Top 15 Films of 2024 – Allen’s Picks

December 26th, 2024 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

10) Conclave

Featuring a razor-sharp script and a pulse pounding score, Conclave (2024) covers the process to elect a new pope but has the rhythms of a political thriller. Director Edward Berger and screenwriter Peter Straughan adapt Robert Harris’ novel as a twisty narrative where characters connive, backstab, and manipulate one another to gain an upper hand. Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who has been tasked to oversee the conclave. But as soon as it begins, Lawrence gets buried under the weight of doubt, whispers, and lies. Fiennes delivers an excellent performance, inhabiting a person who wants to do right but is filled with personal and religious conflict. Fiennes’ work is matched by an outstanding supporting case, including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, and more. Don’t let the setting fool you, this is a juicy tale filled with surprises you won’t see coming.

9) Juror #2

In what might be his final directorial effort, Clint Eastwood has delivered a thoughtful, smart, and provocative courtroom drama. Juror #2 (2024) operates as an antithesis to 12 Angry Men (1957), presenting amoral conundrum in which characters must look within themselves to decide the fate of, not only those on trial, but of themselves. This is classical, workmanlike filmmaking that presents questions that are not easily answered. What does it mean to make the “right” choice? Can the wrong people be punished for the right reasons? Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette bring strong performances to characters on opposite sides of the same coin. They both search for justice but find themselves making moral compromises to do so. If this is Eastwood’s last film, he’s going out on a high note.

8) The Beast

Writer/director Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast (2023) introduces us to a sci-fi concept: A future world where human emotions can be erased through artificial intelligence. But through its execution, the film feels so much more complex, mysterious, and hypnotic. It’s a romance that spans multiple time periods between two characters: Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) and Louis (George MacKay). Much like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), The Beast explores the contrast between genuine human connection and a rapidly advancing technological world. How do we maintain control when our thoughts, looks, and actions can be dictated at the push of a button? This is challenging, inspired work that does not provide easy answers. It asks us to engage with it – to interpret how events unfold and what it all means. This is the kind of film that will only become richer with each revisit.

7) Hundreds of Beavers

The funniest, zaniest, and most inventive film of the year is director Mike Cheslik’s Hundreds of Beavers (2022). Taking the form of a black and white silent film, Cheslik (along with cowriter Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) charts the misadventures of an applejack salesman turned fur trapper (also Tews) against a horde of winter land creatures – including the aforementioned beavers. But this is more than just one guy pitted against actors dressed in animal costumes. Every shot, composition, edit, and gag is so clever and off the wall that the entire project is a showcase of cinematic and comedic brilliance. It’s a mixture of a Looney Tunes cartoon and a Buster Keaton/Charlie Chaplin film. I laughed from beginning to end. There might be movies that are more thought provoking or socially relevant, but few are as joyously entertaining as this one. As soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it again.

6) Strange Darling

One of the biggest surprises of the year, writer/director JT Mollner’s Strange Darling (2023) is a finely constructed, smart, and tense thriller. It upends our preconceived notions over gender dynamics, the horror/thriller genre, and about storytelling itself. The writing, direction, editing, and performances play with our expectations, constantly switching things up. Character relationships change as new information is revealed. The result is a narrative that is unexpected and spontaneous – we’re hooked to see what comes next. The work of Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner require a high level of nuance. They are tasked to play characters that constantly challenge our feelings about them yet remain consistent and believable throughout the non-linear timeline. Through their interactions, we are forced to re-evaluate our own biases. And to a larger degree, how we watch and react to movies altogether. 

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