My Favorite Movies of 2024

 This was a banner year for horror films, and I think they deserve as much credence and relevance as "serious" films. It was especially encouraging to see The Substance earn a place at awards ceremonies. Too bad Demi didn't take home the Oscar. I loved Mikey Madison's performance in Anora, but I also think winning gold too early can be a curse for young actors. Still, every nominee for best actress turned in a mesmerizing performance. Also a shout-out to June Squibb, who wasn't nominated for Thelma, but rocked her role as the titular character at age 94. This is my list of non-horror films, please see my previous post for a ranking of those.

I had the amazing fortune to visit Riga, Latvia this past year at exactly the same time the animated film Straume (Flow) was playing in theaters there. I saw it and figured this gorgeous, moving piece of art would never see the light of American day. Lo and behold, it took home the Oscar and Golden Globe, beating Wild Robot, which was incredible in its own right.

 As a rule, my rankings are based upon whether I would watch the film again, and higher for those I'd see multiple times over ensuing years. I found the Brutalist, for instance, bleak and overlong, with joyless awkward sex scenes, clumsily edited, and misleading in its content--since Laszlo Toth never existed, and Brutalism is the architecture of fascism. Therefore, it didn't make my list despite its incredible cinematography and soundtrack.

MY FAVORITE MOVIES of 2024

1. Flow

2. A Complete Unknown

3. Furiosa

4. Anora

5. Love Lies Bleeding

6. Thelma

7. Wild Robot

8. A Real Pain

9. Last Showgirl

10. My Old Ass

11. Iron Claw

12. Conclave

13. Rebel Ridge

14. Sing Sing

15. Emilia Perez

16. Deadpool & Wolverine

Films I haven't seen yet, so list may change: Last Stop Yuma County, The Order, Piece By Piece, Better Man, Kneecap, Saturday Night, Super Man, The Abandon, I'm Still Here

My Favorite Movies Of 2023

Damn fine year for movies again. There seemed to be fewer forgettable one word titles. Maybe execs are finally learning that literally nobody will remember what a movie like "Vengeance" from 2022 was about, let alone that it was a great dark comedy. One thing I could do without is how many trailers feature a breathy slowed-down version of a retro hit used for dramatic effect. I hate it every time.

Anyway, I was so enthralled by the pink zeitgeist surrounding Greta Gerwig's amazing film at theaters all summer. It was fun, colorful, moving, profound, and a total Trojan Horse for feminism. I hope it has a ripple effect on our culture for years to come, but I see it's already being snubbed at award shows. Poor Things was also a feast for the eyes, and just as empowering in it's own shocking way. I couldn't decide which I loved more, so I gave a tie for first place, which I've never done before.

My criteria for ranking, and maybe I'm a weirdo, is: would I watch the movie again? Some of the films on this list I've already watched three times.

P.S.: I obviously have a soft spot for horror, fantasy, and sci-fi movies. 

BEST FILMS

1. Barbie/Poor Things (tie)

2. American Fiction

3. Killers of the Flower Moon

4. Dream Scenario

5. Past Lives

6. Anatomy of a Fall

7. No Hard Feelings

8. Wonka

9. Talk To Me

10. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

11. Moonage Daydream

12. Oppenheimer/Zone of Interest (tie)

13. Rustin

14. May December/Eileen

15. The Flash 

16. Godzilla Minus One

17. Jules

18. When Evil Lurks

19. The Holdovers/Dear God, It's Me, Margaret

20. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

21. How To Blow Up A Pipeline

22. John Wick 4

23. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning

24. Cocaine Bear

25. Knock At The Cabin

26. No One Will Save You

27. Evil Dead Rise

28. Guardians of the Galaxy 3

29. Saltburn

30. You Hurt My Feelings

Movies I haven't seen yet: Eight Mountains, Little Richard: I Am Everything