This year I saw 144 new releases in the theater (a new record for me) and I really liked quite a few of them so it was hard to narrow down my annual list of favorites to just ten. As ever, my list is an eclectic one because I base it on how much I enjoyed the movie and the experience of watching it rather than the critical response or box office performance. So, without further ado, here are the movies I loved in 2024 (click the title to read my original review).
The Wild Robot is incredibly powerful and emotional and I was surprised by how much I loved it! The story may be simple but it is very compelling and I really loved the idea that it is sometimes better to abandon everything you think you know and trust what you feel in order to succeed. I also loved the theme of acceptance and that differences should be celebrated. In addition, the theme of motherhood is especially poignant because Roz must ultimately let Brightbill go after doing everything she can to teach him to fly. The animation is visually stunning with an evocative score to match and all of the vocal performances are highly nuanced. This is a beautiful movie.
Flow is another movie with visually stunning animation and a poignant story but this resonated a bit more with me because of my deep emotional connection to the animals who must learn not only to coexist but to work together in order to survive a cataclysmic storm. I was very invested in their fate and I was moved to tears on more than one occasion. I loved the way the animals are portrayed because, while they are not anthropomorphized (they definitely move and behave as animals and there is no dialogue), they have distinct characteristics that are maintained throughout. I also loved the naturalistic soundscape, the beautiful score, and the immersive animation that is both grounded in reality and otherworldly. This is another incredibly beautiful movie.
A Real Pain was easily my favorite at Sundance this year and I loved it even more upon a second viewing. This is a moving, but surprisingly funny, portrait of generational trauma and the guilt that two cousins feel when they compare the vicissitudes of their daily lives with the horrors experienced by their grandmother during the Holocaust. I also really enjoyed the comparison between the very different ways the cousins express (and repress) what they are feeling. Both Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin give brilliant performances because I laughed out loud at all Culkin's antics but Eisenberg moved me to tears with an incredible monologue. This is a powerful exploration of how people confront pain.
Sing Sing is about a group of men incarcerated in Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison who participate in a real-life theatre program (the cast features many men who are alumni of the program). The narrative alternates between the brutal realities of living behind bars and escaping from those realities for a few hours by participating in acting exercises, rehearsals, and performances that allow them to express feelings that have been repressed. I really love that Hamlet's soliloquy is one of the pieces that allows the characters to access their emotions. Colman Domingo's brilliant performance blew me away, especially when the camera comes in close to show the subtle changes in his expression, and the rest of the cast is also very affecting. This is an incredibly moving depiction of the redemptive power of art.
Challengers uses tennis as a metaphor for the relationship between three people and the back and forth that happens when the power dynamic changes and it is very clever and entertaining. Zendaya gives an absolutely riveting performance and both Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist match her in intensity (the three of them have insane chemistry with each other). The way in which the tennis scenes were filmed is incredibly exciting and dynamic, especially the scenes from the POV of the ball. I also loved the techno score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross because it really amps up the energy in every scene. This movie is definitely a lot of fun.
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name (which is loosely based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker) but this version is incredibly atmospheric and leans heavily into the mythology surrounding vampires. The tension escalates very slowly (until it is almost unbearable) and, in my opinion, it is more unsettling than scary. The visuals are amazing, particularly the way the shots are framed and the use of light and shadow, and I was really struck by the fact that Count Orlok is more terrifying for what you don't see than by what you do (the way that characters react to him is highly effective). The sound design is menacing and the score really adds to the sense of dread. All of the performances are outstanding but Lily-Rose Depp's commitment to the physicality of the role is impressive. This is a brilliant retelling of a classic.
A Complete Unknown chronicles Bob Dylan's arrival in New York City in 1961, his rise to prominence within the folk music community, and his controversial decision to go electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. As a huge fan of Bob Dylan who admires his uncompromising dedication to his vision regardless of what anyone else thinks, I really enjoyed how this movie explores his journey to artistic freedom without trying to demystify the man. I loved Timothee Chalamet's performance because he brilliantly captures the essence of Dylan during this period of his life and the fact that he performs more than 40 songs live (singing as well as playing the guitar and harmonica) is really impressive. He sounds remarkably like Dylan and I found him riveting, especially in the songs "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall," "The Times They Are a-Changin'," and "It Ain't Me, Babe." I was also really impressed by Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. This biopic absolutely blew me away!
I really love the Mad Max franchise and, while Furiosa doesn't quite reach the same non-stop adrenaline levels of Fury Road, the worldbuilding in the Wasteland is much more complete, the characters (even secondary ones) are developed more fully, and the storytelling is richer with higher stakes. There are some amazing action set pieces (my favorites are when Furiosa's mother chases after the Biker Horde in a sandstorm, when the War Rig is first attacked during a supply run, and when Furiosa and Jack escape from the Bullet Farm) but I especially loved the quieter moments, particularly when Furiosa's mother makes her promise to return home, when she confides in Jack and they decide to go to the Green Space together, and when Dementus tells her that he has had just as much sorrow in his life, because they add so much pathos to the narrative. Chris Hemsworth is a great villain and Anya Taylor-Joy conveys so much of what Furiosa is feeling with just her eyes. Seeing this in IMAX was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had watching a movie this year (second only to Dune: Part Two).
