I saw some movies this year and then made a list.
We did it again! Here’s a ranking of every (new) movie I watched in 2024.
I’ve always hated New Year’s Eve. There’s something about it—looking back at your mistakes from the past year/making plans and goals for the year to come—that makes me anxious and depressed. This is a terrible way to start a 2024 Movie Ranking, but it is what it is.
A lot of my time this year was spent watching movies. Some might say too much (myself included from time to time) and yet, it’s still my favorite pastime and something I couldn’t live without.
I’ve seen more than 200 movies this year, including 100-something new releases, and yet it was far from a solitary experience. Friends, family and many, many other New Yorkers (sometimes on their phones … a lot of times on their phones) joined me in my exploits—whether it was watching something in theaters or at someone’s apartment. I got to explore the city, try out restaurants (before and after showings) I never would’ve stopped at otherwise and become closer with friends whether it was bonding over something we watched or arguing the entire bus trip back.
I have a lot of regrets as I always do from the year—cooking fiascos, work screw-ups and Hinge in general—but I don’t regret a single thing I watched. Even the bad stuff. And trust me … there was a lot of bad stuff. Speaking of, let’s get to my ranking from Unfrosted to №1.
105. Unfrosted
An abomination that makes you more impressed with Larry David’s work behind the scenes on Seinfeld if this was Jerry’s passion project. Seinfeld really just was a figurehead. The movie isn’t just bad, it’s not a movie. It’s a series of loose SNL-esque sequences without any punchlines, constantly aiming for the lamest possible gag. There’s an entire January 6 insurrection subplot in which cereal mascots attack Kellogg’s headquarters. Didn’t just make me angry but depressed for the future of movies. Yes, it’s on Netflix.
104. Origin
An Ava DuVernay biopic on the writer of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents that is in such poor taste that it’s almost shocking. It ends with an apparition of Trayvon Martin almost congratulating the protagonist author. Just a slog to get through.
103. Mufasa: The Lion King
Quite possibly the most bummed out I’ve been while watching something in years. A cheap-looking, cliché-ridden, poorly scripted prequel that doesn’t just have nothing to say but looks like shit the entire time. I know it’s been said ad nauseam that this was directed by Barry Jenkins and yet … this was directed by BARRY JENKINS. The man made Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. I’m hoping he got the biggest of paychecks for this one and goes back to making real things instead of CGI fests that take away anything fun or interesting from Disney’s stories to cash in and depict emotionless fake animals moving their mouths. I did not enjoy this.
102. Argylle
It’s funny because I must’ve seen this trailer 200 times before the actual movie and now all I remember from this one is Samuel L. Jackson watching basketball, a terrible-looking ice-skating sequence and the dumbest “twist” in recent movie history. I wish you could’ve heard our audience’s laughter at how ridiculous this movie was.
101. Joker: Folie à Deux
I didn’t like the first one either, but at least things happened in it. Everyone involved with this one should feel bad.
100. Emilia Pérez
I know this is near the bottom of my year-end list, but I need at least one of you to watch this, so we can discuss how embarrassing this entire thing is.
99. Deadpool & Wolverine
I don’t need to get into my Ryan Reynolds hatred once again, so let’s just focus on the movie. It’s an interminable slog that looks terrible. There’s something about its promo run that centered on frat-boy homophobic humor that was really depressing. Like, aren’t we done with this? Unfortunately, the movie made oodles of money, so everyone’s bound to long the wrong lessons from this one. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of the Marvel Reign … but I doubt it.
98. Madame Web
Also bad but less infuriating than Deadpool & Wolverine. Poorly made and incomprehensible, sure. But I at least enjoyed myself in the theater because of how ridiculous the entire thing is.
97. Bad Boys: Ride or Die
A friend told me that this was one of their favorite movies of the year. I’m sorry to that friend.
