11 Comments
User's avatar
Shay's avatar
1hEdited

I loved Sinners so much - but I think I had a different read on it. My biggest take away from the allegory was that the price of “whiteness” is the loss of your culture (Remmick not being able to see his ancestors anymore) - something i think many white Americans struggle with whether they realize it or not. Making the antagonist Irish was such an inspired choice with historical significance - it was such a great film.

Expand full comment
Shawn Marincas's avatar

You missed Sovereign, imho it was better overall than One Battle After Another though I agree there are spectacular scenes that don't compare. Should at least get an honorable mention for the compelling and compassionate way the story treats all of the real people in this real life travesty.

Expand full comment
Sumi Ink 🇨🇦's avatar

As a horror movie fan, I'm happy to see Weapons and Sinners (I know it's not just a horror film) so high up on this list.

Expand full comment
Kat's avatar

Thanks Sonny! (As always). For me, This list couldn’t come at a better time. I am settling into my faithful Christmas to first week of January movie watching. I’ve only seen 1 of them. Happy holidays. I really appreciate it.

Expand full comment
Lush's avatar

I saw Black Bag twice in the cinema, but that's not the wrongest you've ever been. You saved that for Honey Don't which I desperately wanted to like but could not on account of it being offensively stupid. The Coens need to work together or be banned from filmmaking.

Runner up in wrongness is somehow leaving Hamnet off this list. Jessie Buckley delivers the rawest, most vulnerable performance I can remember seeing on the screen.

Expand full comment
Castlefornia's avatar

I really liked Eddington—Pedro Pascal is so perfectly smarmy, it's my favorite role I've seen him in—but the satirical moments in the first 2/3's of the movie felt so real and well-observed that I kind of wish it didn't tip into total insanity at the end.

I still have to catch up on a bunch of these. I'm most excited about "It Was Just An Accident," enough that I've deliberately avoided learning too much about it.

Of the movies I've seen, I don't have any objections to what you included on your list (although I am totally on the OBAO bandwagon).

Expand full comment
John Doyle's avatar

Nuremburg was the best movie this year. Bar none

Expand full comment
Karen Nielsen's avatar

I live in a cultural wasteland where at least half of these movies never showed. I did love Sinners, Bugonia, and One Battle After Another. Thanks for the recommendations! We do get the Oscar shorts and they show all the Oscar nominees so I may get a chance to see some of them on the big screen. And there’s always streaming and dvd.

Expand full comment
Sonny Bunch's avatar

yeah, I'm pretty sure most of these are on VOD/streaming now?

Expand full comment
Charles's avatar

I have to say I sat through the first half of Eddington totally uncomfortable thinking I do not want to relive this, I'm a healthcare worker I have some very personal feelings about that time, just like everyone else, but then the movie Just ramps up and becomes beautiful.

Expand full comment
Jake's avatar

I hazard a guess as to what would be one here and mostly nailed it.

Expand full comment