The first and second months of the binge are here, only two more to go! Woop woop!
95 films, and counting.
If you want to watch these films in order, as I did, begin with DAY 1 on the first post! Continue with the A24 binge below by checking out the daily updates on the “A24 Ranked” list below! Don’t forget about those GOLD STAR movies ⭐️!
Enjoy! Happy watching ❤
Day 51: It Comes at Night
Directed by Trey Edward Shults (2017) • Available on Netflix
| This is the second film by Trey Edward Shults, creator of the super low-budget debut feature Krisha. Though the results are updated, Shults’ ever-present mastery remains. However, those quirks now filter through the lens of atmospheric horror, with Shults using his expert tension-building techniques explicitly for fear. The power of suggestion, through the shroud of the surrounding forest, perfectly sets up an apocalypse tale with no need for introduction. Thankfully, he even continues to hone his “family dynamic” screenwriting focus, resulting in some solid character-building using speech and action in harmony. It Comes at Night comes off as a spiritual successor to Krisha on the surface, but the new genre elements distinguish it as a unique entry. \
/ The switch in genre does not deter Shults’ filmmaking abilities – the problem, however, is his reliance on horror conventions. As his signature marks ebb and flow through the proceedings, a bit too much in the vein of Blumhouse Productions rears its ugly head. The balance of individuality and conformity never veers enough in either direction, risking the loss of casual horror fans and diehard indie lovers alike. A fair amount of long takes and bizarre framing keep his filmmaking competence at top-notch, and the air of lingering terror will only bore the most restless of horror enthusiasts. The pure bleakness of It Comes at Night will ultimately make or break the viewer’s opinions, resulting in an exigent film experience that endures its occasional slow-burn pitfall. |
Day 52: A Ghost Story
Directed by David Lowery (2017) • Available on Netflix
| A Ghost Story’s extremely deliberate pace is strangely engaging. Like a supernatural slice-of-life, we see an individual’s dealing with death, both during their lifetime and after, displaying a manner of predestination to his afterlife only because it’s the same process that every other human has and will endure. As Casey Affleck’s character drifts through time in his singular location, his unresolved life turns into a tumultuous afterlife. \
/ David Lowery, through his writing and direction, maintains that the ultimate path of one’s life revolves around a personal revelation or acceptance that can lead to a content death. The ghosts of A Ghost Story wander through the unanswered questions of generations of life and death, even on the site of one lowly farmhouse. The film is slow and not without long stretches of intensely questionable choices, but it all sums to something unexplainably poignant. In its vague detailing of one man’s post-life journey, the audience can easily map themselves into his role; after all, death is something we all have to accept, one way or another. |
Day 53: Menashe ⭐️
Directed by Joshua Z. Weinstein (2017) • Available on Netflix
| As the first foreign language A24 film, Menashe excels in highlighting a world not often seen in mainstream cinema. By remaining centered on the Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn, the direction of Joshua Z. Weinstein eloquently molds a father-son story that is both specific and universal. Lead actor Menashe Lustig fits perfectly into the role as if he was born into it – the other actors follow his quietly substantial lead with naturalistic performances, creating an experience akin to being dropped in the middle of this real neighborhood. With a documentarian’s eye, Weinstein’s co-written story shapes into an engaging drama as fascinating as any non-fiction work. \
/ As an outsider to this community, the viewer gets sucked in initially by the apparent insanity of the film’s central problem – that Menashe cannot raise his son without a two-parent household. The traditions and customs, however, are never meant to be disregarded, and Weinstein’s detailed choices in their inclusion show interest and respect. Menashe compels like a documentary film because it questions the modern usage of these religious practices through a character who is devoted to the lifestyle. His character arc is an enjoyable must-see; the audience luckily forgets any further deficits thanks to this delightful film’s power in telling an unheard story. |
Day 54: Good Time ⭐️
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie (2017) • Available on Netflix
…Robert Pattinson’s A24 career gets a serious upgrade with Good Time, the first film for this company created by Benny and Josh Safdie. In four previous feature-length indie films, the Safdie brothers developed their grasp of filmmaking through bright visuals contrasted with dark undercurrents of society. By joining A24, they broke into a greater audience of low-level movie appreciation that much fewer saw in 2015’s Heaven Knows What.
