2024 was a jammed year with so many films to watch and I did my best to narrow down my searches to what could have been the best of the best. With that said- movies are fun, I had fun, I feel zero regrets about anything here, and I am so ready to get into it. Without further ado- here is:
The Best Movies of 2024
10. Hit Man
Lately, I have been dealing with the fact that I might secretly be in love with Glen Powell. I am afraid that his dangerous levels of charm and humor might steal my girlfriend from me or me from my girlfriend. He made Twisters the fun that it was and this collaboration with Richard Linklater was slick silliness that I couldn’t help but smile all the way through.
Not only was this a solid comedy, but it also served as a great outlet to show how good Glen is with different accents, in different costumes, and different situations. He is so funny and a chameleon. I love it. Hit Man is goofy, chill, chaotic, and an overall great movie to watch regardless of what genre you are into. 8.5/10!
#9: The Bikeriders
Admittedly I am a bit of a sucker for period pieces that range somewhere from the 1960s-80s. I still was not sold on Austin Butler as a leading actor yet, despite how much I thoroughly enjoyed him as Elvis in Elvis. The Bikeriders helped project my interest forward a bit, but I will get to what sold me on him in a bit- oh, boy, what a tease! The Bikereiders is a film that deals with the legacies and histories of a gang of…well… bike riders. Motorcyclists.
When I finished the film I was honestly surprised more people were not as big on this as I was. I love films that give you clear moments of the struggles, the peak of power, and the slow/ immediate decline of our central group.
A rough group of greasers led by Tom Hardy with Austin Butler as the silent muscle with Jodie Comer as the driving force of the film while Mike Faist documents them before Norman Reedus joins and sends it all down south. That sounds so awesome!
The Bikeriders may not have gotten all the chatter in the world in 2024, but I am a big fan and really dug the story it told. The growing legacy of The Vandals and their power, being slowly usurped by the younger bikers thinking they can be that same level of power. It’s great stuff and I recommend it if no one has given you the recommendation. 8.5/10!
#8: A Real Pain
There is a painful amount of relatability in this movie for one reason or another. Mash that with some of the year’s best performances and you get a punch to the heart and stomach. Two cousins take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their recently deceased grandmother – a Holocaust survivor. Benji (Keiran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) deal with their tour group of unique individuals, the history of where they travel, and each other.
Short, sweet, and painful- A Real Pain is beautiful, lively, lovely, somber, pained, and an emotional journey. As of this writing, Keiran Culkin officially won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Roll for his performance here and I could not be happier. Culkin’s performance with Eissenberg’s beautiful script was a perfect pair and I loved this. 9/10!
#7: Conclave
There is nothing like a church conspiracy movie. From the previews- Conclave looked like a Grade A cut of Oscar bait, but as most trailers are nowadays- that was not enough justice to show how great this actually was. I mean, look – your main cast is Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini. These are your favorite actors’ favorite actors. These veterans of this game treated this film, their performances, and this story as if they all were in line for the papacy.
If you are looking for a film that is direct, confident, magnetic, and excellent in all things filmmaking- Conclave is for you. From the energetic score to the intricate costume designs, the strong performances, and some of the finest direction of all of 2024- Conclave has it all.
As of this writing- Conclave screenwriter Peter Straughan won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Conclave is that movie, man. This made Papacy elections seem so cool and intriguing and I want to be in the next one. Consider me, Catholic Church! 9/10. Cardinal Lawrence is THAT guy, man!
#6: Alien: Romulus
Practical effects and horror go together like peanut butter, jelly, and some Doritos for lunch on a sunny afternoon- a combination you will never be able to top. The fact of the matter is simple: We are so back to practical horror, and I will shove children out of the way to enjoy an authentic monster. Yeah, baby!
The formula for the original Alien(s) was simple: practical effects, palpable tension, and terrifying monsters. There was more to it than that, obviously, but going back to the basics of surviving a real threat is very present here.
Alien: Romulus was awesome. It’s as simple as that. Out of all of the Alien films I have seen I ranked this one at Number 4 and I can attest that I’m still solid on that. Alien: Romulus is an epic horror sci-fi flick that takes advantage of both genres and does not disappoint.
Some of the fanfare was okay, but it was not enough to ruin the experience. After all this franchise is awesome and I am not upset with callbacks to staple moments in characters within the franchise. 9/10 — I loved it when Andy locked in and became awesome!
#5: I Saw the TV Glow
Given the controversies over the handling of the subject matter regarding the trans community in the Best Picture-nominated film Emilia Perez– I offer you an alternative film: I Saw the TV Glow. We are not here to compare the two films, nor am I remotely qualified to speak personally on what I Saw the TV Glow means to those who are struggling to find their own identity or identify as trans, but the latter is a major reason why I gravitated towards this film.
