The Top Ten Films of 2024

As we say goodbye to 2024, it's time once again to delve into the very best films that I saw this year, so let's get right to it...

10. The Seed of the Sacred Fig - Starting off with a film that likely wasn't seen by very many readers due to its extremely limited release, this nearly-three-hour, Cannes award winner is a bit unusual in that the first half is fairly called a prologue of sorts to the main narrative. It follows a family in Tehran, which is undergoing political unrest, with the father of the family (Iman) being an investigating judge, a position which brings many hardships. The story proper doesn't truly begin until the second half, where Iman's gun goes missing, leading to paranoia, accusations, and incredibly desperate actions. It may take a little while to really get moving, but when it does, it's an incredibly gripping tale that has you hanging on as a father goes to extreme lengths with his family to solve the mystery of his missing gun.

9. Saturday Night - This is an intriguing look behind the scenes at the 90 minutes leading up to the very first episode of Saturday Night Live. It may meander every now and again over the 100-ish minute runtime, but with its remarkable ensemble and its captivating real-time approach, it's a rather entertaining look at the chaos that led to a show that's about to celebrate 50 years on the air.

8. Sing Sing - This true story of inmates putting on a rather bizarre production in prison may be lightly-plotted, but it's also charming, engaging, and rather enjoyable mainly thanks to its fantastic ensemble (many of whom were actual inmates), headlined by a marvelous performance from Colman Domingo, who's very likely to earn his second Oscar nomination for it. It's been receiving quite a lot of buzz ever since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, and it's not hard to see why. It's an intriguing, emotional experience that easily ranks as one of the year's best.

7. Music by John Williams, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, Jim Henson: Idea Man - This may be cheating a bit, but all three of these incredible documentaries are worthy of having a spot on this list, so it just made logical sense to put them all together, especially given the subject matter. All of these are exemplary examples of exploring artists, which in these cases involves a musician, an actor, and a puppeteer, examining each subject and the impact of their work (which would tragically extend far beyond acting for the late Christopher Reeve) in a compelling & informative fashion. If you enjoy documentaries about art & artists as much as I do, then these three are most definitely not to be missed.

6. September 5 - This is a riveting telling of the tragic hostage situation at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, told entirely from the viewpoint of the ABC sports team. It's a very straightforward, contained film, but the pacing is on point, always keeping a remarkably fixed focus, with a cast that brings all the necessary urgency required, ultimately making this a 90-minute thriller that flies by. It may have been a somewhat simple telling of the events, but sometimes it's the very best way to get the material across, leading to a gripping film that allows the incredible story to speak for itself.

5. A Real Pain - Jesse Eisenberg's new film, which he wrote and directed, follows two cousins of rather different personalities as they take a tour of Poland that concludes with a visit to their recently-deceased grandmother's house. This is another entry that may be a bit lightly-plotted, but the writing is particularly exceptional (it's already won numerous screenplay awards) and the performances from Eisenberg & Culkin (the latter of whom has been dominating the Supporting Actor category) are fantastic, ultimately making this brief 80-minute outing a memorable delight.

4. Inside Out 2 - I had been hesitant to watch this for quite a while because the first film is easily Pixar's greatest achievement and really didn't need a sequel, but once I finally did, it was fantastic to see that it's an excellent follow-up that once again expertly handles the emotional aspects of its characters, making for a compelling, engaging, and, of course, emotionally-satisfying outing that's worthy of sitting alongside the original masterpiece.

3. Wicked - This is one that fans of the musical have been waiting over 20 years for, and it certainly didn't disappoint. This is a grand musical epic packed with spectacle, featuring a pair of wonderful performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (both of whom have already claimed numerous accolades for their work), gorgeous production design, costumes, visual effects, and of course, excellent music. It's absolutely wonderful to see that this long-awaited adaptation has turned out this great so far, leaving everyone eagerly anticipating the big finale due out in theaters next year.

2. His Three Daughters - Here we have a Netflix film that's also been receiving non-stop raves ever since it premiered in Toronto last year. The simple narrative of three sisters reuniting as their father lingers on his death bed makes for the perfect template for three tremendous performances from Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, and Elizabeth Olsen, whose characters each have unique traits about them that make them fascinating to watch as they interact and come to terms with the situation. It's one of those films that very much plays out like a play, with the actors truly carrying the weight of the piece and turning the simple narrative into something that has you engrossed for the entire 90-ish minutes, ultimately making this one of the very best films of the year.

1. Flow - How incredible is it that an animated film, featuring no dialogue and only animal characters, can end up being more captivating than every film I saw this year? Gints Zilbalodis' film tells the simple story of a cat teaming up with other animals aboard a small boat as they attempt to survive a massive flood, setting them on a journey that has them sailing into the unknown, facing other animals and various challenges along the way. It's beautifully animated, emotionally powerful, and quite simply the very best film of the year, one that will very much surprise you with how quickly it draws you into its world and keeps you glued to the screen until its final frame. It's hardly a wonder why its a top contender for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but in all fairness, it should be getting the exact same consideration for Best Picture.

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