Award-Winners & Critics’ Darlings

The Brutalist (2024)

A brutalist masterpiece from A24: got a Silver Lion, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice honors, and best film at NY Critics shown by NYFCC nods. It’s tense, gorgeous, and bleak—a modern classic in the making.

All We Imagine as Light (2024)

From India, directed by Payal Kapadia, this Cannes Grand Prix winner dives into intimate sisterhood and cultural pressure

Named best international film by critics worldwide. Pure, quiet fire.

Past Lives (2023)
Celine Song’s debut romantic time-twist struck a nerve—National Society of Film Critics picked it as their Best Picture of 2023 . Emotional, bittersweet, unforgettable.

Indie & Festival Standouts

Anora (2024)

Sean Baker (Tangerine) delivers a tender story praised by NY critics and featuring a top screenplay shout‑out

All We Imagine as Light + The Brutalist also swept 2024 critics polls . You can’t ignore them.

Big Studio Hits That Actually Matter

Dune: Part Two (2023)

IMDB rates this as a top film of 2024.Visionary, weirdly thought‑provoking, and still tanking overblown fantasy.

F1 (2025)

Brad Pitt stars in what critics are calling “the best blockbuster in 20 years” indiatimes.com. If you can, catch it on IMAX.

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Certified Fresh and delivering the sequel fans actually wante. Heart, scale, and teeth—big kid energy done right.

Global & Genre Wreckers

Weapons (2025) — streaming festival hype

Ex Machina, Her, Black Mirror etc. may follow soon (but yes, that’d be a full separate list). Stay tuned.

Whether you want prestige drama, blockbuster spectacle, or art-house introspection, the past few years delivered. These titles aren’t just hype — they defined cinema’s pulse from 2023 to now.

Read more – Best A24 Movies You Should Watch Right Now

The post The Best Movies of the Past Few Years You Actually Should’ve Watched appeared first on Entertain Train.

Whether you’re new to A24 or a long-time fan, this list of must-watch films captures the magic of this one-of-a-kind studio.

1. Hereditary (2018): The Horror That Haunts You

Think your family has problems? Hereditary might make you rethink that. Directed by Ari Aster, this modern horror classic is about more than just supernatural scares. It’s a chilling exploration of grief and family secrets, with Toni Collette delivering a truly unforgettable performance as a mother unraveling dark truths.

Why Watch: It’s a psychological horror that digs deep into emotional terror, blending supernatural elements with a very human story. Perfect for those who enjoy complex, haunting narratives.

2. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022): A Multiverse Masterpiece

Ever wondered about the different lives you could have lived? Everything Everywhere All At Once takes that thought and turns it into a thrilling ride. Directed by Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), the film stars Michelle Yeoh as a laundromat owner who unexpectedly becomes a multiverse hero.

Why Watch: It’s chaotic, touching, and mind-bending—a genre-bending film that mixes action, comedy, and drama, leaving you laughing and crying at the same time.

Did You Know? It swept the 2023 Oscars, winning Best Picture and securing its place as one of the most innovative films of recent years.

3. Lady Bird (2017): Coming-of-Age Done Right

Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is a tender portrayal of growing up, small-town life, and the complicated bond between a mother and daughter. Saoirse Ronan stars as Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a high school senior yearning to escape her quiet life in Sacramento.

Why Watch: It’s a heartfelt and hilarious exploration of adolescence, relatable for anyone who’s ever had big dreams in a small place.

4. Moonlight (2016): A Poignant Portrait of Identity

Moonlight is a stunning, emotional journey through one man’s life as he grapples with his identity and sexuality. Directed by Barry Jenkins, the film won the Oscar for Best Picture and has been hailed as one of the most powerful films of the 21st century.

Why Watch: It’s visually breathtaking and emotionally moving, with a soundtrack that lingers long after the credits roll.

5. Midsommar (2019): Daylight Horror at Its Finest

Forget the usual dark, stormy night horror films—Midsommar proves that terror can thrive in broad daylight. Directed by Ari Aster, the film follows a group of friends who travel to a seemingly idyllic Swedish festival that takes a dark and twisted turn.

Why Watch: It’s beautifully shot yet utterly terrifying, combining unsettling visuals with deep psychological horror.

A24 films aren’t just movies; they’re experiences. Whether you’re craving a tear-jerking drama, a spine-chilling horror, or something wonderfully strange, A24’s catalog has you covered. So, if you’re ready to dive into a world of compelling storytelling, check out A24’s full range of films and prepare for an unforgettable cinematic journey.

Recommended – 5 Best Russian/Soviet Movies to Watch That Are Cult Classics in 2024

The post Best A24 Movies You Should Watch Right Now appeared first on Entertain Train.

Lohan opens up the trailer by asking, “Do you really like movies?” She continues, “No, really .. I don’t know. Maybe it’s jut not my thing anymore.” Canyons is a film about the youth, glamour, and sex in present day Los Angeles. It is directed by Paul Schrader, who also wrote for Taxi Driver and acted as both writer and director for American Gigolo. American Psycho writer, Bret Easton Ellis, wrote the script for the offbeat film.

