Nominees: Exhuma, Kneecap, I'm Still Here, The Girl with the Needle, Bird, Juror #2, Sing Sing
Oscars pick: Anora
Nominees: The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Part Two, Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here, Nickle Boys, The Substance, Wicked
Nominees: The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Part Two, Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here, Nickle Boys, The Substance, Wicked
Not the strongest year in cinema, with major letdowns (I'm looking at you, Nosferatu) and a heavy collection of movies I found overrated and underwhelming. Hell, at times, even the ones I admired had fatal flaws (I'm looking at you, The Brutalist). Maybe 2023 spoiled me - there were 13 films I rated 4.5 to 5-stars, compared to the 4 this season. Still, I do have those, and others that moved me, so 2024 wasn't completely bereft of excellence.
The Oscar broadcast was solid - Conan's comedy was respectful, playful, with the right amount of bite, he should be the Academy's go-to host. Though they whiffed on a few nominees, and the category fraud in support was ridiculous, I had a good time at the online watch-a-long I attended.
One of the victories I celebrated the most was in the animated feature category, with a movie that was also nominated for Best International Film—which wound up my favorite of the season. It's only the 4th animated film to win the Felix, and the first since 1997.
"Flow" - simple but brilliant, the title itself covers a lot of ground, the water imagery, the courses traveled through life, the idea of transformation (how it cycles from an event at the beginning to what occurs at the end). Plus, I just love cats, and the ability to capture their personalities and movements was a win—the curiosity and caution, the playfulness—but the whole of this animal community was expertly rendered and relayed, and with not a word spoken.
It was not a big budget film - the animation was created in Blender, which sometimes gives off a video game vibe, but there is beauty and a sense of wonder to be had. Though we're never told what happened to cause this event, what brought about the whale's mutations, or the why's behind the metaphysical, that air of mystery is a plus.
The director of this breathtaking journey was interviewed at Cartoon Brew - and that's well worth a read.
Top Films of 2024 - with notes and links to reviews on many of the movies mentioned here.
🎭 Acting! It was a season of first-time winners and nominees. While I'm definitely going to seek out her other pictures, to this positing, I've only caught 2 movies with Torres (the other being the Oscar nominated Four Days in September). In I'm Still Here she showed so much emotional depth, but never overplayed it, never became theatrical, she was never anything but authentic. It's overall the best performance of the year as well as her first nomination and win on the blog (I'd previously nominated her mother, Fernanda Montenegro for Central Station). Chen and Maclin, both memorable, join her as first timers.
This is Cillian Murphy's 3rd nomination and first win - Last year I spoke of my admiration for understated performances, and this is a prime example of the "less is more" approach - his Bill Furlough is a soft-spoken man with a wounded soul - he's also an observer; while others might pass trouble by with their heads down, he sees and reacts to everything around him. An astonishing work - a career favorite from the actor.
Other performances I liked: Naomie Harris & Natalie Dormer (The Wasp), Carrie Coon & Elizabeth Olsen (His Three Daughters), Chris Hemsworth (Furiosa), Mzia Arabuli (Crossing), Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Vic Carmen Sonne (The Girl with the Needle), Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy & Austin Butler (The Bikeriders), Toni Collette (Juror No. 2), Nykiya Adams & Franz Rogowski (Bird), Mia Goth (MaXXXine), Maika Monroe (Longlegs), Pamela Anderson, (The Last Showgirl), Usha "Taew" Seamkhum (How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies), Guy Pearce & Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Emily Watson (Small Things Like These)
Honorable Mentions:
Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo * Demi Moore, The Substance * Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths * Mikey Madison, Anora * Kate Winslet, Lee * Natasha Lyonne, His Three Daughters * Saoirse Ronan, The Outland * Anya Taylor-Joy, Furiosa * June Squibb, Thelma
Honorable Mentions:
Nicholas Hoult, Juror #2 * Adrien Brody, The Brutalist * Sebastian Stan, A Different Man and The Apprentice * Colman Domingo, Sing Sing * Keith Kupferer, Ghostlight * Ralph Fiennes, Conclave * Peter Dinklage, The Thicket
Supporting Actress: Joan Chen, Didi
Also: Trine Dyrholm, The Girl with the Needle
Supporting Actor: Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Also: Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice & Adam Peason, A Different Man
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