I can’t say that 2024 was a fantastic year for film, but it was certainly surprising. It was an amazing year for horror films. In fact, 3 of them made my top 10. I had a lot of trouble choosing films for this list & especially putting them in order, which I did manage to do once again this time. This is not a ‘hard & fast’ order, but more a relative order that I’ll almost certainly want to re-arrange in the future. But here is how I’ve arranged things as of abandoning this list most recently before hitting that ‘publish’ button.
I spend the time making these ‘film diaries,’ as I call them, because I’ve been inspired by
others who have done the same thing throughout the years. One of whom is my
friend Bob, whose great lists you can find here. We have a lot in common.
Anything that he recommends that isn’t on my list, just add those to my alternative
favorites as well.
Like I
always say, these are not what I consider the ‘best’ films of the year. They
are my favorites. The ones I enjoyed the most. For a variety of reasons. Once
again, a number of ‘better’ & award-nominated & winning films didn’t
make my list. It's possible that whatever film wins Best Picture tonight isn't even on this list. Which historically would be quite a departure from my previous 13 lists. I prefer when I can recommend films off the radar & just fun. Feel free to DM me or talk to me in
person to discuss your favorites that didn’t make this subjective cut. Without
further ado, I present…
My favorite feature films
This list is in order
All my reviews are spoiler-free
THE SUBSTANCE
I guess I’m
calling my favorite horror film of the year my favorite film of the year as
well. Kind of unexpected, but this film has really grown on me. I can relate to
it on a number of levels. It’s extremely re-watchable. It’s only the 7th
horror film ever nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, which I doubt it will
win. But Demi Moore’s performance is amazing & I can see her winning the
Oscar for Best Actress after her Golden Globe & a variety of other wins. Of
its 5 nominations, I think this might be the only statue it takes home. I’m
upset that Margaret Qualley was snubbed because her performance is also excellent.
I love body horror & the places this film goes near the end are up there
with the best. A lot of directors are influenced by & steal from what
influences them & my only little criticism of this film is the number of
times it steals from Kubrick & Lynch, just to name a couple. But from
another POV, it’s more great stuff that’s stolen from other great stuff I love,
so I’ll forgive it for that.
French
director Coralie Fargeat is someone I’ve had my eye on ever since I saw &
loved her 2017 debut feature film REVENGE. She also directed an episode of the
ill-fated Netflix show THE SANDMAN (season 1, episode 9 called Collectors,
which is about a serial killer convention from The Doll’s House
storyline). I’m extremely sad that the show will be cancelled after the release
of season 2 this year.
I was lucky
enough to attend a double feature at Prague’s Kino Aero where I saw the 1922
version, followed by this masterpiece. I just wish it had been a trilogy &
included Herzog’s 1979 film as well. Robert Eggers continues his near-perfect
streak of excellent work with this modern classic. The Czech & Slovak-shot
film used many of the same locations as the 1922 original as well as a variety
of recognizable new locations I’ve visited. The haunting atmosphere the film
enchants you with is accentuated by the outstanding cinematography that
incorporates a number of Czech locations ‘painted’ into a unique tapestry of
original set design.
One tiny
criticism I have about the film is a bit of the acting. Bill Skarsgård once
again gives a genuine creepy performance with especially voice acting, which
was not digitally altered. That’s really what he was able to do after months of
training with opera singers. Lily-Rose Depp took inspiration from Isabelle
Adjani’s iconic performance in 1981’s POSSESSION, although with inferior
success. For me, the weakest performance is given by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who
also stars in 2024’s KRAVEN THE HUNTER, which was the final nail in the
proverbial coffin of Sony’s Spider-Man adjacent cinematic universe. But on the
other hand, I still found these & other performances appropriately comedic
for the most part, as are a number of scenes in Murnau’s 1922 original. And
deliberately so. Which is partly what makes Eggers’ film so entertaining &
re-watchable.
This was a difficult choice because my love of this
sequel is dependent on combining my love of part one. The synergy effect of
both films together is what I truly love. Which is to say that I don’t
appreciate where in the story the first film concludes. But now, having the
conclusion of the first novel filmed, I love them as a pair. Say what you will
about Lynch’s 1984 adaptation (I say it’s Lynch’s worst film, however I still
love it), at least it tells the whole first novel’s story.
I think
Denis Villeneuve was the perfect choice to helm this endeavor. And that the
results speak for themselves. I love all his films & would struggle to pick
a favorite. I could criticize some details about both films. For the total
length, I think the ending was a bit rushed, for example. But this adaptation of
this classic novel that I love will satisfy me for the rest of my life. 2024
also brought us the HBO TV show DUNE: PROPHACY, none of which was directed by
Villeneuve, but it’s certainly inspired by his style & highly recommended.