After his promising support in The Rover, it didn’t take long for someone to cast Pattinson in a leading indie role. In Good Time, his character robs a bank while aided by his mentally disabled brother, and from there, absolutely nothing goes right for him. The movie arc formula we have come to expect never seems to swing in his favor, spiraling further and further from his intended goal following the robbery (which is admittedly never quite clear). This interruption to convention creates some contrived instances and questionable narrative choices, but it is all in favor of creating pure chaos. The sharp brightness in the film’s neon signs and fluorescent lights only makes Rob’s chances seem grimmer – in its harsh unpleasantness, Good Time revels in the bleak reality of rebelling against the imposed order of American society. Still, there’s plenty of enjoyment found in going this dark…
Day 55: Woodshock
Directed by Kate and Laura Mulleavy (2017) • Available on Netflix
…It’s not a good sign when you not sure what happened in the movie you just watched. Sure, the actions and dialogue of Woodshock’s characters are simple enough. However, the added layer of drug-addled mania clouds any sense of intelligibility or grand realization intended by first-time directors Kate and Laura Mulleavy, creators of the fashion label Rodarte. Their venture into filmmaking is unsatisfactory in just about every aspect of the medium. I wouldn’t even be remotely surprised if Rodarte is more substantial, more succinct, and more enjoyable to look at than Woodshock…
Day 56: The Florida Project ⭐️
Directed by Sean Baker (2017) • Available on Netflix
…Following the slice-of-life mastery of American Honey, The Florida Project doubles down on a few incredible characters and the tragedy of poverty to form a surprisingly excellent story. Throughout, the viewer gets only inklings of characters, but each has had its realistic counterpart in every tale of inner-city poverty. Sean Baker lets these characters run freely after creating them fully-formed; often, it seems like not even he as co-writer and director knew for sure where the story was going.
This approach was a brilliant filmmaking choice on his behalf, as the characters find each other and drift apart with natural ease, illustrating the fragile and constantly shifting state in which Moonee lives. To top it all off, the performance of 6-year-old Brooklynn Prince is uncharacteristically enthralling and has to be the best child acting since at least The Sixth Sense. Willem Dafoe’s award-nominated performance further cements the watchability of the film – The Florida Project’s ending result is one of the most emotionally affecting A24 movies yet…
Day 57: The Killing of a Sacred Deer ⭐️
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (2017) • Available on Netflix
Yorgos Lanthimos’ second A24 film manages to top his previous works in sheer weirdness. It is a lesser film than The Lobster, but The Killing of a Sacred Deer still demonstrates Lanthimos at peak craft, mapping his signature approach and feel onto the psychological horror genre.
In this new feature, Lanthimos centers his bizarre dialogue and scenarios around one family, reminding his fans of the iconic Dogtooth family. But here, he chooses to let the group periodically enter into the real world, along with a strange young friend of the family patriarch. While everyone else seems to talk and act like a normal human being, Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and their children converse with the young Barry Keoughan in Lanthimos’ typical alien manner. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the script and direction similar to The Lobster work to highlight the darkness within a supposedly perfect family unit, the ugliness ensuing when the cracks begin to show, and some unspeakable terror that will be left unspoiled. If it’s just more from the same from a great writer/director, that’s all we could wish for at this stage in his career.
Day 58: Lady Bird ⭐️
Directed by Greta Gerwig (2017) • Available on Netflix
One of the greatest A24 drama-comedies, Lady Bird showcases two rising talents, one in acting and one in writing/directing, without ever needing to separate the focus. Saoirse Ronan embodies the character of Lady Bird so exquisitely, yet her fully realized complexity and relatability make you wonder if Greta Gerwig is approaching autobiography. A simultaneously understated and impressive movie in every aspect, Gerwig and Ronan continue their careers with what might be their first masterpiece performances.
A24 Ranked
1. Amy ⭐️
2. 20th Century Women ⭐️
3. Ex Machina ⭐️
4. Lady Bird ⭐️
5. Moonlight ⭐️
6. The Florida Project ⭐️
7. De Palma ⭐️
8. Under the Skin ⭐️
9. The End of the Tour ⭐️
10. Good Time ⭐️
11. The Witch ⭐️
12. The Lobster ⭐️
13. Locke ⭐️
14. American Honey ⭐️
15. Krisha ⭐️
16. Room ⭐️
17. Menashe ⭐️
18. The Lovers ⭐
19. The Killing of a Sacred Deer ⭐️
20. A Most Violent Year ⭐️
21. Mississippi Grind
22. While We’re Young
23. Morris from America
24. Green Room
25. A Ghost Story
26. The Spectacular Now
27. Swiss Army Man
28. The Rover
29. Obvious Child
30. Ginger & Rosa
31. Oasis – Supersonic
32. Slow West
33. It Comes at Night
34. Spring Breakers
35. The Monster
36. The Exception
37. Into the Forest
38. The Bling Ring
39. Enemy
40. The Blackcoat’s Daughter
41. Remember
42. Son of a Gun
43. Laggies
44. The Captive
45. Free Fire
46. Tusk
47. Life After Beth
48. Equals
49. Mojave
50. Trespass Against Us
51. Dark Places
52. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III
53. Cut Bank
54. The Revenge of the Green Dragons
55. The Adderall Diaries
56. Barely Lethal
57. Woodshock
58. The Sea of Trees
About Movies with Cory and Isaac 