96. Azrael
Big fan of Samara Weaving and Shudder's original horror movies, not a big fan of Azrael. Not much there and could really feel the seams of the low-budget thriller. Fun premise at least: “In a world where no one speaks, a devout female hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment.” Kinda want to see them try this one again.
95. Babes
My one big problem with this comedy is that it wasn’t funny.
94. Speak No Evil
Not totally sure why they remade this if they were going to take away all of the biting commentary and structure of the original Danish version (which also came out in 2022, so who was asking for this?). Strong villainous performance from James McAvoy but ultimately goes nowhere.
93. The Beekeeper
I have seen mice at the AMC Orpheum 7 on the Upper East Side, so this all checks out.
Also, one other quick The Beekeeper thought:
92. Moana 2
You know things are bad when things are noticeably worse after losing Lin-Manuel Miranda. The chicken’s cute at least.
91. Megalopolis
I always appreciate a big swing but Jesus Christ. It’s incomprehensible at points and laugh-out-loud funny (when it’s not trying to be) throughout. I’m glad they went for it, I guess.
90. Mean Girls
This is the movie we saw the mice at by the way. That was much more interesting than this musical retread.
89. The Idea of You
I totally understand why someone would try to change their life for Anne Hathaway.
88. Queer
Really bummed out by this one since it’s Daniel Craig in a Luca Guadagnino movie but very little of it worked for me. The best parts of this one were when Craig and Jason Schwartzman gossiped in a bar, the worst was the entire second half. The first Luca movie that did nothing for me.
87. Janet Planet
I know a lot of people who have seen this one and love it, but I couldn’t get on its wavelength. Every time, I found myself slowly hitting a groove, it completely changed directions. Maybe it’s my fault? I don’t know.
86. Lisa Frankenstein
Some fun nonsense. Not very good but it’s 102 minutes and has some amusing horror elements. Think there’s a better movie in there somewhere, especially with Kathryn Newton AND without Cole Sprouse.
85. Society of the Snow
Very intense (somehow true) movie about a Uruguayan rugby team that crashed into a glacier in the Andes in 1972. Moving at times, tragedy porn at other times. Everyone’s good in it and it’s well made, and yet kinda found myself bored for a lot of it, especially the middle third.
84. Blink Twice
This Zoë Kravitz feature starring Channing Tatum as an evil tech billionaire has a pretty great premise and first half which gets more and more ridiculous and fucked up (in a bad way) as it goes on. Gets lazy, becomes a mimicry of better movies and feels like it was made to be analyzed more than it was made to be watched.
83. The Shadow Strays
Some of the best action I’ve seen surrounded by a nonsense script, inscrutable characters and some of the dumbest decision-making possible.
82. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Should’ve stopped at one. Can’t recreate that magic although Michael Keaton gives his all.
81. The First Omen
Fun for the whole family!
80. The Watchers
I’m sorry, but I’ll almost always enjoy an M. Night Shyamalan (or M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter in this case) horror-thriller with a ridiculous ending and a bunch of cheap scares. I’m a simple man.
79. Evil Does Not Exist
It’s been seven months and I’m still trying to figure out the ending. So that’s something?
78. Self Reliance
A Jake Johnson thriller starring (what is essentially) Nick Miller and Anna Kendrick is going to at the very least be pretty fun. Wish it was better, but I’ll take what I can get. This was a blast though:
77. The Fall Guy
Still shocked that Ryan Reynolds wasn’t the lead in this movie. Feels like a Ryan Reynolds movie from start to finish (derogatory, obviously).
76. Maxxxine
A step down from both X and Pearl. Has too many ideas and characters but at its best when it’s a pure slasher movie.
75. Trap
Great premise that goes off the rails, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained throughout.
74. Conclave
I put $10 on this winning Best Picture and still feel pretty confident in this take. I thought it was … okay?
73. Night Swim
A bad horror movie is better than any other bad movie. I’ll always take some cheap jumpscares, a ridiculous premise and legitimate actors trying to make absurd dialogue work. Night Swim is about a haunted pool. A haunted pool!
