CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE: 2024 EDITION
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2019 MID YEAR, 2018, 2018 MID YEAR, 2017, 2016, 2015
The "Big Tuna" Vito Carli weighs in with Summation of the Year in Film

A Comprehensive Look at 2024 in Film

(122724) The big news this year in film is that AI is starting to make its presence felt in the motion picture industry. A few years ago, it was used to hide the true chronological ages of some of the main actors in The Irishman. This year it was used even more extensively in the Tom Hank/Robin Wright vehicle, Here, to show a couple gradually age over a whole lifetime. But the year’s best exploration of AI as a theme was in the ending of Don’t Expect too Much from the End of the World which includes a parody of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues video which shows the story’s villains unethically uses AI to change the words of people to say the opposite of what they mean.

But even bigger news is that the animated films Where Robots Dream and Dreadclub Vampires were made entirely by AI. A recent documentary called Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters used AI to resurrect Peter Cushing to narrate a new documentary, and it is only a matter of time before they start making live films without actors. I guess the underrated almost forgotten film; Simone (2002) about a virtual actress who has no human form was more prophetic than most people ever thought at the time.

Despite these disturbing trends, 2024 was another memorable year for the film. But there were no instant classics that rose much higher than the rest like the recent The Irishman (20I9),
Parasite (20I9), Oppenheimer (2023), Annette  (202I) or Martin Eden (2020), but there were many more fine films than usual that were vying for slots in my Top 10 (or 20...okay 25) and more potential awards contenders this year than usual.

Also, there were no giant money making film phenomena’s like Barbieheimer (composed of Barbie and Oppenheimer ) from last year which united two competing but overlapping demographics and managed to bring millions back to the theatre. The closest thing to that was the so called Glicked (comprised of Wicked and Gladiator 2 ) which is aiming at similar audiences (women and families for Wicked and men of all ages for Gladiator 2 ). So far audiences have responded positively, and both films have been highly successful, but their release did not quite have the financial or critical impact of last year’s Barbie/Oppenheimer craze.

Among the other films with wide appeal were Deadpool & Wolverine
, Godzilla x Kong: The New Hope, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, The Fall Guy, Alien Romulus and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. But the best of the bunch by far was the terrific action film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga which provided a dark, moving and intelligent origin story for its title female character with a terrific lead performance by Anya Taylor-Joy of the unforgettable Netflix mini-series, Queen’s Gambit. It’s a real shame that the best action/adventure film of the year underperformed so badly at the box office, but I hope it gains a new life streaming.

But I have to admit, although it did not break much new ground,
Deadpool & Wolverine was a riotously funny and entertaining buddy superhero film with had splendid chemistry between the two title characters, and it did much that the Flash was supposed to do only better. DC remained dormant most of the year (although Creature Commandoes had its TV debut) while fans breathlessly waited to see if James Gunn will be able to restore the lost luster to the DC film franchises. This year had two unsatisfying Spiderman spin-offs: Venom: Last Dance and Madame Web. One may be one of the worst films of the year, and the other a disappointing coda to a trilogy. So far the third jewel in the Sony Spider-verse triple crown for this year, Kraven the Hunter has also been critically reviled and underperforming.

I saw fewer International Cinema films than usual due to rising gas prices preventing me from going to the north side often. I also had fewer opportunities to see film festival offerings, but I was able to see a few free advanced screenings at Music Box. Some of the cream of the International crop includes the year’s best romance,
The Taste of Things from France (via a Vietnamese film maker), Perfect Days from Japan (from a German film maker), Don’t Expect Too Much from the End of the World from Romania, Kneecap from Ireland, La Chimera from Italy as well as The Old Oak from the UK, which was the latest socially conscious film by the British master, Ken Loach. Surprisingly, Woody Allen did his best film in years in France: Coup de Chance, which recalled Eric Rohmer’s best works.

