2025 is only half over, but if you were to take a poll of this site's writers you'd probably discover that we collectively agree on the year's best film (so far). Don't just take my word for it, though -- here's a poll of this site's writers collectively agreeing on the year's best film (so far.)
Ryan Coogler's Sinners is big, beautiful, bloody entertainment bringing various influences together for a ferociously original slice of horror. It's run through with humanity and history, all intertwined with real love for its characters, and we can't help but care when everything goes to hell in the film's back half.
It's the early 20th century, and twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) have returned to their small hometown in Mississippi after fighting in World War I and hanging with gangsters in Chicago. They've bought a remote, rundown building with plans on turning it into a juke joint catering to non-whites, and while their opening night seems to go well, they couldn't have predicted that a trio of vampires would come knocking and wanting to join the party.
Coogler's directed five feature films so far, all of them with Jordan starring in some capacity, but Sinners is arguably the best either talent has ever been. Jordan balances his two-hander with skill and strong character work making each brother feel unique with their own pathos, weaknesses, and strengths. Each holds us rapt with attention, too, making their mark well before the credits roll. Coogler, meanwhile, shows the deftest of hands with a story dense in character and history, only teasing the horrors until the third act explodes into a bloody free-for-all.
It's easy enough to divide the characters between the innocent and the monstrous on the human side -- racist Ku Klux Klan members are far more vile villains than the actual vampires -- and the film's commentary on American history is crystal clear. Crucially for the genre elements, though, it acts to enrich the world and characters without stifling the genre thrills. Sinners is an epic horror film made stronger and more effective by its commitment to these characters and their shared history.
WB's new 4K UHD is sensory perfection and guaranteed to become a showcase disc in your collection. The film's transfer, complete with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, is simply gorgeous with its rich colors, deep blacks, and sharp details throughout.
Sinners is a visual treat, and the sequences where Coogler opens up the aspect ratio remain incredibly visceral. The new Dolby Atmos track treats the film's score and soundtrack with the love and affection they deserve.
A commentary track from Coogler would have been much appreciated, but in its absence, we get five featurettes and 18 minutes of deleted scenes. The latter are worth a watch, but the featurettes are terrific and offer real insight into the production with focuses on the music, the creature effects, and more.
William Friedkin's Sorcerer (1977) was a commercial and critical disaster upon release, but the years since have been far kinder -- and rightfully so. The source novel, 1950's The Wages of Fear, had already seen one adaptation of the same name, but Friedkin's take finds its own path to rich characters and nerve-wracking suspense.
The film follows four disparate and desperate men, each in need of a miracle. They need a payoff, and the only avenue left to them is a job driving trucks loaded with old dynamite through treacherous -- and bumpy -- terrain. Nitroglycerine leaks from the old sticks, and even the mildest of bumps threatens to set them off.
Sorcerer may start in an atypical way as characters are introduced in a somewhat formal fashion, but once the drive begins, the film becomes a masterclass in suspense and sustained tension. Friedkin's insistence on location filming, along with smart cinematography and editing, makes for a sweaty ride with explosive disaster mere seconds away. Roy Scheider is the recognizable face here, and he's expectedly terrific balancing his character's fears and intensity.
Criterion's new 4K UHD/Blu-ray release features a new 4K digital restoration approved by Friedkin, and it looks fantastic. The jungle's colors find a vibrant life here muted only by rain and darkness that maintain detail throughout. The discs include a trailer and the following special features.
- Friedkin Uncut [1:47:26] - 2018 documentary exploring the filmmaker's life and work
- *NEW* Filmmaker James Gray and film critic Sean Fennessey talk Sorcerer [28:18]
- William Friedkin and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn talk Sorcerer [1:17:23]
- *NEW* Selections from audio interviews with screenwriter Walon Green and editor Bud Smith [36:27]
- Behind-the-scenes [6:09]
Bruce Robinson's How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) finds tension of its own by pitting a merciless advertising executive against the boil on his neck that talks and argues with abandon. It's a wild premise that Robinson and star Richard E. Grant squeeze for all the black comedy it's worth.
Grant plays an increasingly irritated ad man who gets lost in his own frustrations while working on a pimple cream campaign. The boil appears, starts talking, and even grows a mustache -- but everyone else believes he's simply losing his damn mind. Things only get worse when the boil takes control altogether.
How to Get Ahead in Advertising is an absurd film exploring themes on capitalism and an excessively commercial world. It points some sharply satirical barbs toward both the people pimping unnecessary products and those of us constantly buying it all up, and it really takes no prisoners. Grant stands tall and proud in nearly every scene giving a hilarious performance, shifting from the angsty and rude to the overly confident and incredibly mad.
Criterion's new disc comes with a 2K digital restoration (created previously by Arrow Video) that retains the feel of the original release while still delivering more detail, and while it won't knock anyone's socks off, there's little to complain about on the visual front. The disc also includes a trailer and the following special feature.
- *NEW* An interview with Bruce Robinson and Richard E. Grant [28:25]
From genre thrills and black comedy, we move to two of the meanest films released by Criterion in recent months. The Big Heat (1953) is noir with a flair for cruelty and sadistic characters. It's also immensely entertaining and captivating.
