My list will probably look quite different than others. As usual, I didn't see most of the prestige pictures that make top ten lists for film fans and critics. Most I skipped intentionally and one or two I just haven't been able to track down yet (namely THE BRUTALIST). Also, common to my lists of favorite movies the past few years, most of these are genre movies from horror to action to crime thrillers. The only great new movie I saw all year was THE PROMISED LAND. The horror hit LONGLEGS did come close to greatness but what I admire most about it is the evil atmosphere that permeates off the screen from the first frame to the last. The Australian neo-noir LIMBO is an under-seen gem. The same could be said for WOMAN OF THE HOUR, an impressive directing debut from Anna Kendrick, that will get lost in the sea of Netflix releases and NEVER LET GO, a box office failure that is actually very, very good. A couple movies like THE CONVERT and Viggo Mortensen's THE DEAD DON'T HURT came out of festivals with good reviews but didn't have much fanfare upon release. I liked both movies regardless of their flaws. FURIOSA is heavily flawed too and has way too much CGI but George Miller's visceral work still stands tall above all the over blockbusters. Two veteran filmmakers, possibly making the last films of their careers, delivered interesting but not great movies: Woody Allen with COUP DE CHANCE and Clint Eastwood with JUROR #2. I didn't like the latter nearly as much as the online community who declare it a masterpiece but it's still good and belongs on this list.
- The Promised Land
- Longlegs
- Limbo
- Woman of the Hour
- Furiosa
- Never Let Go
- The Convert
- The Dead Don’t Hurt
- Coup de Chance
- Juror #2
The most disappointing movies of the year were (as usual for me) some of the most highly praised. I will single out five of these:
- Rebel Ridge
- Civil War
- In a Violent Nature
- Love Lies Bleeding
- Arcadian
And finally, here is a list of nearly every movie I watched during 2024:
Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds (2020)
Blow-Ball (1964)
Rancho Notorious (1952)
The Killers (1956)
Dream Scenario (2023)
Renfield (2023)
No Regrets for our Youth (1946)
The Killers (1946)
Spoiled Children (1977)
The Most Beautiful (1944)
4 for Texas (1963)
The Killers (1964)
Final Countdown (1980)
The Iron Horse (1924)
Quick Change (1990)
You Can’t Win ‘Em All (1970)
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
Where Eagles Dare (1969)
Hatari (1962)
Let Joy Reign Supreme (1975)
The Quick and the Dead (1987)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Daddy Nostalgia (1990)
Cat’s Eye (1985)
True Confessions (1981)
The Perils of Priscilla (1969)
Rodeo (1969)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Private Hell 36 (1954)
Light Sleeper (1992)
The Next Man (1976)
Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)
Witch Hunt (1994)
The Black Stallion (1979)
One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
The Man Called Noon (1973)
It All Starts Today (1999)
Adoption (1975)
Marta Meszaros: Portrait of the Hungarian Filmmaker (1979)
The Great Santini (1979)
Sleepwalkers (1992)
The Deceivers (1988)
Spaceman (2024)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
The Deadly Affair (1967)
Runaway Train (1985)
Get Shorty (1995)
The Swimmer (1968)
Dreamscape (1984)
Upgrade (2018)
The Invitation (2015)
Safe Conduct (2002)
Unfaithfully Yours (1984)
La Piscine (1969)
Joe Kidd (1972)
No Blade of Grass (1970)
Out of Time (2003)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (1998)
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
Heroes of Telemark (1965)
Ricochet (1991)
Deal of the Century (1983)
The War Between (2024)
The Phantom (1996)
Arcadian (2024)
Cruising (1980)
The Breaking Point (1950)
Escape From Alcatraz (1979)
Manhunt (2024)
Sorcerer (1977)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Killer Joe (2011)
Ministry of Fear (1944)
Fresh Bait (1995)
Jade (1995)
The Last Manhunt (2022)
Rich and Strange (1931)
Nacho Libre (2006)
Mom and Dad Save the World (1992)
The Birthday Party (1968)
The Unknown (1927)
Dominion (1995)
Murder! (1930)
Solomon Kane (2009)
Tightrope (1984)
Honkytonk Man (1982)
Blackmail (1929)
The Lucky One (2012)
Pitch Perfect (2012)
Surviving the Game (1994)
Furiosa (2024)
Mississippi Blues (1983)
Midsommar (2019)
Path to War (2002)
Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Touch (1997)
In a Violent Nature (2024)
Hit Man (2024)
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
Deathstalker (1983)
The Bikeriders (2024)
Horizon Chapter 1 (2024)
Blood and Wine (1996)
Turtles All the Way Down (2024)
The Pledge (2001)
The Revengers (1972)
Labyrinth (1986)
Longlegs (2024)
Warcraft (2016)
Invictus (2009)
Muzzle (2023)
Journeys Through French Cinema (2017)
The Bricklayer (2023)
Rumble Through the Dark (2023)
The Undeclared War (1992)
Cry Macho (2021)
Trespass Against Us (2016)
The Public Eye (1992)
Trap (2024)
Twisters (2024)
The Hating Game (2021)
Pursued (1947)
Ice Age (2002)
Madagascar (2005)
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Beyond the Reach (2015)
8 Mile (2002)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
Children of Times Square (1986)
Rebel Ridge (2024)
Coup de Chance (2024)
Conjuring (2013)
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981)
The Grown Ups (2010)
Too Big to Fail (2011)
Sucker Punch (2011)
Civil War (2024)
The Money Pit (1986)
Remember Me (2010)
Knox Goes Away (2024)
The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
Wagon Master (1950)
House of a 1000 Corpses (2003)
31 (2016)
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Never Let Go (2024)
The Outsider (2002)
The Dead Don’t Hurt (2024)
Ride in the Whirlwind (1966)
For a Few Dollars (1965)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Adios Gringo (1965)
Halloween (2007)
Butcher’s Crossing (2023)
Maniac (2013)
The Princess of Montpensier (2010)
The Grey (2011)
The Mission (1986)
Love Actually (2003)
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Elf (2003)
The Family Man (2000)
In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2024)
Woman of the Hour (2024)
The Promised Land (2024)
Christmas Chronicles (2018)
White Christmas (1954)
Made in England (2024)
Out of Darkness (2024)
The Convert (2024)
Carry-On (2024)
Limbo (2024)
The Settlers (2024)
Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
The Grinch (2018)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Family Romance LLC (2019)
Babes (2024)
Juror #2 (2024)
The Edge (1997)
Conclave (2024)
Working Girl (1988)
Tootsie (1982)
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
This article has also been posted on my website, runningwildfilms.com, and on my Travis Mills Filmmaker Facebook page