My Top 10 Films of 2024

Yes, Fade to Zach is back! And what better way to return than revealing my Top 10 Films of 2024!

Let’s get right to it…

10. Love Lies Bleeding (dir. Rose Glass) 

Shootouts. Steroids. Bodies. Hallucinations. Flames. The 80s. Ed Harris balding in the front with long, stringy hair in the back. What more do you need?

9. Trap (dir. M. Night Shyamalan) 

Logic and believability be damned. This is some of the most fun I’ve had watching a movie all year. Let Trap grab ahold of you. Let Trap into your soul.

8. Evil Does Not Exist (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi) 

A poetic meditation on the intersection of humanity, modern civilization, and the natural world, and what can happen when the balance is shattered. There are certain shots from this film that still linger in my mind, and I’m not just talking about the superb cinematography. 

7. Juror #2 (dir. Clint Eastwood)

It’s just great to see a moral conundrum of a premise explored with such skill and contemplation. Eastwood's penchant for symbolic storytelling is on full display here.

6. Longlegs (dir. Osgood Perkins)

Dank, dour, dingy, and dreadful in the best way. Perkins summons an uneasy atmosphere and escalates the procedural with some exquisitely framed imagery that screams artfully creepy. Nic Cage comes through with a reliably batshit turn as the story’s unhinged, washed-out, satan-worshipping antagonist.

5. A Real Pain (dir. Jesse Eisenberg) 

What begins as an awkward tourist comedy unfolds with an itinerary of familial tensions and deep-rooted trauma. Kieran Culkin’s performance is first-class in the art of not being okay. 

4. Challengers (dir. Luca Guadagnino)

A kinetic love triangle that volleys back and forth with a messy and sweaty intensity, surveying all angles while cracking and snapping like a broken racket.

3. The Substance (dir. Coralie Fargeat)

A film that mashes Hollywood’s fear of aging and irrelevance with toxic societal pressures and injects the dark fairytale with a caustic concoction of striking visual metaphors, grotesque body horror, and demented desperation. It’s truly a gonzo experience. 

2. I Saw the TV Glow (dir. Jane Schoenbrun)

I was sucked into this one from the opening image, and it wasn’t long before I said “I love this.” Such a luminous vision that oozes with creativity and buzzes with originality. Is it surreal or is it all-too-real? 

1. The Brutalist (dir. Brady Corbet)

Imposing, ambitious, and powerful. This one floored me. Corbet meticulously crafts a sprawling immigrant tale that thrusts us into the dark side of the American Dream. Between the stirring score, the top-tier performances, and the highly resonant themes, The Brutalist stands tall as a cinematic marvel that is built to stand the rest of time. What a film!

[Review] 1917

War is an unforgiving hellscape of horrors and tragedy, and Sam Mendes’ tumultuous and riveting 1917 brings us directly into the fiery muck. 

The plot focuses in on a pair of British soldiers (played by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) as they’re ordered to deliver an important message to another battalion while finding one of their brothers — all before the morning dawns. 

Commendably, the film develops in real time and sustains the appearance of one continuous, unbroken shot (like 2014’s Birdman, but with much more death). Not only is this an impressive feat, but it also adds a major sense of urgency to the events. It’s intense and immersive. Gritty and uncompromising. There are treks through sprawling trenches of mud and despair, risky journeys across fields of dead bodies and landmines, and harrowing fights for survival amidst perilous shootouts and explosive battles.

The cinematography is stunning and it’s bombarded with potent scene after potent scene. There’s a particularly haunting nighttime sequence where the main character frantically runs for his life under dilapidated structures, and the only light to guide him is the flares of bombs. The battlefields look like a “Walking Dead”-esque dystopia, with bleak grey skies and rough terrains of dour browns—as if the soldiers are trudging through the shit on multiple levels. 

George MacKay gives a great performance at the center of it all. This is as much a strenuous hero’s journey as it is horror film set on the frontlines of war. But for all the chaos that comes with the territory, the majority of 1917 thrives on quietly devastating  moments and emotional turmoil that’s as heavy as the gear the these soldiers carry on their backs.

Throughout the film, there are symbolic images of beautiful white Cherry Blossoms blooming in the fields, and all you can do is hope that they don’t end up covered in blood. 

* 9/10 *

Fade to Zach’s Top 15 Films of 2019 (in Haiku form)

In no particular order...

