Every year, I keep a running list of the best movies I’ve seen this year. By the end of the year, I usually end up with a Top Ten and another 5-15 mentions. Here are my Best Movies of 2023 and Best Movies of 2022 lists. I still haven’t seen many of the films I expect to contend for this list, including Emilia Perez, The Room Next Door, The Brutalist and Queer.
To get on my year-end list, a movie has to be one that thrills me while I’m watching it and one that I’m still thinking about a couple of days later.
THE BEST OF 2024 – So Far
Anora: human spirit vs the oligarchs. In theaters.
The Bikeriders: they ride, drink and fight, and yet we care. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
Hit Man: who knew self-invention could be so fun? Netflix.
Challengers: three people and their desire. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
La Chimera: six genres for the price of one. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
In the Summers: they mature, he evolves. Amazon.
Ghostlight: a family saves itself, in iambic pentameter. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango (included).
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed: is she going to be a loser? Amazon, AppleTV, Hulu.
Sweetheart Deal: a triumph of cinéma vérité. In arthouse theaters.
Love Lies Bleeding: obsessions and impulses collide. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
I Saw the TV Glow: brimming with originality. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
