Well, moviegoers, we made it. Another hellish trip around the sun. Which, of course, means a whole new batch of movies. We’ve had some great films! We’ve also had some really, really awful films. We also had “Megalopolis.” That was weird. In case you missed every movie that came out in 2024, have a seat by the metaphorical fireplace as we reminisce on the epic highs and lows of the last year’s silver screen.
‘Dune: Part Two’
I’ve raved about “Dune: Part Two’s” proverbial Desert Power in a dedicated review I did of it for The DTH back when it released, but I wanted to throw it in here because I literally can’t rave about it enough. Then, I called it “the best movie of the 21st century.” I stand by that. Go watch “Dune: Part Two.”
‘I Saw the TV Glow’
If “Dune: Part Two” is my favorite film of the year, “I Saw the TV Glow” is probably the one that impressed me the most. It’s also my second favorite. I went into this one with reasonable expectations, having heard only that it was an experimental coming-of-age horror inspired by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” All of these things are true, but it’s so much more than that.
Without spoiling too much, “I Saw the TV Glow” is a film like no other. Its wholly original visual style, commentary on the transgender experience, soundtrack and actors’ performances (especially Justice Smith’s — I feel bad for dismissing him for so long as “Detective Pikachu guy”) are all completely astounding.
If you’re transgender or queer, watch this film. If you’re a fan of horror, art cinema and the aesthetics of the 1990s, watch this film. I can definitely see this film becoming a “Midsommar”-style cult horror classic in the coming years.
‘Megalopolis’
Being deadly serious: I cannot overstate how awe-inspiring watching “Megalopolis” on the big screen was. It’s not “good,” per se, but it is, for lack of a better word, magical. I’m an atheist and I imagine the “Megalopolis” experience is what church is like for true believers. It’s awful. It’s an awful, awful movie in every single way a movie can be awful. It genuinely has no redeeming qualities. But it’s beautiful in its catastrophe.