#favorite movies of 2024

[stfin]

Favorite movies of 2024

-Anora -Challengers -Conclave -Dune, Part II -Ghostlight -I Saw the TV Glow -Sebastian -The Substance -Wicked, Part I -The Wild Robot

[silveragelovechild]

FAVORITE FILMS OF 2024

You could say going to see a movie at a theater is my hobby. I much prefer the theater experience. I saw 40 new films released in 2024. Only one of those via streaming because it was only shown in two theaters (LA and NYC).

Below are my nine favorite films and the reasons why. I added to honorable mentions (coincidentally both biopics) that I liked but had flaws that prevent me from calling them favorites.

I’ll post a list of my least favorite films later.

The Return (Odyssey) (12/05)

This film tells the last chapters of Homer’s the Odyssey. Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) return home from the Trojan War after being away from 20 years. No one recognizes him and his wife (Juliette Binoche) is being pressured by dozens of men to finally remarry. The film is very faithful to the story. Very well done and both Fiennes and Binoche are terrific.

Count of Monte Cristo (01/06/25)

It’s based on the 1844 novel book by Alexander Dumas (author of the Three Musketeers). Monte Cristo is beautifully filmed and suspenseful from start to finish. (French with subtitles, limited release)

September 5 (12/09)

A film about the hostage taking at the 1972 Olympics at Munich. But it’s told from the perspective of the ABC sports crew there to report on the sporting event. I was surprised by how suspends they were able to tell the story. Some good performances by John Magaro as the control room director and Leonie Benesch as a German member of the crew.

Mars Express (05/07)

Another French movie - this one animated. It set in the far future where robots of all types work side-by-side with humans. A human detective and her robotic partner try to find a missing girl. Like all good detective stories, the more they dig, the bigger the conspiracy becomes. The art design is superb.

Nosferatu (12/25)

This remake is probably one of the best retelling of Dracula. But all the names have been changed. Orlok the vampire isn’t a romantic Count, he’s hideous. It’s creepy and beautifully shot. I particularly liked Nicholas Hoult (as a version of Johnathan Harper). He’s is terrific. (How did he sustain that level of fear and panic during the shoot?) My only “but” regarding “Nosferatu” is that I thought it was too long. It may eventually show up on Peacock but I’m an advocate for seeing movies in theaters.

Wicked: Part One (11/22)

Cynthia Erivo is terrific as Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch. Her closing number “Defying Gravity” is a show stopper. Ariana Grande as Galinda holds her own opposite Erivo. The special effects and art design are also great. A couple of things keep it from being the top of my favorite list: too many of the supporting characters came off like gay stereotypes; and does Jeff Goldblum ever actually play a character or does he just play himself in everything he’s cast in?

Conclave (10/26)

I did not plan to see “Conclave”. I don’t have any interest in stories about religion nor the Catholic Church in particular. There aren’t any murders in “Conclave” but the plot follows a typical detective mystery story - Fiennes must discover who is telling the truth, and what secrets are they hiding. Fiennes is very good and it was nice seeing Isabella Rossellini in a small role.

Challengers 04/26

Challengers is about professional tennis players starring three of best young star of modern Hollywood (Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist). There are many sexy scenes of sexy actors kissing each other sexily. But the real action is on the tennis court, where they exerting themselves, sweating, grunting and slamming the ball. At there first meeting, Zendaya asks the boys if they already have girlfriends, because she doesn’t want to be a Home Breaker. This question will have repercussions in the years to come. The film is well paced and edited (especially the tennis matched). It’s directed by Luca Guadagnino who directed “Call me by your name” (2017).

Dune Part 2 (03/01)

Part 2 lives up to the promise of Part 1. Denis Villeneuve’s films are vastly superior to David Lynch’s 1984 film. The worlds and worms are masterfully created. Timothée Chalamet leads a terrific cast. The one exception is Christopher Walken as the Emperor - another actor who stopped “acting” decades ago).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Better Man (01/07)

This is Robbie Williams biopic where he’s portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee. I accepted the conceit immediately. The movie is at its best in the first half and with the musical numbers. They are dynamic, cleverly stage and edited (especially Rock DJ). I didn’t enjoy the second half as much, as it dived into Williams’ addictions and ends with a couple unearned redemptions.

A Complete Unknown (12/25)

This is the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. The supporting cast is terrific: Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Elle Fanning as Dylan’s on again off again girlfriend. While Chalamet is good as Dylan I felt the character was a selfish asshole.

