When The Boys premiered in 2019, the average television and movie fan most likely knew Jack Quaid as the only child of Hollywood icons Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. Soon, though, Quaid showed the audience that he was much more than just another Hollywood nepo baby. His breakout role portraying Hughie on The Boys paved the way for Quaid to lead multiple films in the following six years, including 2025’s Novocaine. However, it’s Quaid’s supporting roles that allow the actor to show off his (not so) secret comedic chops.
Quaid is a unique talent, having studied at New York University Tisch School of the Arts for three years before dropping out. During his time at school, he was a part of sketch and improv troupes, eventually becoming a member of the sketch comedy group Sasquatch Sketch. You can find the group’s YouTube videos here. I highly recommend giving them a watch, as not only is Quaid genuinely very funny, but so are his co-members, Nick Williams, Danny Jolles, and Zach Webber. Fun fact, Jolles actually has a small role in Damien Chazelle’s 2022 film, Babylon!
Clearly, Quaid feels comfortable delivering one-liners and performing full sketches. It’s those comedic instincts that made me become a fan of his after watching Plus One for the first time in 2022 — ever since then, I’ve loved keeping up with Quaid’s career and watching his catalog. If Quaid hasn’t ever been on your radar, allow this short list to be a great introduction to the actor.
3. Scream (2022)
Quaid alongside co-star Melissa Barrera in Scream (2022)
The first Scream film in over a decade, Quaid joined the long line of young actors who have starred in the franchise in 2022 as Richie, the boyfriend of the new final girl, Sam Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera. We watch as Richie is sweet and supportive to Sam, cracking jokes to get her to smile as she attempts to figure out who is targeting her younger sister, Tara, played by Jenna Ortega. Richie’s mask of good humor slides off him once it’s revealed that he, alongside Tara’s friend Amber (played by Oscar-winning Mikey Madison — this cast is stacked, y’all!), is thrilled to be the next incarnation of the murderous Ghostface. Quaid is scary good at playing the “radicalized online fanboy” archetype that this role calls for – you believe that he could turn from an obsessed fan to a murderer in a few short months. Richie gets what’s coming to him in the end, dying alongside Amber, however! I won’t spoil much, but let’s just say that he makes another appearance in Scream 6. 👀
This is the first Scream film I ever watched, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know a lot of longtime Scream fans aren’t a huge fan of Quaid’s Ghostface, but I liked it! Quaid is very good at playing a whiny man child, and he really knocked it out of the park as Richie. Part of being Ghostface is making the audience hate you, but also delivering one-liners that’ll make both the other characters and the audience frustrated. Quaid fulfilled both those expectations in my eyes.
2. Logan Lucky (2017)
Quaid alongside co-star Brian Gleeson in Logan Lucky (2017)
How often do you get to play a character named Fish Bang? For Quaid, the answer is once, and it’s in Steven Soderbergh’s 2017 low-income heist film, Logan Lucky. The film stars Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, and Riley Keough. Quaid plays one of Craig’s characters’ younger brothers, who is looped into helping to rob the neighborhood speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 race. Quaid is hilarious in a long wig, fake tattoos, and a true country bumpkin accent. Believe me, you’ll want even more Fish Bang by the time the credits roll.
1. Oppenheimer (2023)
Quaid in his trailer, showing of his bongos from Oppenheimer (2023)
Quaid playing the bongos while portraying Dr. Richard Feynman in Oppenheimer made me giggle so hard. What more can you say when a character genuinely makes you laugh in a movie about the creation of the atomic bomb?
Do you have a favorite actor that has appeared in a lot of projects, but you still feel is underrated? Let me know in the comments! Also, let me know if you’ve seen any of Quaid’s other supporting roles — Tragedy Girls is another film that I wasn’t a huge fan of, but features great work by Quaid.
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Note: This blog post contains spoilers for the 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch film.
As an avid animation lover, I have always had an extra soft spot in my heart for Stitch, the fluffy blue alien living with Lilo on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. How could such a strange little guy be so adorable? That being said, growing up without cable, I unfortunately was never able to keep up with all of the adventures that Lilo and Stitch got up to on their show, Lilo & Stitch: The Series. I never thought too hard about all of this until this spring, when I heard just how much Disney deliberately misunderstood what Ohana means.
This May, Disney released another one of their live-action remakes, this time attempting to reimagine the modern classic that is the original 2002 Lilo & Stitch. The film was a massive box office success, grossing nearly a billion dollars. Creatively, though, the film has been negatively criticized for the changes that it made from the original.
“Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten.” This is a line that comes up over and over again in the animated Lilo & Stitch universe. Stitch utters this line towards the end of the original film, catching Nani’s attention and convincing her that Stitch could be a member of their Ohana. It’s a beautiful reminder of the importance of family and community. This line is shown throughout the animated universe through the love that Nani and Lilo share, particularly in Nani’s commitment to raising Lilo in their childhood home. It’s shown through Uncle Jumba and Auntie Pleakley and their slow but steady adaptation to life on Earth. It’s shown through the unwavering love and loyalty that Stitch shows Lilo and vice versa.
And Disney completely changed that for the 2025 remake.
In the live-action version, apparently, Ohana means that Nani signs over her rights to Lilo (animated Nani’s actual worst nightmare) and goes to the mainland for school. Apparently, Ohana means taking a perfectly delightful villain like Gantu and replacing him with our beloved Uncle Jumba. And, most tragically, Ohana means that Auntie Pleakley isn’t allowed to dress in wigs or dresses because of our current conservative social climate (insert eye roll).
After hearing about the mess that is the live-action remake, I knew it was my time to show some appreciation to the animated Lilo & Stitch universe. I’ve had a great time the last two months consuming all of the Lilo and Stitch content, watching all of the animated films, and the wonderful spinoff television series. Here, I’ll go through some highlights with you and let you know what is absolutely worth watching and what could probably be skipped.
Lilo & Stitch at the end of the original Lilo & Stitch (2002)
I mean, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? The original Lilo & Stitch is a classic for a reason. A little melancholy, a lot sweet, and absolutely hilarious. Lilo is a breath of fresh air for a lead character in a Disney film, showing that children can be fully developed people. She’s struggling with the grief of losing her parents, upset that she has to listen to her older sister, sad that the girls in her hula class undermine and bully her, but still determined to have fun and play during her childhood. Insert 626 aka Stitch crash landing onto the island of Kauai.
I think that Lilo & Stitch has some of the absolute best side characters, particularly in Jumba and Pleakley. Enemies-to-friends (or lovers, depending on who you ask), Jumba and Pleakley are the comedic duo that this film needed. Two aliens hiding in awful human disguises in plain sight? C’mon. Plus, Pleakley in his wig is just *chef’s kiss*
Pleakley and Jumba in their human disguises in the original Lilo & Stitch (2002)
This film has a shocking amount of depth for a children’s film. Family and belonging are two themes of the film, with both Lilo and Stitch struggling to see where they belong. The brief sad scenes are absolutely worth it to see the two of them come together at the end.
