Hi. :-) As has been tradition for over a decade here at FTM, here's my personal ranking of the 140 2024 theatrical/streaming movies I saw last year from worst to best. Starting with the foulest piece of crap I wasted two hours of my life that I ain't getting back...
140- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (IMAX) 139.- Imaginary 138- AfraId 137- Altered Reality 136- Didi 135- Never Let Go 134- The Watchers 133- The Exorcism 132- Absolution 131- Argylle (Dolby Cinema) 130- The 4:30 Movie 129- Out of Darkness 128- Night Swim 127- Babes 126- The Taste of Things (France) 125- The Beast Within (UK) 124- The Book of Clarence 123- Satyabhana (India) 122- Customs Frontline (China) 121- Skincare 120- The Moon Thieves (China) 119- Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum's Trot 118- The Crow '24 (IMAX) 117- The Firefighters (South Korea) 116- I.S.S. 115- Elevation 114- The Killer's Game 113- IF Imaginary Friend 112- Escape (South Korea) 111- Thelma 110- Cuckoo 109.- 1992 108- Ma Da: The Drowning Spirit (Vietnam) 107- Land of Bad 106- Babygirl 105- Small Things Like These 104- Saturday Night (Dolby Cinema) 103- Weekend in Taipei 102- Trap 101- The Beekeeper (IMAX) 100- The Six Triple Eight (Netflix) 99- Fly Me To The Moon 98- Spy x Family Code: White (IMAX) 97- Madame Web (IMAX) 96- Werewolves 95- Venom: The Last Dance (IMAX) 94- Speak No Evil '24 93- Love Lies Bleeding 92- Joker: Folie a Deux (IMAX 70mm) 91- A Sacrifice 90- Arthur The King 89- I Saw The TV Glow 88- Kraven The Hunter (IMAX) 87- Fighter (India) 86- The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare 85- Freud's Last Session (UK) 84- Monkey Man 83- Mufasa: The Lion King 3D (IMAX 3D) 82- A Quiet Place: Day One (Dolby Cinema) 81- Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 80- Red One 79- The Fall Guy (IMAX) 78- Horizon: An American Saga, Part 1 77- Lisa Frankenstein 76- The Front Room 75- Y2K 74- Hijack 1971 (South Korea) 73- Stopmotion 72- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (Dolby Cinema) 71- The Beast (France) 70- Boy Kills World 69- The Roundup: Punishment (South Korea) 68- Sight 67- Abigail 66- Moana 2 3D 65- High Forces (China) 64- Meanwhile on Earth (France/Belgium) 63- Demon Slayer: Kumetsu No Yaiba - To The Hashira Training (Japan) 62- Blink Twice 61- Kinds of Kindness (Dolby Cinema) 60- The Long Game 59- Young Woman and the Sea 58- In the Land of Saints and Sinners (Ireland) 57- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (IMAX) 56- Cabrini 55- Civil War (Dolby Cinema) 54- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix) 53- The End We Start From (UK) 52.- Longlegs 51- Haikyu! The Dumpster Battle (IMAX, Japan) 50.- Veteran 2: I, The Executioner (South Korea) 49- It Ends With Us 48- MaXXXine 47- Anora 46- Latency 45- Immaculate 44- The First Omen 43- Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Dolby Cinema) 42- A Real Pain 41- Smile 2 (Dolby Cinema) 40- The Outrun (UK/Germany) 39- Conclave 38- Megalopolis (IMAX) 37- Land of Happiness (South Korea) 36- Heretic 35- Bloody Axe Wound 34- The Bikeriders 33- Kill (India) 32- Slingshot 31- Gladiator II (IMAX) 30- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 29- Oddity 28- Perfect Days (Germany/Japan) 27- Alien: Romulus (IMAX) 26- Super/Man: The Cristopher Reeve Story (Documentary) 25- My Old Ass 24- Strange Darling (Shot in 35mm!) 23- Alienoid: Return To The Future (South Korea) 22- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (IMAX) 21- In A Violent Nature 20- Sing Sing 19- Inside Out 2 3D 18- Exhuma (South Korea) 17- Twisters (4DX) 16- Daddio 15- Lee (UK/USA/Hungary) 14- Late Night with The Devil 13- Challengers (Dolby Cinema) 12- Drive-Away Dolls 11- The Order
10- Brady Corbet's THE BRUTALIST (70mm VISTAVISION) The "Armaggedon" of 2024's architect epic movies going opposite F.F. Coppola's "Deep Impact," aka "Megalopolis." Career-best performance by Guy Pearce, 70mm cinematography to match opulent set design, and an immigrant success/failure story on par with "There Will Be Blood."
9- Ava Duvernay's ORIGIN Tackling the genesis of human divisions beyond mere racism, "Origin" delves into complex issues and manages to make one think without feeling preached. Duvernay walks a fine tightrope and delivers what "The Six Triple Eight" wishes it could accomplish.
8- Clint Eastwood's JUROR #2 Dumped by Warner Bros., what is likely to be Eastwood's final movie as director is a John Grisham-worthy legal thriller that is carried by great performances and an understanding of the complexities of the American judicial system. "12 Angry Men" for a new generation.
7- Tim Fehlbaum's SEPTEMBER 5 This re-enactment of ABC Sports' TV coverage of Arab terrorists kidnapping Jewish athletes during the '72 Summer Olympics is some of the more realistic, gripping and dramatic take on the subject I've ever seen. Other than the film treating Peter Jennings (R.I.P.) as an opportunist, I loved every minute of it.