Many of the greatest American film makers (like Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, and Steven Spielberg) took some time off but we did get enjoyable offerings from Sean Baker (
Anora), Wim Wenders (the previously mentioned Perfect Days), Richard Linklater (The Hit Man), George Miller (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Ridley Scott (Gladiator 2), Robert Zemeckis (Here), Clint Eastwood (Juror No 2) and Woody Allen (Coup de Chance). But the big news of the year was the return of Francis Ford Coppola who did Megalopolis which did bad box office and got mixed reviews (I still haven’t seen it.) Two of the most creative and avant garde film makers (Guy Maddin and Yorgos Lanthimos) put out two interesting but ultimately disappointing films, Hands of Kindness and Rumors which has no relation to the popular Fleetwood Mac album.

There were a ton of wonderful films from my current favorite film studio: A24 films, two of which made my top ten list. Their 2024 releases include
I Saw the TV Glow, Love Lies Bleeding, Maxxxine, Civil War, and Sing Sing. As if that wasn’t enough, they will soon put out the acclaimed Nicole Kidman vehicle, Babygirl and Parthenope by Paul Sorrentino, my favorite Italian film maker, and they are scheduled to release High and Low the long-awaited Spike Lee/Denzel Washington reunion.

Among the great riches in animated films this year were from best to least:
Robot Dreams, Flow, Inside Out 2, Memoir of a Snail and Wallace and Grommitt: Murder Most Fowl were also acclaimed but they received less attention than the others.

Besides
Maxxxine there were quite a few examples of smart, inventive and classy horror films such as The Substance which featured two terrific female performances by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, Late Night with the Devil which wrapped its horrors in pseudo-documentary, Abigail with a pre-teen female vampire, The Silence of the Lambs influenced Longlegs, and Strange Darlings as well as the Goth paranormal romance, Lisa Frankenstein.

Two of the most highly touted music related films both came out on Netflix. Maria is a well-acted but predictable biopic spotlighting the talents of Angeline Jolie as the iconic opera singer, Maria Callas. Emilia Perez is a bizarre musical variation of Some Like it Hot about a man who gets a sex change to escape the mob. Its star, Karla Sofia Gascon has a real shot at being the first trans woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars. But although I thought they were ok if overlong neither was anything to write home about. Joker Folie a Deux is the year’s big musical flop, and it’s notable that it cost almost 200 million dollars but it was beaten out at the box office by Terrifier 3, another film about a homicidal clown which was made on a mere budget of 2 million.

Art and Indy films provided some of the best acting showcases including
Sing Sing (for rising star Coleman Domingo in perhaps the year’s best performance,) The David Cronenberg influenced feminist body horror film, The Substance (with outstanding performances by both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley), The Taste of Things, for the Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimei who had real chemistry.

There are so many esteemed films that come out late in the year that it was impossible to see them all. On December 25 No Direction Home and Nosferatu opened and The Brutalist which is one of the main Oscar contenders is going to come out in Chicago until January. The acclaimed film by Steve McQueen’s Blitz came and went really fast but if it gets nom's maybe it will come back.

Although I did not get a chance to write as much as I wanted about them due to a time crunch, there were some very good short films at this year’s CUFF (the Chicago Underground Film Festival), The best of the bunch was the surrealist fantasy, The Rainbow Bridge, but I also enjoyed the doc, Jennifer Hirst which was packed with fascinating interviews and Depression Anxiety and Rage by the acclaimed no (no new) wave performance artist/singer Lydia Lunch.

Now here are my best films of the year list.
 

1) the CONCLAVE
Director-Edward Berger
After the sudden death of the pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with assembling a conclave or secluded assemblage to pick the new pope. Terrific ensemble acting (including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabelle Rossellini) and a sharp script that takes us deep into the inner workings of the Catholic Church. Unlike many religious films about the church, this is neither over idealized nor especially negative. The process /campaign with its surprises, treachery, secrets, dirty tricks, and double crosses and some candidates that are noble and want to make a difference that lose is in some ways similar to the recent American elections.
Streaming on Peacock.
 