I am a huge fan of the musical Wicked and this movie is a very faithful adaptation with a few fun surprises. The production design is absolutely dazzling and I love how the worldbuilding has been expanded for the movie, particularly all of the elaborate classrooms and dorms at Shiz University and the Wizard's palace in the Emerald City. The choreography is incredibly dynamic and lively and I especially loved "No One Mourns the Wicked," "What Is This Feeling," "Dancing Through Life," and "One Short Day." I was nervous when I heard that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo had been cast as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, but they are both outstanding. Grande nails both the vocals and the humor (I loved her version of "Popular") but I was blown away by Erivo's passionate renditions of "The Wizard and I" (I love how she builds to the powerful conclusion) and "Defying Gravity" as well as her nuanced performance of "I'm Not That Girl" (my favorite song in the show). I also really enjoyed Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero (for *ahem* reasons). This is an effervescent love letter to musical theatre!
Dune: Part Two was my most anticipated movie of 2024 and it definitely lived up to all of my ridiculously high expectations! I was able to see it in IMAX at a sold out fan first screening and it is not an exaggeration to say that it might be the greatest experience I have ever had watching a movie because the excitement in the crowd was palpable and the movie is absolutely epic! Everything from the first movie is expanded upon and I particularly enjoyed how the themes of absolute power and religious fanaticism are explored. Chalamet is amazing as Paul Atreides because he portrays his confusion over the true nature of his destiny with nuance but then fully embraces his descent into the darkness with a chilling performance in the third act that left me reeling. Zendaya and Austin Butler are also standouts for me. The visuals are stunning and the action sequences had me on the edge of me seat, especially when Paul rides the sandworm for the first time (it is so immersive I felt like I was riding the worm myself). The score is incredibly atmospheric and I had goosebumps when Paul appears to the fundamentalists in the south because it is so ominous! This is an exhilarating sequel that surpassed the original (I cannot wait for Dune: Messiah).
I loved HCT's production of Titanic The Musical so much I saw it twice! I was, therefore, really intrigued by the concert edition of this show now being performed at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. I saw it last night and, while it doesn't have the same technical wizardry as HCT's version, it is beautiful and very moving. This musical tells the story of the doomed maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic from the perspectives of the different groups on board. The White Star Line is represented by the designer Thomas Andrews, the owner J. Bruce Ismay, and the captain E.J. Smith who marvel at the ship in the song "The Largest Moving Object." The crew is represented by a stoker named Fred Barrett, the lookout Frederick Fleet, and the telegraph operator Harold Bride who are in awe of it in the song "Ship of Dreams." The third class passengers are represented by Kate McGowan, Kate Murphey, Kate Mullins, and Jim Farrell who are excited to be going to America for a better life in the song "Lady's Maid." The second class passengers, especially Alice Beane, are excited to mingle with the wealthy passengers aboard the ship in the song "Doing the Latest Rag." The first class passengers are represented by John Jacob Astor and his wife Madeline and Isidor Straus and his wife Ida who congratulate themselves on their success in the song "What a Remarkable Age This Is!" Ismay wants the ship to go faster to reach New York Harbor a day sooner for the publicity but that is extremely dangerous and Titanic eventually strikes an iceberg in "No Moon." When it becomes clear that the ship will sink without enough lifeboats for all of the passengers, Andrews, Ismay, and Smith accuse each other in "Blame." Only women and children are allowed on the lifeboats so the men must say goodbye to their loved ones in "We'll Meet Tomorrow." Andrews laments the errors in his design as the ship goes down in "Mr. Andrews' Vision" while the survivors on the Carpathia express hope that they will be reunited with their loved ones in "Godspeed Titanic." This is a stripped down version with a live orchestra on stage and an ensemble cast of twenty, many of whom play several parts, with minimal props (I loved the life preservers and the blankets with Carpathia stenciled on them) and costumes (the fur stoles worn by the first class passengers were my favorites) and a large screen showing actual photos of various locations on the Titanic. Cast members are located on risers behind the orchestra and move to center stage or on platforms on either side to perform the songs (although there is choreography for "Doing the Latest Rag") and I think this is very effective because the emphasis is on the music rather than an elaborate set. The sinking of the ship is not quite as dramatic but it is still powerfully conveyed through sound and lighting design. The cast is wonderful and the standouts for me were Blaine Hickman as Andrews because he is so emotional in "Blame," Cydney Hall as Bride because her physicality and facial expressions are hilarious in "The Night Was Alive," Ben Teeples as Fleet because his voice is so beautiful in "No Moon," April Beardall as Alice because she made me laugh out loud trying to elude the first class steward in "Doing the Latest Rag," and Mary Nakayu as Ida because she is heartbreaking in "Still." I was very impressed with this production and I highly recommend it (there were a lot of empty seats last night and this definitely deserves a big crowd). It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through February 8 (go here for tickets).
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