the @popcollin reviews

THE TOP 5

1. Minari
The story of a Korean family struggling to stay afloat on a makeshift Arkansas farm is a beautiful and touching bit of subdued and nuanced filmmaking. Writer-director Lee Isaac Chung has crafted a character-driven masterpiece with Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri leading the way as the superbly well-drawn parents of two young children. It’s quiet and quirky and gentle and warm (except for the few occasions when it’s not) and well worth two hours of your time.

2. The Father
What you think might be a simple story about a woman trying to convince her deteriorating father that he needs to move into a home is very much not. Full of twists and turns and surprises, it’s not only a showcase for the Oscar-worthy (and then some) Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, it’s a brilliantly scripted and directed (by Florian Zeller) masterpiece of moviemaking. It’s a tough and heady watch, to be sure, but it’s well worth your time and appreciation.

3. Nomadland
Frances McDormand anchors a phenomenal film about nomad life in the American West, starring as an unemployed widower content to live out of her van and drive state-to-state to find work. Though fictional, it feels like a year-in-the-life documentary about this slice of Americana, thanks to the outstanding direction of Chloe Zhao. The film has been getting all the buzz this winter and is currently (and rightfully) the odds-on favorite for Best Picture.

4. A Quiet Place Part Two
Every bit as nerve-jangling and brilliantly executed as the first film, the only thing missing this go-’round is the element of surprise, which inherently drops away in every sequel. Emily Blunt is still at the top of her game, but Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe (as the youngsters in the Abbott clan) steal the show. If you’ve been waiting for a solid reason to return to movie theaters, this fits the bill in spades.

5. In the Heights
Before he made Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda penned an ode to his old New York neighborhood. Now the film version, directed by John M. Chu with his trademark vibrancy and passion, arrives as a wildly exuberant, feel-good musical sure to lift your summer spirits. Though it lacks some of the gravitas and intricacies of Hamilton, it’s a must-see—not only for Hamilfans but for anyone who appreciates rock-solid musical theater.

THE REST

6. Oslo
7. The Dry
8. The Year Earth Changed
9. Two Distant Strangers
10. Pieces of a Woman
11. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
12. Raya and the Last Dragon
13. I Care a Lot
14. The World to Come
15. Judas and the Black Messiah
16. The Dig
17. Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself
18. Herself
19. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
20. About Endlessness
21. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
22. Together Together
23. Shiva Baby
24. Godzilla vs. Kong
25. Nobody
26. The Courier
27. Luca
28. Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet
29. Dream Horse
30. Oxygen
31. Operation Varsity Blues
32. The Last Cruise
33. The Human Voice
34. The Mauritanian
35. Land
36. French Exit
37. Little Fish
38. Palmer
39. Our Friend
40. One Night in Miami
41. Wolfgang
42. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
43. Nail Bomber: Manhunt
44. Pink: All I Know So Far
45. Silo
46. Wrath of Man
47. We Broke Up
48. The Last Right
49. Thunder Force
50. Long Weekend
51. Coming 2 America
52. Boss Level
53. Blithe Spirit
54. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
55. Falling
56. The Little Things
57. Supernova
58. Penguin Bloom
59. Good on Paper
60. Plan B
61. Profile
62. Those Who Wish Me Dead
63. Monster
64. Eat Wheaties
65. Mortal Kombat
66. Stowaway
67. Yes Day
68. Moxie
69. The United States vs. Billie Holiday
70. Flora & Ulysses
71. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
72. White Tiger
73. The Marksman
74. Synchronic
75. Audrey
76. Shadow in the Cloud
77. Cruella
78. Say Your Prayers
79. Bad Trip
80. Kid 90
81. Pixie
82. Finding ‘Ohana
83. F9: The Fast Saga
84. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
85. Finding You
86. Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse
87. The Vault
88. Outside the Wire
89. Awake
90. The Woman in the Window
91. Last Call
92. Cherry
93. The Right One
94. Breaking News In Yuba County
95. The Ice Road
96. Army of the Dead
97. Locked Down

THE BOTTOM 5

98. Chaos Walking
From the What the Heck is Going On files (subset Why Should I Care) comes this head-scratcher of a sci-fi flick. In the future, a bunch of humans live on a faraway planet. All the women are dead, and all the men walk around with their thoughts floating audibly above their heads like comic strip balloons. Way, way too many unanswered questions doom this bizarre experiment-gone-wrong from the very start. Even the presence of (and genuinely top-shelf performances by) Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, and Mads Mikkelsen can’t save it.

99. Malcolm & Marie
A passion project produced (and written and directed) by Sam Levinson during the pandemic, the film stars John David Washington and Zendaya as a frosty couple coming to terms with their relationship over the course of a late night. The real-time drama comes off like a ham-fisted attempt of a pretentious arthouse play, largely due to Zendaya’s strained performance. If you’re curious, just watch the first ten minutes, and you’ll get a decent idea of the emotive melodrama that doesn’t let up for the next two hours.

100. Bliss
Owen Wilson stars in a horribly esoteric brain-burner about a man bouncing between a pseudo-dystopian “real world” and a utopian paradise with Salma Hayek as his guide (and pusher). The stars turn in fine performances, sure, but what starts as a decent sci-fi premise winds up being a messy, unresolved head trip. It’s about as far from “bliss” as you can possibly get.

101. America: The Motion Picture
If you’re in the incredibly rare subset of the population who smokes pot religiously, is an over-the-top U.S. history buff, and thinks Archer is the best show in all of television forever, you’re in luck. Otherwise, run far, far in the opposite direction. This rudderless, mindless, and below-juvenile attempt to make an animated, profane South Park-ian twisted history lesson fails (spectacularly) on every single level.

102. Tom & Jerry
Hanna and Barbera are no doubt rolling over in their graves after this ridiculously bad feature film starring our favorite cartoon cat and mouse. Too stupid (and boring, frankly) for adults and too all-over-the-place for kids, it’s a colossal misfire from the very start. Sure, Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña (and Colin Jost?) got their paychecks, but near as I can tell, that’s the only positive thing to come out of this trainwreck.