The 50 Best Films of 2024
I said "Screw it! I'm writing about 50!"
Good morning and happy New Year’s Eve!
I don’t think everyone has said “Happy New Year’s Eve.” Or maybe they have? I don’t know. I wanted to try something different this year with the films I rank. I’m not saying 2024 was a perfect year for movies, but there were plenty of films from the last calendar year that I wanted to write about. So I decided to say screw it and give my wonderful readers 50 selections. Before I fire away, I gotta acknowledge that there are still movies I haven’t seen, so this list isn’t perfect1.
Also, I wanted to mention some films that just missed the cut:
Here are the 50 best films from 2024:
#50 The End, dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
B+
We had plenty of movie musicals in 2024. I thought most of them sucked, especially some of the bigger ones like Emilia Perez and, GASP, Wicked. Documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer, in his first feature film, imbibes the unremarkable music and staging with plenty of meaning. For the first time all year, I felt there was something behind the singing and dancing. And it’s not supposed to make you feel good. Plus, it was cool that Oppenheimer himself shouted me out on Twitter.
#49 Civil War, dir. Alex Garland
B+
A movie rife with opportunities for endless and nauseating think pieces, Alex Garland flips the script on everyone (myself included) who was dreading watching a movie about America being ✨divided✨. Instead, Garland gives us a pretty straightforward photojournalism film that points to plenty of the problems that I find in modern journalism. The journalists covering this fictional American civil war are more so thrill seekers than purveyors of truth. There’s so little empathy behind the lenses of these characters, and Garland kept me entertained throughout.
#48 Close Your Eyes, dir. Víctor Erice
B+
Legendary Spanish filmmaker Víctor Erice returns with his first film in over 30 years to tell a long tale about “cinema as memory.” Erice lets you live with a filmmaker trying to re-examine his past through his movies. It’s a wildly personal statement and one I felt some distance from in some odd way. I don’t really know how to describe it. I’m gonna have to watch The Spirit of the Beehive again to gain an understanding.
#47 Red Rooms, dir. Pascal Plante
B+
I’ll start off by saying this is one of the most upsetting movies I’ve seen in this decade. Pascal Plante takes clear aim at society’s morbid fascination with crimes and grisly murders. He views it as part of a larger isolation in society. A film that’s going to be a classic “film about watching things and people,” along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Also, I was simply not prepared for how much squash and online poker there was in this French-Canadian film.
#46 The First Omen, dir. Arkasha Stevenson
B+
It’s really something special to see a director come out of the gates swinging with a super well-crafted horror movie. I’m so excited to see what Arkasha Stevenson will do next after she made a pretty fucking scary film out of an Omen prequel. My only drawback was that I felt the movie trying to wrap everything in a nice little bow. It made the final 30 minutes or so annoying.
#45 Aggro Dr1ft, dir. Harmony Korine
B+
Artificial intelligence has become a massive issue in Hollywood. It’s a crossroads moment for the industry. I usually vomit at the sight of it. And yet, one of the great masters of trash, Harmony Korine, uses this technology to show how horrible movies can be. To most people, this will be a shitty hitman movie with terrible dialogue, Travis Scott and infrared cinematography. To me, Korine breaks new barriers for cinema even as the world burns around him.
#44 Anora, dir. Sean Baker
B+
Maybe I'm missing something, but this felt a little empty to me in terms of the writing. I can understand what Sean Baker is going for and I think it's interesting. I just don't think he develops the relationship between class and love well. Mikey Madison is quite good, but unfortunately, something held me back. My opinion more likely than not won’t matter as Anora will probably win some Oscars. Still mostly a fun time! I just wanted to like it more.
#43 Kinds of Kindness, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
B+
The sicko side of me liked this more than it probably deserves to be liked. Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone are purposely saying “Screw you” to the audiences and fans of their most recent Oscar darling, Poor Things. Kinds of Kindness might amount more to just simple provocation, but I hate to say that I kinda enjoyed the experience.
#42 His Three Daughters, dir. Azazel Jacobs
B+
A perfectly competent family drama. Carrie Coon was my favorite performer but I can’t help but love the fact that Natasha Lyonne is a degenerate sports gambler. I felt so seen.
#41 Sasquatch Sunset, dir. David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
B+
2024 was a good year for Sasquatch representation. Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough are allies.
#40 Cuckoo, dir. Tillman Singer
B+
I might be overestimating this film. But I felt there was a certain level of playfulness and narrative ambition that Tillman Singer was going for in this scary movie. I had to respect it. Plus, Matthew from Downton Abbey does a goofy German accent that’s worth the price of admission.
