Supposedly 2024 has been a down year for movies.
I don't want to hear it.
No, there hasn't been the steamroller combo of quality and box office that was Barbenheimer. (Sorry, the "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" mash-up of "Glicked" never clicked.) But when I started compiling my list of best movies of 2024, trying to limit it to 10 was, as it always is, maddening.
Why isn't "Nosferatu" on here? Where's "A Complete Unknown?" Am I really not going to include "Hit Man" or "Dune: Part Two?"
Evidently.
On another day they might have been. These lists tend to come off as more permanent than they're meant to be. Tomorrow, maybe "Thelma" will make the list. But not today. This is my Top 10 movies of 2024, in no particular order.
(Note: I've seen all of the movies on the list, obviously. I also reviewed most, but noted the ones I didn't.)
'Civil War'
I rewatched Alex Garland's film about a near-future U.S. in its last dying days of democracy, recently. It felt more relevant than ever. Kirsten Dunst plays a battle-scarred war photographer serving as a reluctant mentor to a younger photographer (Cailee Spaeny) as they make their way to Washington, D.C. The film is visually and sonically explosive, and the scene with Jesse Plemons as a menacing soldier is unforgettable. It was dinged in some quarters for its lack of a political stance, but that's not the point.
How to watch: Streaming on Max.
'A Real Pain'
Jesse Eisenberg's film — he wrote it, stars in it and directed it — manages to take pain and despair and turn it into something funny, charming and remarkably moving. A lot of that has to do with Kieren Culkin, giving a career-best film performance (on the heels of his career-best TV performance in "Succession") as Eisenberg's cousin. The two go on a group Holocaust tour of Poland to visit the home of their grandmother, a survivor who died recently. The final scene is as haunting as anything in movies this year.
How to watch: In theaters.
'Anora'
A good-time romp about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch and the chaos that ensues. And then, eventually, it's not such a good-time romp anymore. Mikey Madison gives an absolutely amazing performance, maybe the best of the year, as the title character (though she prefers "Ani"), who proves surprisingly resilient when Russian thugs arrive to get the marriage annulled. Writer and director Sean Baker's control of the film's tone and look is masterful. There's a lot going on here, all of it outstanding. (Reviewed by Amanda Luberto.)
How to watch: In theaters.
'The Brutalist'
This is what you call a big swing. Brady Corbet's film, about an architect who survived the Holocaust and moves to America, is 3 hours and 35 minutes long (and includes an old-school intermission). It's worth every minute. Adrien Brody is great as the architect who grows more complicated as the film (and his life) goes on. Felicity Jones as his wife and Guy Pearce as his patron are just as good. A complex film about what it means to be American, visually brilliant (shot in VistaVision) — definitely one to see in theaters.
How to watch: In theaters in January.
'All We Imagine as Light'
A beautiful portrait of loneliness and friendship told through the lives of three women in Mumbai. Payal Kapadia’s filmalso highlights the city, a bustling place where the three live, and work in a hospital. Kani Kusruti sitting on the kitchen floor holding a rice cooker her husband sent her from Germany is heartbreaking, but the film ends with a scene of such low-key joy it's unforgettable.
How to watch: In theaters.
'Nickel Boys'
Based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this is the most visually inventive film of the year — as well as one of the most heartbreaking and infuriating. Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two young Black men, are sent to an infamous reform school in Florida (based on the real-life Dozier School). Director RaMell Ross tells the story through the eyes of the two men — literally, using the camera to tell the story from their perspectives. It makes the film more intimate and inclusive. And more horrifying. (Reviewed by Dina Kaur.)
How to watch: In theaters.
'Conclave'
A good old-fashioned time at the movies — big stars doing movie-star things in a soap opera story of ambition and receipt. Or, how the Catholic Church elects a pope (sort of). Ralph Fiennes has so much fun as the cardinal tasked with leading the secretive selection process. Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow give him a run for his money in the scenery-chewing department, and wait, here comes Isabella Rossellini as a nun who knows some things. Director Edward Berger knows just how to play it, at least until an ending that is a little too deux ex machina, even in this setting. (Reviewed by Meredith White.)
How to watch: In theaters.
'The Substance'
Wild. Just wild. That's the best way to describe Coralie Fargeat's film, which skewers our obsession with youth and beauty, as well as the shallowness of pop culture and the addictive nature of fame. Demi Moore is absolutely fearless as an actress whose career craters when she turns 50, so she desperately tries The Substance, which makes you a different person, literally. Margaret Qualley arrives on the scene, but has to return to being Moore every seven days (it's easier to follow than that sounds). Once she's here, she begins losing interest in going back. What follows is, well, wild.
How to watch: Buy or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV+.
'Strange Darling'
JT Mollner's film about a serial killer will keep you guessing and then some. It's almost impossible to say much about the movie without giving it all away. But we'll try a little: Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner hook up at a no-tell motel and things go in directions that you never expect. Mollner tells his story in six chapters, out of order. At one point Ed Begley Jr. and Barbara Hershey show up as aging hippies; he makes a breakfast you won't soon forget. (That's not a spoiler. It's just a weird breakfast.) A cool thing thrown in at no extra charge: the actor Giovanni Ribisi is the cinematographer.
How to watch: Buy or rent on Prime Video.
'My Old Ass'
The most poignant movie about a drug trip gone awry that you're likely to find. Elliott (Missy Stella) is about to leave home for the University of Toronto in Megan Park's beautiful film. She and some pals take a lot of mushrooms. Elliott feels none of the effects — until a 39-year-old version of her, played brilliantly by Aubrey Plaza, shows up. She won't answer too many questions about her future life but does say to avoid boys named Chad. Guess who's working on Elliott's family farm over the summer. Park modulates the tone of the movie perfectly. Of course, you'll cry. Laugh, too.
How to watch: In theaters, and streaming on Prime Video.
'I Saw the TV Glow'
Jane Schoenbrun’s film is both a spot-on depiction of 1990s pop culture and its consumption as well as a story of trans discovery. It also looks like no other film, with its Day-Glo colors, time leaps and hallucinogenic imagery. Owen (played by Ian Foreman as a boy and Justice Smith as a teenager and adult) is introduced to a cult TV show called "The Pink Opaque" by his friend Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine). Events commence from there. Haunting and inviting in near-equal measures, this is Schoenbrun's singular vision played out on-screen.
How to watch: Stream on Max.
10 best films of 2024 so far:And how to watch and stream them
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Reach Goodykoontz atbill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook:facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X:@goodyk. Subscribe tothe weekly WatchList newsletter.
