PHOENIX (AZFamily) — While the worst movies of 2024 all shared similar qualities with each other, the best of the year couldn’t be more different. Comedy, drama, action, horror, thriller, science fiction; the best of 2024 really had it all! Even better, we have a healthy mix of independent and studio-released films here, showing that no matter where the movie is coming from, all that matters is the talent behind it.
Honorable mentions
These are the films that didn’t quite make the cut but still deserve a mention.
Alien: Romulus, Inside Out 2, Kneecap, We Live in Time, Wicked: Part I
HERE’S THE LIST:
Jesse Eisenberg has been showing us for a long time that he’s a great actor, but he’s recently been displaying that his talents extend behind the camera as well. A Real Pain isn’t Eisenberg’s first directorial and screenwriting effort, but it easily feels like his most personal, exploring themes of faith, heritage, and how those affect our familial bonds. Kieran Culkin’s brilliantly tender and charismatic performance is the glue that pulls it all together, making the audience feel his real pain while also helping us recognize our own.
Late Night with the Devil is one of those high-concept ideas that is so brilliant that you can only hope the execution lives up to it. Writer-director brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes more than pulled it off, giving us one of the most unique and authentic feeling-found footage movies out there. David Dastmalchian finally gets to shine in a lead role, captivating the audience the entire time just like a late-night TV host should. Maybe trying to interview the actual Devil isn’t the wisest idea, but it sure makes for some great TV!
Every generation deserves its own sci-fi or fantasy action epic, and this generation is, without a doubt, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune saga. While Dune isn’t exactly new, originally being a novel from the 60s and all, these adaptations feel like the most fresh and original blockbusters to come out in quite some time. They’re those kinds of blockbuster films that really make you feel like you’ve been transported to this totally different universe. Even if this particular story in the Dune saga is finished, Villeneuve and his team have voiced enthusiasm about returning to this universe and adapting more stories. Keep the spice flowing, I say.
I simply don’t know how George Miller does it. Even at 79 years old, the man continues to defy the impossible. He did it in 2015 with Mad Max: Fury Road, turning a decades-belated fourth installment of an old franchise into arguably the greatest action film ever made. This year, Miller defied the impossible again, giving us a rare prequel that expands on its inspiration without detracting from it. While Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga isn’t quite as rockin’ and rollin’ as Fury Road (really, what movie is?), it’s a more than worthy companion piece. Nobody does it like George Miller, that’s for sure.
It is easily the most criminally overlooked and underrated film of 2024. I haven’t seen Daddio appear on many top films of the year list, and you know what? That’s a shame because this wonderful movie deserves so much more recognition. Led by phenomenal Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson, writer-director Christy Hall tells a beautifully simple story about how an unbreakable human bond can be formed between two people in such a short amount of time.
Seriously, though, Dakota Johnson deserves a shoutout for giving the best and worst performances of her career in literally the same year. Not many actors can pull that off, but she’s solidified herself as a legend in that regard. You go, girl! Also, I know I took Sony to task for how terribly they handled Columbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary in my last article, but Sony Pictures Classics put out some truly excellent movies this year, like Daddio and Kneecap. If anybody in Sony’s film divisions is doing anything right, it’s Sony Pictures Classics presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing might be the most important movie on this list because it’s the one that has some legitimate impact beyond just being a great film. Before seeing it, I had no idea that the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program even existed, but it’s immediately apparent the positive effect it has on incarcerated individuals. Led by a powerful performance from Colman Domingo and supported by real-life members of the RTA program, Sing Sing is a true inspiration that will make people confront their biases and realize the importance of art and rehabilitation.
Civil War is the fifth directorial effort by Alex Garland, and it may be his best work yet. Wisely deciding against getting into the nitty gritty details of why America in his film is at war with itself, we’re instead dropped into the thick of it with our journalist characters as they navigate this hellscape. Civil War may not seem like a horror film in the traditional sense, but while you’re watching it, you’ll feel sick to your stomach from pure, raw fear and anxiety.
Strange Darling is an incredibly simple film on its surface, but its execution really elevates it to one of the best thrillers of its kind. J.T. Mollner’s screenplay is meticulously crafted, mining constant tension and excitement from his twisty, non-linear narrative. All brought to life by star-making performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, Strange Darling is a thriller that will leave you breathless.
I don’t believe in distinguishing between animated and live-action films. People often want to separate them, thinking animated films can’t be considered the same level of “art,” or something like that. While, yes, animated films are primarily geared towards children, it’s just another medium of filmmaking that has the same artistic capabilities as any other film. Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot is the perfect example of that, telling an emotionally universal story with tactical precision and sophistication all through stunning animation and a talented voice cast.
The Substance doesn’t just top my list of 2024 movies, but I could very well see it being my favorite film of the decade when it’s all said and done. For 138 minutes, writer-director Coralie Fargeat practically grabs hold of you and shoves your face into the disgustingly exaggerated and hyper-sexualized world she created. It’s a masterpiece in disgusting body horror but also tells an empathetic, thematically rich story on the effects of aging, addiction, and self-hatred.
Demi Moore possibly gives the most important and impactful performance of her career as Elisabeth Sparkle, with her, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid all being perfect casting to represent the gnashing social commentary. It really is like nothing I’ve ever seen, and just when you think it’s going to let up, it keeps going, and going, and going, becoming a masterpiece in excess. I laughed, I winced, I gagged, and I cheered: basically, The Substance has it all. Time to pump it up!
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