The Best of 2024 So Far

2024 was a bad year for cinema. It was a struggle to find ten good movies, but I managed to cobble together a list of films that made 2024 tolerable. Some would normally not make a Ten Best List, but given the slim pickings before me, I think they are as good as it gets.

Number 10: The Beekeeper

I make no argument that The Beekeeper is a great film. If you want to call it a routine Jason Statham film, I won't argue with you about it. I can say that The Beekeeper knew what it was, did not pretend to be anything other than what it was, and met its goals. I was entertained and surprisingly not horrified by the violence. It never overstayed its welcome and kept things interesting. In a year of pretentious garbage, The Beekeeper kept faith with its audience.

Number 9: Saturday Night

I have not seen Saturday Night Live in years if not decades. I did watch one episode of this, its fiftieth season, but that was to see Stevie Nicks perform as the musical guest. As this late-night variety sketch show reaches its half-century mark, I can see why Saturday Night was released now. This film about the premiere episode of what was first called NBC's Saturday Night, with its stories of egocentric stars past and present, dismissive executives and a beleaguered showrunner who looked like he was twelve was made in an interesting style. Its runtime of around a hundred minutes covered the hour and a half before NBC's Saturday Night hit the airwaves, chronicling the chaos and machinations that swirled around it. Saturday Night made what could have been a dry recitation of the events into a fascinating watch. It is also elevated by standout performances from Gabriel LaBelle, Cory Michael Smith and Dylan O'Brien as Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd respectively. We even get surprising turns from J.K. Simmons and Matthew Rhys as Milton Berle and George Carlin, showing other sides to their skills.

Number 8: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

I never played video games as a child, let alone as an adult. I also have no great attachment to the character of Sonic the Hedgehog. This franchise has been hit and miss: the first one was great while the second one was weak. Now we have the third in what I trust will close out this series. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, like the aforementioned The Beekeeper, knows its audience. It, moreover, respects its audience, giving them nice shoutouts and in-jokes that do not leave non-Sonic followers lost. Balancing kid and family-friendly appeal with sometimes dark elements, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 charmed me with a mix of humor, self-awareness and even touching moments.

Number 7: Boy Kills World

Boy Kills World bombed at the box office, which I think is a real shame. Like two other films on this list (The Beekeeper and Sonic the Hedgehog 3), Boy Kills World is fully aware of itself and embraced its wild premise with glee. Normally, I shy away from graphically violent films. However, I found the film wildly entertaining if at times gruesome. Everyone in the cast gets into the spirit of things, so one does not mind too much if some of the performances veer into camp. I think it is because, apart from Bill Skarsgard's title character, everyone plays things with a bit of tongue in cheek. Skarsgard, to be fair, does not make Boy into a somber character. He's more of an almost wide-eyed innocent at times. Boy, however, is able to join in the mayhem and serves as a balance to some of the deliberate scenery chewing that makes Boy Kills World entertaining to watch. 

Number 6: The Bikeriders

Biker gangs are a mysterious world, one where loyalty can come with a heavy price. The Bikeriders gives us an entry into this world through the eyes of good but deeply flawed people. The performances from Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy are all standout ones. We get to know, understand and even like these people even though we may be at times be shocked by what they do or what happens to them. The Bikeriders shows us a world that began well enough, but which eventually entered into a darker, uglier one where no one left undamaged in some way. We see the allure of the biker world, but also the cost of living among them. 

Number 5: Dune: Part 2

I remember seeing the first Dune four times. Dune: Part 2, oddly, is one that I saw only twice. I think that I am less enamored of this second part of what is now a trilogy than I was of the first part of this massive space saga. Nevertheless, Dune: Part 2 has some extremely impressive pieces to recommend it. You have strong performances from the cast both from those returning (Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson) and newcomers (Austin Butler). The visuals continue to impress; the epic scope seems at times richer, deeper. I think despite the runtime, the ending was a bit rushed. I suspect that it was due to how it was decided to make a third Dune film when I think most people expected there to be only two. Whether this proves a good or bad idea remains to be seen, but as it stands, Dune: Part 2 is a good though not great follow-up to its predecessor.

