Every Movie I Saw Last Year, Reviewed: 2024 Edition

Mostly Non-Serious Reviews and Oscar Day Panic!

Mar 02, 2025

Booting up…

Connecting to Brian (Colin’s brain)…

oh, he can’t talk, he’s literally consuming as much cinema as possible before the movies biggest night…

I have made a sheet for myself to try and finish all the films from 2024 I missed before the Oscars tonight. I don’t think I’ll make it. This is a checklist I made for myself at work on Thursday. I was so behind I even misspelled film names.

While I continue to metaphorically stuff my face with 24 frames per second, here is a comprehensive list of every movie I logged in 2024 on Letterboxd. And my very real reviews. This is Siskel and Ebert level shit.

(Ordered by Watch Date. All movies with reviews included.)

(Just to get ahead a couple things many early films are from last years Oscars, sorry. And I guess a PSA there may be spoilers but probably not. Also the watch dates are not exact as I might’ve forgot to log it that day. AND these are usually initial reviews before much processing or thinking it over)

Wonka (2023) (Watched January 8, 2024) - I went into this quite nervous for a bad movie. I left with a kick in my step. A whimsical wonder i gobbled right up. Though more authentic vocals might’ve been appreciated, it didn’t bother me much. Timmy did a fine job at the wonder, he made me smile. The songs were fun, lyrical, and had quite melodic melodies. The hijinks were wonderfully weird and lovely.

My final point: it is no mere coincidence that the song everyone knows, and the line with the title, point right the the library. A beautiful tip of the hat to the ultimate world of pure imagination.

P.S. I understand this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I happened to see it alone on a day where I felt particularly down and out about having a dream. Alas, I was the perfect mark.

Anyone But You (2023) (Watched January 8, 2024) - Glen Powell is good at these. GaTa and that rapscallion Dermot Mulroney are a great plus. Congrats Natasha Bedingfield for da money.

May December (2023) (Watched January 9, 2024) - i had to cough the whole time, kinda sums up my feeling. hey isaac!

Ferrari (2023) (Watched January 10, 2024) - i liked Patrick Dempsey’s white hair

Maestro (2023) (Watched January 11, 2024) - I, personally, sat in awe looking up at the silver screen. The black and white scenes are breathtaking. And ending Mahler's "Resurrection" with a dirty-in-the-frame Felicia... Listen, I was holding onto the theater seats for dear life.

this is probably a 5. Idk why folk don't like it. May pay another $10.50 and see it again.

Maestro (2023) (Watched Again January 12, 2024) - nah man this movie rules. A socks-knocker for sure.

All of Us Strangers (2023) (Watched January 12, 2024) - Thanks Claire Foy for being my dead mother, maybe

Self Reliance (2023) (Watched January 14, 2024) - Very wild premise with consistent laughs. Wish the romance took up the same space as the thrill. Like the lore graphics at the end. Extra respect for 85 minute runtime.

American Fiction (2023) (Watched January 15, 2024) - To me it has the likes to be an American Classic. Sterling K. Brown’s performance shines, much like any of his do. I am wondering if I am missing a layer of satire in my whiteness thinking so highly of the film. That being said, I very much enjoyed what this movie says and does with its balancing act of the family vs the book and was often moved in a way I was not expecting from a trailer that leans so heavily on the book of it all.

Also, the opening credits.

The Iron Claw (2023) (Watched January 16, 2024) - A lot of fun happening within the frame from the camerawork, editing, choreography, and colors is grounded by very honest performances. Zac Efron proves his worth down to the last second.

Fuck i gotta call my brother

Mean Girls (2024) (Watched January 17, 2024) - this whole movie feels like a high school lip dub that we all had to do in 2017, that’s not a negative ahha

I feel like the movie probably works better than the stage musical (other than songs they had to cut, etc.)

I loved Gretchen 💕 wish we had another moment with her

A Haunting in Venice (2023) (Watched January 18, 2024) - they were having fun and i liked it

The Zone of Interest (2023) (Watched January 19, 2024) - It’s quite haunting. The sound design sells it. Almost every shot that includes the sky has ash in it. Now, though it was indeed haunting (specifically the cut to the museum cleaning which i actually covered my eyes for as if it was a horror movie), it often felt like a MUSEUM MOVIE that you find around a dark corner between frames, with a bench or two, that you watch for 10-20 minutes and wonder how long it is and if you should stay. Just how I felt.

