Some years are easier than others, but besides my top two, I had a tough time choosing what films to include on my Top Ten this year. I have a mix of inspirational stories and thrill rides, well-crafted genre films and movies that defy categorization. From the mundane to the totally weird - to represent my eclectic taste and to also highlight films that maybe need that extra spotlight. I love that no two people's lists are exactly alike, and hopefully this collection represents me in some way. Enjoy!
10. Grand Theft Hamlet
Directed By: Sam Crane & Pinny Grylls
The pandemic hit us all in different ways, but one positive thing that came out of that bizarre, dark time was the spike in digital technology to connect us. I remember virtual movie parties, Jackbox game sessions with friends over Zoom, and finally updating my video game consoles to play Animal Crossing and Mario Kart over the web. Grand Theft Hamlet is a completely unique documentary that perfectly captures that specific era in time, as a couple of out-of-work British actors during the pandemic attempted to recreate the entirety of Shakespeare's Hamlet within the confines of the game Grand Theft Auto Online, recruiting strangers from around the globe to their cause. It's a hilarious, poignant, unique story told entirely with in-game footage.
9. Bugonia
Directed By: Yorgos Lanthimos
Written By: Will Tracy
Yorgos Lanthimos teams up with his Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone yet again for Bugonia, a remake of a Korean film (I've yet to see!) wherein she plays an abducted "girlboss" CEO, accused by her captors of being an alien bent on controlling Earth. Going into twisted, dark places that fits right in Lanthimos's wheelhouse, and bolstered by amazing performances by the cool, calculating Stone and the unhinged, politically-brainwashed Jesse Plemons, this was a simple, thought-provoking, incredibly tense little thriller that shows the Stone-Lanthimos pairing belongs among the tippy top actor-director collaborations, along with De Niro-Scorsese.
8. Deaf President Now!
Directed By: Nyle DiMarco & Davis Guggenheim
In a rousing "David vs. Goliath" underdog story, the documentary Deaf President Now! uncovers the forgotten-about civil rights fight waged between the deaf students at Gallaudet, the only university for the deaf, and the administration, who stubbornly refused to put a deaf president in charge. In a world where it seems like our liberties are being taken away regardless of how visible protests seem to be, this film was an inspiring message to never give up on justice and fairness, even if the world doesn't make it easy.
7. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Directed By: Mary Bronstein
Written By: Mary Bronstein
In one of the hardest-hitting filmmaker deaths this year for me, surrealist David Lynch passed away - and while it's sad we'll never get another season of Twin Peaks, or even one of his weirdo weather reports, Mary Bronstein's If I Had Legs I'd Kick You captures a similar Lynchian energy - a Kafka-esque, surreal descent into madness. Rose Byrne plays a therapist having difficulty balancing motherhood to a child with an eating disorder, needy patients, an unsympathetic therapist of her own (played hilariously deadpan by Conan O'Brien), and now a giant, gaping hole in the ceiling of her apartment. It's not for everyone, but if you want a movie that goes to bizarre places and cinematically puts you in a mentally unraveled state, check it out!
6. Bring Her Back
Directed By: Danny & Michael Philippou
Written By: Danny Philippou & Bill Hinzman
Grief is definitely a bit of an overworn theme in horror, but few horror films deal with it in such provocative ways as Bring Her Back. From the same Australian directing duo who gave us Talk to Me, this film likewise is a thrill ride that even made this horror veteran recoil in horror! Sally Hawkins plays a grieving mother who turns to some drastic solutions to try and bring her dead child back to life; her emotional, human, upsetting performance completely elevates the film, along with imagery that will linger in your mind long after the credits roll. The Philippou Brothers are proving themselves to be some of the best horror directors in the game today!
5. Marty Supreme
Directed By: Josh Safdie
Written By: Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Speaking of filmmaking brothers, the Safdie Brothers are known for their intense urban dramas like Good Time and Uncut Gems, but they split up this year to direct their own sports movies. Benny made The Smashing Machine about the origin of UFC, and Josh made Marty Supreme, a fictional 1950s-set story about a hustling ping pong pro (Timothée Chalamet) who gets in over his head trying to achieve his dreams of becoming the next "face on the Wheaties box" at any cost. A fast-paced film with an amazingly anachronistic '80s soundtrack, memorable performances from unlikely people (including Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary as a reluctant investor), and a never-ending sense of tension, Marty Supreme perhaps suggests that when it comes to directing, Josh might have the game, set and match.
