LeavittLens' Top 10 Films of 2024

In thinking back through the year in film, there is a persistent sentiment captured not only within my Top 10, but within the larger epoch: fear and anxiety. As a case study: the thriller was a prominent feature at the box office and in our streaming services this year, something we haven't seen since the genre's peak in the 1990s, illustrating that the "middle class" of movies may be experiencing a resurgence after all but disappearing in the common cultural imagination with the advent of monocultural sequel/superhero/IP filmmaking. Consider movies like Speak No Evil, Strange Darling, Red Rooms, Blink Twice, Longlegs, Nosferatu, A Quiet Place: Day One, It's What's Inside, Carry-On, Civil War, Alien: Romulus, Smile 2, Trap, Night Swim, The Strangers: Chapter 1, Heretic, Monkey Man - all of these, and likely even a few more I missed, made somewhere between $30 million - $100 million at the domestic box office, dominated the VOD platform upon which they were featured, or significantly outperformed their budget in encouraging ways.

While this is an exciting sign at one level (We're so back! Right...?), it also seems indicative of a larger cultural attempt to reckon with a season of great perceived existential weight. In times of great fear, movies of fear sell, and sell well. As a fan of thrillers, this meant lots of enjoyment at the theater throughout the year for me, but it also made my inner cynic long for some hopefulness, which I think may well be the reason my #1 film is what it is.

All said, if you've got some space in the coming weeks before 2025 is fully upon us, cue up some of these flicks, and let me know what you think! A couple quick reminders as you move through the list:

1. My top 10 films of the year are featured based on their LeavittLens rating. More in-depth reviews may be coming in the near future for some of these films. Keep in mind: the top 10 list only includes films that have been released in 2024, and only films that I have seen in 2024. This, unfortunately, means I won't be able to include films like Nickel Boys or The Brutalist, as they have regrettably not yet been released in my locale, so there is admittedly a gap in my end of year list. I am considering, for future years, making my year over year calendar based upon a later date (perhaps February 1), in order to allow time for these late releases to come out in my area, as oftentimes they could crack my Top 10. The Zone of Interest, for instance, would have been a top 5 movie on my 2023 list, but given that I couldn't see it until January, it is caught in between years for me. In the meantime, this is my not so complete but best I can do 2024 list.
2. My film journal for the year, which includes ratings for all of the 118 films I saw this year (released in 2024 or otherwise), is also listed below the Top 10. This list features not only my ratings, but my wife Emily's ratings of the films we watched (where applicable), and even a one-sentence thought from Emily in reflection upon some of the films. I am fully aware that my wife's ratings and reviews may interest the reader more than my own...
3. I also want to be sure to include a link to my Letterboxd profile, where I log and track my film watching. Be sure to follow me there to keep up in the new year.
   

LeavittLens Top 10 Films of 2024

10. A Complete Unknown | Director: James Mangold | MPA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 8/10

James Mangold perfected the music biopic and killed it, all at the same time. With 2005's Walk The Line, full of star-making performances and the classical beats of this sort of story, he created a template that was immediately parodied (quite directly) by Walk Hard and even more indirectly by films like Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping a few years later. The result has become a subgenre that feels immediately formulaic, an appeasing of fans that rarely gives much in the way of deeper exploration into what makes a musician who they are. In many ways, Mangold admits as much in A Complete Unknown - it's there in the title and the titular character, who is as intentionally inscrutable as he is iconic. Yet he sheds some of the stereotyped biopic plotting here, and simply allows two of his central actors to shine: Timothee Chalamet is a revelation as Dylan, in a performances that could have gone terribly wrong if he didn't nail it. Instead, 5 years of vocal coaching and guitar practice make him a perfect fit for the role, mesmerizing the audience into 140 minutes of joyful exploration of the pivotal moments of Dylan's early '60s. Alongside him, Monica Barbaro is astounding as Joan Baez, the on-again, off-again muse to Dylan. This one is worth seeing for the performances alone, but it also carries its artistic and social weight well. Worth watching, for Dylan fans and otherwise.

9. Small Things Like These | Director: Tim Mielants | MPA Rating: PG-13 | LeavittLens Rating: 8/10

Again located in the title card, this is a small but mighty Irish film, giving a fictionalized narratival examination of the true and heartbreaking Magdalene Laundries of 20th century Ireland. A bold stroke for Cillian Murphy to follow up his Oscar-winning, atomically propulsive performance in Oppenheimer last year with such an intimate showing here, but in many ways it is a fitting follow up: he plays a working class girl-dad navigating the complexities of complicity in a Catholic system of power where he has directly witnessed abuse. It's a slow burn of a film and performance, with thematically dense images that effectively show without telling, and Cillian carries the weight of the film entirely on his slight shoulders. A great reminder that it is only ever the smallest acts of resistance that allow us to keep our humanity.

8. Challengers | Director: Luca Guadagnino | MPA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 8/10

Released early in 2024, this one may be lost to some Oscar conversations, but it is perhaps Luca's best film. He takes the romantic euphemism of "playing tennis" quite literally here, in a way that matches up sports dramas with romantic escapades and deep psychological studies on the nature of success and drivenness. The three leads here are all terrific, the music is fun and propulsive, and the tennis action is legititmately pulse-racing. A clever spin (pun intended) on a well worn love triangle plot.

7. Rebel Ridge | Director: Jeremy Saulnier | MPA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 8.5/10

An unexpected, middle of the year gem from Netflix, Rebel Ridge is a taut thriller that explores the ways that systemic injustice is still much at work in our cultural moment, particularly in parts of the country where power is controlled so dominantly by a specified few. Riding his bike to help bail out his cousin and help him start a new life, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre of The Underground Railroad, in a star-making performance) is functionally robbed by the police in a warped case of civil asset forfeiture, still a legal and common practice even today. After attempting all possible legal and proper avenues, he is forced to take other means to bring about justice. This one sounds initially like your standard revenge thriller, but the thematic richness, powerful central performance, remarkably choreographed and tense actions sequences, and nuanced examination of ethics make it stand out amongst its peers. If you're an action fan, you can't miss this one.

6. Red Rooms | Director: Pascal Plante | MPAA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 8.5/10

A haunting examination of our true crime content obsession, Red Rooms follows a high-profile serial killer trial, which includes presented evidence of video footage of the murders, apparently shot and sold in secretive dark web auction sites referred to as red rooms. While no active violence is ever shown on screen, the film (akin to The Zone of Interest's work last year) uses the audience's imagination to explore the real dread of a case like this and show the twisted danger of our culture's obsession with corrupt criminality. Plante's long shots through the courtroom, lingering close-ups, and simplified coloring make for an eery, artful dive into human evil, both unsettling and compelling throughout.

5. Strange Darling | Director: J.T. Mollner | MPA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 8.5/10

A sneaky great thriller here. It has a common setup for movies like this, with a girl on the run (The Lady) and a killer (The Demon) after her, but its warped timeline turns the audience into detectives, unfolding the events in six non-chronological chapters and keeping them guessing on characters, motivations, and events. To say much more would begin to spoil the film, but if you're a fan of thrillers--and interested in the male and female politics of our current age--this is a worthwhile watch.

4. Nosferatu | Director: Robert Eggers | MPA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 9/10

Ever interested in historically examining masculinity and its many iterations (The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman all centralize explorations of maleness and its influence on different historical contexts), Robert Eggers now takes on a remake of the German expressionist classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, itself a not-so-subtle take on Bram Stoker's classic gothic novel, Dracula. Eggers' now expected calling cards are all here: historical accuracy and immersion, meticulous detail, long takes filled with mysterious dread, and powerful (if not over the top) central performances, all making the film a worthy remake in its own right. Beyond this, his work at creating the terrifying titular monster (Bill Skarsgård may just be typecast for these sorts of roles now, though for good reason), his analysis of the vanity and ultimate horror of the myth of upward mobility, and his thematic exploration of the simultaneous repulsion and appeal of the numinous all add to this one, making it more than just a creepy monster movie. Lily Rose-Depp also shines in a performance both haunting and compelling, layering a character who otherwise could have become simply a victim throughout. With the caveat that this one is more explicitly horror, filled with images that will stick beyond its runtime, this is a must-see, particularly if you're a fan of anything from Eggers' filmography. It might just be the peak of what we have started to call "elevated horror."

3. A Real Pain | Director: Jesse Eisenberg | MPA Rating: R | LeavittLens Rating: 9/10

A terrific two-hander that follows estranged cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they tour Poland in honor of their recently deceased Holocaust surviving grandmother. Full of hilarious and awkward tensions, great explorations of grief, love, and remorse, and sincere-without-feeling-sentimental explorations of our human condition, A Real Pain packs Eisenberg's patented witty and charming cynicism into a family drama that will resonate for anyone with a family - that is, all of us.

2. Dune: Part II | Director: Denis Villeneuve | MPAA Rating: PG-13 | LeavittLens Rating: 9/10

Put simply: this is why we go to the movies. The much anticipated (and delayed) follow up to Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part I, this sequel supersedes its accomplished predecessor, providing an explosive next stage to Frank Herbert's supposed un-adaptable epic. Chalamet shines again as Paul Atreides, but it's the introduction of chilling antagonist Fayd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler), the expanded exploration of the Arakean mythology, and well-choreographed action sequences (Villeneuve remains the master of action and scale) that elevate this film to an instant sci-fi/political thriller classic. Grieg Fraser's work as the DOP on these films also must be highlighted: he captures the beauty and desolation of the land in a way that feels tactile and real, placing the Dune universe right in the middle of our own.

1. Conclave | Director: Edward Berger | MPA Rating: PG | LeavittLens Rating: 9.5/10

“If the great paradox of Christianity means anything, it means this—that we must take the crown in our hands, and go hunting in dry places and dark corners of the earth until we find the one man who feels himself unfit to wear it. Carlyle was quite wrong; we have not got to crown the exceptional man who knows he can rule. Rather we must crown the much more exceptional man who knows he can’t.” -G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Some light spoilers ahead

Not sure if you’ve heard yet, but there’s a contentious upcoming election. The incumbent has been deemed no longer fit to serve due to age and possible health complications. Two primary parties jockey for power, one advocating an authoritarian regime rooted in “us vs. them” language in the name of safety and stability, and the other–just as fundamentalistic in their own right–pushing for an undefined unity across divides and a moral compass that seems ambiguous and constantly on the move. Supporters of either party are sorting themselves, getting in line so that they might be approved and gain some amount of power for their soldierly loyalty. Others are simply exhausted by the whole ordeal, wishing–and, indeed, still holding out hope–that the election can truly bring about some semblance of goodness and truth and beauty in the end. So goes the plot of Edward Berger’s Conclave, a papal thriller (which, depending on your disposition, may sound like an oxymoron) outlining the politicking and machinations behind the election of a new pope after the death of the previous Holy Father. Did you think I was describing something else?

You can’t be blamed, on the surface, for mistaking life with art: indeed, the late October release of Edward Berger‘s follow up to 2022’s soberingly beautiful All Quiet On The Western Front is the ultimate cinematic equivalent of the Spider-Man confusion meme – it is forcing comparisons to the 2024 U.S. election, whether it wants to or not. And while Conclave certainly has something to say about our current civic climate, its aims are much higher–metaphorically and theologically–than some passing, albeit important, election. It is a film with much to say about the simultaneously haunted and holy human condition, the nature of our faith and doubt, and the notion of who really has power–and what that means for the world. In this way, the film is instructive for us during this current American presidential cycle, as these themes are the timeless and perpetual concerns that transcend whomever might win come Tuesday evening.

The film opens upon on the back of a balding head: Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes in a surefire late career Oscar bid) intensely strides the streets of Vatican City, his breathing amplified to denote some fusion of anxious dread and age-withered exhaustion. He is headed towards a scenario that no Cardinal would ever want to face, and yet one that somehow every Cardinal perhaps deep down secretly hopes might arrive: the death of the pope. Surrounding his bed, in grief, are three other high-ranking Cardinals and officials, and after a short but somber space of grief and posthumous Catholic rites, we are thrust into a story of intrigue, full of shadowy conversations, half-truths and deceptions, and ritual as compelling as it is precise.

Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with gathering the more than 100 high ranking Cardinals from around the world and bringing them together to vote on who should represent the church by filling this new vacancy. Amongst them are the conservative, boarding-on-fundamentalist Cardial Tedesco of Venice (Sergio Castellito), who laments the diversity and weakness of what he feels to a diluted church and sees this as an opportunity to assert himself and make the church great again; liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who was intimately close with the recently deceased pope and who uses modesty (“I don’t want to be pope”) as a campaigning tool for a position he obviously desires; and Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), whose moderate and workmanlike exterior hides a past of possible corruption. The stage is set for a tumultuous political battle, full of the usual and expected sectarian divisions. Lawrence makes all the necessary preparations, which include an entirely sequestered conclave in which the walls and windows of the Vatican are literally boarded shut to prevent any contact with the outside world. But just as they are ready to quarantine together for their work, a final Cardinal, Father Benitez (Carlos Diehz), arrives to the Vatican to vote, despite being absent from any official Vatican records.

Confused and suspecting a possible poser, Lawrence and his researching right-hand man, O’Malley (Brian F. O’Byrne), do some intensive last-minute work to find that Benitez was indeed ordained a year prior by the Pope in secret in order to protect his identity, for he serves in Afghanistan in situations where becoming known as a priest would be life-threatening. Benitez, to his credit, has the official papal order that approved him, and so he joins the group as an unexpected outsider. Indeed, his introduction in the film is quite striking and on the nose: amidst the chaotic storm of the conclave, we first meet him in the depths of the Vatican calmly napping, and he must be woken up to enter into the voting process. Such a scene recalls Jesus’ nap amidst the chaotic storm in Matthew 8, and the Divinely inspired promptings don’t end there. From this point forward, the makeup and hairstyling come together with lighting choices to make Cardinal Benitez a sort of living beatific vision, an entry of a Christ-figure who is ultimately outside of the establishment and unknown to it. He’s quiet and clearly experienced in anonymous and obscure ministry to the poor and marginalized in some of the most difficult settings in the world; this makes him free of the pomp and high-browed politicking of his peers, whose positions have primarily only gained them power, favor, and honor in their respective settings. He is quite the wrench to add in to the process at the last minute.

The film proceeds from here like a classic, pulpy detective movie, with Lawrence serving as the lead investigator, swapping the pipe and deerstalker hat with robes and a zucchetto. And such detail choices aren’t incidental: in fact, it is the details that Berger seems intent on turning our attention to that wordlessly tell this story. He is constantly filling the screen with insert shots and close-ups that carry with them the drama of the moment: an envelope here, a pair of glasses there, a papal seal and a cigarette and furrowed brows and shots of The Last Judgment and its warped and tormented souls–unspeaking images tell us all we need to know about the stress, the games of power, and the religious iconography that fuels the fire these men hope ends with a fumata celebrating their election. All of this is happening in an isolated silo away from a divided and war-torn world beyond the Vatican’s walls, where we get word that violence is actively erupting nearly daily in the city.

But it’s Fiennes’ acting that carries the bulk of the thematic weight. He is in nearly every shot of the film, and his wrinkles, his gait, his soft but direct tone, his grief and earnestness and wrestling (he battles a crisis of faith that flows throughout the film) all pour forth largely from little flickers of the eyes and subtle turning of the lips and ever so slight voice inflections. Indeed, the facial acting across the board from every central character is remarkable: a myriad of human emotions are brought to bear in ways that keep the audience emotionally and thrillingly engaged, an impressive feat for a film that largely features men in black cloaks talking to one another. The music helps with this as well: Berger has teamed up with his Oscar-winning partner from All Quiet, Volker Bertelmann, to produce a score that is equal parts compelling, haunting, grand, and beautiful. This, combined with color and frame compositions that feel every bit like modern and remarkable paintings, create a darkly alluring aesthetic that feels at once cinematic and lived-in, as if we ourselves are locked into the Vatican, and all the subsequent emotions, with these men.

This detective, see-don’t-tell procedural style ultimately prevents the film from falling into the over-talky doldrums of a melodramatic political piece. But its transcendent quality is about more than its genre: it has a theological and spiritual undertone that gives proper weight to the subject matter without ever feeling preachy. This is seen most obviously in a climactic scene, where Lawrence himself reaches a peak moment of hubris, choosing to write–for the first time in the film–himself onto the ballot. As he approaches the ballot box to cast his vote and prays in Latin the proper statement, with the twisted descent into hell of that remarkable painting staring down upon him, a sort of lightning bolt from heaven strikes the room in the form of an explosion that blows open two of the beautiful upper frescos in the chapel and scatters dirt and ash around the entire room. It is this moment, this sort of eucatastrophe, that prompts the final, central debate between the Cardinals on the true purpose of the church, and opens the door for some real clarity.

I won’t spoil it, for there are some genuinely remarkable twists towards the end, but this explosion ultimately leads to the final vote scene where Lawrence and his peers stare down blankly at what seems to be an impossible task in filling out these ballots. As they mentally wrestle with what to say, they become distracted, as sunlight and birdsong pour forth through the remnants of the exploded wall into the previously dark and boarded room full of prideful and self-congratulatory men. One by one the Cardinals turn and stare, and in unison–almost as if a Divine word has come directly to them–they return to their ballots with the utmost clarity on the path forward.

From darkness to light. From hubris to humility. From human machinations to Divine intervention. From isolation and self-protection to connectedness and love of others. For a film set in the midst of the ineptitude of hierarchical and patriarchal worldly systems, there remains a hope in the film that is derived right from the true heart of the very faith it exists to critique. This is the prophetic instinct of such a work, using powerful imagery to criticize and energize towards a final consummating message: that following death comes resurrection.

Honorable Mentions: We Live In Time, Civil War, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Piano Lesson, Heretic

LeavittLens’ Film Journal | 2024

1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Clint’s Rating: 34%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

2. Dumb Money

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

3. The Holdovers (Rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 89%

Emily’s Rating: 96% (“Top 5 all-time Christmas movie”)

4. Anatomy of a Fall

Clint’s Rating: 91%

Emily’s Rating: 86% (“P.I.M.P. on repeat”)

5. The Book of Clarence

Clint’s Rating: 65%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

6. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Next

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

7. American Fiction (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 94%

Emily’s Rating: 85% (“Clever…”)

8. The Martian (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 78%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

9. Knives Out (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 92%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

10. Nai Nai and Wai Po

Clint’s Rating: 77%

Emily’s Rating: 90% (“Immediately planned to hang out with my grandma”)

11. The Zone of Interest

Clint’s Rating: 94%

Emily’s Rating: 75% (“Eery, uncomfortable, powerful.”)

12. Dune

Clint’s Rating: 89%

Emily’s Rating: 85% (“There’s sand and worms.”)

13. Bo Burnham: Inside

Clint’s Rating: 79%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

14. The Taste of Things

Clint’s Rating: 86%

Emily’s Rating: 97% (“😋”)

15. Dune: Part 2

Clint’s Rating: 94%

Emily’s Rating: 93% (“All I remember are the sandworms…”)

16. Marcel The Shell with Shoes On

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“Marcel reminds me of how I sound when I’m sick…”)

17. Philadelphia

Clint’s Rating: 89%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

18. Asteroid City (Rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 91%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

19. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Clint’s Rating; 87%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“Classic Wes.")

20. Beef

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Rating: 79% (“That was like a rage fest.”)

21. Goodfellas (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 97%

Emily’s rating: 93% (“Why did you do that?!”)

22. Barbie (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 88%

Emily’s Rating: Already seen

23. Marriage Story (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 92%

Emily’s Rating: 91% (“Why didn’t they call it Divorce Story?”)

24. A Goofy Movie (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 78%

Emily’s Rating: 100% (“Slurpage…”)

25. The Emperor’s New Groove (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 84%

Emily’s Rating: >100% (“Boom baby!”)

26. Steve! Martin: A Documentary in Two Pieces

Clint’s Rating: 85%

Emily’s Rating: 73% (“Rating increases with more Martin Short…”)

27. Sorcerer

Clint’s Rating: 93%

Emily’s Rating: 75% (“That bridge scene though…”)

28. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: 65% (“It takes a village…to make me look dope…”)

29. The Wailing

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: I don’t remember this…so I can’t really rate it…

30. Perfect Days

Clint’s Rating: 84%

Emily’s Rating: 80% (“It’s such a lovely day…”)

31. Civil War

Clint’s Rating: 85%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

32. Amadeus

Clint’s Rating: 86%

Emily’s Rating: 82% (“His laugh…that’s all I have to say…”)

33. The Best Chef In The World

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

34. Ripley

Clint’s Rating: 78%

Emily’s Rating: 71% (“He ripley-ed my heart out with all his deception…”)

35. The Fall Guy (twice)

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Rating: 93% (“There was comedy, action, and romance…my favorite things all in one…”)

36. The Last Dance (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 87%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“Welcome to the Space Jam”}

37. Airplane! (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 82%

Emily’s Rating: 80% (“What’s our vector, Victor?”}

38. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: 94% (“The best coming of age movie I’ve ever seen.”)

39. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Clint’s Rating: 70%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

40. Dunkirk (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: 

41. Mad Max: Fury Road

Clint’s Rating: 96%

Emily’s Rating: 85% (“I’ve never felt more thirsty than watching this movie…”)

42. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Rating: 80% (“I’ve never felt more thirsty than watching this movie…”)

43. Hit Man

Clint’s Rating: 75%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“I really don’t remember it…but I think I liked it…”)

44. Rain Man

Clint’s Rating: 82%

Emily’s Rating: 78% (“Toothpicks")

45. Middleditch and Schwartz 

Clint’s Rating: 94%

Emily’s Rating: 93% (“You know when you see a door and your want to open it, but you really don’t want to open it…”)

46. The Bikeriders

Clint’s Rating: 82%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

47. Take Shelter

Clint’s Rating: 94%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“Twister meets Noah’s Ark.”)

48. The Empire Strikes Back

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: 80% (“The best part is watching videos of children realizing with Luke that Vader is his father. Go to YouTube, you won’t be disappointed.”)

49. Return of the Jedi

Clint’s Rating: 83%

Emily’s Rating: 85% (“5 percentage points higher simply for the Ewoks. Where can I get one?”)

50. The Phantom Menace

Clint’s Rating: 57%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“It should be called Star Bores…”)

51. Fiddler on the Roof

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: 85% (“To life! To life! L'chaim!")

52. Attack of the Clones

Clint’s Rating: 24%

Emily’s Rating: 63% (“I don’t remember this at all.”)

53. Revenge of the Sith

Clint’s Rating: 51%

Emily’s Rating: 68% (“I have the high ground!”)

54. Back To The Future

Clint’s Rating: 88%

Emily’s Rating: (“Takes me back to the Back to the Future ride at Universal. Core childhood memory.”) 83%

55. Fire of Love

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Ratig: N/A

56. Longlegs

Clint’s Rating: 72%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

57. Land of Bad

Clint’s Rating: 57%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

58. The Force Awakens

Clint’s Rating: 61%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“The force awakens…but my brain does not.”)

59. The Last Jedi

Clint’s Rating: 74%

Emily’s Rating: 74% (“Another freakin Star War?”)

60. The Rise of Skywalker

Clint’s Rating: 21%

Emily’s Rating: 44% (“Finally…we’re done…right?”)

61. Deadpool and Wolverine

Clint’s Rating: 70%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

62. Twister

Clint’s Rating: 65%

Emily’s Rating: 100% (“Top 10 highlights of my life: watching my favorite childhood movie with Clint.”)

63. Twisters

Clint’s Rating: 65%

Emily’s Rating: 90% (“We got twins! Twins!)

64. Monkey Man

Clint’s Rating: 72%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

65. Pulp Fiction

Clint’s Rating: 94%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

66. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

67. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Clint’s Rating: 52%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

68. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban

Clint’s Rating: 92%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

69. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Clint’s Rating: 63%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

70. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

71. Trap

Clint’s Rating: 41%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

73. You’ve Got Mail

Clint’s Rating: 70%

Emily’s Rating: 82% (“CUTE.”)

74. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Clint’s Rating: 72%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

75. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Clint’s Rating: 79%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

76. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Clint’s Rating: 83%

Emily’s Rating: 89% (“Thank you, J.K. Rowling.”)

77. Inside the Mind of a Dog

Clint’s Rating:73%

Emily’s Rating: 70% (“I understand Wally better now.”)

78. Wicked Little Letters (twice)

Clint’s Rating: 84%

Emily’s Rating: 71% (“Feisty Little Letters”)

79. Blink Twice

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

80. Strange Darling

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

81. Twelve Monkeys

Clint’s Rating: 81%

Emily’s Rating: 84% (“Brad Pitt’s got range!”)

