I have been hesitant to want to claim that movies are progressively getting worse. However, it’s starting to get to the point where there are only a few outstanding films each year, whereas there would be upward of a dozen in the past. Last year, the best movies were Promising Young Woman and News of the World, two that, while suitable, wouldn’t have even made my Top 10 a decade ago. This year might even be worse. As we enter December, the best movie I’ve seen is a quiet little movie called Blue Bayou, which could get some late Oscar buzz, but it’s unlikely to sneak into the top lists of critics like Sound of Metal did a year ago. Likewise, movies such as The Last Duel, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and King Richard have had some excellent individual acting performances but have underwhelmed as a whole. The same can be said of Ridley Scott’s (Alien, Black Hawk Down) flat House of Gucci.