…

Now, I’m not saying anything, but… I can’t be the only one who sees a similarity… Not is scale, but…

Origin (2023) (Watched January 24, 2024) - I love two things in this world (among many many things):
- the resilience and beauty of the human spirit
- Savannah Goddamn Georgia

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) (Watched January 27, 2024) - People sometimes equate watching a movie to that of not being able to look away from a burning wreckage. This, instead, felt like I saw the news report on a burning wreckage and, in my interest, I found myself on a deep dive across Reddit, Wikipedia, old YouTube, Instagram, and chat forums discussing what happened. I am in awe that this is even scripted. Everything felt so real. Every performance was breathtaking and I honestly didn’t know how it would end.

Extra .5 for the opening credits, piano, and my crush on Marge.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) (Watched Again January 30, 2024) - This movie is real good and i didn’t remember anything about it

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) (Watched Again January 30, 2024) - this movie fucks and is kinda horny too

Oppenheimer (2023) (Watched Again January 30, 2024) - This is possibly the most unrelenting film I’ve ever seen haha

Lisa Frankenstein (2024) (Watched February 11, 2024) - she’s just so good at writing them linessss i love this goofy ass gothic movie, every movie should be like this hhahahaha

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) (Watched Again February 15, 2024) - I believe in Spider-Man more than I believe in God

The Taste of Things (2023) (Watched February 18, 2024) - Every frame feels like a Vermeer painting. This is how you light a movie. The lack of score accentuates the senses until the final line bowing with piano. Don’t go see this hungry, very dangerous.

alt: as a man why are you not pining with such might?

An American in Paris (1951) (Watched February 24, 2024) - Incredible and pointless, more of that please

Madame Web (2024) (Watched February 27, 2024) - this is the perfect movie for 5-8 kinda funny friends

Perfect Days (2023) (Watched March 3, 2024) - never seen such a complex emotion I’ve felt shown on an actors face

Drive Away Dolls (2024) (Watched March 4, 2024) - it’s like High School Musical 2 where Miley Cyrus has a cameo

The Mummy (1999) (Watched March 6, 2024) - well damn i just kept guffawin’

I could not stop gaspin’ n’ guffawin’

Problemista (2023) (Watched March 7, 2024) - another movie I would send into space if I could

Dune (2021) (Watched Again March 8, 2024) - It’s like him and Duncan Trussell putting in the work to keep Duncan’s cool

Dune: Part Two (2024) (Watched March 8, 2024) - This review may contain spoilers.

he should kill his mom

Snack Shack (2024) (Watched March 18, 2024) - A lot of cliches in there and I’ve seen this movie before BUT god am i so glad to be seeing it again. Make a billion of ‘em.

Also Gabriel LaBelle is gonna be a star. Called that with The Fabelmans and he’s not slowing down here.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) (Watched March 24, 2024) - haha yeah! I was eating popcorn, I was drinking an icee, I was having fun!

I haven’t seen Afterlife and this movie made me want to watch it, so I think it did a good job!

The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024) (Watched March 24, 2024) - I was eating at Pikunico at The Row when they were filming one day and now i can contextualize what was happening in my brain

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) (Watched March 25, 2024) - I don’t remember the original movies! So this is lovely to me! I was giggling and kicking my feet for the first 30 minutes, the last act isn’t GREAT but i guess they had to show up?

Love Lies Bleeding (2024) (Watched March 27, 2024) - The edit and composition really steals the show for me. Plus i was on the edge of me seat! What more could you ask for!

I Married a Watch (1942) (Watched March 28, 2024) - i loved this haha just fun, wanted more witch stuff but was gigglin’ for the most part

Riddle of Fire (2023) (Watched March 31, 2024) - I love this movie! There are some faults but it is mostly absolutely wonderful i wish I made it.

La Chimera (2023) (Watched April 5, 2024) - To be clear, this is what I mean when I say I want to make movies.

Sasquatch Sunset (2024) (Watched April 12, 2024) - Hmm!

On the one hand I say it’s too long, meandering, and excessive. On the other there are some beautiful shots and moments in this.

Hey why don’t we just keep making weird movies even if they are for me or not!

Alt: if they would’ve had a David Attenborough V.O. it could’ve really went places

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) (Watched April 12, 2024) - this thing rules!

