Fabulously Fun Movies 2024

The best action, animation, comedy, crime, family, fantasy, horror, scifi, and thriller movies of 2024.

Welcome to my new project, and some of 2024’s greatest movies!

Action

1. The Count of Monte Cristo (France)

2. The Three Musketeers - Part II: Milady (see Part I trailer here)

3. Monkey Man (UK-USA)

4. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (China)

5. Twisters (USA)

6. Kill (India) /&/ Sixty Minutes (Germany) [tie - for those who dig kicks and punches multiplied]

‘Gladiator II’ is glorious adventure, but excluded because it feels like the first movie was simply repeated. ‘Carry-On’ was also fun but ‘Die Hard II’, its obvious inspiration, remains better. Of course, the same attitude can be applied to ‘Twisters’, but at least they defined it as a remake, and the nostalgia for the underrated original carried it into my list.

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and ‘The Three Musketeers - Part II: Milady’ are treated differently because they’re marvellous retelling of those classic stories. Both are stylish, adventurous and dramatic, and I could switch them as favourites tomorrow. The first part in the ‘The Three Musketeers’ was solid but there’s more layers in this darker-edged sequel.

‘Monkey Man’ is a blazing directorial and culture shock debut from actor Dev Patel. I’m guessing that almost every thumbs down the movie’s getting is from the ultra-nationalist following of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It’s dark, and aims to kill corruption (violently).

Animation

1. Wild Robot (USA)

2. Flow (Lithuania, no language)

3. The Boy and the Heron (Japan)

4. Memoir of a Snail (Australia)

5. Robot Dreams (Spain, no language)

6. Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds (France)

The USA’s ‘Wild Robot’ is their best cartoon since ‘Wall-E’. It’s genre perfect.

Look Back (Japan) isn’t fun, so I let it slip off the list, but it’s profound and clever, and will be appreciated by those looking for something more adult and less obvious.

'Chick Flicks'

1. The Outrun (UK)

2. Anora (USA)

3. His Three Daughters (USA)

4. In Her Place (Chile)

5. Mamacruz (Venezuela/Spain)

6. Am I OK? (USA)

The first three have actresses competing to be the best of the year.

‘Anora’ is simultaneously a feminist and an action movie, and my hairy chest loved them all.

Shout-out to actress Carrie Coon who has suddenly become a star in her 40s. She was already an award-winning theatre actress, and has appeared in major series such as ‘The Leftovers’, ‘Fargo’, and ‘The Gilded Age’, but hadn’t cracked the movies. Sure, she was notable support in David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girls’, and I first noticed her class in ‘The Nest’. However, the latter’s deep drama isn’t pop and thus it only made $2m despite winning awards and being nominated for many more . This year, she exploded as the brightest light in the bright ensemble of Netflix’s dialogue-driven ‘His Three Daughters’. She also did a low budget, dry comedy, crime movie called ‘Lake George’.

Comedy

1. My Old Ass (USA)

2. Molli and Max in the Future (USA)

3. I Used to Be Funny (USA)

4. Hundreds of Beavers (USA)

5. Suze (USA)

6. Thelma (USA)

Director Megan Park debuted with 'The Fallout' in 2021. It was intense and sensible, making it the top school shooter movie by far. Her sophomore, 'My Old Ass', is different in genre and mood, so much so that it's hard to know it's in the same hands. The similarity is how good it is. It's a quirky coming-of-age tale to be loved, and the perfect fit for the quirky Aubrey Plaza.

‘Molli and Max in the Future’ and ‘Hundreds of Beavers’ are among the most original movies in 2024 history (no exaggeration).

‘Thelma’ is proof that we’re not dead until we’re buried. June Squibb was 93-years-old when it was shot, and it was her first lead role despite previously performing with classic greats such as Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern. She’s now 95. And this indie movie, shot on a $3m budget, became a surprise hit with over $12m in ticket sales!

Crime

1. Fresh Kills (USA)

2. The Last Stop in Yuma County (USA)

3. The Order (USA)

4. Speak No Evil (USA)

5. LaRoy, Texas (USA)

6. Juror 2 (USA)

‘Fresh Kills’ is the most underrated crime drama of the year. It’s about the emotional damage to a family by having a criminal father. Emily Bader is a lead to remember. It’s an applaudable directorial and writing debut from actress Jennifer Esposito who mortgaged her house to fund it - yes, it’s an indie movie, but you’d never guess that from how well its shot. ‘Fresh Kills’ is real and heartfelt.

‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’ and ‘LaRoy, Texas’ are for Fargo fans.

Jude Law is first-rate in the Neo-Nazi biopic, ‘The Order’.

At age 94, Clint Eastwood is motivational for directing another movie. It’s criminal that the studio has failed to promote his ‘Juror 2’ (which John Grisham fans will admire).

It’s tragic that interesting foreign movies don‘t make a profit but that poor English remakes do. But some get the quality right e.g. ‘Let the Right One In’. Director James Watkins’ ‘Speak No Evil’ is another. It’s more charismatic in tone to its Danish predecessor, is forgivable for radically altering the ending, and the perfect vehicle for James McAvoy’s acting skill. PS: Watkins previously made that killer of a thriller, ‘Eden Lake’.

Fantasy

1. Alienoid: Return to the Future (Korea) [watch Alienoid first]

2. Late Night With the Devil (USA)

3. Sasquatch Sunset (USA)

4. The King Tide (Canada English)

5. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Canada)

6. Tuesday (UK-USA, Croatian director, English)

The ‘Alienoid’ sequel is not a typical mainstream movie. It’s a mix of fantasy, scifi, comedy, romance and historical. I appreciate that juggling even if it prevents it from earning the applause and money it deserves. Nevertheless, it’s director Choi Dong-hoon’s 7th winner in a career with 7 movies (also checkout ‘Thieves’). Kim Tae-ri is the excessively beautiful lead. She previously costarred in ‘The Handmaiden’ which some consider to be Korea’s best movie.

Despite the star ensemble in ‘Alienoid: Return to the Future’, a support character was my favourite - Yum Jung-ah’s acting as Heug-seol, a magician, was excellent.

Horror

1. Pandemonium (France)

2. MadS (France)

3. Longlegs (USA)

4. Infested (France)

5. You'll Never Find Me (Australia)

6. In a Violent Nature (USA)

France is the King of Hell in 2024.

There are moments so chilling in ‘Pandemonium’ that even people who don’t understand this clever movie will feel burnt.

If this were the Nineties, ‘MadS’ would be a Generation X staple.

Another excellent year for fright, as it has been for a decade. I need to make a separate and much longer list.

Kiddies

1. Wild Robot (USA)

2. Flow (Lithuania, no language)

3. Tiger (USA-India)

4. Bookworm (New Zealand)

5. Runt (Australia)

6. My Penguin Friend (Brazil, English)

I raved about ‘Wild Robot’ in the animation section so make ‘Flow’ your highlight here. Few will know about this Lithuanian movie but it’s easily accessible considering it has no language. The graphics aren’t the latest technology, but its simplistic beauty is magical and heartwarming. This is for kids and adults. I say the latter with certainty because I normally treat cartoons like ‘Inside Out’ as covid. ‘Flow’ is special.

SciFi

1. Dune: Part Two (Canada/USA)

2. Civil War (USA)

3. Caddo Lake (USA)

4. The End We Start From (UK)

5. Hostile Dimensions (USA) [for low-budget lovers]

6. A Quiet Place: Day One (USA)

2024 cannot compete with past highlights such as ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘Coherence’ or ‘Inception’, but fun is available!

Everything that French Canadian Denis Villeneuve does is class. His foreign language ‘Incendies’ and scifi mystery ‘Arrival’ are among my favourites, and he brings that dramatic intensity to his ‘Dune’ series.

‘Caddo Lake’ is for those who’ve figured out how to use all their brains without running out of oxygen. The same applies to the very low budget ‘Hostile Dimensions’ which grew on me the more I watched. It’s innovative filmmakers such as these that should receive the big money for their ideas.

‘The End We Start From’ hasn’t received much attention, nor great reviews, because it’s more about motherhood than sci-fi. I’m pleased to see Jodie Comer continually stretching her wings since her sociopathic ‘Killing Eve’ series.

Thriller

1. Red Rooms (Canada)

2. Heretic (USA)

3. Strange Darling (USA)

4. Woman of the Hour (USA)

5. Magpie (UK)

6. Lowlifes (Canada)

‘Red Rooms’ features the most intriguing character of the year. It’s a court room, serial killer, mystery and drama rolled into one. That’s harder to market than typical Hollywood fare, and that’s before it being in French. I love the challenge and appreciate directors who can handle nuance. This is a special film that too few will see.

Of the others, ‘Magpie’ got the lowest reviews, probably because it’s also not sensationalist. It’s subtle with a lovely twist.