72. Carry-On
Can’t even begin to explain how stupid this is, and yet, it’s never boring and constantly had me curious about where it was going. If we’re forced to watch mediocre streaming movies, you could do much worse than this. Great family movie for when you need something to watch around the holidays and you’re sick of searching various apps.
71. A Different Man
I didn’t love this dark comedy/psychological thriller as much as others. Still, Sebastian Stan is great as an aspiring actor who undergoes a radical medical transformation—also, Renate Reinsve’s in it, so that’s always good.
70. Saturday Night
It feels appropriate that the SNL movie is a thrown-together mess that centers on stunt casting, and yet, the movie is propulsive, features a handful of some of our best young actors and is an easy 109 minutes. Decent, I guess.
69. The Apprentice
Much better than I expected it to be. Sebastian Stan plays Donald Trump as a semi-real person who gets more and more evil as time goes on and Jeremy Strong gets to the center of Roy Cohn’s hypocritical wickedness. Speaking of SNL, this easily could’ve been a way-too-long, over-the-top sketch and yet it mostly works.
68. The Piano Lesson
Takes a while to vibe with the “play pushed to the big screen” of it all but phenomenal Danielle Deadwyler performance and Malcolm Washington (yes, Denzel Washington’s son) knows what he’s doing with a camera.
67. It’s What’s Inside
This is what Netflix should be putting out (when it’s not giving free rein to the Noah Baumbachs, Martin Scorseses and David Finchers of the world. This is a fun, kinda nonsensical, twisty movie with a cool body-swap premise and some actual ideas. Doesn’t always work but worth trying out.
66. Inside Out 2
Ayo World Domination.
65. Thelma
Perfect plane movie. Actually designed to be watched while semi-uncomfortable in the air.
64. Blitz
Somehow both a serviceable war movie and a pretty big disappointment. Saoirse Ronan paired with Steve McQueen sounds like a match made in heaven but the film’s emphasis on the children—finding a good child actor doesn’t seem easy—and its 1917-esque plot machinations make it feel stale. Still, McQueen knows how to move a camera around and Ronan does well with what she’s given. Probably would’ve enjoyed more in a theater but Apple made sure that was as difficult as possible.
63. Perfect Days
Sometimes a movie is just tremendous vibes and that’s enough.
62. Twisters
And other times a movie is Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones running after tornadoes and that is also enough.
61. Immaculate
A truly disgusting and ridiculous (complimentary) nun horror movie with a great lead performance from Sydney Sweeney, who can be very hit or miss. Goes for it at the end, which is more than enough for a thumbs up from me.
60. Abigail
Loses the plot by the final act and yet, this horror comedy from the Ready or Not guys is a riot. Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens clearly understand how bonkers this movie’s premise is and are having the times of their lives.
59. Cuckoo
Okay, I saw a lot of horror movies this year, I guess. Doesn’t hit the highs of the above trailer but Hunter Schafer could very well be one of our best young Scream Queens and (once again) Dan Stevens is here creating as much chaos as possible.
58. The Bikeriders
I love it when Tom Hardy does a voice.
57. Wicked
It’s fine, lol.
56. Gladiator II
Saw a bunch of gladiators fighting sharks in IMAX. A night well spent.
55. The Girl with the Needle
Jake and I saw this one at TIFF and had no clue what it was about when it started. Boy … it’s a dark one.
54. MadS
Unbelievably entertaining opening act that loses some momentum in the second half but still worth it for how screwed up it gets and how much it commits to its horror. Might have had a panic attack if I saw on the big screen.
53. Y2K
A very very stupid movie. Could easily have been a middle-school sleepover choice. These are all good things.
52. All We Imagine as Light
A beautiful and well-made dramedy from Payal Kapadia that didn’t pack the punch I was expecting, but that could very well be my fault for ridiculous expectations. Nevertheless, this is worth a watch to see Mumbai and a kinda perfect last 10 minutes.