Filled with some truly haunting imagery, some great performances, some of the most gorgeous lighting and coloring of any film all year, and a lasting feeling that will take a while to shake- I Saw the TV Glow will not be for everyone, but it sure was for me. Almost everyone I have spoken to about this has had greatly differing opinions. To each their own, and I loved this, but I think there is something really important here.
I Saw the TV Glow may not have topped this list, but I think by the end of this decade I will still be raving about this film. 9.5/10!
#4: Trap
It is at this moment that I understand my credibility is out the window and gone. Do you mean to tell me the clunky dialogue, questionable direction, and bizarre final product of M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap managed to get a higher spot on this arbitrary list than Conclave, I Saw the TV Glow, and A Real Pain? Two Oscar-winning films landed lower? Yes. With the utmost certainty – yes they did. Trap is a movie that transcends the based/cringe dichotomy of films, and a film like that deserves its place in the pantheon of great films.
Trap is full of your classic Shyamalan tropes – bad acting, bad script, bad directing, and awesome side characters, but somehow, in some astonishing cosmic way, it all works. Is this Shyamalan shilling out for his talented pop singer daughter? Absolutely! You can show me a laundry list or a video compilation of everything wrong with this movie and I will still say it is a damn good film. I don’t care, I truly don’t.
Even in March of 2025, I am still quoting Trap. “I’m not supposed to tell” is a triple platinum line in my vocabulary. “We need to come together and learn to just coexist” is the dumbest line ever, but it is perfect.
Balancing comical amounts of camp and some legitimate moments of tension- Trap is a personally tailored film experience that you will never be able to take away from me. 8/10!- I love you, Josh Hartnett!
#3: Furiosa
Blood, sand, gasoline, patience, violence, vengeance, and bullets are what life is all about! I am quite disappointed with the lack of love for this movie because even though it wasn’t 10 million miles an hour like Fury Road, there was still so much blistering intensity, gorgeous scenery, epic action, and wild creativity. Furiosa is every bit as epic, insane, chaotic, and awesome as the massively acclaimed Fury Road.
The following trailer contains the coolest cover of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World and intense action.
Chris Hemsworth plays the antagonist Dementous and Anya Taylor-Joy is the titular Furiosa. Those are some of the sickest names I have ever heard in my life. Not to mention the actors portraying said characters absolutely killed it! The chemistry was awesome, the violence was madness, the plot was blistering, and the cinematography was clean.
Furiosa is more technical violence, camerawork, and world-building compounded on from what we initially got from Fury Road. To me, there is something satisfying about a movie that is predominantly made of rust, sand, blood, and gasoline. The time between these Mad Max movies was just under a decade and that time flew which was a testament to how good Fury Road was. Now that we have Furiosa I would truly be willing to wait another decade for more firey vengeance and madness.
There was something in this movie that made me want to drink gasoline, fly with a giant fan under me, and then set a rusty car on fire. Furiosa is one of the best movies of 2024 and I will not be told otherwise. 9.5/10: This movie receiving no Oscar nods was crazy, but at least this next movie got a few.
#2: Dune: Part 2
Okay, so, take my excitement from Furiosa and apply that to Dune Part 2, but ramp it up BIG time. Imagine being in a theater witnessing Timothee Christ riding a sandworm while the glorious choruses from Hans Zimmer’s grand score howl at you during one of modern cinema’s greatest science fiction achievements, but you’re all alone in that theater. It truly was the ultimate viewing experience and it gave me the freedom to lose my mind whenever warranted. Spoiler alert: that happened a lot!
Dune Part II is all kinds of awesome, epic, intense, and grandiose. What I admire most about Dune is how they managed to balance intriguing political discussions with some cool action and good performances. Take all of that, turn the political intrigue into something more metaphysical, increase the action spectacles tenfold, and double down on some really powerful performances that affirm cinema is alive and well.
Dune 2 Continued
From the score to the performances, the cinematography to the action sequences, and from the story to the direction from the master Denis Villanueve- Dune Part II has it all. Chalamet is the main man, Javier Bardem is the ultimate hype guy, Austin Butler is rad, Zendaya is radder, Stellan Skarsgard is the ultimate villain, and Rebecca Ferguson is on fire right now. I teased Austin Butler not fully appealing to me until a certain movie came out, and it is this one. I would not have been upset if Butler got an Oscar nomination for Feyd-Rautha.
