The Best Films of 2023
Our best films of 2023 include A-listers exploring new ground or new wrinkles in the familiar, lesser-knowns of singularly surprising work, and gut-punch comedies.
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David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’ Is a Deadly Satire of the Corporate World
You can read David Fincher’s The Killer as a story about a murderer, or you can see it as the satire of our pathetic little existence that it really is.
BFI London Film Festival 2023: Critics’ Chat
BFI London Film Festival’s most impressionable films of the year, industry strikes, awards season, and the shoe-leather journalism of a film festival critic.
Cerebral ‘Mank’ Is a Gabby and Stylized Origin Story for ‘Citizen Kane’
While this roustabout story about Herman Mankiewicz’s battle to write the Orson Welles classic is clearly impressed with itself, Mank is easily David Fincher’s best work since Zodiac.
The 35 Best Films of 2010
The best films of 2010 include a fake documentary, a comedy about Jihad, a vampire story NOT dealing with tacky tween romance, a haunting hillbilly noir, and an elegant tale about clones. Not necessarily the usual cinematic suspects.
20 Films That Went From Bombs to Beloved
Not every cinematic bomb remains forgettable. Sometimes, a failure is just a gemstone in disguise that will only reveal itself well past the release date.
The Darkness Within: 13 Films That Burrow into Our Psyches
These 13 films help us understand horror as an important mode of cultural expression, as a means to explore the dark inner recesses of ourselves and our society.
40 Nights of Must-Watch Movies (in the Comfort of Your Home): The Franchise
Back by popular demand! Recommendations from “40 Nights of Must-Watch Movies” that will keep you, your dog and your elephant glued to the couch for months.
Eight Films That Didn’t Deserve Their Initial Reception
There are films that slipped through the cracks, not finding their stride upon release. Either these films baffled critics, were ignored by audiences, or became subjected to the whims of a cruel market.
Deconstructing the Star Beast: How the ‘Alien’ Saga Went Wrong
Alien was a planned B-Movie that transcended its genre and spawned the rare sequel that is neither imitation nor complete deviation. Then the saga went to hell.
The 2015 SEALS – Short Ends and Leader’s Annual Film Awards
As the awards season prepares to wind down, Short Ends and Leader sizes up those not in Academy competition with our annual preferential picks.