Richard Crouse

Here’s a look back at the year that was at the movies. From a pro ping pong player to a melancholy musician and some vicious vampires, here’s my list of the best movies of the year.

TOP PICKS:

Marty Supreme: At 2 hours and 29 minutes “Marty Supreme” is an epic, Sammy Glick-style story of a guy who feeds off confidence and daring. A grand tale of aspiration and consequences, à la “Boogie Nights” and “Goodfellas,” it’s one of the year’s best films.

Blue Moon: Anchored by a tour-de-force performance from, Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon is a deceptively simple character study of an artistic genius who was equal parts brilliance and frailty.

ALL THE REST:

Black Bag: Like John le Carré meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Black Bag is a dialogue driven spy drama fueled by star power rather than fire power.

Bring Her Back: Bring Her Back has graphic moments, but it doesn’t rely on jump scares to make its point. It is the psychological horror, the very core of the film’s exploration of grief, that disturbs and devastates.

F1 The Movie: A story of rivals, high speeds and a mentor with something to prove, F1 follows a very identifiable sports movie blueprint, but you’ll likely be too busy taking in the adrenalized spectacle to feel the déjà vu.”

Hamnet: Intimate and raw, Hamnet is an open wound; a profound portrait of heartache that is as uncompromising as it is emotionally involving in its depiction of a mother’s loss of a child.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You: A study of a relentless panic attack, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a vital, intimate, but difficult, watch featuring a career best performance from Rose Byrne who delivers a raw nerve of a performance that impresses and devastates.

The Long Walk: The Long Walk covers a lot of ground. The story of march to the death is a harrowing look at authoritarianism and the extremes that despairing people will go in search of hope.

The Naked Gun: A mix of absurd humor, sight gags, and deadpan delivery The Naked Gun breathes new life into franchise by not playing it safe and delivering big laughs. Surely, the reboot can’t be as fun as the original movies. Yes it is, and don’t call me Shirley.

Nouvelle Vague: A love letter to Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave, and to storytelling and imagination. It stylishly captures the style and playfulness of the French New Wave, but more importantly, the spirit of change that fueled the movement that changed cinema.

The Secret Agent: Richly layered with political commentary, absurdist humor and thrills, The Secret Agent is an entertainingly convoluted tale of resistance against Brazil’s authoritarian government circa 1977.

Sentimental Value: With stellar performances and nuanced, grounded storytelling, Sentimental Value hits the heart in its portrayal of family bonds and the spaces that sometimes can bring people closer together.

Sinners: Director Ryan Coogler calls the movie mashup ‘genre fluid,’ and even that clever descriptor doesn’t come close to capturing the width and breadth of the story.

Sorry, Baby: An idiosyncratic comedy, Sorry, Baby is a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking look at a very difficult subject, handled with care by writer, director and star Eva Victor.

Train Dreams: Train Dreams is a lovely, contemplative movie about the attempts to understand the ephemeral aspects of life. There’s no spectacle, no grandstanding, just intimate, poignant grace notes of one man’s existence.

Weapons: Director Zach Cregger navigates the story’s tonal twists and turns like a pro, bending the film’s unusual structure to his will to deliver an exciting, entertaining movie that is as hilarious as it is horrifying.