I can’t believe that it is once again time for my list of the best movies of 2024! I’ve always loved making these and now I have an official blog to do it on! It’s small, but I have greatly enjoyed writing reviews so far and can’t wait to see and write more! 2024 has been a pretty wild year for film as I predicted, in good ways and bad. Which makes things all the more interesting. I actually had an incredibly hard time choosing only 10. There were so many unexpected hits! Hence why I decided to give myself 15. I do have full reviews of some of these so be sure to check those out if you’d like more of my thoughts. Well, without further ado, here are my favorite movies of 2024!

Honorable mentions:

Late Night with the Devil: I was honestly really surprised by this film. It had some really great and creepy visuals with out being too over the top. It truly captures the feeling of watching an old forgotten talk show. I’ve never seen a mainstream film take on analog horror and get it right! 2023’s Skinamarink was also a very well done analog horror but unfortunately did not get wide release so I would not consider it mainstream. I hope to see more like Late Night in the future! 7.5/10

I Saw the TV Glow: This is an incredibly moving work of art that unfortunately may alienate some viewers who are looking for a more straightforward, cohesive and easily digestible plot. I am a cis woman who has not dealt with gender dysphoria but regardless, I still found it relatable on so many levels and was deeply moved by the message this film sent. It’s another one I needed to digest and fully process before I felt like I was able to speak on it honestly. I won’t soon forget it. 7.5/10

15. Woman of the Hour: I was disappointed by the lack of buzz this movie got. It deserved way more. Truly a devastating watch that sticks with you long after its conclusion. An exceptional directorial debut from Anna Kendrick and I greatly admired her tenacity in tackling this tragic story. I’m very interested to hear how men feel watching this and if it has the same impact on them as it does women. There are definitely some feelings this film captures that you can’t quite understand unless you’ve been a woman in a potentially unsafe situation. Only watch this in the right headspace. 8.5/10

14. Heretic: This movie didn’t quite meet my expectations which is why it’s lower on this list. I was picturing something a bit bigger, like the 7 circles of hell, but maybe that would be too much. Regardless, this was still an excellent watch. I loved Hugh Grant as a villain and was incredibly intrigued by where they were taking his character. I also thought the 2 main actresses being former Mormons brought a great deal of depth to the discussion the film promotes. I appreciated the ambiguous ending that could have so many interpretations depending on who is watching. Surprisingly not as anti-religious as expected, but still asks the important questions. 8/10

13. A Complete Unknown: Well I guess I’m a Bob Dylan fan now. This film was honestly a delight. I knew pretty much nothing about Bob Dylan going in, including most of his songs. However, after seeing this, I now have several in my current playlist. There were definitely moments or references that went over my head, but I genuinely think anyone can enjoy this movie with out prior knowledge. Obviously, Bob wasn’t exactly the best to the women in his life, but the movie didn’t shy away from that and I think the film handled their portrayal well. If Chalalmet doesn’t get an Oscar nom for Dune, he will for this! Loved his voice in all the music. Which is another obviously excellent aspect of this movie. 8.5/10

12. Love Lies Bleeding: Warning! ⚠️ sexual content (no sexual violence however)!! This is not the movie you want to take your parents or really any family members to see. Trust that R rating. Kristin Stewart is absolutely captivating as Lou, but that is not to diminish Katy O’Brian’s performance as the roided out body builder. I found the mystery and thriller elements to be incredibly enthralling and also gut wrenching at times. The ending will divide some but I really thought it was great pay off for the build up we had. It was absolutely not what I was predicting at all. 8/10

11. Anora: Yet another sexual content warning but if you watch the trailer it should be pretty obvious. This was the movie that made this list so late. My local theater did not play it and unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time to watch it until recently but I knew it’d probably make it on my best of 2024. This was a definitely movie I had to digest a bit before I really understood what it was trying to say. There will be many viewers that find it a bit jarring or even unsatisfying but I’ve come to love that aspect of it. I was also disappointed by their choice to not include an intimacy coordinator which are vital especially for a movie like Anora. It could’ve started a much bigger conversation about how important they are. Like other films from this director, Anora did need a bit of fat trimmed and definitely did not have to be 2 hours and 20 minutes. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself watching it, and the more time went on the more I found myself pondering the message long after the credits rolled. A controversial film, but an excellent one worth seeing. 8.5/10

10. Dune Part 2: I will be honest, Dune is absolutely a victim of recency bias. It’s been since March and there’s been so many others that held my attention more. Which is why this is lower on the list. However, that does not mean it isn’t absolutely amazing. This film is a bombastic Odyssean adventure of epic proportions. The booming sound mixing quite literally shook the theater. The storyline is written with great depth, with out being so complex that you can’t follow it. I’m extremely jealous of Paul getting to choose between Zendaya and Florence Pugh, arguably 2 of my biggest celebrity crushes currently. Of course everyone put on incredible performances, Austin Butler being a big standout for me. It’s definitely worth your time if you like epic sci fi. 8.5/10

