Friday, February 7, 2025

NBP Top 10 Best Films Of 2024 – Cody Dericks

Like many film obsessives, I always feel as if I haven’t seen enough movies by the time the year ends. But with 2024, I feel more accomplished than possibly ever before. After seeing nearly everything I wanted to, I feel that my top 10 represents a year that (for Americans, at least) started weirdly and ended badly. In one way or another, these 10 films all center around a feeling of unease or uncertainty, whether it be for a specific character or because the film makes the audience feel that way. In some of these films, that uncertainty is overcome, but seemingly more often, it swallows the characters up. My top 10 inadvertently shaped into a call for viewers, and for myself, to stand firm in our convictions, reject wavering uncertainty, and follow our instinct about what is right. Namely, we need to support those around us and let truth and honesty be our guide. As we head into a year filled with trepidation, in the words of the dearly departed David Lynch, “I wish for all of you blue skies and golden sunshine internally all along the way.”

10. Smile 2

For as much praise gets heaped on what could be called “prestige” or “elevated” horror (and I certainly found room for those types of films on my list), sometimes all a horror movie needs to be is scary and fun. “Smile 2” is a well-tuned thrill machine, thanks to the incredible dual work of director Parker Finn and star Naomi Scott. Finn ups his game from the first film, crafting fantastically tense set pieces that yield screams and laughs in equal measure. And Scott is stupendous, finding a host of varied reactions to increasingly scary and ridiculous circumstances. Much like the demonic beings that take over the screen, I watched this movie sporting a huge grin.

9. A Real Pain

We all have one person in our lives who we wish would just pull it together. With “A Real Pain,” writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg has made a loving tribute to the fuck-ups, while still remaining sympathetic to those around them that want nothing but their stability. He and his onscreen companion, Kieran Culkin, play cousins at very different places in their lives in terms of having it all together…at least on the surface. Benji (Culkin) is a live wire who’s unafraid to share all his joys and problems with anyone he encounters, while David (Eisenberg) keeps his troubles concealed thanks to social anxiety and hidden prescriptions. It’s easy to say they have more in common than they realize, and the film avoids highlighting such obvious parallels by focusing on their familial similarities and connections. In one stunning sequence, Eisenberg’s camera highlights the remnants of the characters’ persecuted Jewish ancestors in the infrastructure and architecture of Poland. The pair are united through generations across centuries of strife and joy, which has all worked toward their eventual creation. “A Real Pain” is moving, powerful, and, oh, yeah, incredibly funny.

8. The Substance

Anyone who knows me and my sensibilities could probably have predicted that “The Substance” would be one of my favorite films of the year. This nasty, hilarious film is a horror story for one character (an incredible Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle) and a Cinderella story for another (Sue, played by a screamingly funny Margaret Qualley). But as with many fairy tales, this is a cautionary one. And hidden underneath all the lumpy latex and explosive blood packs is a grisly warning. It’s so easy to spend your comparatively younger days completely ignoring the inevitable (if you’re lucky) fact of aging. In fact, it can almost feel as if the “you” that’s in their fifties, sixties, seventies, and beyond is a completely different person. But remember, you are one, and treating your body and soul with respect at all ages is essential. With “The Substance,” madwoman Coralie Fargeat has crafted a film that’s both compelling and delightfully off-putting, and it’s clear that the titular “substance” as a concept is something that’s going to live on in the cultural groupmind for years.

​7. Trap

Much like the stans who populate Lady Raven’s concert, there’s nothing you can say to make me dislike M. Night Shyamalan. The idiosyncratic auteur solidified his voice long ago, and at this point, you’re either in or you’re not. And with “Trap,” he’s made his best film since his initial miracle run in the late ‘90s/early aughts. It’s got a fun, Hitchcockian premise; the main character is a serial killer attending a concert that he discovers is an elaborate trap meant to catch him. Amazingly, the film walks right up to the line of empathy for the main character (Josh Hartnett, giving one of the best performances of the year). And, no, he’s not misunderstood or a victim of a frame job. There’s never any question that he is the brutal murderer known as the Butcher, and Shyamalan even uses him as a surprising analog for himself. Consider the monologue that he wrote for Lady Raven, where she talks about having to forgive her absent father. The pop singer is played by Shyamalan’s real-life daughter, Saleka, and it’s clear that “Trap” is a way for the famed director to work through his own shortcomings as a dad. It should be noted that his breakthrough masterpiece, “The Sixth Sense,” was released when Saleka was a toddler, and his daughter Ishana – herself the director of this year’s “The Watchers” – was just born. Much like the Butcher, Shyamalan likely worked hard to not let the two distinct realms of his life touch. In his case, his professional and family lives. But as the killer discovers, these two worlds will inevitably crash into each other. Like most of his movies, “Trap” uses scares and thrills to exaggerate real-life fears and trepidations, with Shyamalan using them to craft an unexpectedly relatable and extremely entertaining film.