51. How to Have Sex
Mia McKenna-Bruce is unbelievable as one of three British teenagers who head to the party resort of Malia on the Greek island of Crete to have some fun and let loose and … things don’t go as planned. Brutally funny at times and then heartbreaking later on.
50. Bring Them Down
Irish people are crazy.
49. Monkey Man
You can tell that this one was edited and reworked to an inch of its life, but Dev Patel has the juice when it comes to directing and bloodstained action.
48. Kneecap
Irish people are (still) crazy.
47. Hit Man
Okay, so this movie is a real mixed bag from the highs (Adria Arjona) to the lows (Adria Arjona’s character), but it features one of my favorite scenes of the year which revolves around the Notes App. You could do much worse watching something on Netflix. Much much worse.
46. We Live in Time
It’s always going to be a bit of a letdown when a Florence Pugh-Andrew Garfield movie isn’t in my top ten, and yet this weepy rom-com has ridiculous chemistry between the leads and jumps around enough that you never feel out of it. Could‘ve just been Garfield and Pugh cooking together and that might’ve brought it up a few spots.
45. Snack Shack
I feel like this is about the line where the movies on my list jump up a level. Didn’t get to see this one in theaters which is a shame because it’s a real throwback to the ’90s teen hangout dramedy. Goes a little crazy with a kind of ridiculous third act that throws everything out of whack, but the parts of this movie in which it’s two young idiots scheming are what it’s all about.
44. Woman of the Hour
I will post this clip every time Anna Kendrick is mentioned. Also, she’s a good director, so that’s fun.
43. Drive-Away Dolls
Margaret Qualley’s accent is so ridiculously bad in this one that it circles all the way back around to being one of my favorite bits in movies this year. From one-half of the Coen Brothers, Drive-Away Dolls feels like a slightly undercooked idea that still works for me since it’s 84 minutes and moves so fast that you’re never bored for a second. Also, Margaret Qualley is in it.
42. The Wild Robot
Lupita Nyong’o showing why she’s one of the best in the business. Will add to this in a bit.
41. Juror #2
Everyone should watch this movie on TNT after flipping through channels.
40. Babygirl
Unbelievable performances from Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in a movie that was at its best when it was just the two of them. The Amazon rip-off and office back-and-forth didn’t always work for me, but you need to see it for Dickinson dancing and Kidman [REDACTED].
39. His Three Daughters
As great as Carrie Coon and Natasha Lyonne are in this one, I think Elizabeth Olsen is going to have a hell of a next act post-Marvel. She’s phenomenal here as the put-upon, emotionally exhausted sister playing the in-between for her more volatile family members. This may sound silly, but this movie is such a play. So much so that it took me some time to sink into its rhythms. Was mixed for the first 30 or so and loved the ending.
38. Oddity
As you can tell by the image above, everything works out great for everyone.
37. A Complete Unknown
Less of a movie than a wide array of musical sequences but everyone’s on the same page and it truly hums. Timothée Chalamet is credible as Bob Dylan, which is a borderline miracle, and Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton are both standouts as Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, respectively of course. Would be crazy if they switched roles. As far as these music biopics go (and I’ve had a good deal to say on this topic), this is a pretty well-done reenactment with a real sense of place and condensed sense of time to not seem too unwieldy. Not a special movie by any sense but a great Christmas movie to see with the parents. My family’s still upset about when I took them to see Foxcatcher.
36. Alien: Romulus
Has one of the worst things I’ve seen this year: Ian Holm’s “resurrection” through middling AI-enabled techniques. And yet, I quite enjoyed the rest of the movie. A fun thriller with strong performances from Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson that is at its best when it’s an alien thriller and meh when it’s just alluding to the rest of the franchise. A blast at its peak though and a crazy-looking creature near the end that makes it all worth it, especially in IMAX.
