Looking for good films? Try ‘Complete Unknown,’ ‘I’m Not a Robot,’ ‘Oddity’
(Mar. 15, 2025) — For the first time since perhaps middle school, I had not seen a single Best Picture nominee prior to the nomination reveals.
I lamented equally that not only had I not watched any, but that most of them seemed just so uninteresting. Other than one or two, I never remembered saying: “I want to see that film.”
By the time the Oscars rolled around, I had managed to view five of the ten nominees along with the five nominees for Best Live Action Short. The Oscars telecast itself was mostly, as the kids would say, mid. Conan O’Brien was safe but rather boring.
I appreciated that a little-known film, “Flow,” won Best Animated Picture. There were some heartfelt acceptance speeches but little else to remember this Oscars.
Recommendations
Here is my ranking of the five films I saw:
- “A Complete Unknown”
- “Conclave”
- “The Brutalist”
- “Anora”
- “The Substance”
As for the short films, I highly recommend searching them out on shorts.tv to see when they are available to watch from home:
- “I’m Not a Robot” (Best Short winner)
- “A Lien”
- “The Last Ranger”
- “Anuja”
- “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
Finally, my own personal Top 10 from 2024:
- “Oddity”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Inside Out 2”
- “Heretic”
- “A Complete Unknown”
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
- “A Quiet Place Day One”
- “Terrifier 3”
- “Conclave”
- “Civil War”
I did recently see “Captain America: Brave New World.” If you are a Marvel fan, you should get some enjoyment out of this one. However, some knowledge of 2008’s “Incredible Hulk” is necessary. That aspect is frustrating since “Incredible Hulk” came out before the Marvel Cinematic Universe even began.
“Brave New World” had some good characters and nice setup. If only we could get a little payoff at some point. B-
Winter TV roundup
“Squid Game” (Netflix). Even though we more or less knew what to expect this time, Season 2 of this popular show was very good. The characters were much more likable, making the games themselves secondary. Some viewers surely found this frustrating, as the games were by far the biggest draw in season one. “Squid Games” could not just roll out another handful of deadly games and call it a season. They made the smart move putting the characters out front.
“Rings of Power” (Amazon). More focused than the first season, this second season took us ever closer to the creation of the One Ring. I was glad at how much focus the showrunners gave the other rings. Much time was spent with Sauron playing coercion games with the ring maker, Celebrimbor. Their relationship was the most fascinating thing about the second season. Several storylines and characters were mostly sidelined to make room for more time with the dwarves. While that was definitely time well spent, Amazon could have easily coughed up the money for two more episodes to give more time to the underserved characters.
“Baby Reindeer” (Netflix): I finally saw the show everyone was talking about in 2024. It is not an easy watch. What an ordeal the main character endures with a stalker who just will not quit. If you’re in the right frame of mind, this show is very effective.
“Creature Commandos” (MAX): From the mind of James Gunn, this animated tale about DC cast-offs is perfect for fans of the second “Suicide Squad” film. Gunn is just beginning to get his hands into the DC film universe; this is a great start.
“Dexter: Original Sin” (Showtime): The finale of the original “Dexter” is the worst series ending in TV history. A great show for four seasons, it went slowly downhill over the final four. When they resurrected it with “Dexter: New Blood,” they gave the character and the series a minor shot in the arm. “Original Sin” provides the character and series the real kick in the pants it needed. Every actor playing the younger version of an original character was perfectly cast. The writers weave the storylines, including ones with which we are familiar and new ones, deftly throughout the season.
Jeff Mellinger
Jeff Mellinger is a screen writer and film buff. He holds a BA in Film Studies and an MFA in film production. He lives in Concord.