6- Denis Villeneuve's DUNE: PART TWO (DOLBY CINEMA) As an informed-by-its-predecessor standalone and as a continuation of "Part One's" story, this epic film rocked my world. It's still nowhere near the definite cinematic translation of Frank Herbert's epic novel, but it's such a monumental leap in quality over David Lynch's previous attempt.
5- Julio Torres' PROBLEMISTA The little A24 movie that was so much more than the studio's other overhyped inferior projects ("Civil War," "Babygirl," etc.). "Problemista" mixes surrealism and quirk with a low-key comedic tone about the immigrant experience carried over by excellent performances (Tilda Swinton owns) that needs to be watched to be truly understood. Julio Torres has earned lifetime credit for any of his future projects.
4- Chris Sanders' THE WILD ROBOT 3D Though Disney had its moments ("Inside Out 2," parts of "Moana 2," etc.) this is the year that Dreamworks Animation beat the Mouse at using animation to get across an emotional story in which talking animals and a dropped-by-accident robot can make you laugh and cry at the drop of a hat. Even though it delivered thrilling spectacle (island fire, flying geese versus plane, etc.), whenever Roz and his baby goose had a heart-to-heart (with Pedro Pascal's Fin in the middle) "The Wild Robot" became special.
3- Robert Eggers' NOSFERATU '24 (IMAX) If you're an old-school horror movie fan this remake of the 1920's silent classic is an unending buffet of treats, especially for fans of F.F. Coppola's '92 version of "Dracula." This is how you mix practical and CG effects alongside great acting (Ralph Ineson and Willem Dafoe particularly) and a different take on worn-out material. Instant classic before a ballsy ending that puts it over the top.
2- Shawn Levy's DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (IMAX, DOLBY CINEMA) Yes, it has pacing/story/consistency/tonal problems. But when a comedy bends over backwards/sideways as hard as this one does to entertain its audience (aka those who have done their homework as superhero movie watchers since 2000's "X-Men") a lot can be forgiven. I don't know about Hugh Jackman still doing this until he's 90, but I wouldn't mind old-men Logan and Wade Wilson going 'round the bend a couple of more times if I'm guaranteed half as much fun as I had with their first team-up.
1- Coralie Fargeat's THE SUBSTANCE Building on the head of steam that was 2017's "Revenge," this Kubrickian take on body horror as in-your-face metaphor for the way society boxes women in the entertainment industry into impossible situations takes no prisoners and doesn't slow down for one of its 141 minutes. It builds and builds the tension and the stakes until it cascades into an orgy of excess. Best time I had at the cinema, by far.
Casual, l also watched A TON of older movies (many of them in theaters, like the "Spider-Man" flicks Sony re-released theatrically in early summer) but those aren't included on the list. I only rank the year's new movies, not the oldies. ✌️😎
Land of the Lost (2009): I like this movie for one joke, the brain-the-size-of-a-walnut joke. Kills me every time. Apart from that, it's a pretty fun silly movie, apart from Danny McBride, who I've never been a fan of.
Seven (1995): this week saw the release of Seven in 4k and let me tell you, it looks beautiful... I mean, it's crisp and you can see every little dirty details of this nasty movie. This is the kind of movie that redefine a genre, if not the entire business, which doesn't happen very often, from the opening credits to the twist ending. I'm not a fan of the packaging though (the disc has to slide out), but I'll live.
Robocop 2 (1990): battle of the robots in glorious stop-motion, I love it. Better than I remembered, but evidently not as good as the first movie. In the process, I went to the comic store and got the comic book adaptation of the Frank Miller original script, which is way crazier than the movie we got. It's also very different and apparently unfilmable.
Robocop 3 (1993): Still sucks. But I do miss the time when movie sequels had simple numbering.
Land of the Lost is funny! Certainly not the best, but still pretty good. I'm a big fan of Danny McBride and Will Ferrell. The one funny bit that I remember is something about sitting on big pyramid thing. I'm due for a re-watch.
I never grew up with Robocop, although I remember other kids talking about it at school. I watched the original about 10 years ago but delved into the sequels, which have very nice convenient names. I approve.
My favorites of 2024 list is based on Finnish release dates, so there are a few movies on it that most of you saw in 2023.
1. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) 2. Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos) 3. Anora (Sean Baker) 4. The Substance (Coralie Fargeat) 5. Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass) 6. Longlegs (Osgood Perkins) 7. The Holdovers (Alexander Payne) 8. Suitable Flesh (Joe Lynch) 9. Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve) 10. Green Border (Agnieszka Holland) 11. Red Rooms (Pascal Plante) 12. Tatami (Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir Ebrahimi) 13. Handling the Undead (Thea Hvistendahl) 14. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli) 15. Conclave (Edward Berger)
And my favorite pre-2000 movies I saw for the first time in 2024:
1. Devil Story (1986) 2. In the Heat of the Night (1967) 3. Wake in Fright (1971) 4. Rashomon (1950) 5. Wild at Heart (1990) 6. The Lost Weekend (1945) 7. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) 8. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 9. Midnight Cowboy (1969) 10. Lessons of Darkness (1992)
I haven't seen Zone of Interest but I want to. Midnight Cowboy is very good. I teared up when the one dude put his arm around the other even though he knew he was dead.
Speaking of Hundreds of Beavers (the photo at the top of the thread), i just got my blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, so i forced my friends to watch it with me. They loved it.
