What I've been listening to:

Jung Jae Il’s Parasite soundtrack, Robyn’s new songs, Kelly Moran, Geese.

What have I been doing? Hello and happy new year! Guess who still can’t publish this thing more frequently? Well, the good news is that I’ve got a new plan, more on that later. Aside from the usual start of year nonsense with going to Las Vegas for CES, I’ve made a bunch of changes and none of them in the “New Year’s Resolution” format. Still, I’ve changed the way that I sleep, eat, use my phone, read, post, and work out. Hell, I am even changing the stuff that I watch on TV. More on this January and February of change next time, or the time after that. This post comes from New York City, where we’re thawing out from a pretty nice cold winter.

Some people feel a mad rush to catch up with all or many of the Oscar nominees, but their calendar doesn’t abide by that. So, to assist them, I’m trying out an idea that’s best summarized by saying “the Oscar-nominated films that you should see and skip, based on your personal preferences and traumas.” Is this just a Hater’s Guide To The Oscars? Maybe, I haven’t read those NFL articles in ages. Anyway, I was thinking about how you’re possibly faced with decision paralysis and people saying you should watch their favorites. Not a bad way to think about it, but what if I thought about the reasons why you will or might not see them, and then give advice on why they’re still good? Here goes. These films are sorted in order of how they appear in this page.

But before we get to that, here are the best movies that aren’t Oscar-nominated because award shows are bad:

Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby”

David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds”

Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice”

Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind”

I won’t write a single word about why you shouldn’t see them. If you have questions, though, ask me elsewhere.

See it unless you’re really and truly done with Timmy C’s braggadocios ways, because it’s a tale of how much of a prick one man can be while still scraping upward at success. The ending might be a bit abrupt to some, but this is a movie many will probably love despite their dislike of the protagonist. Were it prose in need of correction, I’d call Marty Supreme an absolute run-on sentence of life, as Marty just keeps doing things that will surprise and have you wondering when he’s going to stop. Tremendously cast, though I have my issues with casting a reality TV show con-man in a role that would have been better performed by any number of actual character actors.

You should probably see this one unless you’re really sick and tired of the attention that slacker dads get. If you’re angry with the elders who have failed us, you may wonder why you gave writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson 162 minutes to rile your blood. That said, I recommend it to most everyone else, because you get another of the year’s excellent casts telling a story that shows how a generation that failed to enact change pays for it in their older years. Find a movie theater that’s showing this drama, because god damn the road chase scene deserves it. Find the time to focus on every scene, because Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, and Sean Penn do so much physical acting that you might miss were you to try and double-screen this one.

Hi, if you hate the theater and have bad memories of theater kids? This one might rub you the wrong way, but I hope that’s not the case. Ethan Hawke truly does wonders with his performance of playwright Lorenz Hart, a role that takes all of his allure (both physically and otherwise) away and replaces it with anxiety and neurosis. That, too, might sound like too much for some people, but holy hell does this Hawke performance need to be seen.

If you don't like blood or vampires, you're gonna be watching some scenes through some fingers. Aside from that, the best excuses to not watch "Sinners" are things that I would hope do not apply to this newsletter's readership. A fantasy spin on the vampirism that's devoured Black culture, filled with strong performances, Sinners absolutely rules. The only real flaws I may have had with it come down to my disinterest in actors playing twin characters (sorry, Michael B. Jordan, it’s not about your work) and audio frustrations that might have been traced back to a subpar presentation at the Brooklyn Alamo Drafthouse.

If you hate long movies, you might have already dismissed this epic about the life of a man on the run from his own country's authorities. This 2-hour and 40-minute gem comes from Kleber Mendonça Filho, a Brazilian writer, director and co-producer who was already known by the cineaste crowd but is going to be a much bigger deal after this. The film follows Armando (Wagner Moura), who smolders for the camera as he's hiding out in Recife, a city in Brazil, during Carnivale. 

While Moura's the clear star of the film, he doesn't exactly carry it, thanks to the folks pulled in by casting director Gabriel Domingues, who basically makes Recife come alive with an amazing series of scene-stealers. From a dentist to a colleague to weird little hitmen, The Secret Agent just keeps populating its world so perfectly you'd think this was Matt Groening's Springfield. But yes it's long, so I know some people might just skip the film I'm currently calling my favorite of the last year.

Skip this unless you really want to see Euphoria star Jacob Elordi as the titular doctor’s brooding creation. Possibly the worst best picture nominee this year, which I hate to say given everything director Guillermo Del Toro has said about generative AI being bad. 