My one main gripe with this film, and with the rest of the canon Lilo & Stitch universe, is that Lilo is voiced by Daveigh Chase, a white girl, while Nani is voiced by a Native Hawaiian woman, Tia Carrere. I want to make it clear that I do not blame Chase for this culturally insensitive casting choice, and I do think she does an excellent job at voicing Lilo. But Disney really missed an opportunity in the 2000s to have both Lilo AND Nani voiced by a Native Hawaiian female duo. As we know, this choice was corrected in the live-action Lilo & Stitch in 2025, where Lilo is played by Maia Kealoha, a child actor who was born in Hawaii in 2016.
If you somehow haven’t yet, give the original Lilo & Stitch a watch. 5/5 ⭐️
This film serves as the pilot for Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which I absolutely didn’t know about until after I watched the entire first season of the show (it’s okay, you can laugh). It was a direct-to-home release that clocks in at a little over an hour. It introduces us to some of the recurring characters that we’ll see throughout the series and the rest of the animated canon – Sparky, the first experiment that Lilo and Stitch catch and turn good. Experiment 625, the experiment that precedes Stitch, whose only interest is making sandwiches. Dr. Jacques von Hamsterviel, Jumba’s former partner in evil, who is determined to get all of their experiments back and keep them evil.
Lilo & Dr. Jacques von Hamsterviel
This film is cute! It introduces Stitch calling all of the experiment pods “cousins,” which I adore. We learn a lot of Jumba lore, which is fascinating. We dive further into Ohana, with Pleakley and Jumba becoming a permanent part of the family and renovating the house for Nani. I would say that if you’re going to watch the show, you do need to watch this first. As I said, I watched it between seasons 1 and 2 and ended up going back afterwards and watching season 1 again. It fills in that many gaps! I think this film has some of the strongest writing of the animated canon and some great character development. It’s worth an hour of your time! 3.5/5 ⭐️
I have to be honest, this is my least favorite film in the Lilo & Stitch animated universe, for a few reasons. One, our usual Lilo, Daveigh Chase, did not come back for this film, leaving Lilo to be voiced by… wait for it… Dakota Fanning? It’s an incredibly odd casting choice that doesn’t pay off, in my opinion. Part of Lilo’s initial charm in the first Lilo & Stitch film are the vocal choices that Chase makes throughout – the screaming, the laughing, the sighs. Fanning just isn’t able to replicate this. Again, I don’t quite understand why Disney used to be so committed to having Lilo be voiced by a white girl, while Nani was being voiced by a Native Hawaiian woman. But Fanning was not set up for success in stepping into this role.
Plot-wise, the film makes me a bit sad. The main conflict involves, well, Stitch battling a glitch in his programming. The film opens with Stitch having a nightmare where he is very, very bad and ends up scratching Lilo in the face. Stitch wakes up from this nightmare, horrified, scared of himself. Maybe I have too many maternal feelings for this little guy, but it was sad to watch! Naturally, through the course of the film, Stitch is a victim of glitching within his software and does end up committing some bad acts that hurt his Ohana. Throughout the film, Lilo is preparing for a big hula showcase and wants Stitch to help her with the routine. But each time that he does, he ends up glitching a bit more and more. In the end, he’s convinced that everyone would be better off if he left the island and lived out the rest of his time in space alone.
Obviously, this film has a happy ending, but goodness, did Stitch have to earn it! While I did find this film entertaining, it certainly puts you through the emotional ringer. It’s an important film to watch if you’re trying to watch the full animated canon (and does feature Stitch in adorable footie pajamas), but make sure to have some tissues nearby if, like me, you cry easily at animated characters in distress. 3/5 ⭐️
Similar to Stitch! The Movie, Leroy & Stitch, is the finale to Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Once again, it clocks in at a little over an hour long and aired live on Disney Channel in June 2006. A lot happens in this film, so buckle up.
The film opens with Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley being honored by the Grand Councilwoman for their work in catching all of the experiment pods, turning them good, and finding their one true place. As a reward, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley are offered positions in the Grand Federation. Lilo is obviously devastated, and all three men turn down their promotions – at first. Later, seeing how much each of them yearns for their offered position, Lilo gives them her blessing to leave Kauai and to go chase their dreams. It’s a very sweet and mature moment for Lilo.
Jumba, Pleakley, Stitch, and Lilo being honored by the Grand Councilwoman
However, it’s not what’s meant to be.
Slowly, Jumba and Pleakley realize how lonely they are without their Ohana. Stitch, though originally having a blast in space, deeply misses Lilo. And Lilo misses all of them, reverting back to playing with Scrump and lying facedown on the family couch.
Enter my favorite villain in the animated canon, Dr. Hamsterviel. He has once again broken out of prison and is determined to gather up all of his and Jumba’s experiments – this time, using a brand new experiment that Jumba has just finished building, called Experiment 627… or as Dr. Hamsterviel names him, Leroy. Dr. Hamsterviel eventually masterminds a switcheroo between Stitch and Leroy (against Stitch’s wishes, clearly) and has Leroy cause absolute chaos within the planets as he successfully catches all of Hamsterviel’s experiments (Gautu could NEVER).
Back in Kauai, Lilo knows that something is wrong with Stitch. She teams up with Experiment 625 (our sandwich maker) and the two of them set out to reunite their Ohana.
This is a really sweet film conclusion to the television series. I can’t lie, I did cry within the first twenty minutes when I thought that the canon ended with the Ohana being separated (and not just a few tears either), but was quickly relieved when it became clear that that wasn’t where the film was going. There’s a great final battle season (very Avengers: Endgame coded) between all of the experiments and Leroy, led by Stitch, that is just *chef’s kiss*.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to let you know that, despite the first twenty minutes, this film does have a happy ending that reunites the *entire* Ohana, all 600+ experiments included. 💙 4/5 ⭐️
How corny would I sound if I said that I absolutely adore the theme song for Lilo & Stitch: The Series? I had the best time at the beginning of each episode singing along to the lyrics written by Danny Jacob & Ali B. Olmo.
“Aloha (Ji waba!)
You’ll find the place where you belong
Ohana (a family to call your own)
Where you feel at home (everybody sing!)”
Anyway! We’re not here to talk about the music, we’re here to talk about the content. Lilo & Stitch: The Series follows Lilo and Stitch as they hunt down each of the experiment pods that went flying at the end of Stitch! The Movie, as asked of them by the Grand Councilwoman. They are up against the villain to end all villains, Gantu, and his trusted sidekick, Experiment 627. The series also follows Nani as she continues to work to support Lilo, Pleakley and Jumba as they get used to life on the planet known as Earth, and Lilo as she tries over and over again to become Myrte’s friend.
