Matthew Curran’s thoughts and outlook

1. In the Mood for Love
A beautiful film about a deeply intimate connection that never turns physical. It lingers in your head long after — subtle, layered, and incredibly nuanced. I really love this one.

2. Inside Llewyn Davis
Introspective and haunting. Talent collides with mental health and inner demons. The music doesn’t always hit for me, but Oscar Isaac is fantastic. (Also, Ex Machina — wow.)

3. Broadcast News
Who doesn’t love, love? That’s exactly what hovers in the air here. Funny, sharp, and thought-provoking. Always a rewarding watch.

4. Frances Ha
A coming-of-age story for the ages. Greta Gerwig absolutely shines. (Lady Bird deserves a nod too.)

5. Taxi Driver
That porno theater scene alone — the fact he thinks it’s normal says so much about society, then and now. De Niro is magnetic. But honestly, when isn’t he?

6. Wild Strawberries
An aging doctor reflects on his life and legacy — both the harm and the good. A contemplative, oddly uplifting experience.

7. Chungking Express
Two loosely connected love stories. Themes of repetition and longing. Plus, two perfect needle drops: Dennis Brown’s Things in Life and California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & the Papas.

8. Bo Burnham: Inside
A mirror for anyone who’s felt depressed, anxious, or suffocated by isolation. If you relate, you really relate. “Look Who’s Inside Again” is my anthem.

9. Friendship (Tim Robinson)
Tim Robinson at his sharpest. Maybe my favorite bit that works in tandem with 9/11 humor. “We should maybe go back?” If you know, you know.

10. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Not the absolute best of the series, but still brilliant — stop-motion that’s funny, strange, and quietly profound. Always worth revisiting.