Hello all, and happy end of 2024 and happy beginning of 2025. How was your year? Good? Bad? See any good movies? I saw a few this year and am excited to share my top 10 of 2024!
10. Bad Boys: Ride or Die
I ended up watching Bad Boys: Ride or Die twice this year, and the first time I watched it, I definitely felt like I was playing a little catch-up because I had not seen the previous one, Bad Boys For Life (2020), since it was in theaters. But the second time I watched it, it was right after rewatching Bad Boys For Life, and I ended up having a great time with this one. I’m not saying the first time wasn’t good, but it really is built off of what the last one set up and ran with that premise. The chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is what really makes these movies great. They play off each other so well and that helps with the fun/serious tones of these movies. If you love action and the Bad Boys series give this a shot.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Check out Commander Shipp’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die review here!
9. Caddo Lake
Caddo Lake was one that I really didn’t know anything about going in, but I had heard good things and thought, why not? First off, this thing jumps around quite a bit with different characters, and sometimes I found myself a little confused, especially with wondering how this is all connected. However, as it continued, it started clicking, and I really enjoyed how it all tied together. I felt pretty satisfied by the end.
8. The Beekeeper
I’m going to say it off the top: this is definitely a Bee-rated action movie, but it is ridiculously fun. After an older woman, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), becomes the victim of a phishing scam, Adam Clay (Jason Statham) sets out to get revenge on the ones who stole her money. There isn’t a lot to this one, but it was a good time at the movies and a fun one to turn your brain off and just enjoy.
7. Strange Darling
Strange Darling is a nonlinear film presented in 6 chapters depicting the final crimes of a serial killer. This felt very Tarantino-esque, with its different chapters being presented out of order. It works well, though, for how it unfolds. It did keep me guessing throughout and wondering how did we get here in this situation and that’s what really works for it.
6. Anora
Mickey Madison plays the title character Anora, and her performance carried this whole film. I’ve seen her in more supporting roles, but seeing her star in this really put her more on my radar. She was fantastic and her emotions felt completely real. I felt the anxiety, the stress, the relief, and all the emotions she was going through in this. What I did not expect going into this, though, was how funny it is. Mostly it is more of a drama, but the interactions in some of the scenes are hilarious.
5. It’s What’s Inside
When a friend arrives at a party, he brings a device that switches everyone’s minds into different bodies. It’s What’s Inside is another one that I really hadn’t heard anything about until after it was released, but wow, it is fun and a bit of a mind twist. This was exciting and kept me guessing and engaged the whole time. However, after I watched it, I felt I needed to watch it again because I did have a hard time remembering who was who after the mind swap, but that really is my only criticism about this film.
4. Argylle
Argylle got torn apart by critics and I do understand the criticism because there is a lot that is going on in this, but I had a great time with it. I did write a full review on this one, so please go and check it out. As I said in my review, I was actually surprised a lot and it kept going in different directions that I wasn’t expecting. So few movies do that for me these days, and it was so nice to be able to feel that excitement again.
3. My Old Ass
While tripping out on mushrooms, Elliot LaBrant (Maisy Stella) is visited by her older self, played by Aubrey Plaza. I really connected with the Aubrey Plaza storyline of My Old Ass, even though it mostly focuses on the adolescence of Elliot (Maisy Stella). Older Elliot sees an opportunity to help her younger self not take advantage of parts of her younger years. Emotionally this one really connected with me in that area because I think about time a lot and how quickly it is going by. This is a fun movie with a little bit of seriousness to it, but overall I felt really good watching this one.
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
After watching Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) all I wanted to do was return to this world. I was a little disappointed hearing that the next chapter would be a prequel, due to the stigma that usually surrounds prequels. But after seeing it, this is what a prequel should be! It expanded the world that we already knew, and we finally got to see many places that we only saw from a distance or heard about from Mad Max: Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Furiosa, while Alyla Browne plays the younger version of her, and seeing how badass and a survivor she is, no wonder she has such a high status by the time we see her in Mad Max: Fury Road. Chris Hemsworth is such a weirdo in this and does such a good job at it. He does some vile things, but his annoyance really sells on his villainous nature here. I always love a good epic story, and this delivers in so many ways.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Check out Commander Shipp’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review here!
1. The Fall Guy
And my number 1 movie of the year is The Fall Guy! Oh my gosh, this was so much fun! The chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt is so great and I hope to see them in something together again. The action is awesome, and it is such a love letter to the stunt industry. This has everything that I love: characters I care about, humor, action, romance, and having it all connect and build to a third act. Also big shoutout to the director David Leitch, who spent most of his career as a stunt performer/coordinator, and I am so glad he was given the opportunity to direct a movie like this.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Check out Commander Shipp’s The Fall Guy review here!
As always I didn’t get to see all the movies I wanted to this year, but I am still glad I got to see as many as I did. I hope you all have a wonderful 2025 and I am excited to see what a new calendar year brings us in the world of entertainment.
Click here to see Colin’s Top 5 TV Seasons of 2024!