82. Challengers

Clint’s Rating: 87%

Emily’s Rating: 65% (“An exhausting love story”)

83. Speak No Evil

Clint’s Rating: 73%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

84. Rebel Ridge

Clint’s Rating: 84%

Emily’s Rating: 87% (“If there was a zombie apocalypse, I’d call this guy. Then Clint.”)

85. Beetlejuice

Clint’s Rating: 74%

Emily’s Rating: 90% (“Feels like one you could watch every year”)

86. A Quiet Place: Day 1

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

87. Dune: Part Two

Clint’s Rating: 91%

Emily’s Rating: 93% (“All I remember are the sandworms…”)

88. Wolfs

Clint’s Rating: 77%

Emily’s Rating: 75% (“The two most attractive old dudes on planet earth. And that’s coming from Clint.”)

89. Shrek (rewatch)

Clint’s Rating: 82%

Emily’s Rating: 92% (“Not the gumdrop buttons!”)

90. Shrek 2

Clint’s Rating: 84%

Emily’s Rating: 87% (“Minus 5 percentage points for fairy godmother…I don’t like her…”)

91. It’s What’s Inside

Clint’s Rating: 73%

Emily’s Rating: 50% (“Guess Who, the movie!”)

92. Kinds of Kindness

Clint’s Rating: 51%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

93. Inside Out 2

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: 88% (“Movie attempt at seeing a therapist”)

94. The Lighthouse

Clint’s Rating: 89%

Emily’s Rating: 60% (“Why…?”)

95. Bob Marley: One Love

Clint’s Rating: 53%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

96. Late Night With The Devil

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

97. Conclave

Clint’s Rating: 95%

Emily’s Rating: 92% (“The cinematography, the coloring, the details, the themes, the message - immaculately conceived, all around…”)

98. Woman of the Hour

Clint’s Rating: 72%

Emily’s Rating: 84% (“I no longer walk alone in any parking lot.”)

99. His Three Daughters

Clint’s Rating: 86%

Emily’s Rating: 74% (“Feel like it could have been a little better

100. Heretic

Clint’s Rating: 71%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

101. Psycho

Clint’s Rating: 98%

Emily’s Rating: 86% (“I haven’t showered since…”)

102. Leo

Clint’s Rating: 67%

Emily’s Rating: 67% (“Cute, fun, and forgettable.”)

103. Small Things Like These

Clint’s Rating: 86%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

104. A Real Pain

Clint’s Rating: 89%

Emily’s Rating: 87% (“Watched this one while my sister was in labor…perfectly ironic.”

105. Emilia Perez

Clint’s Rating: 31%

Emily’s Rating: 50% (“Zoe Saldana is great!”)

106. The Piano Lesson

Clint’s Rating: 82%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

107. Inglorious Basterds

Clint’s Rating: 97%

Emily’s Rating: 85% (“I love rumors! Facts can be so misleading, while rumors can be quite revealing.”)

108. Juror #2

Clint’s Rating:

Emily’s Rating: N/A

109. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Clint’s Rating: 70%

Emily’s Rating: 82% (“Best scene: when the non-churchgoers actually are better bible students. That’s the Gospel.”)

110. Red Rooms

Clint’s Rating: 86%

Emily’s Rating: 40% (“Punch me in the face if I have to watch that again.”)

111. Gladiator II

Clint’s Rating: 74%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

112. Klaus

Clint’s Rating: 91%

Emily’s Rating: I was busy hosting the Christmas party where we watched this

113. Carry-On

Clint’s Rating: 78%

Emily’s Rating: 80% (“I’m never flying on Christmas.”)

114. Children of Men

Clint’s Rating: 95%

Emily’s Rating: 83% (“A sneaky good Christmas movie”)

115. Nosferatu

Clint’s Rating: 90%

Emily’s Rating: N/A

116. We Live In Time

Clint’s Rating: 84%

Emily’s Rating: 95% (“OMG. A good depiction of marriage and the ups and downs that really involve commitment to one another. I cried 4 times.”)

117. Collateral 

Clint’s Rating: 80%

Emily’s Rating: 140% because this was my pulse while I watched (“Clint just moved down on the zombie apocalypse rankings. Jamie Foxx moves into second place.”)

118. A Complete Unknown

Clint’s Rating: 80%

Emily’s Rating: N/A