SERIES

Mini

1. Baby Reindeer (UK)

2. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia)

3. Masters of the Air (USA)

4. The Sympathizer (Korea/USA)

5. Disclaimer (Mexico/USA, but English)

6. The Red King

For a list about the light side, this section contains contradiction. I’m betting that if every male who hated ‘Baby Reindeer’ was honest, they’d admit that their real feeling was discomfort.

Gabriel García Márquez’s book of magic realism, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, is considered one of literature’s greats. Consequently, transforming it to TV was always going to be a monumental task. But with 20,000 extras, and 1,100 workers to build 4 versions of the town of Macondo in which the story is set, they got the job done. I’ve listed this as a miniseries but it’s semi-seasonal as it’s the first of two parts. Netflix is offering an English audio version but I’ll always choose the native language with subs.

Similarly, Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón delivered the blockbusters ‘Gravity’, ‘Children of Men’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, but his full genius was ‘Roma’, a drama in his own language. Consequently, it’s good to receive both worlds in his ‘Disclaimer’, an English drama series with a stellar cast led by Cate Blanchett.

Korean director Chan-wook Park may be my favourite director. He gave us the cult classics, ‘Oldboy’ and ‘Lady Vengeance’. He previously, and successfully, dug into English TV with ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ miniseries, based on the John le Carre novel. He returns with ‘The Sympathizer’, something more complicated and thus not everyone’s cup of tea but what I label wonderful.

A fun and easy watch is the Brit free telly fantasy crime called ‘The Red King’. Free means it hasn’t had the exposure of big productions, doesn’t even have a trailer, but it has fans who are wanting the limited series to become seasonal.

As bonus, see ‘Under the Bridge’, a true crime starring Lily Gladstone (from ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’).

Seasonal

1. Slow Horses S4 (UK)

2. Shogun S1 (USA)

3. Pachinko S2 (USA)

4. Dune Prophecy S1 (USA)

5. Somebody Somewhere S3 (USA)

6. Black Doves S1 (UK)

To avoid being kidnapped, I skipped many well-regarded series this year. Consequently, I was extra careful in picking only what I was sure to like, and from different genres.

I intend seeing ‘The Day of the Jackal’, ‘Say Nothing’, ‘Presumed Innocent’, ‘The Penguin’ and ‘Eric’, and then leave 2024 TV behind me. I may adjust this section, or fail my intentions..

I never want to list anything that’s “Season 1” again. I’d rather watch those that have ended, in one manic go (because I was temporarily medicating my mind to the horror of Palestine, or whatever bloody reality is next). Besides the annual wait, too many serials become soapified or shock-filled instead of plot-driven. Besides, twenty-five foreign movies or educational documentaries can replace five seasons of (mostly) America (that I’m unlikely to remember in five years time).

WHERE'S THE DRAMA SECTION?

This list is mostly entertainment on the lighter side (horror being a matter of opinion), but I threw in a few curveballs that you're probably unaware of. That doesn’t excuse me from your ‘Where the hell is the drama section?” criticism. I have reason!

The best drama is usually discovered in international cinema which is more concerned with message and character than stereotypes, special effects and musical manipulation of our emotions. I will post a passionately detailed list on April 1, 2025, after holiday big screens become streaming, and because us English should up our viewing standard (which is what this new website is about).

My current favourites are 'The Master and Margarita' (Russia), 'The Devil's Bath' (Austria), 'Crossing' (Georgia-Turkey), 'Ru' (Canada) and 'Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World' (Romania).

I will include English depth such as 'Didi', 'I Saw the TV Glow', 'Small Things Like These' and 'Conclave' (which, incidentally, was made by the same German who made ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’).

Maybe I’ll be audacious and call it the Magical International Movie Awards, and include the best actors and directors. I’ll send every winner an invisible award!

NOTES

• Like the crisis in the music and book industry morals, expect the future of movies to be AI rewriting the glories of the past for company and not creative profit. Consequently, the future of this website will more about movie wonders less known to us 400 million English folk who think we’re the majority members of our 8.2 billion.

• Explaining absence: ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga', likes its predecessor, is dumb, and the most overrated movie of the year; 'The Substance' had moments of class but overstayed its welcome until meaning drowned in gore.

• Some movies are cross-genre. Nevertheless, I skipped repetition except in the Kiddies section.

Thank you to those who followed me here from my human rights obsession or almost invisible diary/music pages. It'll be nice if we breathe fresh air, here, again.

Thanks for reading.