Year at The Theaters: The Best and Worst of 2024

Movies in 2024 had a lot going against them. It had the writer's strike from the year prior (that lead to some sh*t movies being made), and it followed one of the best movie years I can remember with movies from Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Tom Cruise and Yorgos Lanthimos. Luckily, the writer's strike did not limit the number of releases, and I was able to watch 50 new releases this year as well as 100 new movies. It was fun to try and hit the 100 mark I won't lie, though it may have lead to a few late nights.

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Honorable Mentions

1. Society of the Snow

2. The Taste of Things

3. The Zone of Interest

4. Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. (AYTGIMM)

All of these are technically 2023 releases that I didn't get to until the start of 2024 or didn't go wide until early 2024 prior to the Oscars. AYTGIMM got several award nominations throughout the year for Best Adapted Screenplay, and deservedly so for how incredibly heartfelt it is and how well acted it is by Abby Fortson and Rachel McAdams. The other three movies are international films that were either nominated for best international feature (Society of the Snow , Zone of Interest), or would have and should have been nominated for best international feature if the Oscar's didn't have some outdated rules in regards to country nomination restrictions (The Taste of Things). All three have very different tones, but deliver both entertainment and their message extremely well. The Zone of Interest won the Oscar this year, but Society of the Snow was my personal favorite of the year, and is available to watch on Netflix your next movie night.

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My Top 5 Movies Of The Year *Updated* - and my 5 least favorite of the year

5. Challengers

This easily could have been about ten other movies this year, in particular Conclave, Transformers One, Promised Land and Snack Shack. However, I watched this with Stephanie in the middle of a Saturday afternoon on the couch while we enjoyed multiple Aperol Spritz, and I think there's something about the enjoyment of that afternoon that boosts this that extra bit (this is also now a great tradition that has carried over to multiple other movies as well for us). There's also something about watching Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist battle it out on the court, sweating more than anyone has ever sweat before, playing mind games against one another for 2 hours over Zendaya.

If this didn't come out just after the last Oscar's I think the buzz around this would still be a lot higher than it has seemed to die down to. This has the best score by far this year and possibly the best ending to a movie this year as well. I can't wait to get this one on DVD.

4. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

This goes down as my favorite documentary of the year, and I only wish I didn't watch this for the first time on a flight. Not because the viewing would've been far better in my living room or the theater, but actually just because this movie broke me so badly that I ended up crying and snotting excessively next to a stranger on an airplane. There is no doubt that woman went home and prayed she did not come down with whatever sickness she thought I had on that flight.

This movie is about a young boy who dies after fighting against a muscular degenerative disease. His parents, who had thought he lived his last years in isolation and addicted to video games, come to find out that he had a vast community of people that cared about him through World of Warcraft. This movie does an incredible job of telling a story of a young man who effected and truly changed the lives of so many others he came to know, all while battling a crippling disease. It tells a lot of this story through World of Warcraft graphics brought to life , alongside powerful and emotional interviews with his family and WoW friends. This movie was incredibly touching and powerful, just please do not watch it in an environment that does not have an ample supply of paper towels and tissues.

3. Wicked

I should start by saying that I have never seen Wicked the musical. However, through my mom and sister I have listened to the soundtrack approximately 500 times, and I have heard how incredible the musical is approximately 100 times. Needless to say, I have been waiting for a very long time to finally get to see Wicked live in a theater.

That being said, though it is not the musical itself, this movie brought every bit of joy and satisfaction that I expect to get when I finally see the musical. I have not seen a story more meant to be told with incredible CGI, a huge production and an incredible cast of singers and dancers. This is the (now) so obviously the perfect musical to put on the big screen, and luckily it was put in the right hands of Jon Chu to deliver. Ariana and Cynthia were perfectly cast for these parts, and though some of the songs I actually didn't enjoy seeing as much as I have enjoyed listening, the two of them absolutely killed every line and note. Defying Gravity was as powerful of a song and moment as it's ever been in this, which is what really mattered as the credits roled. This was also the best movie-going experience of the year, as I've never seen a crowd be so quiet and mesmerized for 2.5 hours and then suddenly erupt as the credits finally roll. I do not think it should Best Picture whatsoever, but I absolutely think it deserves recognition and of course a live performance when the Oscar's roll around.

Twas truly, truly incredible.

2. Anora

Anora was a lot of things. I find it hard to describe in a way because of how at times it felt like a pure comedy, and how real and raw it felt at others. It felt like a movie that was constantly switching between different genres, but at the same time it felt like a real thing you could see if you drove down to Long Island for a few hours. Mikey Madisen was the center of the spotlight the entirety of the movie and delivered, and Karren Karagulian that played Toros didn't have a single line that didn't make me crack up. I saw this twice and laughed equally hard when Igor said "touche" both times.

Seems like it will be a very highly watched VOD movie, but I don't know if it feels like a Best Picture winner. (and I was happily incorrect)

1. Dune Part 2

Seeing Dune Part 2 felt like going to see Star Wars Episode 3 in theaters for the first time. It was hugely anticipated, the story was bigger than life and the production was huge. It also felt like the return of an original fiction epic for the first time since seeing Lord of The Rings. The original Dune was a bit disappointing only in the sense of expectations, as I had no clarification on the whole Part 1/2 prior to sitting down in the theater. That being said, Part 2 was so incredible that it retroactively improved how I felt about the first while also getting rid of any qualms I had about the two-movie split.

On top of my general feeling around the film, the movie was brilliantly acted by all the major players. Austin Butler and Timothee Chalamet should easily see nominations come this years Oscars. The cinematography was once again incredible, with several shots that made me wonder how many takes and how much time it took to get the final cut. And of course the special effects regarding the Sand worms were once again special like the first, though the movie does an amazing job of looking like there was very little special effects involved.

I do believe that it deserves the same treatment as Return of the King got and should win the Best Picture, along with a handful of others this year. I can't wait for a re-release in theaters or a Dune double feature in the future.

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The Worst of The Year

I do not need to go into deep detail with these, as they were indeed big ole stinkers. But please, take a bow for being the worst of the worst this year. You don't deserve it.

5. Megalopolis

Horrible, weird, acting and script were in a competition for who could be worse. Someone smarter than me can tell me what the point of this was.

4. The re-education of Molly Singer

Terrible, but at least expectedly terrible. Classic bad Netflix movie

3. Madame Web

This one was so bad it was enjoyable to watch... for about 30 minutes, and then it kept going.

2. Joker Folie a Deux

Sure, you can tell me that the director made this as unwatchable as possible on purpose. That doesn't make it any less unenjoyable. 15 good minutes of movie preceded by 2 unwatchable hours :)