Top 25 Films of 2024

I've given my disappointments of 2024, I've given my surprises, now there's nothing left to do but give my top 25 films of the year. I don't think I need to deliberate much here, this was a solid year for movies and these are the 25 films that I enjoyed/appreciated most from 2024. One caveat I'll give is that there are some films I haven't had the chance to see yet like I'm Still Here, as well as two in particular that could be counted this year that I had on my 2023 list in Hit Man and Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. I could also give a laundry list of honourable mentions, some of which were in this list until a few days ago, so just to give some more love the following films were in consideration; Saturday Night, Late Night with the Devil, Twisters, Oddity, A Real Pain, Gladiator II, Sweethearts, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, Love Lies Bleeding, and Your Monster. Also, if you want more in depth thoughts on some of these I have reviews of a bunch of them here as well so feel free to check those out. So without further adieu... let's begin.

25. La Chimera

La Chimera is a film that seems to take up until its last moments to tie its plot together, but it surprisingly worked on me really well. It's a watch that's compelling largely due to the mystery of where its events are going, and while some may not find the end result fulfilling, I found it sneakily quite emotional. Josh O'Connor is pretty great here, and is surrounded by an ensemble of strong actors. Even if you don't connect to everything in the film, the setting allows for a runtime full of magnificent visuals which easily make it worth watching.

24. The Seed of the Sacred Fig

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a film I honestly didn't expect to be a fan of thanks to its lengthy runtime and a plot that didn't sound overly interesting to me. I was proven wrong though, as Mohammed Rasoulof's drama takes a complicated political landscape and parallels it with the generational tensions within an Iranian family, crafting something that manages to be completely engaging for its entire near three hour runtime. I won't touch on the politics, but the way different generations interacted and tried staying true to their beliefs was pretty fascinating to me. This is a well acted, well made, and all around impressive film.

23. The Wild Robot

On the whole I found that 2024 was a bit of a weak year for animation, but Inside Out 2, another film we'll get to later, and The Wild Robot offered highlights. This is just a delightful movie from start to finish. Narratively it's pretty simple, but offers a touching look at parenthood that I just loved. There are moments that feel rushed, but this follows along the path Puss in Boots: The Last Wish set for Dreamworks, delivering another beautifully animated film that offers more than just mindless entertainment. The voice acting and music are also lovely.

22. Nickel Boys

This is the last movie I was waiting to see before making this list, and sure enough it earned itself a spot. Nickel Boys is a pretty fascinating movie, following the friendship between two black teenagers in a reform school during the 60s as one is looking to get back home. What makes it so interesting though is the fact that it is shot almost entirely from a first person POV. This isn't done as a gimmick like the terrible Hardcore Henry but rather as a means of connecting to the two characters on a deeper level. For the first act of the film we only follow one of the boys Elwood, and admittedly the first person filmmaking gets a bit tiresome there, but once his friend Turner is introduced we get to bounce between each of their perspectives allowing us that intimate connection to each character. The cinematography is unlike anything you'll see all year and manages to be beautiful throughout despite the bold creative choice. I also really loved the music, whether it be the score or soundtrack. I do think it's a bit long which held me back from putting it higher, but this is a pretty special film.

21. Conclave

I never in a million years would have expected to love Conclave as much as I did. Edward Berger's previous film All Quiet on the Western Front was a very well made war drama that I enjoyed but wasn't wowed by, so taking his abilities to a story about the election of a new pope could not have interested me much less. I was dead wrong though, this movie is shockingly fun. It truly feels like 12 Angry Men but if it were filled with gossip and people trying to undercut one another. The filmmaking is pretty fantastic, but I honestly don't even know if I like the film for being so well made or just being so entertaining. There are some truly hilarious moments, intentional or not, and an ending that really throws things for a loop in a way that I very much appreciated. Oh, and the ensemble is absolutely great, this movie rocks. 

20. A Different Man 

Ever since The Worst Person in the World I have been eager for Renate Reinsve's follow up projects. A Different Man was one of the first announced, and I believe was her first English language film, and it's pretty amazing. The film stars Sebastian Stan as an actor who undergoes surgery to get rid of his facial abnormality, only to miss out on a dream role to another actor with the same condition. This is simply a fascinating dark comedy, with Stan giving career best work, Reinsve continuing her strong career, and Adam Pearson whose charisma alone carries the back half of the film. The makeup on Stan pre-surgery is remarkable, and the film's look as a whole fits the dark satirical tone perfectly. This is just a truly fascinating watch, highly recommend.