The first season of the show is pretty perfect in my eyes. Each episode got a laugh out of me, a 27-year-old woman. It’s really sweet to see Lilo and Stitch hunt down the pods, grow their friendship, and have fun along the way. Once again, Pleakley and Jumba steal the show for me a lot of the time with their alien antics and Earth musings. The only character I think gets the short end of the stick is Nani. Nani is oftentimes reduced to simply being the nagging older sister or is shown having to run off to work for the episode. I definitely think there are some lost opportunities when it comes to Nani – to me, she feels more fleshed out in all of the films than in the show.
The second season is where things start to go a little off the rails, plot-wise. The show has four crossover episodes with other Disney shows of the era, which caught me off guard. The shows included – American Dragon: Jake Long, The Proud Family, Kim Possible, and Recess. I was only familiar with The Proud Family and Kim Possible, but even those episodes weren’t my favorite. The plotlines didn’t feel very creative and mostly included separating Lilo and Stitch for the episode as they interacted with the crossover characters. Personally, this wasn’t why I was watching the show. I was watching the show to see Lilo and Stitch be a team, not have to defeat a villain from a show that I vaguely remember.
That being said, I did enjoy the second season. There’s a great episode that spotlights David, Lilo gets an actual, real, human friend, and Lilo graduates from hula school. We got to see the beautiful Ohana that is the Lilo & Stitch crew, and I loved it.
This is a great show to watch on Disney+. Especially if, like me, you didn’t have the chance to watch the show when it was first airing, it’s a great way to heal a little bit of the inner child within you. 4/5 ⭐️
The Lilo & Stitch universe, to me, feels like a warm hug. It’s funny, sweet, and safe. We get to watch Lilo and Stitch grow up throughout each film and episode of the series. We get to watch Jumba and Pleakley go from reluctant allies to true friends (or more? That’s another blog post). We see Nani continue to grow into her caretaking role and move up in her career. We even get to witness Myrtle grow a *tiny* bit.
If you end up going to see the live-action Lilo & Stitch this summer, make sure to remember the true meaning of Ohana – “Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten.”
This Sunday is the 97th Academy Awards, aka my personal Super Bowl. I’m not someone who watches every single film nominated (maybe one day), but I do make an effort each year to watch all of the animated films nominated for Best Animated Feature.
As you can probably imagine, The Academy was hesitant for many years to create a singular category for animated films. The category of Best Animated Feature wasn’t established until the 74th Academy Awards in 2002, with Shrek taking home the inaugural statue. The category began by nominating three films for the first few years, eventually expanding to five.
The Academy has revised the rules for the category multiple times over the years, most recently in 2010. The current rule states, “An animated feature film is defined as a motion picture with a running time of greater than 40 minutes, in which movement and characters’ performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. Motion capture by itself is not an animation technique. In addition, a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75 percent of the picture’s running time.”
This year’s crop of nominees includes films by heavy-hitter studios like Disney and DreamWorks, former winners like Nick Park, director of the Wallace & Gromit franchise, and an array of production home countries, including Latvia and Australia.
Below is my personal ranking of the five films nominated for this year’s award.
If I were given a ballot for this year’s awards, I would cast my vote in this category for The Wild Robot. Directed by Chris Sanders and adapted from the book by Peter Brown, this film is everything I want in an animated feature. It stars a brilliant voice cast, led by Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Kit Connor. You can feel the chemistry between their three characters. This film is all about a found family, reaching for the stars, and being adaptable to different situations. You don’t want to know how many times I cried watching Brightbill (Connor) and Roz (Nyong’o) connect and reconnect. The animation is absolutely stunning, especially the details drawn onto each individual animal. The film also features music by one of my favorite artists, Maren Morris. All in all, if you’re only going to watch one of the films on this list, make it this one. You won’t regret it.
This one surprised me! These little claymation fellas wormed their way into my heart and into second place on this list. In this adventure, Wallace invents a “smart” gnome and Gromit, per usual, has to save this day. This time, he has to tackle artificial intelligence. Who would have thought that Wallace and Gromit would tackle AI before most of Hollywood? I watched this one with my mom and we both loved it. It features a small voice cast, with two major characters (Gromit and our villain, Feathers McGraw) communicating only with facial expressions. Clocking in at only 80 minutes, I highly recommend you put this on and have yourself a nice laugh during these hard times. You did good this year, Netflix.
4/5 ⭐
Inside Out 2 (watched in theaters – now available to stream on Disney+)
I wrote about this film last month as a part of my Top 10 Films of 2024 list, so I’ll keep this brief. This Pixas sequel is directed by Kelsey Mann, his feature-length debut. I really like the Inside Out universe – I’ve seen all of the shorts and even watched the limited series they released last December, Dream Productions. (It’s fine, I mostly watched it because I love Paula Pell.) I adore the voice cast that makes up this film, especially Amy Poehler as Joy. Maya Hawke as Anxiety is a fantastic foil to Joy. I laughed out loud many times while watching this and, of course, teared up. But I do think this sequel is a bit forgettable. While I loved getting to hang out with Riley and the emotions again, I don’t think I’ll find myself returning to this film as much as I have rewatched the original over the years. This film is worth watching, believe me, but I don’t think it deserves to win this year’s Academy Award.
Trigger warnings for this film: homophobia, suicidal ideation, alcohol abuse, death of a parent, feeding fetish, child abuse, religious trauma, financial insecurity.
I had many thoughts after watching this film. Overall, I didn’t enjoy it. While it features lovely narration by Sarah Snook, Memoir of a Snail is genuinely one of the most depressing films I’ve ever seen. The animation design seems to be unsettling on purpose – you see boobs and butts at times when you don’t expect (or want!) to see boobs and butts. There are graphic sexual moments, non-consensual kink exploration, and numerous scenes that feature child abuse. I tried to eat lunch while watching this film and had to stop because I felt unsettled.
This movie is definitely for somebody, but it wasn’t for me. I admire the ambition, though.
I have to be honest, at the time of writing this post, I haven’t seen this film and I don’t know if I ever will. Not because I think I’d hate it, but because I don’t know if I could emotionally get through it. The description according to Letterboxd is, “A solitary cat, displaced by a great flood, finds refuge on a boat with various species and must navigate the challenges of adapting to a transformed world together.” Not to be all “I’m an empath” but watching animals in peril, especially animated ones, makes me incredibly distressed. Y’all are lucky you weren’t in the same theater as me when I watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. I may change my mind as Sunday approaches, but as of today, I can’t weigh in on how this film is.
Who are you rooting for to win Oscar gold this Sunday? You can see all of the films I’ve watched for this year’s awards and my ratings of them here.
Oh look, it’s me trying to watch all of these films before Sunday!
