Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2024

It’s been an odd year for movies, partly due to the lasting effects of labor strikes. There are very few masterpieces, and just as few disasters. Instead, 2024 featured a lot of solid 3-3.5 out of 5 star films, a healthy selection of entertaining fare that enabled the theater industry to finish the year far ahead of what many analysts had feared (box office-wise). Well, without further ado, here’s my ranked Top 20 best films of 2024 (and don’t forget to check out Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2024 as well):  Continue reading “Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2024”

Film Review: “A Different Man”

Identities, social stigmas, and performance art make for bizarrely fun bedfellows in A Different Man

By pure coincidence, two surrealist films about physical appearance are opening in theaters one week apart, The Substance and A Different Man. The two films are vastly different but share overarching thematic similarities. The latter is a dark dreamlike comedy from Aaron Schimberg (Chained for Life). It’s also a performative showcase for its three stars, who are able to fully explore the depths of their characters. A Different Man’s story is small-scale and bizarre, but through the performances and direction, it remains grounded in an off-kilter reality that makes it highly humorous, shocking, and entertaining. Continue reading “Film Review: “A Different Man””