2) Origin
Director-Ava DuVernay
This often-brilliant docudrama about the origins of social stratification follows an author who travels through India, the American south, and Germany to find the roots of classism, and America as a whole is really more like these biased cultures then we like to think. It also illustrates different historical scenarios involving race including a mixed marriage with a tragic ending. It is hard to think of a better film to see for a class which discusses the issue of economic and racial social divisions. Based on the terrific book, Castes which was also terrific. Unfairly neglected film deserved a truckload of Oscar nominations.
Streaming on You tube, Google play, Fandango at Home, and Amazon Prime.

 

3) Dune Part 2
Director-Dennis Villeneuve
Spectacular sequel develops the relationship between Paul Artredes (Timothy Chalomel) and Chani (rising star Zandaya who was also terrific in Challengers) from the excellent first film,
Dune Part 1, and it features a glorious scene involving a confrontation between the hero and a sand worm that is a technical marvel. The director, Denis Villanueve has a unique gift for doing sci-fi and he imbues the characters with rare psychological complexity. An unusually intelligent sci-fi film that includes compelling dialog and a truckload of astonishing special effects. This David Lean influenced film which captures enormous landscapes screams out to be seen on the big screen.
Streaming on Max, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.
 

4) Anora
Director-Sean Baker
A lively, lovely, sometimes ugly variation on Pretty Woman tells the story of a streetwise but in some ways naïve working girl who dances in a strip club. One day she unwisely runs off and marries the decadent son of a Russian oligarch who is rich but shockingly immature. The lead character Anora (also called Ani) is easily the freshest role to come along for a new, young actress since Alana Haim’s spectacular turn in the wonderful
Licorice Pizza (2021). Mikey Madison’s career making performance is one of the year’s most engaging and she is likely to get nominated for best actress in this year’s Oscar race. The terrific director, Sean Baker who has made a name for his sensitive multi-dimensional and unsentimental portrayals of sex workers in The Florida Project and Tangerine hits his peak with this film. This life affirming film which has an energy that is irresistible was the first film from the USA to win the Palm D’Or since Tree of Life won in 2011.
Still playing at some theatres and it will soon be streaming on Neon.
 

5) Robot Dreams
Director-Pablo Berger
 (Spanish/French) An utterly charming and highly imaginative animated film about the unusual friendship between a lonely Labrador and a primitive looking, wide eyed robot. They tour the best sights in New York and have different adventures until the robot freezes up on a beach. About half an hour of the film is devoted to his imaginative hallucinations and dreams. This silent film says more and packs more of an emotional punch than almost any film this year with dialogue.
Streaming on Hulu, Disney plus, YouTube, Google Play, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV.
 

6) Sing Sing
Director-Greg Kwedar
Tough, tender and highly humanistic dramatic film about the world-famous Rehabilitation through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in California. Through the program the prison created a theatre group comprised mostly of felons imprisoned for serious crimes that put on shows in jails. This includes fine performances by an ensemble comprised of professional actors and real prisoners in the program and Coleman Domingo gives perhaps the best male performance of the year (he was also great in the last year’s Netflix film, Rustin). The most tragic sequence shows an inmate who is totally reformed who misses out on parole because since he is an actor the board thinks that he is only acting like a good guy to get free. There is not a phony or unconvincing moment in the whole film and it ranks right up there with the all-time great prison pics like Cool Hand Luke and The Defiant Ones. Few people saw the film when it first came out, but it will get a wider re-release on January I7.
 

7) The Taste of Things
Director-Tran Anh-Hung
(French) Delicious love story about a man who employs a live-in cook who have a very unconventional relationship. They often express their love and passion by cooking for each other and she sometimes leaves the door open so he can join her at night. Former real life couple Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimei have great chemistry and the film is a sumptuous feast for the eyes and heart. The characterization and dialogue are top notch, and this makes most American romantic films look like kid’s stuff. In French with English subtitles, Streaming on AMC, Acorn, YouTube, Sling, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.
 

