The Ten Best Films of 2024
Making a list of any year’s ten best films is difficult because there are almost always more than ten worthy contenders. To pare down 2024’s list, I focused on the movies that made the biggest impact on me – the ones I couldn’t stop thinking about and obsessing over. There were plenty of terrific motion pictures released during the past twelve months. These are the ten I won’t soon forget.10. My Old Ass - Maisy Stella gives a star-making performance in this hilarious and unexpectedly emotional comedy about a teen girl getting advice from her middle-aged self (played by Aubrey Plaza). In the year when I lost my dad unexpectedly, the film’s message about savoring every second with the people you love hit me like a ton of bricks.
9. The Outrun - Saoirse Ronan gives the best performance of her career – which is saying a lot given her magnificent body of work – as a bitter alcoholic trying to get her life together by moving to a remote Scottish island. This is one of the most insightful films ever made about the day-to-day struggle to maintain sobriety.
8. Emilia Perez - Several prominent transgender film critics have made valid points against Netflix’s genre-mixing musical about a drug kingpin who tries to become a better person after undergoing long-desired gender reassignment surgery, and I highly recommend reading their important perspectives. For me, though, this was a powerful story dealing with how we become the best versions of ourselves when we become the truest versions of ourselves. Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldana, and Selena Gomez all deliver strong performances in an unpredictable movie that admirably refuses to be pigeonholed into any one genre.
7. September 5 - This harrowing docudrama recounts how the ABC Sports team scrambled to cover the tragic hostage situation that unfolded during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Authentic performances from Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, and Leonie Benesch combine with an immaculately recreated depiction of the era’s broadcasting capabilities to keep you on edge from start to finish.
6. Conclave - Ralph Fiennes is outstanding as a cardinal trying to solve a Vatican mystery while simultaneously overseeing the selection of a new Pope. The film’s attention to detail makes it endlessly riveting, and the provocative, progressive revelation at the end challenges the Catholic Church to adopt some more contemporary views.
5. Civil War - Alex Garland’s thriller plays on the intense real-life political division that currently exists in the country, making it the equivalent of a two-hour anxiety attack. Aside from potentially predicting America’s bleak future, the story is a thoughtful tribute to the role photojournalists play in bringing accurate information to the public in times of conflict.
4. Anora - Mikey Madison announces herself as a force of nature playing the title character in this wild comedy about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, then fights to hold on to that marriage when her in-laws attempt to force an annulment. Bold, funny, and emotionally resonant, it marks a new high point in director Sean Baker’s career.
3. Nosferatu - Robert Eggers’ lusty take on the classic vampire tale is best described as darkly sumptuous. Through masterful production design, atmospheric cinematography, and inventive storytelling, he delivers a film that almost feels as though he somehow injected it with pure evil. Bill Skarsgård (as the sinister Count Orlok) and hundreds of rats help to provide the overwhelming squirm factor. It’s rare to get a horror movie that’s scary and artistic at this level.
2. The Brutalist - Even at three-and-a-half hours, I wasn’t bored for a single second of Brady Corbet’s epic about a Jewish architect whose efforts to assimilate into America are both aided and hindered by a wealthy industrialist. The film is incredibly rich in detail, as it continually peels away layers of the main character’s psyche to reveal the motivation behind his work. Adrien Brody could be on his way to a second Oscar for his multi-dimensional turn as the architect.
And my choice for the Best Film of 2024 is:
1. The Substance - Combining satire and body-horror, writer/director Coralie Fargeat gave us 2024’s most dazzling, electrifying film. Demi Moore does career-best work as an aging star who undergoes an experimental process that creates a younger, hotter version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. What happens next could never in a million years be anticipated. Through its dark humor and gruesome imagery, The Substance speaks meaningfully to how our culture’s obsession with female sexiness sends a sick message to women that their value is measured by hotness. The movie is also just a ridiculous amount of fun. Long live Monstro Elisasue!
Runners-up: Strange Darling, The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2
© 2024 Mike McGranaghan