New year, new media to discuss! Welcome to Pop Talk With Rach: 2025 Edition. We’re kicking off 2025 with an old-fashioned favorite post of mine to write: a list. I’m excited to discuss my top 10 films of 2024 – at least the ones that I actually watched in 2024. This may not be the most sophisticated favorites list you’ll ever see, but it’s, somewhat unfortunately, my truth. There will be some spoilers throughout the list, so keep an eye out!
Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Films of 2024!
Challengers was one of my most anticipated films of 2024, and oh boy it did not disappoint! Starring Zendaya, John O’Connor, and Mike Faist, Challengers is a film about tennis, love vs. lust, and competition. It features a brilliant (Golden Globe-winning, Academy Awards SNUBBED) score, stunning cinematography, and master editing. If you haven’t seen this work of art yet, what are you doing? (PS: Patrick is the villain. I said what I said.)
Wicked was probably *the* movie event of the year, and for good reason. As an adult theater kid, I was so excited to get to see Wicked on the big screen. I’ve never had the chance to see it on stage and only knew a few of the songs from old episodes of Glee, so I willingly went into the film blind. I didn’t regret this decision, because I was absolutely blown away. The songs, the costumes, the performances, the emotion – I adored it all. I’ve been disappointed to see Wicked have a bit of a Barbie effect this award season – all the acclaim, but few awards. I have hope that the Academy voters will give it a few trophies. Catch me in the theatre during opening weekend for Part 2 this fall!
Imagine my shock when I started crying, oh, 10 MINUTES into Inside Out 2. These movies, man. Pixar hit it out of the park once again with this sequel. Set a few years after the conclusion of Inside Out, we follow Riley through a summer hockey camp. What got me at the beginning of the film was Riley being told that her two best friends would not be going to the same high school as her. When this was said, my best friend and I looked over at each other in shock, because this happened to us in middle school! I remember being 15 years old and feeling so scared and anxious, not only for a new beginning but for a new beginning without the people I was the most comfortable with. The brilliant writers and animators at Pixar (who were allegedly underpaid and overworked during production, unfortunately) captured Riley’s emotions over all of these changes so well. Oh, and Joy’s crash-out moment had me ROLLING. Amy Poehler forever.
This film may be ranked too high for some people, but to them, I say this – ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO FUN? I thoroughly enjoyed Twisters, a soft sequel to the classic 1996 film, Twister. I went into this ready to have fun and enjoy the bi-panic of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell on my screen. I won’t spoil it for y’all, but the opening scene is actually terrifying and a fantastic jumping-off point. The tornado scenes are done well, and the chemistry between Edgar-Jones and Powell is palpable. Chung is one of my favorite directors, and I think he did a fantastic job jumping from an indie classic like Minariinto a giant action picture like Twisters. I thought this was the perfect summer fun film, and I will be watching it again.
I won’t lie, Civil War is a tough watch. I don’t think I’ll be able to rewatch it for a long time. That being said, I did think it was brilliant. The film is grounded in the fantastic performances of Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaney, who are assisted by Wagner Moura. The film is a mix of quiet reflection and intense action. There are two scenes in particular that featuresome of the most horrifying, realistic violence I’ve ever seen in a movie theater. If you’re mentally prepared for all of this, I do recommend giving Civil War a watch.
Abigail – Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
My favorite horror movie of 2024, Abigail, is a bloody good time. I really enjoy Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s film style – it’s their work that revived the Scream franchise, (and it’s a damn shame they won’t be back for Scream 7) and got me more into the slasher genre with the mix of horror and comedy. Abigail stars one of my very favorite final girls, Melissa Berrera, and a terrifying little vampire, Alisha Weir. It’s bloody and action-packed. Each kill makes you more desperate to see Berrera survive. This one is a must-watch for any horror fan.
Saturday Night was another one of my most anticipated films of the year. If you know me, you know that I love SNL. I grew up watching it and found myself a little obsessed with it in 2016/2017 – it really helped me process the results of the 2016 election and move forward into the (tragically, first) Trump administration. I’ve seen two live tapings of Late Night With Seth Meyers and nearly sobbed when Amy Poehler was one of the guests at the second taping I saw. All that said, this film was basically made for me. I saw it in theaters with my mom and we had a blast. The performances are great and the costume design/makeup/hairstyling departments hit it out of the park. However, I do believe that if you’re not an SNL fan, not a fan of television history, or not into pop culture at all, this movie wouldn’t be for you. It’s a pretty niche film – perfect for someone like me, but I would completely understand if someone else found themselves bored and/or confused.
Oh, Beetlejuice. What an odd guy. I actually saw Beetlejuice The Musical before I saw the original 1988 film. I went back to watch the film, and, honestly, didn’t love it. It’s fine – I adore Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder, and Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are adorable ghosts. But Beetlejuice himself just didn’t charm me on film as he did on stage. This sequel, decades in the making, is actually better to me. Though it’s full of plot holes and unnecessary love interests, the performances by the female characters grounded the film a bit for me. It’s always fun to watch Delia crash out, and watching Lydia and Astrid’s relationship slowly be repaired was nice. I enjoyed Beetlejuice himself more in the sequel – thank GOD they decided to have him continue to pursue Lydia instead of passing the baton to Astrid. *shudders* For a nice, nostalgic watch, give this one a chance.
“How does it feel?” It feels bad, Bob. It feels bad. This film birthed one of my favorite new memes, and was a pretty fun watch! With an almost 2.5-hour runtime, I was a little nervous going into the film that I would get bored. But the balance of music/drama/romance actually worked very well. I was thrilled to see that Monica Barbaro was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Joan Baez. She was the standout of the film for me, singing and strumming her way into my heart. For a biopic, I appreciated that they kept a strict timeline in place. They didn’t follow Bob’s birth to inevitable fall from relevance – they followed Bob for about 10 years and then faded to black. A fantastic choice. Overall, do I believe this is the role that should win Timothee Chalamat his Oscar? No, I don’t think so. Could it be? Sure! I wouldn’t be angry, just a little confused. A Complete Unknown is one of the better Oscar-baited biopics of recent years. If you’re able to watch it with subtitles though, I recommend – I forgot that Bob is allergic to annunciation.
Yes, I also hate that this made my top 10. But I promised myself I wouldn’t lie to y’all about these picks, so here we are. Thankfully, I watched this on Disney+ a few weeks before Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle started, so I had enough time to forget the drama from this summer and try to enjoy Deadpool again. This film wasn’t perfect, not even close. Deadpool has definitely lost some of his magic. But I still had a good time. The cameos are fun, the opening fight is pretty damn good, and the overall plot is fine. Hugh Jackman did not seem like he wanted to be there at all, which is fine. Reynold’s over-the-top performance has enough energy for the two of them.
Oh, what’s that? You want to know if I think Nicepool is based on Justin Baldoni? I don’t know, nor do I care. I’m pretty sure that impersonations aren’t illegal, but what do I know?
