These are the best movies and series I watched in 2024, in no particular order.
Five stars: the best of the best
Ripley
This latest adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley is not to be missed. Visually seductive, almost unbearably suspenseful, it's the Ripley adaptation to make you forget all others. Andrew Scott's portrayal of Tom Ripley is bone chilling -- so mesmerizing that the viewer forgets whose side you're supposed to be on. And with eight episodes to delve into the story, it really does justice to the novel.
Poor Things
This quirky social satire swept me away. It's hilarious, deeply moving, and brilliantly biting. Through the "naif discovers the world" trope, it weaves an uplifting philosophy of personal autonomy, self-created identity, love without possession or control, and the basic humanity and equality of all people, all wrapped in inventive steampunk design. Emma Stone's performance as Bella Baxter is one for the ages. Along with last year's "Everything Everywhere All At Once," I want to re-watch this, and will probably get more out of it.
May December
Funny, sad, and uncomfortable in all the right ways, this drama inspired by real events sends your reactions flip-flopping -- and leaves you questioning each flip and flop. It's a thoughtful and nuanced portrayal of a difficult subject, something you believe to be clear-cut: you want it to be black-and-white, but it just refuses to be so. Thought-provoking and surprising.
Tell Me Who I Am (2019)
This documentary introduces twin brothers, raised in the same home. Alex lost his memory in an accident at age 18; Marcus helped him reconstruct their childhood -- or some version of it. It's impossible to say more without spoilers. The movie opens a rabbit-warren of questions about memory, reality, and our construction of the stories of our lives. It's intense, shocking, even harrowing, but ultimately hopeful.
Barbie
I loved this movie. It was playful, funny, moving, powerful, and decidedly feminist.
Blacklist S10
Ever since Blacklist got rid of you-know-who at the end of S8, the show deepened in emotional resonance, and James Spader turned in some of his best work of the entire show -- which is really saying something. S10 was suspenseful, sad, and stunning. I loved this series, despite its flaws, and will probably watch the whole thing again.
This British thriller about a group of misfit spies continues to do everything right. Great writing, great acting, suspense, humour, mystery, and the incredible Gary Oldman, eclipsing the other excellent performances. If you enjoy spy thrillers, don't miss this.
Killers of the Flower Moon
My expectations for this film were very high -- a movie adaptation of a great nonfiction book, Indigenous and American history, Martin Scorsese. I was not disappointed. Scorsese combines history, true-crime, mystery, romance -- greed, murder, betrayal -- into an American epic.
L.A. Confidential rewatch (1997)
I was wondering how this classic would stand up. The answer: it is one of the greatest neo-noirs of the modern era, second only to "Chinatown" (which we re-watched last year), and a truly outstanding movie of any genre. Taut, visually gorgeous, complex without being too convoluted to follow -- crisp, stinging noir-style dialogue that doesn't descend into parody -- brilliantly understated acting -- and breathtaking twists. Back in the 90s, this is the movie that sent us on a hunt to find others like it. We discovered a genre, but learned how rare movies of this caliber are.
Better Call Saul S1-S5 (full series)
I was not a fan of "Breaking Bad," and until now, I've had a strong dislike of Bob Odenkirk. I found Odenkirk in Breaking Bad unwatchable. Allan convinced me to try this series, and I'm so glad he did. Stepping out from his tiresome shtick, Odenkirk gives a brilliant, nuanced, unforgettable performance. The series transcends the crime-thriller genre, exploring the bonds of family and friendship, loyalty and betrayal, love and loneliness, our attempts to control our own lives, and the forces that make that impossible. Few shows are both suspenseful and heartbreaking. One of the very best series we've seen.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
I'm still bingeing the modern western genre, and my new interest in the films of Quentin Tarantino, sparked by "Django Unchained," made this a must-see. As you might expect from Tarantino, this movie is fast-paced, hilarious, gruesome, and meaningful. I'm glad I've acquired a taste for his over-the-top, humorous violence, like a secret language I suddenly understand. If you also understand that language, this movie is nearly perfect. Or it might actually be perfect.
This is my current favourite, heart-squeezing, tear-inducing, teen coming-of-age story. It's a celebration of love in all its many beautiful forms. Where "Sex Education" invents a world where queer kids can always be themselves, and are never bullied or rejected by anyone but maladjusted adults, Heartstopper's world is more realistic, which makes it all the more meaningful. I'm in love with Nick and Charlie's love.
Le Samourai (1967)
A tense and complex noir thriller from the master, Jean-Pierre Melville. From the seductive cinematography of black-and-white Paris, to the crisp, taut dialogue, to the understated acting, this film is perfect in every way. Alain Delon sets the bar high as a professional hitman trying to do his job and save his own skin.
Shrinking S1 rewatch + S2 (full series so far)
Season 2 of this smart comedy-drama is much deeper and quite a bit sadder than S1. Last year, I wrote that the series is about "grief, loss, therapy, honesty, and reclaiming joy". Now I'll add self-awareness, self-deception, forgiveness, and mortality. It's a truly great show.
A Nearly Normal Family
This eight-part series explores what a family will do to protect each other, and asks if protecting others is more important than the truth, and even more important than ourselves. If it were a book, I'd call it a literary thriller -- honest, authentically human, moving, and suspenseful, with some great twists.
Hollywood Con Queen
This short docuseries reveals a con so elaborate and far-reaching that it seems like improbable fiction -- but it's based on reporting by an investigative journalist. If it were fiction, it might be funny, but in fact it was horribly cruel. A strange and fascinating doc.