The Farewell

Sometimes secrets and

Hidden goodbyes transcend to

Universal truths

Avengers: Endgame 

Ultimate showdown

The climax of an era

Effin’ fantastic 

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Shooting and slashing 

Yeah, John Wick is on a horse 

I’m thinking he’s back 

Midsommar

Flowers and horror

Cults under burning sun 

Oh damn, a bear suit

Hustlers 

Keen stripper saga 

Swings and spins around a web

Of dangers and tricks 

Parasite 

Biting social class 

Genre experiment with 

Precise dissection 

Uncut Gems

Wow, Adam Sandler

Kills it as a fraught gambler 

Living on the edge

Knives Out

Twists on top of twists

A shifty-eyed whodunnit

As sharp as they come

Joker 

Dark decent into

Disturbing madness and you  

Just can’t look away  

Jojo Rabbit

Bold and affecting 

Tragicomedy with a

Fluffy heart of gold

The Peanut Butter Falcon 

This real fairytale 

Converges friendship and fate

Like a delta stream 

The Irishman 

Sprawling mob epic

Reclines back and ruminates  

With a cast of GOATS 

Marriage Story

Of messes and kin 

Closed chapters and open wounds

Emotions run raw 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The exciting end

To a glowing trilogy 

The force never leaves 

Little Women

Great stories told with 

The warmth of a crackling fire

Framed and bound with love

[Review] Little Women

Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, and Timothée Chalamet make up the magnificent cast in director Greta Gerwig’s compassionate and appreciative retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel Little Women. 

Set in Civil War New England, the timeless plot revolves around the March sisters and their family trials and tribulations, personal ambitions, potential romances, and life complications. 

There’s a certain type of film that falls into the “What a lovely film” category and Little Women is definitely one of them. The story waltzes and twirls along with wonderfully likable and well-drawn characters. Greta Gerwig carefully and lovingly orchestrates the classic material with the warmth of a crackling fire amidst the dead of winter. The film is beautifully shot with winsome period costuming against the lush backdrops of old-fashioned country homes and handsome landscapes. There are so many exquisite images in this film that you could slide into a picture frame and set it upon the mantel. The musical score flows with elegant keys and delightful flourishes that make piano dust dance. 

The chemistry between the cast is superb, and the performances are great all around. Like she did in films like Brooklyn and Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan impressively leads the way and embodies the central character of “Jo” with depth, dimension, and remarkable emotional range, proving that she is indeed one of the best actresses of her generation. Florence Pugh gives a stellar supporting performance as Amy, the spitfire sister extravagant tastes. Timothée Chalamet is terrific as the close family friend “Teddy” in a charming, heart-on-sleeve turn. 

Little Women is endearing cinema at its finest. It’s a thoughtful exploration of sisterhood, artistic craft, and getting what you want out of life. At one point, Laura Dern’s character declares “Pretty things should be enjoyed.” That’s certainly true about this film. 

* 9/10 *

[Review] Uncut Gems

Following their grimy breakout crime-thriller Good Time, Benny and Josh Safdie throw down their bets on Uncut Gems, a high-stakes rush that features a dramatic tour de force performance from — yes — Adam Sandler.

Sandler plays a wheeling, dealing jeweler and degenerate gambler who somehow probably even owes God money. When he concocts a scheme involving an imported opal from Ethiopia, a pawned NBA championship ring, and an insane sporting bet, he finds himself in an absolute mess. 

It’s a jackpot of engrossing chaos that grips hold and never lets up. It’s a cinematic panic attack that shatters glass and lives on the edge. It’s a neon and blacklight soaked rollercoaster ride that goes off the rails and crashes into a torrent of dooming synths.

The film sizzles and sprints with frenetic energy, while escalating at every turn and questionable decision. It sustains that frantic pace and heart-pounding exhilaration over the course of 130 minutes. Just when you think Howard can’t dig himself any deeper — he does. There are so many moments here that will make you put your hands on top of your head and shake no. Howard is the type of guy that you look at and think “I’m glad that’s not me.” Along the way, we witness him get shaken down at a middle school play, wind up naked in the trunk of a Mercedes, and engage in a physical altercation with R&B artist The Weeknd — and that’s only scratching the surface! 

Adam Sandler is terrific here, proving that he can anchor a serious role with convincing heft and make the right material pop with impressive precision. He embodies this character with unshakeable sleaze and a sense of desperation that could excavate an entire city. He truly deserves an Oscar nomination for this role. Lakeith Stanfield, Edina Menzel, Julia Fox, and NBA legend Kevin Garnett (who’s surprisingly great in a very significant role - Anything is possible, KG!) round out the stellar supporting cast. 

By the end of Uncut Gems I was sweating and sitting at the edge of my seat. It’s only after the credits roll when you can finally catch your breath, and even then — all bets are off. 

* 9/10 *