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Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

CA Dreamin — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:32:01 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 07/24/2025 19:32

BozoTyrannus wrote:

I don't know why, but 2024 was full of incredible movies that are literally the types of things people have been asking for, and yet everybody I know didn't actually go see them, rather seeing all the overhyped movies (like Nosferatu, which you mentioned in your next post) and then complaining about the overall quality of the year in cinema.

I cannot express how much self-control it has taken to be around people this year when this keeps happening. The number of people asking for non-cliched dramas with middle aged female leads is overwhelming, and none of them watched I'm Still Here.

Or Flow. The number of my friends complaining about the current state of remake/sequel/prequel in animation and the domination of Disney, just enormous. And yet Flow was in theaters here for three weeks and I'm the only one of my friends who saw it. After it won an Oscar, our local theater ran it again for free and nobody watched it.

I have come to conclusion that people like complaining about movies more than they like watching them, because they keep going and seeing all the dreck that everyone know will suck, but when they have easy opportunities to see good movies that are precisely what they're after, they skip them over and over.

TL;DR I think people have decided that objecting to the state of the film industry is more fun than actually doing something about it.
Also I'm not picking on anyone here, just a specific subgenre of my IRL friends

Your IRL friends represent a broader picture. I have IRL peers guilty of the same thing. And you say you're not picking on anyone here, but come on. I'm guilty as charged, 😄 😨 . I criticize the modern state of cinema all the time here. At the same time, in the last year, I've seen the following films in theaters...Alien Romulus, Jurassic World Rebirth, Nosferatu, Beetlejuice 2, Gladiator 2, Deadpool and Wolverine, Twisters, etc. These were all between disappointing and enjoyably average. Whereas I did not see Flow or Sacred Fig in theaters. I still haven't watched I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys, among other 2024 prestige films. Why? It's complicated, but I'll try to answer. I think it comes down to marketing, collective curiosity, and the length of theatrical window. The studios pour a ton of marketing into these sequels/remakes, which also have long theatrical runs, providing plenty of time to see them. They also spark curiosity that is felt collectively due to the nostalgia and popularity of their predecessors. Every one of those sequels and remakes I mentioned, I watched with another person or a with a group. I'm not sure I would have watched them by myself. However, when you and your friends/family are brainstorming something to see at the movies, Beetlejuice 2 is an easier consensus choice than let's say The Seed of the Sacred Fig. I tend to watch prestige films in theaters either by myself, or with just one other peer. Recently I also saw these in theaters alone or with one companion...Oh Canada, The Order, Anora, Black Bag, The Shrouds, The Room Next Door, A Real Pain, Conclave, The Brutalist, Kinds of Kindness. And most of these titles only played at my local cinema for two weeks, a much smaller window than the tentpoles I mentioned. I'm a busy thirty-something guy, and I can't catch every movie in theaters. Sorry I missed Flow, I'm Still Here, Sacred Fig, Nickel Boys, etc in theaters. But this is how I differ from your conclusion. I try to balance the popcorn pictures and the prestige pictures. Even though I enjoy complaining about the current state of movies, I don't enjoy it more than actually watching them, and I'd like to think I'm trying to do something about it, by catching the smaller pictures and spreading good word. I could do more though, by not going along with the crowd and skipping the sequels/remakes. However, sometimes these are the few opportunities I get to see my friends these days with our busy lives, and I guess I cherish the friendships enough to sit through some more Hollywood bullcrap. I saw Jurassic World Rebirth with two friends I hadn't seen in over two months...and we all disliked it, but it brought us together. So there's that.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

BozoTyrannus — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:54:48 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 07/23/2025 17:54

CA Dreamin wrote:

I recently watched The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Go watch it. It's criminally under-ranked here (which is partly my fault for not seeing it before this poll closed).

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

CA Dreamin — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:54:27 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 07/23/2025 16:54

Hayden wrote:

CA Dreamin wrote:

I recently watched The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Go watch it. It's criminally under-ranked here (which is partly my fault for not seeing it before this poll closed).

