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Films Watched in 2024 - (64/???)

Red One (2024) Jake Kasdan – (2/5)

One point each for the raw charisma that Evans brings to every project and another terrific turn as Claus by Simmons (though Klaus on Netflix is the only one I'd recommend as annual viewing). Kroll's possession scene goes too over-the-top, the film splits the difference between going full Christmas and genuine worldbuilding on a larger scale, but the biggest flaw is Johnson calling in all the favors on his latest blatant attempt to make the world love him again, with a performance that just doesn't cut the mustard.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (63/???)

Don't Move (2024) Adam Schingler & Brian Netto – (1/5)

Don't movie your Netflix-operating device anywhere near this one. It's your classic cheaply-made horror film filled with logic holes; it's a wonder Raimi and Sarandos signed off on this being a good idea. It does make sense that a woman pretending to be indigenous would end up in a project like this, though.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (62/???)

Saturday Night (2024) Jason Reitman – (4/5)

It's a little overstuffed at times trying to give arcs to cast members on top of the overall "can Lorne wrangle the rascals and pull off a show?" plot, but the frenetic pace and cinematography paired with near-ideal casting is more than enough to forgive any minor timeline shifts in the early days of the show. That poor Jim Henson...

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Films Watched in 2024 - (61/???)

I Used to Be Funny (2024) Ally Pankiw – (3.5/5)

Sennott (who I mistakenly originally thought also wrote and directed this) is an undeniable powerhouse, and Jason Jones does a great job playing against the well-established type he showed the world in 11 seasons of The Daily Show. While some Americans may take issue with justice being accomplished (to a degree) by our friends north of the border, my biggest issue was the story being told nonchronologically (to the point where two scenes give the impression our protagonist got a time machine somehow). It's okay to have the beginning at the beginning and the end at the end as long as the middle gets the job done.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (60/???)

Woman of the Hour (2024) Anna Kendrick – (3/5)

Kendrick shows great promise for her directorial future, even though McDonald's script (which ultimately also has overly strong Zodiac vibes) takes too much liberty with actual events to the point of on-screen Sheryl appearing far more passive than the actual Cheryl was at the time. The final runtime also didn't crack 95 minutes, so you could easily remove the filler and have plenty of time to tell more of the actual story.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (59/???)

The Blackening (2023) Tim Story – (3.5/5)

The $5 million budget is seen onscreen to the last dollar, and a relatively unknown cast makes the most out of a solidly funny script skewering a significant element of the genre, and if the desired sequel materializes, hopefully it'll have a few more twists and turns (or delve deeper into whatever field it explores).

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Films Watched in 2024 - (58/???)

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) Michael Sarnoski – (3.5/5)

It's no Pig (or the first Quiet Place), and while Nyong'o never quite seems to have the full terminally ill affectation until the controversial final moments (or a realistically noisy cat), but this prequel manages to hit some points unable to be addressed in the two prior entries and that Quinn guy has some solid moments to show his talent in advance of being our new Johnny Storm.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (57/???)

IF (2024) John Krasinski – (3/5)

The plot's a little predictable (especially compared to how deep the voice cast ended up, particularly when they mostly have minimal screentime) and some more detail would have been appreciated, but the final five minutes (which make it blatant Krasinski loves Rushmore) totally save the movie, for better or for worse.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (56/???)

The 4:30 Movie (2024) Kevin Smith – (3.5/5)

You could do a lot worse than spending 90 minutes with Kevin Smith's usual crowd of day players (minus Ben and Matt) along with some new faces used to tell a tale of his childhood, let by Austin Zajur (his daughter's boyfriend who manages a pleasantly surprising emotional catharsis at the film's climax. Definitely deserved a PG-13 rating, though.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (55/???)

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Shawn Levy – (4/5)

It's hard to know the stunt-heavy hands of David Leitch have been replaced with Reynold's Adam Project and Free Guy collaborator, as the five-screenwriter-credits laden D&W is still chock full of action, but while it falls a bit short of the high bar that Logan and Endgame set for it, it's ultimately undeniably impressive and makes a fine endcap to the pre-MCU mutant era, particularly in the spellbinding performance of Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova. Would have been nice if Reynolds hadn't spoiled the bulk of it on social media after opening weekend, but I guess that's how you give the impression that you don't want your tentpole movies to make too much money.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (54/???)

'Salem's Lot (2024) Gary Dauberman – (2/5)

It's not scary, moves too fast, and has an overstuffed ensemble (some of whom are legitimately big names!) to the point where you can't care about anyone dropping off as the body count increases. For some reason, the "head" vampire we don't see until there's 30 minutes to go looks markedly different than everyone who gets turned over the course of the film as well. It's a shock this comes from the same guy who wrote the two-part It films from a few years back.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (53/???)

Lisa Frankenstein (2024) Zelda Williams – (3/5)

Sprouse makes a feast out of a mute role while surrounded by people who get to have dialogue, Newton continues to impress with at least her fifth big movie role, and Williams has an undoubtedly positive outcome with her debut feature. It's not quite the movie it was advertised to be and it certainly leaves a few questions unanswered, but they can't all be perfect.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (52/???)

Civil War (2024) Alex Garland – (4.5/5)

Could have used a bit more exposition here and there (and a bit less vomiting), but Garland almost always triumphs as an auteur, and it was great seeing most of the cast of Devs put to much better use in this exploration of shooting the shooters that had a legimitately anxiety-inducing third act.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (51/???)

Challengers (2024) Luca Guadagnino – (2.5/5)

I honestly thought the movie was a little pretentious, not as tennis-centric as it could have been (particularly given the context of the scene the marketing was centered around), and I'm hard pressed to pick a movie that's improved with the plot not being told chronologically.

Also, no points for ambigous endings and having the same actors try to pass off 18-ish and 30-ish. Hope the victims of "rat boy summer" fare better long-term than those associated with the peach movie.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (50/???)

Jackpot! (2024) Paul Feig – (2/5)

Just goes to show how important a decent script is, regardless of the director (when they're not an auteur). Now the man who made Bridesmaids (which seems odd, but it's true) is also responsible for a movie that probably won't make you laugh out loud until the credits roll, just about the time one of its leads leans so hard on the fourth wall they abruptly tumble out of the screen.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (49/???)

Longlegs (2024) Osgood Perkins – (3/5)

Price of admission is worth it for Nicolas Cage's performance alone, but the film is a little overlong and waits until nearly the last possible moments for the many questions raised by the plot to get remotely answered.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (48/???)

Babes (2024) Pamela Adlon – (3.5/5)

There are worse things than a 105-minute comedy that acknowledges the bad side of things that most people will never stop talking about, and most films are definitely improved by Hasan Minhaj (however briefly). Unfortunately, the script makes it clear that Glazer still yearns for the days of Broad City (to the point of making of us all think she and Buteau could be the same age) and she doesn't ultimately have a character arc. Enjoy the laughs!