Favourite Films of 2024

There were certainly better years for movies, but 2024 was okay *rotates open hand horizontally*.

Big name IP sequels—Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Despicable Me 4, and Moana 2—topped box office charts. Meanwhile, Francis Ford Coppola’s highly-anticipated Megalopolis and Kevin Costner’s first installment of his co-financed Western saga, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, flopped like fishes.

Legasequels were littered throughout the year, including Twisters, Gladiator II, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. It’s a growing trend for studios where they can take advantage of nostalgia equity to make movies with a high floor for success.

It was interesting to see what projects stars chose. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Glen Powell, and Demi Moore elevated their acting careers with the projects they chose. Meanwhile, Chris Pratt *checks notes* voiced Garfield—the second year in a row he voiced an IP character. Get that cheque, Chris.

I’ve watched 22 films released or screened in 2024, so let’s get into my 10 favourite.

Disclaimer: I haven’t seen the following big name films.

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10. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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9. A Complete Unknown

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8. Civil War

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7. Dìdi

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6. Cloud

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5. Dune: Part Two

Warner Bros. Pictures
March 1
Science fiction epic

Picking up almost immediately where Dune left off, Dune: Part Two is even more epic than the first film. Part Two isn’t bogged down by the heavy—albeit crucial—lore and exposition that was present in Dune. After watching the sequel, it makes sense why Denis Villeneuve structured Dune the way he did. All the vegetables are packed into the first film to allow for the meat to be enjoyed in the second. From the first second, we’re off to the races.

Part Two is a gargantuan cinematic experience that has to be watched in theatres. It’s visually stunning the way it was shot and the scope of the CGI can only be fully appreciated on the big screen. It’s a loud film that will rock you unlike any home theatre setup could. If you were lucky enough to see it in 70mm, you were immersed in the full-picture film format.

This film features an all-star cast headlined by Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson. The smaller roles, however, are played by big names like Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Léa Seydoux, who do a lot with little screen time. Every actor knew this film would be great and would sit in science fiction Valhalla, so they brought their absolute A-game. Timothée Chalamet springboarded to another level of stardom with Dune: Part Two, and locked in his place as the biggest male actor of his generation with A Complete Unknown later in the year.
Will Part Three be better than Part Two? Hard to say. I might even say unlikely. Under the direction of Denis Villeneuve, however, it’s safe to say it’ll be in a safe and expert pair of hands. With Dune: Part Two, Denis has become one of the great purveyors of science fiction and a master of cinema at large.

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4. Challengers

Warner Bros. Pictures
April 26
Sports drama

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The Challengers score is enough to make this one of the best films of 2024. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score is perfectly woven throughout the movie. It’s a metaphysical omnipresent character recurring and morphing as the film progresses.

Luca Guadagnino’s sports drama is hot, sexy, and steamy in a way no other sports drama is. His brand of romance is placed in a genre vastly different from his other films, and yet, you can easily tell who made the film. The love triangle in Challengers is riveting because initially you think it’s Tashi (Zendaya) in the middle flanked by Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist), but it’s quickly evident there is a homoerotic energy between Patrick and Art—making it this feisty triangle of lust and desire.

Zendaya absolutely owns the film and you can see the wheels turn in Tashi’s conniving head with every facial expression she makes. Zendaya stocks are going up.

Challengers is so much fun and probably the most rewatchable movie on this list. It’s exciting, it’s hot, it chugs along pretty quickly. Everyone is a piece of shit. Throughout the film you’re rooting for each and every piece of shit because you feel for them—a testament to the performances. By the end, you’re rooting for none of them because… well they’re pieces of shit.

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3. The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Films Boutique
TIFF (wide-release January 10, 2025)
Thriller

Though not a wide-release in 2024 (set to be released on January 10th), I got the chance to see the critically acclaimed The Seed of the Sacred Fig at TIFF. Nominated for the Palme d’Or and winning the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, there was a lot of hype leading up to the Fall film festivals, where it screened at Telluride, Toronto, and New York. I’m glad I got the chance to see it because it blew me away and was quite a different film from what I expected. I can see why it’s considered a frontrunner for Best International Feature Film for the Oscars.

On the outside, it looks like an exploration of the warring differences in culture between older and younger generations of Iranians. The youth are much more liberal and embracing of Western values, while the older population is dedicated to the theocentric principles that have shaped Iran for decades post-Revolution. The film is certainly still a cultural exploration and is set around the events of the anti-government protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, but halfway through the film, it pivots to become this gripping thriller that pits a family against each other over the basis of what’s “right” in Iran and the world as a whole. The second half is almost a completely different film from the first, but there is a concerted enough transition to prevent it from being jarring, confusing, or half-baked.

There’s an effective use of real world footage—a tool that doesn’t always work—that gives tangible context to the climate the family and Iran as a whole was in. It’s also a refresher on the events as they will have happened almost 2.5 years prior to the film’s release.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a long burn, but is interesting in its cultural exploration and the second half thriller. With today’s access to the internet, I wouldn’t say it’s an important watch from a current events perspective, as personal accounts can be found online, but this fictional story does scratch the surface and is a vessel for a story of how these events affected quite regular people.

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2. The Brutalist

A24
December 20
Period epic

Like the main character, László Tóth, Brady Corbet is intentional with every aspect, moment, and detail in The Brutalist. There are moments in this immigrant American dream story that don’t work, especially in the second half, but you can see why Brady included it in his film. Even in its 215 minute runtime, there isn’t any fluff. It’s hard to not see László as a creation of self-reflection for Brady—a masterful artist who’s almost entirely driven by the desire to have a lasting legacy in the world. Brady hasn’t said as much, but you don’t have to look too deep between the lines to see it.

It’s a beautiful film. Foundationally it’s shot so wonderfully on VistaVision (I watched the 70mm print release). Beautiful scenes of the hills of Pennsylvania, the towering buildings of New York City, and this labyrinthian monument of a structure László is tasked to build. The first scene follows László through the pitch black depths of a cargo ship, emerges into the light of the New York Harbor, and ends with an upside down shot of the Statue of Liberty. Mesmerizing stuff. My favourite scene visually in the entire film is in this gorgeous cold marble quarry in the foggy mountains of Carrara.

It’s weird to say this is a comeback for Adrien Brody considering his long career, but his portrayal of László Tóth is so good that you’d think what’s next will be top tier as well. Beyond the convincing accent and the gut wrenching emotion, it’s a very physical performance. He’s lanky and gaunt, and often hunched over or stumbling around. An all-around performance.

The Brutalist may or may not be trying to join the widely accepted popular film canon. Whether it is or isn’t, it reaches similar heights in its scope. It’s long and at times extremely conversational, but it’s worth watching in the theatres.

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1. Anora

Neon
October 18
Comedy-drama

Anora captivates you throughout the entire movie. With its dark and steamy party scenes, the often funny sex scenes, the low-effort high-success humour, but most importantly with Mikey Madison’s performance. The first act takes you through this wild young romance Ani and Vanya take up and it’s fireworks and bliss. The second act is a Safdie Brothers-esque anxiety-inducing wild chase throughout the night. The third act zeroes in on Ani and makes you just want her to win in the end. Everything slows down to a crawl and allows the viewer to just sit with Ani and what you think is going through her head.

The film couldn’t be titled anything else because it’s heliocentric around Madison’s character, Anora “Ani” Mikheeva. Ani wants everyone to think she is so much more than a materialistic sex worker, but she struggles internally to figure out if she really is much more than that. Mikey Madison’s complete and dynamic performance nails that personal conflict dead on.

Sean Baker’s direction of the film is great and the cinematography effectively enhances the emotions the characters in the film feel. For example, after Ani and Vanya get married in Vegas, the camera is swirling around them and flying through the indoor shopping centre/casino to accentuate this dizzying thrill ride the two are having. Stunning.

I had so much fun watching Anora, but it was also a film that was expertly crafted and so well written. Through it, Sean Baker has ascended as a filmmaker and Mikey Madison has made herself a true star. I’m excited to see what Mikey is going to do next because I’m sure she’ll choose intriguing projects to work on.

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Happy viewing in 2025!

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