Plus, "Nighbitch" reaches the screen.
| December 6, 2024 
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Hi, movie fans! Awards season is officially here, and it feels like a wide-open race. The Gothams kicked things off by crowning the dark indie comedy "A Different Man" its best picture, a win that surprised even its director, according to my colleague Kyle Buchanan. That was followed by the New York Film Critics Circle picking the period drama "The Brutalist" and the National Board of Review going for the box office juggernaut "Wicked." Over at the Indie Spirits, the Cannes winner "Anora" tied with the horror-ish "I Saw the TV Glow" for the most nominations. Given that array of titles, you might expect some overlap with our critics' Top 10 lists for the year, but not really. There was room lower down for "Anora," but that's it. In fact their lists were very different even from each other. Manohla Dargis's No. 1 choice was "All We Imagine as Light" (in theaters now), about friendship and life in Mumbai. And Alissa Wilkinson went with "Nickel Boys" (due next week), based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. I'd argue that these deep differences reflect an especially rich year for filmgoing. Making use of a new feature letting you create your own list from our critics' lists, I found that I haven't seen a majority of the movies they picked. That almost never happens! Speaking of seeing movies, this week is a busy one at the cinema, beginning with "Nightbitch," which stars Amy Adams as a feral mother. Dargis gave it a mixed review, but there are plenty of new Critic's Picks that she, Alissa Wilkinson and other reviewers recommend, including: "Hard Truths" (Mike Leigh reuniting with Marianne Jean-Baptiste); "The Return" (Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche in a take on "The Odyssey"); "Day of the Fight" (a boxing picture); "Oh, Canada" (Paul Schrader directing Richard Gere); and "The End" (a musical starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon). Whatever you end up watching, enjoy the movies! |  | | Searchlight Pictures |
Best Movies of 2024Our film critics rank their 10 favorites this year. By Manohla Dargis and Alissa Wilkinson |  | | Searchlight Pictures |
'Nightbitch' Review: Motherhood, WoofAmy Adams plays a stay-at-home mom who comes to believe that she's a dog in Marielle Heller's adaptation of the Rachel Yoder novel. By Manohla Dargis |  | | Felix Dickinson/Neon |
Critic's Pick 'The End' Review: It's All Come to ThisJoshua Oppenheimer's postapocalyptic musical about a wealthy family in an underground bunker is placidly disturbing. By Alissa Wilkinson |  | | Simon Mein/Thin Man Films Ltd, via Bleecker Street |
Critic's Pick 'Hard Truths' Review: Mike Leigh's Brutal ComedyThe British director casts the superb Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the role of an excruciatingly lonely character whose pain reveals hidden depths. By Manohla Dargis |
| STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS | | | | | |
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