A crime thriller that subtly shifts into hidden history and social commentary, without losing its edge, is a rare and beautiful thing. There's street-level crime, then there's the crime and greed at the top, the kind that hurts more people -- and kills the planet. Like "A Nearly Normal Family," above, this is the movie version of a literary thriller.
Errol Morris on John Le Carré. What more do you need to know?
Private Property (1960)
This gritty noir was considered prurient and shocking when it was released, and more than 60 years later, it has lost little of its power. It's a true film noir, unyielding in its cynical and depressing worldview.
Burn After Reading (2008)
This dark, satirical comedy from the Coen brothers is great fun. Brad Pitt is hilarious as the mimbo, but the star-laden cast keeps the viewer at arms-length. It's impossible not to see George Clooney, John Malkovich, and even the great Frances McDormand as actors, rather than their characters.
The Holdovers
This bittersweet comedy-drama may be Paul Giamatti's best work. Director Alexander Payne puts aside his usual ironic distance, and the results are profound and completely absorbing.
The Green Glove Gang S1
An excellent heist comedy, plus seniors playing real people, without mocking or resorting to caricatures.
Good Girls S1-S4 (full series)
A heist comedy that quickly turns dark, with underlying anti-capitalist and anti-sexist themes. I really enjoyed this.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2012)
The classic adaptation of the classic John Le Carré spy novel.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
This crime-comedy-satire from Martin McDonagh is dark comedy at its best. McDonagh manages to do it all and mock it all at the same time.
A Serious Man (2009)
Another dark comedy from the Coen Brothers, with some profound thoughts about faith, love, misfortune, and mortality woven in. Apparently it's regarded as one of The Greatest Films. I wouldn't put it in that category, but there's a lot going on; it would probably benefit from a second viewing.
Strange Fruit: The Biography of a Song (2002)
This documentary unpacks the haunting song of the title, along with the man who wrote it, and the woman who made it famous. I wrote about it here.
Night of the Hunter (1955)
This classic noir thriller is chilling, suspenseful, and just a wee bit campy. With a screenplay by James Agee, directed by Charles Laughton, the film has quite the pedigree, and was highly influential. Robert Mitchum is brilliant as the master of deception, the beloved preacher who is about as far from holy as it gets. Unlike "Private Property" (above), Night of the Hunter lets in a little light, veering away from the most cynical of all possible endings -- and it works.
Belfast (2021)
Coming of age during The Troubles, brought to you by Kennth Branagh. A lovely film.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The original subway-hijacking thriller is tense and suspenseful, but understated, played always on a human level. Like all good films from this era, the look and feel -- both cityscapes and subway scenes -- are so authentic, that you can lose yourself in the action, in a way that (for me) big-budget so-called action films cannot match.
Mr. Monk's Last Case (2023)
Tony Shaloub treats us to one more turn as the incomparable Adrian Monk. Like the brilliant series, the movie is funny, sometimes profound, a little corny, and in the end, uplifting. I am so in love with Shaloub's portrayal of the incredibly irritating, incredibly loveable, deeply damaged detective. Monk fans, see this movie.
Santa Clarita Diet S1-3 (full series)
A zombie comedy not trying to tell us anything, just making us laugh. A lot. Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore are hilarious and loveable.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Our rethink of the Coen Brothers and my modern-western binge came together for this one. At times silly, hilarious, sad, dramatic, and occasionally profound, the film hits all the right notes. Too many recognizable faces plus the anthology format marred it a bit for me, but it was still very satisfying.
Series Noire rewatch, S1-S2 (full series, 2014-2016)
We absolutely love this crazy crime comedy from the Quebecois team of François Létourneau, Jean-François Rivard, and Vincent-Guillaume Otis. It's hilarious, sad, and occasionally profound, full of self-referential irreverence, without hitting you over the head with its cleverness -- although it has cleverness to spare.
Special mention
Django (1966)
After I fell in love with Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" (and I watched it again, so Allan would see it), we wanted to see this classic Giallo / Spaghetti Western that Tarantino pays homage to. It's a completely ridiculous movie -- creepy, grotesque, unintentionally hilarious -- and it out-tops Tarantino's over-the-top violence.
Honourable mentions: worth seeing
The Lincoln Lawyer S3
Huge in France S1 (full series so far) (2019)
"Unknown" series: The Lost Pyramid, Cosmic Time Machine
STEVE! (martin): a Documentary in Two Pieces
Previous "we movie to canada" awards
- Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08)
- my beverage of choice (2008-09)
- famous people who died during the past year (2009-10)
- where I'd like to be (2010-11)
- vegetables (2011-12)
- big life events in a year full of Big Life Changes (2012-13)
- cheese (2013-14)
- types of travels (2014-15)
- famous people who died plus famous people who died, part 2 (2015-16)
- the picket line (2016-17)
- movies (2017-18)
2018-19: 1-5 ☮s
2019-20: 1-5 💉s
2020-21: 1-5 😷s (without the tear!)
2021: best of 2021 april to december
2022: best of 2022
2023: best of 2023
3 comments:
Thanks for the list. I need some new things to watch, and although we do have different taste, there's also places we overlap. I love Heartstoppers, Shrinking, and The Holdovers, enjoyed Ripley (even though darker than our usual choices) and Lincoln Lawyer, but found Barbie boring except for the part when America Ferrara gives her speech. We saw A Serious Man when it came out and found it thought-provoking and sad. The others we have not seen. Some of these on your list may work for us, but others won't. Right now I especially need escapism that lifts my spirits, nothing dark or violent.
It's possible you've seen all those where our tastes overlap. Most of the rest are my/our brand of escapism -- spies, heists, noir. I'll look again with that in mind and let you know.
Did you see Poor Things?
Post a Comment