#39 Longlegs, dir. Osgood Perkins
B+
Hyped as one of the scariest movies of all time, Osgood Perkins’ latest horror film doesn’t reach those heights because it doesn’t have to. Not to say the film didn’t scare the shit of me. Perkins seems more interested in critiquing societal obsessions with serial killers and the occult. I’m fascinated to see what Perkins will do with his next film, which is coming out in February.
#38 Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, dir. Kevin Costner
B+
My one hope in this life is that I’ll be able to see the rest of Kevin Costner’s vision. Hollywood needs more narrative ambition like Costner has, especially when Chapter 1 of this supposed “four-part” series was three hours long and had about six interweaving storylines.
#37 The Fall Guy, dir. David Leitch
B+
Shockingly earnest when this movie could have easily been a piece of total shit. The Fall Guy proves why Ryan Gosling is an infinitely better actor than Ryan Reynolds.
#36 A Quiet Place: Day One, dir. Michael Sarnoski
B+
The fact that this prequel had such a profound view on life and death at the beginning of the apocalypse remains a shock to me. Mixing scares and raw moments of humanity is another feather in the cap of Michael Sarnoski, who made his claim to fame by filming a movie about Nic Cage and a pig.
#35 Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, dir. Neo Sora
B+
Japanese music icon Ryuichi Sakamoto knew he was going to die of cancer. But before he moved on to the next life, Sakamoto put together one more piano concert where he played his 20 favorite songs. You can see Sakamoto struggle through this concert, but the performance encapsulates what being an artist is all about.
#34 Universal Language, dir. Matthew Rankin
B+
Matthew Rankin asks a bold question: What if Winnipeg was Iran?
#33 Megalopolis, dir. Francis Ford Coppola
B+
You might think a self-financed, $120 million film with so much chaos behind the scenes would be a total disaster. Plenty of people certainly felt that way watching Megalopolis. And yet, I found this work of madness to be earnest and subversive all at once. Francis Ford Coppola may think of himself as a man who starts discussions on how to build a better world. He might be wrong, but he still wants to imagine a world we haven’t seen before while knowing that dream might be impossible. I admire and respect this chaotic film for all that it aspires to be and what it ends up being, flawed as it is.
#32 The Wild Robot, dir. Chris Sanders
B+
I didn’t expect to be as emotional as I was watching this. An impressive feat of animation and somehow a profound tale about motherhood, The Wild Robot gives us a glimpse into the possibilities of big-budgeted animation in the U.S., especially as many of the big players like Pixar make “just OK” works these days. My only wish was that the film could’ve been silent. I didn’t need the voice actors.
#31 REFORM!, dir. Jon Bois
B+
Alright, this technically could be considered just a YouTube series. But there have been interesting profiles and articles about why sports documentarian Jon Bois’ videos can be considered cinema. In an age where we have so many screens around us, do the distinctions matter? Look no further at his documentary on the short-lived (though technically still active) Reform Party. Bois has an incredible gift of finding stories of vagabonds and misfits and creating new ways to tell stories, especially about sports and politics. REFORM! is just another example of Bois’ brilliance.
#30 Hundreds of Beavers, dir. Mike Cheslik
B+
Wacky doesn’t even begin to describe Hundreds of Beavers. I just think there should’ve been more beavers. What a lovely time.
#29 Drive-Away Dolls, dir. Ethan Coen
A-
I’m sad that the Coen brothers aren’t working together anymore. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t successful on their own. Take Ethan Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke’s road comedy, which features plenty of the classic charm and humor in films like The Big Lebowski or Burn After Reading. But what makes Drive-Away Dolls unique comes from a hidden sense of doom bubbling underneath the surface. Feels relevant.
#28 Nosferatu, dir. Robert Eggers
A-
I’m going to be writing about this film soon. So stay tuned! I’ll say for now is Robert Eggers doesn’t reach the heights he set after The Witch and The Lighthouse. Nonetheless, I was still mostly impressed.
#27 Last Summer, dir. Catherine Breillat
A-
We haven’t been short of horny thrillers this year. Challengers, Babygirl and Hit Man all show the potential of this genre in the States. Meanwhile in France, director Catherine Breillat has elevated the genre with her own entry about a taboo relationship between a stepmom and stepson. The subject material may sound uncomfortable (there certainly are plenty of scenes that feel excruciating), but Breillat uses the story to examine people’s desires through a modern lens.
#26 Flow, dir. Gints Zilbalodis
A-
Probably the best animated film of the year, this silent Lativan picture about a cat surviving in the wilderness is remarkably profound and relentlessly entertaining. It leaves plenty of questions about the world and a moment where a white secretarybird floats into the heavens. This film warmed my heart.
