I saw hundreds of films this year, some great, some terrible, and some in between. This list is the rest of the Top 30, movies that I deemed good enough to go on the list, even if they didn’t make the Top 10.
Read the Top 10 Best Movies of 2024 here.
Read the Top 6 Worst Movies of 2024 here.
Read Dave Scaddan’s Top 20 Albums of 2024 here.
Otherwise, onto the Best of the Rest!
11 Conclave
Conclave is a fairly engrossing political thriller set within the walls of a Vatican conclave, where secrets, power, and faith collide. Based on the novel by Robert Harris, the story follows the tense election of a new pope after the sudden death of the previous pontiff. Cardinals from around the world gather as alliances form and betrayals simmer. With its high-stakes intrigue and intimate exploration of faith and morality, Conclave offers a look at the hidden machinations of one of the world’s most secretive institutions. It’s very well made from a technical standpoint, it’s well-acted, and it asks some good questions about faith and the church. The ending felt a bit tacked on, or like it was from a different film than the rest of the story, but this didn’t hold the movie back.
12 Deadpool & Wolverine
Ryan Reynolds’ wisecracking Deadpool faces off against Hugh Jackman’s grizzled Wolverine in this action-packed clash of titans. It’s a pretty darn entertaining spoof and satire of late-stage comic book films. It’s crass, gory, and ultra-violent, albeit, in a cartoonish way. There are also some deeply emotional moments buried in the noise, thanks to Hugh Jackman’s performance. Though, if you hate Deadpool/Reynolds, you’ll hate this. But I enjoyed it. Here’s my video One-Minute Movie Review.
13 Civil War
Kirsten Dunst stars in this poignant drama set against the backdrop of a divided America, exploring personal and political conflicts that mirror the nation’s struggles. A moving and thought-provoking film, it delves into themes of identity, loyalty, and survival. You can read my full review here.
14 Kneecap
This Irish-language comedy-drama follows the antics of a Belfast-based rap group navigating fame, politics, and friendship in a chaotic, unforgettable journey. It’s occasionally a bit too earnest or on-the-nose, but otherwise it’s a smart, funny, engaging movie about the power of language. Anchored by a strong and likeable cast who feel genuine.
15 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The next chapter in the Planet of the Apes saga sees a young ape embark on a journey, years after the reign of Caesar, that causes him to rethink everything he thought he knew. Directed by Wes Ball, this visually stunning epic expands the series with emotional depth and thrilling action. It ended on a note that made me want to see more stories set in this world. Hey, you damn dirty apes! Invent some pants already!
16 VHS: Beyond
The latest installment in the VHS anthology series dives into new realms of terror, this time sci-fi inspired, with each found-footage story delivering inventive scares and eerie surprises. Perfect for horror fans seeking creative and unsettling thrills. These anthologies are uneven by nature, but I thought this was a fairly strong entry into the series.
17 Heretic
Hugh Grant stars as a reclusive man who is visited by teenage missionaries. As their seemingly routine visit spirals into terror, Heretic explores themes of belief, manipulation, and the darkness within. Grant’s sinister performance is fun as he plays against type. It’s a bit silly at times, but pretty effective at building dread.
18 It’s What’s Inside
A surprise guest arrives at a gathering of college kids with a mysterious suitcase that changes how they look at reality. A clever high concept twist on body swap stories, mostly inventively told, with some good twists. There’s a lot going on and I may have lost the plot at times, but overall it was unique and entertaining.
19 Thelma
June Squibb shines once again as Thelma, a 93-year-old woman who is scammed by someone pretending to be her grandson. She sets out to get back what is hers. This was fun. It was directed like a Mission Impossible movie for the elderly (and they nod to that series as well). It’s a well-worn genre of safe cinema for older people (like The King’s Speech or The Duke), so it’s sometimes predictable or mawkish, but it’s also deeply sweet, sad, and amusing. Richard Roundtree is great too.
20 Flow
Made on open-source animation software, Flow is the story of a cat who is displaced by a flood in some sort of climate-change affected future. He takes refuge with other animals and they have to face this damaged world together. It’s beautiful and dreamlike, sometimes minimal to a fault. But it has profound things to say about its ecological themes and the intimacy of friendship in hard times.