For sure. Definitely one of the more down-to-Earth/raw/realistic 'epics' of the decade, but I just feel like not enough people care about it. Maybe it's a hard sell to western audiences? Considering the constant critical hype, not sure why it was so underwatched. It's a striking piece of cinema.

Still annoyed the Cannes jury chickened out of giving it an actual award. Rasoulof should've walked out with the Jury Prize.

I don't think it's an issue of people not caring about Sacred Fig. Those who have seen it have generally praised it. I think it's a hard sell and not enough people were exposed to it. In this day and age, when Western audiences are glued to their phones, and there are so many platforms and so much content competing for our attention, a 165-minute Iranian epic is at a disadvantage to be even seen. Nevertheless, it is a striking piece of cinema. It feels important, must-see. A reminder that harsh oppression exists in the world. It starts as a critical look at the societal level, but as the movie unfolds, and it gets down to the familial level, it weaves between genres in totally unexpected, yet brilliant ways. I can't go into spoilers, but I kept thinking after the ending, 'What is that family supposed to do now? Where are they supposed to go from there?' The film deliberately doesn't address those questions, but it's not pleasant.

Anyway, I'd like to think The Seed of Sacred Fig will gain traction over time. Again, it's off to a slower start, likely due to its long runtime, downbeat subject matter, subtitles, and failure to make huge splashes with festivals/awards circuits. But over time, it shall shine. Hayden's annoyed Cannes chickened out of giving it an award, but you know what they did give an award to...Emilia Perez. Let's see how well that ages.

Personally, I'm a little annoyed Sacred Fig ranked behind Nosferatu on this poll, one of the most over-hyped, over-bloated pieces of sub-par horror of the decade. Wow. Again, though, that's my fault. Had I seen Sacred Fig before this poll closed, the points my list would have given it would have landed it around #13 instead of #20.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:37:14 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 07/23/2025 15:37

CA Dreamin wrote:

I recently watched The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Go watch it. It's criminally under-ranked here (which is partly my fault for not seeing it before this poll closed).

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

CA Dreamin — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:14:48 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 07/23/2025 15:14

I recently watched The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Go watch it. It's criminally under-ranked here (which is partly my fault for not seeing it before this poll closed).

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:50:24 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/26/2025 04:50

BozoTyrannus wrote:

All nominees or winners at the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director

Interesting, not a bad thing. Only two BP winners coincide though (both absolute mammoths of films, but).

Nationalities of the directors is a nice eclectic mix too. Australian, Canadian, American, Greek, Korean, Japanese, Irish, British & French.

(Mind, the Oscar for Best Director has had a solid international representation the last 15 years as well— 6 almost consecutive wins for Mexico in the 10s is wild). Bar maybe 2010 & 2022, it's probably the category I've had the least gripes with in recent ceremonies.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

BozoTyrannus — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:34:35 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 06/25/2025 21:34

Hayden wrote:

Also, with the wrap of 2024's list, we've been doing this for 10 years 🥳 — here's our decade-anniversary hall of fame—

2015— Mad Max: Fury Road
2016— Arrival
2017— Lady Bird
2018— The Favourite
2019— Parasite
2020— Minari
2021— Drive My Car
2022— The Banshees of Inisherin
2023— Oppenheimer
2024— The Substance

All nominees or winners at the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Olli — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:39:17 GMT

Author: Olli

Posted: 06/24/2025 16:39

I've already started looking at the BEA list of films from the 1940s that I still haven't seen. Of the 100, I haven't seen 25 yet. 😁

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

cestuneblague — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 11:12:08 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 06/24/2025 15:12

Arrival was one of my favorites

Yeah great job as always Hayden, sorry I didn't contribute but considering I saw maybe four films from last year and was never more than "that's good" for any of them, I didn't think a personal list would mean anything in a poll like this. That being said I'm definitely down for a new decade/general poll, but perhaps wait until it starts getting chillier cuz I know I'm taking advantage of the beaches once the heat wave subsides.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 02:05:37 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/24/2025 06:05

I also thought The Brutalist was a sure-fire for top 5, but that's how the dice roll—

I'd also go 1. Anora 2. The Substance 3. I Saw the TV Glow, but that's not because I disliked the last two— I think those being our top 3 is fantastic— and I think BEA leaning a little horror and choosing The Substance is very us. But yeah, the last-minute tie with the point tally was wild.

