June 6, 2024) -- Here is my list of the best films, best actors, and the most disappointing films from the year 2024. Documentary films are listed in the Honorable Mention list, even though they may be rated higher than some of the films in the Top 10 list. Documentary films are inherently more believable than fiction movies (if they are actually factual and not ideologically distorted) so I put them in a different category.

Below this list of top films, are documentaries and honorable mentions, followed by lists of my picks for top director, top actor, top foreign film, etc. Those lists are followed by lists of the worst films, overrated films, funniest, saddest, weirdest, most romantic, etc. I've included a Dubious Distinction award for a films of “bad taste.” My top 10 lists include more comedy and films starring black actors, two varieties of movies absent from most top 10 lists. Drama is easy, but comedy is difficult.

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1.2073
This is the scariest movie of the year because most of it is true, and the rest of it is frighteningly prescient, aligning seamlessly with the nightmare political reality now unfolding in much of the world.
2. A Complete Unknown
Driven by great acting and musical performances, this musical biopic about the early career of musical genius Bob Dylan captures this historical era, and its sounds, perfectly. Dylan's impact on society and the music industry is illustrated powerfully in this movie.
3. September 5
This historical drama puts the viewer in the control room of ABC Sports in Munich, Germany, as the crew struggles to air the story of political hostages and murder at the 1972 Olympics. It is a great journalism drama, highlighting tough decisions and incredible tension.
4. I'm Still Here
This historical drama is about the tragic abduction, torture and disappearance of former Brazilian congressman Rubens Paiva by operatives of the US-backed military dictatorship of Brazil in 1971. The profound impact of Paiva's disappearance on his family is shown, along with the strength and intelligence of his widow, Eunice. She is forced to take over family leadership and to carry on the fight for truth and justice.
5. The Wild Robot
This is by far, the best animated film of the year. This is much like one of the best Pixar animated films, but it is a product of Dreamworks animation. Dreamworks this year has out-Pixared Pixar. It is a beautifully animated film about parenthood, filled with humor and love. It is a classic.
6. Emilia Perez
This Spanish language melodrama (with a bit of English dialog) directed by a Frenchman, starring a couple of Americans, follows is a strange, twisted tale of love, redemption, jealousy and tragedy. It is like a soap opera on steroids, with a compelling plot, engaging characters and mind-bending plot twists.
7. The Brutalist
Looking just like a historical drama, this fictional movie tells the story of an anguished architect who speaks through his designs. He encounters corruption and intolerance in America as a Jewish refugee. Adrian Brody stars in this film and gives a brilliant performance.
8. Sing Sing
A great performance by Colman Domingo and layers of authenticity anchor this prison drama about using theater productions as therapy for inmates. Some of the authenticity comes from the prison locations used, and part comes from actors who used to be prisoners, playing themselves in this powerful drama.
9. Blitz
This terrific film is an intense exploration of London during the deadly bombing raids of World War II, as seen through the eyes of a young boy trying to find his way home. I have seen a lot of films about this period of time in London, but none like this. It also showed me things I've never seen, or even heard about before.
10. Kneecap
Although there is serious subject matter in this movie advocating for the legitimacy of the Irish language, it is also very funny. It works as a stoner comedy, and also as a musical comedy. The music and the lyrics here both represent working class anti-establishment themes, which makes them powerful. This is like a Belfast version of “Straight Outta Compton.”

Sugarcane
This documentary details a small piece of a much larger picture of hidden and unpunished murder and abuse in North America and elsewhere that went on for many years in schools to “re-educate” indigenous children, and to strip them of their native languages and beliefs, and replace them with Western languages and beliefs.
Daughters
When the daughters rush into the arms of their imprisoned fathers and they embrace, it is a moment of heartbreaking joy. The fathers have been warned in advance about the roller coaster of emotions of embracing their daughters, only to know they will have to let them go again hours later after the dance.
Black Box Diaries
This documentary movie by directed by Shiori Itō details Shiori's own struggle to find justice after being raped by a man with political connections in 2015. What followed were at least seven years of lawsuits and counter-suits, a book, and lots of controversies.
Anora
I think you will probably be more apt to embrace this movie if you go into it expecting an anti-romantic drama with a lot of nudity, bordering on soft pornography, and adult language. The treatment of women in this film is very harsh, in line with new political and cultural realities, including the ascendance of Russian influence in the U.S. and the rise of misogyny. I was certainly not ready for all that harshness, but the movie is impressive, nonetheless.
Conclave
This high powered drama of faith, ambition and palace intrigue features a little bit of humor, and a stunning surprise ending. Based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, it has quite a clever plot. It features some powerhouse performances by a very talented and experienced cast.
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
Angel Studios opened “Sound of Hope” exactly one year after the far inferior movie, “Sound of Freedom.” If you predicted, like I did, that the white christian nationalist audience would find a story about very religious black people successfully adopting unwanted black children far less appealing than a movie about a white guy on a fictitious jungle rescue mission to free children from the swarthy operatives of a nonexistent global child sex trafficking operation, you'd be right. It was close, though, “Sound of Freedom” made just 21.5 times as much at the box office than“Sound of Hope” did.
Woman of the Hour
The plot of this movie is so crazy that it is based on fact. The movie follows two unrelated people, an aspiring actress, and a serial killer, who meet in 1978 on a popular reality TV show, “The Dating Game.” First-time director Anna Kendrick stars in this drama, and Daniel Zovatto is truly scary as serial killer Rodney Alcala.
Dune: Part Two
There have been several attempts to capture Frank Herbert's cinematically elusive novel in cinema and TV miniseries, but this is the first movie that really gets it right, thanks to top notch writing, acting talent, production design and Denis Villeneuve's direction. All that is missing from Dune parts one and two is part three.
The Fire Inside
Near the end of the year there are films you are supposed to see as a critic, and others you just want to see because you are attracted to the premise. This one, luckily. is both. It is an acclaimed movie with a “Rocky” vibe, but it is also based on fact, featuring a strong story and great performances.
Nickel Boys
This point-of-view movie is getting a lot of Oscar buzz this awards season for good reason. It is a searing indictment of the way things used to be in America and why most minorities and other marginalized people don't want to go back to those “Great Again” times, ever again. It is based on a true story, but it has a surprising twist at the end.
The Order
This movie is based on a true story about a dangerous neo-nazi paramilitary organization aiming to start a race war in the United States. This movie has a Laramie connection regarding the murder of Denver talk show host Alan Berg.
The People's Joker
This wildly imaginative movie includes a plant that eats people (but only bad ones) a trip to the Fifth Dimension, help from the reality-bending trickster Mx. Mxyzptlk, the ascent of The Penguin and “Supersanity.” This movie is very funny, and it contains a huge number of jokes about the entertainment industry, and politics.

