Thank goodness 2024 decided to kick it up a notch in the second half, because by around July I was wondering if I’d even have enough films to fill a Top 10 at all. That’s not to say the first half didn’t have anything good in it. Did I enjoy “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”? Of course I did, but I generally have an idea of what makes a Top 10 movie in my own head, for the sake of being honest, the American Godzilla movies aren’t likely going to do that, and that’s okay.
Back to the point, some really solid films came across my view in the second half of the year, so much in fact that not only did my Top 10 become increasingly difficult to narrow down, but so did the Honorable Mentions for a second straight year. I had to eliminate some just to get this list down to a manageable 15 titles. I know that’s still quite a bit, so I’m going to try my best to keep this as brief as possible. Key word being “try”. If reading isn’t your thing, then scroll through the pretty pictures and you’ll get the idea.
As always, these are in no particular order, and I’m excited to dive in, so let’s do this!
“ODDITY”
“THE DEVIL’S BATH”
While we’re on the atmospheric horror topic, “The Devil’s Bath” was a visual and narrative feast. I was aware of it when it came out, but I got a nudge from a trusted source, so I put it in the fast lane of my To-Do List. Needless to say, I was not disappointed, and was completely hooked on the underlying subtext of depression beneath all the facade of demonic presence during a time period where no attention or understanding was paid to it. Also, did I mention a newborn child is hurled over a waterfall in like the first five minutes of the film? There, that’s something you know now.
“INSIDE OUT 2”
Disney/Pixar would have had to try really, really hard to screw up the formula of the first “Inside Out”, and as I’m sure most everybody and their mother knows already since it is a Disney-Pixar movie, they did not screw up the assignment. The plot played out as a powerful progression from the first film, the new voice actors blended well with those who returned, and I say this every damn year, the animation still continues to floor the shit out of me. I even remember thinking last year, “How the fuck can they top the intricate detail of “Elemental”? Well, they did as they always do, and I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing when “Elio” comes out this summer.
“SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3”
2024 offered animated films of many varieties and moods, and when it came to having a (mostly) thought-free great time, “Sonic 3” surpassed every expectation I had. Can we step and marvel what an interesting and nostalgic evolution this trilogy has been in the course of only a few years? It went from utter disgust, to fixed, to getting better and better with each film. It seems pretty clear that “Sonic 4” is inevitable, but I’ll be curious to see if it can top the near-perfect blend “Sonic 3” had to offer. As much as I enjoy seeing the addition of more characters to the screen and their pitch perfect selection of voice actors, it’s Jim Carrey who is the glue that holds everything together, and if this was his last entry, I hope it’s not the beginning of the decline as I’m having entirely too much fun with this series.
“CONCLAVE”
“MEMOIR OF A SNAIL”
Adam Elliott, wasn’t I just talking about you?? And how in the fuck did I go almost entire year without knowing that your long awaited follow-up to “Mary & Max” (for others, I only had to wait a few months) had been released? I stumbled across it while watching somebody else’s Top 10. Oh, wait, I know why - American marketing fucking sucks.
“Snail” operates at a very similar tone and pace as “Mary & Max”; in fact, if you look deeper passed the different plot of this new film, you’ll see that the two movies are almost structurally identical. But hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The comedy is sharper than ever, the animation is beautifully crafted proving once again that the medium is so badly underrated and underappreciated nowadays, and the tragic loneliness of the main characters struck a radiant chord like the harp of an angel. I won’t say why, because spoilers, but that last bit is an ironic joke for one of the running gags of the film.
“YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA”
Quite possibly the best sport-themed film by Disney or anybody else since “Remember the Titans”, and I stand by that. Yes, being a Disney film, all the edges are smooth and shiny, and there were probably tougher bits of the true story left out for time and maintaining the vibe, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that “Young Woman” is an excellent true story about the life and accomplishment of Gertrude Ederle, with an excellent performance by Daisy Ridley to match. It’s a shame that films like these don’t draw much of a theater audience anymore, so I understand why it went straight to streaming, but I hope it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. If you’ve got Disney+, this one deserves your attention.
“KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES”
Harkening back to what I was saying about animation with “Inside Out 2”, good grief, have they got the finger on the pulse with this series! I still enjoy being mesmerized by the outstanding progression and improvements made from “Rise” through “War of the Planet of the Apes”, and “Kingdom” did not miss a step at all. Story and direction-wise, “Kingdom” picks up the torch pretty sturdily from where “War” left off. I couldn’t help but be nervous, too, because transitioning from the master of motion-capture, Andy Serkis, and moving away from Director Matt Reeves to Wes Ball who did the “Maze Runner” trilogy, I couldn’t help nor deny my skepticism. It is a different ride from the original trilogy to be sure. It’s brighter, has more humor, and while it certainly does have conflict, it’s not to the same level as Koba, though how could it be? That dude is still nightmare fuel a decade later.
