It's time for my final 2024 list, of the most noteworthy films I've seen this year. As always, these aren't necessarily all films that came out this year, although most are. And five of these are movies which I actually saw in a theater, which is way above average for what I think I've done over the past few years. Here goes.
Argylle - A half-serious spy film. I should have taken more notes earlier, because my memory of the movie is a bit fuzzy. I recall the spy stuff being incredibly cheezy. But my notes recall a beautifully made ultra-violent scene remniscient of the scene Harley Quinn had in Suicide Squad where she was killing bad guys with a baseball bat and flowers were flying out instead of blood. Maybe I should watch the movie again at some point.
Abigail - I got into horror films in 2024, at least in part due to listening to the Divided by Werewolves podcast. Abigail is the kidnapped pubescent daughter of a gangster or something, and then the bad guys find out that she's a vampire when she kills them all. Not high art, but it was okay.
The Fall Guy - As someone who used to watch the Lee Majors show, I was probably the target audience. Ryan Gosling is having a moment, and although I don't remember a lot about this movie, I did like it.
A Quiet Place, Day One - The first of the 2024 films I saw in the theater. This was a slower-paced movie than the others in the franchise, and didn't have the characters we've been with in the first two, as it was a prequel. But I like Lupita Nyong'o. I don't think I even recognized Joseph Quinn from Stranger Things.
Twisters - The second theater film we caught this year. My household is a fan of disaster movies, and we've loved the cheezy Bill Paxton movie Twister for years. I feel like 2024 is the year of Glen Powell, and this movie made that fairly clear.
Deadpool and Wolverine - Our third theater movie. My expectations for the movie were high, and it came through. The cameos from the 90s superheroes were my favorite bits, but there's a lot to love here. I could likely write an entire article about the film, but I will not.
Trap - Not a great movie. But we saw it in the theater. Josh Hartnett's character is seriously weird. And the plotholes are gaping. But whatever. The most interesting part is that they got Hayley Mills, the star of the 1961 Parent Trap to act in the film. Yuk yuk.
Beekeeper - Really not a great movie. I put it on in the background. The most notable thing about the movie is the number of times multiple guys with machine guns would start shooting at Jason Statham, and they'd miss because he was doing this incredibly goofy run. But revenge movies are fun, so whatever.
Shoot to Kill - Talk about not this year. This movie was released in 1988, although before double-checking just now, I'd have guessed late 1970s. Josh Croyle wrote about Shoot to Kill on his website, and after having read his take, I decided that I needed to watch. Aside from the silly music and the air drums that had me laughing out loud more than once, it was a solid action film.
Machete - I put the movie on once in the background, and after seeing Danny Trejo take out three bad guys at once by spinning in a circle with his machete, I decided I needed to pay more attention. A friend and I watched it and its sequel while painting miniatures on a day off. They tease a third Machete Kills Again... in Space film, which I really want to happen. It looks amazing.
Hit Man - The year of Glen Powell indeed. This was a fun movie which made the list despite me not having much to say about it mostly because I liked it enough to watch it twice.
Rebel Ridge - One of the best movies I saw in 2024. The Premise? A guy ventures into the deep south and is taken in by the corrupt police for no good reason and has a bunch of cash confiscated. From there, I liken the film structurally to First Blood if John Rambo were incredibly restrained and even-keeled, and refused to kill anyone. I know, it's weird. But it was a great movie.
Alien: Romulus - After the terrible recent Alien films, I'd put off seeing this one. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.
Heretic - The last movie we saw in the theater in 2024. Not amazing, although it was fun to see Hugh Grant as a creepy villain in a horro film.
The Substance - Easily the most messed up movie I saw. A horror film, starring Demi Moore and a totally unhinged Dennis Quaid. It deals with how a woman in show business might deal with aging if a freaky over-the-top cloning process with horror movie rules existed. You keep wondering how much worse they can make it, and then they make it worse. Not for those with weak stomachs.
War, Inc - A last-minute addition, only added because I only last night realized that this film is in many ways a spiritual successor to Grosse Pointe Blank, which I love. Billed as a political action comedy, it stars John Cusack as a hit man, alongside Joan Cusack and Dan Aykroyd. Also Marissa Tomei and Ben Kingsley. Not a bad cast. But also not a great film. It takes place in this crazy megecorporate dystopia, in the Middle East, and things happen. Worth watching, just temper your expectations.