I learned it late too, so i missed the Limited slipcover. They actually had to do a restock of the regular edition because it was OOS for a little while. Get it while it's available 😁
In my surroundings, there's 3 of us with no kids (one is part time with kids actually), so it's easier. Every 2 weeks (because of the part-timer) they come to my place and we decide what to watch. Sometimes it's something i got recently, sometimes it's one who wants to see something or wants to show us something. They're pretty open, but they have their own taste too, so they don't like everything (like Cool World this weekend). So, there's no magic formula, you just need the right set of friends 🤣
If you could, Patrick, delete the previous reply above about the Mahoning. I cannot find a feature to do it in Blogger. Those matters are more of a private thing there.
10 - THE PEOPLE’S JOKER. I always reserve my number ten spot for the year’s best comic book/superhero movie. This gets it by default, but it’s also a great movie. Brutally honest and brutally funny. 9 - HORIZON PART ONE. I wouldn’t want to have lunch with Kevin Costner, but there’s no denying he’s a freakin’ movie star. Double so when in Western mode. I loved this movie, but it’s not higher on my list because I fear this series will pull a Rothfuss and never be finished. 8 - TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN. A YA adaptation that’s a lot at once, about OCD, and the haves vs. the have-nots, and a mystery to be solved. I thought it was okay at first, but it really stuck with me over time. 7 - BOB MARLEY ONE LOVE. The smart way to do a biopic, by focusing on one chapter of a person’s life. And the performance scenes are truly electric. 6 - LISA FRANKENSTEIN. Yes, it’s overly quirky and precocious, but there’s a lot of heart to it as well. The outsiders-fall-in-love thing is always appealing. Hey, you could double feature this with… 5 - NOSFERATU. I’m sure we could nitpick this to death (undeath?), but the striking visuals and sheer energy of this can’t be denied. Every frame could be an album cover. 4 - MEGALOPOLIS. Listen. What I like is creativity, and what I dislike is the same-old, same-old. I loved how this movie takes such wild swings. None of it makes sense, but I was certainly entertained. 3 - CUCKOO Out of all of this summer’s cool horror movies, I liked this one the most. Its kind of weird is my kind of weird. 2 - FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA. Rockin’ action and all-around craziness from George Miller. Upon rewatching, it occurs to me that this works as a stand-alone and doesn’t demand viewers be experts in Fury Road first. 1 - THE SUBSTANCE. What can I say that hasn’t been said? Just when you think this movie has gone as far as it can go, it takes a turn and goes so much farther.
Honorable mentions: DUNE PART 2, I SAW THE TV GLOW, IMMACULATE, THE CONTESTANT.
Still haven’t seen but I want to: ANORA, THE BRUTALIST, FRANKIE FREAKO, and the entirety of Latvian cinema history.
Worst movie of the year: Sorry, Marvel, but DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE biffed it. Hugh Jackman is back, this is not Wolverine. He’s a variant we’ve never met who had a whole X-Men story we never saw. Ditto all the other cameo characters. And somebody tell Deadpool that just saying the F-word over and over isn’t how jokes work.
But it has been a good year for the Marvel mutants, because my fave TV show of 2024 is X-MEN 97, and my fave comic book of 2024 is the X-Men reboot.
Favorite new-to-me movie of this year’s #Junesploitation: DOOM ASYLUM (1988). Part parody, part gore-soaked slasher, all fun times.
Favorite new-to-me movie of this year’s #ScaryMovieMonth: THE SHIP OF MONSTERS (1960). Monsters, aliens, robots, gun-totin’ cowboys, and buxom showgirls all in one movie? Yes, please.
"the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was....somehow getting this flick made and released as a mainstream movie". -mashke
So when i first saw Malignant i was pleasantly surprised and caught off guard from the reveal of Gabriel. I couldnt believe they 'went there' with the effect. Welp Fargeat saw that and said "hold my beer". This movie is many many things but the level of body horror is bananas. It feels like a pastiche of: Gunns Slither, Yuznas Society, Cronenburg Fan Fiction, and something that only Henenlotter could dream up. (speaking of which..holy shit..im pretty sure Belial's origin story is a 3rd time reuse of the Activator chemical!!!). Unquestionably the balancing act of an incredibly well done commentary on aging, celebrity, compromise for vanity, hollywood, etc WITH some of the best midnight movie cult sploitation effects in forever is why this flick is as discussed as it is. BANANAS.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2025 Netflix)
Making a feature length sequel to the masterpiece short that introduced us to Feathers McGraw, 32 years after its release, was risky. Could have felt like so many of the nostalgia fan service flicks that have come out the past few years and sucked. Fortunately the team behind this movie did a brilliant job. i loved every frame. It captures the boundless amount of ignorant optimism of Wallace and the incredible levels of communication, humor, heart, and emotion of the ever silent Gromit and Feathers. It also has a wonderful addition of robo gnomes into the mix. Enjoy this one with a cup o tea and large platter of cheese!
A visit to the local mall this week revealed that the FYE store is finally closing. Knowing how empty the store generally was, I am surprised that it lasted this long. To be frank, the prices there were not competitive with the online prices of blu-rays and 4ks for a long time. Still, it is the end of a store (it was renamed several times) that I have visited for over three decades. With Big Lots closing up as well, there is not much physical media left in the retail wilderness now. Wal-Mart's selection is usually too mainstream for my tastes, and I rarely find anything in dollar stories of interest. The DVD format tends to dominate in dollar stores, too. With no Barnes and Nobles stores within a short driving distance, that is not a regular option, but I have heard that the physical media sections there have shrunk.
