Top 10 Films of 2024
2024 was another great year in film. I saw nearly 90 films, including rewatching some of my favorites in their theatrical re-releases, like Interstellar, Tenet, and Spider-Man. I got to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with a live orchestra. I also spent time watching classics for the first time, like the Alien franchise, Twister, and Beetlejuice. But the ten new films that stuck with me the most were orange (and sandy) action epics, commentaries on race in America, depictions of incredible true stories, and tales of intergenerational healing.
10. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
Thai writer-director Pat Boonnitipat found a million ways to make audiences cry with his tear-jerker dramedy, which finds college dropout M (Putthipong "Billkin" Assaratanakul), as the title suggests, attempting to make millions before his grandmother Mengju (Usha "Taew" Seamkhum) dies from cancer; by spending as much “quality” time with her as possible, M believes he’ll receive a large inheritance. In the midst of it all, M learns the complicated family dynamic between his grandmother and her three children: Kiang (Sanya "Duu" Kunakorn), the eldest son—and wealthiest of the siblings—who puts more effort into his life with his wife and daughter than anyone else; Soei (Pongsatorn "Phuak" Jongwilas), the youngest child, who’s debt-ridden and only visits when he needs money; and M’s mother Sew (Sarinrat "Jear" Thomas), the only one who tries to take care of Mengju—when she’s not working late hours at the supermarket. This intergenerational tale hits close to home for this Southeast Asian writer, as my own extended family is dealing with the crisis of taking care of the family matriarch in the final stage of her life.
‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ is available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
9. Civil War
Alex Garland’s Civil War was one of the most polarizing films of the year, at least on Film Twitter, and I (unfortunately) really liked it. This is a dystopian thriller that depicts journalists, led by renowned war photojournalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst), and their efforts to document a new American civil war fought between an authoritarian federal government and secessionists (led by Texas and California). Sure, the film may not be very subtle, and parts of it may not be believable, but I found it to be a visceral war movie filled with thrilling set pieces (Jesse Plemons, Dunst’s real-life husband, is particularly unsettling), with the unique flavor of being from the POV of journalists and the danger they put themselves into documenting history.
‘Civil War’ is streaming on Max and available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
8. New Wave
In New Wave, filmmaker Elizabeth Ai takes a deep dive into the origins of new wave, the music genre popular among young and rebellious first-gen Vietnamese Americans back in the ‘80s. The first two-thirds of the documentary are focused heavily on two particular artists: Ian Nguyen, aka DJ BPM, who viewed new wave as a form of escape from his disapproving father; and Lynda Trang Dai (aka “the Vietnamese Madonna”), the new wave singer whose covers of popular English-language songs, combined with her racy attire and dance moves, made her popular among Vietnamese American youths. By the third act, these two seemingly unrelated narratives converge thematically with Ai’s estranged relationship with her refugee mother—and this is when the film goes from just good to great, becoming a nuanced portrayal of the immigrant and refugee experience, the American dream, and intergenerational healing. Hearing Ai's mother finally open up about everything—about her life, her decisions, her regrets—I hear the voices of so many people I know in the Vietnamese diaspora, including my own family. This scene is cathartic.
‘New Wave’ is currently playing at film festivals and special screenings. Find out where it’s playing, or request a screening, at newwavedocumentary.com. Watch the trailer.
7. Origin
This biographical drama depicts Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and her path of global investigation and discovery as she writes The New York Times best-seller “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent,” which argues that racism in America is a form of casteism and how it still defines our social hierarchy today. This emotionally powerful film, epic in thematic scope, has some of the most riveting images I’ve seen, as Wilkerson unpacks casteism and its usage in the U.S. through slavery and segregation, Germany with the Holocaust, and present-day India. Despite the divisive reception the film received, with some arguing it’s too on the nose, and a plot that arguably could have been served better as a docuseries or limited series, I can’t help but respect the sheer ambition on display by writer-director Ava DuVernay (Selma & 13th) and her efforts to depict the writing of a thesis as a feature film. Humanitarian Angelina Jolie called the film “one of the best films of the year. Certainly the most important film. Hands down.”
‘Origin’ is streaming on Hulu and available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
6. One Life
James Hawes’s One Life tells the incredible true story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped rescue nearly 700 predominantly Jewish children on the eve of World War II. (He’s been dubbed the “British Schindler.”) A film like this could have easily been grossly manipulative, as its emotional climax is a recreation of a moment from the BBC television program That’s Life! that went viral on the internet years ago. In the clip, Winton was, to his surprise, reunited with dozens of children whose lives he had saved, now middle-aged adults. This moment in the film is still powerful because of how well the rest of the film was established leading up to it, and due to Johnny Flynn and Anthony Hopkins’s strong performances as a young and older Winton, respectively. Hopkins, especially, gives a performance so delicate, yet weighty, and it reminds us why he’s still the best in the business.
‘One Life’ is streaming on Paramount Plus and available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
5. Rebel Ridge
Rebel Ridge, from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room), flew under the radar last year but it’s one of the best action films in recent memory, and one that isn’t led by an A-list action star. Instead, it features a star-making performance by Aaron Pierre (Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King) as Terry Richmond, a former marine who engages in a war with the corrupt local police after they unjustly seized the money he was about to use to post his cousin’s bail. This is a taught thriller and surprisingly bloodless action film, expertly paced with non-stop suspense, that revels in the tension between Terry and Chief of Police Sandy Burnne (a delightfully despicable Don Johnson).
‘Rebel Ridge’ is streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer.
4. Society of the Snow
Based on Pablo Vierci’s book of the same name, Society of the Snow depicts the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team’s struggle for survival after their plane crashed in the Andes Mountains in 1972. The surviving members were stranded in sub-zero temperatures for two and a half months, eventually resorting to cannibalism to survive. Their cannibalism is the most infamous part of this experience, but the film, under J.A. Bayona’s direction, never sensationalizes it. This is not a gory picture, and the survivors don’t resort to infighting. This is a film that ruminates on faith, religion, and life. It may not be a fun film to watch, but it makes the group’s inevitable rescue that much sweeter.
‘Society of the Snow’ is streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer.
3. Challengers
Challengers, the first of two films released last year from director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name), is the first theatrical film led by Zendaya–can you believe it?! And what a picture! The sports drama depicts the decade-spanning love triangle between tennis star-turned-coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), her tennis champion husband Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), and her ex-boyfriend, Art’s best friend-turned-rival Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). I loved everything about this film, from the stylized direction; Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s engaging cinematography; Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s electronic score (an instant classic); the chemistry between the three leads; the slow-mo; Zendaya’s fuckass bob; the shot of light wind brushing against Tashi’s skirt; the dramatic wind storm in New Rochelle; the anime-esque tennis ball sequence in the third act; and that ending!
‘Challengers’ is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
“The question is, do you have it in you to make it an epic?” asks Chris Hemsworth’s villainous character in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. And writer-director George Miller, the madman that he is, answered the call, resulting in one of the greatest prequels ever made. This is a colorful, fun, epic story that I, controversially, believe to be better than Mad Max: Fury Road, the film it eventually leads up to. Led by Anya Taylor-Joy, in perhaps my favorite performance of hers to date, she depicts Furiosa’s life, from being kidnapped by Chris Hemsworth’s villainous warlord Dementus, to her ascension as Imperator to warlord Immortan Joe. This is a picture that relies predominantly on Taylor-Joy’s quiet performance (her famously big eyes do much of the work here–and justifies her casting) in an action-heavy role. Chris Hemsworth reminds us how great he is at playing bad (like in the criminally underseen Bad Times at the El Royale); he’s so good as Dementus, it makes us root for Immortan Joe, who was the villain in Fury Road! If only more action films were more like this, one brimming with style, color, and badass action setpieces.
‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ is streaming on Max and available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
1. Dune: Part Two
We were so close to this film not existing, but thankfully, somehow, some way, the gods allowed Denis Villeneuve to complete his ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel “Dune”. Because Dune: Part One did all the work establishing the world of Dune, Part Two has the benefit of being the more fun chapter, with more action, more thrills, and even, at times, more jokes. Most of all, it affirms important themes Villeneuve wanted to put at the forefront. Anyone who was confused by the first film, thinking it was depicting a white savior story, will surely recognize by the end of Part Two that the story of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) is a warning, not a celebration. Taken as a whole, Villeneuve’s Dune films are monumental feats of cinema, depicting the “unfilmable.” In my review of Dune: Part One, I wrote that this was a masterpiece in the making, so long as Villeneuve could stick the landing with Part Two–and boy did he! I can’t wait for Dune Messiah!
‘Dune: Part Two’ is streaming on Max and available for digital download and on physical home media. Watch the trailer.
Honorable Mentions:
Didi, Hit Man, I Saw the TV Glow, The Wild Robot
Biggest Disappointment:
Inside Out 2
Films I Wish I Caught:
All We Imagine as Light, The Apprentice, The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, No Other Land, Queer, Sing Sing, The Substance