And that’s it! My Top 10 Films of 2024 that I actually watched in 2024. What were some of your favorite films of 2024? What are you most looking forward to in 2025?
You can follow me on Letterboxd and keep up with my chaotic watch history here.
One of the defining characteristics of each generation is the slang words that are popular with them. YOLO. Lit. Groovy. Far out. Rad. Rizz. Slay. Bummer. Ate. Wicked. These words can connect us, make us laugh, or create confusion. Above us, these words seem to have a cultural expiration date. When was the last time you heard someone say or type out the word YOLO?
Some of the most popular Gen Z slang terms are aura, banger, basic, fire, gagged, and many, many more. Gen Z *loves* their unique generational language.
I’ll address the elephant in the room right off the bat – I’m a ‘97 baby, someone stuck between millennial and Gen Z. I identify with both groups, especially when it comes to pop culture. I grew up loving High School Musical, One Tree Hill, and Glee and as an adult… also really love those things. With a new critical eye towards them, of course. But I also am having a Brat™ summer and love to unironically use the word slay at least a dozen times per day. That last one is a problem, honestly.
Gen Z is generally defined as children born between 1997 and 2012. Typically, Gen Z are the children of young baby boomers (like myself) or Gen X. If we’re following those years, Gen Z ranges from 12-27 years old. That’s quite a large gap, which partly explains why people born in the late 90’s may be caught off guard by what slang someone born in 2010 may use.
I’d be remiss to mention that a lot of Gen Z slang in particular does take inspiration from AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) and the queer community, specifically from drag queens. Slay, for example, is from the drag scene in the 80’s and 90’s. Thank you to the queens who came before us for these words.
As we get further into the 2020s, we’re getting more media revolved around Gen Z characters. Whether or not the actors playing these characters are Gen Z is a whole other debate. The examples I want to look at today are the show Pretty Little Liars: Original Sinand the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin revolves around a group of teenage girls born in the 2000s. The girls are in high school and have varying interests – sports, horror films, dance, chat rooms, and, ya know, solving a 20-year-old mystery. Normal teen things.
One of the things I noticed the most while watching season 1 of PLL:OS was the excessive use of film quotes and references from the character, Tabby, in particular. Tabby works at the local movie theater and has a passion for film, horror films in particular. She almost excessively finds a way to tie everything back to a horror film throughout the season – telling herself she’s a “final girl” while entering a dark staircase, making a gender-swapped tribute to Psycho for her film class, or encouraging her classmates to attend a Jordan Peele double feature that she hosts.
Honestly, these references pretty much all landed for me. I don’t mind a little meta-commentary in a show, and her character reminded me a lot of the new characters we see now in slasher films like Scream VI. She’s the member of the group who thinks she’s smart enough to save everyone from the killer and she wants everyone to know that. She’s seen the classics, the remakes, and the reboots, and she can get them all out alive.
Many of the comments I saw about Tabby on the TV Time app expressed annoyance at her references and quotes. They ranged from wondering how a teenager could know all of these movies, to wanting her to shut up. In my experience, with the rise of apps like TikTok and Letterboxd, I think it’s more common for teenagers to watch a lot of films and have strong opinions of them. I genuinely believe that Tabby has seen all of the movies she’s referencing – now, do I believe all of the teens on the show have? Absolutely not. But it makes Tabby’s character stand out and ties back to her main plot line very well.
Throughout the show, we see a lot of arguing among the teens, particularly between boys and girls. We see boys telling girls to “chill out” and, in one particular confrontation, a boy asking if Tabby is trying to “win the award for angriest black girl.” I think this is a pretty good representation of how teenagers tend to argue these days – as a more socially conscious generation, Gen Z knows the hot topics to push while in a heated confrontation. When I was in high school, the boys would make misogynistic jokes, make fun of our feminist club, and tell us that “feminism wasn’t real.” I believe that teens today have an even sharper eye on contemporary gender dynamics and could draw on deeper social issues to cut deep and evoke a stronger reaction from their opponents.
Overall, I believe Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is a good representation of Gen Z as a whole, particularly how they use, and occasionally weaponize language. The characters aren’t using slang just to use slang. Their dialogue feels more natural than that. Perhaps since the show is structured as more of a mystery than a comedy, we don’t see the writers trying to force in Gen Z slang to get a cheap laugh from the audience. We see the characters using it amongst themselves, either when they’re feeling comfortable or when they’re defending each other. The adults in the show aren’t using it to embarrass their kids and the mysterious “A” doesn’t use it in their texts to the girls. It’s used sparingly, which I think is the smartest thing that the writers could do.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem takes almost the opposite approach to PLL:OS, to similarly successful results. Brothers Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello are chronically online teenagers who love to use Gen Z slang. They scroll TikTok, they roast each other constantly, and they spend their free time imagining what it would be like if they could be normal teenagers.
Look at these cuties! I love them!
Teenage is a fascinating example because the voice actors for the mutants are actual teenagers! While recording their lines for the film, each actor was younger than nineteen years old. Their young voices, whether laced with sarcasm, melancholy, or longing are part of why this movie works as well as it does. You believe the brothers would gang up to tease Donatello for having no “rizz,” for example.
Teenage relies heavily on slang throughout the various character interactions in the film. Not only do the brothers use it amongst themselves, but they’re nervously using it while speaking to April (voiced by Ayo Edebri, our Irish queen) and while trying to connect with the new mutants they meet throughout the film. It slips out unconsciously, effortlessly fitting into the dialogue. That being said, I don’t believe it ever becomes too much or ever becomes cringe. And a movie like this could so easily become cringe.
I have to give a specific shoutout to the film’s writers for making this all seem so natural – Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Benji Samit, and Dan Hernandez. Bravo all around.
For every good example of good Gen Z representation, there are ultimately three bad examples. Screenwriters across the world are still trying to see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to media based on this age group. I hope that writers can see how Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem utilize their teenage characters’ language, habits, and relationship dynamics and create even stronger media.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is available to stream on Max. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
In 2020 and 2021, I was renting a couple of films through my Apple account every month. I had recently gotten more into film during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was thoroughly enjoying checking films off of my Letterboxd watchlist. I was spending a minimum of $3.99 for each rental, some upwards of $6.99 for a newer release. The most I’ve ever spent on a rental was $19.99… for the Dear Evan Hansen film adaptation. 🙈
This somewhat expensive hobby of mine tampered off after 2021. I was much busier with work and other responsibilities, and mostly saved renting films for when I was with my friends (for which we would normally split the rental cost). Due to this, I discovered that many of the films that I first put on my Letterboxd watchlist had remained on the list year after year. This would annoy me momentarily as I looked through my watchlist, but I would soon forget about these films once again. These films typically weren’t on any of the streaming services I subscribe to, (which is a whole other topic to discuss) and I didn’t want to fork over the $3.99 to watch them by myself.
