Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen give three revelatory performances as diametrically opposed estranged siblings—the dictator, the hippie, and the burnout, respectively. They cram together in a tiny New York City apartment as they await the death of their father. They battle over groceries, monologue about the Grateful Dead, and try (and fail) to keep their many past resentments at bay. Sure, His Three Daughters is at times a painful watch, brimming with claustrophobic tension and biting wit. But writer-director Azazel Jacobs gives this chamber piece on death and family a light touch, lifting it off into something unexpected in its emotional depth and making for one of 2024’s best films.
The Irishman (2019)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Crime
Notable cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Jesse Plemons, Jack Huston, Marin Ireland, and Anna Paquin
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Metacritic: 94
Martin Scorsese’s epic fable on legacy, loyalty, and unions follows the life of Mob hit man Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro. As Vanity Fair put it, “There’s something crucial about sitting with the same actors for so long. It communicates the weight and ravages of time more keenly than if the actors had been swapped out halfway through.” Much was made of the de-aging visual effects that allowed De Niro to play the character at all stages of Sheeran’s life, as was about Netflix’s refusal to play ball with the theater chains for the film’s limited theatrical release. Now that all that dust has settled, what remains is one of the defining masterpieces of this late stage of Scorsese’s career, one with a lot to say about where to place your loyalties and priorities in life.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Director: Karyn Kusama
Genre: Horror comedy
Notable cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Chris Pratt, Amy Sedaris, Johnny Simmons, Cynthia Stevenson, and Kyle Gallner
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 47%
Metacritic: 47
A true cult classic, Jennifer’s Body is finally getting something closer to the respect it deserves. Megan Fox stars as the titular Jennifer, a possessed, murderous teenager who can only be stopped by her best friend, Anita (Amanda Seyfried). Marketed to oversexualize Fox, the actual movie is hilarious and smart in equal measure, more astute about sexual violence and female friendship than audiences understood in its time. The film was harshly received in 2009, with online sentiment toward Fox and screenwriter Diablo Cody turning negative, and it became an unfairly reviled bomb (at a time before horror films with meaty themes received serious consideration). In recent years, its fans have earned the film serious reappraisal among horror fans and high-minded cinephiles alike.
May December (2023)
Director: Todd Haynes
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 86
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