8) I Saw the TV Glow
Director-Jane Schoenbrun
Visually striking and bizarre David Lynch influenced film about alienated high school misfits that bond over a cult TV show that gives young cinephile viewers much to identify with. The film shows that a fictional work can help people find their real selves or identities. This charming, creepy, and tender coming of age film should please both fans of Stranger Things and the Avant Garde, and at times the story and dialogue have a Stephen King like feel. The relatively new director, Jane Schoenbrun, who is trans (the film explores some gender identity related themes) is one of the most promising talents to come out of cinema in years.
Streaming on AMC, Acorn, YouTube, Sling, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.
 

9) Perfect Days
Director-Wim Wenders
(Japan/Germany) Lovely, understated, charming little film about the day-to-day incidents in the life of a lowly, elderly toilet cleaner in modern day Japan. He once had ambitions but now apparently wants nothing more out of life. The film is spare and restrained without any special effects, frills or flash and this special film’s greatest strength is it makes visual poetry out of mundane and everyday occurrences. This humanistic film also conveys the honor and nobility of a struggling working-class individual and his ordinary pleasures and it makes wonderful use of Lou Reed’s classic ballad with the same name. Like the song, the film Is happy on the surface but melancholy underneath. From the German New Wave genius Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) who sees Japan and its regimentation from a unique cross-cultural perspective. Nominated for Best International Film at the 2024 Academy Awards. In Japanese with English subtitles. Streaming on Hulu, YouTube, Fandango, Google Play, and Amazon Prime.
 

10) Don’t Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Director-Radu Jude
(Romania/Croatia/France/Luxembourg) Wickedly funny and timely film about a female newscaster hired to make little propaganda/public safety films about employees that got hurt for not following the office rules. But she finds out that most of the time it was the company’s fault they were injured, and she is supposed to mislead the public so the company can have good PR and they can limit payouts This masterfully takes down Tic Tock and other social media outlets and it shows that the Romanian New Wave is not over and the country is still putting out some of the best films in the world. The most boldly modern and experimental film of the year. In Romanian with English subtitles. Streaming on Amazon Prime and Fandango at Home.
 

Honorable Mentions (#11-25)

11) The Old Oak (UK/France/Belgium) Beautiful little low budget film about the unlikely friendship between a vulnerable Muslim immigrant and a seasoned UK bar owner which often borders on unromantic love. As he gets involved in her immigrant community life and allows immigrant meetings to be held at his bar his regular customers feel neglected and react negatively. This all leads to the bar owner paying a terrible price for his kindness and compassion. Another fine film by the great British film maker, Ken (Land and Freedom) Loach, this nearly matches the quality of last year’s immigrant themed film,
R.M.N.
Streaming on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and Fandango at Home.

12)
The Hit Man The film is not what you think. Richard (Apollo 10 ½) Linklater’s noir influenced dramady is about a mild-mannered college philosophy professor who works for the police to entrap people who want to hire assassins so they can be arrested. He is fabulous at the job because he does lots of research and in a sense takes on different personalities to become whatever the potential clients are looking for. But things get complicated when he falls for one of his potential clients. Partially inspired by a true story. Streaming exclusively on Netflix

13)
Love Lies Bleeding Grim, gritty, and sexy lesbian neo noir about a woman in a terrible household (played by the underrated Kristen Stewart) that is run by a crime lord father (well-played by Ed Harris.) She falls for an unstable steroid taking body builder (Kay O’ Brien) who only brings trouble and increased danger to her life. This film, in a different way than Little Reindeer (look for the review here soon) cleverly plays with and often reverses the binary relations and tropes in traditional film noirs.
Streaming on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime and Fandango at Home.