Earlier this summer, one of my best friends (hi Nicki) was visiting from her new home in Idaho, and was telling me her struggles with the internet at her new location. Due to this, she isn’t able to do much streaming for entertainment purposes. What does she do instead? She borrows DVDs from her local library.
Y’all. When I tell you that my mind exploded…
Let me clarify one thing before we go further – I have always been a big library girl. Growing up, I swear I read every YA book in my local library. One of my earliest memories is of flipping through The Berenstain Bear books available at my library. I used to borrow CDs from my library and burn them to my iTunes library (unsure if this was legal, but I was a child, so I think I’m good). Into adulthood, though, I did fall off of the library train.
Over the past year, I have re-fallen in love with going to the library. I’ve saved over $500 from checking out physical books, audiobooks, comics, ebooks, and, most recently, DVDs.
Imagine me rolling up to my local library in June of this year and checking out *literally* a dozen titles. Actually, you don’t have to imagine, because that is what happened.
As of today, I’ve been able to check eight films off of my Letterboxd watchlist through checking out DVDs. Most of these films had been on my watchlist for upwards of 3 years – The Blackening (2022) is probably the most recent addition, and it’s been on there for nearly 2 years. Here’s a list of the films I’ve watched and how much they would cost me to rent (or the streaming service they’re currently on).
If you’re keeping up with my math, I’ve saved nearly $34 by checking out these titles at my library! That’s a lot of money on only eight films.
I also have to credit @newts.films on TikTok for the inspiration for this post – she’s been promoting going to local libraries for DVDs this summer, and I’ve loved seeing what’s available at hers. If you’re a newcomer to this practice and aren’t sure what to grab to check out, her videos are a great starting point.
Support your local libraries, friends! It serves your community and can help you save money.
*Warning! This post contains spoilers for Bodies Bodies Bodies.*
2011. Scream 4, the last Scream film directed by Wes Craven, premiered to subpar ratings and went on to be the lowest-grossing film of the Scream franchise.
2013. Carrie starred Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, and Judy Greer. Despite the star-powered cast, the film received abysmal reviews and grossed only $35 million domestically.
2016. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies became billed as the Austen adaptation no one asked for. Despite a cast that would later become Hollywood B-listers, the film grossed only $16 million against a $28 million budget.
2016. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies became billed as the Austen adaptation no one asked for. Despite a cast that would later become Hollywood B-listers, the film grossed only $16 million against a $28 million budget.
The early 2010s were a rough time for the modern horror movie genre, especially the comedy horror. Franchises like Scream would take over a decade to reemerge, reboots were grossing almost no money, and sequels like Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones were made with only a few million dollars.
Things began to look up in 2017. Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele, profited over $100 million and won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It grossed over $700 million and helped to launch the careers of young stars such as Sophia Lillis and Chosen Jacobs. There were some dark points, though. Mother!, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky was the subject of many think pieces and helped to oversaturate Jennifer Lawrence into an acting break for years.
Modern classics continued to emerge in the final year of the 2010s. For once, original films and sequels were seeing success. Us, It Chapter 2, and Ma scared audiences and created memes so nuclear, they’re still relevant years later. Ready or Not, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, is a particular Gen-Z favorite. The film not only solidified Samara Weaving as a scream queen but introduced or refamiliarized its audience with the best of what a black comedy horror has to offer. You’re flinching, screaming, hiding behind your hands, and ready to root for your final girl to emerge successfully. 2019 was a great year for film altogether, but it was especially great for the horror genre.
After a rough start to the 2020s, 2022 quite literally began with the rebirth of the Scream franchise. Released in January (the month the industry sends films to die) Scream V profited over $50 million and helped launch Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega as the new Scream final girls. Scream VI was released the following year and became the highest-grossing film of the franchise, grossing nearly $170 million. 2022 continued to release hit horror films, including Barbarian, Fresh, M3GAN, and, my personal favorite, Bodies Bodies Bodies.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Theatrically released by A24 and directed by Halina Reijn, Bodies Bodies Bodies stars Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, Maria Bakalova, and Pete Davidson. The plot follows girlfriends Stenberg and Bakalova as they arrive at a mansion to visit old friends of Stenberg during a hurricane. After a night of drinking, dancing, and other debauchery, the group decides to play a game aptly called Bodies Bodies Bodies. The storm worsens as the game goes on, with the home soon losing power. The group soon finds Davidson outside with his throat slashed. Convinced there’s a murderer among them, the group soon turns on each other, and chaos ensues.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is not only full of blood and tense moments, it’s also genuinely funny. The humor and tension of the film are largely based on class status and privilege. Bakalova’s character is an outsider to the group and portrayed to be poor, which others, such as Sennott’s character, can financially get by with income brought in by a singular podcast. The group is full of virtue signallers, with the character portrayed by Myha’la Jael Herrold serving as the group’s voice of reason and calling out the ignorant members, one of whom is often Sennott.
(Despite her ignorance, Sennott’s character in particular is a fan favorite, and for good reason. Her delivery of the line“your parents are upper middle class” is award-worthy.)
Bodies Bodies Bodies is the comedy horror film that got me into the genre. I went in for the humor and left with a newfound appreciation for the tension building and the art of a great onscreen kill. I’ve watched more in the years since BBB but hadn’t found one that matched the humor of that one. Until recently, when I watched The Blackening.
The Blackening, directed by Tim Story, was released in the summer of 2023 to coincide with Juneteenth. The film was written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins and starred Perkins along with Grace Byers, X Mayo, Sinqua Walls, and more. The film follows a group of friends as they all get together at a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth. It’s established that this is the first time this entire group has been together in a decade.
The film begins with an opening kill, a classic of the horror genre. Without spoiling the kill, we watch as a couple analyze a board game called The Blackening. The game seemingly comes to life, asking the couple to pick a card. When they do, they’re presented with a trivia question. After failing to answer the question correctly, the couple appears to be killed.
We spend the rest of the film watching as the friend group, consisting entirely of black people, fights to survive. If you’re unaware, it’s an unfortunate trope that a black character is often the first to die in a horror movie. The Blackening faces this trope head-on, with one of the taglines of the film being, “We can’t all die first.”
The Blackening, similar to Bodies Bodies Bodies, laces its bloodshed with humor. The humor and tension of this film are largely based on race and what it means to be black. At one point, the twisted game makes the group choose who they think is the *most* black. Outside of torture, the trivia questions associated with the game are hilarious. My personal favorite consisted of naming five black characters on Friends. This moment was one of the many times I laughed out loud multiple times watching The Blackening.
One point against The Blackening is the lack of bloodshed. Don’t get me wrong, we quite literally watch as six characters lose their lives. But this film focuses less on stabbing and shooting and more on the mental anguish that characters in horror films go through as they fight.
