And here we go... my annual wrap-up of my favorite films of the year! Or, to be more accurate, my favorite films that I actually saw. Which has been hampered severely by my unwillingness to go to the theater. The experience is absolute shit in a day-and-age where people are inconsiderate assholes, and I am just not doing it. And so I am stuck to streaming services where I sometimes miss movies because I rotate through all of them rather than paying the stupid prices they charge. Oh well. Still love movies though.

THE TWELVE BEST...
These are my favorite movies from this year that I managed to see.

#1 Dune: Part Two (Legendary/Warner Bros.)
If Villeneuve's Dune: Part One was a masterpiece, then Dune: Part Two is whatever word is beyond a "masterpiece." It's the grand payoff that the first film sets up, and every second of it looks stunning. Based on one of my favorite novels of all time, the second installment continues the story of Paul Atreides as he forges ahead towards becoming the Fremen messiah. Once again his enemies are all around, headed by the evil Harkonnens and the Emperor himself. While Villeneuve made a few choices I didn't care for (Thufir Hawat was short-changed in the first film... and he was nowhere to be found in this one?) but the vast majority of his approach to the material is interesting and flawlessly executed. Especially when you consider how rich, dense, and impossible to adapt the book is. Overall a stunning cinematic achievement that's my favorite movie of 2024... and has me anticipating Villeneuve's finale to the trilogy with Dune Messiah when he gets around to it.

#2 The Fall Guy (Universal)
Well, well, well, color me shocked. An old TV show turned into a film that doesn't suck? Will wonders never cease. And not only does the film not suck, it's actually very darn good. Ryan Gosling playing stunt man Colt Seavers knocks it out of the park yet again in a story that has a perfect blend of action, twists, mystery, and humor to make it a great watch from beginning to end. Add in Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, and a few surprises and, well, it's unapologetically my #2 film of 2024.

#3 The Wild Robot (Dreamworks)
Chris Sanders created my favorite Disney film of all time, Lilo & Stitch... plus had his hand in loads of other classics like Aladdin, The Lion King, and How to Train Your Dragon. It should come as absolutely no surprise that his take on a beloved children's book would be aces... and it is. Beyond gorgeous in execution, every frame is a work of art, and the story unfolds in a way that is the very definition of "heartwarming." The film was so well-received that a sequel is already in the works, and I can't wait to see it.

#4 The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Starz/Amazon)
Inspired by Winston Churchill's declassified files, Guy Richie unleashes his cinematic genius in WWII a film that doesn't reach his past heights, but was still entirely great and worth my valuable time. Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson lead a team that excels at stylized violence with a comedic edge. And if you love nothing more than watching Nazis getting slaughtered by the hundreds while witty banter ensues, this is your film.

#5 The Beekeeper (MGM)
After wasting away in The Expendables, The Meg, and Fast & Furious franchises, Jason Statham is finally back in true form for the first time I can think of since 2016's The Mechanic sequel. And it's a glorious action-revenge flick that has some of the best Statham action beats I've seen in a long time. A former "Beekeeper"... one of a mysterious group of assassins with government ties... Statham is out for blood after his landlord is scammed out of charity money and commits suicide. It's a fantastic ride which features... Jeremy Irons? And is one of my favorite flicks of 2024.

#6 Deadpool & Wolverine (Marvel Studios)
I've watched the first two Deadpool films more times than I'd ever admit because they're just so hilariously entertaining. The third film was sure to be a slam-dunk for me, but didn't really live up to my lofty expectations. Not because I'm tired of the character or think the film was bad, but because the franchise swerved from where it seemed to be heading. Wolverine was great fun and handled well... and the action was great, but the whole diversion into the multiverse of Deadpools was boring Fortunately there was a slew of awesome guest appearances and Emma Corrin's deliciously wicked Cassandra Nova to make it all worthwhile.

