My dear readers and followers,

What an incredible year 2024 has been, both in terms of statistics for this website and in cinema.

In 2023, we had 41,154 views of content on this website from 35, 825 visitors. In 2024 we eclipsed that volume to 51,678 views from 43,508 visitors, which is a staggering number of people to reach. We are blown away by these numbers and thank every single person who supported our passion for movies and film reviewing throughout a record-breaking 2024. We are incredibly grateful.

Well, speaking of record-breaking. Allow me to begin my end of year summary by stating never have I ever awarded my prestigious 5-star rating to not 1, not 2, but 3 films in a year! 2024 is the first year I decided to be more selective with which new release movies I watch with the goal of enabling more time to catch-up on some older and classic films I am yet to see. Having seen 166 movies released in 2024 to date, I am not so sure that plan quite came to fruition, but with 38 of these receiving 4 stars or more from me and 137/164 above 2½ stars, I can at least say that my choices were largely wise ones.

This was a strong year and was also a year I achieved something I’ve wanted to for years – to attend the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), and hard core. I saw 11 films in 11 days (while working a full-time day job), 3 of which earned 4 stars or more and 1 that will be among my best films list in 2025 (so you won’t see these titles in this post). I am proud of this effort and cannot wait to attend MIFF and other festivals throughout 2025.

Ok, grab a tea or coffee, and get yourself comfortable before reading on. A special year in movies deserves special recognition! I have summarised my thoughts in what I am calling a ‘category overview’, which highlights special mentions taken from my personal notes over the year, places the spotlight on selected films, and reveals some of my top picks for the year. For those of you who prefer to skim through this for now, head to the end of this post where my top 26 films for the year are revealed.

Animated Films Overview

Let’s get off to a family-friendly start, shall we? 🙂 Dreamworks animation The Wild Robot (A worthy 3 ½ stars) is receiving well-deserved commercial and critical acclaim. Though it was refreshing to see an original film (Despicable Me 54 didn’t do much for me), The Wild Robot always felt familiar. Another lesser-known animated film released earlier in the year also with a robot as its central character slightly edges The Wild Robot for me. The beginning and finale of Robot Dreams (Also 3 ½ stars), and how it explores its themes of loneliness, companionship and loss, make it stand-out. French animation Mars Express (4 stars) is a cut-above both these films with its conceptual and visual innovation completely fascinating me, though this production, and the next one I name, are not for children. The best animated film of 2024 goes to Golden Globe nominee, Memoir of a Snail (4 ½ stars), written and directed by Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot, which I saw during its run at MIFF. It is a hilarious and heartfelt film filled with rich characterisation, hilarious dark humour, and an ingeniously inventive screenplay. One of the best animated films I’ve seen in a long time.

Leigh’s #5 Film of 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musical Films Overview

Oh, the highs and lows of this genre in 2024! DC character Joker and the musical film genre are a mix that never stood a chance to work, even with the magnificent Lady Gaga cast alongside brilliantly talented actor Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux (2 ½ stars, which seems generous). Looking back over my list, this is one of the biggest let downs, if not the greatest let down, of 2024. Though the film is not a musical, I must call out one of my current favourite actresses, Laure Calamy, performing a random musical interlude where she sings and dances to “It’s Raining Men” in Iris and the Men (Iris et les Hommes) (3 stars). It makes all of life’s problems vanish in that instant. The Colour Purple from 1985 was a film I held in high regard for a long time. The musical adaptation released in 2024 did not work for me. It felt too forced as a musical and only rarely came to life in this genre. Thankfully, November brought us a very Wicked gift! Absolutely everything about this welcoming surprise 5-star smash-hit is a glorified success. Perfection from production to performances in what is 2 hours and 40 minutes of pure movie magic. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are absolute standouts and one of the best on screen pairings all year. Everything that Wicked sets out to achieve, it absolutely nails. This is bound for deserved Oscar ® glory in March 2025.