4. Materialists
Directed By: Celine Song
Written By: Celine Song
Dating in the 2020s is hard - even for the "beautiful" people, apparently. Following up her excellent debut feature Past Lives (my #2 movie of 2023), Celine Song focuses her sights on a matchmaker for the elite crowd (Dakota Johnson), navigating her own love life between a rich "10" (Pedro Pascal), and a former flame turned busboy (Chris Evans). The plot sounds like something out of a cheesy romantic comedy, but it's Song's dialogue that really sings. A mature, funny, poignant look at the insecurities and harshness found in modern relationships, Materialists is the kind of smart, adult film you rarely see anymore.
3. Baby Doe
Directed By: Jessica Earnshaw
What I love about film festivals is oftentimes you go in blind, and you walk out realizing you just saw one of your favorite films of the year. My "Best of Fest" at this year's IFF Boston is a very humanistic portrait of a woman who on paper, sounds like the worst monster imaginable. This documentary focuses on Gail Ritchey, whose life falls apart when DNA evidence surfaces, linking her to her child's death. In a riveting and haunting series of interviews and court appearances, this film will make you question both the American justice system and how we view people who commit crimes. Perhaps it's this controversially empathetic perspective that there's still no distributor for the film, unfortunately. Hopefully it will release somewhere soon!
2. Companion
Directed By: Drew Hancock
Written By: Drew Hancock
AMC Theaters has a new fun event every other Monday called "Screen Unseen," where you don't know what movie they'll show you ahead of time. However, somewhat annoyingly, my sleuthing movie nerd friends all usually know what film is showing 90% of the time, I like the idea of going in blind and being surprised. But Companion remains the best Screen Unseen so far! Without giving too much away, this dark sci-fi horror comedy is sort of like a new spin on The Stepford Wives, and brilliantly plays around with modern male-female relationships similar to Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Anchored by an excellent performance by scream queen Sophie Thatcher, don't let this one slip under your radar!
1. Weapons
Directed By: Zach Cregger
Written By: Zach Cregger
A movie I loved so much I actually saw it twice in theaters, Zach Cregger one-ups himself from his already fantastic feature Barbarian for this non-linear, ensemble horror movie Weapons. Following the goings-on of a town where many of the children mysteriously left their houses one night, the film slowly unravels the layers by following a number of different perspectives. The complex way information is meted out was nothing short of brilliant, reminding me of the first time I saw the Tarantino classics Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill. It's creepy, funny, filled with top-tier acting (including Oscar-hopeful Amy Madigan), and feels like a perfectly-crafted puzzle box.
Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical Order):
DIE, MY LOVE - Dir. Lynne Ramsay
Jennifer Lawrence goes feral as a mom suffering post-partum depression in this surreal drama.
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE - Dir. Magnus von Horn
A black and white feminist period piece that might make you recoil in horror once you realize what it's about.
NOVOCAINE - Dir. Dan Berk
A charming action-comedy about an awkward superhero invincible to pain.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson's thrilling, epic ensemble film focused on a washed-up revolutionary whose past catches up with him.
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR - Dir. Geeta Gandbhir
A documentary told entirely within the uniquely immediate confines of police body cam footage about an, ironically, terrible neighbor.
PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF - Dir. Matt Wolf
This two-part documentary will re-frame what you think of Paul Reubens, of Pee-Wee fame, using intimate, candid interviews before his death.
PREDATOR: BADLANDS - Dir. Dan Trachtenberg
Best Predator film ever? Epic action, effects, and soundtrack - this is everything I wish the Avatar series was.
ROOFMAN - Dir. Derek Cianfrance
Based on the true story of a burglar secretly hiding out in a Toys R Us. A surprisingly sweet, funny, human drama.
SINNERS - Dir. Ryan Coogler
A From Dusk Till Dawn-esque genre crossover that smartly uses the crime and gangster genres to examine historical oppression and music history.
And that's a wrap! Check out more of my reviews on my Letterboxd profile here. Thank you again for reading, and I look forward to all the cool movies in 2026!
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