I should also note I was really happy with where The Wild Robot landed. What a great film— I didn't know too much about it going in, but I watched it with my mother, and the entire thing hit hard— some beautiful moments—

Also, with the wrap of 2024's list, we've been doing this for 10 years 🥳 — here's our decade-anniversary hall of fame—

2015— Mad Max: Fury Road
2016— Arrival
2017— Lady Bird
2018— The Favourite
2019— Parasite
2020— Minari
2021— Drive My Car
2022— The Banshees of Inisherin
2023— Oppenheimer
2024— The Substance

And I think it's aged pretty well 😎
I think the most surprising in-the-moment was 2016 (Moonlight v La La Land was everywhere), but I appreciated we went our own way. I'm not sure how Arrival will be remembered as a film (20, 30 years down the road), I found it never quite hit the pop-culture zeitgeist, but it's a good one—

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

CA Dreamin — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 15:43:16 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 06/21/2025 19:43

Been away on vacation for a while, what did I miss?

Our 2024 list! (finally) Three movies at the top separated by one point, crazy. I don't agree that #1 should be decided by a tie-breaker. What would have happened if there was a run-off election, haha? I would have gone 1. Anora 2. The Substance 3. I Saw the TV Glow. I didn't like I Saw the TV Glow. I liked Anora and Substance enough for my Top 10. But nothing came close to The Brutalist and Evil Does Not Exist imo. Far and away my #1 and #2. And neither ranked very high, SMH. Hundreds of Beavers, what a nice placement in the Top 10. We really did good lobbying job for that comedic wonder. What's crazier to me is that it finished only 10 points behind Dune (dang, I should've padded my list with more mediocrity, and that would have put Beavers ahead). Beavers was 1/1200th of the budget of Dune and a hundredfold better. May there be more movies like it in the future!

Anyway, I'm so ready for the 40s. Who's with me!!‽‽??

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

TheKing — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 10:26:27 GMT

Author: TheKing

Posted: 06/15/2025 14:26

Hayden wrote:

TheKing wrote:

Great list!

I purposely left out Hit Man and Evil Does Not Exist from my list since I already ranked them last year but it's cool to see them doubling up!

Completely missed Hit Man being on both lists 🤡 #-o

ranked 38th both times 🤣

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 10:08:27 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/15/2025 14:08

TheKing wrote:

Great list!

I purposely left out Hit Man and Evil Does Not Exist from my list since I already ranked them last year but it's cool to see them doubling up!

Completely missed Hit Man being on both lists 🤡 🤡

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

TheKing — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 07:50:44 GMT

Author: TheKing

Posted: 06/15/2025 11:50

Great list!

I purposely left out Hit Man and Evil Does Not Exist from my list since I already ranked them last year but it's cool to see them doubling up!

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:13:08 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/15/2025 04:13

AgainstMeAgainstYou wrote:

Surprised The Substance came out on top. I loved it, and I expected a top 10 spot for it, but I would have thought The Brutalist to easily lead the pack with the BEA crowd.

Also let this comment reflect that you can always utilize my Letterboxd in times where I cannot be reached.

Was hoping you wouldn't mind 😨 —
Helped beef up the list.
Turnout was actually pretty good, but we just happened to have a really different point dispersion than usual.

I also thought The Brutalist would come out on top, with the possibility of Anora. The fact it didn't land the top 10 surprised me. Here were some other small 'surprises' to me—

Higher than figured—
A Different Man
Nickel Boys
I Saw The TV Glow
Girl With The Needle

Lower than figured—
The Brutalist
Furiosa
Hit Man
The Room Next Door

Surprised appeared—
Black Dog 😄
Dead Talents Society
Drawing Closer
The Count of Monte Cristo

Surprised they didn't make the cut—
Small Things Like These
Saturday Night
The Last Showgirl
Kinds of Kindness

Not to mention the very BEA-ness of Hundreds of Beavers cracking the top 10. At one point it was at #3 I think 🤣

Got around to watching Love Lies Bleeding last night. Not sure it would've made my list (maybe low on it), but glad that sort of film is still being made. Just good stuff.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

AgainstMeAgainstYou — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 20:35:55 GMT

Author: AgainstMeAgainstYou

Posted: 06/15/2025 00:35

Surprised The Substance came out on top. I loved it, and I expected a top 10 spot for it, but I would have thought The Brutalist to easily lead the pack with the BEA crowd.

Also let this comment reflect that you can always utilize my Letterboxd in times where I cannot be reached.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:18:13 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/13/2025 04:18

BozoTyrannus wrote:

Hayden wrote:

Fun Facts / Stats
—All Best Picture nominees apart from Emilia Pérez are included on the list

The best possible result

Yeah, it was nowhere close.

I think it'll go down in history.

Still baffled by its praise at Cannes.

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

BozoTyrannus — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 22:12:27 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 06/13/2025 02:12

Hayden wrote:

Fun Facts / Stats
—All Best Picture nominees apart from Emilia Pérez are included on the list

The best possible result

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:35:54 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/11/2025 04:35

Fun Facts / Stats

—The Substance, our #1 for the year, was the only film to appear on every list submitted (similar to Oppenheimer the year before)
—#1 & #2 had the same point tally, but The Substance edges out due to appearing on more lists
—The list is actually 51 films due to a tie in the 50th slot
—All Best Picture nominees apart from Emilia Pérez are included on the list
—There are 6 films from Cannes' official competition
—A total of 18 countries are represented in the top 50 (which is much higher than average)
—Evil Does Not Exist and Hit Man appear on both the 2023 and 2024 lists
—Luca Guadagnino directs two films on the list, the only director with this distinction
—The shortest film on the list is Look Back (58m), and the longest film on the list is The Brutalist (215m)

Documentaries: 0
Animated Films: 6
Sequels: 5
Remakes: 3

The actress who appeared in the most films on the list is Stephanie Hsu, with 3.

Might be able to think of some more later 😜

Re: Best Films of 2024 [List]

Hayden — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:03:28 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/11/2025 04:03

Repo wrote:

No way! Serendipitously, Genni ( my youngest) & I just watched I Saw The TV Glow last night, AND LOVED IT!!! 🥰

AND we both have it ranked just a bit HIGHER than The Substance! 🤣

BOTH great movies!

Btw, my kids were totally geeking out over the list, HAYDEN! We just added a bunch to our queue!

I don't know if people have caught this yet, but The Substance and I Saw The TV Glow had the same point tally. It's the first time that's happened to a #1 for any poll I've conducted. Not to mention Anora was literally only one point behind. Not like it was a three horse race either— Flow was in the lead for a while too, but lost a bit of steam near the end.

Glad you and your kids enjoy the list Repo 😄 — if you can find How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, it's a great choice for a family film.

CassidyInc wrote:

Plenty of movies I've not yet seen, I guess I'll start with Anora. 🫢

I highly rated The Substance and I Saw the TV Glow, yet I don't think I'd watch either again. Much like Nightcrawler they stuck in my head for weeks/months but they were tough to watch.

Thank you for organizing and running this again Hayden!

Thanks CassidyInc 😄 — def have to see Anora... I've been veering towards giving it a (rare for me) 5/5 recently. Instant classic.
& I also feel somewhat that way about The Substance & I Saw The TV Glow— I think both are great, and I'm happy where they landed (very BEA), but they aren't comfort films by any means.

Will post facts, etc, in a sec.