Is anybody else finding it a challenge to shop for physical media? Though it is usually a hit-or-miss experience, I have more luck finding things at Salvation Army stores these days.
It's impossible to shop for physical media physically. Though i'm lucky enough to have a used dvd, blu-ray and book store that often get cool stuff with decent prices, that's just one store in the whole city. My comic store started doing used dvd and blu-ray, but the prices of the cooler stuff is not that good. Though i should be able to negotiate if i really wanted too.
Everything else, local or not, is online with ebay and amazon marketplace. I miss browsing the rows of movies at HMV
What I miss most about the shopping experience is finding something I have not heard of before. The selection at Big Lots was never great, but I did find many unfamiliar titles over the years that had some appeal to me. Hamilton Book is the online retailer that most closely matches the randomness of going to a real store.
With the disappearance of physical retail spaces for it, getting rid of physical media for even a little bit of money becomes difficult. I can see myself clearing out some of my disc collection at some point, but I am not that interested in getting involved with online selling world. There may not be any other options for that, however, especially with releases with a higher resale value.
Same. Though like i said, that one store that has cool stuff from time to time. I often blind bought stuff because they looked interesting and the price was decent
All right, another solid weekend full of movies for me. Here are the highlights...
Dragonslayer (1981): Hold on, you're telling me the weirdo creep from Ghostbusters 2 was once a fantasy hero? You think you know people, right? Anyway, good movie, go read Patrick piece on it.
Orders (Les Ordres, 1984): One of the most important movie in Quebec about the October 1970 Crisis, an important, but dark time in our history, while Pierre Elliot Trudeau was Canada's Prime Minister (father of Justin Trudeau, the current PM). I was not born yet when it happened, but we've been told about it in school, and the movie, which blends fiction and documentary, is a window to what it was like. Distributed by Vinegar Syndrome, with the disc produced by Canadian International Pictures, it's full of extras that will take me a while to get through.
Speaking of dark times, also from VS and CIP, I got Kanehsatake - 270 of Resistance (1994), a movie about the Oka Crisis of 1990. Another big event in our history that's still being felt today. An important movie, also with a disc full of extras.
Though I do not have much time or energy for it now, there was a long period when I regularly listened to Canadian radio, both the CBC and Radio-Canada. I listened on AM radio and the internet. I also watched Radio-Canada shows like L'Epicerie, La Semaine Verte, and Téléjournal (avec Céline Galipeau) online.
My favorite CBC Radio program was C'est La Vie, hosted by Bernard St-Laurent. On Radio-Canada, my favorite was a history program called De Remarquables Oubliés. For a time, I listened to the chat shows- there was one that I liked hosted by Dominique Poirier- to pick up more of the Québecois vernacular. One of the hardest shows for me to comprehend was a Saturday night comedy show on La Premiere Chaine. The accents were thick, probably for comedic effect.
I can pick up the Radio-Canada signal from Toronto here in Pennsylvania at night. When I drive home from drive-in theaters, it is not uncommon for me to put that on the radio. Being an AM signal, the quality of it differs depending on interference. Driving through areas with a lot of street lights is really bad in that regard.
I used to. I mainly studied European French in school. A trip to Quebec City and Montreal twenty years piqued my interest in the French spoken closer to home, so went threw myself into a period of study using whatever media I could access from Québec. This was mainly from 2008 into the early 2010s.
No ones seen Den of Thieves 2 yet!? egads! Im trying to check my expectations as the trailer looked a little more watered down than the original, but i do love the first one soooo. Definitely gonna see this one theatrically.
I saw DoT2 last week, and while I think the first one was better, I still had a good time. The heist is good stuff. The movie around the heist... I was not into as much.
The movie-watching mood has not returned much this week. With the return to a work routine, I can hopefully put more focus toward having fun again rather than adjusting to changing circumstances. There was one watch, though, which I have meant to get to for a few weeks.
TOKIJIRO: LONE YAKUZA (1966, dir. Tai Kato) – An engaging combination of yakuza drama, bloody swordplay (for the time period), and romance. Probably set during the 19th century, the story focuses on a wandering yakuza enforcer who increasingly detests the killing that circumstances push him into. Tokijiro is a man of honor, so when he is made to promise to take care of the wife and son of one of his victims, he takes the promise seriously. At turns pulpy violent sword fighting and personal drama, TOKIJIRO is a decent example of Japanese cinema at the end of its golden age.
Erika's list inspired me to finally watch The Fall Guy today. Is it a perfect movie? YES! Starring my boyfriend and my husband, making me giggle pretty much the whole way through... I was 100% the demographic for this. Whoever wrote and made this...thank you. I needed that.
Hi. :-) As has been tradition for over a decade here at FTM, here's my personal ranking of the 140 2024 theatrical/streaming movies I saw last year from worst to best. Starting with the foulest piece of crap I wasted two hours of my life that I ain't getting back...
ReplyDelete140- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (IMAX)
139.- Imaginary
138- AfraId
137- Altered Reality
136- Didi
135- Never Let Go
134- The Watchers
133- The Exorcism
132- Absolution
131- Argylle (Dolby Cinema)
130- The 4:30 Movie
129- Out of Darkness
128- Night Swim
127- Babes
126- The Taste of Things (France)
125- The Beast Within (UK)
124- The Book of Clarence
123- Satyabhana (India)
122- Customs Frontline (China)
121- Skincare
120- The Moon Thieves (China)
119- Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum's Trot
118- The Crow '24 (IMAX)
117- The Firefighters (South Korea)
116- I.S.S.