If you don’t like methodically slow family dramas then director Joachim Trier's follow up to "The Worst Person In The World" might not offer enough to keep your attention. But holy hell, this movie full of the angst of being let down will really connect with those ready for it. Stellan Skarsgård is perfect as aging patriarch Gustav, who's returned from absence to find his daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) at vastly different points in their lives. Then, well, Elle Fanning shows up as a rising star, and I'll say no more about that. Might be my favorite movie of the bunch, depending on what day it is.

Mothers with traumatic pregnancy memories, parents of young children and those who have had deaths in the family that are still incredibly fresh in the head might have a lot of trouble with this one. Also, people who don't like Shakespeare. Hell, a lot of other people may find the first act of this one a little too slow at time. You also might take points off if you don't like movies that are shot like stage plays.

But Jessie Buckley is probably winning an Oscar for this, and her performance is so damn good that those who think they might be able to stomach Hamnet based on the above should definitely see it. She's absolutely phenomenal, and her co-star Paul Mescal is alright, too.

Take everything I said about Hamnet but crank that dial all the way around with at least a dozen full 360-degree turns. Why? Because this movie is about Rose Byrne playing a mother in a seriously cursed situation where her husband is an absentee, her daughter is terribly ill, and everything feels almost like a horror movie. It's often lit that way too. That said, just like Jessie Buckley in “Hamnet,” Rose Byrne does absolute applause-worthy marvels in writer/director Mary Bronstein's film, and it's the kind of movie that will stick with you for a while. 

I do not want to see this because ... well ... I'm suspicious of all things Neil Diamond and cover band, and Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman. This is the kind of movie I would’ve probably watched for the sake of my job depended on it, and if I tried to force myself to watch it I imagine I might have bailed early like I did for Darren Aronofsky’s "The Whale." Just looks boring. But I kind of want to see it because I've heard it far outhits the trailer.

If you’re squeamish or don’t like misery — especially with regard to men kidnapping women — you’re probably already skipping past this paragraph because nobody's been subtle about this story. Or, you might be skipping “Bugonia” because of its divisive director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose movies often feel like endurance tests, and his most recent two films "Poor Things" and "Kinds of Kindness" were extremely ,,, alienating. Anyway, Bugonia can be a hoot, but I can definitely understand those screaming "NEXT!" 

Unfortunately, though, you're going to miss amazing performances from Jesse Plemmons and Emma Stone whose dialogue bounces off of each other like bullets hitting Superman's crest.

Squeamish about violence and/or hate anything to do with needles? You might see multiple scenes of this one through your fingers. Also, probably trouble for anyone who can't handle stories of missing children or is still saying "pizzagate" seriously. Oh, and if sick relatives make you go "oh no," then writer/director Zach Cregger's “Weapons” might not be your thing. You might also be apprehensive about this one if horror isn't your cup, but there are much fewer jump scares in this than I expected. Though I will admit that scene with a bloody-faced Benedict Wong will be unsettling for others. 

All that said? If you like Josh Brolin being paranoid? If you liked Cregger’s previous film “Barbarian?” If you love movies that shift perspectives in sections, with some overlapping? Yeah, I think you’re gonna love “Weapons.” Lots of zany weirdos, and one of my favorites of 2025, if purely for what it does with modern conspiracy junkies.

Do you need conversations in your movie? If pensive and emotive looks out at the wonders of nature sounds like your idea of misery, then maybe skip Clint Bentley's "Train Dreams." It's all about the life of a man (played by Joel Edgerton) in the Pacific Northwest working on the railroads during the start of the 20th century. It's the kind of movie that people call "poetic," due to its quietness and visual beauty. I'm not especially knowledgable about Edgerton's filmography, only think I've seen him in two Star Wars prequels before this, but he really impressed me.

The only real problem, though, is that I wish you could see "Train Dreams" on the big screen, like I did at Netflix's Paris Theater. As you might have guessed based on the above, it's a movie that demands your eyes on it.

You might skip director Jafar Panahi's latest because you don't want to see a movie about those who survive torture but cannot leave it in their past, but most will skip it because it's only nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay.

The thing is, you shouldn't skip this one. You really ought to see it. It might seem too on the nose, but the storytelling here balances tension and comedy in ways you won't expect, as PTSD drama meets farce when survivors don't know how to make it out. One of those twisting and turning adventures that will have you amazed it's happening, and that's before you learn Panahi filmed it in secret.

You should skip “Sirāt” if you don’t like tragedies children, or deaths that seem irrational. You will skip “Sirāt” because you've heard about the twists, or you've just heard it's a very difficult movie or a movie about people at a rave in the desert. Or maybe you're skipping “Sirāt” because you haven't even heard of it.