#25 A Real Pain, dir. Jesse Eisenberg
A-
Turns out the guy who played Mark Zuckerberg can direct a goddamn movie. The film earns its praise through the performances of both Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. Culkin, coming off his successful run on Succession, basically replays all the hits of Roman Roy in order to create an emotional and effective drama about family history and the Holocaust. He makes the film, and anything else he’s in, instantly compelling.
#24 Hard Truths, dir. Mike Leigh
A-
I wish I liked this film more. It comes from one of the legends of British cinema and it was the first of his films that I have seen. And yet, I felt a little contrivance from this family drama that has one of the year’s best performances in Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Still, the actors are remarkable and the urge to yell at the characters to say something, ANYTHING, to address these familial problems makes Hard Truths stand out.
#23 Rumours, dir. Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
A-
This movie is for film studies and international law double majors. A loopy experience that featured great actors like Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance and Alicia Vikander, Rumours does nothing to help viewers connect with the characters. I mean this as a compliment. As foreign leaders around the world are less and less like the people they govern, I found it fun that all of the members of this fictional version of the G7 are aloof buffoons.
#22 Between the Temples, dir. Nathan Silver
A-
The camerawork may feel nauseating at times, but I respect Nathan Silver's attempt to spice up the indie dramedy genre. Additionally, Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane are on their A game in this work about crises of faith and middle age. Just a wild time in upstate New York.
#21 All We Imagine as Light, dir. Payal Kapadia
A-
A critical darling, Payal Kapadia’s debut feature communicates with cinema’s ability to feel like a grand illusion. It has lofty goals and mostly achieves them, all the while being a funny and humanistic look at relationships in modern India.
#20 Love Lies Bleeding, dir. Rose Glass
A-
Since she made the horror film Saint Maud, I have always been interested in what she’ll do next. Fortunately, Loves Lies Bleeding doesn’t disappoint. With great performances from Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian (decent last name) and Ed Harris, the mixture of action and suspense is truly thrilling and shows Glass has complete control of her craft.
#19 Juror #2, dir. Clint Eastwood
A-
I recently wrote about this film. Here’s the link for it. All I’ll say is that you should watch it on Max or VOD right now.
#18 Rebel Ridge, dir. Jeremy Saulnier
A-
For all the action movie fans out there, this is a required viewing. Rebel Ridge engenders anger and empathy for the protagonist, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), almost immediately. But Saulnier’s film has the intelligence to know that in order for Terry to get revenge on the racist and financially stressed Southern police force, he has to play the system and Chief Sandy (Don Johnson). It’s fucking incredible and truly thrilling when the police realize he’s badass through Wikipedia.
#17 The Substance, dir. Coralie Fargeat
A-
I’m still in shock that this French feminist body horror comedy featuring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is so popular among film nerds. Seriously, this film is getting Oscar buzz. And if you have the stomach to watch it, you’ll understand my confusion. Not to diss it, I find it a movie whose lack of depth becomes the point, showing how Hollywood and the entertainment industry at large create an environment for women to hate themselves. And yet, there are so many yucky moments. Don’t watch it if you don’t have the stomach for it.
#16 Trap, dir. M. Night Shyamalan
A-
If you think this movie sucks because of the dialogue, I don’t know how much we can talk about when it comes to this ball-buster of a good time. M. Night Shyamalan, lambasted for disasters like The Last Airbender and After Earth, is fully back in his devilish sensibility and gives Josh Hartnett so much time to cook. Such a great thriller with so many singular moments. I’m so happy Shyamalan has the ability to make his films on his terms.
#15 The People’s Joker, dir. Vera Drew
A-
The most Adult Swim movie of all time, The People’s Joker is an act of cinematic defiance in a time when superhero films dominate culture and the box office. Writer and director Vera Drew uses parody law and a love for the world of Batman as a template to create a personal work that profoundly resonates. It’s also infinitely better than this dumpster fire of a musical.
#14 Janet Planet, dir. Annie Baker
A-
It’s almost as if playwrights can be good at directing on the silver screen. Maybe that’s just me. The movie makes 1990s Western Massachusetts seem evil and wonderful at the same time. Makes me wanna hop into a time machine and experience it for myself. Odds are I would sorta end up in a cult just like the titular Janet (Julianne Nicholson).
#13 Challengers, dir. Luca Guadagnino
A-
I don’t find this movie to be the “sexiest” movie of the year (that distinction belongs to Hit Man, which I’ll be discussing soon on this list). But Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist are all throwing heaters in this delightful tennis drama. Luca Guadagnino captures the sexual undertones inherent within the sport while offering a scathing critique of the “superstar athlete-as-brand” phenomenon of today.
#12 Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, dir. Radu Jade
A-
Even with a near-three hour time, this Romanian film is quietly one of the funnier works this year. You get a great combination of the bullshit of today’s entertainment industry and a parody of manosphere turd Andrew Tate. The final shot of the movie takes over 40 minutes and is truly hilarious the longer it goes on.
