1. Devil in a Blue Dress (Carl Franklin, 1995) As many people have said, it's a shame that this adaptation of author Walter Mosley's first Easy Rawlins novel didn't launch a franchise, because Denzel Washington is perfect for the hard-boiled 1940s private detective character, and Mosley's stories have a unique perspective on a familiar genre. This is an engaging, well-acted mystery with effective plot twists and fascinating characters, full of sharp dialogue, pointed social commentary, and suspenseful confrontations. If it had been released 10 or 20 years later, it probably would have caught on, and maybe Washington would have had a worthy thriller franchise instead of the grim, plodding Equalizer movies.
2. Ghostwatch (Lesley Manning, 1992) One of the many impressive things in this pioneering found-footage horror movie is that the main stars are all actual news presenters, not actors, and yet they give accomplished performances that capture the terror as well as the professionalism that draws the audience in. Sarah Greene in particular is so good as the increasingly distressed reporter investigating a haunted house that it's a shame she didn't have a further acting career. The attention to detail is important in the craftsmanship, but it's just as important in the performances, in order to create the full convincing, immersive experience of a genuine news broadcast (which first aired on British TV and fooled many viewers).
3. Catherine Called Birdy (Lena Dunham, 2022) I don't think I ever made it through more than a handful of episodes of Girls, but I found Lena Dunham's adaptation of Karen Cushman's medieval-set YA novel lovely, sweet, funny, and quite affecting at times. I enjoy deliberate anachronisms in period films when they are properly calibrated, and Dunham knows just when to deploy some modern behavior and when to emphasize the constraints of the era, and stars Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott are especially deft at maintaining that balance. A wonderful coming-of-age movie that seems to have gotten lost in the streaming ether.
4. Purple Noon (René Clément, 1960) As much as I love The Talented Mr. Ripley, this earlier adaptation comes in a close second in my ranking of Tom Ripley movies. Alain Delon brings a sultrier, sexier energy to his portrayal of Ripley, which fits with director René Clément's approach to the story. Clément stages multiple intricate, tense sequences of Ripley committing his crimes and working hard to cover them up, often nearly getting caught in the process. Purple Noon is a more stylish take on Ripley, with less internal anguish but plenty of sophisticated suspense.
5. Only Angels Have Wings (Howard Hawks, 1939) My co-host Jason Harris picked this drama set at a remote South American airmail outpost for an episode of our Awesome Movie Year podcast season on the films of 1939, and it was a great choice. I especially like the way that this movie effortlessly switches gears, from comedy to romance to suspense to melodrama, while balancing its fairly large cast and keeping the audience invested in all the characters. Cary Grant, Jean Arthur and Thomas Mitchell are all excellent, and the flying scenes have the kind of visceral thrill that modern CGI can never quite achieve.
6. A Little Romance (George Roy Hill, 1979) It's jarring to see Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane in the same movie, like two figures from different historical periods whose lives shouldn't intersect. Olivier's hammy performance as a flamboyant con artist may actually be the weakest element of this charming romantic comedy, about teenage first love between an American bookworm (Lane) and a French cinephile (Thelonious Bernard, in his only role) in Paris. Lane (in her own screen debut) is fantastic as the precocious, adventurous Lauren, and the central romance is sweet and honest without seeming seedy.
7. Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore (Sarah Jacobson, 1996) It's a shame that this movie wasn't able to ride the wave of the '90s indie cinema boom, sadly probably in part because it was made by a woman and features a female protagonist (although she's surrounded by male characters). Sure, the aesthetics and the acting are both rough, but no more so than Clerks, and the raw authenticity makes up for the occasional awkwardness. Lisa Gerstein is great as the title character, and the coming-of-age story is frank about sex without being either lascivious or prudish. It's especially sad that Sarah Jacobson died so young and won't ever have the chance to experience a potential career revival now that people are rediscovering her work.
8. Mute Witness (Anthony Waller, 1995) Tense, inventive thriller with a strong Brian De Palma influence, taking place over the course of one harrowing night. The first 30 minutes or so, when Marina Zudina's mute protagonist witnesses a murder on the movie set where she's working as a makeup artist, masterfully generate suspense as she tries to evade the killers pursuing her through a rundown film production facility. There are some slightly rushed developments in the later part of the movie, but overall this is a very effective thriller that warrants its emerging cult status.
9. The Twentieth Century (Matthew Rankin, 2019) I have yet to see Matthew Rankin's new film Universal Language, but surreal, whimsical alternate-universe Canada seems to be his thing. Maybe this deliberately counterfactual "biopic" about Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King would be more meaningful if I knew anything about Canadian history, but in a way it's more amusing to be clueless about the real-world references and just enjoy the Guy Maddin-meets-John Waters absurdity. Gloriously artificial, dryly hilarious, and weirdly poignant at times.
10. Day for Night (Francois Truffaut, 1973) It's good to remember that the French New Wave filmmakers started as critics and enthusiasts, and that love for cinema comes through strongly in Francois Truffaut's joyous tribute to moviemaking, in which he stars as the director of a chaotic film production. Truffaut doesn't shy away from the personal and professional disasters that come with producing a film, but instead makes it all part of the delightfully messy artistic process.
Honorable mentions: The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda, 2000); Remy & Arletta (Arthur De Larroche, 2023); Woman in Hiding (Michael Gordon, 1950)
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