1) Aftersun (2022):
(Drama)
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
With Aftersun, two things became immediately clear. The first is that Charlotte Wells is a name to keep an eye on going forward, because this devastating 2022 coming-of-age drama was somehow her very first feature film; arguably a debut for the ages. The second is that Paul Mescal is easily one of the best young actors working today, as though Aftersun wasn’t his first role, it could well be seen as a star-making one, because the strength of his acting here is undeniable. Narratively simple but thematically complex, Aftersun, on the surface, follows a young girl and her father going on a holiday, with much of the film being a flashback; memories reflected on by the young girl, who’s now a young woman some 20-ish years later. It’s a film about growing up and reinterpreting who your parents are or were, as people, once you’re old enough to see the world how they might’ve seen it when you were just a kid. Any descriptions of what Aftersun is about – or what emotions it inspires – ultimately undersell it. One really has to watch it and engage with it to feel and understand exactly what it’s going for.
Director: Charlotte Wells
Starring: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson- Hall, Harry Perdios
2) Poor Things (2023):
(Comedy,Fantasy,Romance,Sci-Fi)
Runtime: 2 Hours 21 Minutes
Yorgos Lanthimos was very prolific from the mid to late 2010s, putting out three films in relatively quick succession: 2015’s The Lobster, 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and 2018’s The Favourite. All were great and largely well-received, though viewers and critics alike ended up having to wait five years to see if Lanthimos could top them. With the release of 2023’s Poor Things, it’s now possible to claim that yes, Lanthimos has outdone himself once more. It’s perhaps the director’s strangest film yet, which is certainly saying something. It revolves around a young woman being brought back to life, and learning how to fit into a world that she had initially intended to leave for good, relearning various things along the way. Poor Things itself resurrects and revitalizes a Frankenstein-type of story, doing its own thrilling thing with a comparable premise and standing as one of the most visually remarkable and memorable movies in recent years.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael
3) Dune: Part Two (2024):
(Sci-Fi,Adventure,Action,Fantasy,Drama)
Runtime: 2 Hours 46 Minutes
Dune: Part Two gets to hit the ground running, thanks to everything being well-introduced and established in the first film, and now, watching both movies back to back, they make for an amazing (and epic) duology. Dune: Part Two is ultimately the stronger film, with bolder visuals, a more thematically engaging story, and even greater action, but you do need that first movie to appreciate Part Two properly (so consider Dune worthy of an honorable mention of sorts).
Director: Denis Villeneuve,
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin