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Below is my list of the 20 Best Movies of 2024 in my order of preference, with the first being the Best Film of the Year 2024 was a solid year for movies—not great, but solid. You will notice that there are many films on my list that aren't on many other critics' lists, as there are many films that are NOT on my list that are included on my colleagues' lists. That's not on purpose; it's just how it worked out. A huge number of extraordinarily overrated movies were released th

[The 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival  is underway through October 27. Watch for my exclusive reviews of CIFF films on this website.] I'm putting on my Film Critic pants AND suspenders today, which means it's time for some capsule (short) reviews of four New Releases for the week of Friday, October 25, 2024. 1) MEMOIR OF A SNAIL This is Grace (voiced by Sarah Snook) the lead character in the lovely new film "Memoir of a Snail." The very talented Australian stop

The 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival  is now underway, with screenings, special events, tributes, and other festivities happening all over the city until Closing Night on October 27th. Here are my first five exclusive reviews of CIFF movies; these films will be commercially released in the coming weeks and available for streaming. 1) THE PIANO LESSON Director Malcolm Washington, actor John David Washington and other luminaries arrive at The Music Box Theatre fo