#7 Nowhere Special (Lucky Red)
A 2020 film that didn't make it to the USA (or streaming) until 2024, this is a slow, methodical character piece that will destroy you with its exceptional performances. Inspired by a true story(!), a window washer in Ireland finds out he doesn't have long to live and tries to find a home for his young son who's his entire world. And while James Norton adds a depth to his character which is remarkable to watch... it's Daniel Lamont as the kid that will crush you. The majority of the time I find child actors insufferable with their artificial delivery and stiff presentation, but when you get a child actor who just... works... it's gold. Do not go in expecting anything more than a touching observation on love and letting go, and you'll be rewarded. That's all the film is.

#8 Robot Dreams (B-Team/Wild Bunch)
To be honest, this could have easily gone in my #1 spot. It is an amazing film with an emotional core so devastating that it's more than a little hard to wrap your head around. What helps is the simple animation style for a simple story that has something much, much deeper going on beneath the surface, because it's relatable in a very human way. Which is ironic considering it's about animals and robots. That it manages to communicate so much with no dialogue is just icing on the cake.

#9 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros.)
Despite the fact that I was pissed off Charlize Theron was not reprising her amazing turn as the titular character, I tuned in because the critical acclaim was too good to ignore. Turns out it was justified. While not as good as the first film, the prequel has an awful lot going for it, providing back-story for a character that needed to be told. Action-packed with brilliant performances by Anya Taylor-Joy and an unhinged Chris Hemsworth, I'm pretty bummed that it wasn't a much bigger success because I want to see more of George Miller's post-apocalyptic saga.

#10 Alien: Romulus (20th Century)
The Alien movies started with the mind-blowing space-horror original from Ridley Scott that seemed impossible to follow. Then James Cameron said "hold my beer" and proceeded to take things in a fresh direction while honoring every frame of the original. From there it's been a futile series of attempts at continuing the franchise which have moments of brilliance mired in stories that were ultimately forgettable. Fortunately, the curse has been broken with Romulus, which is slick, stylish, scary, and smartly told. No, it's not perfect (resurrecting deceased actors will never feel right), but it's got enough going for it that I was happy to have a new Alien movie.

#11 Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix)
Yeah, I know. This is just another retread of an old movie that is banking on nostalgia in order to sell the entire movie. But here's the thing. It works. Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley and everything else is secondary. While not the fresh take on the character you'd hope for, it's still funny in the right ways.

#12 Conclave (Focus)
Ralph Fiennes gives us one of his best performances out of a slew of great performances in this story of the internal Catholic politics behind how a new Pope gets elected. You'd think that a movie like this wouldn't have many surprises, but you'd be wrong. There's a twist which hits you upside the head in a good way. As if that wasn't enough, it's gorgeously filmed and has terrific visuals which keep things interesting.

HONORABLE MENTION

• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
  Yep. They're back. And Feathers McGraw is back. More charming hijinks ensue.
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros.)
  It's a love letter to a beloved actor whose most famous role is still revered as the best possible representation of Superman.
• Fly Me To The Moon (Apple/Columbia)
  Given the absurd number of people who think that humans didn't go to the moon when the evidence is overwhelming, a movie like this should be mocking them from start to finish. Instead it takes a more subtle tact with a fictional account of people who were challenged with faking the moon landing in case it failed. The editing could have been much tigter, but overall I enjoyed the movie and all the actors bringing it to life.
• Longlegs (Neon)
  It probably helps that I'm a massive Nicholas Cage fan, but the entire cast was delicious to watch in this atmospheric horror film.
• Ghostbusters Frozen Empire (Sony Pictures Releasing)
  The previous installment, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, dipped heavy into nostalgia because it was the only way to move forward after the death of Harold Ramis. The real test was the film after that. And here we are with Frozen Empire. I enjoyed it, but felt it really didn't know where to go. It lacks the comedy the franchise was built on and meandered through characters without any real commitment to doing anything interesting with them. Even so, it was still Ghostbusters and had enough story to make me like it. If they do another one, I seriously hope that they come up with more than that.
• Spaceman (Netflix)
  I'm not sure why this film resonated with me. Adam Sandler's performance was fine. The story was good. The cinematography was interesting. The special effects were serviceable. But too much of it was a slog that didn't really go anywhere overly interesting, which is a real blow to anything science-fiction-related.
• Rebel Ridge (Netflix)
  Corruption and injustice are on full display in this suspenseful thriller with action beats that don't let up. But the real star are the stars, which aren't phoning in anything, but giving their all to every scene.
• Argylle (Apple/Universal)
  Okay. It went on too long, needed to consolidate two of the final sequences into one (and made it far less stupid), plus not sacrifice clarity for surprises... but I ultimately liked it! Big dumb fun!
• Hit Man (Netflix)
  This Glen Powell vehicle was sure to have an ending so obvious that I almost didn't watch. And indeed you do get that ending... at an hour in. Then the movie snowballs to the real ending which, I gotta say, was not what I expected. With a tighter script this could have been a great movie instead of a good movie. As it is, there are parts that drag so badly that you have to wonder how it got greenlit in this state. They really, really needed to take another pass on the story to make it more exciting in those dead zones which try to sabotage it.
• Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony Pictures Releasing)
  What can I say? It's more of the nonsensical same. You either like the movies because you can remove critical thinking and enjoy them for what they are... or you can't.
• Will & Harper (Netflix)
  Will Ferrell and his longtime friend Harper Steele hit the road after Steele comes out as a trans woman. Interesting and full of heart, this is a feel-good "documentary" which feels staged and sanitized at every step, but is still an important story to be told.
• Role Play (Amazon MGM)
  Look, all these movies trying to be the next Mr. & Mrs. Smith inevitably fail because they just can't be as interesting as that film was at that moment in time. But there are films that are still entertaining despite it all. Role Play is not a great film. But it doesn't aspire to be. It's just a fun flick where a woman has a secret life as an assassin which her husband and kids no nothing... and her secrets come back to haunt her in a predictable, but still entertaining way.

DISAPPOINTING

• Borderlands (Lionsgate)
  After the brilliant hob that Amazon did with Fallout, I was primed for a killer videogame adaptation that featured the excellent Borderlands series. And once the cast was revealed, my expectations were through the roof. Alas, the movie was a complete mess and made me wish that they hadn't bothered. Everybody involved would have been better off putting their time into something that was worth their talents.
• Trap (Warner Bros.)
  M. Night Shyamalan is truly a mixed bag. Sometimes you get brilliant films with amazing twists. Sometimes you get a pile of shit. And sometimes a movie lands somewhere in-between. Like this one. The concept of a serial killer getting trapped at a concert in lockdown is good. The cast is mostly good. The music is very good. But the way it's all put together is stupid and sloppy. Especially in the final act, which needed a few more passes to nail down. Shyamalan cast his daughter as pop star "Lady Raven" and she has no trouble pulling off the musical performances, but struggles to hit the acting beats the role demands of her.

