Films and Documentaries in 2024

Some of my favorites from this year.... 9 feature films and 11 documentaries.

DUNE PART TWO: On 70mm 1:43 IMAX this was an awe inspiring vision of another world. Villeneuve is making high art on the largest canvas possible and he’s absolutely nailing it. Clearly the best movie of the year.

AMERICAN FICTION: A writer navigates intellectual minefields and the burdens of existence in this hysterical, nuanced look at cultural sensitivity. Sterling K Brown deserved the Oscar. This was released last year but I only got to it over the summer... one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

CIVIL WAR: Alex Garland's work always gets me thinking. A powerful (almost) de-politicized vision of the US as failed state and a brilliant love letter to the perils of photojournalism. Stylized & enthralling. The end sequence was powerful.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING: A ‘roid raging bodybuilder wreaks havoc in the lives of a criminal family in this unique crime period piece featuring a deep cut 80s soundtrack. Kristin Stewart is absolutely phenomenal as usual and writer/director Rose Glass is a serious talent.

SOMEWHERE QUIET: A suffering woman confronts her demons, within and without, in this excellent psychological study of the after effects of extreme trauma. Thoughtful, moody, mysterious. A very strong debut from Olivia West Lloyd.

FIREBRAND: Extremely well done arthouse costume drama about Catherine Parr’s relationship with Henry VIII starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as the leads. Fascinating stuff.

LA CHIMERA: A grave robbing dowser confronts the past in another magical tale from the Italian countryside by the always intangibly mystic Alice Rohrwacher. Definitely the best looking film of the year.

SCOOP: A dramatization of the events around the Newsnight team getting the infamous Prince Andrew interview. I love movies like this.

PRISCILLA: A man-child rocker keeps a high school girl psychologically imprisoned in his mansion. Clean, tight, artful storytelling from Sofia Coppola as usual.

I actually think it was a stronger year for documentaries. Netflix and HBO released a lot of mind warping, twisted tales of outright human insanity that need to be seen to be believed.

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: The victim of a kidnapping comes up against a crew of corrupt, misogynist law enforcement scumbags in this gripping three part Netflix documentary series. I think FBI agent Sesna may have orchestrated the crime.

BREATH OF FIRE: Excellent deep dive into the spiritual fuckery of the Kundalini yoga scene. Yogi Bhajan was clearly an evil lunatic but i didn't think Guru Jagat was *that* bad, just another lost soul caught up in some bullshit. HBO.

ESCAPING TWIN FLAMES: A toxic low-rent Keith Raniere wannabe abuses New Age language on Youtube in order to control weak hearted victims so they will sell his MLM “classes.” Twisted stuff. Netflix.

I AM NOT A MONSTER THE LOIS RIESS MURDERS: A mother’s life unravels through a series of inexplicable killings in the latest documentary from the always excellent Erin Lee Carr. HBO.

WHO KILLED JONBENÉT RAMSEY: Pioneering true crime master Joe Berlinger takes on the infamous case for Netflix and puts forth a convincing argument for the intruder theory. Only complaint is they rushed the Burke theory - but this is a top tier crime series.

INTO THE FIRE: 15 minutes in, once adoption + Christianity were mentioned, I knew what would happen - but the story unfolds slowly and terribly as it entwines themes of immorality, murder and mother’s intuition. Netflix.

CRIME SCENE BERLIN NIGHTLIFE KILLER: A sick maniac roams the city killing people with GHB in this dark, twisted documentary on Netflix.

THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER: Very, very dark and upsetting story of domestic violence that ends in the most brutal way imaginable. Tough watch, only for hardened true crime fans. On Paramount +.

TELL THEM YOU LOVE ME: A woman with a white savior complex & an ableist fetish uses a debunked pseudo science to project her crazy self perpetuating bias onto the mind of a severely developmentally disabled man. Quite a story. Netflix.

THE OCTOPUS MURDERS: Through the looking glass deep dive real life conspiracy about a group of corrupt intelligence officials and one investigators maddening search for answers. Netflix.

THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP: Fascinating documentary on the recording of We Are The World. The Dylan/Wonder moments were magic and Huey is funny. I love Diana Ross. Essential viewing for music heads.

And for TV series, I really enjoyed the great Eddie Redmayne as a brooding corporate assassin in THE DAY OF THE JACKAL on Paramount and the IRA drama SAY NOTHING on Hulu. Lots of good Britbox titles this year too including the twisted murder story THE BARKING MURDERS and the Belfast peeler drama BLUE LIGHTS.