The Virgin Suicides (1999) (Watched April 13, 2024) - Lately, every movie I watch is the best one. This thing rips so hard.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) (Watched April 14, 2024) - ahhahah me when i have a crush but she doesn’t come back

Civil War (2024) (Watched April 14, 2024) - Some truly harrowing stuff. It is wild to see what feels like such a realistic depiction of a possible future I might live through. That being said the decision to view this event through photographers is, to me, what turns a possible blockbuster doomsday war movie into a viable talking piece. The way photographs are used in the edit is quite beautiful and really works.

NOW, I have one thing I would’ve done different. I think the edition of a character who is a documentary photographer who captures the prevailing joy in hardship would really help round this out. There is a small moment in the shop with trying on the dress, but the camp with kids running around, the weird laughs after very scary moments, the beautiful fire in the sky. I think someone capturing the beauty would help balance our main characters journey, especially if/when that character inevitably cannot proceed. THAT’S JUST WHAT I WANTED!

The Future (2011) (Watched April 14, 2024) - I wanna make this movie! Funny to watch this after being a fan of performance Miranda July and Instagram Miranda July, and see she was wanting to film herself dancing for quite a while

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) (Watched April 16, 2024) - I be giving it all up for a couple of unwashed grapes at the grocery store, I see you Ofelia

but for trues this movie has absolutely everything and I knew it would, why did i wait until 25 to watch it? I do not know.

Marie Antoinette (2006) (Watched April 16, 2024) - This would go so hard on in the background at a party

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) (Watched April 17, 2024) - You punched the highlights out of her hair
HE PUNCHED THE HIGHLIGHTS OUT OF HER HAIR

this movie must’ve taken so long to export

Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) (Watched April 20, 2024) - This movie is so specific to it’s time and it’s language and it’s strange intimacy. Many things are not agreeable in the movie, but we know that. I know billions if not 10 people really don’t like this movie because it’s pretentious indie performance art smut, I’d disagree with them but that’s neither here nor there.

Some movies are for some people, some aren’t. This one is for me.

Alt: Save the Fish

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) (Watched April 20, 2024) - Lotta fun, many movies must be at least loose adaptations of this

The Devil’s Backbone (2001) (Watched April 20, 2024) - Listen, this man knows how to do a gothic tale of passion and power. And there’s a ghost. And a living bomb.

The Social Network (2010) (Watched Again April 24, 2024) - this thing churns like butter

Challengers (2024) (Watched April 25, 2024) - The genre is incorrectly labeled; it’s a thriller.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score does exactly what it did for The Social Network - make an incredible well written and shot movie soar to new heights.

Alt: Challengers surpasses Cool Hand Luke as the sweatiest movie of all time.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) (Watched Again April 25, 2024) - One of my favorite films. It was one of the first movies I watched and said “I wanna do that, specifically” rather than just I want to make movies. Profound, and funny, and stupid, and real. It is one of those movies I accidentally start to watch a clip and then watch the entire thing. Need criterion to make a smexy blu-ray of this bad boy.

Challengers (2024) (Watched Again April 26, 2025) - and just like that, Killshot 2’s fly off the shelves… again.

(I saw it again)

Under the Silver Lake (2018) (Watched April 27, 2024) - hhahaha this is such a deeply unserious movie, every LA transplant should watch it so it doesn’t get made again

I truly think other than a few fun noir shot references, this movie is actually unwatchable without Andrew Garfield, and he’s trying his best with bad material.

Spider-Man comic stuck to hand because of cum (or food?) is funny tho

The Bling Ring (2013) (Watched April 28, 2024) - the greatest period piece

Penelope (2006) (Watched April 29, 2024) - I LOVE THIS MOVIE! THE COLORS! THE WHIMSY! THE FUN MUSIC! CATHERINE O’HARA! 2008! AND THE KISS HAPPENS ON HALLOWEEN?!?!

what more could a boy like me ask for

The Edge of Seventeen (2016) (Watched April 29, 2024) - This movie is bonkers good! I was smiling so wide, laughing, stressed, and let out some tears too! Makes a lot of sense as I felt pretty much the same feelings with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Very interesting that this includes a little beg to God moment as well. But yeah just all around lovely.

The Night We Never Met (1993) (Watched May 4, 2024) - Brian had a trump book and that clocks

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) (Watched May 8, 2024) - The amounts of humanity that had to happen to get us to this point is crazy. Texture out the wazoo! Soundtrack to send a postcard about! Deeply fascinating and inspiring.

