I saw a total of 350 films in 2024, both new and old,  218 in theaters and 132 streaming or on video discs. I’ve come up with 30 films that are the best of what I saw, or at least my favorites. I don’t claim that all of these are great films (though some of them are), but they got my attention and engaged me in one way or another. Sometimes it’s just a performance, a feeling, more often it’s the whole package. You’ll also notice that most of these films were written or co-written by their directors. I think this makes a difference in the result. My picks for the top two films of the year are The Brutalist and A Complete Unknown. The rest are listed in alphabetical order.

In the interest of economy and attention spans (mainly mine), I will be keeping comments to a minimum..

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The Brutalist (Brady Corbet, director & writer)  I’d wanted to see this at the New York Film Festival last year, but couldn’t get tickets to the numerous screenings. I’m glad I had to wait, because we were fortunate enough to see it in 70mm IMAX, with the image filling the entire IMAX screen. This format definitely added to the experience. The Brutalist has an epic scale and narrative, and I was amazed to learn that it apparently cost only $10 million dollars to make. When super hero movies now routinely have budgets north of $200 million, $10 million seems like a joke. Something’s not right. Whatever, it looks and sounds great. The music score by Daniel Blumberg is of immense importance. Adrien Brody, and especially Guy Pearce, give stellar performances. The entire cast is excellent. There’s an event later in the film I have mixed feelings about, but that doesn’t diminish my feeling that this is a great piece of work, an achievement that brings to mind Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master (2012).

Not yet available for streaming.

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A Complete Unknown (James Mangold, director & co-writer)  I was apprehensive, but it turns out this is a great movie. James Mangold is an excellent director. Films of his I’ve especially liked include Copland (1997), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Logan (2017), and Ford v Ferrari (2019). Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), not so much. Mangold really scores with one. Timothée Chalamet is completely convincing as a young Bob Dylan, both in appearance and in his singing. Edward Norton is great as Pete Seeger. Covering the years 1961 to 1965, the film focuses on arguably the most formative years of Dylan’s career, when he became Bob Dylan. Being of a certain age, as they say, myself and some of my Minneapolis friends have a lot invested in our love of Dylan and his music. A Complete Unknown did not disappoint.

Not yet available for streaming.

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About Dry Grasses (Nuri Bilge Ceylon, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Anora (Sean Baker, director & writer)  Neck-snapping rollercoaster ride with sharp turns and jolts, going almost too fast for the curves. After 20-30 minutes of sexual acrobatics, it becomes the screwball comedy it intended all along. Something very endearing about all this. Mikey Madison in the title role is really great.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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The Bikeriders (Jeff Nichols, director & writer)  When I first heard of this film and then saw the trailers that seemed to run for months in advance of the release, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it. But the presence of Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Jodie Comer in the cast was very promising. Then I learned that Jeff Nichols was the writer and director, which sealed the deal for me. I’ve been a big fan of his work since seeing Shotgun Stories (2007) and Take Shelter (2011), both starring a stellar Michael Shannon. This is an exceptional film, on a different level than what I might have expected, definitely not The Wild One (1953) or Roger Corman’s The Wild Angels (1966). Tom Hardy is great, and Jodie Comer plays a character unlike anything I’ve seen her in before.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Blitz (Steve McQueen, director & writer)

Available for streaming on Apple TV.

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Io Capitano (Matteo Garrone, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Challengers (Luca Guadagnino, director)   Zendaya feels like a real star in this. The editing of the tennis matches is excellent.

Available for streaming on Prime and MGM+.

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Conclave (Edward Berger, director)   Great performances from Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, as well as Isabella Rossellini, who shines in a brief but important role. Terrific Vatican thriller, could be set in medieval times except for the cell phones. Not sure the final reveal works, but hey, it’s a very good film.

Available for streaming on Prime and Peacock.

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Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard, director & co-writer)  With all the attention it’s getting and a bunch of Oscar nominations, this film can’t be ignored. It has musical numbers with people singing and dancing, but somehow doesn’t feel like a musical, certainly not a traditional one. The premise is both way out there and timely. Zoe Saldaña is outstanding.

Available for streaming on Netflix.