35. Problemista
Julio Torres is one of the funniest and most creative people we have right now. I’ll watch whatever he does. Los Espookys is one of the best shows of the last few years as well.
34. I Saw the TV Glow
One of the few 2024 movies that feels like it’ll stand the test of time, at least among the more movie-obsessed. Jane Schoenbrun is deservedly getting the awards recognition they deserve after creating this trans thriller that suffocates you in the same way it does its characters.
33. The Beast
I was fairly confident that I was sitting right behind Richard Brody for this entire movie and then I asked the guy right after the movie and he had no clue what I was talking about. Tremendous stuff from yours truly. Also, this movie is bonkers.
32. Fallen Leaves
I watched this one in January, so I don’t remember much—it’s been quite a year—but I remember there being a cute dog and movie theaters. That’s more than enough for me.
31. Late Night with the Devil
Had a great time with this “live-broadcast” thriller that goes awry in the best of ways. Renowned that guy David Dastmalchian nails his chance at the center of the story as a late-night talk-show host who might be a bit haunted.
30. Heretic
Is this what the movies are for or is this what the movies are for?
29. In a Violent Nature
This movie went viral for its one over-the-top, gnarly kill for good reason. It’s a doozy. Fun stuff if you like seeing filmmakers constantly top themselves for crazy stunts and slowly watching a serial killer get his revenge. I guess I like both of those things?
28. Good One
Feel like this one flew under the radar but it’s an always captivating (despite a slow-evolving story) movie with one of the better lead performances of the year from Lily Collias. The plot focuses on a teenager who goes camping with her father and his friend and where things progress from there. Interesting thorny movie.
27. I, The Executioner
The sequel to Veteran, an action comedy I was pretty mixed on, but Ifound this one a lot more fun and effective. Entertaining serial killer detective story with some of the best fight sequences of the year.
26. Love Lies Bleeding
Kristen Stewart remains one of the most interesting actors we have.
25. A Real Pain
I find horror movies pretty scary but the thing that really freaks me out is awkward comedy, so this felt like The Exorcist to me. Great movie with a phenomenal Kieran Culkin performance that I probably will never watch again.
24. Will & Harper
You should watch this movie.
23. Smile 2
I’m 1000% in on this very silly (and scary!) horror franchise that is two for two in my book. People creepily smiling never doesn’t work for me and both Sosie Bacon and Naomi Scott truly understood the assignment.
22. A Quiet Place: Day One
Apologies to John Krasinski, but it’s kind of startling how interesting this world can be when given to another director. Michael Sarnoski’s prequel to the A Quiet Place franchise could’ve easily been a cash grab and yet it’s a fully-formed and somehow beautiful movie about found family (and aliens). Lupita Nyong’o, as mentioned before, is unbelievable in this one. Was shocked by how good this ended up being.
21. Sing Sing
Gorgeous movie about how important art can be, especially to a group of incarcerated men. Could easily be maudlin and yet it never loses its edge, mostly due to the phenomenal work of Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin.
20. Presence
The premise—a horror movie from the perspective of the ghost—is an immediate winner and Steven Soderbergh appears to be having the time of his life with this one. Saw at the TIFF premiere and everyone was losing their minds.
19. Strange Darling
I’m a sucker for a twisty arthouse movie that goes for it. Part of a double feature with Blink Twice. This was SO much better.
18. STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces
I vividly remember a camp trip to Cooperstown in which I listened to all of Steve Martin’s comedy albums on CD back to back to back. There was no way I wasn’t going to love this one.
17. Between the Temples
Up there with The Brutalist as the most Jewish movie of the year, although in very different ways … and also very similar ways, I guess. Jason Schwartzman gives one of my favorite performances of the year as a cantor losing his mind and sometimes a movie is made just for you.
16. Sometimes I Think About Dying
The depressing Slack rom-com of your dreams/nightmares. Daisy Ridley is wonderful in this and I hope she continues to get non-IP chances to show how she’s a real actor.
