Many of my favorite critics have been critical about this year in film. Whether it was the strikes or lasting affects from covid, many major companies held some of their best offerings in 2024. And yes, a year after self-proclaiming 2023 as my “favorite year in film,” naturally a letdown was inevitable, but I found this to be an excellent year especially in independent cinema. I think the systemic problems in the studio system have allowed me to broaden my movie-going lens. I’m really proud that out of the 70 films I saw this year, 12 were documentaries, 12 were international films, and over 70% were independent. This may not have been a year of masterpieces, but it was a year filled with worthy entries in cinematic history.
I’ve broken this year’s list down into four categories: Best of 2023 Revisited, Honorable Mentions, Liked, and finally, Loved.
Best of 2023 Revisited
Due to writing my list in 2023, I missed out on a few films that would’ve made my top ten. These included American Fiction and The Zone of Interest. American Fiction is a film of turns rather than twists. The acting is pitch perfect led by the incomparable Jeffrey Wright and the always reliable John Ortiz. Erika Alexander and the brief appearances by Sterling K Brown gave equal measures of levity and weight. Cord Jefferson is a brilliant writer in his previous positions working on The Good Place and the limited series masterpiece, Watchmen, but Fiction puts him in a new echelon.
Honorable Mentions
A long list broken into sub-categories. Blockbusters: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Twisters, Mean Girls, Deadpool v Wolverine, The Fall Guy, and Wicked. Documentaries: Sue Bird: In the Clutch, Apollo 13: Survival, Bitconned (A recommend not on style, but you won’t believe what these people are caught on camera saying), Sugarcane, Dahomey. Award-Style: September 5, Blitz, Juror #2, Babygirl, and Hitman. Pure Fun: It’s What’s Inside, Snack Shack, Am I Ok?, Carry-On. Glad They Exist, but They Didn’t Work For Me: I Saw the TV Glow, Heretic, The Piano Lesson, Bikeriders, Monkey Man, The Substance. And finally, The Rest of the Top Twenty: Turtles All the Way Down (20), Conclave (19), The Idea of You (18), Fancy Dance (17), The Only Girl in the Orchestra (16), Flow (15), Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (14), My Old Ass (13).
The Top Twelve Movies of 2024
Liked
12. The Brutalist
A masterpiece of scale and scope that falters slightly on story. How can we make films like The Brutalist for $12 Million when we’re wasting nearly $400 Million on Captain America: Brave New World. Brilliant cinematography, sound design, score, and acting. Winner of my favorite moment on screen (The Christmas Party Conversation). Unfortunately, I had serious issues with the second half of this movie (after the intermission), but the first half still earned its spot on the list.
11. Rebel Ridge
Rarely do genre films have such great acting. Aaron Pierre is a star in the making. He leads an exceptional cast of typically under seen players in a crime-action thriller about political corruption and racism in local police departments. Made by the brilliant Jeremy Saulnier (His debut, Blue Ruin, made a previous top ten list), Ridge is a smarter version of a 90s action film with far better casting.
10. Kneecap
One of two International films on this list, Kneecap is one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. It’s a funny version of 8 Mile, telling the true story about the creation of Kneecap, the hip-hop trio supporting the revitalization of the Irish Language. A drug-fueled mad dash of a film packing a punch in the heart, the head, and in the funny bone. Well-acted considering the top three billed are playing outsized versions of themselves.
9. Red Rooms
The second International film on this list and also the second year in a row with a horror movie at the number nine position. Utterly disturbing, with a phenomenal central performance from Juliette Gariépy. Her psychopathic tendencies lead into her self-destruction as her obsession with a serial murderer reaches unfathomable degrees. Pascal Plante is a generational director with a contemplative lens on incredibly difficult subject matters. The script weaves and flows through AI, modern media, obsession culture, and mental illness with ease. A magnificent film that you won’t want to see twice.