19. The Girl with the Needle

I recently discussed this film in my top surprises of the year so I won't go too in depth, but I really ended up being wowed by this. It's an admittedly bleak film, but tells a crushing period story through stunning black and white cinematography and some fascinating visual choices. I loved Vic Carmen Sonne in the leading role, as well as Trine Dyrholm in a fascinating supporting performance. This can be a tough watch at times thanks to some tough subject matter, but the craft on display is absolutely noteworthy, including a pretty terrific musical score.

18. Strange Darling

Strange Darling is one of the best blind watches you'll have this year. I went into it with no information other than it getting good word of mouth, and I was treated to one of the most exciting and consistently engaging watches of the year. This takes a non linear approach to a crime thriller, allowing it to throw twist after twist at the audience without ever feeling like it's going too far. Willa Fitzgerald is magnificent in the leading role, and genre veteran Kyle Gallner is great opposite her. I truly cannot emphasize enough how great this is, such an under the radar hit that I really urge everyone to seek out.

17. Heretic

Seeing Heretic at 9:30 on a Sunday night during TIFF with Hugh Grant there was one of the highlights of this year's festival for me. This movie is a blast, taking the ever so charming Grant and essentially turning him into a version of John Kramer from Saw dead set on making a set of Mormons question their beliefs. Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher are also magnificent, but the writing is really what made this so much fun for me, constantly giving its three leads exciting and thought provoking dialogue to throw at each other. It does get a bit messy towards the end, but I just loved the writing and performances, and the production design is one of the biggest standouts, with the design of Grant's trap and the all around attention to detail when it comes to props making this feel special.

16. Smile 2

The first Smile is one of the biggest surprises I've ever had at the movies, a film I thought looked terrible but wound up delivering one of my favourite mainstream horror movies of the past few years. Suffice to say, I was excited as hell for director Parker Finn to go bigger and bolder with his follow up, and with Naomi Scott in the lead role as a pop star facing the smile demon that excitement skyrocketed even higher. Naomi Scott should be getting some serious awards consideration for this role, a performance that is big and bold and full of screaming, but also one oozing in self-consciousness and guilt. Her hysterics grow to near terrifying heights, and to top it all off she does some amazing performing as a musician as well, bringing a fantastic original soundtrack to life. From a filmmaking standpoint Finn truly makes this bigger and better than its predecessor, offering more crazy kills, insane visuals, and a vibrant style that I just had an absolute blast with. There has also never been a better ad for Voss water, maybe the real star of the show.

15. I Saw the TV Glow

Jane Schoenbrun's debut We're All Going to the World's Fair was a strange and uncomfortable watch that I appreciated more than I understood. Their sophomore effort I Saw the TV Glow is similarly strange, but a strange I found a bit more accessible. This is a film that says a ton about so many different things, offering a trans allegory that can be connected with by anyone that has felt like an outsider, as well as an interesting look on the way tv and the media we watch can alter and at times dominate how we navigate the world. There's also an interesting bit on nostalgia that I found quite fascinating. The narrative can be hard to latch on to at times, but the thematic depth as well as Schoenbrun's ability to capture brilliant visual ideas on film is quite remarkable. This also has one of the best soundtracks of 2024 without a doubt.

14. Thelma

A lot of great films came out of Sundance this year, but I don't think I was as excited for any as much as I was for Thelma. This is essentially a mix between an elderly Mission Impossible and a coming of (old) age movie as a 93-year old woman tries to hunt down someone who scammed her over the phone pretending to be her grandson. The titular Thelma is played by the always hilarious June Squibb, giving her a spotlight to shine in where she absolutely excels. She is so effortlessly funny, but the idea of losing agency and the ability to do things on your own as you get older is played very wholesomely. On the inverse of Thelma's revenge story we have Fred Hechinger as her grandson, desperately trying to find her whilst guilt ridden by supposedly losing her. It's just a hilariously fun ride with a whole lot of heart, one I can recommend to just about everyone.

13. Longlegs

Thanks to director Osgood Perkins, I was excited for this even before it's magnificent promotional campaign. It did not disappoint, offering arguably the best horror film of the summer. It isn't as scary as the promos made it out to be, but thanks to Perkins' filmmaking and an unhinged Nicholas Cage performance it manages to be pretty consistently unsettling. It's pretty magnificent from a visual standpoint, but even more impressive sonically as it boasts some of the year's most fascinating sound design. I've seen people talk ill of Maika Monroe's performance here, but I kind of loved it. From the get go her character feels scared and broken, making her journey all the more harrowing and emotionally impactful. Definitely one of the year's best horrors.