Number 4: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Almost every year, at least one documentary manages to sneak into my Ten Best List. This year, that documentary is Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. Using Reeve family footage and interviews with Reeve family, friends and colleagues, we get Reeve's story of struggle and success in his professional and personal life. Super/Man does not deify Reeve. We learn that he could be selfish, insecure and prone to mistakes. We also learn that it was only by literal inches that his accident could have either resulted in instant death or merely an embarrassing fall versus the paralysis that ended up happening. The audience that I saw Super/Man with was openly sobbing by the end. This is a respectful but honest portrait of Christopher Reeve, who was flawed but who time and again met the challenges placed before him the best way that he could.

Number 3: A Complete Unknown

Perhaps my enjoyment of A Complete Unknown comes from the fact that I am a big Bob Dylan fan. However, I think A Complete Unknown gives us a very good portrait of the artist as a young man, one with great talent, great ambition and at times great hubris. This Bob Dylan is brilliant and brash, sometimes charming, sometimes elusive, sometimes welcoming, sometimes distant. A Complete Unknown is, however, not just a showcase for Timothee Chalamet's Bob Dylan. It was filled with great performances all around, from Edward Norton's sincere Pete Seeger to Monica Barbaro's knowing Joan Baez. Each received a well-deserved nomination for their performances. Chalamet was denied both a Best Actor Academy Award and a chance at history to become the youngest Best Actor winner, losing to the current record-holder for the youngest Best Actor winner title, Adrien Brody for The Brutalist. However, I think that in the future, it will be Chalamet's turn as Zimmy that people will prefer versus the cold but efficient Brody in The Brutalist.

Number 2: Nowhere Special

Nowhere Special is a curious film in that it took several years to hit the States. Premiering in 2020, Nowhere Special hit the United Kingdom in 2021 but only managed to come to the United States in 2024. I am puzzled on why it took so long to make it here. I am, however, thankful that it managed to come out at all. This tale of a working-class Irishman who, knowing that he is dying, is seeking a family for his young son to take care of him is a deeply moving portrait of a father's love. James Norton's performance is one of the most beautiful that I have seen as John. John is generally quiet, perhaps prickly but ultimately a noble man. The beauty in Nowhere Special is that it takes the situation seriously without drowning in pathos or mawkishness. It also shows that the various families that John visits are all good people who, in their way, would love young Michael (Daniel Lamont). I am not ashamed in admitting that I was moved to tears at the end of Nowhere Special, a film that reminds us of how special a father-son bond can be.

Number 1: Juror #2

Like Nowhere Special, my Number One Film of 2024 was pretty much ignored. Like Nowhere Special, the fact that few people saw or heard about Juror #2 is a depressing sign of how Hollywood has lost its way. How is it that the (probable) final film from Clint Eastwood could be so widely ignored and dismissed by Warner Brothers? How could people who have seen both Juror #2 and Emilia Perez genuinely think that the latter was not only better than the former, but that Emilia Perez deserved thirteen Academy Award nominations while Juror #2 did not deserve even a screening? Juror #2 perhaps was too intelligent for Academy members, filled with things that they apparently recoil from, such as good acting, good directing, and a good screenplay. This film about the flaws of both the justice system and those who are part of it is a complex picture of individuals attempting to do the right thing even if it means doing harm to others. The performances are all first rate. The story gives us genuine people, not saints or sinners. The film moves steadily, gripping you at times with suspense and sometimes with deep tragedy. Juror #2, I fear, will be lost to filmgoers except for those who want to complete a Clint Eastwood directing filmography. I watched Juror #2 with rapt attention, filled with empathy for the situation and people, concern that there would be a miscarriage of justice no matter what the result, and impressed by the entire project. In a just world, Juror #2 would have been the dominant film at the Academy Awards while Emilia Perez would have been laughed out of even the Razzies. We obviously do not live in a just world. I urge you to invest time in Juror #2 and see what people can accomplish in terms of storytelling.

With that, I name Juror #2 as the Best Film of 2024 So Far.

Next time, some Odds and Bitter Ends.