2024 saw the chasm between tentpole event movies, and basically everything else, widen. Audiences seemed to either rush out to their most anticipated titles on opening weekend or stay at home to wait — in some cases, only a few weeks — for rental or streaming. Whether you went to the theater or watched from your couch, there were plenty of great options throughout the year. I watched just shy of 200 new releases in 2024 and these are my 10 favorites:
- Challengers (streaming on Amazon Prime and available to rent/buy)
After a string of projects that were hit and miss for me, Luca Guadagnino served up two winners in 2024, the better of the two being this tense tennis tug-of-war for three. Told with back-and-forth chronology that metaphorically simulates the head motion one makes while watching a match, it’s an electric and steamy sports epic with a trio of strong performances. The propulsive music score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will undoubtedly buzz in the ear buds of gym goers for years to come. - Civil War (streaming on Max and available to rent/buy)
Alex Garland has gotten better each time out with his directorial efforts and this hot-button wartime thriller is his salient statement yet. Kirsten Dunst is at her best as a world-weary photojournalist making sense of her duty to a country that is falling apart before her lens. I’m not sure I saw — or heard, especially —a more gripping finale last year than the extended setpiece outside the White House that concludes with an unshakeable still image. - His Three Daughters (streaming on Netflix)
Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen are all in top form in this meditative family drama from writer-director Azazel Jacobs. They play a trio of estranged sisters whose differences become even more apparent when the time comes to care for their dad as he enters hospice. The writing is sharp and perceptive about the positions that loved ones can take toward the end of a loved one’s life, while the direction is empathetic about how these approaches all have their place. - Hard Truths (coming to theaters in January)
This caustic character drama is an annual reminder that I need to make more of an effort to make time for the work of English writer-director Mike Leigh. His 16th film is centered around an irascible misanthrope, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who’s seemingly lost sight on how much her anger is covering up a depressive disorder. True to the movie’s title, it’s hard watching a lead character alienate the only people who choose to stick with her but the effort is rewarded with profound truths about how we relate to one another. - The Brutalist (coming to theaters in January)
A historical epic erected as a monument to larger-than-life cinema, Brady Corbet’s latest is awe-inspiring filmmaking of the highest order. Adrien Brody stars as a Holocaust survivor who emigrates to the United States from Poland with the hope that his architectural ability will lead to prosperity. Shot in VistaVision and accompanied by a superb sweeping music score by Daniel Blumberg, Brady Corbet’s colossal vision of the American Dream will hit you like a ton of bricks. - Dìdi (streaming on Peacock and available to rent/buy)
There were quite a few comedies last year that were set in the 2000s but writer-director Sean Wang’s dazzling debut cut through the mix with observant direction and a hilarious script. The coming-of-age tale of a Taiwanese-American eighth grader finding his way amidst changes in technology and friendship made for cringe-inducing humor that will especially relate with millennials. There are also turn-on-a-dime moments of poignancy with the title character’s family that solidify it as a generational gem. - A Different Man (now available to rent/buy, streaming on Max starting January 17th)
This existential dark comedy is, fittingly, one of two films on this list that dealt with duality, identity, and an obsession with changing one’s outer appearance at whatever cost. Sebastian Stan is stellar as a disfigured actor who undergoes an experimental medical procedure that reverses his facial condition but leads to other unexpected complications. Writer-director Aaron Schimberg addresses provocative themes with a sardonic wit that makes his feature one of the year’s most original. - Dune: Part Two (streaming on Max and available to rent/buy)
The follow-up to Denis Villeneuve’s first half of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi odyssey is as inspiring and incendiary as its companion piece. Austin Butler and Florence Pugh are excellent additions to an already extraordinary ensemble cast, which sees Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya eclipsing their performances from the predecessor. If Dune Messiah is adapted to round out Villeneuve’s trio of Dune films, it could cap off one of the best movie trilogies ever made. - The Substance (streaming on MUBI and available to rent/buy)
Maybe there’s something wrong with me but I couldn’t stop smiling when I left the theater after seeing Coralie Fargeat’s body horror opus. Demi Moore is Oscar-worthy as an aging fitness TV star who takes an experimental drug that spawns a much younger version of herself. The satirical commentary on how female celebrities are overexposed, and then jettisoned when they hit a certain age, is razor sharp. - Nickel Boys (coming to theaters in January)
No director evoked the power of lived experience more exquisitely than RaMell Ross with this period drama about a pair of Black teens sent to a ruthless reform school. Filmed largely from a first-person point-of-view, the movie seamlessly juggles perspectives back and forth between the two main characters. Both a technical marvel in terms of editing and cinematography and also a storytelling marvel in terms of emotional depth, it’s a movie that feels miraculous and magical.
Reprinted by permission of Whatzup