It is funny to feel ALL of this and still kinda be like I’m not quite sure what it’s saying, completely (i have quite an idea, but surely cannot box it all in)

Excited to watch all of Jane Schoenbrun’s past and future movies!

Alt: i love lowkey swapped Heathers

Planet of the Apes (1968) (Watched May 10, 2024) - This review may contain spoilers.

Probably the best last shot ever.

As he’s riding up I was like “please let him see something crazy like the Hollywood sign” lol

Alt: Drink every time they say female

Bottle Rocket (1996) (Watched Again May 11, 2024) - I would be so happy if Robert Musgrave was in every single movie.

The Sweat East (2023) (Watched May 14, 2024) - the plight of being a teenage girl it seems

Saturday Night Fever (1977) (Watched May 17, 2024) - dancing fun! rape, not so much!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) (Watched May 17, 2024) - yeah! lots of emotion with not lots of words always fun! what will the monkeys do next?

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) (Watched May 21, 2024) - Somebody dig Shakespeare up and show him this movie about monkeys

Alt: Et tu, Monkey?

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) (Watched May 23, 2024) - these movies’ stakes are so high lol, i wish koba came in a few more times and did a fun scary Macbeth thing

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) (Watched May 30, 2024) - Tbh i don’t care about no human stuff, here for ape community though. Some interesting stuff, happy they made it, but nothing in the likes of 2 and 3

Young Woman and the Sea (2024) (Watched May 30, 2024) - cool story! fine movie!

Better Off Dead…(1985) (Watched May 31, 2024) - “and Peru!” is one of the best lines. We gotta make absurdity like this again.

The Fall Guy (2024) (Watched June 3, 2024) - a clear love letter to an art form and a pretty fun funny good time

Babes (2024) (Watched June 14, 2024) - Long episode of Broad City! Millennial women go off

Theater Camp (2023) (Watched Again June 14, 2024) - One day I hope to pull off a 3rd act this good

Charade (1963) (Watched June 15, 2024) - there are so many twists I’m all turned around! and so witty! what a wonder!

Inside Out 2 (2024) (Watched June 18, 2024) - Always clever. I like this and it’s all true. The score is good per usual

Serendipity (2001) (Watched June 18, 2024) - The music supervisor said
“alright, we need 91 minutes of music”

The Bikeriders (2023) (Watched June 23, 2024) - A thought that kept going through my head during was, “this movie kinda works for the same reason that The Breakfast Club works” and i will not be elaborating

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) (Watched Again June 23, 2024) - I see too much of myself in this character hahahaha

Jason Segel make another movie.

Thelma (2024) (Watched June 26, 2024) - Firing on all cylinders, so funny and with its touching moments honest and deserved

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) (Watched July 4, 2024) - good 4th of July watch. love the text at the beginning. Look at where we are now! woo hoo

Charlie’s Angels (2000) (Watched July 6, 2024) - incredible

Dial M for Murder (1954) (Watched July 7, 2024) - God i love Columbo

Longlegs (2024) (Watched July 12, 2024) - Good classic fun! And pretty too!

Zodiac (2007) (Watched July 14, 2024) - Oppenheimer

The Killer (2023) (Watched July 14, 2024) - A boy listens to Louder Than Bombs once and makes it his entire personality.

You does the same thing but it’s way more entertaining.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) (Watched July 16, 2024) - That middle hour is good! Not so much a fan of how long it takes to get going and subsequently, and poorly, wrap up. But such is the case with a book adaption. CUT CUT CUT!

The Lady Vanishes (1938) (Watched July 18, 2024) - please someone tell these gay men the cricket score

Twisters (2024) (Watched July 21, 2024) - I think Lee Isaac Chung should direct any movie about small town America. Indie or Blockbuster.

This thing rules from the first sequence straight to the end. Big set piece being a movie theater? Uh hell yeah…

Classic Amblin at its greatest, felt like I was watching Jaws on day one in a packed theater in 1975. The summer blockbuster is back with a vengeance, chewing up everything in its path. I’m white knuckle gripping my popped corn with tears in my eyes.

Yee-fucking-haw.

Empire Records (1995) (Watched July 21, 2024) - hahaha i wanna give this a five

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) (Watched July 26,2024) - sure! all in good fun and knows it’s not important. people kept gasping lol i didn’t know 80% of the gasps

Se7ven (1995) (Watched July 28, 2024) - what is this, Gotham?

The diner scene between Paltro and Freeman caught me by surprise. In a movie like this it is often those scenes feel like throw aways, but it was touching and made me tear up.

