ScreenDaily asked for my Top 5 films but that clearly wasn’t enough.
So here’s a mega list of some films I loved in 2024.
Because was lucky enough to talk to some of the filmmakers so have added in some links
(and yes it’s a ridiculously long list of films below but I saw hundreds more - perks of the job, eh? - and I figured I might as well shout too many films rather than not enough)
Top 15
The Substance (Demi Moore interview)
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu (Eggers and crew Q&A here)
Kneecap
Crossing
All We Imagine As Light
Sing Sing
The Outrun (interview with producer Sarah Brocklehurst, and Nora Fingscheidt)
Maria
Conclave
Flow
Babygirl (interviews with Nicole Kidman here and Halina Reijn)
Challengers
Bird (interview with Barry Keoghan here)
And even more films that I admired, or was at least intrigued by (in alphabetical order)
Anora
Armand
The Bikeriders
Bring Them Down
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
A Different Man
Emilia Perez
The End (podcast here)
I’m Still Here
Love Lies Bleeding
Memoir of a Snail
My Old Ass
The Piano Lesson
A Real Pain
Santosh
The Seed of The Sacred Fig
To A Land Unknown
Touch (interview with Baltasar Kormakur here)
Vermiglio
When The Light Breaks (podcast with Runar Runarsson here)
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Favourite docs of the year (alphabetical order)
A New Kind of Wilderness
Black Box Diaries
Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story
The Cats of Gokogu Shrine
The Commandant’s Shadow
Daughters
Eno
The Extraordinary Miss Flower
The Flats
Frida (interview with Carla Guitterez in this feature)
Made in England: The films of Powell and Pressburger
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Power (Interview with Yance Ford in this feature)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things (interview with Mark Cousins here)
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other
Wilding
Will & Harper (interview with Will, Harper and director Josh Greenbaum here)
Even more performances that stood out (alphabetical order)
Amy Adams in Nightbitch (I interviewed Marielle Heller here) - raw and angry and I'm here for it
Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You - this film is much better than you think! watch it!
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in We Live in Time (interview here with Flo and John Crowley) - and I'm cracking my eggs differently from now on
Frodo the cat in A Quiet Place: Day One - no offense to Lupita (also great) but that was the best feline performance I’ve ever seen
Glen Powell in Hit Man - I could equally mention his abs' starring scene in Twisters.
Hugh Grant in Heretic - I'm here for the Hughaissance
James McAvoy in Speak No Evil - I prefer the Danish original but props to McAvoy
Jesse Plemons in Kinds of Kindness - when did he get kinda hot?
Jodie Comer in The Bikeriders - HOW did she nail that accent?
John Magaro in September 5 - amazing what he does with so many reaction shots
Josh Hartnett in Trap - admitted I watched it on a plane but a lot of fun
June Squibb in Thelma - everyone loves La Squibb
Kate Winslet in Lee - so inspiring how she spearheaded getting this film into the world.
Marisa Abela in Back to Black - love her in Industry too of course
Naomi Ackie in Blink Twice - we could see her oozing talent way back in Lady Macbeth as the maid
Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl - seeing her in a totally new light
Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova in The Apprentice
Shia LaBeouf having a blast in Megalopolis (which I otherwise found mostly dreadful)
Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in The Room Next Door - exquisite portrayal of friendship
Favorite TV? Somebody Somewhere. Bereft that I won’t get any more Sam and Joel in my life now that it’s over. But I will rewatch when I miss them.
Another shout out to The Assembly (Michael Sheen talking to neurodivergent kids).
And on a more basic level I highly recommend The Dog House, about people adopting dogs, which never fails to bring me a little bit of joy.
And even with all that I'm SURE I forgot to mention something else I loved.
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