As the brilliant minds in Hollywood once again cram the year’s most interesting and important films into the final two months of the year, it can be taxing to figure out what’s worth seeing, let alone find the time to actually get to the theater. As a member of several critics’ associations that hand out year-end awards, I get digital screeners delivered straight to my inbox, which makes the process far simpler. Allow me to pay it forward and give you a primer on some of the season’s buzziest titles.
Anora
(In Theaters)
Writer-director Sean Baker has been in the Oscars hunt before — his 2016 feature “The Florida Project” netted a Supporting Actor nod for Willem Dafoe — but “Anora” is his call up to the big leagues. The presumed front-runner for Best Picture, “Anora” is like a grittier, funnier “Pretty Woman.” It concerns an exotic dancer who marries the son of a young Russian oligarch. Exquisite tensions ensue when his parents find out and try to persuade the young couple to annul the marriage. As always, Baker leads with his empathy, shining a light on the plight of sex workers. The difference this time is that “Anora” is so hilariously entertaining, you won’t even notice that you’re learning something.
Juror #2
(In Theaters, soon on Max)
If “Juror #2” were released in the ’90s, it would be a lower-tier courtroom drama, but in this age of scarcity for middlebrow adult films, it feels like a revelation. It’s got a fascinating hook; a juror (Nicholas Hoult) on a murder case comes to suspect that not only is the defendant innocent, but that he himself may be the guilty party. There’s plenty of “12 Angry Men” scattered throughout — he spends the middle third trying to convince the fellow jurors to acquit — but “Juror #2” ultimately settles into a philosophical inquiry into the slippery nature of justice in a fallen world. Clint Eastwood, who directed the film at 93 years old, hasn’t lost his touch.
My Old Ass
(Amazon Prime)
A hilarious and heartfelt bit of magical realism, “My Old Ass” stars Maisy Stella as Elliot, a college-bound teenager who has a chance meeting with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). The time-travel thing is a good gimmick, but as Elliot navigates her relationships with friends, her family, and a boy her older self has specifically instructed her to avoid, “My Old Ass” unveils a familiar, but surprisingly insightful coming-of-age trauma. Director Megan Park made the underrated teen drama “The Fallout,” about a school shooting, and she brings the same thoughtfulness to a sunnier teen movie. It helps to have a star in the making like Stella, who plays the frustrations of being a teenager with the charisma of a grown-ass adult. It’s disappointing that this was dumped onto a streaming network during fall awards season. “My Old Ass” deserves a bigger audience.
Conclave
(In Theaters)
A pulpy airport thriller of a film with a sheen of prestige that makes it impossible to resist. After the Pope dies, a group of cardinals gather in the Vatican to choose his successor. They debate (behind closed doors) and vote. Then debate and vote again. Alliances are formed, secrets are revealed, and it all ends with a ludicrous twist. “Conclave” is essentially a political thriller that explores the motives of those who seek higher office, but its twists and turns feel more gimmicky than character-driven. Only the performances of Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabelle Rossellini (as a scene-stealing nun) elevate this thing into something substantive.
A Real Pain
(In Theaters)
It’s a bit awkward how actor/director Jesse Eisenberg layers a story of Jewish trauma and survivor’s guilt over a conventional road trip comedy. David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) are estranged cousins who reunite for a Holocaust tour with a small group of strangers. Along the way, they confront the personality clash that pushed them apart years prior. The two leads are excellent — Culkin is getting all the raves, but Eisenberg actually gets the film’s best moment — but the script doesn’t dig deep enough. The characters bounce off each other nicely, but the film is designed as a treatise on how we disconnect ourselves from trauma, and the characters are simply not rich enough for it to take hold. A noble effort to be certain, but at 90 minutes, this material deserved a deeper dive.