Filming The Canyons wasn’t as smooth as the crew had hoped. There were many rumors that Lindsay Lohan was a pain to work with and caused many scenes off camera. One instance, the actress locked herself in her trailer for hours because she wasn’t comfortable filming a sex scene. There were also rumors that Lohan often showed up to set drunk and late. She even lost the role, but got it back after begging Schrader at his hotel room to keep her on. He did so because it was too late to recast and they had already invested so much time and money into the film.

Nonetheless, the film has wrapped up and set to premiere next month.The Canyons opens up in theaters and on-demand cable channels August 2.

Shanika Simmons

The post Lindsay Lohan Stars In The Canyons appeared first on Entertain Train.

“Had I gotten to the hospital about two hours later, I would have been dead,” said the Detroit rapper. “My organs were shutting down … They didn’t think I was gonna make it.” Eminem reveals his near death experience, but admits it wasn’t enough.

“My bottom was going to be death, and within a month I had relapsed and shot right back up to the same amount of drugs I was taking.”  He continues, “I’m not out there shooting heroin. I’m not putting coke up my nose. I’m not smoking crack,” says Eminem in the film.  “You’re struggling with the argument of ‘Do you have a problem, or do you not have a problem? Can you control or can you not? And I literally thought I could control it.”

He explained that falling into drug use was easy. He admitted that he would take whatever was given to him. “They look like a pill, and they’re shaped like something you would take. Xanax, Valium ..all in the same family. F*** it, take it.”

Eminem had a hard road to recovery, where he says he had to regain basic motor and speech skills. He noted that he stayed up for three weeks straight. His advice for recovering addicts, “So I would say to anybody that it does get better. You know, it just does.”

Shanika Simmons

The post Eminem Gets Candid About Past Drug Use appeared first on Entertain Train.

Shia LaBeouf has been doing a lot of independent films and showing his range as an actor, and he’s showing that he takes his craft very seriously. During an interview with MTV, LaBeouf admitted to trying acid while filming The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman, but not because he “wanted to be on drugs.”

The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and it tells the story of a young man (played by LaBeouf) who goes on a soul searching trip to Romania after his mother (played by Melissa Leo) passes away and he ends up falling in love with a dangerous woman (played by Evan Rachel Wood). In one sequence of the movie, LaBeouf’s character takes the Acid drug, which is what made the actor wanna try it.

“I’d never done acid before. I remember sending Evan tapes. I remember trying to conjure this and sending tapes. And Evan being like ‘That’s good, but that’s not but, that is,'” LaBeouf told MTV. “You reach out to friends and gauge where you’re at. I was sending tapes around and I’d get 50 percents from people and that just starts creeping me out. I was getting really nervous toward the end. Not cause I wanted to be on drugs — I’m not trying to mess with the set or anything like that. It’s really just fear that propels people.”

“The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman” is just the latest indie film with LaBeouf as star. The former “Transformers” franchise fixture also appeared in the 2011 film “Lawless” and co-stars in Lars von Trier’s sex drama “Nymphomanic.”

Isidori Mtabo

The post LaBeouf Does Acid While Filming “The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman” appeared first on Entertain Train.

Production

You may decide that where you want to spend the majority of your budget is on production value. Hiring a cinematographer can help you to feel confident that your film will look beautiful and professionally done. You also must consider what equipment you will need to shoot your project. You will need at the very least, a camera.

What caliber of camera is up to you and what production value you are trying to achieve. Lighting will most likely be necessary as well, unless all of your shots take place at the same time of day. You must decide whether it is necessary or important to you to invest in purchasing these items, or if renting them is an acceptable route to take and which will pay off in the long run.

Star Power

Spending a large portion of your budget to secure a big Hollywood name is a good way to get the attention of distributors and peak their interest, making it more likely that they will support your project and help it reach the masses. Having a household name attached to your production helps to draw larger numbers to the box office.

The name could be a lead actor or director, whichever you see as most necessary for your particular project. A big name gets your project noticed and generates a buzz surrounding the film, which can lead to more press about your project. Word of mouth is the best advertising you can get and it is free.

Distribution

In the event that you have not been able to grab the attention of big distribution companies or that you have chosen to take care of this matter yourself, you can spend a nice chunk of your budget on distribution. Ensuring that your film gets seen is one of the most important aspects of production, and really what the whole thing is about, reaching the masses. All of your hard work is all for naught if no one ever gets to see it.

No matter how you look at it, producing a film is not cheap. When you are working with a tight budget you really need to take some time during pre-production to get a plan together and really assess what is of most importance to you and will help you to create your vision the best way possible. The ultimate goal is success and there is no clearly defined path to get there, so dividing and using your funds in a creative way is what movie making is all about. Successful films can be created with any budget; you just have to make them happen.

Anthony Silver is a big fan of independent films. The company he works for, SeeFlik, is currently running a video contest centered around the Presidential race with $3,000 is prize money to be awarded.

The post Where to Spend Money When Creating an Independent Film appeared first on Entertain Train.