2024 Five Favorite Films

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2024 was an odd year.  Hollywood was finally starting to overcome the double whammy of Covid and the strikes, although the lingering effects would still show their influence.  (Anyone else tired of seeing Covid compliance team members scroll by in the closing credits?)  But it looks like movie goers are starting to make their ways back to theater seats, which is a welcome change.

Despite that backdrop, there were still good films to be found.  Surprisingly, none of the box office leaders made it to either of our top five lists this year.  The closest was The Wild Robot, which ended the year at number 18.  While there are titles above that that were filled with thrilling spectacle and will be worth watching again, our top films were found in the middle of the pack or lower.  The exciting part is that technology is starting to bring down film costs so smaller studios can put out movies that looks and sounds great, but at a budget that allows them to take some real chances with the narrative, whether it smaller, more intimate character-driven stories or kooky, quirky original tales.

The rules for our lists were simple.  The disc had to come out this year and not be a re-release.  It also excluded streaming-only releases and TV shows, although any of these are fair game for honorable mentions.

With that out of the way, here are our favorites for 2025:

Scott’s #5:  Dream Scenario.  Nicolas Cage gives one of his best performances in the role of Paul, playing completely against type as a calm, bland professor rather than one of his typically manic, unhinged characters.  That switch gives the film an additional boost, as the ordinary shlub, Paul, suddenly finds himself popping up in other peoples’ dreams, even those who have never met him.  The Twilight Zone-style movie uses the inexplicable setup as a way to view the consequences of unsought fame and the resulting challenges that go along with it in an entertaining and thoughtful way.

David’s #5:  The Wild Robot.  An adaptation of Peter Brown’s award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller is an epic adventure film that follows Roz, a robot that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must adapt to the harsh surroundings. My daughter raved about this film so it had a very high bar to overcome and thankfully, it met every expectation. Three-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch) directs the film and his approach to the animation is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Instead of the finely detailed images we’ve grown accustomed to from the likes of Pixar, he went for a more “hand drawn” look that was unsettling at first, but its visuals match the painted images in the popular book and certainly helped me concentrate more on the characters and the story instead of the eye candy.

Scott’s #4:  Speak No Evil.  A clever commentary on social relations disguised as a thriller, James McAvoy gives the host character Paddy a compelling blend of alpha male dominance, animalistic charisma, and mysterious and unsettling undertones.  Against that, we have distressed couple Ben and Agnes who have differing views of Paddy’s generosity.  The audience knows that something is awry, but there are enough twists and turns to keep the suspense going throughout the movie.  The dialog and situations are built around how social norms and empathy are experienced in everyday life, grounding the movie in a way that most of us can relate to.

David’s #4:  The Boys in the Boat.  Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction book written by Daniel James Brown and directed by George Clooney about the University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. I’m a sucker for this genre of film and Clooney does a good job at keeping the film historically accurate and at the same time holding the audience’s attention from an entertainment perspective.

Scott’s #3:  Boy Kills World.  Filled with an abundance of bloody violent, black humor, ridiculously absurd situations, and frenetic camerawork and action, the movie never found its audience.  The main character, deaf, dumb, and charmingly child-like, is surrounded by colorful and distinct characters as he seeks revenge against a fascist leader of a small, independent country.  The movie is a non-stop blast, with plenty of action and a surprisingly emotional touch.  While not meant for the violent-adverse, the absurdist humor helps dull the sharper edges, even if it doesn’t pull any punches.  A clever blend of video games and comic books, mixed with deeper themes of family and oppressive government powers, it’s a total load of pure, off-the-wall, sugar-soaked fun.

David’s #3:  Arthur the King.  Based on a true story of adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. The film follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he and his team of athletes compete in the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. The film was poorly marketed and wasn’t a box office hit, but I enjoyed it a lot and liked how authentic the writers kept the script.

Scott’s #2:  The Promised Land.  Mads Mikkelsen is a skilled and compelling actor, and his talents shine in this entry (much of it non-verbal), to tell the historically inspired story of Captain Ludvig Kahlen as he attempts to tame the savage Jutland territory of Denmark.  The movie captures a brutally harsh time as his steely determination is challenged by both man and nature.  The movie is aided by location shooting, a fantastic period feel, and realistic acting.  It’s a welcome change of pace with pathos, action, and sharply drawn characters that never feels dull or stifling.

