To quote the critic Tasha Robinson: “What I look for most in cinema: an intense emotional experience I can get behind and something visual that’s distinctive and memorable.”

On this page are my annual top 10% among new-to-me movies. For the rest, you can check out my letterboxd account. Beginning in 2023, I’m also doing a project to watch all the entries on the 2022 Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time list; blogging a bit about that project here.

2023

I saw 57 new-to-me movies this year. But 23 of those were from the Sight and Sound list, and I want to consider those separately (it’s wall to wall bangers). That leaves 34 other new-to-me movies. Of that lot, my top three were:

The Banshees of Inisherin: A three tiered story about eccentric weirdos feuding, who are also an allegory for civil war, that’s also about loneliness.

Tár: Another movie that supports multiple interpretations; but some of these conflict!

The Quiet Girl: Seemingly simple (but perfectly executed), but I find I can’t quite express how I feel about it.

2022

I saw 57 new-to-me movies this year. The top five were:

The Lost Daughter: Tense and deeply moving portrait of a rarely examined experience – the ambivalence of parenthood.

Pig: Quietly magical realism that’s sad and poignant rather than whimsical. Crazy that it works.

Night is Short, Walk On Girl: A champion in the “one crazy night genre.” Because it’s animated, the possibilities are limitless. Pure bubbling fun.

The Northman: A visually striking horror movie told from the monster’s perspective.

Barbarian: *spoilers* The first half of this is just about perfect: without recourse to gore or cheap tricks, the tension was calibrated to exactly my breaking point. Where do you go from there? The movie makes an unexpected pivot that left me feeling completely unmoored – I had no idea where this thing was going. Sadly, the plane kind of crashed out at that point, but the exhilarating feeling of the first third has stuck with me.

2021

I saw 41 new-to-me movies this year. The top 4 were:

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: God-tier world building; fully realized, unsettling, grace and horror. 

Manchester by the Sea: *spoilers* Is there a way to marry an unflinching portrait of deep grief to a hollywood redemption arc? Maybe not, but you can get close by closing with a small nod to the possibility of hope and change.

Sorcerer: This movie is merely fine until they get on the road and begin their journey. At that point, it goes to a place of pure tension and animal survival.

Wolfwalkers: Wonderful looking ode to friendship between girls who can turn into wolves. Holds a strange power over my own kids.