Links to reviews of all the films I've reviewed on this page are indexed in the following web pages:

A through B   C through D   E through G   H through L
M through Q   R through S   T through Z

I Saw the TV Glow
Two teenagers become obsessed with a TV show about superheroes. One of them opts for fantasy, and possibly suicide. The other opts for reality and a normal life. In the end, it is hard to tell which is worse.
The People's Joker
A transsexual takeoff on D.C. Comics characters has Joker the Harlequin and the Penguin as heroes and Batman and Lorne Michaels as a villains, and this is not the only alternate universe in play.
2073
This blend of documentary and science fiction is scary because it depicts a future that seems to be rapidly developing right now.
Emilia Perez
This movie tells a strange story that is like the result of putting some far out soap opera plots in a blender. What you get is a twisted tale of murder, love, redemption and karma.
Cuckoo
Combining elements of horror, science fiction and conspiracies, this weird movie is like the vacation from hell. A young girl discovers that the remote mountain resort where her family is staying is a trap set by a mad scientist, and she is part of the experiment.
Memoir of a Snail
This stop-motion animated film about a girl who likes snails, starts out with a very unusual family, and then gets increasingly stranger as it goes along. There is a very colorful older woman and a cult-like family that enslaves a young adopted boy. It is a unique, dark story, that lightens up considerably at the end.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman productions often produce weird stories and this is no exception. The familiar pair of Wallace and Gromit return to face a criminal mastermind bent on revenge, and an army of robots. The plot is over-complicated, but as always, another amusing Aardman movie.
The Substance
This creepy weird science fiction movie has a full-grown woman emerging through the backbone of another woman, and then both of them sharing the same life, until one gets jealous of the other. None of it makes any sense, but it is entertaining in a way as black comedy and satire.

Serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) repeatedly turns from charming to deadly in a drama based on a true story in Woman of the Hour

Spencer (played by Hamish Linklater) the corrupt prison administrator in Nickel Boys

Albert (played by Stephen Graham) as a gang leader who desecrates and plunders the bodies of the dead and forces children to loot in Blitz

Bob Mathews (played by Nicholas Hoult) the neo-nazi zealot leader of a deadly paramilitary group in The Order

The year's most overrated films

All of these films have won awards or have been highly rated by some critics groups. They are mostly not bad films, but are not top 10 material for my list. The Substance
Flow
Memoir of a Snail
The Girl With the Needle
Janet Planet
Good One
I Saw the TV Glow
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

While I saw most of the best films 2024, I purposefully missed nearly all of the reportedly bad films, including Megalopolis – Back to Black – Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate – Miller's Girl – Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver – The Crow – Joker: Folie à Deux – Poolman – Rumours – Reagan and The End, among many others, I did see some disappointing movies. Here are some films I saw that disappointed me most:
Madame Web
No surprise here. This disappointing Marvel film was on just about everyone's worst movies list.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Along with Madam Web, this is one of the most disappointing sequels of the year, following, as it does, on the heels of a really good one, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”
Janet Planet
This is one of those art films where nothing much happens, and the pace is pretty slow too. It features lots of static camera shots, but there is some pretty scenery.
Seeking Mavis Beacon
Most documentary films are better than this. It seems like a half-hearted attempt to get an interview with an obscure person who once served as a model for a software company.
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
I found this highly regarded documentary hard to follow due to its overwhelming high speed rapid-cut format. There is a lot of information in it, but it zips by in a blur.

The Bad Taste Award goes to all the bad and unnecessary remakes and bad sequels this year, like “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” “The Crow,” “Hellboy: The Crooked Man,” “Madam Web,” “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “Salem's Lot,” “Mean Girls” and “Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver.” If you took all the money it cost to make these retreads and put it into original movies, it probably could not have turned out worse than this sorry lot.

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