The best movies (and other stuff) of 2024
Movies, TV, video games, oh my: This is my favorite stuff of the last year.
Wow, two posts in one weekend! I’m making up for time lost during the holidays, and I finally caught up on the ‘24 movies that I really wanted to see before making my top 10 list. So that’s below, as well as some other favorite stuff from the last year. We’ll get back to typical posts soon that involve my musings on the entertainment business. For now, let me know what you think in the comments (oh, and follow me on Letterboxd).
10. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
“Mad Max: Fury Road” is one of my favorite movies, and certainly the best movie of the 2010s (and one of the best action films ever made). So its prequel, “Furiosa,” had a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it’s not aiming to top such impossible standards; this is a much different experience than “Fury Road,” telling a decade-spanning story about revenge and survival that gives the title character a stronger arc than Max got in four movies. That’s not to say the filmmaking isn’t thrilling; George Miller is still one of the finest action directors alive .
How to watch: Streaming on Max
9. “The Wild Robot”
Early last year I wrote that Universal had dethroned Disney as the animation champion. Sure, Disney’s “Inside Out 2” and “Moana 2” have dominated the box office since, but did Disney release “The Wild Robot”? No.
How to watch: Available to rent on digital platforms
8. “The Brutalist”
Director Brady Corbet crafts a three-and-a-half-hour new American “epic” about the grand allure and promise of America, and how quickly it can be snatched away. This was a tough one to process immediately coming out of the theater, and over two weeks since seeing it, it has still been difficult to comprehend its vastness. Not for nothing: Guy Pearce gives one of my favorite performances of the year.
How to watch: Still in theaters
7. “Challengers”
It’s a real shame that “Challengers” seems to be getting lost in the awards race, because Zendaya and Josh O’Connor give some of the best performances of the year. Director Luca Guadagnino makes tennis thrilling for non-tennis fans, maybe because this isn’t so much about tennis as it is about the addiction to winning at all costs.
How to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
6. “Civil War”
The conversation around Alex Garland’s “Civil War” at the time of its release was maddening. Yes, the details around its central conflict are scarce, but perhaps the point is that America’s polarization has become so severe that our differences lack any rhyme or reason. People couldn’t believe that Texas and California would join forces, but post-election, when much of the country swung to the right (even heavily blue regions), is that so hard to believe? And no, this isn’t a movie about great journalism; the journalists are just chasing a high. As you can see, I have a lot of thoughts about this film, so you can read more at my Letterboxd.
How to watch: Streaming on Max
5. “Nickel Boys”
A bulldozer of a movie that generated a few hushed “wow”s in my theater as the credits rolled. RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is told in a first-person POV style that isn’t a gimmick, but a fully realized expression of the film’s narrative. It took a bit for it to win me over, but it soon washes over you. Now I can’t imagine it any other way.
How to watch: Still in theaters
4. “Rebel Ridge”
The climax of this movie, from director Jeremy Saulnier, features some of the most breathtaking filmmaking of the year, and I’m mad Netflix made me watch it at home. Aaron Pierre gives a movie-star-making performance as a former Marine that takes on a corrupt small-town police department.
How to watch: Streaming on Netflix
3. “Nosferatu”
Director Robert Eggers — of “The Witch,” “The Lighthouse,” and “The Northman” — has quickly become one of my favorite filmmakers working today. “Nosferatu” might be his best movie yet, taking the basic beats of the original 1922 vampire silent film and expanding it into a gnarly gothic horror tale of lust, fantasy, paranoia, and desperation.
How to watch: Still in theaters
2. “Anora”
Sean Baker’s story of a sex worker who unwittingly falls for the son of a Russian oligarch is equal parts funny, touching, and tragic, with probably the best performance of the year from Mikey Madison.
How to watch: Available to rent on digital platforms
1. “Dune: Part Two”
2024 was the post-pandemic year that finally cemented theatrical as the best film distribution method after much hand wringing during the pandemic era. And no movie represented the highs of the theatrical experience last year than “Dune: Part Two,” a sci-fi epic on a grand scale that tops its (also superb) predecessor in nearly every way.
How to watch: Streaming on Max
Honorable mentions:
A Complete Unknown; Alien: Romulus; A Quiet Place: Day One; A Real Pain; The Bikeriders; Conclave; The First Omen; Hit Man; In a Violent Nature; Juror #2; Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; Sing Sing; The Substance; Trap
The best of other stuff…
“Astro Bot”: This game is so immensely fun.
Comic-book universes: My favorite stuff in comic books right now are new universes. Both DC and Marvel launched (or in Marvel’s case, relaunched) new lines — Absolute and Ultimate, respectively — running concurrently with their main-continuity books. And over at Image, its Energon Universe — consisting of new Transformers and GI Joe titles — picked up steam.
DC on Max: HBO’s “Penguin” series was one of the best shows of 2024, and I really enjoyed animated Max series “Kite Man” and “Creature Commandos” (the latter is the first title out of James Gunn’s new DCU).
FX on Hulu: Okay, I know it’s now called that anymore. But FX (I watched on Hulu!) delivered a few of my favorite shows from the year: “Shogun,” “What We Do In the Shadows” (its final season), and “The Bear” (despite its polarizing third season).
The world of “Fallout”: I loved Prime Video’s “Fallout” series so much that I went back and spent many, many hours playing “Fallout 4,” my first experience with the “Fallout” games (perfect timing, because it got a sleek new update in 2024).
No news roundup today since I just did it yesterday. See you next time, and thanks for reading!