As in years past, the other half of The Cine-Men, Brian Taylor went the distance and saw well over 200 films this year. I stuck to crowd-pleasers, kid movies, and steaming, clocking in somewhere in the 60+ range. And though this year brought upon my crisis of cinema (more on this on a later piece) my love for film was also kinda rekindled (again more on that in the future). And I will admit I missed out on a lot of the later half of the year aka “Oscar season” I will tell you what I liked and loved this year.
7. A Quiet Place: Day One– I do find myself disliking sequels/prequels more and more lately, and while this one commits a few sins, like the characters figuring out how to survive like on ‘day two’, I still dug this movie. Much like the first two films, where this film finds it true strength is not the monsters but with the human struggle. Here loss of a child and pregnancy are substituted with dependency and dealing with disease. Joseph Quinn is incredible, (can’t wait to see his Johnny Storm) but Lupita Nyong’o continues to prove she is one of the greatest actress of all time.
6. Deadpool & Wolverine– This had several things going for it: It was a great buddy road movie, Hugh Jackman simply crushing it in a different but equally fantastic way with a character he helped create over 20 years ago, and most importantly this film was the best love letter to where it all began. I remember remarking to a fellow comic fan that this was gonna need to save the MCU after the downhill slope since Avengers: Endgame. But Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds and their team was not interested in that, even though it was mentioned in several of the fourth-wall-breaking moments in the film. What they focused on instead is a hero’s place in their world and what being a hero really means. And they succeeded which was a true accomplishment considering there are almost as many f-bombs in here as there are in a Tarantino movie.
5. Alien: Romulus– In a franchise that one of its co-creators Ridley Scott was helping convoluting and just about bringing it down, the classic xenomorph needed a shot in the arm like Predator got with Prey back in 2022. Romulus was indeed a step in the right direction. Fede Alvarez brought back the trills and chills to this much beloved series. Yes it could be considered a ‘greatest hits’ movie with lifted sequences, and lines from previous films, but it doesn’t take away the intense haunted-house-in-space troupe we all fell in love with in the 70’s and 80’s. I will also admit there was some real stumbling here which felt like studio meddling, but it still manages to find the scary and add some gore for good measure.
4. Rebel Ridge– One of the things I love about movies is their ability to surprise me. I found this several times this year, surprisingly on Netflix which I think is starting to find its way despite things like Love is Blind and the almost endless amount of true crime it churns out like outdated Halloween candy. I have to say it really hit its stride this year in film. I enjoyed films like: The Shadow Strays, It’s What’s Inside, Carry-On but mostly I loved the latest entry by Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room). Rebel Ridge begins with a bang, and while it is not non-stop Rambo-esque thriller, it stays compelling throughout. It relies on character and a peek in the real-life struggles of small towns in America. Don Johnson has come a long way from TV hero Sonny Crockett, playing this Marvel-like villain going up against a star-making performance by Aaron Pierre.
3. Challengers– Finally, someone made a tennis film exciting. Though I was not looking for one, but where others have tried and failed to blend the world of tennis with relationships, Challengers accomplishes it with room to spare. Filled in by spectacular performances by it three leads. Mike Faist in my opinion was the best thing about Spielberg’s West Side Story. Josh O’Conner holds his own alongside Faist with the always impressive Zendaya to play off of, they lean very heavily on what it means to be great at a sport and what it can cost to get there. Also this is easily one of the best endings of the year.
2. Cuckoo– I am always on the lookout for is a horror movie that is able to seamlessly blend genres. With horror its usually humor, or sci-fi that fit like peanut butter and jelly. But there are times where a film can run the gamut of genres like the best rollercoaster. Set in the German Alps, we follow the fantastic Hunter Schafer as Gretchen as she is forced to stay with her father and his new family in a creepy resort run by the always great Dan Stevens. I will stay away from spoilers but this film expertly jumps from horror, to sci-fi, to beautiful family drama all within its 1 hour and 42 minute runtime. It’s scary, gross, weird, funny and sweet in all the best ways. I really loved this film.
- The Last Stop in Yuma County– Back in the late 90’s after the release of Pulp Fiction everyone was trying to be Tarantino. And no one could pull it off. It would take a couple of decades for Tarantino to move from the crime genre to become a genre unto himself. But there are those out there that still feel the gap of his impact on crime thrillers, and The Last Stop in Yuma County fills that void perfectly. The tag line is “Never bring a knife salesman to a gunfight.” Which is as crazy awesome as it sounds. Set in a diner/gas station miles from nowhere, a pair of criminals attempt to use a car to get away after a crime, but since this set in the 70’s during a gas shortage, they keep waiting for a car with gas to arrive. Several customers later (most of them packing a gun) the diner is set to explode in bloody carnage. Director Francis Galluppi brings it all here, quirky characters, witty dialogue, sudden violence, great needle drops and strange occurrences, that some would claim are “miracles”. It’s a fantastic ride and is without a doubt my favorite film of 2024.
