Will’s Top Movies of 2024
An Incredibly Belated Yet Objectively Correct List of the Best Films of 2024
2024 has finally concluded. A month ago. I’m a little late here.
Regardless, I’ve been looking forward to writing a list of my 10 favorite movies of the year for some time. The year did ultimately take some time to get going, lacking in films that really impressed me, but by the second half the list got pretty well populated with worthy inclusions. In the end, I got around to seeing a total of 43 movies this year, and most of them were good. That being said I don’t really bother to see movies with a bad reputation, so there’s not going to be a worst movies of 2024 list from me. For what it’s worth, Madame Web would be at the bottom of that list.
It’s a good time to mention that in spite of this, I haven’t seen every movie from the year. Some notable examples include I’m Still Here, the highly regarded Brazilian Best Picture nominee, A Complete Unknown, Timothee Chalamet’s biopic of Bob Dylan, and Sebastian Stan vehicle A Different Man. Considering I’ve already delayed this a month to make sure The Brutalist could be considered, they’ll have to remain as exceptions.
(Did The Brutalist make my list? No. Does that render the delay completely meaningless? Yeah kinda. But whatever, at least I gave it a fair shot.)
Either way, this list is populated by a pretty wide variety of films, from arthouse drama, to animation tentpoles, to a glorious middle finger to copyright laws. After lots of consideration, these are my picks for the best films of 2024. If you haven’t seen them all, check them out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
A Few Honorable Mentions:
Dune: Part Two – I admit I don’t go as crazy for the Dune movies as what seems like every other movie nerd does, but I can’t deny the sheer spectacle and immaculate filmmaking prowess of Denis Villeneuve. Gorgeous to look at, well made in pretty much every way, even if I don’t find myself too invested in the story. Yeah, I’ll more than likely show up for a Part Three.
Juror #2 – Even in his 90s, Clint Eastwood still proves he’s a more than capable director worth your attention. A modern update of old fashioned legal dramas, anchored by an engaging Nicolas Hoult performance and a compelling moral dilemma at its core, Juror #2 may be held back by some at times questionable color correction and several parallels with 12 Angry Men, but has enough tension and twists to mostly overcome these. If this ends up being Eastwood’s final film, it would be a strong note to go out on.
The Room Next Door – Ask me about it in a couple weeks and this might end up taking the Number 10 spot in the official list. The first English language film by acclaimed director Pedro Almodovar, The Room Next Door was one of the last movies I saw from the year, and I’m glad I didn’t skip it. Almodovar and his lead actresses Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton create a beautiful portrayal of friendship and living in the face of tragedy. While I found the dialogue stilted at times, the film’s ability to weave between sadness and hope, and dissect the relationships between the two, make it absolutely worth a watch.
And now, the actual list.
10. Love Lies Bleeding:
A romance that quickly falls into both a crime thriller with traces of surrealism and body horror, Love Lies Bleeding is one of the most slept on movies of the year. It follows a gym owner named Lou and her love story with ambitious bodybuilder Jackie, as Jackie’s ambitions and Lou’s past drags their love into a web of violence. Director Rose Glass pulls off a remarkable balancing act, as the film dips between being tender, brutal, disturbing, and just plain weird through strong writing and some of the most memorable visuals of the year. Its ability to slide between genres with ease obscurs a deeper story about toxic relationships, and a killer Kristen Stewart performance means that I have to encourage you to give this one a look.
9. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga:
From a slow burn thriller to a maximalist spectacle. Furiosa brings us back to the endless wasteland of Mad Max: Fury Road as we see the origins of Charlize Theron’s instantly iconic heroine, now played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Even if he’s pushing 80, George Miller is still an absolute madman, as he creates a colorful and violent odyssey of madness and revenge. Taylor-Joy perfectly continues Theron’s work as the title character, as glimpses of tenderness are hardened and snuffed out by an unforgiving land overrun by warlords, tyrants, and their legions of insane followers. Chris Hemsworth meanwhile disappears into the over-the-top, hilarious and yet intimidating role of the warlord Dementus. It’s one of those performances you just have to see to really understand. Furiosa doesn’t have the most nuanced story, and its action does suffer from more obvious CGI in place of Fury Road’s incredible practical effects, but the grittiness and spectacle of it still mesmerizes. Furiosa did unfortunately bomb at the box office, meaning we may never get another chance to see Miller’s wasteland. We’ll be missing out, and if you skipped this one, I blame you.
8. Thelma:
You know how hard it is to write an honest film about aging without it being miserable? Well apparently it’s not impossible. Thelma follows a 93 year old woman who loses $10,000 to a phone scammer, and naturally decides to track it down against the wishes of her family. Starring June Squibb, herself in her 90s, as well as Richard Roundtree in his final role, Thelma is an effective comedy that’s able to be truly honest about the downsides of aging, but is able to laugh about it as well. Squibb absolutely carries the film, even committing to doing her own stunts, although she gets plenty of support from a strong supporting cast. Even with Thelma’s age lingering over the plot, she never gets bogged down in it, as Thelma shows cunning and determination in spite of limited physical ability. It’s an obstacle for sure, but one that Thelma can overcome. That’s what I think makes Thelma special. It knows aging can be full of inconveniences, but exists to tell us that it doesn’t have to stop us. And the final scene might be the most touching ending of the entire year. Such spirit indeed.
7. The People’s Joker:
I have to admit I love this film in part due to the nature of its existence. Filmmaker Vera Drew started writing a parody of 2019’s Joker, mixed with her own experiences as a trans woman. All completely without permission from Warner Bros (allegedly, but like. Come on. What other “media conglomerate” would try and get this thing buried). The result is a coming of age parody filled with genuine love for the DC Comics that’s all too enthusiastic to bend every fair use law as far as it will go. The film was filmed in about a week on a shoestring budget, naturally meaning it’s nowhere near as polished as the other films on this list, but I love it anyway. Not just for the sheer audacity behind its release, but also because it’s a genuinely moving and emotional depiction of growing up trans, gender dysphoria, and learning to embrace oneself. This wonderful, ridiculous shitpost (I say that lovingly and with respect) has one of the most honest trans storylines of the year. Certainly more so than a certain musical with way too many Oscar nominations. I can’t express how much respect I have for this film and its director.
6. Inside Out 2:
I’ve long been saying that Inside Out is the perfect Pixar movie to give a sequel to, so thank you to the animators and filmmakers at Pixar for finally proving my point. Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of Riley, as her emotions are blindsided by puberty and the host of new emotions it brings, namely Anxiety. To start, as always Pixar’s animation is top notch. They’ve perfected the art lately, and this is no exception. Inside Out 2 is a visual feast. What I love about the film is the depiction of Anxiety, as Maya Hawke’s personification of the emotion takes over Riley’s mind, while Joy is pushed away. What anxiety is and the way it impacts mental health is a heavier concept for younger audiences that I think is incredibly important, and I respect Pixar for making that effort. I will say it might not be as memorable as the first film, and not every joke lands (sar-chasm is not clever wordplay I’m sorry), but the beautiful animation and reflections about how your emotions change make up for that. Also, it reminds older audiences of the importance of holding onto joy as you get older. I think that’s a reminder we all could use from time to time.
5. A Real Pain:
The first of a couple movies on this list I was shocked to see miss out on a Best Picture nomination. It speaks to the quality of a movie’s acting and storytelling when it’s touching and memorable in spite of not having complexity and spectacle. A Real Pain follows two estranged and polar opposite cousins touring Poland to honor their recently deceased grandmother. Jesse Eisenberg, pulling triple duty as writer, director, and lead actor, tells a deceptively simple but achingly human story about opposing personalities, once close but have grown apart, and the affection, frustration, nostalgia, and envy involved, Eisenberg and his co-star Kiernan Culkin shifting between these conflicting emotions incredibly authentically. While Eisenberg gives an excellent performance (his restaurant monologue sticking out in particular), Culkin is the MVP here, portraying an impulsive lost soul with enough charisma to hide how broken he really is. I can’t find the words to adequately describe how strong these central performances are. Just know that it’s a beautifully intimate film capturing conflicting and complex emotions, the type of which I can never get enough of. While the lack of a Best Picture nomination stings, I can take peace in knowing the supporting actor trophy is Culkin’s to lose.
4. Challengers:
Speaking of movies that should’ve been nominated for Oscars, let’s list a few of the ones Challengers should be up for:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Score
Best Original Song
Okay now that that’s out of my system. Luca Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes create a gorgeously complex story of tennis players Art and Patrick both falling for Tashi, a tennis prodigy played by Zendaya. Zendaya’s portrayal of Tashi is like a modern femme fatale. Her goals are rarely clear, her actions always seem to have hidden motives beneath them. She’s a parade of red flags, and yet she’s still so alluring. Of course Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor give note perfect performances as well. One aspect of note: all three actors convey so much through movement, the looks they give, the way they send a ball across the tennis court. I don’t think I could write this script. Kuritzkes manages an insane balancing act here, as the relationships and goals of the principal players become such a tangled web that even on rewatch it's hard to tell who’s being manipulated and what these people really think of each other, but not so much that the viewer gets lost. It’s the marriage of this script, the performances, Guadagnino’s sleek as hell direction, and Trent Reznor’s pounding score that makes this film one of the most intense of the year.
3. The Substance:
Jesus. Christ. If you didn’t have the opportunity to see this in a packed theater with no one really knowing what they were in for, you missed out. I cannot stress enough that the less you know about this movie, the better. To use as little detail as possible, an aging star played by Demi Moore loses her job when she turns 50, and comes across a black market substance that creates a younger version of her body she can control every other week, played by a tragically Oscar snubbed Margaret Qualley. What follows is utterly insane body horror. I’m being really careful to not reveal too much here. You really do need to go in knowing as little as possible. But even outside of some jaw dropping imagery, this is a hauntingly sad story about body image, aging, and being a woman in entertainment. Demi Moore plays probably the most tragic figure of the year (the scene the above image is taken from is heartbreaking). But what seals this film as a work of brilliance is director Coralie Fargeat’s weaponization of the male gaze. As the camera lingers on Margaret Qualley’s body you’re forced to feel complicit in the entertainment industry’s objectification of women, and that is genius in so many ways.
2. Sing Sing:
To me, this is the most slept-on movie of the year. Sing Sing follows a group of convicts in the titular real-life prison who stage theater productions in a Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. It depicts the use of art to allow the imprisoned men to rediscover their emotional sides and break down the facades of manliness they’ve felt forced to build up. I think this is one of the most important movies of the year. It exists to reframe societal ideas of strength and masculinity, and to show tenderness as far more constructive than anger. Lead actor Coleman Domingo does beautiful work here, as a falsely accused man using the program to get through his pain and frustration, but more incredible is the host of alumni from the real life RTA program playing themselves, in an especially poignant emphasis on the effectiveness of the program, namely Clarence “Devine Eye” Maclin in an Oscar worthy performance. This may be second place on the list, but if you’re going to watch any of these, watch this one. It deserves the attention.
1. Anora:
When I wrote a review for this film earlier this year, I talked a lot about how it had been a fairly lackluster year for cinema, and how I hadn’t really felt blown away by many films yet. While the year picked up a lot in the second half, Anora is still my favorite of the year. The tale of a sex worker who gets involved in a whirlwind romance with a Russian oligarch’s son is both funny and tragic. Director Sean Baker leads us through these shifting tones, letting the film feel at times fantasy-like and then crushingly real. Every actor here shines (a special mention goes to the hilariously exasperated Russian henchmen), but Mikey Madison leads them with confidence, brashness, and ferocity, as well as just enough venerability to make Anora one of the year's best characters. The film’s exploration of sex work, and the complicated lines between business and love are another crucial piece of this engaging puzzle. I do this film a lot more justice in my full length review, so I encourage you to go there for a better understanding of my opinions here. I’ll leave it at this. Every film on this list moved to a different position at one point or another, except Anora. I knew I was going to put it at number 1. It just feels like the right place for it.