[cluelessrebel1988]

My favorite movies of 2024 (so far)

10) Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

9) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

8) Lisa Frankenstien

7) A Quiet Place: Day One

6) Inside Out 2

5) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

4) Abigail

3) Civil War

2) The Fall Guy

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

[tangledinourstrings]

Favorite First Time Watches of 2024 (Animation, Part 3 Final)

61. O paradivé Sally (About Dressy Sally, 1976) directed by Dagmar Doubková

62. Cinderella (1979) directed by Mark Hall

63. The Story of Little Red Riding Hood (1949) directed by Ray Harryhausen

64. Apocalypse YASSS: Two Girls, One Rapture (2023) directed by Amy Hewett

65. Mourir Auprès de Toi (To Die By Your Side, 2011) directed by Spike Jonze and Simon Cahn

66. Weeping Mary (2022) directed by Λάμπρος Κορδολαΐμης (Lampros Kordolaimis)

67. Granny Loves You (2021) directed by Λάμπρος Κορδολαΐμης (Lampros Kordolaimis)

68. Rotting Love (2023) directed by Λάμπρος Κορδολαΐμης (Lampros Kordolaimis)

69. Die Schöne und das Tier (The Beauty and the Beast, 1977) directed by Katja Georgi

70. Na půd�� aneb Kdo má dneska narozeniny? (Toys in the Attic, 2009) directed by Jiří Barta

71. Василиса Прекрасная (Vasilisa the Beautiful, 1977) directed by Владимир Пекарь (Vladimir Pekar)

72. LOVE BITES (2016) directed by ていえぬ (Takena Nagao)

73. ワ・タ・シ・ノ・カ・オ (M・Y・F・A・C・E, 2005) directed by 黒坂 圭太 (Keita Kurosaka)

74. The Little Piratemaid (2023) directed by Luke Beatrice

75. Alice in Not So Wonderland (2007) directed by Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay

76. Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place like This? (1966) directed by Alex Lovy

77. シリウスの伝説 (The Sea Prince and the Fire Child, 1981) directed by 波多 正美 (Masami Hata)

78. The Scarecrow (2000) directed by Brian Nissen and Richard Rich

79. The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa (2012) directed by Bernie Denk and Jürgen Korduletsch [yes. unironically.]

80. Василиса Микулишна (Vasilisa Mikulishna, 1975) directed by Роман Давыдов (Roman Davydov)

81. The Little Mermaid (1974) directed by Peter Sander

82. にんぎょひめ (The Little Mermaid, 1974) directed by 市川安久利 (Yasukuri Ichikawa)

83. Shitcom directed by ていえぬ (Takena Nagao)

84. Бука. Моё любимое чудище (My Sweet Monster, 2021) directed by Виктор Глухушин (Viktor Glukhushin) and Максим Волков (Maksim Volkov)

[whichcouldmeanothing]

I was like, "I'm not gonna change a word of this script. This is a perfect script. I'm not gonna ruin this movie with my thoughts." But then, on every camera take, Jon our wonderful director was like, "Now do one just for fun. Now do one just you. Like, just something that you would say, off the cuff and ad-lib." And I was like, "Okay, if you want." And then, this man pulled a fast one on me. He used every single ad-lib.

Bowen Yang as Pfannee — WICKED (2024) dir. Jon M. Chu

[corantus]

those feratu ??????

[killjoyfem]

one of my favorite parts of “the substance” is how clear the movie makes that the men you’re destroying yourself to impress are so utterly gross and not worth it at all. how it shows already beautiful women tearing themselves apart to reach the standards of males who can’t even be bothered to wash their hands after using the bathroom.

[s735]

I watched TF One! I really liked it!

[moeggoi]

モノノ怪

[inafieldofdaisies]

Hit Man (2024) | Adria Arjona as Madison Figueroa Masters and Glen Powell as Gary Johnson 

[cherryinterlude]

RAHHHHHH I LOVE TRAP 2024

[d-vient]

JOSH HARTNETT. Trap. (2024)

[cluelessrebel1988]

My Favorite Movies of 2024 (Honorable Mentions)

My Top Ten List is here

A Quiet Place: Day One

Inside Out 2

Lisa Frankenstein

Rebel Ridge

The Wild Robot

[oatmealdoodles]

this eye trend but it’s them <3

ref under cut:

[underestimated-shadow]

2024 — Fearless: Year of Shadow

Sonic Prime (Season 3) Sonic X Shadow Generations Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings Sonic the Hedgehog 3

[rosalie-starfall]

Wicked

Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible