My EXTREMELY Belated Best Movies of the Year (Part 1)
2024 has been over for over three months. So, why am I going back now?
To tell you the truth, part of me wants to make this exact scenario a tradition.
A lot of movies that I want to see to finish out my goals do not reach my part of the country until the following year. As such, everything becomes delayed, and since school picks up immediately after, my life becomes busier and busier. Due to that, I often do not get to these lists until this time the next year. However, there is also a part of me that enjoys this. By the time I get around to these lists, the Oscars have come and gone, and it becomes a matter of what has stuck with me since I saw it. This ends up becoming a great way of seeing of what will stand the test of time, and what will end up falling by the wayside.
In fact, there were a lot of films to choose from last year, and I think it was the best year of cinema that I have covered as a reviewer. We were overflowing with good movies in 2024, and each one came from a different place. So, this time, I am going to split this list into three parts, where I cover my thirty favorites of the year. I have decided on thirty because I think it’s a nice round number, and it gives plenty of room to recommend things that people may not have seen or even heard of. I have said this before, but getting to curate movies to people in my life is the best part of doing this. There are films that are on this list that friends of mine may have never even heard of if I had not literally sat them down in a college dorm room to watch it. I will certainly not say I have flawless taste, but I think this is a good list with a really eclectic mix of stuff. More than that, I hope that everyone can walk away from reading this being interested in something they might not have seen.
So, without further ado, let’s get to the list itself.
30. THE INSTIGATORS
Every year, there is a movie that gets raked over the critical coals that I really like. In 2024, Doug Liman’s The Instigators was that movie. It is a comedic crime film that tells the story of two guys (Matt Damon and Casey Affleck) who are brought into performing a heist. Damon plays a blue-collar guy who needs money for child support, while Affleck is a general ne’er-do-well who owns a bar. The two of them go to execute the heist, but it goes horribly awry, leaving them on the run from police from multiple states, as well as the people that hired them and the people they tried to steal from.
This is not an earth-shattering classic, but both times I watched it, I found myself incredibly charmed and entertained, and I am sure I will revisit it more. Damon plays wonderfully against type as someone who is not street smart and completely out of his element, while Affleck is hilarious as a complete screw-up. Hong Chau becomes the third member to their comedic trio, playing Damon’s therapist, and she turns out to be a more important character than one might expect. This has a similar vibe to a movie like Midnight Run, where characters are trying to find ways out of a situation and life keeps throwing new challenges toward them. That is also reflected in the cast, as the film unexpectedly blindsides you with appearances from Alfred Molina, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ron Perlman, Ving Rhames, and Paul Walter Hauser in smaller roles. It is simultaneously low-key and crazy, and I cannot understand why people did not care for this film.
Oh well. I can live on an island by myself and enjoy it.
29. BETTER MAN
My mom is probably shocked that this is as low on the list as it is, mostly due to how much I talked about it after seeing it.
This is not the best musical of the year, nor is it the best musician biopic of the year. It is, however, remarkably entertaining in the very way Robbie Williams would want it to be. Better Man follows the musician biopic cliches to the letter, but I think the film does a good job highlighting the emotional journey Williams goes on, and I respect that he was willing to be honest in showing the bad behavior and addiction that led to the collapse of so many of his relationships. More than that, this movie acts as the coming out party for director Michael Gracey. As someone who was not the biggest fan of his first film, The Greatest Showman, this was a revelation for me. Gracey brings so much style and verve to the camera in an almost breathless way, and every time the musical numbers kick in, it is a visual marvel. In particular, the “Rock DJ” sequence is one of the best musical numbers I have seen in a long time and should be seen on the biggest screen possible. Seriously, even if you don’t watch the movie, find that scene on YouTube and play it on the biggest screen your house has. It’s worth it.
28. CONCLAVE
Honestly, had it not been for the final twist ending, this would have likely cracked my Top 20. As it stands, though, it is still quite good.
Director Edward Berger and screenwriter Peter Straughan have adapted Robert Harris’ pulpy papal mystery into something that could be considered high art. It is made with real muscle and, in particular, Suzie Davies’ production design and Stephane Fontaine’s cinematography are remarkable at recapturing of the Vatican and capturing a particular atmosphere. In addition to that, Straughan’s literate and thrilling script has been put into the hands of a slew of great actors including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, and John Lithgow, all of whom do terrific work. Fiennes, in particular, gives a subtle but powerful performance as a man who is suffering from a crisis of faith, which becomes even greater with every revelation of politicking and maneuvering from fellow clergymen.
As for my issue with the ending, it may relate more to the adaptation process than anything else. The book is rather sensationalist, and the final twist felt like Harris wanted to give his audience one last shock. It is certainly surprising, but it does not feel of a piece with the tone that Berger had established. Beyond that, it raises too many questions for as late in the film it arrives, and it does not work from a structural perspective. The election drama was absolutely riveting, and I didn’t know how everything would shake out. Once that conclusion was reached, it felt satisfying and complete. I think the film would have benefitted from Straughan cutting it for his adaptation. As it stands though, it still works as an excellent thriller with a sterling cast.
27. KINDS OF KINDNESS
What a weird little thing.
When I saw this film in June of last year, I used it as a litmus test to see if I am simply not a Yorgos Lanthimos fan. His previous effort, Poor Things, did not work for me despite being beautifully made and racking up a ton of awards. I am pleased to report that I enjoyed this film a great deal, and it felt like Lanthimos cashed in all of his goodwill from being an awards darling to make this bizarre anthology movie. He took three of his stars from Poor Things (Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley) and some now-established talents (Jesse Plemmons and Hong Chau), and used them to tell three misanthropic stories about misplaced love and the disturbing lengths people go to in order to show it. Each segment is filled with unexpected twists and laughs that are both pitch-black and bone-dry, including one visual joke that nearly caused me to do a spit-take in the theater. Every person in the cast is on Lanthimos’ wavelength, especially Plemmons, who plays three major roles and excels in each of them. This is the kind of movie that could only be made after a streak of unreserved success and as long as those films are this interesting and well done, I am here for it.
26. THE SHADOW STRAYS
Sometimes, I just like seeing bad guys get a glorious beatdown.
Indonesian action maestro Timo Tjahjanto, who kicked the world in the face with The Night Comes for Us, returns to the director’s chair to tell a fairly simple story. A young spy (Aurora Ribero) is suspended from her Black Widow-style organization after a mission gone wrong and ends up becoming protective of an 11-year-old boy (Ali Fikri). However, he ends up being kidnapped and she throws everything out the window to try and rescue him, resulting in many villains being destroyed along the way. The story is a solid framework, and Ribero makes for a terrific lead, but we do not go to movies like this for the story. We go for the action, and boy, does it deliver on that front.
Tjahjanto and his action choreographers, Muhammad Irfan and Trisna Irawan, put on a symphony of fights that are beautifully executed and staged. Even when the film is at its most brutal (which is a lot of the time, to be fair), I was marveling at the way the stunt team put their body on the line in sequence after sequence, with my personal favorite being a confrontation in a warehouse late in the film. In addition to that, the director has a wonderful mix of kinetic camera movement and longer takes that make sure every punch and kick are captured in dynamic fashion. Indonesian action films are like nothing else, and Tjahjanto is putting so many American action directors to shame right now. In addition to that, the fact that he will be directing both Nobody 2 and The Beekeeper 2 (The Beekeeper narrowly missed my Top 30) makes me incredibly excited for the future of this genre.
25. THE APPRENTICE
This is a tricky one to tackle in the climate we live in today, but I am going to do my best.
This movie feels a little dangerous, and there is a part of me that felt like I was getting away with something while watching it. Part of that comes from Ali Abbasi’s direction, which has a renegade energy to it right from the opening credits. What suprised me the most about the film, though, was the amount of depth that Sebastian Stan brought to his performance as Donald Trump. He never feels like he is doing an impression, but he has the mannerisms and energy down flawlessly. It is a truly great performance, and I was very happy to see that he scored an Oscar nomination for his work. The same goes for Jeremy Strong, who brings a lot of humanity to Roy Cohn despite his surface being all sunken eyes and body language that I can only describe as “goblinesque.”
It’s not perfect, and I do think Gabriel Sherman’s script does not bring quite as much humanity to these controversial figures as the actors do. However, for the most part, this movie does what a biopic should do, which is give a fuller picture of a figure. Heroes of history are not perfect, and bad people often have at least one quality we can latch onto that helps us understand them a little better. If you still do not want to see the movie after reading this, I totally get it, no matter what your reasons might be. However, I think it is a good film with remarkable performances and style, and it should not have been thrown to the wolves in the way that it was.
24. THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER
Honestly, I am still a little surprised at how good this ended up being.
Faith-based cinema can be tricky, and for a long time, it felt like these movies were more focused on getting their message across than telling a worthwhile story. However, in recent years, films like The Case for Christ, American Underdog, and especially Jesus Revolution (which made my Top 30 of 2023), have come out and been very solid on their own, and I think The Best Christmas Pageant Ever might be the best one yet.
Dallas Jenkins, the primary brainchild behind The Chosen, brings a surprising amount of early Wes Anderson energy to this adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s classic book. It has a childlike impishness and spirit throughout and is also genuinely funny. I was especially a fan the warmth and charm in Judy Greer and Pete Holmes’ performances as the Bradleys, as well as Lorelei Olivia Mote’s work as Alice Wendelken, whose reactions to the Herdmans frequently had me laughing out loud. The film’s emotional heart is what lands the most, though, and that is embodied by Beatrice Schneider’s portrayal of Imogene Herdman. Jenkins and his screenwriters do a great job of expanding her character from the book and by the time the film reaches its emotional climax, it genuinely earns it, and Schneider sells that moment very nicely. I think this has potential to be a modern Christmas classic, and I really hope it gains that following, because it’s that good.