I immediately began comparing The Blackening to Bodies Bodies Bodies after watching, mostly because of the humor. I noticed while perusing Letterboxd reviews that I wasn’t alone in this comparison. And while this comparison could be perceived as problematic, I disagree. I think that both films show the greatness that can be achieved in a comedy horror. I want to be laughing one minute and then gasping in horror the next. I want the one-liners to be trapped between a stabbing and a scream. I want to see Pete Davidson lying in a pool of blood because his character was an idiot who almost decapitated himself while filming a TikTok. Sue me.
If the lull of the horror genre in the early and mid-2010s showed us anything, it’s that a horror comedy movie needs to have a point of view. We as the audience want to see a connection – we want to care for the characters, especially if they die. Whether that’s done with jokes about a biracial character being more white than black or having an influencer podcaster vehemently call her friend’s family upper middle class, we need to see some depth. We need somebody to root for and someone to be suspicious of. Jump scares and elevators of blood aren’t going to accomplish that alone. We need smart dialogue to establish characters and keep the plot going. Without this, we’ll be stuck watching reboots for the rest of our lives, and I KNOW we don’t want that.
Welcome back to my ranking of the 15 A24 films that I’ve logged on Letterboxd! This is the final part and features some of the best films I’ve ever seen. If you need a refresher, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. Now, let’s dive into Part 3!
What can I say about this film that hasn’t already been said? Innovative, captivating, soul crushing, and so damn beautiful. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu absolutely smashed their performances, drawing you in and keeping your attention throughout every second of this science fiction, comedy, drama, no one genre film. The Daniels (as Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan are known as) managed to write and direct one of the most important films of the 21st century on a 25 million dollar budget. This film is A24’s masterpiece and it deserved every damn award that it was given. If you haven’t seen Everything Everywhere All At Once, I am begging you to sit down and watch it.
Causeway marked lead actress Jennifer Lawrence’s return to Hollywood in early 2022, starring as a veteran of the war in Afghanistan home in New Orleans after suffering a traumatic brain injury while on duty. The film follows Lawrence’s character, Lynsey, as she returns to live with her mother and attempts to build a new life for herself in her hometown. While experiencing car trouble, Lynsey meets mechanic James, played by Brian Tyree Henry, and the two become unlikely friends. The two reluctantly begin to open up to each other, though the film reveals that they both have secrets that they’re hesitant to tell the other.
A quieter film than most on this list, Causeway took my breath away when I watched it. Lawrence and Henry are brilliant in their roles, with Henry being nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Causeway is the first feature film for director Lila Neugebauer and I’m excited to see what she tackles next. The film is intimate – you truly feel like a fly on the wall as you watch Lawrence and Henry trade quips and drink beer. If you’re looking for a film to quietly sink into, I highly recommend checking this one out on Apple TV+.
Minari is a stunning film about the concept of the American Dream, immigration, and intergenerational relationships. Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun, Minari follows a young family in the 1980s as they move from the West Coast to Arkansas in order to pursue farming. The film follows the family as they work and struggle to make ends meet while also facing racism in their new community and marital problems between the two leads.
Alan Kim, a child actor, was one of the breakout stars of the film for his portrayal of the playful youngest child of the family, David. Youn Yuh-jung, an esteemed South Korean actress, won the Academy Award for her performance as the grandmother of the family, Soonja. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. In total, the film won 54 awards throughout the 2020-2021 awards cycle.
In my opinion, each award was well deserved. I remember seeing the film in theaters and absolutely sobbing through the ending. It’s a beautiful film and a triumph for A24.
You know those films that just grab a piece of your heart and never let it go? That’s me with The Florida Project. Written and directed by Sean Baker, The Florida Project follows Moonee, a young child living with her single mother in a rented by the week motel room near DisneyWorld. We primarily see the film through Moonee’s eyes, though we are treated to a few scenes from the manager of the motel, Bobby’s, (brilliantly played by Willem Dafoe) point of view.
This film is an analysis of the American class system. We see the wonder and magic of Disney intertwined with the poverty experienced by thousands of families just miles away from the park gates.
Moonee and her mother, Halley, are scraping by and mostly live on a diet of pizza and soda. Towards the end of the film, we see Halley become desperate to make money, choosing to participate in sex work. While I believe that sex work is work and that sex workers deserve to be protected at every turn, Baker shows us the harsh reality of Halley’s experience inviting men into the same room that she shares with Moonee in order to make a couple of hundred dollars. While Halley works, she puts Moonee into a bath and turns their radio on to prevent the child from overhearing anything. There’s a jarring scene during this sequence where one of Halley’s clients opens the bathroom door, despite Halley’s protests, only to shame Halley for her choices. This scene in particular has stuck with me since I first saw the film. We only see Moonee in this moment, happily playing in her bath and singing along to the radio, suddenly looking confused and scared as she freezes and stares at the man in the doorway. This is one of the scenes that shows us that Moonee is slowly losing her innocence while in her mother’s care. I won’t spoil much else about this film because I truly think that everyone should watch it. It’s heartbreaking and will stick with you for a long time afterward.
As mentioned earlier, esteemed actor Willem Dafoe is one of the leads and received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Moonee, played by Brooklynn Prince, has gone on to star in many other films, including Cocaine Bear. Director Baker went on to write and direct another A24 film, Red Rocket, starring Simon Rex.
The Florida Project is one of the best films in A24’s catalog and my personal favorite.
Letterboxd ranking: 5/5
We’ve reached the end of my A24 ranking! As a reminder these are just the A24 films that I’ve logged on Letterboxd. I’ve seen more and will continue to see more. Do you agree with my ranking? Is there an A24 film that I should watch next? Let me know in the comments! Follow me on Letterboxd here.
Welcome back to my ranking of the 15 A24 films that I’ve logged on Letterboxd! We’ve got some gems (*wink*) in this list that I’m excited to share with y’all. Let’s dive in!
Directed by Mr. Greta Gerwig, aka Noah Baumbach, White Noise follows a family of five as they navigate in a slightly apocalyptic world following a chemical spill from a rail car. The film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Don DeLillo, with this adaptation also written by Baumbach. The film stars Gerwig as the complicated but doting wife of Adam Driver, a professor of Hitler studies at The-College-on-the-Hill. The film is bolstered by the three young actors who play the Driver and Gerwigs’s children, providing laughs at times and adding to the tension at others. The film is full of twists and turns, most of which could be spoiled if I said too much. What I will say is that this film is fantastic and an underrated member of Baumbach’s filmography. The only reason it isn’t higher on this list is because I’ve only seen it once and should probably give it a rewatch soon.