Leigh’s #3 Film of 2024 (would be #1 in just about any other year!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Documentary Film Overview

A Lego animation is a unique production style to present a biographical documentary. Piece by Piece (3 ½ stars), which chronicles the life of musician Pharrell Williams, boasts originality, but feels more destined to be a traditional feature film. Disney streaming release The Contestant (3 ½ stars) is unforgettable but leaves some major unanswered questions. Bad Faith (3 ½ stars) and Praying for Armageddon (4 stars) ought to be categorised as true-life horror movies, especially since the re-election of Donald Trump! Enough about him already. Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story (4 stars) is an ace documentary whose subject and story is one of the most inspirational out there. I just love her SO MUCH. Another Disney streaming release, Music by John Williams (4 stars), is a truly wonderful documentary about the movie music maestro. But, if I have to pick the absolute standouts of the year in this category, then my top 2 are the 2024 Oscar Winner 20 Days in Mariupol (4 ½ stars) and the extraordinary and emotional Netflix release, (The Remarkable Life of) Ibelin, made with so much heart, so much love. You have seen no other documentary or film like it, I guarantee that. And if you have not seen it, then you simply must!

Leigh’s #2 Film of 2024 and movie 2/3 to receive the prestigious 5 stars!

Action, Adventure and Science-Fiction Film Overview

What goes up, must come down. After 3 quality Planet of the Apes productions from 2011 to 2017, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2 stars) plummets to being not much more than a total snoozefest. Takes third place after Joker: Folie à Deux and an unmentioned film for being the biggest letdown of 2024. Time then to mention that unnamed letdown. Gladiator II (3 stars). Taking into consideration just how epic Gladiator (2000) is and how long it has been since it graced our screens, a sequel was never necessary, and Gladiator II ultimately offers nothing more than ok-ish popcorn entertainment. Seriously? We have so many other movies to turn to for that! Even Twisters (3 stars) managed to be better quality popcorn entertainment! Dev Patel showcases some eye-catching talent as first-time feature film director in the John Wick-like atmospheric Monkey Man (3 ½ stars). Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (4 stars) has very big shoes to fill. While it fell a little short of the predecessors it is a spin-off of, it is still epic and enthralling. Before the outcome of the 2024 U.S Presidential Election, Civil War (4 stars) was an ominous glimpse into a near future that is scarily not at all far-fetched. Don’t be surprised if this is re-branded as a true story in years to come. Potent and suspenseful stuff. My number 1 movie belonging to this category though is none other than Dune: Part Two (A strong 4 stars). Co-writer and director Dennis Villeneuve keeps the plot impeccably comprehensible and its visual & production values to outstanding cinematic quality. Just so impressive.

Leigh’s #9 Film of 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LGBTQI+ Film Overview

As a queer man who surprisingly doesn’t see a lot of queer movies, I wanted to make a few specific callouts in this category for my queer community and readers. Unfortunately, of the few films I did see, these were mostly letdowns. An exaggerated and highly annoying performance by Ruth Negga was just the cherry on top in the inconsequential Netflix soap opera dramedy, Good Grief (2 stars). Australian filmmaker Goran Stolevski’s newest release, Housekeeping for Beginners (2 ½ stars), after the Aussie gem Of An Age, featured characters I just could not like or appreciate in any way. A film I found more challenging than I could bear and ultimately overrated. All of Us Strangers (2 ½ stars) brings the best we’ve seen out of Andrew Scott, but writer and director Andrew Haigh gets anything but the best out of this slow, perplexing and meandering movie. Another overrated movie. There are only two films I’ve seen released in 2024 that fall into this category I rated more highly. One is nuanced Japanese film Monster (3 ½ stars) and the other is the tender and true, beautiful and brave true story, Sunflower. I saw this at a Q&A screening with the writer & director, and lead actor, in attendance afterwards, and felt utterly compelled to write about this movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horror and Thriller Film Overview

You know it has been a strong year for this genre when one of the least favourites, Alien: Romulus still earns 3 stars. There were a higher number of underwhelming sequels and/or spin-offs in 2024. The aforementioned film is one of them, but I was far more let down by A Quiet Place: Day One. It barely seized upon its great potential and is miles off its two predecessors. Longlegs was an unexpected but deserving box-office smash-hit. Now, when we’re talking Heretic (A strong 3 ½ stars) onwards, we’re in strong company. Hugh Grant is someone to marvel at in his most sinister role and performance so far in a film that only slightly falters during its finale but is absolutely worth watching. The Substance (A very strong 3 ½ stars). Oh, The Substance. There are valid reasons why I had to stop at 3 ½ stars, but for most of its duration, I FLAT OUT LOVED everything about The Substance. Both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are terrific, but I have to single out Demi Moore’s performance as outstanding. Welcome back to the big time! Strange Darling (4 stars) is such a crafty film and also boasts a completely awesome and star-making central performance from Willa Fitzgerald. It has been a while, a long while, since I last saw a psychologically driven thriller that is as excellent as Speak No Evil (4 stars). And how about that masterfully menacing performance from James McAvoy!? Only slightly edging Speak No Evil for the number 1 movie of this genre is a film that (for most part) is wonderfully unconventional in how it generates suspense and builds anticipation ahead of its horrifying finale. Late Night with the Devil (4 stars) is clever, original and boasts an outstanding production. True cinema aficionados are bound to be enthralled by what this Australian-made production achieves.

Leigh’s #17 Film of 2024

Comedy & Dramedy Overview

Drive-Away Dolls (1 star). More like Drive-Away Trolls. For the best part of 3 decades, we’ve been treated to several ripper films from The Coen Brothers. This solo outing in directing from Ethan Coen strongly suggests his brother Joel possesses all of the talent. One of my personal biggest disappointments and the worst movie of 2024 for me! Kinds of Kindness (1 ½ stars) is some kind of mean of meanness movie experiences that is essentially 3 lengthy short films pretentiously put together to form an overlong and meandering feature film. Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling, and Sydney, Australia. The Fall Guy (2 ½ stars) most definitely has a winning formula yet consistently found itself on shaky ground and unable to ever fulfil its entire potential. “I have a black belt in Karen”. With ripping lines of dialogue like that (sorry, Karen’s) and the performances from & on-screen chemistry shared between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Deadpool & Wolverine (3 ½ stars) was never not going to be a Bonafide success. Olivia Colman is fast becoming one of my absolute favourite actresses. She was an absolute hoot in Wicked Little Letters (3 ½ stars). From a highly regarded and well-known actress to a newcomer (in feature length films). Maisy Stella is a revelation in My Old Ass (3 ½ stars), showcasing a star-making central performance that defies the little experience she has had in feature film acting. Back momentarily to an old-timer, it is such a shame that the near 100-year-old June Squibb was not nominated for a Golden Globe for her wonderful work in the very likeable Thelma. I valued SO MANY aspects of the Prime streaming romance release, The Idea of You (3 ½ stars). Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine had palpable chemistry. This goes down as an underrated film. Speaking of streaming releases, how about the variety I did not know existed in actor Glen Powell on display in Richard Linklater’s Netflix action-comedy, Hit Man (3 ½ stars)!? He absolutely nails his geeky Philosophy Professor and part-time hit man role! Such fun. Mikey Madison is super impressive with a top performance occupying a brave role playing titular character, Anora (3 ½ stars). Now, no other actor plays a pessimistic character who expresses their abhorrence and appreciation via the same sarcastic means under a slowly softening heart better than Paul Giamatti at his prime in The Holdovers (A very solid 4 stars). Released all the way back on January 11th, The Holdovers remains my top comedy/dramedy pick of 2024 and is my #10 film of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

