A year of cinematic brilliance with unforgettable performances and bold storytelling.
By James Verniere/Boston Movie News
From Bob Dylan’s early days to a screwball romp in Brighton Beach, these 10 films featured unforgettable performances and bold storytelling.
“A Complete Unknown”—Director James Mangold outdoes his own “Walk the Line” (2025) with this rousing, sexy, and insightful portrait of Noble Prize-winner Bob Dylan’s early years in New York’s West Village and how he became the inimitable voice of a generation.
Where to watch: In theaters everywhere
Full review of “A Complete Unknown.”
“The Old Oak”—88-year-old Englishman Ken Loach (“Poor Cow,” “Kes”) remains as relevant and humane as ever with this heartbreaking portrait of a small village in North East, England. The mines have long closed, leaving hard times for the remaining residents, who come face-to-face with newly arrived Syrian immigrants looking for a place to live and raise their children.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video
“The Substance”—This over-the-top body-horror/feminist outing from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat boasts a career-best performance from Demi Moore and a body-switching plot about an aging celebrity (Moore) and her newly born, more youthful, other self (Margaret Qualley).
Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV, Mubi
Full review of “The Substance”
“Small Things Like These”—Cillian Murphy is even more haunting than he was in “Oppenheimer” as an Irish coal merchant who butts heads with a Mother Superior played by a daunting Emily Watson in Tim Mielants’ period drama about the abuse of young women by the Irish Catholic Church.
Where to watch: Available to rent at Apple TV and Prime Video
“The Apprentice”—Sebastian Stan delivers one of his two great performances of the year as a young Donald Trump falling under the spell of former commie-hunting attorney Roy M. Cohn (a diabolical Jeremy Strong) in this drama from Ali Abbasi (“The Holy Spider”). As Trump’s first wife Ivana, Maria Bakalova is another of film’s strengths.
Where to watch: Available to rent via video on demand
Full review of “The Apprentice”
“Strange Darling”—Without annoying you, this genre film from writer-director JT Mollner keeps you off balance throughout, concerning the “what” and “who” of a serial killer on the run and the man in hot pursuit. Costars Willa Fitzgerald (“Scream: The TV Series”) and Kyle Gallner (“Smile”) excel.
Where to watch: Available to rent on most streaming platforms
Full review of “Strange Darling”
“Blitz”—Writer-director Steve McQueen’s unjustly dismissed World War II-era depiction of the titular London bombing centers upon a young mother (Saoirse Ronan) searching for her runaway son (Elliott Heffernan), who embarks upon a “Pinoccio”-like adventure full of danger and awe.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
“Anora”—Writer-director Sean Baker’s screwball comedy for our times features a sex worker named Anora (Mikey Madison) as its heroine and the spoiled son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of a Russian oligarch, partying their lives away in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. Madison (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) is comic perfection. The film is this generation’s version of Howard Hawks’ 1941 comedy classic “Ball of Fire.”
Where to watch: Showing at Coolidge Corner Theatre, Landmark Kendall Square and available for purchase on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
“Ghostlight”—Character actor-turned-leading man Keith Kupferer (TV’s “Chicago Fire”) turns in the performance of a lifetime as a grieving, middle-aged construction worker who agrees to play in a neighborhood production of “Romeo and Juliet,” an experience that changes the way he looks at the world.
Where to watch: Available to rent via video on demand.
Honorary Mention: “His Three Daughters,” “Love Lies Bleeding,” “Green Border,” “Wicked Little Letters,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Close Your Eyes,” “Tuesday,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “A Different Man,” “Longlegs,” “Cuckoo,” “All We Imagine As Light” (opening January 17 in Boston), “Emilia Perez,” “Kneecap” and “Hard Truths” (opening January 10 in Boston).
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