“TRANSFORMERS ONE”
What was I talking about again? Oh right, if I had an award for “Greatest Surprise of 2024”, it would be a runaway with “Transformers One”. The animation is crisp and playful, the voice acting was fit to the task, and the story made for a great new origin that has me chomping at the bit for a sequel.
“FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA”
Say what you will about the stuffy attitude expelled from some of the Golden Age directors still in action like Martin Scorcese and Steven Spielberg lamenting some of the blockbusters of today, and you’ll probably be right in your opinion, but Thank Zeus we have some balance because George Miller doesn’t appear to be one of those guys. Seeing as he’s about to cross to the age of 80 in a few short weeks, it is astonishing how much ass he is still kicking on the silver screen. Is “Furiosa” as good as “Fury Road” or even “Road Warrior”? No, but I would place it above the original “Mad Max” and “Thunderdome”, and who cares anyway, he took a risk on a prequel focusing even more on a lead female protagonist in a testosterone-filled apocalypse, and it’s still captivating as Hell. The action scenes - blood-pumping! Anna-Taylor Joy - excellent. Chris Hemsworth - won’t have to worry about being stuck as Thor all his life to say the least. The list goes on, and so does the eye-candy. Please don’t die, George, we need about five more of these.
“TUESDAY”
If not for some of the emotional connection feeling a bit too forced at times between the two main characters, and just simply wanting more of it, “Tuesday” would have easily landed in my Top 10. We’ve all heard and read the stories where Death as an entity is misunderstood and is treated like a bad guy because he appears scary only for doing his job. The story of “Tuesday” carries that same concept, except it takes it one step further by showing that Death suffers from this treatment, and doesn’t exactly enjoy what he’s tasked to do in this world. Oh, and how is Death portrayed in this film? As a talking, shape-shifting macaw, of course - what else would he be? A macaw voiced brilliantly by Arinze Kene, who successfully gave me shivers of the best kind every time he had something witty to say. I believe this is the debut feature-length directing effort by Daina O. Pusic, and if that’s the case, I’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for her work in the future. She’s had some practice with short film leading up to this, and she’s got a creative eye that intrigues me.
“LOVE LIES BLEEDING”
A suspense/thriller about body-building, lesbians, a crime organization, a sinister Ed Harris with a haircut that must be seen to be believed, and a beautiful career breakout performance from one Katy O’Brian. Simply put, I had a lot more fun watching “Love Lies Bleeding” than I thought I was going to, if maybe because the trailer did not do it adequate justice. I got the impression it was going to be some surreal acid trip when it turned out to be nothing like that. It is an A24 production, so there is going to be some weirdness in it, but the cast is entirely too game and Rose Glass’ direction far too on-point for that to matter. Oh, and this is hands down the best performance I’ve seen from Kristen Stewart. Period. Sometimes chemistry goes a long way.
“I SAW THE TV GLOW”
I have to say I’m relieved that there’s an existing feature that finally allowed Justice Smith to showcase his talent and emotional depth. He’s had a run the last decade where he’s either been a part of, or was the lead, in some big budget features, and while I felt there was something more to him than what was on display, he was never portrayed as more than a squealing nerd in dangerous situations. Jack Haven also puts in a stellar, yet tragically stoic, performance as Justice’s on-again/off-again BFF of sorts, but it is Smith as Owen that emulates the underlying themes of “Glow”, and while the film could have gone much harder into said themes of identity and accepting one’s identity in spite of those who may not agree, it still leaves your stomach in knots from how naked both the story and characters feel. I do feel I need to watch it again to see if there were minor details I missed, and usually I don’t bother unless I was pretty into it the first time. Definitely worth a look!
“BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY”
A documentary about a man who is incapable of having children takes in and cares for an orphaned otter. It’s so fucking cute and sweet it’ll give you diabetes. Whatever.
“THELMA”
Fact for the day: June Squibb is currently 95 years old. She was probably closer to 93 or 94 when “Thelma” was made. She looks, acts, and behaves about 30 years younger than that. She has officially made the Treasures list, and must be protected at all costs.
Outside of that, I had heard some faint praise about “Thelma” on social media, but hadn’t really heard about its release in any way, so I thought I’d tackle it as soon as it hit Hulu. In the cliche of “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore”, “Thelma” is a thoughtful and outright funny little comedy about a grandmother that was scammed out of $10,000 online, she decides she’s going to right the wrong herself, and with the help of her co-star - the equally funny Richard Roundtree - humor ensues with just the right amount of heart sprinkled in a way that isn’t cynical or condescending. By the time it was over, I wanted to give her a hug and maybe go get some pie.
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