Month: March 2026

Anora Year: 2024 Rating: R Length: 139 minutes / 2.32 hours When I first watched Anora (2024) in theaters, I had heard a lot of buzz about how good it was. This was shortly before it was nominated for Best Picture, and I agreed it was a strong contender to win (which it did). There were three ways I thought the Best Picture could go, and Anora was the film that aligned best with modern cinema, with more independent artists in full control of their work. That it is also a striking (and hilarious) examination of the difference between the working class and the owning class is a bonus. The first act of Anora felt obnoxious as it introduced the titular character and this Russian oligarch’s son who wanted to buy this stripper’s time for an extended binge of hedonism. However, once reality hits the situation and the movie pivots, the unlikely group of people searching for this runaway son provides some of the funniest...