matthew johnson's intro substack and the exhaustive, annual, top 20 films post
why sub this stack, and the top 20 movies of the year, arrived at by mostly flimsy reasoning.
I have a three-month-old draft that was meant to be my first substack post. One about the state of things and how I’m starting a substack in order to hold myself responsible to just keep my head down and steadily create things because that’s the only effective medicine right now. But, alas, the state of things have gotten to such a place that a lengthly explainer isn’t necessary. it’s redundant. we all get it.
Three months later, I landed on the name Why the Long Stare. Essentially named after the elbow jab I sometimes get from my wife for starting at people, pets, inanimate objects for longer than many might deem ‘socially acceptable’. This substack aims to justify those long stares and curiosities by providing a platform on which to explore them deeper and report the findings thru photography, writing, and the place at which they intersect.
I’m an artist by trade, and so naturally a lot of this channel will be centered around art projects I’m tinkering with — I’m hoping it will be a place to post and discuss ideas and processes I might not otherwise broadcast because I fear they aren’t fully baked. A place to try things out and think aloud and be wrong and right and neither and not worry about which. I have an ‘ideas’ folder on my notes app, some of which aren’t art ideas but just errant thoughts that I suspect would be interesting to explore. I hope to post those sorts of things here as well.
For this first one, I mostly wanted to finally push post, get to know the community, and see where to go from here. Every year I post an annual movies post to my IG stories, so it felt like as good a place as any to start. Tho to be honest, I put together a PDF that is probably the best way to view/read/share, and I think I can host that here to download? Let’s try…
I think that works?
Otherwise, gonna post the whole shebang below. For the top 10, I made custom movie art by compositing photographs I took straight off my tv screen of film scenes. I paused, or let the scenes run, and kept staring and photographing them. Why the long stare? I dunno, hopefully art, for the most part.
Hope you enjoy. See you next week. Who knows what for.
I watched around 185 films last year, according to my Letterboxd diary. Film release date is tricky, of course, as many movies are ‘released’ at festivals but not given to the wider world in earnest for a year or two later. But about 80 of those 185 I would consider part of the last vague ‘film year.’
I tend to shuffle the order of my top 20 quite a bit. Lasting impression, rewatches, new information about said film, and to be perfectly honest, how satisfying the cover art looks arranged on my cute lil’ letterboxd lists all play a role in the exact slot they wind up in.
But I feel good that my top 20 is my top 20 in some order, my top 10 is my top 10 in some order, and my top 5 is my top 5 in that actual order. And now here I am feeling a bit like those online recipe instructions that start out by regaling us with an essay on the trauma of family vacations before finally hitting us with that tbsp info.
So, right, off we pop.
In a Violent Nature
If you seen my lists in the past you’re probably like oh cool, it’s gonna be half horror again but relax dude, i’m getting the horror out early. This one, though not for the faint of heart, can be described as ‘ambient horror’? for the most part you (literally) follow the killer as he wordlessly does the killer thing, tromping around on crunchy dry leaves and dirt paths for quiet, ASMR-esque minutes at a time before pulling of some of the wildest kills you’ll see, or close your eyes for. Seemingly sets up what could be a series of horror films shot in this manner. A fresh take, and I’m seated.
It’s What’s Inside
it’s what’s inside, greg jardin It’s not what it looks like! Not horror, I promise. Honestly this is gonna be a long day if you keep asking like this. There’s this very specific subgenre of movies lately where I immediately can’t stand the central character(s), even if it’s on purpose, but by the middle I mostly forgive the decisions and it maybe makes me appreciate the movie more? A body-switch bodies bodies bodies + knives out sort of uh oh things are getting out of hand thing that had my head spinning, but smiling. A smiling, spinning head. A hell of a directorial debut.
His Three Daughters
his three daughters, azazel jacobs A stage play of a film -- a format i’m always surprised I enjoy as much as I do-- that we can all resonate with because we are all human beings and that’s all it takes. He didn’t give a shit about a lot of things people shouldn’t give a shit about. A line from the film toward which I aspire. Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olson. There really need not be much more thorough a pitch.
Love, Lies, Bleeding
love, lies, bleeding, rose glass Rose Glass’ previous film, Saint Maud, was my favorite film that year. This one tilts more peculiar than eerie, but her world-building remains incredible as a director. I’ve become quite the KStew fan, sue me, and it’s worth seeing this lesbian-bodybuilder-werewolf(?)-core (I know, yet another leswolfbod film) type joint just to see Ed Harris’ hair (Ed Hairiss?), and Dave Franco fuck up using chopsticks. Breakout performance of the year candidate in Katy O’Brian, who is stronger than you.
Magpie
magpie, sam yates Probably the film on this list I have heard least about, seen rarely on people’s recommendation lists, and I’m unsure why exactly it slipped thru the cracks a bit. Just a rock solid thriller with a satisfying payoff with two ascending stars in Daisy Ridley and Matilda Lutz. Sometimes trying to find the ‘best’ movies of the year feels a bit like homework, and you just want a little treat, a little snack, you just want recess, and this film is a rousing game a tetherball.