115- Elevation
114- The Killer's Game
113- IF Imaginary Friend
112- Escape (South Korea)
111- Thelma
110- Cuckoo
109.- 1992
108- Ma Da: The Drowning Spirit (Vietnam)
107- Land of Bad
106- Babygirl
105- Small Things Like These
104- Saturday Night (Dolby Cinema)
103- Weekend in Taipei
102- Trap
101- The Beekeeper (IMAX)
100- The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
99- Fly Me To The Moon
98- Spy x Family Code: White (IMAX)
97- Madame Web (IMAX)
96- Werewolves
95- Venom: The Last Dance (IMAX)
94- Speak No Evil '24
93- Love Lies Bleeding
92- Joker: Folie a Deux (IMAX 70mm)
91- A Sacrifice
90- Arthur The King
89- I Saw The TV Glow
88- Kraven The Hunter (IMAX)
87- Fighter (India)
86- The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
85- Freud's Last Session (UK)
84- Monkey Man
83- Mufasa: The Lion King 3D (IMAX 3D)
82- A Quiet Place: Day One (Dolby Cinema)
81- Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
80- Red One
79- The Fall Guy (IMAX)
78- Horizon: An American Saga, Part 1
77- Lisa Frankenstein
76- The Front Room
75- Y2K
74- Hijack 1971 (South Korea)
73- Stopmotion
72- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (Dolby Cinema)
71- The Beast (France)
70- Boy Kills World
69- The Roundup: Punishment (South Korea)
68- Sight
67- Abigail
66- Moana 2 3D
65- High Forces (China)
64- Meanwhile on Earth (France/Belgium)
63- Demon Slayer: Kumetsu No Yaiba - To The Hashira Training (Japan)
62- Blink Twice
61- Kinds of Kindness (Dolby Cinema)
60- The Long Game
59- Young Woman and the Sea
58- In the Land of Saints and Sinners (Ireland)
57- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (IMAX)
56- Cabrini
55- Civil War (Dolby Cinema)
54- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix)
53- The End We Start From (UK)
52.- Longlegs
51- Haikyu! The Dumpster Battle (IMAX, Japan)
50.- Veteran 2: I, The Executioner (South Korea)
49- It Ends With Us
48- MaXXXine
47- Anora
46- Latency
45- Immaculate
44- The First Omen
43- Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Dolby Cinema)
42- A Real Pain
41- Smile 2 (Dolby Cinema)
40- The Outrun (UK/Germany)
39- Conclave
38- Megalopolis (IMAX)
37- Land of Happiness (South Korea)
36- Heretic
35- Bloody Axe Wound
34- The Bikeriders
33- Kill (India)
32- Slingshot
31- Gladiator II (IMAX)
30- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
29- Oddity
28- Perfect Days (Germany/Japan)
27- Alien: Romulus (IMAX)
26- Super/Man: The Cristopher Reeve Story (Documentary)
25- My Old Ass
24- Strange Darling (Shot in 35mm!)
23- Alienoid: Return To The Future (South Korea)
22- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (IMAX)
21- In A Violent Nature
20- Sing Sing
19- Inside Out 2 3D
18- Exhuma (South Korea)
17- Twisters (4DX)
16- Daddio
15- Lee (UK/USA/Hungary)
14- Late Night with The Devil
13- Challengers (Dolby Cinema)
12- Drive-Away Dolls
11- The Order
10- Brady Corbet's THE BRUTALIST (70mm VISTAVISION)
DeleteThe "Armaggedon" of 2024's architect epic movies going opposite F.F. Coppola's "Deep Impact," aka "Megalopolis." Career-best performance by Guy Pearce, 70mm cinematography to match opulent set design, and an immigrant success/failure story on par with "There Will Be Blood."
9- Ava Duvernay's ORIGIN
Tackling the genesis of human divisions beyond mere racism, "Origin" delves into complex issues and manages to make one think without feeling preached. Duvernay walks a fine tightrope and delivers what "The Six Triple Eight" wishes it could accomplish.
8- Clint Eastwood's JUROR #2
Dumped by Warner Bros., what is likely to be Eastwood's final movie as director is a John Grisham-worthy legal thriller that is carried by great performances and an understanding of the complexities of the American judicial system. "12 Angry Men" for a new generation.
7- Tim Fehlbaum's SEPTEMBER 5
This re-enactment of ABC Sports' TV coverage of Arab terrorists kidnapping Jewish athletes during the '72 Summer Olympics is some of the more realistic, gripping and dramatic take on the subject I've ever seen. Other than the film treating Peter Jennings (R.I.P.) as an opportunist, I loved every minute of it.
6- Denis Villeneuve's DUNE: PART TWO (DOLBY CINEMA)
As an informed-by-its-predecessor standalone and as a continuation of "Part One's" story, this epic film rocked my world. It's still nowhere near the definite cinematic translation of Frank Herbert's epic novel, but it's such a monumental leap in quality over David Lynch's previous attempt.
5- Julio Torres' PROBLEMISTA
The little A24 movie that was so much more than the studio's other overhyped inferior projects ("Civil War," "Babygirl," etc.). "Problemista" mixes surrealism and quirk with a low-key comedic tone about the immigrant experience carried over by excellent performances (Tilda Swinton owns) that needs to be watched to be truly understood. Julio Torres has earned lifetime credit for any of his future projects.