When I heard Dune II was nominated for the coveted Best Picture Oscar I knew it would not win because that would have been too easy to give it to the best Sci-Fi epic in a while, but it left me to dream and hope. Luckily the film walked away with two Oscar wins- one for Best Achievement in Visual Effects and another for Best Sound respectively. Dune Part II was so awesome in every way and I think you need to see it on the biggest screen you can find. 9.5/10!
We have talked about The Oscars because they award the best films of the year with a nomination at the very least. However, one of the greatest snubs of this century so far — for one of the best films of this decade no less — is our number 1 film here today:
#1: Challengers
This silly little tennis movie is a powerhouse of performances, score, direction, script, and energy that it is deserving of so much more than a spot on a little list. I wrote a full review of this movie last year, but I have no problem going back over it again for those who missed class yesterday. Challengers are sexy, strong, tense, and have immeasurable aura.
Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist, and Zendaya all give mighty fine performances in this back-and-forth game of trying to be the sexiest tennis player that has ever lived. Not really, but it still stands that all three give performances that were snubbed of at least a nomination- aside from Zendaya getting a Golden Globe nod in the process.
Oh man, I have been so excited to get back to talking about this movie, because there is so much great in this that the thought of it alone makes me lock in. Remember when I told you I saw Dune Part II in a theater entirely by myself? The same happened with Challengers, and it was an incredible time!
Challengers Score
I sat up in the theaters during the final set and audibly said “lock in” to myself as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score raged during Patrick and Art’s CLINIC of a tennis game. The final track from the score: Challengers: Match Point even features the crowd cheering because they knew the same thing that we, the audience, knew too: this is the greatest ending ever made.
The actual final track of the movie is an original song from Trent and Atticus called Compress/Repress, and I have never whipped out my Shazam app faster in my entire life. Yeah, baby!
I know I talked about the score to death already, but separate themes for each character in each combination are awesome. Art and Tashi’s theme being a slow and aetherial mix that compliments their slow walks is awesome. The wispy and piano-centered theme of the full triangle is lovely, and the pop-ish “Yeah” theme solely for Tashi is funky and rad.
The main theme of the movie is an exciting and lively anthem that amplifies any situation. Finally, we have my personal favorite combination- Tashi and Patrick’s themes: Brutalizer 1 and 2. Man, this theme is sexy, pulsing, and sprinting at a constant pace directly towards you. It is fitting that the Chaos couple has chaos music.
This score is insane and despite nothing in this film getting an Oscar nomination- the score not getting a nomination after winning the Golden Globe was insane. Elton John jumped for joy when Trent and Atticus won. I have never seen that man so happy in my life. I digress, but the Challengers score is truly remarkable.
Challengers Performances
With dialogue, this movie still rips hard, of course. Mike Faist makes Art Donaldson the saddest G.O.A.T. in all of the sports, Zendaya perfectly portrays Tashi Duncan as the G.O.A.T that couldn’t be, and Josh O’Connor makes Patrick Zweig the saddest G.O.A.T that never was.
The fellas want each other but are afraid to admit it and it kind of hurts the soul to see them fighting over someone that isn’t the other one. The tension between any pairing of the three is alluring and nailed at all points in all scenes.
From Patrick being so good at everything he can’t win anything, to Tashi’s emotional manipulation of the two to see which one truly is the best, to Art’s suffering from success with no sign of happiness- everyone nails their parts.
So…Why Challengers?
So… why is Challengers the best movie of 2024? The performances are fantastic, the score is the best I’ve heard in a long time, and the chemistry in each scene is intense. The camera work is crisp, and the final ten minutes of this film are a wild display of close-up shots, sweaty perspectives, and some damn good tennis. Speaking of tennis- this movie loves tennis, and now I love tennis.
Screenwriter, lover of tennis, and overall beautiful human man Justin Kuritzkes delivers a script that should have received an Oscar nomination, and paired with Luca Guadagnino’s crisp direction, take this little love triangle into a complicated and emotional journey. This is a film about the complicated love for the sport, for one another (in the most obsessive way possible), for the other person, ironically, and for the love of love.
Challengers is a romantic drama, but this feels like anything, but a calm love story. There is passion in every moment, every aspect, and every second of this film, and I can’t help but get completely sucked into this movie every time I watch it. Challengers is the best picture, and I don’t care. 10/10- easily.
Top 10 Movies of 2024 by Nolen Kelly
Well, well, well we finally did it! 2024 is done and over with and I am so grateful to be able to do this. 2024 had a handful of mediocre and some disappointments, but in all honest, I thought these 10 films here are a good example of the great filmmaking that Hollywood is still capable of crafting.
All previous reviews are linked in each one if I wrote one and you should check them out if you want more thoughts on them. But enough about me and my thoughts, what about you? What were some of your favorite movies from 2024 or what was your favorite film?
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