15. Rebel Ridge
Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is a bonkers action-thriller centered on a punk rock band trying to escape from a venue surrounded by white-power skinheads, and Saulnier does it again without the skinheads this time. Rebel Ridge stars Aaron Pierre trying to take on a corrupt police department (shocking) and he’s phenomenal as a former Marine seemingly taking on the world.
14. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
I was sold on this one by the title, which is one of my favorites in recent memory, and the movie lives up to its billing. Saw this dark coming-of-age comedy at the Quad with one, maybe two other people and have been telling others ever since to check it out.
13. Red Rooms
Watched this one after hearing Adam Nayman call it his favorite movie of the year. It might not be mine, but it was quite a ride. Kind of the perfect movie for the 21st century, Red Rooms is a David Fincher-esque thriller centered on a woman who becomes a bit too obsessed with the high-profile case of a suspected serial killer. Juliette Gariépy gives one of the performances of the year, including the single creepiest moment of 2024.
12. Civil War
This one was attacked on social media before it even came out, due to its outlandish premise in which California and Texas attempt to secede, but I never saw this as a direct comparison to our current landscape and more of a thriller with similar political undertones to what we’re living through. Alex Garland directed Ex Machina and Annihilation, so he’s alright in my book and this movie got the job done for me, especially with its in-the-middle-of-the-chaos framing and stellar performances from Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny. Watched in IMAX and was frankly overwhelmed at times by the battle sequences and the pitch-perfect Jesse Plemons cameo.
11. Challengers
Whenever there’s a group of three of anything for the rest of my life, there’s a 62% chance I’m about to make a Challengers joke. Shoutout to Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor for one of the most fun theatrical experiences I had all year.
10. Longlegs
My favorite opening sequence of the year followed by a serial killer movie that ridicules serial killers in a way that most true crime never seems to do. Nicolas Cage (as always) goes for broke here and his over-the-top insanity works wonders for the titular character who ends up being both more terrifying and less important than you could ever imagine. Maika Monroe is consistently one of the best actresses in horror and continues that streak here. Saw this one, loved it and then saw it again in theaters a few days later.
9. Nosferatu
It would be a hell of an upset if this didn’t make my top ten; I even forced my sister to go back into the city from New Jersey to see this at 10 p.m. in the Lincoln Square IMAX. Although either third or fourth on my Robert Eggers rankings—1. The Witch 2. The Lighthouse 3/4. Nosferatu or The Northman (I still have to think this over)—I’m in love with Eggers’ obsession for the past and his desire to make something that he would want to watch; the research and care that goes into something like this is obvious.
Just tremendously bad vibes throughout … which I adore. Lily-Rose Depp is the standout here at Ellen Hutter and does quite a few things I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before on the big screen. Gothic Horror is fun as hell. And that’s all I have to say about that.
8. Dune: Part Two
It feels like this came out two years ago, but the feeling of Dune: Part Two on the big screen actually working as well as you could possibly think is still sticking with me. All the acting is great from top to bottom and yet, I can’t stop thinking about Denis Villeneuve and the craft that goes into something like this, especially the action-packed second half. When the Harkonnen army started to float through Arrakis early on, I knew we were in the best of hands.
Also, although I’ve been mixed on him in the past, Austin Butler is unreal here as the ruthless (and disgusting) Feyd-Rautha. I love it when a movie star takes all of their quirks and fixations and turns them into something magnetically insane. I’m unsure what to think about multiple female friends seeing him and immediately saying that they want to date him and “fix” him. It’s bleak out here.
7. Nickel Boys
A jaw-dropping audacious adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from Colson Whitehead, which I need to read. I know, I know. One of those movies that sticks with you long after it's over from its themes of Blackness in America to lingering trauma to its aggressive first-person point-of-view filmmaking that never takes a misstep. It’s tough to write about this one without sounding like an AI Bot trying to write film criticism, but it truly was a “major” work of art that deserves to be seen on the big screen.