14)
Maxxxine New reigning queen, Mia Goth is wonderful as a porn star who desperately yearns to be a respectable actress in this deliberately arty and retro sort of slasher film. But after she gets a major role in a horror film her life begins to unravel when many of her friends end up dead and they are murdered by someone connected to her past. Lurid, violent, spell binding and delightfully sleazy final film in the X Trilogy is beautifully shot and it manages to successfully channel Brian De Palma psychosexual classics like Dressed to Kill (80), and Body Double (84) as well as Italian giallo films such as Suspiria. (77) and Inferno (80).
Streaming on Max and Hulu. YouTube, Sling, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Fandango at Home

15) Thelma June Squibb plays a gutsy, ninety something determined grandmother who goes on a quest to get her money back after she is victimized by a con man in an Internet scam. Featuring an unexpected but wonderful supporting performance by Richard Roundtree who played the original king of the blaxploitation cops, Shaft.
Streaming on Hulu, Disney plus, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime, YouTube and Google Play.

16)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Fast paced and excited prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road which nearly matches its fine predecessor focuses on the heart-breaking origin story of Furiosa, who was taken from her matriarchal society and adopted by the villainous delightful mentor (Chris Hemsworth in his best role.) Furiosa is no Mary Sue and she grows into a multi-dimensional character as she goes through her trials and tribulations. Not a masterpiece but this is much better than it had to be and it is the best action film of the year. Anya Taylor Joy has proven she can do anything, and her mere presence is enough to get me to see any future or past film.
Streaming on Max, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home and Google Play.

17) The Bike Riders Beyond a doubt one of the most realistic and satisfying biker films, and it is also one of the more celebrated Indy films of the year It gets deeper into “biker culture” than anything since the Hell’s Angels book by Hunter S.Thompson, and it explores it as an alternative lifestyle worthy of respect showing both the advantages and pitfalls. A documentary like film has many allusions to previous biker films like Easy Rider and The Wild One and it should be especially enjoyable to fans of the genre. It is also one of the grittiest and most authentic biker films of all time. Among the many terrific performances, Austin Pendleton as a young recruit, Tom Hardy as his mentor and Jodie Comer is a standout in one of the year’s most oddly unforgettable performances as his long-suffering girlfriend. The recruit is torn between his outlaw biker lifestyle plus his lover of danger and the demands of marriage. Look for a longer review on this page soon.
Streaming on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Fandango at Home.

18)
The Substance  Mesmerizing and thoughtful feminist body horror film that was heavily influenced by David Cronenberg uses comedy and gory special effects well to comment on the compromises and the hard choices women have to make to stay in the still heavily male dominated entertainment industry. Demi Moore makes a devil’s pact to stay young which comes with a terrible price. She gets to use a younger female body for a few hours a day but if she switches bodies too late her older body will age. Demi gives a marvelous comeback performance and she is almost matched by the splendid and intense Margaret Qualley playing the same character in a younger body (they have a Jekyll and Hyde like relationship). The biggest thing that mars this often-great film is a too long and overwrought ending which made the film too much of a good thing.
Streaming on Mubi and VOD.

19) The Promised Land (Denmark/Germany) Sensitive and beautifully acted historical part film about a man who gets permission from the government to cultivate some land in the US, but nature and corrupt politicians get in his way. He hires a female worker and somewhere along the way he begins to fall for her. Reminiscent of an old sprawling Billie August or Igmar Bergman film or miniseries which is a great compliment. In Danish and German with English sub-titles.
Streaming on You Tube, Google Play, Fandango at Home.

20) Kneecap (Ireland)- Terrific docu drama about a real controversial rap group (They are kind of like the hip hop equivalent to the Sex Pistols) that caused controversy and chaos with their politically charged recordings and performances. Their anti-English lyrics and actions repeatedly get them into hot water and they along with their manager risk everything for free expression. A probable nominee for best International Film at the Oscars. In Irish English with English subtitles.