4- Chris Sanders' THE WILD ROBOT 3D
Though Disney had its moments ("Inside Out 2," parts of "Moana 2," etc.) this is the year that Dreamworks Animation beat the Mouse at using animation to get across an emotional story in which talking animals and a dropped-by-accident robot can make you laugh and cry at the drop of a hat. Even though it delivered thrilling spectacle (island fire, flying geese versus plane, etc.), whenever Roz and his baby goose had a heart-to-heart (with Pedro Pascal's Fin in the middle) "The Wild Robot" became special.
3- Robert Eggers' NOSFERATU '24 (IMAX)
If you're an old-school horror movie fan this remake of the 1920's silent classic is an unending buffet of treats, especially for fans of F.F. Coppola's '92 version of "Dracula." This is how you mix practical and CG effects alongside great acting (Ralph Ineson and Willem Dafoe particularly) and a different take on worn-out material. Instant classic before a ballsy ending that puts it over the top.
2- Shawn Levy's DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (IMAX, DOLBY CINEMA)
Yes, it has pacing/story/consistency/tonal problems. But when a comedy bends over backwards/sideways as hard as this one does to entertain its audience (aka those who have done their homework as superhero movie watchers since 2000's "X-Men") a lot can be forgiven. I don't know about Hugh Jackman still doing this until he's 90, but I wouldn't mind old-men Logan and Wade Wilson going 'round the bend a couple of more times if I'm guaranteed half as much fun as I had with their first team-up.
1- Coralie Fargeat's THE SUBSTANCE
Building on the head of steam that was 2017's "Revenge," this Kubrickian take on body horror as in-your-face metaphor for the way society boxes women in the entertainment industry into impossible situations takes no prisoners and doesn't slow down for one of its 141 minutes. It builds and builds the tension and the stakes until it cascades into an orgy of excess. Best time I had at the cinema, by far.
Great list, though i don't agree with every rankings 😜
DeleteThat being said, i don't think i watched that many 2024 movies this year. I watched a million movie, but most were old ones
Thanks JM for sharing this list!!!
DeleteThank you for reading it, Mashke. 🤟😃
DeleteThat is a lot of recent movies, J.M. I watched around a dozen from 2024, which is a lot for me for a current year.
DeleteCasual, l also watched A TON of older movies (many of them in theaters, like the "Spider-Man" flicks Sony re-released theatrically in early summer) but those aren't included on the list. I only rank the year's new movies, not the oldies. ✌️😎
DeleteThanks for sharing your annual list. It's appreciated and I always take a few recommendations from it. Looking forward to seeing The Wild Robot.
DeleteLand of the Lost (2009): I like this movie for one joke, the brain-the-size-of-a-walnut joke. Kills me every time. Apart from that, it's a pretty fun silly movie, apart from Danny McBride, who I've never been a fan of.
ReplyDeleteSeven (1995): this week saw the release of Seven in 4k and let me tell you, it looks beautiful... I mean, it's crisp and you can see every little dirty details of this nasty movie. This is the kind of movie that redefine a genre, if not the entire business, which doesn't happen very often, from the opening credits to the twist ending. I'm not a fan of the packaging though (the disc has to slide out), but I'll live.
Robocop 2 (1990): battle of the robots in glorious stop-motion, I love it. Better than I remembered, but evidently not as good as the first movie. In the process, I went to the comic store and got the comic book adaptation of the Frank Miller original script, which is way crazier than the movie we got. It's also very different and apparently unfilmable.
Robocop 3 (1993): Still sucks. But I do miss the time when movie sequels had simple numbering.
Land of the Lost is funny! Certainly not the best, but still pretty good. I'm a big fan of Danny McBride and Will Ferrell. The one funny bit that I remember is something about sitting on big pyramid thing. I'm due for a re-watch.
DeleteI never grew up with Robocop, although I remember other kids talking about it at school. I watched the original about 10 years ago but delved into the sequels, which have very nice convenient names. I approve.
*never delved
DeleteYou're due for a rewatch. Throw in 2 while you're at it 😁
DeleteMy favorites of 2024 list is based on Finnish release dates, so there are a few movies on it that most of you saw in 2023.
ReplyDelete1. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
2. Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)
3. Anora (Sean Baker)
4. The Substance (Coralie Fargeat)
5. Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass)
6. Longlegs (Osgood Perkins)
7. The Holdovers (Alexander Payne)
8. Suitable Flesh (Joe Lynch)
9. Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve)
10. Green Border (Agnieszka Holland)
11. Red Rooms (Pascal Plante)
12. Tatami (Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir Ebrahimi)
13. Handling the Undead (Thea Hvistendahl)
14. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli)
15. Conclave (Edward Berger)
And my favorite pre-2000 movies I saw for the first time in 2024:
1. Devil Story (1986)
2. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
3. Wake in Fright (1971)
4. Rashomon (1950)
5. Wild at Heart (1990)
6. The Lost Weekend (1945)
7. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
8. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
9. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
10. Lessons of Darkness (1992)
I haven't seen Zone of Interest but I want to. Midnight Cowboy is very good. I teared up when the one dude put his arm around the other even though he knew he was dead.
DeleteI see several of the OSCAR Best Picture watches in the pre-2000s list.
DeleteSpeaking of Hundreds of Beavers (the photo at the top of the thread), i just got my blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, so i forced my friends to watch it with me. They loved it.
