Every Movie I Watched in 2024
I watched 52 new-to-me movies in 2024. I wrote in more detail about my favorites.
- 🍿 - watched in a theater.
- 🎭 - Member of a collection.
- 🥇 / 🥈 / 🥉 - Favorite of the Year honoree.
The Out-Laws
(2023)Fun concept, but quickly devolves into a run-of-the-mill action comedy. Pretty good cast, but didn’t really do it for me.
Pretty dumb, but not a terrible watch. I think their comedy works more in short form than long, but there are some good bits.
Lift
(2024)Pretty dumb with the occasional cool set pieces. Hart gets carried by a better supporting cast and there's some decent heisting.
The Marvels
(2023)Scattered and fun. The cute parts are great, but all of the marvel fighting felt pretty boring. Getting hard to keep everything straight.
Anyone But You
(2023)Extremely cute movie. Charismatic cast and some great comedy. You could tell they were having a good time on that set and it shines through. Light and fun, top to bottom.
Whiplash
(2014)Extremely intense. Unbelievable performance out of Simmons. The examination of ambition and perfection is interesting, but all the characters come off as assholes who didn’t learn anything. Maybe that's "leaving it up to the viewer", but it left me with a sour taste. Definitely earned its intensity badge though.
American Fiction
(2024)Great mix of acerbic, funny, and heartfelt. I really like it as a reaction to the past few years of american media/culture.
The Menu
(2022)It was unhinged, but I sort of loved it. At some points it felt twisted for twisted's sake, but there was clearly thought put into every bit of the staging and story.
Come from Away
(2021)Absolutely spectacular. The staging adds a lot to the show and the music and stories are superbly presented. There’s a lot going on but there’s a lot of heart. I was a mess at the end. Beautifully done.
The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)Some steller performances held back by just the slowest and lowest stakes narritive I’ve seein in a while. Disappointed, as I’ve loved most of McDonagh’s other work. This wasn’t a dark comedy, it was just… dark and boring and melancholy.
The Departed
(2006)Ran a little long, but was a pretty gripping drama. Unbelievable cast, twists and turns, quite a ride.
Rivals: Ohio State vs. Michigan
(2022)Great examination of what makes a rivalry and how it's differentiated from enemies. And there's a lot of great Michigan history in this one, which is fun.
The Holdovers
(2023)A sweet exploration of the relationship between a boy and a teacher. Small cast goes a long way.
Probably her best yet - jokes are tight, strikes the right chords, kept it fresh.
Carries the trademarked Wes Anderson flair and tells a cute story with a great cast and set design.
Mean Girls
(2024)A tasteful update to a classic. Music was fun but not especially memorable. All of the cast was super funny though.
The Big Year
(2011)A fun concept reasonably presented. Felt a little light on actual plot resolution, but it's a fun watch if you like birds.
Titanic
(2023)Sort of knew what was coming, but the movie did a good job humanizing the disaster and exploring the social implecations of the whole thing. Glad I finally saw it.
Freelance
(2023)The most remarkable thing this movie did was star both John Cena and Alison Brie yet be so boring and un-funny. The dictator was sort of the emotional core of the whole thing, which leads to some complicated messaging.
Crocodile Dundee
(1986)Light and charming; not a bad watch but doesn’t say a lot. It’s mostly a sillly thing about how out of place he is, but he sells it.
Well cast and paced. Was like 10% less fun than I wanted, but it's still a good time. The plot is weirdly straightforward and conflicts are easily resolved. Also the chatacters lack any emotional depth or background. It was also missing his characteristic flair, weirdly.
The Accountant
(2016)Stacked cast and a surprisngly compelling story. Decent action and intrigue (if a bit predictable). Nice to have an atypical protagonist.
The Philadelphia Story
(1941)Stellar cast and a fast-moving plot make help this movie stay pretty fun throughout. Bits of it are dated in interesting ways, but that’s what you get.
Peter Pan
(1953)Defenitely deserves its cultural sensitivity warning preroll. Story is decent and bits are funny, but largely fell flat for me. That said, I liked the orchestration, especially how they timed it with the action.
Argylle
(2024)Crowded cast let down by clumsy writing and uncanny CGI. Not as bad as everyone says it is, but not great.
Batman
(1989)Sort of a fascinating movie. Felt longer than it was. I generally liked Keaton, but I didn't feel like we got much of him compared to Nicholson. Felt totally unfocused, bouncing between big action set pieces and goofy joker dances. Art direction was pretty good, but won't go down as a better Batman
Pretty hokey, but it was earnest. It’s fun seeing 1960s SF and Vicky liked how many whales there were. I’m not totally onboard with the emotional climax being 100% whale noises, but it was a good watch overall.