23. HIT MAN
For a movie that was advertised as a goofy comedy about Glen Powell dressing up in disguises, I was surprised by how thematically rich it was. I should not have been, because Hit Man was directed by Richard Linklater, but I was pleased all the same. This loose retelling of the life of Gary Johnson, a college professor who moonlit as an undercover operative for the New Orleans police department, could have been just a fun romp. Powell gives a great performance as Johnson and has palpable chemistry with Adria Arjona, as well as the film’s fun supporting cast. There is a version of this that would have come out in the 1990s, been a big hit, and people would remember it fondly as an entertaining romantic thriller where charming movie stars got to be charming movie stars.
However, Linklater and Powell (who wrote the screenplay together) are not interested in just doing that. They lay out the themes in witty segments where Johnson is teaching his class, and the journey that Johnson goes on becomes more morally complex as the film goes on. We see him grow into a more confident version of himself, but that confidence also gives way to some morally dubious decision-making that really caught me off guard. This is more of a modern noir riff than anything else, and by the end of the film, a stereotypical romantic conclusion has occurred in the darkest of circumstances. If that ending makes you feel a little icky, I don’t think that’s an accident, and I love how Linklater and Powell challenge their audience to see how far they will follow him. Honestly, I think this could end up creeping higher on repeat viewings, but for now, this is where it lands.
22. A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
I enjoyed A Quiet Place as a tight monster thriller, but I have still not seen the second one. So, I didn’t really know what to think going into this prequel. By the time I left the theater, I found myself incredibly moved by what I had seen from writer/director Michael Sarnoski. He takes a different perspective in capturing the day of this invasion, focusing on Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a terminally ill woman, and her single-minded goal to do one particular thing before she dies. Along the way, she ends up meeting Eric (Joseph Quinn), a scared law student, and the two of them begin to form a bond amidst this insane situation.
Sarnoski sidestepped worries I had regarding directors who are brought up from independent cinema to franchise filmmaking and puts his own clear stamp on the film. Although this is a monster movie, and those sequences work very well, he wisely makes this a character piece first and foremost. Nyong’o gives one of her two great performances from this past year as the prickly Sam, and while Quinn leans into playing Eric as if he were a sad puppy, it speaks to his abilities as an actor that it never once feels manipulative. These are two people who are hurting, and through their interactions with each other, they learn the value of living and continuing on, even in the face of an apocalyptic scenario like this. A Quiet Place: Day One was not at all what I thought it would be: a lovely, sad, and yet life-affirming film that cements Sarnoski’s status as a truly humane storyteller. I would be interested to see the franchise do more one-offs like this, but I ultimately think this one will remain the strongest entry.
21. WOMAN OF THE HOUR
I would not have expected the best directorial debut of the year to be from Anna Kendrick, but here we are. Woman of the Hour is a marvelously fascinating exploration of the misogyny of the era, woven through telling the true story of Rodney Alcala, known as the “Dating Game Killer.” The film jumps back and forth in time between a woman named Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) still trying to make her way in the entertainment industry, and different segments of Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) finding his victims and killing them.
If this film only focused on the investigation into Alcala and his killings, I think it would still work and Zovatto gives a mesmerizing and unsettling performance that I wish would have gotten awards attention. However, the layer of commentary brought to the story by Kendrick and screenwriter Ian McDonald is what takes this to another level. The level of sexism that occurred in the late 1970s is acutely felt, particularly in a smaller storyline where a woman in the audience of the Dating Game taping recognizes Alcala and is met with a frustrating level of doubt from the authorities and her boyfriend. The movie smartly lingers on those moments, and they give a real heft to the stories of these women and the tragedy that befell them. In addition to all of this, it works as a thriller, and Kendrick is very skilled at building tension and dread and does not rely on violence and gore. This is especially true with the sequence where Sheryl and Alcala go on their date and then he follows her into a parking lot. It is a stressful highlight of the film, and one of the best scenes of 2024.
It is a testament to the quality of this year that something this good is only ranked twenty-first on this list.
A LITTLE PROGRAMMING NOTE
Generally speaking, I am going to try and get one of these out every Tuesday, but for this “best of the year” series, I am going to be a little quicker than that. I am shooting for Tuesday and next Friday for the dates of those entries, and in addition to finishing out 2024, I will also be talking about a couple of movies and television shows I have seen in the meantime. We have a lot to look forward to on The Smasher Reviews, and I am really excited to start this journey with you guys!
In the meantime, this is me saying so long and keep on movie watching!