#11 A Different Man, dir. Aaron Schimberg
A-
I’m glad I caught this film right under the gun before the end of the year. Sebastian Stan is a true marvel. Thank god he’s using his talents and Marvel cache for great independent works like this that feel empathetic and curious about kinds of people we don’t typically see on screen.
#10 The Beast, dir. Bertrand Bonello
A-
Zany and insidious at the same time, The Beast creates a legendary performance for French actress Léa Seydoux and a bone-chilling one for 1917 star George MacKay. I mean this in the best way possible, but Bertrand Bonello seems to have made this movie for all the sickos and goons of the world.
#9 Evil Does Not Exist, dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
A-
This film may sound quiet and pretty to look at. But Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s follow up to Drive My Car is an angry and bleak look at how humans treat the environment. There isn’t a big speech about how we should be nicer to plants, but instead the movie shows that our own nature will be the death of mother nature. Also, you won’t find a better score.
#8 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, dir. George Miller
A-
Although it’s not Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller’s prequel feels a mixture of apocalyptic action and quiet historical meditation. Miller seems more focused on understanding how we interpret legends and stories. That isn’t to say there aren’t incredible sequences. I mean, holy shit.
#7 Dune: Part Two, dir. Denis Villeneuve
A
When a big budget blockbuster works, you have to commend it. Denis Villeneuve’s second entry into the world of Dune completes a rare feat where you feel like absolute shit by the end. It calls into question every reaction you had toward Paul (Timothée Chalamet) as he becomes the Lisan al Gaib. With incredible action set pieces and technical brilliance on all fronts, Dune: Part Two deserves to be in the category of best sequels of all time.
#6 Dahomey, dir. Mati Diop
A
The remarkable achievement of this documentary is that you get to watch cultural discourse in real-time. The African country of Benin, formerly the Kingdom of Dahomey, receives 26 cultural artifacts back from France, who plundered and put them in their own museums as part of a colonial mindset. We get to hear the messy debates about what citizens and students of Benin want to do with the artifacts. It’s really enlightening and powerful. Definitely recommend.
#5 Chime, dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
A
Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has a claim to be the best horror director in the world today. In his films like Cure and Pulse, evil permeates people like a virus, and we, as viewers, have to sit with the disturbing acts our fellow humans are capable of. Look no further than this 45 minute film about a cook spiraling out of control. Few films gave me a chill up my spine this year, and Chime certainly belongs in that club.
#4 Hit Man, dir. Richard Linklater
A
Don’t let the “aw shucks” feel fool you. Richard Linklater and Glen Powell’s Hit Man is one of the most delightfully dark Americans you will see this decade. The increasing anger of our fellow citizens is played for laughs inside this combination of steamy film noir and romcom. On top of that, there’s a Hall of Fame lead performance by Powell, whose character pretends to be a hitman before becoming the dark, sexy psychopath he has buried within himself. It’s a film that doesn’t shy away from anything, especially the romance between Powell and Adria Arjona’s characters.
#3 Nickel Boys, dir. RaMell Ross
A
It’s rare to find a movie that creates its own cinematic language. Nickel Boys, based on the 2019 Colston Whitehead novel about the historic reform school that abused young Black children, is a film entirely in first person. You only see what the characters see. It feels like it could be a gimmick. But it’s truly remarkable how the film creates empathy and fury for the characters, who, although fictional, would still be alive today, highlighting how this form of racism is not that old. Ross’ first narrative feature is a bold new path for cinema.
#2 The Brutalist, dir. Brady Corbet
A
You just have to see this in theaters. You just have to. Shot using the glorious VistaVision process and cameras, Brady Corbet’s 215-minute epic attempts to put itself right next to “The Great American Films” like There Will Be Blood and The Godfather. In other hands, this could’ve been the work of a poser. But The Brutalist, with a big brass score and vast cinematography, feels raw and touches on the American Dream and the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust in ways that all feel all too connected to 2024.
#1 I Saw the TV Glow, dir. Jane Schoenbrun
A
There was no doubt this would top my list when I saw it back in May. Melding a horror subgenre that rattles me to my core and a feeling of suppression and millennial angst is right up my alley. I found Jane Schoenbrun’s second feature to be the most profound meditation about not just entertainment and the trans experience, but also a look at how we interpret and find meaning in the things that show up on our screens. The use of liminal spaces to create horror and an ambient sense of dread highlighted a cinematic experience that has remained unmatched for me this year.
Here are a few of the 2024 films I couldn’t see in 2024: Babygirl, The Seed of a Sacred Fig, Oh, Canada!, Sing Sing, A Complete Unknown, The Room Next Door, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Union, Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, No Other Land