Hit Man
(2024)Liked it more than I thought I would. Charismatic cast and a fun premise, plus some fun face acting.
Deadpool & Wolverine
(2024)I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Though the actual plot and villain don't bring a lot to the table, it never forgets to have fun. I'm not sure it would stand on its own if you'd never seen any other marvel things, it rewards that familiarity with great payoffs. It was great to see Hugh Jackman back in the saddle. The dialogue was funny and the references right up my alley, but YMMV. More than any other recent Marvel movie, it feels like it understands what makes these franchises worth watching.
Sweet Home Alabama
(2002)Cute story with a good supporting cast. Comfort food, basically.
A fun behind-the-scenes. A ton of detail and work went into this thing. If only the movie were better!
Inside Out 2
(2024)Cute extension of the original's concept. I liked the literal emotional complexity on this one
Elemental
(2023)Has some really touching stories about the immigrant experience and family dynamics, but the whole thing is let down by its otherwise uninspired writing. Absolutely stunning graphics though, and some charming worldbuilding.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
(2022)Gripping pace but unlikable characters. A sort of interesting plot, but didn't do it for me. Very cool lighting though!
The Adjustment Bureau
(2011)A neat concept that doesn’t quite deliver on its potential. Strong cast though.
A Perfect Getaway
(2009)A pretty perfect movie to kick off a honeymoon in hawaii. Keeps you on your toes even if it doesn't totally deliver on its premise. Great performances out of Zahn and Olyphant
When We First Met
(2018)Well-tread premise that has a few tricks up its sleeve. Ok performances and a predictable plot mostly let it down, but it picks up some steam in the back half.
Knock at the Cabin
(2023)A small "bottle" movie with surprisingly little blood for its subject matter. Tense, interesting, and mysterious. Great performances all around.
The Final Girls
(2015)A cute premise paired with a good cast and some fun killings. Does a good job playing with the summer camp slasher genre and exploring what it’s like to be in a movie. Light and fun!
A Haunting in Venice
(2023)Well acted, atmospheric. Definitely creepy, with cool lighting and cinematography. Story was pretty good but I'm not sure the solve was fair.
My Old Ass
(2024)Surprisingly touching. Mixed drama and comedy well. Good performances out of a young cast. Had low expectations, but really enjoyed it.
The Kentucky Fried Movie
(1977)Has some good gags, but the pacing felt off. Some segments are dense, but others are more air than joke. Most of the time, it felt silly for silly's sake. You can see the inspirations for Airplane, but it definitely wasn't there yet.
Zero Hour!
(1957)Cheesy and contrived, but has good bones. Occasionally tense, some goofy lines, and generally good performances. It's remarkable how much of Airplane! came straight from this.
Hot Frosty
(2024)It's a fun premise and a decent cast, but the lack of chemistry and an odd but not-fun performance out of Milligan left us out in the cold.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(2009)Tense and well acted. Fun inside look to the way NYC trains work. Heavy action, but keeps it moving. Could have maybe done more with the characters (and thinks about it) but it still works as a mostly-action outing.
Fame
(1980)Exhausting theater kid energy. Had some interesting perspectives on everyone's journey through their art and the paths that can take. But, felt disjoint, with too many characters. It also just seemes like drama for drama's sake- they just kept throwing bad things at these kids and everyone seemed miserable. It's ending was especially unsatisfying- it's a song where the ensemble pretends like everyone is fine when all evidence from the film points to the exact opposite. Whole thing was a real slog.
Ruthless People
(1986)A delightful comedy of errors with a blast of an 80s cast. Fun to see ZAZ write/direct something with a single plot running through it.
Our Little Secret
(2024)A decent premise that was never quite fun enough to be truly fun. Wasn’t much christmas magic. Chenoweth is great as always and it’s nice to see Lohan doing things again.
The Merry Gentlemen
(2024)A charming premise supported by characters who are very patient and good sports about it all. Weird lack of chemistry between the leads, but not a bad time!
Christmas Inheritance
(2017)Pretty dumb, but goodhearted and not to overwrought.
Wicked
(2024)No one does spectacle like John M Chu. Does a great job exploring and expanding the story without straying too far. Costumes and sets were beautiful and the whole production just oozed vibrancy.