Glenn Ford stars as a detective who catches a case involving the suicide of a fellow cop, but while everyone else wants to move on, he's determined to find the truth at its core. It's an investigation that leads to dark, dangerous places as the man's death is connected to nefarious underworld figures and more acts of violence. He might not like the answers he finds.
Ford is terrific with a character going against his usual nice guy type, but it's the supporting players here who bring the most heat. A young Lee Marvin is a mid-level thug with a fiery temper, and while he entertains in his bravado and villainy, he finds a frightening gear when his temper is tripped.
It's the women who earn the most attention here, though, starting with a brilliant performance by Gloria Grahame as a gangster's moll who's had just about enough. Like the other women here, from Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop's wife to Dorothy Green as the man's mistress, these are the characters ultimately driving the story forward through grief, manipulation, life, and death.
Criterion's new disc includes a new 4K digital restoration offering up deep blacks and shadows alongside sharp detail, and the extras include a trailer and the following special features.
- *NEW* Commentary with film-noir experts Alain Silver and James Ursini
- *NEW* The Women of The Big Heat [28:13]
- Audio interview excerpts with Fritz Lang by Gideon Bachmann in 1956 [16:08] and Peter Bogdanovich in 1965 [6:54]
- Martin Scorsese on The Big Heat [5:49]
- Michael Mann on The Big Heat [10:58]
1967's In the Heat of the Night needs no introduction, or at least, it shouldn't. If you haven't seen it yet, you should really get on that as it remains a powerful look at America in the guise of a thriller and procedural. Both elements work beautifully to create a film that absolutely stands the test of time.
Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is a Philadelphia detective passing through a small Mississippi town when he's snatched up and accused of murdering a prominent white citizen. He's quickly cleared but finds himself tasked with helping the small-minded police chief (Rod Steiger) solve the crime. Race is wound throughout the investigation, and the whole thing is endlessly compelling.
Poitier and Steiger make for an electric combination, and the story comes alive through Norman Jewison's direction and Quincy Jones' score. The scene where an elderly white man slaps Virgil for impertinence -- only to be immediately slapped back by the Black man -- remains a thrilling beat worth cheering. Similarly, watching respect grow for a man through experience with him is a reminder that we're a better country when we avoid isolation and instead spend time with others.
Criterion's 4K UHD offers a native presentation of the previous 4K restoration from a few years ago. It's also identical to Kino Lorber's recent 4K UHD release, and it looks fantastic regardless of which release you're watching. This disc includes a 2008 commentary with Jewison, Steiger, Grant, and cinematographer Haskell Wexler, along with the following extras.
- An interview with Norman Jewison from 2018 [12:49]
- An interview with Sidney Poitier from 2006 [7:44]
- An interview with Lee Grant from 2018 [15:02]
- An interview with Aram Goudsouzian from 2018 [17:30]
- Turning Up the Heat: Making Movies in the 60s [21:10]
- Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound [13:03]
Finally, while Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge (1971) is far from the type of genre fare we typically cover here at Screen Anarchy, I'm prepared to argue its emotional horrors bring it close enough. It's a pretty painful watch!
Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel play best friends Jonathan and Sandy, two young men looking for their first sexual conquest. Women are objects to them, things to reach sexual milestones with, and both find their first with Candace Bergen's Susan. She is Sandy's girlfriend, but Jonathan is sleeping with her behind his back, and neither man is the good guy they see themselves as.
Nichols' film jumps forward a few times to see the two friends at later life stages, and regardless of where their careers stand, their relationships continue to suffer due to various combinations of selfishness and unfair expectations. They tire of women who they see growing stagnant, but they remain the same selfish boors from start to finish.
The dialogue is frank, especially for 1971, and the honesty is raw, painful, and sadly familiar in regard to too many men today. Nicholson and Garfunkel are both quite good here, especially the former as he reaches frightening levels of rage and misogyny, and the women are equally compelling. Bergen is joined by Ann-Margret as two partners to these worthless guys, and there's a sad turmoil to their journey.
The new 2K restoration looks very good, and most viewers will be more than pleased with it, but there's been some dissent worth noting. First, unlike Indicator's new 4K release in the UK, Criterion has chosen not to reinstate the fade to white immediately preceding Jonathan's slide show. Second, each label has performed their own in-house color grading, and Indicator's is reportedly the more natural of the two. Again, to my eyes, Criterion's disc looks fantastic, but I can't compare myself without seeing the UK release. Something to think about for those of you willing to import releases.
Criterion's new disc includes probably the most on the nose commentary guest the film could hope for with Neil LaBute. The filmmaker has moved into more genre-oriented fare in recent years, but he burst onto the scene with the film In the Company of Men, which explores very similar themes to Nichols' Carnal Knowledge. The special features also include a trailer, a radio spot, and the following.
- *NEW* Interview with Mike Nichols' biographer Mark Harris and film critic Dana Stevens [29:04]
- Interview from 2011 with Mike Nichols and filmmaker Jason Reitman [36:02]
- Podcast Q&A with writer Jules Feiffer [43:20]
- *NEW* Interview with film-editing historian Bobbie O'Steen [19:14]