21) Cabrini Touching and inspirational bio pic about their Italian immigrant who became the first American who was canonized. This well told film about a struggling nun who fights for the poor and faces many barriers when she establishes a hospital. This is a rare religious themed film that does not proselytize and is never heavy handed with a socially conscious message. This is one of the best in a new wave of Christian Indy films and it should please fan of the TV show The Chosen, which is excellent even if you are a not religious.
Streaming exclusively on Angel Studio website.

I could not choose between the next two animated films so they are tied.

22A) Flow (Latvia) Superb, lovingly done silent animated film that combines both modern and more traditional techniques; it used both hand drawn images as well as the art styles of GameCube and PS2 X-Box. It focuses on a small group of animals that meet by chance and slowly become allies and eventually friends. Although they are all silent animals cartoon figures, they are often developed better than recent Marvel/Disney characters. A likely Best animated Film Oscar nominee and I would not be surprised if it won. Still playing at some theatres.

22B)
Robot Dreams Superior film with gorgeous animation about a unique friendship between a cute gosling and his robot companion. It is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Peter Brown. The film and book received their titles because the author wanted to explore what would happen if a robot was stuck in the wild where it becomes a kind of surrogate mother to a gosling. The film has been a big success in bringing people to the theaters and a sequel is already being planned. Among the delightful voice actors used are Mark Hamill, Catherine O Hara, and Pedro Pascal. Unfortunately, it had the misfortune of being released in the same year as the similar Robot Dreams which is even more excellent.
Streaming soon on Peacock.

23) American Fiction This clever meta-dramedy effectively satirizes the attitudes towards race by book publishers and to a lesser degree Hollywood producers. It is about a serious but unsuccessful author who can’t get his book published who anonymously authors an intentionally stereotypical book which panders to the lowest common denominator and it becomes an instant massive overnight success, It recalls Robert Townsend's classic comedy Hollywood Shuffle and to a lesser extent Spike Lee’s Bamboozled-which was cruder, but it is more serious and thoughtful than its predecessors.
Streaming on Amazon Prime, MGM plus, YouTube, Philo, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.

24) The Rainbow Bridge Goofy and experimental film about a woman who hires an agency to help connect her with her dead pet and she ends up in a visually striking and surreal animal afterlife. One of the undisputed highlights at this year’s Chicago Underground Film Festival, which is known for showing superior offbeat short films.

25) Coup De Chance (French) Believe it or not Woody Allen makes a film that compares favorably to most rom coms in a film in French that often recalls Eric Rohmer’s works like Boyfriends and Girlfriends more than his own classics like Manhattan or Annie Hall. This has crisp, realistic dialogue, and it is good that Woody did not create any one character here that represents himself.
Streaming on Fandango at Home, Xumo Play, The Roku Channel, Prime Viveo and Apple TV.

Runner Ups: Civil War,
Deadpool & Wolverine, La Chimera, Longlegs, The Monk and the Gun, My Old Ass, Piano Lesson, Rebel Ridge, Saturday Night, and Strange Darlings

 

Vittorio Carli, who teaches at area community colleges and has reviewed films for The Star and The Examiner. He is an avid film buff and an author.
His latest book "Tape Worm Salad with Olive Oil for Extra Flavor" is also available.
You can find more of his writings at. www.chicagopoetry.org

For more of his reviews including previous Top 10 lists go to www.artinterviews.org, www.artinterviews.org/best.
and www.reelmoviecritic.com

Come to the New Poetry Show on the first Saturday of every month at
Tangible Books in Bridgeport from 7-9 at 3324 South Halsted

January 4-
Dami Andonova, Matt Churney, Dina Marie Marguerite Patrick-Stewart, and Eric Allen Yankee

February 7-Felissia Mae Cappeletti, Chiron Kingfish, and Adrienne Sunshine Nadeu

 
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