Daniel's top nine movies of 2024
It's been an odd year, to say the least. I continue to hide out in the cold dark comfort of a movie theater, having only the screens for illuminated warmth. Another year I get to bask in wonderful stories, acting, and design. Though, as I look at the list of 157 2024 movies I've seen, few stand out than in previous years making this year harder than usual to come up with a top ten. While there are certainly movies I liked (& liked a lot), less movies 'wowed' me into recommending them to friends, family & colleagues. That's not to say that each movie below didn't deserve their spot. As usual, for the most part, my list will be mostly different than the other lists you see on-line.
In this year's biopics, Timothée Chalamet learned to sing & play the harmonica like Bob Dylan; Angelina Jolie learned to sing opera like Maria Callas, & Ariana Grande studied how to sing like Kristen Chenowith. [I'm available to host next year's Oscars]
In no particular order:
Thelma - I got to see Thelma at an early screening and absolutely fell in love. It's a realistic portrayal and somewhat of a cautionary tale of how the elderly get defrauded by scammers. Sure, there are some moments of suspension of disbelief but Thelma's adventure is fun and desperate and you're with her every moment of the way. It helps that she has such a loving family (a great supporting cast) to see her through.
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| Thelma in her natural habitat |
Oddity - Absolute scariest movie of the year. It literally had me gripping my seat in the theater. Directorially, some of the most incredibly suspenseful moments I've seen on screen.
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| This image haunts me and it's not the scariest I could have chosen |
Ghostlight - An underrated gem. I loved the pacing of this film; it unfolds so effortlessly and reveals plot points only when you really need to see them. It's feel-good, but makes you feel much more than that.
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| "Community Theater" |
The Wild Robot - A Dreamworks production that feels like early Pixar works. It had a thoughtful story, heart-string pulling moments that felt natural, and a sleek design, especially for the robot itself.
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| How Disney is this? (It's not though.) |
Wicked - This one surprised me. Over 20 years ago, I read the book. I didn't love it; forced myself through the first chapter. Then I saw the show - didn't love that either. It actually made me appreciate the book more. I didn't get they hype or why it was so....popular. (Sorry, not sorry.) Maybe I'm just older now and appreciate these things or maybe Jon Chu just took it to another level. Were a few scenes a bit long? Sure. But that's really my only complaint. The production & costume design were gorgeous and I'm told a lot of it was practical. The acting, choreography were practiced without feeling overworked. The hard work paid off.
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| This movie sure was....popular |
Flow - Just animals bein' animals. No anthropomorphism; no talking; no tails making it's way through weird holes in trousers. The story of Flow is beautiful, but the animation itself is breathtaking. Each cel looks like its own painting, yet it never forsakes the animation's mobility.
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| Who doesn't appreciate unlikely animal friendships? |
Nightbitch - Have you ever watched the first five minutes of a film and thought: "Yeah, I'm gonna like this". That's what Nightbitch did for me. I found myself taken in early and quickly due to the unique storytelling and the likeability and relatability of the main character played perfectly by Amy Adams. Why has she not won an Oscar yet?! Nightbitch brilliantly blends dark comedy & body horror while keeping the audience close, as if you were not only along for the ride, but experiencing it yourself.
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| You wish you could |
The Brutalist - This 3.5 hour movie could have been longer and I would have continued to sit through it. It's a wonderful portrayal of a talented Jewish immigrant and all the anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic bullshit he has to endure. Everything is beautiful to look at from the set design to the costumes and hair-stylings. A beautiful epic.
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| Just the beginning |
Challengers - I've never unironically described a piece of media as 'sexy' and meant it as a compliment - until now.. The film has in-your face strong and focused characters that you simultaneous want to follow but also witness like a train-wreck.
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| No Caption Needed |
Honorable Mentions:
Inside Out 2 - A fantastic sequel to an already great movie. A real depiction of anxiety.
Sebastian - This could have been a sex-sploitative film, but instead it was warm and earnest.
A Quiet Place: Day One - A sequel we didn't need, but packed with intense suspense.
Memoir of a Snail - A joyous story filled with humor and heartbreak.
Conclave - A surprising multiple-character study with strong actors.
Nosferatu - Beautifully shot true gothic horror.