8. Sing Sing
A true blunder by A24 was failing to support Sing Sing for Best Picture. Sing Sing offers a thru-line, but works better as a series of vignettes, a series of rehearsals leading up to a performance, the director bravely never shows us. Based on the real life stories of the RTA prison theatre program and starring many of the former inmates from the program, Sing Sing offers a glimpse into the power of theatre bringing humanity back into the lives of those starved of the artistic limelight. Led by the effervescent Colman Domingo, the film is a collection of acting powerhouses with Clarence Maclin stealing the show.
7. We Live in Time
A John Crowley movie right out of the Richard Curtis playbook, We Live in Time, provides an out of time kaleidoscopic vision of life and love. I found it utterly captivating. A showcase for both Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh whose natural chemistry makes you fall in love with their love story. Reminded me of a Curtis film, About Time, a personal favorite. We Live in Time is light, but still plumbs the depths of a relationship complicated by life, compelled by love.
6. A Complete Unknown
Loved
5. Dune Part II
It took a full rewatch to truly appreciate this film as much as Part I. At first, I struggled with the narrative structure and felt the second half of the movie sped the pace up without speeding up the story. However, on rewatch, everything is clearly telegraphed from the start of the picture. I think this was Timothée Chalamet’s year. I’ve never found him as anything more than a pretty face, but felt both of his performances held nuance, vulnerability, and a different kind of beauty. The same can be said for Zendaya. Dune Part II is a brilliant film made by a modern day master behind the camera, Denis Villeneuve. This year, no other blockbuster was even in the same ballpark; or rather sand wormed desert.
4. Challengers
Incredibly funny, winning, and engaging. Not even remotely the film I thought I was going to witness. A film based entirely around sex, incredibly sexual in camera and performance, and yet, no sex to speak of. Three dynamic performances with Josh O’Connor and Zendaya taking the lion share of the credit. The best score of the year. I’ve never been a fan of Luca Guadagnino’s, but I am after this film. By far, the best ending of the year (which I have rewatched a dozen times). The film never shies away from being inventive, even within its pop construction. I plan to see this many more times in the future.
3. Anora
Over the moon that Anora won Best Picture. It takes a ton of guts to make a film like this and it lives entirely in Sean Baker’s camera and Mikey Madison’s unique, one-of-a-kind performance. The second act of Anora had me rolling in the aisle with laughter. Anora is the Uncut Gems of romantic comedy. While the third act is the most difficult to watch, it’s also the act where this film shines brightest. We need to witness the collapse, the breaking of the American Dream, to see the true despair inherent in every aspect of Anora. Another film with a terrific ensemble, I was laughing and crying all in the span of about ten minutes.
2. Ghostlight
The final movie I watched, made for less than $1 million. This film needs to be taught in high schools around the country. Currently available on Hulu, full free ad, you need to watch it. A depressed, overweight construction worker with an unruly daughter stumbles into a community theatre rehearsal and ends up being in Romeo & Juliet, but as the film goes along, we see how real life intermixes with the play onstage and how the tendrils of grief are long and complicated. Heartbreaking and hilarious, the family is portrayed by the real-life couple and their daughter. One of the best scripts of the year, this film is going to have you in tears. Ghostlight complicates resolution deepening each character. There isn't a wasted moment in its runtime. And, most importantly, it shows the dramatic impact of community theatre.
1. Civil War
A controversial pick, but no other movie affected me quite like Civil War. A masterpiece of genre filmmaking. This was attacked for being anti-political, but this movie is anything but anti-political, it just isn’t about Republicans and Democrats. It’s about all of us, our complicity in our own destruction and our awestruck need for it. I saw Civil War three times in theaters and another time at home. The soundtrack is brilliant, the performances are masterful with Kirsten Dunst, pure chefs kiss. For all of its horrors, this film is so beautiful in its ability to craft pictures, fitting for its focus on photo journalism. The Jesse Plemmons scene is the best of the movie, but I’ll remember the cleaning of the blood out of the vehicle to the sound of helicopters for the rest of my cinematic life. I predict this film will have a long and fruitful shelf life. And it is my top film of 2024.