But god damn “Sirāt” is a hell of a movie. One of those films I was shocked about and amazed by in the moment, when it veers into William Friedkin's "Sorcerer" territory, and it's aged very well in my head. 

You're going to skip "The Voice of Hind Rajab" because it's about a real life story where a Palestinian child was trapped in a car that was under fire. That might sound like too much to some, especially because it's told through the point of view of the workers at the Palestine Red Crescent call center who are trying to get that child saved. But on top of it all, the film actually incorporates elements of Hind Rajab's call. The reason you'll skip this movie is why you should see it. 

I have no advice or thoughts about Joseph Kosinski’s “F1” movie.

So, previously in this newsletter, I would write reviews of everything I’ve seen since the last edition published. Since then, though, I started trying harder and writing more in my Letterboxd reviews, so that doesn’t make as much sense. So, what I’m thinking is that this section will now turn into blurbs of the best of the best of what I’ve seen since last time. And I’m focusing on things I’ve seen this year.

I cannot believe how I liked "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" more than the film that preceded it. Except maybe I can, because it has no Aaron Taylor-Johnson (my absolute least favorite part of “28 Years Later”). Jack O'Connell's creepy lost boys cult leader performance is a fine substitute for the bad father figure, but Ralph Fiennes' does the heaviest lifting as pandemic doc Ian Kelson, who's struggling to find the cure for the beasts ravaging the British Isles. Nia DeCosta, who made 2025's electric and underseen "Hedda" put her own stamp on this one, making it grounded in the humanity and the horror of it all. 

Aidan Zamiri's "The Moment" goes a-barat-a-tat-tat with chaos. This is one I found compelling in the theater, but a victim of expectations since I've been following Charli's work since at least 2013's "Superlove," among other reasons. It's not the rapid-fire joke-fest you might expect given the "This Is Spinal Brat" phrase that's been tossed around. While this film's alternative timeline version of the Brat tour has its jokes, many of them at Taylor Swift's expense (look into Alexander Skarsgård's character), it's also a pretty strong personal story about what the anxieties about the scarcity of success can do to any of us. 

Sam Raimi's "Send Help" is a big bit of "guess who's back?!" with both the director and his star Rachel McAdams re-establishing what we love about them. McAdams plays an office workhorse whose number-crunching, loophole-finding genius is not respected at all, and she winds up in a perfectly zany "Triangle of Sadness"-esque situation on an island with her dumbass boss (Dylan O'Brien). Horror and gross-out moments ensue, and you'll be reminded of why you don't mess with The Evil Dead or Regina George.

While I pulled off a very particular Valentine's day trifecta (more on that next time), it was Maryam Touzani's "Calle Málaga" that hit me with the romantic feels more than anything else. Sure, it's a bit on the slight side, but this tale of senior citizen mischief worked very well for me with it family drama, neighborhood characters and the thing where 79-year-old Maria Angeles finds herself some frisky fun. 

I'd never seen Wim Wenders' "Paris, Texas" before, and I'm glad I did before that director's cowardly remarks about arts and politics. Absolute stunner, and another of the movies you ought to see in theaters the first time you get a chance.

Holy hell, "Hard Boiled" is one of the best maximalist action movies, because John Woo knows that stars need to be flying and sliding and doing other movements very quickly through the air when they're attacking someone. 

The thing about Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole" is that it's so comedic that you might lose track of how absolutely on the money it is about ... well, so much of modern life. When the lie becomes the scam becomes the economy, and it's all about a man buried alive under rocks? 

The smartest way I'm spending my year has been taking fliers out on interesting movies screening at local theaters, and "A New Love In Tokyo" was definitely one of them. A slice-of-life comedy about a loving community of sex workers, this one is driven by a strong soundtrack and a walking batch of the human punchlines we call men.

One of those movies I've kind of known I should have watched earlier, "sex, lies, and videotape" has gotten stuck on my head like gum on a shoe. James Spader is truly a generational emoter, Peter Gallagher's work feels in conversation with Nicholson in "Carnal Knowledge" and Andi MacDowell ... such a well-grounded performance. 

Half the people I've talked about "Baby It's You" with have no interest in seeing it, and I get it. Vincent Spano's Sheik is a grade-A high school fuckup and bad boy, and Rosanna Arquette’s Jill is the last person who should be considering him. 

Thank you for reading this far.

Next time, which I hope will be soon, I’m talking about the book I’m about to finish.