6. The Brutalist
It’s tough to talk about this one without mentioning its runtime of 215 minutes, and yet, this movie (especially the first half) felt as quick as a movie can be. This movie aims for the stars—trying to be an updated version of There Will Be Blood or The Godfather—and although it doesn’t always hit those lofty goals, it comes pretty damn close. With a story centered on World War II, immigrants in America and the underlying point of creation/art, The Brutalist has a lot on its mind and Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Joe Alwyn are all up for the challenge.
5. The Substance
I truly cannot describe to you how happy I was watching this in a theater. When the final act’s chaos started, I was grinning like an elementary school student running around at recess. Sometimes, you just need a big, remarkable swing with a director with a vision (Coralie Fargeat), two actors willing to go for it (Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley) and enough fake blood to fill a swimming pool. This is what movies are all about, an anxious thrill ride that toes the line between satire and flat-out slapstick comedy.
4. La chimera
Can’t say I was expecting this little-seen Italian dramedy to crack my top five and here we are. La chimera was one of my favorite watches of the year, mostly due to Josh O’Connor’s mopey treasure hunter and Alice Rohrwacher’s beautiful fully-built-out world. The general plot of this one, I guess, is a group of grave robbers entering a world of stolen Etruscan artifacts during the 1980s, but it’s a lot more than that. A haunting movie about love lost with one of my favorite final sequences of the year.
3. Anora
One part Cinderella/Pretty Woman, another part slapstick/all-in-one-night comedy and yes … quite a bit of drama, Anora was one of the best times I had in a theater this year. With Mikey Madison and director Sean Baker running the show, this is yet another movie about a sex worker marrying the son of a Russian oligarch. We get it, it’s like they make this story every six months.
Anyway, this might be the funniest movie of the year—at least the most laugh-out-loud funny—with two of the best performances from Madison and Yura Borisov. I love when you have no clue where a movie is going and the last hour of this one goes wrong in all the right ways. Excited to rewatch every so often.
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
It’s not Mad Max: Fury Road and that’s okay. The follow-up prequel to the 2015 classic—one of the best movies of the 21st century—may not be as perfect as its predecessor and yet, I unabashedly loved it. From Charlee Fraser’s opening section as Furiosa’s mother to Anya Taylor-Joy going full action star to Chris Hemsworth’s delicious villainous turn, I can’t tell you how tremendous this was on the big screen. I saw it in IMAX opening night and then again a few days later in IMAX once again. AMC A-List is a blessing and a curse.
Hemsworth, in particular, understands George Miller’s world and seems to be having the time of his life playing the incredibly named Dr. Dementus. Every shot is more beautiful than the one before it. One of those oh, shit movies that ends with a back-and-forth between Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth for the ages.
1. Kinds of Kindness
Kinds of Kindness came out at the tail-end of June and almost immediately disappeared from the public consciousness—no Oscar nominations coming, little critical support, very few people actually saw it—but you can’t say that I haven’t been doing my part spreading the good word. This black comedy triptych that feels like Aesop’s Fables x Grimms’ Fairy Tales on a drug trip gone awry is as good as Yorgos Lanthimos gets, and The Lobster has quickly become one of my favorite movies ever made. Featuring an acting troupe of Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn and Mamoudou Athie all playing multiple characters, each of the three stories centering on the ideas of control and dominance has a full arc that just so happens to be bleak, hilarious and fucking insane.
Watching this made me feel better about movies than anything else this year because if something this outright bonkers can get bankrolled with the backing of some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, we have some hope for the future. I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but those on its wavelength will get it. Hilarious moments are quickly followed by the most explicit sequences which are then followed by some truly deranged ideas. Once again, Emma Stone is doing the Lord’s work even if things might not always work out for her in this one.
A sincere thank you from me if you’ve made it this far. That’s a lot of movies. Anyway, if you want to read more from me, I have a newsletter, because of course I do. See you one year from now for the 2025 List.
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