ReplyDeletei had no idea Vinegar Syndrome released this...once again you found a way to spend my money. Advantage: Kunider
DeleteI learned it late too, so i missed the Limited slipcover. They actually had to do a restock of the regular edition because it was OOS for a little while. Get it while it's available 😁
DeleteIn my surroundings, there's 3 of us with no kids (one is part time with kids actually), so it's easier. Every 2 weeks (because of the part-timer) they come to my place and we decide what to watch. Sometimes it's something i got recently, sometimes it's one who wants to see something or wants to show us something. They're pretty open, but they have their own taste too, so they don't like everything (like Cool World this weekend). So, there's no magic formula, you just need the right set of friends 🤣
DeleteIf you could, Patrick, delete the previous reply above about the Mahoning. I cannot find a feature to do it in Blogger. Those matters are more of a private thing there.
DeleteDone!
DeleteThank you, Patrick.
DeleteOkay, here are my top ten favorites of 2024:
ReplyDelete10 - THE PEOPLE’S JOKER. I always reserve my number ten spot for the year’s best comic book/superhero movie. This gets it by default, but it’s also a great movie. Brutally honest and brutally funny.
9 - HORIZON PART ONE. I wouldn’t want to have lunch with Kevin Costner, but there’s no denying he’s a freakin’ movie star. Double so when in Western mode. I loved this movie, but it’s not higher on my list because I fear this series will pull a Rothfuss and never be finished.
8 - TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN. A YA adaptation that’s a lot at once, about OCD, and the haves vs. the have-nots, and a mystery to be solved. I thought it was okay at first, but it really stuck with me over time.
7 - BOB MARLEY ONE LOVE. The smart way to do a biopic, by focusing on one chapter of a person’s life. And the performance scenes are truly electric.
6 - LISA FRANKENSTEIN. Yes, it’s overly quirky and precocious, but there’s a lot of heart to it as well. The outsiders-fall-in-love thing is always appealing. Hey, you could double feature this with…
5 - NOSFERATU. I’m sure we could nitpick this to death (undeath?), but the striking visuals and sheer energy of this can’t be denied. Every frame could be an album cover.
4 - MEGALOPOLIS. Listen. What I like is creativity, and what I dislike is the same-old, same-old. I loved how this movie takes such wild swings. None of it makes sense, but I was certainly entertained.
3 - CUCKOO Out of all of this summer’s cool horror movies, I liked this one the most. Its kind of weird is my kind of weird.
2 - FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA. Rockin’ action and all-around craziness from George Miller. Upon rewatching, it occurs to me that this works as a stand-alone and doesn’t demand viewers be experts in Fury Road first.
1 - THE SUBSTANCE. What can I say that hasn’t been said? Just when you think this movie has gone as far as it can go, it takes a turn and goes so much farther.
Honorable mentions: DUNE PART 2, I SAW THE TV GLOW, IMMACULATE, THE CONTESTANT.
Still haven’t seen but I want to: ANORA, THE BRUTALIST, FRANKIE FREAKO, and the entirety of Latvian cinema history.
Worst movie of the year: Sorry, Marvel, but DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE biffed it. Hugh Jackman is back, this is not Wolverine. He’s a variant we’ve never met who had a whole X-Men story we never saw. Ditto all the other cameo characters. And somebody tell Deadpool that just saying the F-word over and over isn’t how jokes work.
But it has been a good year for the Marvel mutants, because my fave TV show of 2024 is X-MEN 97, and my fave comic book of 2024 is the X-Men reboot.
Favorite new-to-me movie of this year’s #Junesploitation: DOOM ASYLUM (1988). Part parody, part gore-soaked slasher, all fun times.
Favorite new-to-me movie of this year’s #ScaryMovieMonth: THE SHIP OF MONSTERS (1960). Monsters, aliens, robots, gun-totin’ cowboys, and buxom showgirls all in one movie? Yes, please.
LOVE all the lists and suggestions! Thanx Gang!
ReplyDeleteThe Substance (2024 Prime rental)
"the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was....somehow getting this flick made and released as a mainstream movie". -mashke
So when i first saw Malignant i was pleasantly surprised and caught off guard from the reveal of Gabriel. I couldnt believe they 'went there' with the effect. Welp Fargeat saw that and said "hold my beer". This movie is many many things but the level of body horror is bananas. It feels like a pastiche of: Gunns Slither, Yuznas Society, Cronenburg Fan Fiction, and something that only Henenlotter could dream up. (speaking of which..holy shit..im pretty sure Belial's origin story is a 3rd time reuse of the Activator chemical!!!). Unquestionably the balancing act of an incredibly well done commentary on aging, celebrity, compromise for vanity, hollywood, etc WITH some of the best midnight movie cult sploitation effects in forever is why this flick is as discussed as it is. BANANAS.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2025 Netflix)
Making a feature length sequel to the masterpiece short that introduced us to Feathers McGraw, 32 years after its release, was risky. Could have felt like so many of the nostalgia fan service flicks that have come out the past few years and sucked. Fortunately the team behind this movie did a brilliant job. i loved every frame. It captures the boundless amount of ignorant optimism of Wallace and the incredible levels of communication, humor, heart, and emotion of the ever silent Gromit and Feathers. It also has a wonderful addition of robo gnomes into the mix. Enjoy this one with a cup o tea and large platter of cheese!
