While the real world of 2024 was a mixed-bag of insane moments, the cinema was bursting with terrific films, and I was consistently impressed with the ingenuity brought to the table this year for viewers from all walks of life. After the last five years were inundated with COVID and two strikes for the writers and actors, 2024 provided a better future blueprint for cinema, though we did have to mourn the loss of physical media at big box stores like Target (still available on the app) and Best Buy, but hey! We’re here to talk the hits of 2024!

Before we begin, a few regular caveats that I’m required to bring up because someone inevitably needs the reminder:

-I did not see every single movie in 2024. I did see over 180 new feature film, but there are some films that escaped me this year. If you are wondering why your favorite movie didn’t make the list, it’s likely that I either didn’t see the film or just wasn’t as passionate about it as you were, and that’s okay. Head on down to the comment section and share your rankings and let me know why you picked the ones you did. I love reading them and they may outline a film I may have missed!

-On that note, this is my personal list of the Best Movies of 2024. It’s not a list of your favorites. It’s not an objective list of the best movies of the year (which doesn’t exist). It’s merely the films that connected with me the most in the past year. There may be other films not included that you believe were “better made” or most important, but that’s not what this is.

-Lastly, I crave discussion, dissection, and (respectful) disagreements, so keep the “hate” out of this place.

Alright, let’s get on with it…

10. In a Violent Nature

• Who would’ve put chill hangout Friday the 13th on my Bingo card for 2024? This horror film follows the zombified Johnny, a supernatural killer awakened when a special locket is removed from his tomb, as he hunts down the troublesome teens who caused his resurrection. This is essentially a Friday the 13th film from the perspective of Jason Voorhees, and I’m all here for it. That franchise has always been a little nervous about reshaping the formula (and usually when they did, it didn’t work so well), so I loved Chris Nash’s approach to that formula but following the killer instead of the victims. Some have argued that this approach created a slower and less-interesting film, and while I don’t there’s enough here for a franchise like Johnny’s hockey-masked cousin, for this one film I was endlessly fascinated, and the lengthy walking and stalking sequences were incredibly tense. With terrific cinematography and solid direction from Nash, In a Violent Nature only falters slightly in its finale, but not enough to lose a place on this list.

9. The Substance

• Up until the last few days, I had this spot for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and while I still really enjoyed that film, I haven’t been able to get The Substance out of my head since seeing it several months ago, and my love for it has only grown in the months since as I’ve recommended it to others. The Substance stars Demi Moore (in a career-best performance) as Elizabeth Sparkle, a fitness celeb who has “aged” out of the role according to her producers. When Elizabeth takes a mysterious drug called The Substance, she births a younger, better version of herself. Apart from the incredible performances of the main cast, including Moore, Margaret Qualley as Sue, the Substance created copy, and Dennis Quaid as Harvey, creepy producer and scene-chewer, The Substance is body-horror delight with an age-old theme told in a captivatingly gruesome way. It’s funny, tragic, and very Gremlins-esque. On first view, the finale missed me a bit, but on subsequent viewing, it became more beloved and necessary to the film, and I appreciated how writer/director Coralie Fargeat pushed the story as far as she could, opening and closing on some of the best visual storytelling in recent memory.

8. Thelma

• This delightful take on the true story is one of the most hidden of 2024 gems. Starring June Squibb in a career-high performance, Grandmother Thelma is tricked into giving up her savings by a phone scammer and then decides to retrieve it, against her family’s wishes. Featuring the late Richard Roundtree is a terrific and heartfelt supporting role, Thelma is played as an action movie with “action” scenes, even though they occasionally consist of Thelma dangerously rolling across a bed or “speeding” on her motorized cart. Squibb insisted on doing her own stunts and it makes for a wholly exciting and adorable film with a nice message and a lot of laughs along the way.

7. Civil War

• I still remember the feeling I had leaving the theater following Alex Garland’s Civil War (the first, but not last, A24 film on this list). My heart was racing, and yet I couldn’t speak. I had realized in the theater, with the movie nearing its tense finale, that I had been holding my breath for large portions of the movie. All this boils down to an experience that I won’t go back to as often, but one that definitely triggered a response in me as a viewer. Garland’s film stars Kirsten Dunst as a war photographer trying to accurately capture an ongoing American Civil War along with a few others. Some have criticized the film for not “taking a side,” but I would argue his side is Against a Civil War, because it doesn’t matter who is in the right and who is in the wrong in this situation, because everyone would suffer because of it, and Garland’s film puts that disturbing possibility into play, and it’s deeply affecting to me. He also makes great use of his filmmaking techniques and put you into the situations his characters are in. It’s not a movie I’ll watch a lot, but it’s damn effective regardless.