This movie is great. Either LA looked like a scary gothic place in 1995 or the locations manager deserved a raise.

Trap (2024) (Watched August 1, 2024) - Corny throughout in a great way. Though the trailer doesn’t include much of the humor (and it is the movie’s best quality) it is much more thrilling than the actual movie. Still Josh kills the role he was given.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) (Watched August 5, 2024) - i genuinely loved how simple her goal was.

Really beautiful human moments in this, good.

Alt: if he’s still tucking his shirt in once the world has ended, he’s a keeper

The Pale Blue Eye (2022) (Watched August 12, 2024) - Gothic! My feelings for this are varied. I think the mystery is interesting and the ending is equally as interesting. It took me 3 separate sit downs to watch this in its entirety (which i am blaming myself and not the movie).

Gave me a similar kick to that first RDJ Sherlock Holmes. I think this was fun and they should make more gothic mysteries so that I can accurately rate this better.

The Limehouse Golem (2016) (Watched August 12, 2024) - Felt a bit like a made for tv movie! in a good way! Very gothic and macabre and they be showing that shit. Wish there was a real supernatural element like i thought there’d be

I love olivia cooke so

Laura (1944) (Watched August 29, 2024) - had low blood sugar during this and lost all semblance of plot, I’m sure it’s great

Strange Darling (2023) (Watched September 3, 2024) - me when i love the color red

Blink Twice (2024) (Watched September 3, 2024) - i see you Zoe

Beetlejuice (1988) (Watched Again September 7, 2024) - Exactly like the stuff I want to make. I love this stinky movie.

Thinking about putting it in my 4 favs…

Chicago (2002) (Watched September 8, 2024) - movies used to be cool, this editing is so good

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) (Watched September 8, 2024) - The best thing since sliced bread (Beetlejuice 1)!

Roman Holiday (1963) (Watched September 15, 2024) - and the Oscar for close up smile cry shots goes to…

Chappaquiddick (2017) (Watched September 29, 2024) - Succession Kennedy Edition

Lisa Frankenstein (2024) (Watched Again October 1, 2024) - Bumped up .5, still great, a classic.

Just so many incredible lines. My alley if there ever was one.

Practical Magic (1998) (Watched October 4, 2024) - There are so many things in this movie, no wonder it’s so beloved! Cant believe it took me this long to watch somehow!

The Haunting (1963) (Watched October 5, 2024) - Tbh every shot in this movie is incredible. Really fun to see shaky cam in the 60s it doesn’t happen often. I was kinda spooked for a sec!

To Catch a Thief (1955) (Watched October 9, 2024) - I love when Cary Grant is like “That isn’t me!” He’s so good at that.

That being said, feels like Hitchcock was like let’s shoot a movie while on vacation!! It’s beautiful! But not as screwy :(

North by Northwest (1959) (Watched October 9,2024) - Planes Trains and Automobiles! So many quips! Love.

Urban Legend (1998) - This was so fun! Great group movie, guessing which urban legends the killer will use! Also kept twistin’

Saturday Night (2024) (Watched October 15, 2024) - I’m tempted to go 4.5 but I’m going to hold off. Cooper, Gabriel, and Andrew are my top 3 right now (Gabriel has been for some time). This movie flows beautifully. The score is electric. Every performance is kinda stellar. And the movie does an incredible job of raising a billion questions for what will happen after it’s over, which is what every movie should do.

I need to watch Steve Jobs and see if I feel the same or still feel that is a better movie. If i don’t I will adjust my rating lol

ParaNorman (2012) (Watched October 18, 2024) - Somehow I had never seen this! I think maybe it came out right as I was a bit older? Or maybe opposite, I was scared? Regardless, I passed this one by far too long. It was so fun and the heart was def there. Could see myself wanting to make a movie like this one day.

Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire (2000) (Watched Again October 18, 2024) - peak Disney channel spooktober, this movie is for the act of watching the movie during spooky season more than anything else and yet it’s great fun

I can’t get that fucking guitar riff out of my head!

The Lost Boys (1987) (Watched October 18, 2024) - Now that last act was funn

*clearly missed a couple here in October, too much spooky, it got the best of me*

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) (Watched November 5, 2024) - laugh laugh laugh die laugh

Juno (2007) (Watched November 8, 2024) - This movie was so incredible through my left AirPod at work

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) (Watched Again November 8, 2024) - this movie is perfect. I am moved by no film more than this one.

should i add to this to my 4 favs?