6. Challengers

To those of us who watch what could be charitably described as “too many movies,” it’s easy to glibly feel like filmmakers have shown us everything capable in the medium – and then Luca Guadagnino showed up at the tennis court. With “Challengers,” the master director hits a home run (that’s a tennis term, right?). He uses his camera to completely reconfigure the way that the audience looks at not only tennis but power dynamics in general. There was perhaps no more thrilling moment in film this past year than when the camera took on the POV of a tennis ball, volleying the audience back and forth between the two players in a perfect harmonization of form and theme. The film pushes the abilities of the medium to the limit, using exhilarating editing, a bumping score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and highly choreographed blocking to make audiences feel as thrilled as the central trio is when they watch and play tennis. Not to mention, all three of the central actors (Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, and Zendaya) are totally locked in, giving into the soapy qualities of the screenplay while never inappropriately outsizing their emotions. “Challengers” makes the catch, hits the target, and sticks the landing.

5. Will & Harper

Absolutely one of the biggest surprises at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, this charming documentary checks off so many accomplishments that it’s hard to know how to begin describing it. Funny? Check! There’s nothing like watching old friends do bits back and forth, and Will Ferrell and Harper Steele have decades of comedic bonding and understanding between them. Inspiring? Check! Steele’s journey to self-discovery as a trans woman coming out in her later years shows that, as fellow Sundance hit “I Saw the TV Glow” states, “there is still time.” Invigorating? Check! America loves to look for scapegoats for their troubles, be they social, economic, or even personal. The hate du jour has fallen on the heads of trans people, who are currently the target of the same tired, dehumanizing arguments that have been used to demonize minorities, distracting the majority for as long as America has been around. “Will & Harper” isn’t explicitly a political film, except in the way that those whom society others are inherently forced to live a political existence. But as Kristen Wiig’s incredible closing song puts it: “They’re off to see America, not sure what they’ll find.” America is a land of contradictions and has been ever since a collection of slave owners gathered together to enshrine freedom with several asterisks. It’s a gorgeous country full of incredible sights and people, and some of those friendly folks will just as soon shake someone’s hand as they vote against their rights. On their road trip across the country, Harper and Will encounter some inevitable close-mindedness, but the film makes a point to highlight their pleasant encounters, showing that even in the least likely of places, people respond best to honesty and kindness.

4. Anora

Sean Baker is a filmmaker who has an interest in turning the spotlight on the types of folks that polite society (whatever that means) is happier to ignore…or so they claim. As “Anora” shows, the worlds of big spenders and those lower on the social hierarchy tend to intersect in unexpected, often unspoken ways. In this case, the titular character (Mikey Madison), an adult dancer and escort, finds herself abruptly shoved into a life of excess and privilege when a rich young client (Mark Eydelshteyn) takes a liking to her. It’s a Cinderella story that only really begins after “happily ever after.” Once the pair is hastily wed, the film is an unending adventure through the seedier parts of New York City, all leading to a conclusion that’s surprisingly emotionally impactful, mainly because everything that comes before it is so perversely fun. Shocking, engaging, and thrilling, the film is a wild ride entirely centered around Madison’s magnetic performance. Her delightful accent work alone is awards-worthy, but it’s the spirit and charm that she invests in the character that makes audiences instantly root for her. Much like her character, Madison has been elevated to the heights of success, and deservedly so.

​3. Dune: Part Two

For sheer level of audacity, “Dune: Part Two” is one of the year’s greatest cinematic accomplishments. Director Denis Villeneuve made the bold choice to title his previous film “Dune: Part One” before his follow-up had even been greenlit. After the world-building achievements of the first film, his sequel had all the necessary jumping-off points to build a compelling and more propulsive story. In many ways, the film is as brutal as an Arrakis desert. It’s long, dense, and full of tangled mythos and character motivations. But the film rewards attention, and taking the unsteady, and at times unwieldy, ride that is “Dune: Part Two” yields a wellspring of cinematic rewards. It’s utterly gorgeous, with top-tier work from its starry ensemble (sorry, James Mangold, but this is my preferred 2024 Timothée Chalamet performance). It’s hard to foresee exactly what the future holds for the “Dune” saga, but as it stands, Villeneuve has crafted an incredible two-part science fiction saga that will stand the test of time.

