Top 10 Movies of 2024

10) Deadpool & Wolveriene

This was the most fun I had in the theater in 2024. A lot of the criticism of this movie was that the plot was 95 percent references, and I get that. I really do. Here's the thing, I don't care. Many of those references actually enhanced and moved the plot along. Putting Laura in the movie was more than a reference to "Logan." She was there to help this version of Wolverine (the worst version, as we are told) be who he can be. I hope Marvel does the smart thing and keeps Deadpool in a separate pocket of the MCU. Do I believe they will? Not in the slightest. They have made some recent casting announcements that don't inspire confidence. This movie was a massive success and was the shot in the ass that Marvel needed. There is no telling what is next for Deadpool or this Wolveriere, but I hope to see more of these two on the big screen again.

9) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

"Mad Max: Fury Road" was a huge success. Its prequel was not, but it should have been. Furiosa was the stand-out character from "Fury Road," this was her story. It is not as good as "Fury Road," but that is a very high bar to clear. Anna Taylor-Joy takes on the role of Furiosa (originally played by Charlize Theron) and knocks it out of the park. We see Friosa become the fighter we meet in "Fury Road." Chris Hemsworth, best known as Thor, gives a transformative performance as Dementus. Hemsworth has made a career of playing the hero, but here, he gets to play the villain, and he does so with such relish. This is one of his best performances.

8) Nosferatu

My question is, how does Robert Eggers keep getting millions of dollars to make his movies? They have been loved by critics and audiences but have not been box office smashes. This is a remake of the 1922 silent movie of the same name, and it is incredible. All of the performances are great, but Lilly-Rose Depp's is career-defining. She plays Ellen, a young woman who has a connection to Orlok(Bill Skarsgard). He can invade her mind and thoughts. The movie took a bit to get going for me. The setup, while interesting, is too slow for me. Once Orlock gets to the city, things pick up considerably. It has plenty of the weird, surreal moments that Eggers employs in all his movies, but he makes them work in a way that really enhances those scenes. It is a really gorgeous movie with strong performances to match.

7) His Three Daughters

A theme you will see on this list is that half of these are smaller, performance-driven movies. This one has three powerhouse performances from three incredible actors Carie Coon, Elizabeth Olson and Natashia Leyone). Watching these three women navigate their shakey relationship is as compelling as the action scenes in movies Nos. 9 and 10. The story is so deceptively simple: three sisters return to their father's apartment to care for him in his final days. There is a lot of depth to these three women, and through their conversations, we unwrap their complex relationship and how they ended up this way. The movie is fantastic and deserves more than a Netflix release.

6) Anora

I don't know what I was expecting from "Anora," but this was not it. This was one of the funniest movies I saw this past year. Anora (Mickey Madison) is a force of nature. She may be a sex worker, but she doesn't allow others to look down on her for it. She is rarely at a disadvantage in any situation, and she is always quick with a retort. Madison does an excellent job showing this strength while also letting us see her insecurities. The other stand-out performance was Yura Borisov as Igor, one of the henchmen. His is a much quieter. A lot of it takes place in the background, but it is just as interesting.

5) Wicked

I have seen "Wicked" twice and would easily go a few more times. This could have easily been a colossal bust. It was always going to be a hit: the musical is too big for it not to be, but it could have been a critical disaster. This could have been a terrible movie, but it wasn't. It got everything right and made all the right adjustments to make the film stand out: impressive performances, excellent song arrangements, and stunning visuals. The second one has a lot to live up to, but with this team behind it, I have no doubt it will be great.

4) Dune Part 2

The first "Dune" was an incredible cinematic achievement. Frank Herbert's book was long considered unfilmable, and Dennis Villeneuve did the impossible with the movie. "Dune Part 2" concludes this epic story and delivers a masterpiece. After seeing this, I listened to the audiobook, and there was one huge change I liked. In the movie, Chani (Zandaya) is skeptical of Paul's (Timothée Chalamet) rise to power. She loves him, but he starts to make decisions that she questions. He is using his position as a messiah figure among her people, the Fremen, in a way that she sees as dangerous. In the book, she agrees with him and everything he does. In the movie, she is given more agency and is more of a character. Given where Paul goes in the next book in the series, "Dune: Messiah," I am glad that the movie made this change. It will make the next film more interesting.

3) Ghostlight

I knew next to nothing about this one when I watched it, and I recommend watching it under those conditions. It is the story of a father dealing with grief through acting. The performances from real-life father and daughter Keith Kupferer and Kathrine Mallen Kupferer are incredible. These two get the most to do, leading to some incredibly powerful scenes as they deal with emotions neither has expressed out loud. It can sometimes be a little heavy-handed, but that doesn't take away from the power behind the performances and the film's message.

2) Rebel Ridge

I am just as shocked as you are that two Netflix movies made it onto my list. This company pumps out dozens of movies a year that are mostly garbage. I would have loved to see this movie in a theater with a large crowd. Aaron Pierre is destined to be a massive star. He was also in "Mufasa" and will play John Stewart, the Green Lantern, in the Max series "Lanterns." He is incredible in this movie. The calm he shows when faced with injustice and blatant racism, combined with how he deals with the cops when he is out of options (that P.A.C.E scene lives rent-free in my head), makes this one of the year's best action movies.

1) Sing Sing

Every year, there is a moment when I know what my No. 1 movie will be. This year, that moment happened on August 18th in Philadelphia when I saw "Sing Sing." Much like "Ghostlight," this showcases the power of art and performance. Coleman Domingo has always been terrific in whatever I have seen him in, and he deserves the Oscar for this one. The surprise to me was Clarence Maclin. He is an ex-con who went through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the center of the movie. That is a huge part of why his performance feels so real. The story is inspiring and shines a light on a population that most people have given up on. The more I read about the movie (the use of real ex-cons, everyone getting paid the same for each step of the process), the more I love it.