A Real Pain (2024) (Watched November 15, 2024) - such a lived relationship, one i can very much relate to. It’s rare you see your situation on the screen so vividly. And from both perspectives. A really special movie.

Heretic (2024) (Watched November 30, 2024) - I love Hugh grant and i think he should be in most movies. One of his best roles tbh

Wicked (2024) (Watched November 30, 2024) - i actually lost the ability to breathe during the last lines of Defying Gravity. This is not a musical I know well, at all. i did not know there were men in it, nor did i know that Defying Gravity closes ACT 1! I thought the show was over after that.

Foaming at the mouth for part 2.

I cried within the first 5 minutes.

I love movies. I love musicals.

Edit, 7 minutes later: I am aware of some of the films flaws (i.e. Color, why is this not the first big movie to bring back technicolor ITS RIGHT THERE!!!!!???, plus some true story stuff that has been picked apart since the stage show) This was a hasty 5 star which great movies often are after first watch. I am willing to think more critically of it after my second (or third or forth or fifth) watch. That being said. I lost my ability to breathe because of a movie. And wept because of how movie this movie is. So.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) (Watched Again November 30, 2024) - This movie is brilliant for what it has done. It has wonderful moments and a lot of charm. That being said I think in all the brightness my mouth gets tired from all the sweets. I wish there was a little more to chew on, especially near the end.

Critiquing a classic is pointless and pompous. This movie is remembered for a reason.

Desk Set (1957) (Watched December 7, 2024) - Hahahaha AI vs Cool-Coat-Cladded Katharine Hepburn THE MOVIE

The Green Knight (2021) (Watched December 11, 2024) - Very much liked the short bit with the spirit, the rest is pretty but above my pay grade

Y2K (2024) (Watched December 14, 2024) - fun time, clear tone, specificity to the moon I’m all for it i like Kyle Mooney

Anora (2024) (Watched December 19, 2024) - This was wayyyyyyyy funnier than i thought it would be, it really sneaks up on you. With such an interesting character moment as it ends. Really strong.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) (Watched Again December 22, 2024) - Seen many times. It a classic for a reason. Some could say this is too long of an intro to what is the actual question of the film, but for a literal suicide to feel warranted it’s so valuable to see his entire life. And in the same vein see every life he has touched!

The ending is a surprise of how much it really makes me smile and cry regardless of how many times I’ve seen it.

Also, throwing some real Twilight Zone type antics is soooo fun!

Lastly, whoever decided at one point this film should have a colored version should fall into an icy lake in the timeline that George Bailey never lived.

Babygirl (2024) (Watched December 30, 2024) - This movie is good! Much funnier than expected!

The Brutalist (2024) (Watched December 30, 2024) - I don’t have complete thoughts on this.

What I will say is: this movie was made in 33 days for ~10 million dollars. Those numbers are absolutely insane for, using Lászlo’s voice, “the materials alone.”

The cast is firing on most if not all cylinders with Brody giving a career-reinvigorating performance and Guy Pierce landing every syllable that comes out of Van Buren’s mouth. The spectacle is breathtaking. The film’s use of blues and greens are fascinating in ways that remind me of Hopper paintings. I’d love to hear someone smarter than me talk about the color theory of this movie. The score is more than outstanding but that’s the only word I can come up with. And, for a film that is 3.5 hours, it almost never drags. It is completely engaging and a force to be reckoned with which pairs beautifully with an architectural movement based on those same principles.

I love the intermission. It is earned.

If I had qualms about this movie it would be in the distinction between act 1 and act 2. I won’t say much more. Instead I will make a comparison that no one is willing to do. Structurally, this film feels very similar to Bradley Cooper’s Maestro if the leading actor was actually, completely, talented. Maestro’s first act is beautifully shot, poetic, risk-taking, and (to me) jaw-dropping before shifting to color in the second act for a talky, rambling something or other that has great moments but doesn’t feel as powerful as its predecessor. I could say similar things about The Brutalist’s second act.

I will not, but I could.

and now I grant you my 1st review of 2025

Nosferatu (2024) (Watched January 1, 2025) - RIP Ellen u would’ve loved the Brontë sisters

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…

You! if you read this far. Comment your favorite review of 2024.

Every Movie I Saw Last Year, Reviewed: 2024 Edition

Mostly Non-Serious Reviews and Oscar Day Panic!

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