David’s #2:  Speak No Evil.  This isn’t the typical type of film I’d seek out to watch, but the trailers reeled me in and I was destined to watch it. While the film falls in the horror/thriller genre, I wouldn’t call it a scary or gory film, but it will make the viewer uncomfortable while watching it. James McAvoy’s performance is captivating and will make your squirm in your seat as he pushes his house guests beyond their comfort zone when it comes to social norms.

And, at the top of the list, we’re in agreement:

Scott’s #1:  Godzilla Minus One.  A spectacular return to the giant monster’s early days, the movie blends action, fun, spectacle, and heroism with some headier themes like family, the ravages of war, and the power of citizenry joining in a common cause.  Director Takashi Yamazaki used his special effects background to craft an amazingly effective adventure story that has managed to surpass anything we’ve gotten from Hollywood, all for a measly $15M.  Watching this renewed the feelings I had as a kid watching these films, but on a level that could also be appreciated as an adult.

David’s #1:  Godzilla Minus One.  I first watched this film on Netflix while visiting Ralph Potts’ home this summer and to add to what Scott says above, it’s a fun movie that has a very rich story and is more than just a “monster movie” of old. What’s even more amazing, is that it was made on a shoestring budget. I received the 4K UHD as a Christmas present and haven’t had time to rewatch it yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to it since it was my favorite film from 2024.
Limiting this to just five titles was a tough choice, so we’ve carved out some spots for titles that either couldn’t make the cut or didn’t qualify.

David’s Honorable Mentions:  Wind River, Ted lasso – The Richmond Way, House of the Dragon – Season Two.  These weren’t 2024 films, so they didn’t qualify. Wind River is from 2017, but it received a 4K release in 2024. Ted Lasso is the hit TV show from Apple TV that debuted on Blu-ray in 2024, and finally, HBO’s spinoff from Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon hit 4K with its second season.

Scott’s Honorable Mentions:  The Iron Claw (nice piece of nostalgia for anyone that watched professional wrestling back in the 80s).  Abigail (clever, fun horror, with an unexpected angle).  The Holdovers (coming of age story for a student and a chance for a teacher to reexamine his own life).  M3GAN (AI robotic thriller, a cross between Chucky and The Terminator).  Breakdown (re-release of the classic Kurt Russel thriller about a man and his wife stranded in the desert).  The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (non-serious, historic tale of a key WWII mission.  Hush (a rare disc release of a streaming title, featuring both the original version and a newly remixed and remastered B&W director’s cut).  Wind River (dramatic thriller with the backdrop of an Indian reservation that explores the challenges of modern life while searching for a killer, all in an unforgiving winter clime).  Kinds of Kindness (surrealistic anthology of three unique stories with a talented ensemble of actors.  Not for the unadventurous, but unpredictable and fascinating.)

That wraps things up for 2024, but there are still some films that won’t hit the home market until 2025.

How do our lists compare to yours?  What did you like that we completely skipped over?  I’m sure Dune:  Part Two is at the top of the list for some people.  Maybe Deadpool and Wolverine as well?

Cheers to the highlights of 2024 with hopes for a whole lot more of happy film watching in the year to come!

[Paul Heroy]

Thanks guys - nice year wrap feature. I haven't seen several of those including the #1 - obviously impressive that you both picked it at the top. (Edit - the only ones I have seen are Arthur The King and The Wild Robot. Plus from the HMs, Wind River, Ted Lasso and House Of the Dragon.)

I have to think about it and review (and I haven't seen as many 2024 movies as y'all), but a very very strong contender for my #1 would have to be American Fiction. I saw it twice, loved it the first time and maybe even more the second time.

I really, really liked Poor Things, probably more than most here, so that's definitely in my top 5 too. Thought it was brilliantly creative and a very strong thematic development that worked for me until the very end.

Dune Pt 2 is of course kind of inseparable from Pt 1 but that's probably the other top contender for me.

[Craig Peer]

I haven't seen all the movies released in 2024, but of the one's I have seen, I liked The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Civil War, Dune Part 2 and Furiosa. I'll need to re-watch Deadpool vs Wolverine and Boy Kills World before deciding how much I like them. Wind River is great but not a 2024 film. I have The Fall Guy and A Quiet Place 2 but haven't had a chance to watch them yet. And I'm guessing I'll like Gladiator 2, but the disc won't arrive until March. 