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Evil Does Not Exist (Ryusuki Hamaguchi, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Flow (Gints Zibalodis, director & co-writer)  Simply wonderful. I loved it. A refreshing and unusual aspect is that all of the characters are animals – cats, dogs, birds, fish – and none of them speak, plus they largely behave the way the creatures they are would, which is atypical for animated films.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Hard Truths ((Mike Leigh, director & writer)  Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s character Pansy is hard to take at times. Most of the time, actually. She’s just too much, but the pain and loneliness and damage behind her extremely hostile behavior invites empathy and compassion. Authentic, lived-in performances from all. There’s nothing casual about Mike Leigh’s films.

Not yet available for streaming.

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His Three Daughters (Azazel Jacobs, director & writer)  Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olson, and Natasha Lyonne are all great as three daughters who’ve come together in a deathwatch for their father.

Available for streaming on Netflix.

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I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun, director & writer)

Available for streaming on Prime and Max..

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I’m Still Here (Walter Salles, director)

Not yet available for streaming.

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Kneecap (Rich Peppiatt, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Netflix and Prime.

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Memoir of a Snail (Adam Elliot, director & writer)

Available for streaming on Prime and AMC+.

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My Old Ass (Megan Park, director & writer)  Aubrey Plaza!

Available for streaming on Prime.

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The Old Oak (Ken Loach, director)  Edited from a previous post: Loach is a great director whose films reflect committed humanist, social, and political concerns. My favorites include Kes (1969), Land and Freedom (1995), My Name Is Joe (1988), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), I, Daniel Blake (2016) and Sorry We Missed You (2020). Loach is nearlyt 89 years of age, and The Old Oak is strong evidence that his craft, skill, and sensitivity have not diminished in the least. His films are about everyday people, working class, the common man (and woman). Working with his frequent collaborator, screenwriter Paul Laverty, Loach has created a deeply heartfelt film.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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The Order (Justin Kurzel, director)  Didn’t even know this film existed until the day before I saw it. There was virtually no advertising  that I was aware of. It’s a gem. Jude Law is excellent as a burnt-out FBI agent who in 1983 gets re-energized by his pursuit of bank robbers in Idaho who are in fact white supremacists stealing money to fund an armed revolution. Based on real events, The Order resonates with current times in disturbing ways.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, director & writer)  Didn’t think I’d want to see this, based on the trailer. Seemed like Kieran Culkin was going to be really annoying. But when we saw it at the New York Film Festival, I liked it a lot. It’s more than a comic, quirky road movie.

Available for streaming on Hulu and Prime.

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Robot Dreams (Pablo Berger, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Hulu and Prime.

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The Room Next Door (Pedro Almodóvar, director & writer)  The fact that this film and especially Tilda Swinton did not get any Academy Award nominations is inexplicable to me. She gives a truly great performance here.

Not yet available for streaming.

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The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Mohammad Rasoulof, director & writer)

Not yet available for streaming.

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September 5 (Tim Fehlbaum, director & co-writer)

Not yet available for streaming.

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The Substance (Corolie Fargeat, director & writer)  Gets nuttier and nuttier until it’s so far over the top by the end that you can barely believe what you’re seeing. Boy, talk about body horror. Demi Moore has been getting a lot of praise for her fearless performance, and I’ve liked Margaret Qualley since seeing her in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And no one who remembers Dennis Quaid’s bug-eyed portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire should be surprised by his performance here. I found him really repulsive, but I guess that’s the character. Acting!

Available for streaming on Prime and MUBI.

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Tuesday (Daina Oniunas-Pusic, director & writer) After I saw this film last June, I noted that it was “Amazing! Like a weird folk tale or fairy tale, but very real.” Had not seen anything quite like this magical realism look at dying and letting go. Very unusual and quite moving.

Available for streaming on Prime and Max..

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The Vourdalak Adrien Beau, director & co-writer)  Very unsettling vampire film. Robert Eggers’ misbegotten remake of Nosferatu could have used some of what makes this one so effective.

Available for streaming on AMC+ and Prime.

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The Wild Robot (Chris Sanders, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Prime and Peacock.

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Note: I have not yet seen Sing Sing, Marie, or The Nickel Boys, and others I probably should have seen instead of streaming all those UK cop shows.

Next up: Interviews and Q&As with filmmakers and cast members of some of these films. And then documentaries. Stay tuned. — Ted Hicks

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