Dramatic Feature Film Overview

One of the greatest and most versatile actresses of our lifetime, Saoirse Ronan, has concerningly starred in films of lower quality and produced performances that are well beneath her capabilities over the past few years. This year, the incredibly underwhelming Blitz (2 stars) was that movie. At least we did get to see Tom Hardy’s easily best work for the best part of a decade in the passable but ultimately pointless Bikie crime drama, The Bikeriders (3 stars). Challengers (3 stars) is effortlessly entertaining, sexy, and even intriguing to watch. But its ultimate point (tennis pun intended) is lost on me, and it all gets overly self-indulgent by the end. Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (3 ½ stars) was overall very good, and so too was Marisa Abela’s performance. But we’re talking about Amy Winehouse here, someone who was not just very good, but rather extraordinary, as Asif Kapadia’s stunning documentary from 2015 showcased to us. As such, anything less than was always going to leave me with a feeling of being underwhelmed.

After a good food movie? Look no further than The Taste of Things (3 ½ stars), the most gourmet film experience of them all. Very early in the year, Todd Haynes’ psychologically complex character-driven drama, May December (3 ½ stars) underwhelmed me (I was expecting bigger and better things), however, seeing the mighty Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman going head-to-head never disappointed. Regina King’s colourful and commanding performance as Shirley Chisolm in the Netflix political drama, Shirley (3 ½ stars), elevated what I thought would be a bit of a bore, but was actually very well done. It was not only great to see Jeffrey Wright in a lead role, but one that both allowed and required him to express the variation it did in the sharply and incisively written 2024 Oscar-nominated film, American Fiction (3 ½ stars).

How about the excellent evolution of characterisation and performance portraying Donald J. Trump from Sebastian Stan in the brave and great docudrama, The Apprentice (4 stars). Co-star Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn is also superb. I just admired the wonderfully endearing performance by Usha Seamkhum playing the grandmother in Thai box office hit How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (4 stars). Also worthy of a mention is her younger co-star, Putthipong Assaratanakul, who shares a couple of beautiful and touching scenes with Usha. Another worthy shout-out goes to Choi Seung-yoon’s understated yet powerful work in the deeply empathetic Riceboy Sleeps (4 stars). A massively underrated film, Touch (A strong 4 stars), is just a beautiful romantic drama and features an intimate and beautiful performance by Kôki. I am still in awe by the spectacular Sandra Hüller in the fully attention-commanding courtroom drama from the start of the year, Anatomy of a Fall (A strong 4 stars).

Of all the movies mentioned in this post though, there is one that stands above them all, which is a real triumph considering 2 other films also received 5 stars from me! That film, my dear readers and fans, is Origin. This incredible movie is a mightily intellectual and emotional film experience that quite simply and frankly ought to be on everyone’s must-watch list (and I rarely ever do blanket recommendations. I am Moviedoc – I aim to tailor them to your specific needs and liking!). It is difficult to think of a movie that matters more than this right now. Furthermore, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor gives an outstanding performance in what is undoubtedly my best film of 2024.

The Best Film of 2024

These are all of the films I am yet to see currently on my must-watch list that may make an appearance somewhere in this post…

Mufasa: The Lion King
Saturday Night
The Paradise of Thorns

The Top 26

1 – Origin
2 – (The Remarkable Life of) Ibelin
3 – Wicked
4 – 20 Days in Mariupol
5 – Memoir of a Snail
6 – Io Capitano
7 – Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d’une Chute)
8 – Touch
9 – Dune: Part Two
10 – The Holdovers
11 – Green Border
12 – Music by John Williams
13 – The Zone of Interest
14 – To Kill a Tiger
15 – Riceboy Sleeps
16 – Mars Express
17 – Late Night with the Devil
18 – Strange Darling
19 – Speak No Evil
20 – Civil War
21 – The Teachers’ Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer)
22 – The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (El Mestre Que Va Prometre El Mar)
23 – There’s Still Tomorrow (C’e’ancora domani)
24 – The Apprentice
25 – Better Man
26 – My Favourite Cake (Keyke mahboobe man)

Compiled by Leigh for Moviedoc
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