Will & Harper
will & harper, josh greenbaum Grateful to Will Ferrell for what feels like such an important way to tell Harper’s story, one that we should all see and hear. Hack the Fox News airwaves and force feed this to all their viewers. I watched it before Nov 2024, and now, reflecting on it in a post Jan 2025 world, I’m thinking of Harper and wishing her peace.
A Real Pain
a real pain, jesse eisenberg As Keiran Culkin sweeps his way thru awards season some people seem to think he’s getting too much credit for ‘just playing himself,’ but I think he’s done plenty more than that here, and I’m excited for his Oscars acceptance speech, whatever he awkwardly mutters. A hell of a portrait of people maybe you’ve “known” forever but really haven’t taken the time to know, lately. A couple of explosive scenes, great writing, and a reminder that Jennifer Grey is still a stone cold fox.
Snack Shack
snack shack, adam rehmeier Challengers meets The Sandlot, or something? A comfortable, relatable coming of age summer film which got me to really buy in on Gabrielle LaBelle (the kid from The Fabelmans). Immaculate 90’s vibes. Even Nebraska had those, apparently! A quote from the wise Andy Bernard of The Office comes to mind: ‘I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.’
Good One
good one, india donaldson Not unlike the last two films, maybe specifically A Real Pain, in that a simple journey exposes a deep authenticity, for better or for worse. Clearly a soft spot in that this specific expedition takes place from NYC to the Catskills/Upstate, where I now live, a sort of point-of-intrigue cheat code for me that shows up again at #10 on this list. The subtly of this film is the massiveness of it. As searing as a whisper.
Nickel Boys
nickel boys, raMell ross Shot entirely from the perspective of the subject of which each scene is centered, this ironing shot (that one, up there☝️) hooked me quickly into the cinematography, we only briefly see the owner of the eyes we’re looking thru each time the reflective surface passes by. And it was far from the only master flourish. The final fifteen or so minutes of this film are perfect, monumental. As stunning as it is devastating. Absolutely cannot wait for what Georgetown hooper-turned-photographer and director RaMell Ross does next.
INTERMISSION
A brief intermission before the top 10, please feel free to step outside, but not before getting your hand stamped. Take a few drags from your cigarette, chat about what you’ve witnessed so far, but don’t take too long, for the top 10 will commence shortly. As you wait, please enjoy a shortlist of the top “first watches” I experienced this year from preceding decades:
1940’s: Brief Encounter, David Lean
1950’s: Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock
1960’s: The Swimmer, Frank Perry & Sydney Pollack
1970’s: The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola
1980’s: Blow Out, Brian De Palma
1990’s: La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz
2000’s: Birth, Jonathan Glazer
2010’s: Melancholia, Lars von Trier
END OF INTERMISSION
And into the top 10 we go, with cheeky little composite art I created by photographing screen grabs of these films and blending their thematic elements for god knows why. But number 10…
Evil Does Not Exist
evil does not exist, ryūsuke hamaguchi Hamaguchi is a master of the quiet poetry of everyday life. A big still-waters-run-deep type guy, and Evil Does Not Exist is no different. As I alluded to pre-intermission, this film speaks specifically to my transition from city life to upstate life. Roll them eyes if you must. Learning to chop wood, but also learning what needing to chop wood means. Being a visitor to this place, and then a resident… and then a resident seeing what visitors to this place look like to residents. I tend to not notice score enough in movies, but this one was entrancing. A meditative experience considering the consequences of standard practice, and one I’ve found myself thinking of a lot as I, yes, chop wood.
La Chimera
la chimera, alice rohrwacher Something magical, here. A film that spans generations. There’s Bicycle Thieves and there’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and there’s Triangle of Sadness. Strange odysseys like these, I’ve come to realize, are my favorite types of movies. It’s just a wonderful story told in a beautiful place, with dirt absolutely everywhere. Not your mama’s (our) Tomb Raider. Josh O’Connor will almost certainly win an Oscar in the next decade, and I wasn’t familiar with Carol Duarte before this but she delivers a goofball of a performance that I couldn’t get enough of. I promise you’ll feel the same.
How to Have Sex
how to have sex, molly manning walker Another film where immediately after meeting the central characters I was like uh oh, this isn’t for me, is it? I’m gonna hate this, aren’t I? Teens?! Loud ones?! Absolutely no thank you. Almost turned it off after twenty minutes, and maybe that goes a long way into how it landed in my top ten because it was a whoaaa how did you do that moment. You knew what you were doing this whole time, didn’t you, Molly Manning Walker. You don’t quite expect the carefulness and compassion in which this film lands. Its something of Spring Breakers/Project X meets Aftersun? To stay on theme, I hope it’s Mia McKenna-Bruce’s coming out ::party:: because by the end of this it’s clear she’s a star. I’d rather be a Mata baby, by the way. And if you understand that sentence, you’re a real one.
The Substance
the substance, coralie fargeat Almost certainly the grossest movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture? And the grossest thing in this goopy gross body horror brilliance might just be Dennis Quaid eating shrimp 🦐. And so yeah, it’s gross, I think I mentioned that, but this movie also looks incredible. As Cronenbergian as it is, it’s also a bit Kubrickian in it’s set design, the stark, stunning interiors, the colors. I get so excited when there’s a newish filmmaker who will clearly be around for a while making wild, fascinating works. With Revenge first, and now this, Coralie Fargeat is here, ya’ll, to apparently make purposefully unsubtle madness. Really wish I saw this one in a packed theatre. Oh, the reactions. And I think I’m rooting for Demi to be giving a speech on Sunday. What a thing she got herself into.
The Beast
the beast, bertrand bonello Feels like a somewhat confusing but entirely engrossing novel. One where you have to keep flipping back to earlier chapters in that wait, wasn't that... sort of way. A stunning literary experience that was only enhanced in the days afterward as I went to book club (read letterboxd reviews, googled shit about it, observed the dialogue). Seydoux and MacKay are undeniable, i added everything they’ve been in to my watchlist. Interesting to watch so closely after La Chimera, in that both were allegory-y-ish-esque movies which I expected would stay classic, vintage in a way, yet ended up being surprisingly modern films. Gonna have to watch this one again, soon, but you get the 6 spot, The Beast, for now.
A Different Man
a different man, adam schimberg Did not expect this to be as funny as it is. Tragically comic in that Llewyn Davis, struggling New Yorker way which I’m an unabashed sucker for (New York movies always have always will be the best movies). The script, the pacing, the acting, it’s all exactly the right type of bizarre, which is to say, self-assured. Very clear very early on watching that we’re in capable hands so just sit back and enjoy the parable Aaron Schimberg wishes to tell. Sebastian Stan to the moon. A solid double bill option with The Substance.
Red Rooms
red rooms, pascal plante David Fincher fans rejoice. True crime freaks rejoice. The dark web curious rejoice. A patient, well-shot and acted examination into the psyche behind our collective fascination, and sometimes admiration (!) for true crime and real criminals. The friendship the builds around said fascination gives Red Rooms the extra element to make it truly great. Clever, deft stroke of filmmaking to have us observe, judge these characters until we realize we’re really judging us all. Ourselves. This is a film that’s too original and balanced to stay somewhat underseen for long. Instant cult classic.
My Old Ass
my old ass, megan park The way this film presents itself, the key art, the actors… well look, safe to say I did not expect that amount of tears flooding out of my dumb face. With the state of everything right now and me being Older Elliott’s age and my younger self very much having Young Elliott’s energy… I was obliterated. Ripped to shreds. I would have told my younger self similar: things will happen, but live them. And lend yourself kindness. I certainly could have more generous with that stuff. OH it’s also a very funny and pleasant experience. Like for sure, around all the crying, it’s great really.
Challengers
challengers, luca guadagnino The way this was so internet-y I think I wanted not to like it. The memes were flying, they’re still flying (aren’t their arms tired?) and so I feared a Saltburn, but a Saltburn this was not. Whenever things started to feel like maybe they weren’t working or it was too silly, it always became clear the movie knew exactly what it was doing, and what it did, it does, and you have to let it. The soundtrack deserves all the love it’s getting, adding to a tension that is so casual but at the same time so thick, which feels like quite the feat to pull off. Even those goofy ass POVs felt right at home with the rest of it. Bravo, Luca. Advantage, Guadagnino. A final scene that makes you like, well that’s deuces, 40-love, all the tennis puns. No fault here. What a racquet! K, I’m Wimbledone.
Anora
cheeky snap i took of mikey madison from the VF oscar party feed 
anora, sean baker You saw it coming, didn’t ya? There was no way I wasn’t going to love this movie, because I’ve loved all of Sean Baker’s films. This one, though, holy moly. A much bigger, zanier, caper-style film than I was expecting. The MOVIE Sean Baker has earned the right to make. And I was enjoying it so much, but also wondering (worrying?) if it was gonna lack some of the capital H Humanity he so expertly laces throughout his films. In the last act, Baker makes correct choice after correct choice to get there. The final scene, perfect. This ensemble, perfect. The weird Russian Chalamet that is Marc Eydelshteyn. The flawed brute of Karren Karagulian, the sneaky charm of Yuriy Borisov, and yes, duh, electric ingenue Mikey Madison. I hope the whole lot of them are on stage Sunday night accepting the Best Picture nominee. I think they will. The first time my favorite movie could align with that year’s honor since Parasite. May Mikey and Baker be in our lives for decades to come.