What happens when you mix a hurricane, alcohol, machetes, and a group of frenemies in one home? A series of cold blooded murders, obviously. This stellar ensemble slasher stars Amandla Stenberg as Sophie, a 20-something who is making an effort to spend time with some old friends while introducing said friends to her new girlfriend, Bee. Bee is played by Maria Bakalova, who was fresh off of her Academy Award nominated performance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The film has some incredible one liners delivered brilliantly by actors such as Rachel Sennott and Pete Davidson. The film mocks Zillennial (Gen Z and millennial) culture well, a move that could have easily been cringe. This is a slasher film that could be watched year-round, in my opinion. Grab some friends and be ready to both hide at the sight of blood and laugh at the ridiculousness.
Marcel is a bold film that combines animation with real life and has Dean Fleischer Camp (who also wrote and directed the film) playing opposite a small animated shell, voiced brilliantly by Jenny Slate. Marcel was first created in the 2010’s by Slate and Camp and found an audience on the internet. In this story, Marcel is spending time taking care of their grandmother, Nana Connie, as she reaches the end of her life. (Cue the waterworks, oh my.) It’s a beautiful film that found a tiny shell with shoes on making their way to the Academy Awards. We love to see it.
Was anyone able to scroll on TikTok in 2022 without coming across the video of Julia Fox saying “Uncut JAAAMS”? I’m envious if you were. Anyway, Uncut Gems is a fantastic movie led by Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel and a gaggle of real life athletes. The story follows Howard, played by Sandler, as he attempts to pull off a series of complicated sports gambling exploits. Fox plays his mistress while Menzel plays his “over his shit” wife. I first watched this film in 2021, a while after the hype died down, and was blown away. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The film was written and directed by the Safdie brothers, known for their high intensity thrillers, and this endeavor was no different. A must watch.
I’m trying to not let recency bias filter too much into my ranking of Priscilla, written and directed by Sofia Coppola, but I absolutely adored this film. It embodies Coppola’s filmmaking style at its best – a combination of lingering wide shots, close ups of the main subject while the action builds around her, a gorgeous score and one needle drop that makes you go “damn.” Caillee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi embodied Priscilla and Elvis, showing us the connection that brought the two together and the disinterest and lack of care that tore them apart. I found myself near tears at the end, watching Priscilla drive away from Graceland, and thus becoming her own person for the first time in her life. Coppola is back, baby!
Letterboxd ranking: 4/5
Stay tuned for the final part of my A24 ranking, coming soon! Catch up on part 1 here. Follow me on Letterboxd.
For reference, the films* discussed in this post are sorted below by release year.
The Bling Ring (2013)
The Florida Project (2017)
Uncut Gems (2019)
Zola (2020)
Minari (2020)
On The Rocks (2020)
False Positive (2021)
The Green Knight (2021)
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2021)
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
White Noise (2022)
Causeway (2022)
Sharper (2023)
Priscilla (2023)
*Note: The 15 films discussed in this post are not all of the A24 films I’ve seen, only the ones that I have logged on Letterboxd.
I first started becoming more interested in film during the summer of 2020. Bolstered by the volume of content on the many streaming services I was subscribed to and the boredom I was experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, I began to fill my time by watching films. It wasn’t long before I found that my taste in film (which is, to be honest, all over the place) coincided well with the indie production company, A24.
Based in Manhattan, A24 was founded by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges in 2012. Working in the television and film industry, A24 broke into public consciousness in 2013 with the popular films Spring Breakers, The Bling Ring, and The Spectacular Now.
Since its conception, A24 has produced some of the most popular films of the decade, including the 2022 Best Picture Oscar winner, Everything Everywhere All At Once. The company dabbles in all genres, including drama, horror, comedy, musicals, and documentaries. Frequent directors seen working with the company include Sofia Coppola, Sean Baker, and the Safdie brothers.
All this is my way of saying that I constantly have my eyes peeled for the next A24 release. I don’t religiously keep up with each one, but I can confidently say that I’ve overall enjoyed each A24 film I’ve seen. As for my ranking? Let’s discuss.
I was actually very excited to watch False Positive when it came out in the summer of 2021. It stars Ilana Glazer from Broad City, a show that I discovered and devoured when I was in college. I was excited to see Glazer expand her filmography and try her hand at psychological horror. Unfortunately, even while running at a tight 93 minutes, False Positive couldn’t end soon enough for me. While I won’t spoil the twists and turns of the film for you, I will say that the last twenty minutes are full of blood and gore, screaming, and a trippy hallucination from Glazer’s character. This film is not for the faint of heart or for anyone who has any pregnancy related trauma.
I’m going to be completely honest right now and say that I do not remember much about The Green Knight. The film stars Dev Patel, who I adore, and introduced me to Barry Keoghan, an actor who was experiencing a breakout year in 2021. The film is billed as an “epic fantasy,” but mostly left me asking questions and feeling confused. This is one of the A24 films that I watched because of the hype and walked away feeling no connection to it. And that’s okay! Not every film you watch is going to stick with you.
Ah yes, On the Rocks, the film where Sofia Coppola discovered black people!* My personal least favorite Coppola film and the lowest that I have ever rated one of her films. While I typically love Coppola’s filmmaking style, this film is ultimately a drag. A father and daughter tale mixed in with cheating accusations, side characters who aren’t given enough to do, and subpar performances from Rashida Jones and Bill Murray. All of this said, I haven’t watched it since 2020, so a rewatch may be in my future to see if my Letterboxd ranking is still fair. Speaking of which…
Letterboxd ranking: 2/5
* Please note that a.) I am joking and b.) I can’t take credit for this joke. It appears dozens of times in the Letterboxd reviews for this film.
Another Coppola film, this time with much more flair and a clear point of view. In 2013, Coppola decided to tackle the story of The Bling Ring, a group of Los Angeles teenagers who famously broke into the homes of celebrities to steal big ticket items after tracking their whereabouts on entertainment blogs. The film famously stars Emma Watson in one of her first post-Harry Potter roles and includes a cameo from real life Bling Ring victim, Paris Hilton. This film is fun and light and different from Coppola’s usual melancholy tone. I like this film but it does feel a bit out of place in Coppola’s overall filmography.
Fun, sexy and a bit long at nearly two hours, Sharper is the kind of mystery-thriller-action film that you can watch with your mom and your friends. Starring Julianna Moore and Sebastian Stan, Sharper is told through multiple characters, through different timelines, and over the course of a couple of years. The build up is slow, but once you reach the half hour mark, I guarantee you’ll be interested to see where this story ends.
Letterboxd ranking: 3/5
10. Zola (2020) Zola! Oh man, this film is a riot. Based on a true story that was documented on Twitter through 148 tweets in 2015, Zola follows Aziah Wells as she goes through a shocking weekend in Florida. For more background on the real life tale, I recommend this article that includes the tweets. The film has an all-star cast of Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, and Nicholas Braun. Braun is a personal highlight for me, as he has one scene towards the end of the film that had me and my best friend screaming with laughter. A wild and twisty tale, Zola is the first film on this list that I HIGHLY recommend you watch.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my A24 ranking, coming soon! You can follow me on Letterboxd here.
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