WORST

• Madame Webb (Sony)
  It's like Sony is determined to exploit its license for Spider-Man-adjacent films using characters that nobody outside comic book gives a shit about... then saddling them to truly awful stories... just for kicks. Because it certainly isn't for money. And this is the worst so far (which is saying a lot considering Morbius was the previous installment). Gut-wrenchingly awful and nonsensical, I can't figure out how this was ever greenlit. Hopefully between Morbius, this, and Kraven all tanking we're finally done with Sony's shitty movies that do nothing but contribute to super-hero fatigue.
• Atlas (Netflix)
  Artificial Intelligence gone bad and a big robot. What more could you ask for? Well, a good script would be nice. Or, at the bare minimum, a story that has something new to say. I went in blind only knowing that Jennifer Lopez and Simu Liu, two actors I like, were in it. I wish I had avoided it instead.
• Uglies (Netflix)
  I am told that the book is pretty good. I wouldn't know. What I do know is that this movie was an absolute shitshow. Nothing makes sense. And I do mean nothing. The entire time it was playing I was trying to understand what the logic was behind any of it. I never got there.
• Rebel Moon: Part 2 (Netflix)
  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP GIVING ZACK SNYDER MONEY TO MAKE THESE SHITTY FUCKING FILMS! I ended up fast-forwarding through half of this mess because it was inexplicably even worse than Part 1. Where do you go after gut-wrenchingly fucking awful? Here's your answer.
• Unfrosted (Netflix)
  Long, boring, unfunny, and a waste of the talent involved. I think that everybody just did this as a favor to Jerry Seinfeld, even though he was doing them no favors with this crap material.
• Megalopolis (Lionsgate)
  I was ready to defend Francis Ford Coppola against the criticism for this film. Surely people were just not understanding his genius! And then I saw it. What in the hell was he thinking? This was a pretentious embarrassment that was supposed to explore the fall of Rome as projected on modern New York... but then injects some magical time-altering bullshit for deus ex machina taken to entirely new levels.

DIDN'T SEE, MIGHT HAVE MADE MY LIST

• Straume (Flow) (Janus)
  I don't recall ever putting a movie on my list that was released the previous year, but I didn't get to see it until the current year. Sounds like something I'd do if the movie was amazing enough. Based on the trailers and word-of-mouth, this may be one of those films. I am dying to see it, and will no doubt buy it the minute it gets released to home video.
• Nickel Boys (Amazon/MGM)
  Inspired by actual events around a place that really existed, two young Black men are sent to a heinously abusive reform school. Their story, which originated in a critically-lauded book of the same name, unfolds as one of injustice and tragedy. And it's an important story to be told.
• Better Man (Paramount)
  I have no idea what to make of the trailer that documents the life and times of Robbie Williams, but it certainly looks intriguing.
• Piece By Piece (Focus)
  What may be an even more intriguing concept for a documentary of a popular musician may be this one... the life and times of Pharrell Williams AS TOLD IN LEGO FORM! Something I absolutely want to see.
• Nosferatu (Focus)
  A remake of the 1922 classic that's been getting rave reviews. And has Willem Dafoe.
• Saturday Night (Sony Pictures Releasing)
  A comedy and drama about the debut of Saturday Night Live back in 1975, which has GOT to be a good story.
• Gladiator II (Paramount)
  The first film was a fantastic revenge story that was as riveting as it gets. And it had a conclusion that didn't need a sequel. Probably doesn't want a sequel. But we got one and I'm sure Ridley Scott made it a spectacle to behold.
• Heretic (A24)
  Hugh Grant is a criminally under-appreciated actor. Sure he's famous, but I really don't think he gets the credit he's due. From the sound of things, he is getting raves for his performance as a real asshole villain, which I have no doubt is worth a watch.
• Moana 2 (Disney)
  I loved the first film. Not only does it have a compelling story that's beautifully rendered... but it also has great characters and incredible music (Shiny is probably my favorite Disney movie song of all time). The fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda is absent from the sequel has diminished my hopes a bit, but I'm still excited to see it.
• Shirley (Netflix)
  Regina King plays Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress who subsequently ran for president. This was released alllll the way back in March, but I only discovered it recently when I ran across a Regina King interview where it was mentioned.

DIDN'T SEE, MOST CERTAINLY SHIT

• Kraven The Hunter (Sony)
  I was almost willing to give this film the benefit of doubt... even after Morbius and Madame Web turned out to be shit. But then the reviews dropped and it's like NOPE! Just more of the same idiotic shit that Sony is crapping out with characters nobody cares about outside of comic book nerds who will demand a faithful adaptation. Which this is apparently not.
• Joker: Folie a Deux (Warner Bros.)
  I didn't watch the first film because the trailer and reviews made it sound like it wasn't the least bit faithful to the character. It got good reviews and made major bank even so. Then the sequel dropped and was trashed so utterly thoroughly that I was relieved I clearly wasn't missing anything.