12. Nosferatu

If you told me just weeks ago that Nosferatu would miss out on my top 10 I'd think you were crazy. That's the way it is sometimes, and certain animal related movies end up sneaking ahead of the vampire movie you're anticipating more than anything else (we'll get to those in just a moment). Don't get me wrong though, I loved Nosferatu. Robert Eggers takes the classic film and puts his own spin on it, creating something eerie and brooding in the best ways. The emphasis on natural lighting makes this a cold and unsettling watch, and the way he brings the time period to life is simply remarkable. Bill Skarsgard is unrecognizable as Count Orlok, and Lily-Rose Depp gives a performance far beyond what I thought she would be capable of. The supporting cast is awesome, the makeup effects are great, and damn does this movie ever look good.

11. Better Man

This is one of two films I just saw this past weekend and had I not already put the list out it would have ranked very high on my biggest surprises of the year. In a world where we are given more and more mediocre music biopics each year, Better Man is a shot of adrenaline that I hope inspires other filmmakers to take big risks when tackling the lives of famed musicians. In case you hadn't heard, this film tells the story of British star Robbie Williams, only it does so through the lens of a musical featuring his music... oh and he's played by a CGI monkey. It seems so absurd, but it works remarkably well. Rather than focus our attention on an actor's portrayal of the central focus (a la Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown), we are instead given a fantastical character voiced by Williams himself. While that may cause skepticism, the film has such an infectious energy you honestly forget that he's a monkey within the first few minutes, and it's a creative choice that not only sets the film apart but also has thematic ties to how Williams views himself. The film is bursting with energy, but also presents a very raw and authentic portrait of its leading man, shining a light on his big ego but not shying away from the mistakes he made along the way. I loved this movie, and while it is unconventional I think more people need to give this a shot, it's a great one.  

10. Hundreds of Beavers

I talked about this one on my top surprises of 2024 list, but on top of being a big surprise it's also one of the best of the year. Mike Cheslik's black and white, dialogue-free, slapstick masterpiece was made for less than two hundred thousand dollars, but features some of the most impressive filmmaking I've seen in some time. Hundreds of Beavers shares the tone of classic slapstick cartoons and Charlie Chaplin films, but is entirely its own thing. Filled to the brim with over the top animal costumes and wild visual effects, this is just a weird and wild watch oozing with originality. It may be a tinge too long, but that's genuinely the only negative I can say about it, this is an absolute delight of a movie.

9. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

At the time I saw this it was the first Thai film I had seen, and what a first impression it was. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies isn't quite as funny as its title suggests, but is instead one of the most heartfelt films of the year. It certainly has its comedic moments, but it has a clear emphasis on tenderness thanks to the touching relationship between a young man and his aging grandma. I was surprised by how much his character develops throughout the film, as he starts the film seeming lazy and entitled but grows as a character as he spends more time with his grandma, while also coming back in touch with parts of himself that he may have lost. It's a beautiful looking film with a beautiful musical score alongside, and is just truly one of the most heartfelt watches of 2024.

8. Memoir of a Snail

I was lucky enough to catch an early screening of this in Melbourne with a q&a and meet and greet with director Adam Elliot after the film. I love stop-motion animation and this is simply one of the most impressive examples of it I've seen. This is also a perfect example of animation not being a medium exclusively made for children, as I wouldn't recommend anyone show their kids this. There's nudity, smoking, crass language, and it all comes together to make one of the weirdest and melancholic films of the year. It's a truly hilarious watch brimming with creativity in its over the top vision of Australia, but it also toes that heartbreaking and heartwarming line remarkably well. Sarah Snook puts in some great voice work in the leading role, but it's the endless detail and gorgeous craft that made me love this one.

7. Sing Sing

Sing Sing is one of those movies that just waltzes all over you emotionally, offering something truly heartbreaking at times but still lighting a beacon of hope. It's such a tender watch, and the inclusion of members of the actual theatre program at Sing Sing makes everything feel raw and honest in the best way. Colman Domingo is amazing, giving one of the best performances of the year as essentially the leader of the group. He is joined by one of the year's biggest breakthrough performers in Clarence Maclin, playing both tough and vulnerable beautifully. I love the script, the filmmaking is solid, but really it's the film's ability to tug at your heartstrings that makes it so special.