9. Inside Out 2: Inside Out is one of my favorite Pixar movies of all time and I was honestly a little worried that the sequel would not live up to expectations. Especially after losing some of the main cast of the first. Luckily I was wrong! It is not perfect, however, their portrayal of anxiety and most of all Riley’s panic attack was incredibly realistic with out losing the Pixar charm. As a social worker, I genuinely think this could be a helpful tool for kids to learn about anxiety and how to identify it. Not only that, I genuinely had a great time watching this. I hope Pixar can keep it up. 8.5/10

8. Smile 2: I honestly can’t believe a horror sequel is in my top 10 list and above some incredible films but here we are. I talk about how I prefer atmosphere over jump scares. Smile 1 and especially 2 are exceptions to this rule. This movie is an absolute thrill ride you can’t get off of. Never have I seen a horror sequel take what was successful in the first and actually expand on it and bring new scares to the table. Right out the gate it sucks you in with an incredible opening, and never lets up. I’m not scared by much these days but my nerves were honestly shredded by the end, and I did NOT want to be the last person in that theater. Not to mention the fake music actually goes hard. 9/10

7. Challengers: I absolutely loved the energy that filled the theater during this film. I felt as though I was buzzing with anticipation in every scene. There was a surprising lack of actual sex in the movie, but that does not mean there wasn’t sexual tension in abundance. I saw someone say that this movie doesn’t have any sex scenes because the tennis matches ARE the sex scenes, and I completely agree. The literal back and forth of each player is raw and intimate, and the way they spar with their dialogue has the same intensity as the matches. Lastly, the way each hit of the ball is filmed is enthralling. The most satisfying ending of the year in my opinion. 9/10

6. The Substance: Another major content warning for extreme body horror! This damn movie has not left my brain since I walked out of the theater in a daze. Absolute insanity while absolutely serving. Demi Moore deserves all the praise she has gotten, but that’s not to diminish Margret Qualley’s performance either. They were incredible on screen. This movie is not for the faint of heart and will absolutely turn off many viewers. It’s another one I had to process a bit before I could decide if I hated it or loved it. Obviously I went with loved it. 9/10

5. The Wild Robot: I hadn’t heard much about this before it came out, but I decided at the very least that the animation looked like it was worth watching. It was absolutely breath taking, but even more the story was incredibly moving and gut wrenching. This honestly doesn’t say much because I cry at everything, but I was sobbing several times throughout. A beautiful message about found family and parenting, wrapped up in an equally beautiful package. 9/10

4. Longlegs: Ever since the first trailer was released I was itching to see this film. Luckily it lived up to the hype! Reading the secret website brought back the feelings of reading creepypastas back in high school. I’m a huge fan of atmosphere and suspense over jump scares, and Longlegs oozes both. There’s such a level of uncanniness in the way the characters act and the way it’s shot that invokes a great sense of unease. I cannot wait to see what we get from Oz Perkins next! 9/10

3. Nosferatu: I knew if anyone would do the story of Nosferatu well, it would be Robert Eggers. This movie is genuinely a work of art, from which every shot needs to framed. The performances, scoring, costuming, sound mixing, I could go on and on. There’s a level of iconography in every single one of Egger’s films and I believe people will be talking about and referencing Nosferatu for years to come. Not to mention the memes have been top tier. Lilly Rose-Depp has easily proven herself to be more than a nepo baby. I did not even recognize Bill Skarsgard under the prosthetics. I do not understand how he’s able to manipulate his voice like that. I was blown away. I also appreciated the awkward humor that’s present in all Egger’s films. It gets weird but if you’re a fan of anything artistic and dark, you will love Nosferatu. 9/10

2. Godzilla Minus One: Ok, I will admit, this movie technically premiered in 2023. HOWEVER it was not available to stream anywhere until they had a week long re-release back in September, which coincided with a release on Netflix. Is including it as my number 2 pick sort of cheating? Maybe, but it’s my list and frankly this movie is so good I don’t care if it is cheating. It is nothing short of a masterpiece. I have seen one other Godzilla movie in 2014 and wasn’t all that impressed, but Godzilla Minus one made me a super fan. The first time “baby” Godzilla showed up on screen in the first 10 minutes, quite literally took my breath away. The fact this movie was made on a shoestring budget with a team of roughly 30 people is mind boggling. It should not be this good, yet it is. Easily one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. Full stop. I don’t want this short snippet to get too long so go check out my full review on my page. If you have the opportunity to watch or see this in theaters please take it. You won’t regret it. 10/10

Finally, my number one pick for the best movie of 2024 is…………….

1. WICKED PART 1! Is literally anyone at all surprised by my top pick? I have a tendency to hyperfixate on some movies. Watching interviews, analyses, memes, etc. I have been fixated on Wicked in a way I’ve never quite experienced. I’m addicted, totally enthralled, under it’s spell, and frankly, I don’t care. I was never a mega fan of Broadway or a theater kid growing up, but something about the movie clicked for me. All the rumors and drama around the production of Wicked honestly had me convinced I was going to hate it. I have never been so happy to be so wrong. Films like Wicked remind me why I love going to theaters and the magic of movies as a whole. They truly made something special and I can’t believe I have to wait a year for part 2. Honestly cruel and unusual punishment. I will have the soundtrack playing on repeat for the foreseeable future. Objectively a 9.5/10, but personally, an 11/10. Go see it!!

Well there’s my list of the best movies of 2024! Thank you for reading all this way, I can’t wait to see what 2025 holds!