This is going to be fast and loose, and yes I’m going to try to post more often so stay tuned.
I STILL have not finalized my 2024 list. You can track it on Letterboxd in my 2024 Watched Films list. Currently, my top 10 of last year are:
Didi - Directed by Sean Wang and based in large part on his own childhood growing up as a Taiwanese-American, the film is an impeccable take on adolescence in the age of social media; think Eighth Grade, but a with a dose of more uplifting material. The ending recreates one of the shining moments of millennial cinema, and a personal favorite that left me bawling and nodding my head in understanding. If you instantly recognize it, props, and I’ll have a tissue waiting.
Dune Part 2 - I wrote about this one in my 2024 halfway review here
Sing Sing - Heart-wrenchingly acted by its ensemble cast. What seems like a concept ripe for syrupy sentimentality instead marks a path towards steadfast poignancy, clarity, and honesty by unshackling norms. Clarence Maclin was phenomenal.
The Bikeriders - Wrote about this one here
Challengers - Halfway review here
Riddle of Fire - The company who released this, Vinegar Syndrome, is a boutique movie label focused on ensuring obscure films live on. Here, however, they highlight a new film filled to the brim with nostalgia. I couldn’t help but root for the kids as they hunted down that damn pie. If you like the normal parts of Stranger Things or the dozens of Stand By Me clones and Amblin adolescent films it apes from then this one is up your alley.
The Seed of a Sacred Fig - I saw this in the theater with one other person. It’s a nearly three hour film, and I was not bored for a second. Shot in secret in Iran the film mixes in real footage and takes aim at a tumultuous political turmoil, which spirals into a more intimate descent into madness and patriarchal oppression. The best thriller of 2024. Essential.
Furiosa - Another halfway review here
Flow - I love that cat so much. The whole movie I just wanted to reach out and cuddle him. Beautifully animated with only music to drive the narrative, it’s a solemn, contemplative, yet adorable piece of cinema. I dread to think how prescient this film might be.
This last choice is always hard. I have a lot of 3.5 star films on the list and if you looked through it, then you may already know what I’m going to choose, but let’s break it down. Hundreds of Beavers is one of the funniest films of the last decade that overstays the concept by about 20 minutes. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled Incame up as a recommended film on a thread somewhere, and a quick look at the cast had me signed up for what is a long, but still very good Hong Kong action flick. Last Stop in Yuma Country would get the notch if the ending didn’t trail off from one of the best “a bunch of disparate folks show up in the same spot and treachery is afoot” setups in recent memory. Transformers One was a wonderful origin story for Optimus and Megatron and the promising start to a new series that is tarnished as it will probably never see a sequel. Anora is the obvious choice as the super fun and hilarious Oscar winner that it is, but I found portions dragged a bit in the middle as pieces were woven into place. A Real Pain has Rory Culkin casually out-acting the rest of Hollywood, but the emotional moments didn’t hit when needed. Monkey Man takes the John Wick formula and a political narrative in India for Dev Patel’s exceptional debut with a script that simply juggled too many themes. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had no right to be as good as it was, and I was gleeful during that final battle and slapstick icon Jim Carrey was born for the role of Robotnik, but still felt something missing as it failed to integrate meaningful moments for some of the cast. The Wild Robot starts teary eyed as we see our mechanical character grow alongside a fox voiced by Pedro Pascal, but the third act is a rushed mess. Thelma played by June Squibb -god bless her- is great, but the movie is largely forgettable outside some key jokes and set pieces. Conclaveproves yet again that Ralph Fiennes is an actor who works beyond the material, which sadly wandered a bit in what should have been a tightly wound, tight quarters film. Love Lies Bleeding is a showcase for Kristen Stewart and much of this Southern-gotchic lesbian thriller really works, including some surreal reaches into dark themes and visuals, but the overall story and character work lacked the required validity to wholly materialize it. In the end, I’m going with the film that has stayed with me the most. To say much will spoil the plot, but Hugh Grant is engrossingly sinister in Heretic; a sublime horror with subtle nudges, engrossing setups, and wacky sardonic dialogue. It’s so much fun I smile just thinking of it. And that’s worthy of the list.
I still have plenty more from 2024 to watch, but hey, that’s the fun of it.
As always enjoy,
- The Catalyst
Movies: Letterboxd
Music: Bandcamp