The Best and Worst Movies of 2024
By Danny Minton
I will be the first to admit that my prediction of 2024 was completely off, in a very good way. With the writers and actors strikes last year, I thought there would be a huge effect on the quality and amount of films we would see this year. But alas, I was wrong, and we were fed a cornucopia of fantastic movies all year long, with many big surprises along the way. One thing we did see, though, was a different kind of film experience in many cases, with low budget yet high quality pics with actors, writers and directors we’ve never heard of. Anora, for example, is leading the Oscar race in many of the top categories, and yet very few people are familiar with its director or any of its cast. Other films, such as The Brutalist and Conclave, both of which are major competitors for Best Picture this year, have relatively new directors who we will definitely hear from again. Many films on my list will strike a chord with readers, but there are a few that you might not have heard of, but that you definitely need to check out when given the chance.
1) Dune: Part Two (Streaming on MAX). I’ve spoken to many people who just couldn’t get into Dune: Part One, and thusly never game Part Two a chance. What a shame. While I loved the first one, I also knew that it was only the first act of a larger vision. Part two is much less of a sequel and much more the continuation and finale of the original book. Telling the continued journey of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his rise to power within the Dune universe, the film proves to be absorbing, thrilling, and extremely powerful. So many filmmakers have been trying to bring Dune to the big screen for decades but all we’ve gotten until now is the lousy 80’s David Lynch version, which, unfortunately caused several generations to give up on the idea that we would have a film to live up to its potential. But Denis Villeneuve’s vision and masterful storytelling ability gave us not only the best picture of the year, but also one of the greatest sci-fi flicks of the twenty-first century.
2) Wicked (In Theaters Now, Available for Home Purchase on December 31). I fully expected to like Wicked when I walked into the theater to see it the first time, but I didn’t expect to love it. Having seen the stage production a dozen times or so, I knew the story had potential, but I also knew that it could easily be mishandled and moreover difficult to adapt as a film. But then Jon Chu (In the Heights) got his hands on it, and along with its fantastic production team and perfect casting, the movie absolutely blew me away. Chu couldn’t have gotten a better pair of leads than Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande who have both proven themselves musically, but had very little in the way of a film resume. But the gamble paid off and the potential has been fully realized in this incredibly cinematic retelling of the stage show. Luckily, we will only have to wait less than a year to see the conclusion when “Wicked: For Good” will surely have us singing in our seats once again.
3) Emilia Perez (Streaming on Netflix). Netflix took a huge gamble with this daring musical about a Mexican cartel head (Karla Sofia Gascon) who hires a defense attorney (Zoe Saldana) to arrange a sex change operation for him so that he can disappear from his current world and maybe have a chance to live his authentic life. Along with Selena Gomez playing the cartel leader’s wife who thinks her husband is dead, the film is entirely original, uncomfortable and completely crazy. Directed by French auteur Jacques Audiard (A Prophet), the movie is perfectly executed in style and substance and will leave you surprised and shocked until the very end.
4) Anora (Available for Home Purchase). Writer/director Sean Baker (The Florida Project) tells the story here of a young exotic dancer (Mikey Madison) who decides to escort for the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch. But when the young couple decides to get married, the family is none too happy and move in to set the situation straight. I went into this one thinking it would be a violent and possibly scary romance with a lot of sexual content. I was right about the sex, but completely wrong about the tone, which takes an unexpected turn that puts it more in the dark comedy arena than the crime drama expected. I just loved everything about this film, including its cast which I’ve never seen before, and its riveting dialog. Baker is perhaps the best new filmmaker in Hollywood and he very well could be walking away with an Oscar or two this season.
5) The Wild Robot (Available for Home Purchase). Christopher Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch) brings this magical tale to the big screen about a robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) who is lost in a crash in the Canadian wilderness and forced to rewrite its programing in order to communicate with the local wildlife living in the harsh conditions. As the robot adapts to its new surroundings, the story develops into a beautiful tale of acceptance and perseverance. The production itself is also a site to behold, with some of the best animation we have seen in years and a potentially Oscar-winning score by Kris Bowers.
