Following in cuckoo's tradition of annual year-end lists (although delivered in a more timely manner) and submitted for your approval: here is my wrap-up of 2024 [liable to change in the upcoming weeks; keep an eye on this post].
Top 10 (in no particular order):
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: In terms of nostalgic entertainment value, this gave me the best bang for my buck. Comfort food for the weathered soul.
Deadpool & Wolverine: Pure joy at the cinema. Rewards 20+ years of watching Fox superhero films. Ryan Reynolds has completely won me over at this point.
Joker: Folie à Deux: We get what we fuckin' deserve. It's a winner in my book, even if audiences prefer the cookie-cutter shit instead.
Anora: Anti-mainstream and nonconformist "romance" for the ages.
Nosferatu: An unsettling mood piece that feels separated from time.
A Real Pain: The real pain was the friends we made along the way.
Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023; released in 2024): Loneliness and pain; repeat.
Strange Darling: Go into it knowing nothing for best results.
The Substance: Body horror is alive and well in 2024.
I Saw the TV Glow: Apparently a metaphor for the trans experience, it works on a completely different level for those of us trapped in the past by nostalgia. (Currently my favorite film of 2024.)
Honorable mentions (unlike cuckoo, I will not limit myself to just 10!):
A Different Man: A deeply strange film that still rubs me the wrong way, which seems like a triumph on its own.
Memoir of a Snail: Deeply affecting and hard to shake.
Perfect Days: Simplicity at its best.
Sing Sing: Convicts put on a play for their own sanity.
A Complete Unknown: Bob Dylan is an asshole. There, I said it.
Thelma: Grandma strikes back!
Tuesday: A modern-day fable.
Wicked: God damn it.
Hit Man: Better than it has any right to be.
Here: High concept schmaltz.
Touch: Simple and sweet.
Kinds of Kindness: WTF for WTF's sake!
Heretic: Hugh Grant is in a league of his own.
Civil War: Hits a bit too close to home.
Hundreds of Beavers: Technically produced in 2022, it wasn't widely released until this year. It's too fucking weird to discount.
Sasquatch Sunset: A funny and surreal journey.
Stopmotion: A tribute to a dying art style.
MaXXXine: An homage to giallo set in the '80s.
Smile 2: The rare sequel that is as good as the original.
Orion and the Dark: Inside Out as scripted by Charlie Kaufman.
Robot Dreams: A unique, traditionally animated silent film.
The Wild Robot: AI finds harmony with nature.
IF: A cute family film with its heart in the right place.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: The best we're gonna get at this point.
Oddity: Hard to define.
Longlegs: See above.
In a Violent Nature: A slasher from the killer's POV.
Late Night with the Devil: A host's descent into madness.
Cuckoo: We miss you, buddy.
And last but definitely least, the cream of the crap:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die: No review at this time.
Borderlands: Soulless, corporate consumerism.
The Exorcism: A metaphor for sum or another.
Megalopolis: I feel bad for shitting on auteurism, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Not Another Church Movie: Not even worth nutting.
Red One: A big red shiny no.
Sam and Colby: The Legends of the Paranormal: The worst "movie" I've ever had the displeasure to sit through at the theater.
Tarot: It's even worse on reflection.
Transformers One: A brain-numbing, watered-down children's film that was apparently well-regarded by fans. (Sorry.)
Werewolves: A piece of shit if there ever was one.
Note: I will be reducing my Nut activities in 2025 to focus more on my first passion: fapping. But worry not; I will continue to post as long as there is still blood left flowing through these veins (also applies to fap).
-bud
