There are still a few movies to be released (https://www.movieinsider.com/movies/2024), but it’s still probably a good time to have a look at the best movies from 2024 and discuss them.
There will be similar threads on !showsandmovies@lemm.ee, and probably !animation@lemm.ee
Feel free to comment with the movies you liked the most, ideally one comment per movie so that other people can chime in and discuss.
Deadpool & Wolverine - a blast from start to finish. Probably going to finish the year in my top.three, likely #1.
I worry the movie won’t be able to have staying power.
It was so good and I enjoyed the movie greatly but it’s clearly and very much for the moment film. Touching on the nostalgia and emotions of the end of an entire collective universe and shared history of media that won’t be for people moving forward.
So can it be movie if the year if it’s only valid for this year?
Not a judgement but a question. I’d say yes, but understand it can’t be easily recommended later.
Man this was a rough year where even the big movies that we hoped for were mostly middling at best and lots more were outright bad.
But to support something I did like
Smile 2
I actually hadn’t seen Smile 1 before seeing this but it had a really great classic horror movie vibe of tension and uncomfortableness leading up to a payoff of just downright hard horror in the style of Edgar Allen Poe or Hereditary. And a second watch is actually great for picking up a lot of clever writing.Just watched this last night and like the first it’s a genuinely enjoyable popcorn horror.
What I hate is the goddamn monster. It’s stupid. Personal opinion works much better as an unknown but that’s really my only gripe.
I loved the scene with the dancers and them fighting here it was so creative.
I saw Smile 1 and it was fine - Smile 2 took that basic premise turned it up a notch or two. I went I’m with pretty low.expectations but it really delivered. One of the best horror films of the year.
Dune: Part II
Part 2 was the pay-off for all the set-up in Part 1 and it was a thing of beauty (that B&W sequence really stayed with me). Not my favourite film of the year but a definite contender for top 10.
I still haven’t seen part 2 yet but I bought both in 4k from a black Friday sale. These comments are encouraging. ☺️
Amazing cinematography. I wasn’t the most convinced by the pacing, but it was definitely worth to see it in IMAX
Agreed cinematography, set design and costumes were top notch, same as with part 1, but i agree with you that pacing was an issue. Imo the root cause was a change they made from the books
book/movie spoiler (not sure if the spoiler tag is necessary)
By deciding to keep Alia Atreides (Pauls sister) unborn it drastically shortened the time frame they spend with the Fremen, getting immersed in their culture and gaining their trust/support, from years to to months. That means everything feels rushed and they also e.g. cut the death of Paul and Chani’s first child. But then again this change was probably for practical reasons, because the movie was already long as is and it also avoided having to cast a child actor.
I had the same sentiment about the implications of
spoiler
Alia not being born
in the movie, but I also understand they were already running at almost 3 hours. Maybe an extra montage to show time passing by? Or maybe that’s too cliche. Either way, it’s still the best film of 2024 for me.
Thank you for the spoilers, and bringing up a very good point!
Just having a look at websites tops (https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-movies-2024/, https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/best-movies-2024-1235079024/), I realize how many movies I missed ha ha
Less about movies I missed and more just ones I didn’t see because: a) I have more… “low brow” tastes than some critics and b) they got showings at film festivals but didn’t necessarily trickle down to movie theatres (and/or they are on streaming platforms).
I will likely get around to some of them, I was trying to catch Anora before it left my local multiplex but couldn’t.
Yeah, i am kind of having a hard time with the choice because there are still so much gaps like Anora, the Burtalist or Nosferatu.
Another issue is how to decide which year some movies belong to. For example “Perfect Days” from the rolling stone list.
Perfect Days premiered on 23 May 2023 at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for Kōji Yakusho. It was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards
Wikipedia. I assume it made the 24 list because the US release was in February this year, but it debuted last years in other markets and was even nominated for an Oscar.
Personally i find it easiest to just go with whatever year Letterboxd uses, which in this case is 2023. But if for this poll we decide it to be a 2024 movie, then it might get my vote over Dune II.
I just go by the date of first release on IMDb, which should be pretty much the same.as Letterboxd.
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-and-worst-movies-this-year-critic-ranking-2024
Borderlands and Madame Web are definitely topinv my list of worst. I’ll give the nod to the latter as the firmer seems to have been almost deliberately sabotaged by the studio, while Madame Web was, apparently, exactly the film Sony wanted to release.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In - went in pretty blind and loved it, definite Kung-fu Hustle vibes. I’m finalising my top ten of the year but this will end up in the top 3.
Well that’s interesting…
Been a while since I’ve seen anything compared to Kung Fu Hustle
Zone of Interest
The Substance
I didn’t exactly watch a ton of new movies this year but these two were both fantastic. I was thinking about Zone of Interest for weeks after. Still haven’t seen Anora.
Still need to watch Zone of Interest but agreed on the Substance. Great movie that stayed with me for a while afterwards.
@darakan@lemm.ee FYI for !animation@lemm.ee
Sure, feel free to make one either you or @BoozeOrWater@lemm.ee and I’ll pin it. Otherwise I’ll probably do one in a few days.
Gping by my Letterboxd reviews, Dune 2 or Conclave. I also liked The Apprentice quite well.
Dune 2: Villeneuve knows how to make a film feel BIG and significant. The second part topped the first for me. Only Walkens role was kinda disappointing.
The Substance: This one took me by surprise. I thought I wouldn’t see any more bangers this year but I just watched this a week ago and loved every second of it!
The Zone of Interest: Such an interesting and effective concept. Hard for me to talk about it due to the topic but very recommended to watch.
Furiosa: Does not beat Fury Road but is pretty close! Fun, loud, explosive!
Promised Land: Mads, I will work on your land for free.
Longlegs: While it fell down a bit in the third act, it was a great film with a very cool performance by Cage.
The Holdovers: An oldschool Christmas movie that warms the heart (it was released January in Germany)
Honorable mentions:
Young Woman and the Sea: Very inspiring and great performance by Ridley.
Inside Out 2: Doesn’t get close to the first film but the depiction of an anxious attack hit home for me.