by Zakiyyah Madyun, Staff Writer

It feels criminal to put together a best-of-year list before I’ve had a chance to take in Nosferatu, Babygirl, and The Brutalist, but here are a few of my favorites from 2024! It’s been a rollercoaster year, and not always the fun kind, but a trip to the movies continues to be a safe haven in times both trying and not. There are a lot of excellent films that I unfortunately missed in theaters and will need to catch up on over the holidays (Dìdi and The Wild Robot are at the top of my list), but until then, here are the things I did catch and hope you take a look at too!

10. Twisters (dir. Lee Isaac Chung)

Twisters is the silliest movie of the year, and not in a bad way. I saw it at a BYOB night at the theater, with a hyped-up audience laughing and yelling at the screen, and I think that’s exactly how it’s meant to be seen. Get your friends together and watch Glen Powell wink at the camera in a cowboy hat and flirt with tornado facts. You won’t leave a changed person, but you will probably have fun.

9. Queer (dir. Luca Guadagnino)

While distant from the top spot on my list, Luca Guadagnino’s newest was an interesting journey through intimacy, both emotional and physical. Daniel Craig did a fantastic job finding vulnerability and heart in a man rife with insecurities, addictions, and a decently annoying personality. The set design and costuming are absolutely beautiful, and we can only hope that Jonathan Anderson and Guadanino will meet again for another project, very soon.

8. I Saw the TV Glow (dir. Jane Schoenbrun)

I went into this expecting a straight-forward horror, but I Saw the TV Glow takes a patient road to the fear at its core. The film does a great job capturing that particular creepy, weird, and somehow 90s feeling of staying up late, alone, and watching too much TV with its nostalgic and liminal atmosphere. Beyond that, it also captures the unseen dangers of losing who you really are, and the regret and pain of a life lived behind the eyes.

7. Longlegs (dir. Osgood Perkins)

Longlegs is far from a perfect movie, but it is still one of the wildest rides I’ve had at the theater in 2024. Despite its flaws, it had an excellent set-up, and kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of its runtime. While I wish it had left a few supernatural elements behind, the introduction sequence has stayed with me ever since. I’m excited to see what Oz Perkins has in store next year with The Monkey.

6. Heretic (dirs. Scott Beck, Bryan Woods)

While I found some of its messaging and plot-explainers a bit heavy-handed, Heretic makes a mark as one of the more interesting takes on psychological horror I’ve seen this year. It was refreshing to see Hugh Grant step out of his rom-com shoes and into something more unsettling. Convincing and nuanced performances from Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East held things together when the script skipped a few steps in the second half.

5. Love Lies Bleeding (dir. Rose Glass)

Love Lies Bleeding managed to be both nostalgic and creative in its slick take on 80s pulp. It did a great job of balancing comedy, drama, Drive levels of impromptu-gore, and body-horror to spare. I could not finish my popcorn but I did enjoy this movie. Katy O’Brien and Kristen Stewart are perfectly casted and memorable leads, and their chemistry only raises the stakes of this high-octane speedrun.

4. Dune: Part Two (dir. Denis Villeneuve)

While a lot of people prefer the first entry, I found myself enjoying Dune: Part Two much more than its predecessor. After all of the flack Austin Butler caught for his uncontrollable Elvis accent, he really had the chance to shine here as Feyd Rautha. I believe his performance outshone headlining mega-stars Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. Rebecca Ferguson continued her reign as a perfectly casted Lady Jessica, and we got to see the beginning of Paul’s transformation. I’m not big on trilogies, but Dune: Part Two made me excited to see what’s in store next. Only another 2-6 years before we find out, I guess?

3. Wicked (dir. Jon M. Chu)

What more can I say? It’s Wicked! As one of what felt like the few people in the theater who had never seen the stage version before, I actually had no clue what I was getting into (well, besides “Defying Gravity” and “Popular”). Wicked is unabashedly silly at times, and while I balked the first time I saw the CGI talking goat professor, it’s safe to say that I had a great time. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s commitment to their respective roles is palpable on screen, and brings overwhelming heart to a project with a pertinent message. I have listened to “Dancing Through Life” about 70 times since.

2. Challengers (dir. Luca Guadagnino)

Undoubtedly the best time I’ve had at the movies in a long time. A welcome respite from three-hour runtimes and Oscar-bait biopics, Challengers is fast, striking, and incredibly charming. It captures the speed and color of a sports anime and boasts a pulsing and addictive soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that I’ve listened to over and over since. Mike Faist, Josh O’ Connor and Zendaya deliver excellent performances as an entangled trio of tennis stars, each manipulating and falling victim to one another. Manifesting an “I Told Ya” shirt this holiday season.

1. Anora (dir Sean Baker)

Mikey Madison absolutely shines in what I consider to be the best film of the year. Light-hearted and humorous enough to keep audiences glued to the screen, while adeptly navigating conversations around money, power, and control. Mark Eydelshteyn is also fantastic as Ivan, a spoiled oligarch’s son who still manages to be difficult to dislike. Sean Baker is at his best and leaves no characters behind. Anora felt like the most truly complete film I saw all year, and left me (and everyone else in my theater at least) speechless and still in its finale.