These are my favorite films of the year and how to see them. I seem to be the contrarian on a quintet of movies others generally like (Anora, Dune: Part 2, Inside Out 2, Nosferatu and A Complete Unknown didn’t get raves from me); but generally, folks have gotten what I promised with my recommendations. I hope you find some new movies to enjoy going into the new year!
1. The Wild Robot – Lupita Nyong’o voices a discarded AI robot who learns to be a parent in this enchanting and highly emotional animated film set on an island of animals, directed by Chris Sanders; now streaming and back in theatres January 17, 2025
2. The Substance – Demi Moore makes a most unexpected comeback in Coralie Fargeat’s provocative and grisly body horror satire as a middle-aged actress who takes a de-aging serum and shares her body and spirit with a younger version of herself (an equally fascinating Margaret Qualley); available to rent via Prime
3. The Brutalist – Adrian Brody stars as an immigrant architect experiencing the best and worst of the mid-century U.S. experience in two epic, sprawling acts playing out like a great American novel, directed by Brady Corbet; now playing in limited theatrical release as it looks to capitalize on awards season buzz for optimal attention
4. Wicked Part I – John M. Chu’s adaptation of the first act of the Broadway musical is a girl power extravaganza with powerhouse performances by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as witches in college, and the production design and choreography really sell this event movie; still dominating the box office + now available for streaming across digital platforms
5. Hit Man – It man Glen Powell and his introspective director/co-writer Richard Linklater collaborate in the ultimate tale of conflicted identities hidden within a mix-tape of the romcom and thriller formulas; now available on Netflix
6. Flow – Animation reigns supreme as an expressive cat escapes a flood and heads to higher ground with the help of other non-human friends in this moving tale by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis; playing to packed house in limited theatrical release as buzz for possible Oscar nominations heats up
7. Civil War – Alex Garland’s dystopian tone poem of an America savaged by a mysterious battle as told through the eyes of photojournalists (including Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny) is one of the most indelible and disturbing films of the year; streaming on MAX and available across video-on-demand sites
8. Will & Harper – Josh Greenbaum’s documentary chronicles a witty and moving American road trip between comedian/actor Will Ferrell and his friend who recently transitioned to womanhood, Harper Steele; available on Netflix
9. Emilia Perez – Jacques Audiard fashions an audacious and polarizing hybrid thriller/musical/domestic drama about a drug cartel leader (Karla Sofia Gascon) who disappears into a new life. Zoe Saldana is her lawyer and Selena Gomez her ex-wife in this exciting and operatic curiosity; also available on Netflix, with big-screen presentations in select markets
10. Challengers – Luca Guadagnino crafts a stylish and sexy three-way drama about tennis, told out of order with a banger of a Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross score, with Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist all bringing their game; available on Prime
11. Conclave – The search for a new pope plays out like a whodunit with a master central performance by Ralph Fiennes and taut direction from Edward Berger; now in theatres and on Peacock
12. Twisters – Dueling storm chasers in Oklahoma including Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos and future Superman David Corenswet face off in the ultimate breezy summer blockbuster reboot under the careful guidance of director Lee Isaac Chung; streaming on Peacock and for rent across platforms
13. A Quiet Place: Day One – Lupita Nyong’o gives viewers a reason to tune into this futuristic franchise again with an extraordinary central character dismissing the potential end of the world due to alien invaders with nostalgia under Michael Sarnoski’s surefire direction; available on Paramount+, Prime, Sling TV and more
14. Juror #2 – Clint Eastwood’s thoughtful drama featuring a crackerjack legal premise and one of Nicholas Hoult’s best performances as a conflicted deliberator is now playing on MAX.
15. Wildcat – Ethan Hawke directs Maya Hawke as the idiosyncratic writer Flannery O’Connor in a film blending biopic with an anthology of her disturbing Southern gothic short stories; streaming on Prime
16. Deadpool & Wolverine – This is the ultimate meta superhero movie, telling the story of Disney’s takeover of 20th Century Fox via two of its most vulgar and wisecracking characters played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on an adventure together, directed by Shawn Levy; available on-demand or on parental-controlled Disney+
17. Problemista – This surrealist comedy set in the art world chronicles an odd-couple relationship between toy maker Julio Torres (also writer/director)and his nightmare mentor, Tilda Swinton in one of the fiercely off-kilter great performances of the year; streaming on MAX
18. Sing Sing – Colman Domingo joins an ensemble of veterans from a real prison’s theater rehabilitation program for Greg Kwedar’s story about the transforming power of art among the incarcerated; the film is being re-released for a third time in January 2025 to coincide with Oscar nominations before ultimately landing ion Apple TV [Note: this pairs nicely with another 2024 sleeper, Ghostlight, on VOD and IFC Film channel, about a family coping with grief via a community Shakespeare performance]
19. Babygirl – The incomparable Nicole Kidman gives a knockout performance as a CEO undergoing sexual awakening through an age gap affair with her intern (a spry Harris Dickinson) in Halina Reijn’s new work, also featuring fun needle drops by INXS and George Michael; playing now in theatres
20. A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg (also writer/director) and Kieran Culkin are a marvelous mismatch as cousins on an odyssey to visit the Eastern hemisphere homeland of their late grandmother in a satisfying dramedy that’s also a take-down of trauma tourism; after a full festival circuit featuring everything from Sundance to the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, this is cascading in limited release into theatres to coincide with awards attention for Culkin in particular
21. Saturday Night – Jason Reitman’s real-time chronicle of the filming of the first 1975 episode of TV’s Saturday Night Live is a frothy, acerbic delight, with Gabriel LaBelle a standout as show runner Lorne Michaels, leader of a bunch of revolutionary improvisational misfits (LaBelle is also great in this year’s coming of age comedy Snack Shack); Saturday Night is ideal viewing for SNL‘s 50th season and is now on most video-on-demand platforms
22. Nickel Boys – Director RaMell Ross takes the year’s biggest swing adapting the story of an abusive reform school in Deep Jim Crow South through point of view cameras representing two Black youth and the result is “you are there” moving; this is playing a limited awards consideration run in theatres
23. The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Mohammad Rasoulof creates the year’s most remarkable protest film with one family’s domestic drama a stand-in for the oppressive Iranian regime; due to worries the Iran government would retaliate against cast and crew, the film is being released through Germany distribution and is playing a limited awards consideration run in global and domestic theatres
24. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Documentary co-directors Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui showcase the superhero actor before and after he is paralyzed, and it’s a compelling and humane – and altogether human – journey through real emotions; now playing on MAX
Honorable Mentions: The Osgood Perkins-directed creepy serial killer Longlegs isn’t as scary as marketed but very effective. And three LGBTIA+ romantic thriller Sundance finds, Ponyboi , Sebastian and Love Lies Bleeding, tell unconventional and memorable adventures.