just as much, if not more, than when the novel was originally released).

Dune starts off familiar in how it built the foundation for many of fiction’s heroes to come but feels fresh in how its stark character turn for Paul completely changes the context of the hero’s journey. Performances all around are top-notch, with Javier Bardem being a surprisingly comedic standout. Timothy Chalamet not only elevates but evolves his role by giving each word the gravitas of a messiah, especially during his speech in the South. Dune Part 2 exceeds Part 1 in nearly every way by fully diving into Fremen culture, the psycho-spiritual, and a politically relevant message that will, unfortunately, stay relevant until we all return to the well. Dune has certifiably cemented itself as an essential epic of modern cinema, standing shoulder to shoulder with Interstellar, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. Is Villeneuve the Lisan Al-Gaib? After watching this, probably. It’s just that good.

0. Devil of the Moonlight

Something… Something… Shameless plug. Yes, I’ve done it again with another addition to the greatest films of all time. I know, it’s just a miracle I keep the hits coming. Soon to a screen near you is Devil of the Moonlight, a new horror thriller from Flipside Studios & Kino Provada. While on the run from the law, a thief takes shelter in an abandoned barn, only to discover he might not be alone. Shot on location in one of Gilroy’s historic farming landmarks, Devil of the Moonlight loosely retells the story of St. Michael vs. Satan in the Book of Revelation. Going completely dialogueless to submerge the audience in the haunting atmosphere of a cat-and-mouse game of life and death, Devil of the Moonlight shows the face of true horror, and the lengths gone to escape its cold, bloody grasp. Bookended by the blaring drums of Death Grips' industrial hit "No Love," Devil of the Moonlight is a haunting sensory experience you’ll not be able to forget. Coming soon.