September 5 (2024) ***

Tense and exciting drama about the television coverage of the hostage drama during the Munich Olympics in 1972.

Hit Man (2024) ***

The second act is weak, but the rest of the film is quite fascinating. It's based on a true story, except for the ending.

Soundtrack To A Coup d'état (2024) ***

Ever wondered if there was a connection between the jazz music of Louis Armstrong and the assassination of Patrice Lumumba in Congo in 1960 ? This excellent documentary doesn't quite answer THAT question, but it's still a very compelling history lesson about that pivotal moment in Cold War politics.

The Apprentice (2024) ***

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The Substance (2024) ***

Excellent body horror movie starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

Civil War (2024) ***

The film tries hard to hide its political message, but there are more than enough hints as to where its actual sympathies lie. Nick Offerman's president is a barely disguised Donald Trump, Jesse Plemons' genocidal soldier doesn't need to carry a tiki torch to be easily identifiable, and the numerous mentions of Charlottesville aren't subtle at all. A weird (and unlikely) alliance between Texas and California aside, it's basically an anti-MAGA allegory masquerading as an anti-war one. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) ***

A very good sequel to the 1988 classic.

Saturday Night (2024) ***

Excellent comedy about the night of the 1975 premiere of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

Deadpool And Wolverine (2024) ***

A self-reflexive, brechtian deconstruction of the superhero genre, using parody, irony, sarcasm and coarse language in a fresh and innovative way.

Joker: Folie à deux (2024) ***

A weird musical, but also an impressive (and deeply disturbing) prison drama.

Babygirl (2024) ***

Excellent erotic drama starring Nicole Kidman as a masochistic CEO who engages in an adulterous affair with a young intern.

Nosferatu (1922) ***

Visually stunning horror movie about an evil vampire from Transylvania. Clearly an homage to the classic 1922 version directed by F.W. Murnau.

A Different Man (2024) ***

Seriously weird film about a man with a severely disfigured face. After he is cured, he gets a lead role in a play based on his own life, only to lose it to another man with a severely disfigured face.

Wicked (2024) ***

The entire cast is superb, but Ariana Grande still manages to steal the movie from everyone else. It's a star-making bravura performance of the highest order, and her greatest show-stopping musical number, "Popular", is the highlight of the entire film. Songs:

"No One Mourns The Wicked"

"Dear Old Shiz"

"The Wizard And I"

"What Is This Feeling?"

"Something Bad"

"Dancing Through Life"

"Popular" ***

"I'M Not That Girl"

"One Short Day"

"A Sentimental Man"

"Defying Gravity"

Nightbitch (2024) ***

Amy Adam is absolutely mesmerizing in this strange little film about motherhood.

Elton John: Never Too Late (2024) ***

Interesting musical documentary tracing the life and the career of Elton John.

Lee (2024) ***

Fascinating biopic about the famous WWII photographer Lee Miller. Another superlative performance by Kate Winslet, nominated for a Golden Globe.

The Last Showgirl (2024) ***

Pamela Anderson gives the finest performance of her career in this excellent psychological drama set in Las Vegas.

Heretic (2024) ***

Hugh Grant gives a creepy and impressive performance in this unusual horror movie about religion and faith.

Drive-Away Dolls (2024) ***

Enjoyable comedy about two lesbians crossing paths with a group of inept criminals.

Challengers (2024) ***

Perverse drama about a love triangle involving two tennis champions.

Borgo (2024) ***

Realistic French drama set in a Corsican prison.

L'Amour ouf (2024) ***

Directed by Gilles Lellouche, a violent gangster drama starring Adèle Exarchopoulos.

La Bête (2024) *

Confusing French film directed by Bertrand Bonello and starring Léa Seydoux.

Monsieur Aznavour (2024) ***

Conventional, but impressive, musical biopic about the legendary French singer. Great songs.

Un P'tit truc en plus (2024) **

French film about two criminals hiding in a summer camp.

Misericorde (2024) ***

A very unusual drama about a murder in a small village in the south of France.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (2024) ***

It's not a faithful adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' famous novel, but it's still a very impressive film.

Le Successeur (2024) **

French thriller set in Canada. There is one huge and memorable surprise in this film, but some of its plot twists just aren't believable.

Diamant brut (2024) *

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En fanfare (2024) *

A French "Brassed Off" (1996).

La Plus precieuse des marchandises (2024) ***

French animated film about the Holocaust.

Vingt Dieux (2024) **

French drama about a young agricultural worker who has to take care of his younger sister.

Rabia (2024) ***

Shocking film about young girls joining ISIS to marry Islamic fighters in Syria. Based on a true story.

Black Box Diaries (2024) **

Japanese documentary about a rape investigation involving an influential politician.

Come Closer (2024) ***

All We Imagine As Light (2024) **

Beautiful, but very slow-moving film about three nurses in Mumbai. Alternately mesmerizing and boring, an uneven piece of cinematic ambiguity. Sometimes confusing, but often quite poetic.

Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot (2024) ***

No Other Land (2024) **

Shocking documentary about the destruction of a Palestinian village in the West Bank. Very powerful as a document of terrible human rights violations. But also a bit long and repetitive.

Porcelain War (2024) ***

Powerful documentary about the war in Ukraine.

Succubus (2024) ***

An erotic horror film from Russia. Well-directed and acted.

The Master And Margarita (2024) ***