CONCLAVE
An Oscar contender on this list! For good reason: It’s a tightly scripted, beautifully shot, thrilling drama. Love to see a strong screenplay (shoutout Peter Straughan) get in the hands of a talented director (Edward Berger) and watch the two elevate each other. Ralph Fiennes is phenomenal.

SMILE 2
I liked the original Smile; Smile 2 improves upon it in every way. Set in a world (pop music) that's perfect for making the most of the brilliant original concept, it's anchored by a truly excellent (and taxing) Naomi Scott performance. That dancers scene is everything horror should be.

REBEL RIDGE
Now *that's* how you do an issue movie. The film spotlights its topic via an intense-yet-grounded throwback thriller that would work even without the political element. Brilliant hero (Aaron Pierre) and villain (Don Johnson) performances. Most pulse-pounding first act since Fury Road.

THELMA
A pure delight. Sweet but not sappy, profound but not preachy, and F-U-N-N-Y (you can tell writer-director Josh Margolin knows comedy). June Squibb is perfect as always, and Richard Roundtree (RIP) and Fred Hechinger are right there with her. Should be an Oscar contender, but alas...

RED ROOMS
A gut-wrenching knockout (sorry to sound like a pull quote). Moody but not meandering, it once again proves you can go heavy on vibes without sacrificing story. And while it is topical, nothing feels forced. Juliette Gariépy is terrifying (compliment). And that one courtroom scene…woof.

Soon.

Me returning to public life on Bluesky after being basically MIA on Twitter for years

Skeeting a pic of my PHX goat so Suns Bluesky knows I’m part of the community