21 I Saw the TV Glow
Two lonely teenagers discover a mysterious TV show that seems to blur the line between fiction and reality, leading to unsettling consequences. I Saw the TV Glow has a playfully colourful aesthetic, but it’s also brooding and thoughtful. It might get a little lost sometimes trying to be David Lynch and not everything works, but the movie goes beyond being just entertainment. It has trans and LGBTQ+ themes, but I’d say that no matter your orientations, it also speaks to the misunderstood weirdo in all of us. It must be all the more powerful for those that it’s holding space for, but it works on both levels.
22 Hundreds of Beavers
This black-and-white slapstick comedy follows a fur trapper who must hunt hundreds of beavers to survive a harsh winter. It has some absurd humor and inventive storytelling, like Chaplin or Keaton mashed up with Looney Toons. If this movie was an hour and a half instead of almost two hours, it would probably be in my top 10. Unfortunately, as fun as it is, it also wears out its welcome by the end. But it’s still worth a watch and some guaranteed laughs.
23 Kinds of Kindness
Lanthimos is back (so soon) with a trio of modern fables told as anthology stories but featuring the same actors playing different roles in each. Lots of interesting ideas and engaging scenes, though I’m not sure I was always smart enough to get the point. It’s something unique from the franchise IP we’re constantly force fed, so I love that, but it also feels somewhat half-baked and self-indulgent. It reminded me of Moe from the Simpsons talking about post-modernism: “You know, weird for the sake of weird.” This sounded negative, but the movie still landed on this best of list. Not Lanthimos’ best work, but better than all but 22 of the other movies I saw this year.
24 Rebel Ridge
Jeremy Saulnier delivers a high-octane thriller about a former marine uncovering corruption in a small Southern town while evading violent forces. It’s reminiscent of First Blood or some classic westerns. Sometimes it takes a bit too long to get where it’s going (and it’s longer than necessary), but it’s a strong action movie with a great cast.
25 Last Stop in Yuma County
At a remote desert gas station, strangers’ lives collide in a tense standoff fueled by secrets and survival instincts. I watched this because I like Jim Cummings, though he didn’t direct it. The movie feels like an attempt to pay homage to Tarantino or the Coen Brothers. It gets a bit derivative in the first third but it eventually opens up and takes some exciting twists and turns.
26 The Bikeriders
Jeff Nichols’ gritty drama chronicles the rise of a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club, blending themes of loyalty, rebellion, and identity. It doesn’t always hit the mark and it gets too melodramatic in places (Jodie Comer’s high-pitched performance doesn’t help). It’s Goodfellas-lite vs Sons of Anarchy. Its real strength is that it has a deeper commitment to telling a story about how times move on and the only constant is change. It doubles as a homoerotic takedown of toxic machismo.
27 In a Violent Nature
A monster is unleashed in the wilderness after a locket is removed from a fire tower. I could see why its very deliberate pacing and artsy fartsy delivery could throw people but I dug the confidence it had to let you simmer in that vibe. The killings start out lo-fi and realistic but get increasingly silly; it was better when it was focused on terrifyingly dumb brutality. It won’t be for everyone but it’s an interesting take on the Jason-style slasher film.
28 Oddity
A psychic medium seeks revenge for her sister’s murder. It has a low budget TV production look and it’s not perfect. Characters do that dumb thing where they keep doing dumb things, some of the dialogue is pretty on-the-nose, and the story is somewhat far-fetched. However, if you take it in the vibe of the old EC Comics morality tales, it works. And more so, it’s goddamn terrifying at times. It’s super effective in terms of both the atmosphere and tension as well as the jump scares. All of this helps gloss over its faults.
29 Brats
A captivating documentary from Andrew McCarthy exploring the rise and cultural impact of the Brat Pack, the group of young actors who defined a generation of 1980s cinema. This was a strangely fascinating one. McCarthy over directs it and he feels somewhat pathetic, working out his therapy on camera and perhaps squeezing the last bit of fame out of the Brat Pack concept. However, this actually serves to make the movie more interesting — and he also asks great questions about how certain cultural movements work, who was truly involved in the Brat Pack, and whether it was actually a thing. Maybe I’m a sucker for pop culture theory, but this was both intriguing and entertaining.
30 My Old Ass
A young woman takes shrooms and comes face-to-face with her 38-year-old self. 10% Hallmark movie. 10% Life as a House. It loses its high concept premise for long stretches (and Aubrey Plaza is front and centre in the marketing, but must have shot a day or so and phoned in the rest). But it’s a decent story with well-drawn characters and likeable actors playing them. It’s a bit sloppy and melodramatic in places, but it’s also genuinely funny.
Read the Top 10 Best Movies of 2024 here.
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