A visit to the local mall this week revealed that the FYE store is finally closing. Knowing how empty the store generally was, I am surprised that it lasted this long. To be frank, the prices there were not competitive with the online prices of blu-rays and 4ks for a long time. Still, it is the end of a store (it was renamed several times) that I have visited for over three decades. With Big Lots closing up as well, there is not much physical media left in the retail wilderness now. Wal-Mart's selection is usually too mainstream for my tastes, and I rarely find anything in dollar stories of interest. The DVD format tends to dominate in dollar stores, too. With no Barnes and Nobles stores within a short driving distance, that is not a regular option, but I have heard that the physical media sections there have shrunk.
ReplyDeleteIs anybody else finding it a challenge to shop for physical media? Though it is usually a hit-or-miss experience, I have more luck finding things at Salvation Army stores these days.
It's impossible to shop for physical media physically. Though i'm lucky enough to have a used dvd, blu-ray and book store that often get cool stuff with decent prices, that's just one store in the whole city. My comic store started doing used dvd and blu-ray, but the prices of the cooler stuff is not that good. Though i should be able to negotiate if i really wanted too.
DeleteEverything else, local or not, is online with ebay and amazon marketplace. I miss browsing the rows of movies at HMV
What I miss most about the shopping experience is finding something I have not heard of before. The selection at Big Lots was never great, but I did find many unfamiliar titles over the years that had some appeal to me. Hamilton Book is the online retailer that most closely matches the randomness of going to a real store.
DeleteWith the disappearance of physical retail spaces for it, getting rid of physical media for even a little bit of money becomes difficult. I can see myself clearing out some of my disc collection at some point, but I am not that interested in getting involved with online selling world. There may not be any other options for that, however, especially with releases with a higher resale value.
Same. Though like i said, that one store that has cool stuff from time to time. I often blind bought stuff because they looked interesting and the price was decent
DeleteAll right, another solid weekend full of movies for me. Here are the highlights...
ReplyDeleteDragonslayer (1981): Hold on, you're telling me the weirdo creep from Ghostbusters 2 was once a fantasy hero? You think you know people, right? Anyway, good movie, go read Patrick piece on it.
Orders (Les Ordres, 1984): One of the most important movie in Quebec about the October 1970 Crisis, an important, but dark time in our history, while Pierre Elliot Trudeau was Canada's Prime Minister (father of Justin Trudeau, the current PM). I was not born yet when it happened, but we've been told about it in school, and the movie, which blends fiction and documentary, is a window to what it was like. Distributed by Vinegar Syndrome, with the disc produced by Canadian International Pictures, it's full of extras that will take me a while to get through.
Speaking of dark times, also from VS and CIP, I got Kanehsatake - 270 of Resistance (1994), a movie about the Oka Crisis of 1990. Another big event in our history that's still being felt today. An important movie, also with a disc full of extras.
Though I do not have much time or energy for it now, there was a long period when I regularly listened to Canadian radio, both the CBC and Radio-Canada. I listened on AM radio and the internet. I also watched Radio-Canada shows like L'Epicerie, La Semaine Verte, and Téléjournal (avec Céline Galipeau) online.
DeleteMy favorite CBC Radio program was C'est La Vie, hosted by Bernard St-Laurent. On Radio-Canada, my favorite was a history program called De Remarquables Oubliés. For a time, I listened to the chat shows- there was one that I liked hosted by Dominique Poirier- to pick up more of the Québecois vernacular. One of the hardest shows for me to comprehend was a Saturday night comedy show on La Premiere Chaine. The accents were thick, probably for comedic effect.
I can pick up the Radio-Canada signal from Toronto here in Pennsylvania at night. When I drive home from drive-in theaters, it is not uncommon for me to put that on the radio. Being an AM signal, the quality of it differs depending on interference. Driving through areas with a lot of street lights is really bad in that regard.
I have that Kanehsatake release.
Wow, you watch more Quebec content than i do 🤣
DeleteI used to. I mainly studied European French in school. A trip to Quebec City and Montreal twenty years piqued my interest in the French spoken closer to home, so went threw myself into a period of study using whatever media I could access from Québec. This was mainly from 2008 into the early 2010s.
DeleteNo ones seen Den of Thieves 2 yet!? egads! Im trying to check my expectations as the trailer looked a little more watered down than the original, but i do love the first one soooo. Definitely gonna see this one theatrically.
ReplyDeleteGive it a week 😁
DeleteI saw DoT2 last week, and while I think the first one was better, I still had a good time. The heist is good stuff. The movie around the heist... I was not into as much.
DeleteThe movie-watching mood has not returned much this week. With the return to a work routine, I can hopefully put more focus toward having fun again rather than adjusting to changing circumstances. There was one watch, though, which I have meant to get to for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteTOKIJIRO: LONE YAKUZA (1966, dir. Tai Kato) – An engaging combination of yakuza drama, bloody swordplay (for the time period), and romance. Probably set during the 19th century, the story focuses on a wandering yakuza enforcer who increasingly detests the killing that circumstances push him into. Tokijiro is a man of honor, so when he is made to promise to take care of the wife and son of one of his victims, he takes the promise seriously. At turns pulpy violent sword fighting and personal drama, TOKIJIRO is a decent example of Japanese cinema at the end of its golden age.
Erika's list inspired me to finally watch The Fall Guy today. Is it a perfect movie? YES! Starring my boyfriend and my husband, making me giggle pretty much the whole way through... I was 100% the demographic for this. Whoever wrote and made this...thank you. I needed that.
ReplyDelete