If you think back to my Top 5 list from 2023, you might remember me saying that I was worried about 2024. I assumed the writers and actors strikes would leave a noticeable mark on this year and possibly even result in a barren awards landscape. I was wrong. 2024 had it all. Massive biopics, challenging character studies, stunning animation titles – there were meaningful contributions to every cinematic subgenre. It was hard to narrow down this list, but I managed.
My list, though it is the best, leaves off several projects that will be championed by other reviewers. I encourage you to see as many of these incredible films as you can before the Academy Awards in March. You won’t regret it.
No. 5: September 5
I talked about Director Tim Fehlbaum’s taut media thriller on the last installment of “On Set.” It’s a dramatic re-creation of the 1972 Munich Olympics and the hostage tragedy of members of the Israeli team. “September 5” has a great script and fantastic performances, but it distinguishes itself most as a period piece. I loved the front- and-center technology of early 1970s television reporting. We were always going to care about the why and the who. But the how made this great story even better.
Number 4: Conclave
I’m not Catholic, but the ritual of Papal succession has always fascinated me. Add ambition, intrigue and a jaw-dropping twist into the mix and I’ll follow your Vatican film anywhere. Edward Berger directed this smart clergy procedural and got the absolute best out of his brilliant cast. Ralph Fiennes, once again, is perfect. The cinematography is somehow both opulent and lean, with some of the most expertly composed shots I’ve ever seen. If I could have cast a vote at the conclave, it would have been for another hour of this film.
Number 3: Tuesday
I am probably departing most from the mainstream here. But I can’t stop singing the praises of “Tuesday.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the mother of a terminally ill daughter played by Lola Petticrew. When the daughter (Tuesday) is visited by Death in the form of a macaw that can speak and change size at will, all three embark on an exploration of acceptance and duty. I’ve never seen anything like it and will be forever changed by the experience of “Tuesday”. This is brave, deeply generous filmmaking.
No. 2: The Wild Robot
My biggest personal surprise of the year, and another project I discussed previously on “On Set.” I don’t care that animated films rarely make the best picture cut. I commented in my earlier piece on how far behind Pixar DreamWorks usually runs. With “The Wild Robot,” DreamWorks has a script that is as good as its drawing, and the result is a masterpiece. I said before that Roz, read in a charming robotic deadpan by the incomparable Lupita Nyong’o, is the new “Wall-E.” But that doesn’t quite say enough, so I’ll have to quote a colleague. Roz is the new “Iron Giant.”
No. 1: The Brutalist
Viewers of this three-and-a-half-hour hunk of immaculate granite have been Googling the name László Tóth in great numbers, only to discover that the architect so flawlessly portrayed by Adrian Brody didn’t really exist. No characters did in Brady Corbet’s epic biographical paean, and to convince us otherwise is pure directorial sorcery. The camera work is second to none. The orchestral score is, too. The story? Well, it contains nothing less than the entire 20th century and entirety of human vulnerability.