2. The Glassworker

It’s a shame that the awards race for the best-animated film of the year has seemingly tunnel-visioned to only include the same five films because one of the year’s most outstanding achievements in animation, or any medium, is “The Glassworker.” Incredibly, this is not only director Usman Riaz’s feature film debut, but it’s also the first ever hand-drawn animated film to come from Pakistan. And much like Walt Disney did with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Riaz has created a masterpiece on his very first try. It’s very easy to draw similarities between this film and the works of Hayao Miyazaki, and such comparisons are only made most favorably. The style of the unendingly gorgeous animation, along with the film’s themes and plot points, resembles some of Studio Ghibli’s best work, which is to say that “The Glassworker” brings to mind some of the greatest films ever made. But this film establishes itself as a singular, inspired work through its powerful anti-war message. The title could plausibly refer to either the main character, Vincent, or his father, Tomas, both of whom take great pride in their hand-crafted glass art (it’s no accident that the film itself is both an ode to and an example of skilled artisanal works made lovingly by human hands in a way that no machine could replicate). Tomas, in particular, is content to live a life of quiet beauty until the encroaching war comes quite literally knocking on his door. Despite his stringent pacifist beliefs, he and his son are forced to use their skills to aid in the war effort, showing how the brutal effects of violent conflicts can reach even those who are most opposed to it. “The Glassworker” is the most underappreciated film of 2024 – its beauty is pristine as glass, but its heart is as strong as a diamond.

1. I Saw The TV Glow

There’s really no better feeling for a cinephile than realizing you’re seeing a filmmaker completely cement their own trademark style in real time. With their second feature, director Jane Schoenbrun makes good on the promise that was presented in their memorable feature debut, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.” “I Saw the TV Glow” is singular and assured; it’s a stunning piece of visual art that showcases its director’s crystal clear vision. Drenched in neon, underscored with uneasy yet wistful music, and trembling with dread, it’s easy to categorize it as a film working under the template of established auteurs. One could accurately call it “Lynchian” or “Cronenbergian,” but the film is so very much its own particular object that it’s most appropriate to label it “Schoenbrunian.”

As is true of many films from young, up-and-coming directors, “I Saw the TV Glow” combines parts of different genres and defies easy description. But given its content and ultimate purpose, I’d call it the scariest horror film of the year. Its frights lie not in supernatural plot points or cheap jump scares but instead in an unfortunately real and terrifying idea. The film poses a horrifying question to its viewers: What if you weren’t able to be your true self? Yes, that’s a concept explored in many films, often in the context of an inspirational story about a character overcoming self-doubt to come into their own. “I Saw the TV Glow” offers no such reprieve. Its main character, Owen (played by Justice Smith in one of the year’s best performances), is more “anxiety” than a person, with uncertainty painfully present in every action and line reading. It becomes increasingly apparent as the film unfurls that they have some degree of discomfort with their birth-assigned gender, although Schoenbrun wisely never hits that point too hard with obvious dialogue or easy dramatics. It’s up to the audience to piece together Owen’s truth, even if the character themself isn’t aware of it, or even sadder if they aren’t willing to admit it. The film builds to an emotional climax that’s horrifically upsetting and upsettingly horrific, using horror filmmaking tactics to present the case to the audience that the scariest thing a person can internally experience is a denial of honesty to oneself. The very ending, wherein Owen finds a part of themself that still glows with the possibility of truth (an unspoken visualization of a message scrawled on pavement earlier in the film: “there is still time”), offers a literal glimmer of hope in what’s otherwise a life journey that’s practically too upsetting to comprehend.

Schoenbrun shows that suppression of personal truth, whether by external forces or oneself, is as scary as any horror movie villain. Their film is a triumphant call for emotional honesty and the allowance of self-discovery that American society is clearly (and increasingly) all too happy to deny. The world is full of Owens, and they must be allowed to let their inner glow shine out before it boils them alive.

What do you think of my list? Please let us know in the comments section below or on our X account. Check out Matt Neglia’s top 10 list here, Josh Parham’s top 10 list here and Dan Bayer’s top 10 list here. Be on the lookout for more of our Top 10’s for 2024 as we say goodbye to the year . Our annual NBP Film Awards and the NBP Film Community Awards will come in a few days to allow you all some time to see those final 2024 awards season contenders and vote on what you thought was the best 2024 had to offer.

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Cody Dericks
Cody Dericks
Actor, awards & musical theatre buff. Co-host of the horror film podcast Halloweeners.

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