[David Vaughn]

I completely spaced on Dune 2 and it would have probably been in my top 5, but for some reason I thought it was a 2023 film--my bad. I didn't even notice until Scott sent me the edit last night but at that point what was done was done...I didn't want Scott to have to do any extra work and I as too busy watching the 49ers meltdown again. 

I'd like to thank Scott for the idea of putting this together and for posting it. It was his idea and it was a fun exercise to go through. 

[bmoney]

Ungenttlemenly warefare. Dune 2. Deadpool v Wolverine. Inside out 2. 

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Ungenttlemenly warefare. Dune 2. Deadpool v Wolverine. Inside out 2.

That's only four.  You get one more.  

[bmoney]

That's only four.  You get one more. 

Oops. Hmmmm

[Paul Heroy]

I looked through some 2024 movie lists and have to note 2 things.

1) I didn't see a lot of actual 2024 movies. I don't get out to the theater a lot, though I do some. And it frequently takes a while to get movies on my radar as I don't do a lot of proactive looking. 

2) I mentioned American Fiction and Poor Things - and both were technically 2023 releases as they debuted Dec 15, and Dec 8 2023, respectively. I didn't see them until 2024, and I did see AF in the theater but not PT.

So at the risk of David considering me a horrible pervert now, I'll say that while I didn't think it was a great movie per se, I VERY much enjoyed Deadpool & Wolverine. Furiosa was better than I expected, too. 

[bmoney]

Oops. Hmmmm

I honestly can’t come up with a 5th movie. The rest were very meh. 

MAYBE smile 2? That’s bad if I have to go there for a 5th movie lol 

[bmoney]

2023>2024 for movies 

[David Vaughn]

I looked through some 2024 movie lists and have to note 2 things.

1) I didn't see a lot of actual 2024 movies. I don't get out to the theater a lot, though I do some. And it frequently takes a while to get movies on my radar as I don't do a lot of proactive looking.

2) I mentioned American Fiction and Poor Things - and both were technically 2023 releases as they debuted Dec 15, and Dec 8 2023, respectively. I didn't see them until 2024, and I did see AF in the theater but not PT.

So at the risk of David considering me a horrible pervert now, I'll say that while I didn't think it was a great movie per se, I VERY much enjoyed Deadpool & Wolverine. Furiosa was better than I expected, too.

I agree it was one of the weakest years on memory for good movies. I struggled as well and a couple of the movies I put in my top 5 would struggle to make it into the Top 10 in strong movie years. 

[SRW1000]

Wow, tough crowd!

I had a real hard time narrowing my list down to just five titles, hence the extended honorable mention category.

Not to say there weren't any dogs.  We try to watch about 100 movies a year, with about 3/4 of them being new releases, the rest catalog titles.  It wasn't too hard to find five really good movies out of all those.

I thought my reviews were on the tough but fair side.  Maybe I'm being too generous with those grades.

[David Vaughn]

Wow, tough crowd!

I had a real hard time narrowing my list down to just five titles, hence the extended honorable mention category.

Not to say there weren't any dogs.  We try to watch about 100 movies a year, with about 3/4 of them being new releases, the rest catalog titles.  It wasn't too hard to find five really good movies out of all those.

I thought my reviews were on the tough but fair side.  Maybe I'm being too generous with those grades.

Not at all...you watch more genres that I do. My wife is pretty particular on movies that she wants to watch. For example, Se7en showed up today for review....I'll be watching it by myself tomorrow. She has zero interest in it. 

[SRW1000]

Not at all...you watch more genres that I do. My wife is pretty particular on movies that she wants to watch. For example, Se7en showed up today for review....I'll be watching it by myself tomorrow. She has zero interest in it.

That's a good point.  I'm lucky in that my wife is extremely tolerant with what she's willing to watch.  And our library system has a surprisingly large variety of titles that they're stocking, including some really obscure titles that may never have even hit theater.

I'm fortunate in that I've never had to watch a movie on my own in our theater, other than to rewatch for sound and video stuff (which she doesn't find interesting enough to sit through).  It would much less fun to watch them alone.

[bmoney]

My wife refuses to watch a. Movie in the theater lol. So I refuse to watch a movie with her