Top 10 Favorite Movie Releases This Year

Honorable Mentions: 

• Disney Channel Theme: A History Mystery for being a sincerely amazing, free, documentary about an interesting niche topic about why giving due credit is important.
• Bullet Train for being a fun time and making me cry about Thomas the Tank Engine, which I have never done. 
• Hustle for being a good Adam Sandler movie which I'm still not used to

    "Inspired by a true story of a family who believed they were possessed by spirits, this film follows a woman who must protect her child from a curse."

Both touching and terrifying, I give it kudos for being a type of horror movie that I typically HATE but actually being amazing. 2+ hour horror movies often feel like they lag between the scares but I found the way that it develops the character and stories in between sincerely frightening scares to be a thankful relief. 

9: Glass Onion 

  "World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends."

HILARIOUS. I don't think comparing it to the first film is necessarily needed as it stands on it's own so well and is an unrelated addition to the series, as if comparing the Sherlock Holmes serials to each other. It is a welcome addition to hopefully a forever growing franchise. 

8: Barbarian 

   "In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway, but soon discovers that there is much more to be afraid of in the house than the other house guest."

Loved the way that it twists horror tropes on its head and feels incredibly fresh. The way it uses humor is also surprisingly effective and I think the main character isn't making bad choices because the plot needs her to be dumb, but rather is a character that is painfully good and would rather put herself in danger than fuck other people over. 

7: The Bob's Burgers Movie

  "When a ruptured water main creates an enormous sinkhole right in front of Bob’s Burgers, it blocks the entrance indefinitely and ruins the Belchers’ plans for a successful summer. While Bob and Linda struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family’s restaurant. As the dangers mount, these underdogs help each other find hope and fight to get back behind the counter, where they belong."

It feels like an extended episode of the show which means it's just as amazing as you would expect, if you're a fan. Sincerely my only qualm is that I feel like there isn't enough musical numbers and that makes each of them feel jarring when they start. Tina/Zeke for lyfe. 

6: Prey

   "On the Great Plains in 1719, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled Comanche warrior, sets out to protect her people when an unknown danger threatens them. But the prey she’s stalking turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal."

Sooooo good. The action is so satisfying and it got me interested in watching the rest of the series (I had only seen the first one before this). There being an audio track in the original Indigenous language is also such an awesome addition and it makes me language-nerd brain so happy that it is being exposed to more people. 

5: GDT's Pinocchio 

  "During the rise of fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father’s expectations."

I'm not sure why there's so many versions of Pinocchio released lately but clearly this is the best one. Adding in anti-fascist themes to the fairytale story is one of those decisions that on the surface feels like it could easily be too edgy, comically dramatic but it WORKS and gives it so much heart. Plus the animation is amazing, and I cannot get over the actual design of Pinocchio. 

4: Wendel and Wild 

  "Two demon brothers enlist the aid of Kat Elliot — a tough teen with a load of guilt — to summon them to the Land of the Living. But what Kat demands in return leads to a brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure like no other."

Talk about BEAUTIFUL. Talk about HEARTBREAKING. It also came out at exactly the right time as it was an amazing end to October, being both spooky but also having so many happy holiday feelings that it ushered in winter very easily. If Kat gets a doll of some kind I want one. 

3: Hatching 

  "12 year old Tinja is desperate to please her mother, a woman obsessed with presenting the image of a perfect family. One night, Tinja finds a strange egg. What hatches is beyond belief."

Tinja's anger at her family, her friends, coach, the world, herself felt so PYSCHICAL that I thought ah yes of course it's going to be represented as an actual monster. It's the perfect film for anyone that has tasted the bitterness of keeping these huge emotions on the inside, unable to blow up.

2: Everything Everywhere All At Once 

  "An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what’s important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes."

I don't think there's much more I can say about this movie that hasn't been said. It's like the most talked about movie this year. I can't believe it was passed up for a VFX Oscar nomination that's literally a crime. 

1: Nope

  "Residents in a lonely gulch of inland California bear witness to an uncanny, chilling discovery."

Everyone that knows me knows I haven't shut up about this movie since it came out. I've seen it three times now, twice in a theater. It changed my brain chemistry. Everything about this movie is perfect - the horror, the acting, the SOUND. I want this movie tattooed on my eyelids.