The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is out with its annual list of the year's best movies, from indie films to three-hour epics.
This year's top pick was Anora, a Cinderella story gone wrong that stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker who impulsively marries the hard-partying son of a Russian oligarch, only to have her new in-laws' henchmen show up at her door to, let's say, untie the knot that they've formed.
KERA's Stephen Becker is a voting member of the group. Here are his picks for the year's best films.
1. Nickel Boys
Director RaMell Ross and editor Nicholas Monsour stitch together a kaleidoscope of narrative storytelling and historical imagery to create an artful, contemplative experience worthy of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. It can be a challenging watch, as nearly all of the movie is shot from the perspective of its two main characters — Black teenage boys sent to a Florida reform school at the height of the Civil Rights era. But that perspective pushes you to see the world literally through their eyes as they balance a hopeful outlook with their well-earned cynicism. (In theaters Jan. 3)
2. Conclave
Ralph Fiennes is at his best as a cardinal charged with organizing a conclave at the Vatican to elect a new pope. As he faithfully goes about that challenge — uncovering secrets along the way — he learns a lesson about what it is to ask for God’s guidance and then, let’s say, be surprised by how your prayers are answered. (In theaters)
3. Anora
Anora has some things in common with 2019's Uncut Gems: It's very tense, and intense — there's a lot of screaming and yelling between characters. Mikey Madison is the glue that holds this story together, but director Sean Baker’s agonizingly long scenes and deliberate pacing only underscore that tension once the action gets rolling. Baker also took home our directing award, and Madison was named Best Actress, and you can expect to see their names thrown around once Oscar season rolls around. (In theaters)
4. Kneecap
Ever heard anyone rap in the Irish language? Me neither — until now. The Belfast rap group of the same name play themselves in this biopic. They’re hard partiers, but they’re also dedicated to their Irish roots and rebelling against the British control of Northern Ireland. They do that through their music, which shifts seamlessly between English and Irish. Their steadfast dedication to the language is admirable, even if their behavior isn’t always. (Streaming)
5. A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars in this story of two cousins who take a trip to Poland to honor their recently passed grandmother and trace her Jewish roots. Kieran Culkin is the other cousin, who shares a lot of DNA with his Succession character Roman Roy — which is to say, a sharp exterior that protects him from a lot of inner pain. (No longer in theaters)
6. The Brutalist
Yes, it’s three-and-a-half hours long (but hey, at least there’s an intermission!) In the years since his Oscar win for The Pianist, I may have lost track of what a fine actor Adrien Brody really is. Here he plays a Hungarian architect who survives the Holocaust and heads to America to build a new life. (In theaters Dec. 20)
7. Challengers
The homoeroticism drips like the sweat off the tennis duo at the center of the action — unsurprising, as it’s from the hands of Luca Guadagnino, director of the also excellent Call Me By Your Name (and the not-at-all excellent Queer, also out this year.) Zendaya is a force when she turns this twosome into a love triangle as she lives out her tennis dreams through her two boy toys. (Streaming)
8. September 5
Israeli athletes have been taken hostage at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and a team of ABC television journalists is desperately trying to separate fact from fiction as viewers anxiously await updates. As someone in a similar line of work, my empathetic palms were sweaty throughout. (In theaters)
9. Didi
I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for a coming-of-age story. This one centers on Chris, a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy looking to level up his friend group and facing the consequences of leaving behind the people who really care about him. Joan Chen brings a lot of heart to the story as Chris’ mother doing her best to raise a family on her own while beating back the constant haranguing of her live-in mother-in-law. (Streaming)
10. Flow
Not a word is spoken in this animated film from Latvia. That’s because the only characters are a cat and some woodland animals who team up as they all try to survive a massive flood. If you’re going to watch it with one eye on the screen while the other scans your phone, you’ll completely miss its effect. But if you really turn yourself over to it, you’ll find yourself thinking deeply about what these animals have to say about humanity.
Honorable mentions:
A Complete Unknown
Inside Out 2
Babygirl
Beatles 64
Music by John Williams
Gladiator 2