6. Scala!!! Or, The Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World’s Wildest Cinema and How it Influenced a Mixed-Up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits

• I love documentaries, but it isn’t terribly often that one makes its way onto my Top Ten. In this case, Scala finds itself as a perfect “for-me” movie. This documentary chronicles the life of the Scala theater in London from the 1970s to the 1990s, is a combination history of the theater, a collage of the various people who frequented it and their stories, and a chronicle of the many pieces of art that flowed through the theater during the height of its run. I was able to catch a screener midway through the year and it has maintained my affection the rest of the year. I was even blessed to get a copy of the Blu-Ray for the film from the wonderful people at Severin, and if you have the opportunity, go get a copy, which contains tons of special material and two full discs of short films that played at the Scala (not a sponsor, but it’s a great set). Scala is bathed in a punk aesthetic and really made me wish for a time machine.

5. Tuesday

• On the subject of movies that were made for me, Tuesday is the perfect movie for me at the specific time I saw it. I was depressed and looking for some order and purpose in the universe, and while Tuesday didn’t exactly put everything right in the world, it was an experience that I felt akin to in that time. The movie, about a mother and daughter who have to face Death when it arrives at their door in the form of a talking bird, is unusual and often difficult, but it firmly establishes its filmic rules early on, and then proceeds to push its concept as far as it can for the entirety of its run time. It’s a rare film that had me guessing from moment to moment, likely due to its strange structure and concept, and I was enthralled with every flip of the switch. It also features a career-best performance from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, an actress most often associated with comedy but very capable of working deep drama as well. It’s a shame the conversation has shifted away from here during this awards season, but she’s got accolades in my heart for certain.

4. Love Lies Bleeding

• A lot of great A24 on the list this year, and Love Lies Bleeding is no exception. Directed by Rose Glass, this movie has often been described as the Lesbian Bodybuilder Thriller, but there’s so much more to it than those three words. It’s sexy but grimy, funny but inherently shocking, and consistently tense from moment one. The heart of the film is Katy O’Brien’s powerhouse performance as competitive bodybuilder Jackie, and she carries the story to a naturally and peculiar finale that hits hard and stays that way. The supporting cast includes Kristen Stewart, Ed Harris (and that glorious wig), and Dave Franco in perhaps his slimiest of roles yet. Love Lies Bleeding is a combination of familiar elements fashioned in an unfamiliar way, and that’s what I love so much about it.

3. Nosferatu

• I loved Nosferatu upon first watch, but it was the follow-up viewing that solidified its place this high in my ranking for the year. A top-tier production in every way, this gothic horror tale stands as an equal to the original 1922 film, and in many ways surpasses it. Robert Eggers takes the Dracula rip-off and makes it different enough from that story while adding all the traditional flourishes he can bring to the tale. Lily-Rose Depp wowed me as Ellen Hutter, and I was also impressed with Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Bill Skarsgard (who absolutely vanishes into the role of Count Orlok), and Simon McBurney as Herr Knock, who channels the 1922 film so perfectly and adds to it. When I think of the most elegant and classic portrayals of the vampire, I’ll view Nosferatu 2024 on the same level of Francis Ford Coppola’s excellent Dracula from 1992, and it’ll forever be one of my favorite vampire films.

2. Dune: Part Two

• This follow-up adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic, This Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel uplifts its predecessor while closing the original novel and acting as a perfect 2nd entry in what could be an all-time trilogy. Every single time Villeneuve is doubted, from adapting the unadaptable to making a legacy sequel like Blade Runner 2049, he showcases why he’s one of the best directors working today and instantly earns a movie ticket from me for everything he brings to the screen. His adaptation of Herbert’s novel is more than a translation. He makes this film from his perspective as the film he’s waited his whole life to see, and he brings that to the audience. Dune: Part Two is the 2024 film I’ve watched the most thus far, and I see it staying in that regard for many years to come. Now, let’s get the ball rolling on Dune: Messiah.

1. We Live in Time

• At the last minute, I rewatched We Live in Time and it rose from #2 to #1, and I’m happy with that. Another hit from A24 last year, this one went more under the radar, perhaps because it’s not as “out there” as some of their more discussed films. Directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn), We Live in Time is a pretty traditional romance film with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, but the genius of this film is in its execution, particularly in the writing and editing. We Live in Time is told in a nonlinear fashion, the narrative jumping around to different moments within the central relationship. In doing so, we are able to better appreciate the little slivers of beauty within a life well-lived together. It’s aided by two incredible performances from its leads, who have incredible chemistry throughout. We Live in Time works as an emotional roller-coaster and as a mystery film, with plenty of puzzle pieces to put together if you wish or just take the ride. Every time I’ve watched it, I’m a weeping mess by the end and often by the very beginning, and that’s why it’s one of my favorite romance films ever, and my absolute favorite film of 2024.

So there you have it. My Top Ten of 2024. Now you know mine, what are your favorite films of the year? Share them with me, and let’s have a discussion. Thanks for joining me, and let’s look forward to the numerous great films heading into 2025!

-Kyle A. Goethe