As a horror fan, only one really made the tops - but along with my honorable mentions above, I'd like to include some really fun horror I saw this year: Abigail, Terrifier 3, The First Omen, Late Night with the Devil, In a Violent Nature, Heretic & Smile 2 (which I almost didn't see, but enjoyed way more than the first one.)
And here's the full list of 2024 movies I've seen this year:
2024 movies
1.
You Can’t Stay Here
2.
I.S.S.
3.
Sometimes I think about Dying
4.
How to have Sex
5.
Lisa Frankenstein
6.
Self Reliance
7.
Drive-Away Dolls
8.
Dune, the second one
9.
Orion & The Dark
10.
Problemista
11.
Spaceman
12.
Imaginary
13.
Love Lies Bleeding
14.
Kung Fu Panda, the 4th one
15.
Damsel
16.
Ghostbusters, the 4th one?
Canonically, I guess
17.
Immaculate
18.
Late Night with the Devil
19.
Exhuma
20.
Shirley
21.
Kong x Godzilla
22.
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
23.
Thelma
24.
The First Omen
25.
Wicked Little Letters
26.
Femme
27.
Civil War
28.
Night Swim
29.
Monkey Man
30.
The Beast
31.
Sasquatch Sunset
32.
Abigail
33.
Challengers
34.
The Fall Guy
35.
Tarot
36.
I Saw the TV Glow
37.
Argyle
38.
Unfrosted
39.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
40.
If
41.
Babes
42.
Thelma the Unicorn
43.
The Stranger
44.
Kidnapped
45.
Furiosa
46.
Evil Does Not Exist
47.
We Have Always Lived in The Castle
48.
American Society of Magical
49.
In a Violent Nature
50.
Tuesday
51.
Hitman
52.
The Beekeeper
53.
Madame Web
54.
Inside Out 2
55.
The Bikeriders
56.
Ghostlight
57.
Kinds of Kindness
58.
A Quiet Place: Day One
59.
Fancy Dance
60.
Horizon: Chapter One
61.
Girls State
62.
Despicable Me: The 4th One
63.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
64.
Maxxxine
65.
Sing Sing
66.
Long Legs
67.
Touch
68.
Twisters
69.
Crossing
70.
Skywalkers A Love Story
71.
Oddity
72.
Deadpool & Wolverine
73.
Didi
74.
Trap
75.
Kneecap
76.
Arcadian
77.
Sebastian
78.
Cuckoo
79.
Alien: The Latest one
80.
Humane
81.
Daughters
82.
His Three Daughters
83.
Strange Darling
84.
Blink Twice
85.
Stopmotion
86.
The Watchers
87.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
88.
Speak No Evil
89.
Booger
90.
Green Border
91.
My Old Ass
92.
The Substance
93.
A Different Man
94.
Megalopolis
95.
Lee
96.
The Wild Robot
97.
Saturday Night
98.
Wolfs
99.
Will & Harper
100. Joker,
the second one
101. The
Outun
102. The
Platform – the 2nd one
103. It’s
What’s Inside
104. A
Nice Indian Boy
105. We
Live in Time
106. Piece
by Piece
107. The
Apprentice
108. Terrifier,
the third one
109. Anora
110. MadS
111. Rumours
112. Super/Man:
The Christopher Reeve Story
113. Memoir
of a Snail
114. Conclave
115. Don’t
Move
116. Mr.
Crocket
117. The
Remarkable Life of Ibelin
118. A
Real Pain
119. Emilia
Perez
120. Juror
#2
121. Black
Box Diaries
122. Heretic
123. Dahomey
124. Soundtrack
to a Coup D’Etat
125. Bird
126. Gladiator,
the 2nd one
127. Wicked
128. Flow
129. I’m
Still Here
130. Spellbound
131. Queer
132. Blitz
133. The
Piano Lesson
134. Woman
of the Hour
135. The
Seed of the Sacred Fig
136. Moana,
the 2nd one
137. Armand
138. Nightbitch
139. The Girl With the Needle
140. Pedro
Perdomo
141. The
End
142. Maria
143. Nickel
Boys
144. Sugarcane
145. Janet
Planet
146. September
5
147. Carry-On
148. Wallace
& Grommit
149. The
Brutalist
150. The
Six Triple Eight
151. Mufasa
152. The
Room Next Door
153. A
Complete Unknown
154. Nosferatu
155. Smile,
the 2nd one
156. Vermiglio
157. The
Fire Inside
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