14 Weeks into the Year, Here Are the 14 Films I Think People Should Check Out

Note: I have some limited releases from late last year that went wide(r) this year.

14. Loveless

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s latest about divorced parents trying to find their missing son isn’t as good as his previous work, Leviathan. It’s oppressive and singular unlike Leviathan, which was heavy but had lighter and funnier moments that made it surprising, dynamic, and profound.

What Loveless is is a really well made movie by a great director. There really isn’t much wrong with it and every component parts are well done, some of it even exceptional. However, it’s one of those movies while I was watching, I spent more time admiring than being absorbed. So, though it does have some memorable scenes and powerful moments, I rank this a lot lower than I thought I would before I saw it. Still, It’s certainly worth a watch because it is a quality piece of work.

13. Oh Lucy!

Oh Lucy! a is rom-com by a first time feature director, Atsuko Hirayanagi, about a relationship between a middle-aged Japanese women and her English teacher. It’s not all that unique and maybe you’ve seen a movie like it more than once but I couldn’t help but be charmed by it.

It’s always kinda neat to see the US and Americans from a foreign perspective and this one does it in a pretty even keeled way. There is also enough self reflection of one’s own culture as a Japanese filmmaker.

Also, there is a super random cameo by Megan Mullally which is, again, super random but I was really into.

12. Flower

Full disclosure, a friend of mine has a decent size role in this one. I’m not recommending it because of that and I don’t think it had that much to do with my enjoyment of the film, though it certainly added to it.

Flower is a fun movie about a group of teens trying to catch an accused pediphile with his pants down, quite literally. The film begins with a scene that may make the movie seem like a shallow raunchy comedy but it turns out to be a fairly multi-demensional character study about a girl (played by Zoey Deutch) who comes off pretty shitty for most of the movie.

I didn’t know about Zoey Deutch before Flower but she really carries this movie on her young back. She’s definitely someone people should keep an eye out for, I know I am from now on.

The movie really runs off course in the last act, which is unfortunate ‘cause most of it super solid. It’s still really entertaining for the most part though and I think worth a look.

11. Thoroughbreds

Like Zoey Deutch from Flower, Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy are both pretty talented young actors and the reason to watch Thoroughbreds. Another reason to watch this film is because it’s Anton Yelchin’s last.

The movie itself is a love it or hate it affair. It has all the earmarks of a modern indie by a young filmmaker. Thoroughbreds is stylish and delivered cold, perhaps fitting for a film about revenge and murder. It’s the kind of movie I would’ve probably loved 5-10 years ago but now, makes me a bit uncomfortable and not sure how to feel about. Is it amoral or immoral?

I’m not sure I like it but it’s just the type of movie I want people to see and tell me what they think about it.

10. A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is one of those critical darlings I’m not sure it’ll fair as well with audiences. It’s clear why it reviewed so well but to me, it felt like a studio cut of a potentially better movie. The film sometimes takes too many shortcuts. It’s a lean cut of meat without the gristle and fat, which sounds good ‘til you taste it. Most movies could and should be trimmed here and there but A Quiet Place feels like it’s missing a few scenes to fully come together.

I’m being harsh because most of it is pretty freaking great and it’s so close to being amazing based on what’s on display. Still, it’s the type of film we should be encouraging studios to back so people should give it a shot.

09. Outside in

Outside In is a romantic drama about a guy who just got out of prison after serving 20 years (played by Jay Duplass) and his teacher (Edie Falco) who helped him get released. It’s a touching look at a guy who lost the best years of his life and the reality of being out in the real world after being on the inside for two decades.

It won’t win any awards for originality but it hits all the right notes and makes all the right moves to really delivery a beautiful grounded narrative that depicts people in a truthful way.

08. Unsane

If you’ve seen Steven Soderbergh’s 2013 movie Side Effects, his newest, Unsane, is like a trashier take on mental illness and that’s saying something cause Side Effects was, inself, kinda trashy. Still, I enjoy both of these movies quite a bit for different reasons.

If you saw the movie Tangerine, which was shot on an iPhone like this movie, don’t go in expecting the same type of results. Unsane doesn’t look great or good or at times, even acceptable. However, it does sorta add to the trashiness of it.

I know this sounds like a backhanded praise of the film but go into this one ready to enjoy a politically incorrect, messy, fun picture.

07. Annihilation

Alex Garland’s 2nd directorial effort failed to catch on like Ex Machina but it is worth seeing. Its mix of sci-fi and horror offers some of the most tense and memorable moments in film this year thus far. More than anything though, Annihilation is a visual treat and bigger the screen and louder the sound system you have, the better you’ll enjoy it.

06. Isle of Dogs

I always feel I need to preface any comments about a Wes Anderson movie by saying I’m not a Wes Anderson hater but people always seem to enjoy his movies more than I do. I like most of his films, as I did Isle of Dogs, but I can’t seem to get excited about them as much as I wish I could.

Anyway, Isle of Dogs is as charming as you’d expect and it stands out from his other work because it’s basically a foreign film. There is so much Japanese in it that I almost hesitate to recommend it to folks who aren’t into international movies.

That said, it’s Wes Anderson. You kinda know what you’re getting with this one.

05. A Fantastic Woman

A Fantastic Woman is about a trans woman who gets accused of murdering her boyfriend. I haven’t seen many movies that seriously deals with trans characters so my perspective is fairly limited to say the least. However, I think A Fantastic Woman is a very good film that doesn’t at all feel self-congratulatory.

It might be the type of movie that age really badly depending on how far we get socially but for now, it’s seems quite relevant and dear I say, important.

04. Goldstone

I didn’t know about this one until I saw it and boy, was I pleasantly surprised. For Aussies, this is an old one that came out in 2016 but it only quietly came to the States last month. It’s a modern Western that sometimes comes across like a poor man’s Cohen brothers flick but it’s big heart makes up for the noticeably flimsy budget.

I love stories about seedy small towns in the middle of nowhere and I’ve never seen Australia the way Goldstone depicts it. Really cool, though I doubt it’d make the same kind of impression to an Aussie.

03. Phantom Thread

I’ve been a big fan of Paul Thomas Anderson for a long time so it’s no surprise that Phantom Thread makes the list. If you’ve seen There Will Be Blood or The Master, you might go into this movie with the wrong attitude. I saw Phantom Thread twice and here is a tip: take it as a comedy. Most of this movie is meant to be funny but it sells itself as a dead serious character study like the two aforementioned dramas.

02. The Death of Stalin

The Death of Stalin is pretty dense I need to see it at least one more time. Every scene seems to be packed with historical details fused with comedy and it’s impossible to absorb the whole thing fully in a single view. If you like VEEP or Armando Iannucci’s other work, it should be right up your alley, even better if you enjoy some Russian history.

Just go see it, it’s probably the most recommendable movie on the list. I don’t think you can really go wrong with this one.

01. Call Me by Your Name

I Am Love is a film I greatly admired but couldn’t really connect with so I figured Call Me By Your Name would be the same. To my surprise, I think I “got” the movie and now need to rewatch I Am Love. What I liked most about CMBYN is really the texture of the film and its world. The people in this movie seem real, like they exist and I believed it. There is also a beautiful elegance to the cut and dissolves that I rarely see any movie.

Other movies to consider:

• Hostiles (Scott Cooper)
• Lover for a Day (Philippe Garrel)
• Game Night (John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein)
• Blockers (Kay Cannon)
• Ismael’s Ghosts (Arnaud Desplechin)

Nice list, there are definitely some films I hadn't heard of on there that I'm interested in now. Goldstone sounds right up my alley.

I've got to back up your recommendations on Thoroughbreds and The Death of Stalin. Thoroughbreds is a weird and wholly engaging film, and an outstanding effort from a first time director.

The Death of Stalin is probably the best time I've had at the movies in ages. It's an absolute blast, but I feel like for some folks the shear goofiness of the comedy might be too at odds with how unsettling parts of the film are. It worked perfectly for me, but others might experience some whiplash. The best praise I can give it is that it's the only film I've seen since, say, Fury Road that I felt like watching again immediately after it ended.

Good list. I really want to see A Quiet Place and Isle of Dogs. Isle of Dogs has had its run at the cinema, so I'll be waiting for that to be added to a streaming service.

I wasn't fussed about Annihilation at all. There was a lot of buzz around the internet about it, and I don't think the film lived up to what people were saying. It's a very good looking film, full of really great concepts that weren't executed particularly well. In my opinion, the ending was kind of weak and a little pretentious.

I'll be watching Unsane in the next few days. It was filmed on an iPhone 7 and I'd really like to see how that is.

I have seen two of these! So far Black Panther is still my personal favorite but Death of Stalin was pretty great as well, especially Jason Isaacs' parts.

The thing that diminished Annihilation for me was that it felt a bit too much like a clunky mishmash of several films I've seen before, and it only occasionally finds it's own voice amongst it's influences. The clunky, sometimes goofy dialogue and weird pacing with it's framing devices also bring it down several notches. Also pacing related, it just never got quite as weird as I was hoping it would until maybe the end. It feels like a series of equally and mildly strange vignettes rather than having the weirdness and tension ramp up over time. It feels like a movie that started really weird, but had it's weirdness compromised by the studio for mass appeal. But it didn't end up having any of that either, so it's just sort of middling.

Having heard about some changes and additions made for the film, I'm pretty interested in reading the book now. Ultimately I'm super happy Annihilation exists, and folks should definitely see it. They don't make many films like this, even if I didn't think it was that great.

Annihilation is a bad movie with good looks and bad cast and before you start calling #feminism at me by "bad" I mean they are shown in really bad light - incompetence, stereotypes, overcompensating, etc.

Annihilation is a movie I definitely wished I saw in theatres.

@banicabolnica: counterpoint- ANNIHILATION is the best movie i've seen in years.

i feel like it's the only thing i've seen in theatres in a decade that necessitated a cinema (as opposed to just watching at home).

easily one of the more facinating audio designs in a long stretch as well.

Saw Foxtrot and it was mad good. If I had seen it before I wrote this, I'd probably put it #4 or 5.

I really wanted to see Thoroughbreds but no one was showing it in my parts which is a bummer, guess I gotta wait till May for the digital release so that ain't bad.

EDIT: Just to add to the heated debate, I thought Annihilation was really middling. Great atmosphere, average acting, kinda lackluster plot. As far as interesting sci-fi goes I've seen better, but there aren't a whole lot of movies in this particular class of film.

Thoroughbreds was pretty average. It was fine but still had that Juno-esque overly snarky teen feel throughout, which I have trouble finding endearing for an entire movie (and the main characters' motivations for doing what they did was kind of laughable, but I guess that was the point.)

I saw A Quiet Place as well, solid thriller/horror that built tension very well but damn.....that ending was duuuuuuuuuuuuuuummbb.

@dudeglove: Maybe I'm more sensitive to these things but I do often come across ppl that are fairly cavalier about mental illness, including family and friends. I think portrayals like the ones in Unsane certainly don't help. Of course, it's not uncommon or unique to see the kinds of characters depicted here but with a caliber of director like Soderbergh, I think the expectations are higher. And it's not like he isn't at least somewhat aware, he does try to ground it as much as he feels necessary.

I don't know where I stand really. On the one hand, I very much enjoyed Unsane and I really really like Side Effects. But on the other hand, attitudes on mental illness seem similar to attitudes on religion today. Ppl have their minds made up and there is a lack of empathy I find disappointing. I'm not saying Soderbergh is like this, I suspect he's just trying to make an entertaining genre picture.