6) A Real Pain (Available for Home Purchase on December 31). Zombieland’s Jessie Eisenberg takes on the roles of screenwriter, director and star of this terrific little indie about two cousins (he and Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland to see the homeland of their grandmother who had just died and left them the money for the trip. Full of great comedy and moving drama, the film takes us on a powerful and memorable journey through Poland while delivering two fantastic and authentic performances. Culkin is expected to win for best supporting actor this year and you will quickly see why the second he comes on screen. You would never want to travel with the guy, but you won’t be able to take your eyes off of him and his poorly-conceived but well-intentioned actions.
7) Sing Sing (Coming Soon for Home Purchase). I wasn’t sure what to think about this experimental drama when I first started watching. The story follows an inmate at the Sing Sing prison (Coleman Domingo) who is the star actor in a drama troupe made up of prisoners for the purpose of rehabilitation through acting. Most audiences know Domingo, but the other actors are all unknown and you almost get the sense that they are actually inmates. And then you check the interwebs and find out that that’s because they actually used former inmates from this actual program in their cast. It’s a remarkable story that will have you completely engaged and leave you with empathy for these men using this medium to try to put their lives back together again.
8) Saturday Night (Streaming Free on Peacock and Available for Home Purchase). I’ve always loved Saturday Night Live since I used to stay up late and watch (unbeknownst to my parents) in the late seventies until today as I watch and laugh my way through every new episode. This new movie from Jason Reitman explores the hours that led up to the very first episode where Lorne Michaels (played here by Gabriel LaBelle from The Fablemans) puts everything on the line to give America The Not Ready for Primetime Players in all their glory. It is a frenetic and disorganized mess of a story that comes off as too crazy to be made up. It also happens to be the funniest film of the year, with witty dialog and hilarious physical comedy. As the icing on the cake, make sure to watch the very first episode of SNL after your’e done to see how it all turns out!
9) My Old Ass (Streaming on Amazon Prime). Maisy Stella plays Elliott, a young girl about to head off to college who just happens to do shrooms with her friends on a camping trip, only to find that she hallucinates a discussion with her older self (played by Aubrey Plaza) who gives her all kinds of advice, chiefly to stay away from a boy she hasn’t even met yet. But then she meets him and her life is forever changed. This little 90 minute comedy will have you laughing and crying in equal parts as you enjoy the conversations one can have with one’s self. It’s just a lovable little Indie that I can’t recommend highly enough.
10) The Substance (Steaming on MUBI and Available for Home Purchase or Rental). Demi Moore has reentered the scene in this stunning horror film about a once-famous actress who is desperate to find her younger self again. Upon a recommendation, she enlists the help of a secret company that sells a compound called The Substance, which promises the fountain of youth. After taking the drug, a younger version of herself pops out of her body (in the form of actress Margaret Qualley) with one rule to follow, she must switch between her young and old body every other week. This thing is dark and there is an extreme amount of nudity, so I wouldn’t recommend to most audiences, but if you are a little deranged like me, you will love it. It’s also getting a lot of Oscar buzz given it is the best film directed by a woman this year, and there is still a lot of love for Demi out there.
The Next 10: Conclave, Flow, Hit Man, Will & Harper, A Complete Unknown, Heretic, Alien: Romulus, Monkey Man, Civil War, Thelma
The Worst:
1) Joker: Folie a Deux. The first one I hated due to its glorification of senseless violence. This one I hated because it was just plain stupid. It almost feels like they made a bad movie on purpose.
2) Megalopolis. We’ve seen Francis Ford Coppola make some magnificent art. But this is a vision he should have wiped from his mind instead of spending hundreds of millions of his own money on making it.
3) Argyle. An incredible cast and typically talented director (along with a reported $200 Million dollar budget) couldn’t save this ridiculous miscalculation about a writer who discovers that she is a secret agent.
4) Jackpot! Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy) butchers this story about what happens if winning the lottery requires that you stay alive long enough to claim the prize.
5) Longlegs. I have no clue how this cheesy horror flick attempting to be Silence of the Lambs got so many great reviews, as it feels more like one of the worst of Nicholas Cage’s more recent duds than one of his surprising successes.