December 19, 2024
What Were the Best Films of 2024?
Frank J. Avella READ TIME: 10 MIN.
"Wicked"
Jon M. Chu's glorious, perfectly cast film version of "Wicked: Part One" is not just a celebration of the wonders of a stage musical adaptation when it's done with reverence to the source material, but also reconceived for the visual medium, it's also a warning to a society ready to silence those they disagree or find fault with. "Wicked" also happens to be a potent film about female friendship boasting a fab ensemble led by the commanding Cynthia Erivo, the splendi-fabuous Ariana Grande-Butera and sexy-pants himself, Jonathan Bailey.
"September 5"
It's no easy feat to take a story that's been dramatized many times and give it a fresh and timely spin, but German writer-director Tim Fehlbaum's "September 5" does just that and more by trapping us in an intensely claustrophobic environment and forcing us to sit with our own prejudices and meditate on the continuously chaotic and horrific state of the world. It's a sobering experience. And the cast features outstanding work by Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and the quietly breathtaking Leonie Benesch.