6. The Brutalist

The Brutalist is just an absolute feat of filmmaking. Brady Corbet's three and a half hour epic is a groundbreaking story of the American dream and the disillusionment of it. The intermission midway through the film makes for a perfect tale of two acts, the first filling us with hope for the lead character Laszlo, and the second crushing us through the growing ego of him and those around him. Adrian Brody is marvelous, truly sending us through a roller coaster of emotions over the film's runtime. He is surrounding by career best work from Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Alessandro Nivola, and Joe Alwyn just to name a few. Perhaps most impressive though is how truly epic this feels despite its small budget. With a reported 10 million dollars or less budget Corbet managed to make something that evokes greats like The Godfather, a true achievement. 

5. Challengers

Luca Guadanigno brought us two of the most tender movies of the past several years in Call Me By Your Name and Bones & All, not to mention his other film from 2024 Queer. Challengers could not be further from those films, offering an energetic love triangle that is full of adrenaline. Tennis and sex are intertwined as we watch two friends fall for the same girl who likes both of them, but loves tennis. The score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross feels like club music, and it works brilliantly in building the crazed energy the film exudes. The cinematography is great throughout, all leading up to the final tennis match where traditional filmmaking logic is chucked to the curb in favour of some of the craziest camerawork I've ever seen. Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor are all marvellous, and this is pretty easily one of the most rewatchable films of 2024. An absolute ride.

4. The Substance

If you haven't seen The Substance, I don't care how squeamish you are, you need to watch it. Coralie Fargeat's twisted dark satire body horror is unlike anything else you'll see this year or frankly any other. Following Demi Moore as a celebrity whose star is fading as she is coerced into making a better version of herself using the titular substance, the film uses its absurd premise to cut deep into the ways Hollywood and the world as a whole can tie the worth of women in the spotlight to their youth and beauty. It may not be saying anything new, but it's saying things that need to be discussed more and doing so in a big, bold, and bombastic way. The craftmanship on display throughout the film is magnificent, but it's Fargeat's direction and the dynamic duo of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley that make this work so well. One of the most fun theatre experiences of the year, and a film I think everyone should take a chance on.

3. Lisa Frankenstein

I had a feeling when I saw this early in the year that it would make its way somewhere on this list. What I didn't expect was how much I have grown to love it since its release in February. Aside from my top film of the year, I've seen Lisa Frankenstein the most, and while it is far from a top three movie of the year in terms of objective quality, it so perfectly encapsulates styles that I love. It truly feels like a mix of prime Tim Burton and Heathers, making it a brightly coloured yet offbeat throwback with a sense of humour that just works perfectly on me. The costumes and sets are perfect, there are moments of animation that fit the vibe perfectly, and the duo of Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse is electric. This is one of the most darkly funny movies of the year, and I can't wait for the day people realize how great it is, a cult classic one day without a doubt.

2. Anora

Sean Baker is a filmmaker that I've appreciated a lot but yet to fully love one of his movies. That changed this year with his Palme d'Or winner Anora, one of the best theatre going experiences of the year for me. I knew going in that the film would be good, but I wasn't expecting how funny it is. There are so many scenes full of hilarious tension, channeling an Uncut Gems level of mania but with a far more comedic tone. Baker uses that humour to make you care about the titular character Anora, using that connection to later rip your heart out. Mikey Madison is a star, but the big surprise here was Yura Borisov who delivered one of the most heartwarming performances of the year. The entire ensemble is great, and Baker's ability to take taboo subject matter and bring heart to it is on full display here. Anora is a messy Cinderella story that I can't wait to watch again, a fairytale that is sadly forced to deal with reality. This is one of the best of the year without a doubt and my second favourite.

1. Dune: Part Two

Nothing else really had a chance here. In 2021 I assumed the first of Denis Villeneuve's Dune films would take my top spot, but I fell in love with Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World and it wound up being my favourite of the year. In 2024 though nothing came close to touching Dune: Part Two for me, a film that managed to build on its already incredible predecessor and deliver one of the most epic cinematic experiences I've ever had. Villeneuve brings the kind of spectacle that reminds me of the greats that got me into movies, and Timothee Chalamet kills any doubt I had about his ability to play a leader with a booming performance that gives me chills no matter how many times I see it. Zendaya is magnificent, adding new depth to the character and more agency than we saw in Herbert's original novel, Rebecca Ferguson is haunting as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem is hilarious as a fanatic follower, and those are just some of the returning cast. Austin Butler is masterful as the bald and unhinged Feyd Rautha, and while her role is small, Florence Pugh is a strong addition as Princess Irulan. Visually stunning, with an incredible score from Hans Zimmer, and an ending that feels like a worthy conclusion while also leaving the door open to another chapter in this story, Dune: Part Two is just everything I could have wanted.