This was
chronologically my first favorite film of the year. It’s fun, re-watchable
& dedicated to the overlooked & underappreciated role that stunt people
play in film. I found Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt delightful together. There
is great action & stunts throughout & the story feels like a nod to
many classic action films from the 1980s.
I love
American director David Leitch. He started his career as a stunt performer
& coordinator. You can find a review of his directorial debut, 2017’s
ATOMIC BLONDE, on that year of my reviews. I loved 2018’s DEADPOOL 2, &
2022’s BULLET TRAIN as well. He even co-created the JOHN WICK franchise. All
last year I thought that the Academy of Motion Pictures were adding a new Oscar
category to 2025’s ceremony, Best Stunt Work, & that this film would win.
But I was surprised & saddened to see that this hasn’t been implemented
yet. I thought it would be fitting for Leitch to win the first time the award
was offered.
The most
unexpected & out-of-nowhere film on my list is this black-&-white,
slapstick, silent comedy, which is probably the most entertaining &
re-watchable film I saw all year. Its dense & detailed action set pieces
take full advantage of every possible situation, location & prop in this
video game-inspired spectacle. With a budget of only $150,000, American
director Mike Cheslik’s debut feature is one for the whole family & all age
groups. Its witty & clever skits are a nod to both Looney Tunes & many
live-action films of the 1920s & 1930s. I like to describe it to those in
the know as, ‘imagine if Chuck Jones & Tex Avery designed a film for Guy
Maddin to direct while they were all on drugs.’ Needless to say, this is a very
‘chemical-friendly’ watch for a wide-range of your drugs of choice.
Although
this technically premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2022, it received global
distribution in 2024 so I’m counting it. One minor issue about watching this
film is that it might be one you need to save until the darker seasons, as most
of the plot takes place in snowy wilderness, which might feel a little inappropriate
to watch in spring / summer.
A very
selfish pick is this that I watched in the cinema with my brother while
visiting America. It’s certainly one of the biggest ‘crowd-pleasing’ MCU films
to date with countless meta nods & winks to various aspects of not only
recent MCU films, but the state of comic films in general. I think it's better
than DEADPOOL 2 & about on par with 2016’s DEADPOOL, but with many added
benefits. Deadpool has officially entered the MCU & he brought a very
R-rated Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine along with him (as well as back from the dead,
which does probably anger many fans of 2017’s LOGAN, me somewhat included, but
as far as I’m concerned, there’s always room for more Jackman Wolverine). Many
other characters who I had thought would never get screen time again also
return (to avoid spoilers I’ll just leave that hanging there). The synergy
effect of all of those characters together creates a fantastic melee of surprising
hijinks that I can re-watch multiple times (as of posting this, I’ve seen it completely
3 times & have rewatched multiple scenes many more times than that).
Director
Shawn Levy has made a lot of things over the years I’ve loved or at least
liked. From the NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM trilogy, to previously working with Hugh
Jackman in 2011’s REAL STEEL, to
directing 8 episodes of STRANGER THINGS. D&W has the same tone as the
previous two DEADPOOL films due to Ryan Reynolds’ writing & creative
control. And I’m looking forward to seeing what effect Deadpool’s forth
wall-breaking effect will have in the upcoming AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY & SECRET
WARS.
2022’s SMILE
was one of my favorite horror films of that year. It’s not the most original
idea & it kind of reminded me of IT FOLLOWS but with death replacing sex as
a motif. At first I thought that it wasn’t worth getting too excited about this
sequel. But little did I know how much more ambitious it would be. SMILE 2 is
carried by an amazing performance by Naomi Scott, who won the Saturn Award for
her performance in this film. There are multiple sequences that hypnotize you
with surreal imagery & playful editing that force you to constantly
question whether or not many events are really happening in the film’s reality
or simply in the character’s mind. You’re being manipulated by the supernatural
being’s spell along this phantasmagorical ride just as much as our protagonist
is.
Director Parker Finn directed both films, but this sequel feels like it was created by someone with a lot more experience than just these 2 features under his belt. I would never spoil the ending of a film in these reviews. But I do need to say that the ending is so unexpected & brilliant, not only in content but in style, that it elevates this film to something so astonishingly frightening that it blew me away. I know Finn is working on completing a trilogy of these films. And I am so enthusiastically looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here that I’ll actually see part 3 in the cinema, instead of waiting to watch it at home, where I caught these previous 2.
