Cinephile: The Ten (May 2025)
The Ten is a ranking of the ten best films watched in a calendar year... so far. New films, old films, theatrical releases, and streaming adventures, all movies are considered. Many films will enter, but only the ten best will make the list. Every movie watched in 2024 has the potential to shake up the list. Be sure to check back often and let me know what you think.
Se7en
Se7en may be in my top five favorite films of all time. Though, I must admit that it has been years since I spent time in its dark, twisted, and sin-filled world. Before hitting play on the remote, I was oddly worried how time has changed the both of us. Would it have the same impact on me as the first time I watched it? For the next two hours, I found new cinematic choices that bewildered and amazed me. More than the directorial choices, I found myself absorbed by its staying power. In a world where evil seems prevalent, this movie remains mandatory viewing.
Spotlight
Spotlight is a love letter to investigative journalism. In a world where everything is “fake news,” it asks us to pause and see the change that asking tough questions and writing great stories can make in this world. It is also a reminder that these institutions of American society are struggling and disappearing. If we don’t support them, who will hold truth to power on our behalf? When you arrive at the end of this film, I see a subscription in your future.
Sing Sing
Sing Sing may be my favorite new film of 2024. It focuses its attention on Sing Sing prison and the inmates belonging to the theater program. As they work to put on stage a completely original production, we get to know their stories, what brought them to prison, and their hopes for the future. Sometimes, this film is gut-wrenching, but it is also hopeful and illuminating. Prisoners in this country are often seen as two-dimensional characters. In this story, we are encouraged to see the whole person and the nuances they possess. On the other side of that viewing is an experience that will leave you changed and begging for prison reform.
All of Us Strangers
All of Us Strangers is one of those rare movies with tremendous staying power. I continue thinking about it and cannot seem to shake it. It manages to be both haunting and heartbreaking, but it is also delicately constructed with a lot of love and affection. From a deeply personal and profound thought experiment focused on a simple question, “What if you could show someone you have lost, the person you have become,” comes a movie I think everyone should see. It has left me with a deep desire for one more conversation with my grandmother, father, and youngest brother. I want to show them all that I am.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight continues to withstand the test of time. For me, it also continues to be the benchmark by which I measure all other films in the superhero genre. Aesthetically, visually, and in its production and acting, it remains grounded in reality. While farfetched, it remains plausible that someone of immense wealth could choose to be a force of good. With the right resources and talent, we could be Batman. In this relatability, we find the greatest comic book adaptation ever conceived.
Songs of Earth
Songs of Earth is a stunningly beautiful meditation on the natural world, as well as the time and space we hold in that world. It asks us to reckon with the truth that our world is changing. While our time on this planet is short, we are called upon to be stewards of this world. It gets these messages across with visuals that feel like poetry, and conversations that feel vital. Of all the films I have seen this year, none made me reflect on my own life like this one.
Checkpoint Zoo
We are at the beginning of documentaries and stories focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The subjects of these stories will change, but the underlying heartbreak will remain the same. Checkpoint Zoo asks us to consider what happened to animals at zoos and sanctuaries on the frontlines of cruelty. As we watch their human caretakers do everything in their power to save these innocent animals, we recognize the innocence of those caught in the crosshairs of one man’s brutal ego.
The Matrix
The Matrix seemed like a moment in time when science fiction storytelling changed forever. The first time I watched this movie, shortly after its release, I wasn’t sure I understood everything, but that was more than fine by me. I knew the ground had just shifted under the feet of cinema.
Last year, I was lucky enough to attend a 25th Anniversary screening of The Matrix on 35mm. It had been a while since I had spent any time in this world. I was worried about how the film would hold up. Two hours later, I felt like this film was more relevant now than when it was released. For me, this is evidence that the film changed everything.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower understands the angst of your teenage years and those challenged by mental health issues. It tells a broad and sweeping story without talking down to its younger audience or being patronizing. It holds the attention of an older audience, because we’ve all been in the shoes of the characters on the screen. It does all this with such a strong emotional core that I am still amazed by it years after the first time I watched it.
The Big Lebowski
I judge each film by its own merit. I also try to remember the genre in which they exist. Comedies are not dramas. Dramas are not documentaries. Short films are not feature length films. But there are some films that I use as a benchmark to test all others. The Big Lebowski is a film by which I judge all comedies. After all these years, it continues to make me laugh. It enthralls me and reveals a moment in time, like few of its contemporaries.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
As a member of the factory, you are taking a stand for human powered creation.