My favorite
animated film of the year is another film on this list entirely without
dialogue. I suppose you could liken this to LIFE OF PI, but with only tame animals
on the boat. I feel the need to briefly describe the plot here, but I won’t
give too much away. There seems to be a widespread, even global flood event
that raises the water level & displaces a variety of animals, whose journey
we follow without explanation as there are no people in the film to explain
anything to us. The scale of this event becomes more apparent as we follow a
realistic relationship formed by various animals as they seek shelter in
various locations that are sometimes familiar & at the same time
other-worldly. And I couldn’t help but feel that there is some manipulation
with the proximity of these familiar locations compared to where you might find
them in real life. So the timeframe of the events is a little unclear. At the
center of all of this is our protagonist, the black cat, whose realistic
portrayal hooks us immediately with empathy (assuming you like cats I guess)
due to how lifelike it seems.
And that’s
it. No artifice. No ‘plot.’ No robots that can magically speak to animals. No
animals talking to each other. Just a gorgeously animated film, similar to 1993’s
live-action HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. But amazingly animated where
every second is a frame-worthy digital painting. Beautifully realized by
Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis. This is only his 2nd feature
film, following his beautiful 2019 debut AWAY.
Of the two
great films directed by Luca Guadagnino from 2024, I prefer QUEER to
CHALLENGERS. Which I bring up because if you’ve seen & liked that, don’t
miss his other great work of last year. QUEER feels like a film that was made
in the 1990s, especially because of the soundtrack, probably my favorite of 2024,
which includes songs by: Nirvana, Prince, Radiohead, New Order & many
others. And on top of that, there is also a new & original score by Trent
Reznor & Atticus Ross, who also composed an original score to CHALLENGERS.
Daniel Craig shows once again how versatile he is as an actor. And no, I don’t
think it’s a problem for a straight person to play a gay character. I do get
upset about casting when a production claims to be historic, but then casts people
who are inappropriate (*cough* Netflix’s CLEOPATRA). Surprisingly, I do have a small issue with Jason Schwartzman’s
character in the film. I think he wears a ‘fat suit’ & it does seem a bit
offensive, but more importantly, just strange & unnecessary.
Guadagnino
is no stranger to my lists. 2015’s A BIGGER SPLASH, 2017’s CALL ME BY YOUR
NAME, 2018’s SUSPIRIA & 2022’s BONES & ALL are all mentioned in my
previous lists. This adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel captures the
tone & surrealism of the author’s prose just as well, if not better, than
other films adapted from his work, such as 1989’s DRUGSTORE COWBOY & 1991’s
NAKED LUNCH. And if you’re a fan of those films, don’t miss this.
It’s never
easy rounding out these top-10 lists. Sometimes it comes down to a coin
flip. There are 5-6 films I want to put here. So why this controversial pick? I’m
not really trolling here nor am I pushing an agenda. I saw this at Kino Aero
with 2 friends & it was a powerful experience. I can agree with some
criticism of how ridiculous the plot is & how we’re supposed to immediately
forgive someone for heinous actions because the plot tells us to. But don't worry. Take this film in stride & just let it flow over you. Not that this story
provides a happy ending though. It’s a proper tragedy. In more ways than one.
A lot of the acting is great. Zoe Saldaña’s performance is award-worthy & she seems like the frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Few, if any, could have played the part of the title character better than Karla Sofía Gascón, despite my objections to some of her real-life opinions. Do I think the film deserves all 13 of its Oscar nominations? If Zoe gets the only Oscar from all its nominations, I'd actually prefer that. Because this film is absolutely not as objectively that great. But that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.
This is a
musical, which is a genre that normally doesn’t make it into my top 10.
Especially a musical where, let’s be honest, the songs are not that great or memorable. But I found many of them (perhaps inappropriately so), very
entertaining. As well as some of the dialogue. Selena Gomez’s sincere line, ‘my
pussy still hurts when I think of you’ seems like it was copied & pasted
from something like SHOWGIRLS, which I found hilarious. It’s as if the entire production doesn’t
take itself seriously at times just to troll the audience. But unlike JOKER:
FOLIE À DEUX, I was actually entertained by the effort. There’s a song called, La
Vaginoplastia about a sex change operation, again, that I can’t help but
find ridiculously funny. I guess I’m just one of the remaining few Leftists who
still has a sense of humor. Don’t skip this film because a bunch of bigots have
tried to convince you that it’s bad because of politics. And remember that if
you haven’t seen it, any opinion you have about it is meaningless. Sorry to
sound so harsh, but the number of people online who have actually created
‘review’ videos of it without having seen it is absurd.
