Well, here we are at the end of another year so it’s time to dig into my Letterboxd and bring you my Top 10 Movies of 2024 according to the stats of the movies I have been logging on my account since January 1st!
Dune Part Two
The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on “Dune: Part Two,” the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning “Dune.”
The story itself continues nicely from part one and brings so much more to the table when it comes to the excitement and twists and turns of the world of Arrakis and the battle for the control of the spice, it also brings to light more the religious feel with Paul becoming the Messiah that the Fremen have been waiting to free them and their planet. Dune: Part Two also brings us some amazing sequences with the Shai-Hulud (the giant sandworms that the Fremen worship as agents of God), these creatures look amazing in the IMAX format and with the 26% extra screen you get a feel for the size especially in a scene with the three together.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Christopher Reeve was my Superman for my generation in the late 70s, this new documentary which I had the chance to preview at the Cineworld Unlimited Screening, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a powerful and emotional story of the rise of an unknown act to an iconic movie star. His definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today.
The film is a moving and vivid cinematic telling of Reeve’s remarkable story and one that fans of the Superman movie and Christopher Reeve must see on the big screen. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is produced by Passion Pictures (Searching For Sugar Man, The Territory) and Misfits Entertainment (McQueen, Rising Phoenix).
Poor Things
Poor Things is a highly anticipated upcoming film, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray and follows the story of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by an eccentric scientist. As she navigates her new life, she becomes embroiled in a complex web of love, deceit and tragedy. With its darkly comic tone and unique style, Poor Things is a captivating and thought-provoking cinematic experience.
Poor Things is one of those films that you don’t want to know too much about before you go and see it, just go and bathe in wonder of the overall production. It’s been a while since I’ve sat through a film and just wanted to start watching it again as soon as the credits started to roll.
Hundreds of Beavers
A boozy fur trapper loses his way (and possibly his mind) in the snowy wilderness, only to face the ultimate nemesis: an army of beavers. Yes, you heard that right—beavers. Hundreds of them. And they are not here to discuss forestry management. Our hero, if you can call him that, has to outsmart these buck-toothed battalions while trying to preserve his dignity, what little he has left after several scenes that involve more slapstick falls than a circus clown’s greatest hits.
The cast is brilliant and I enjoyed Ryland Brickson Cole Tews‘s role as Jean Kayak, his facial expressions alone built up a great character, Olivia Graves was lovely to watch as The Furrier and Doug Mancheski was funny as her father who was trying to make a living and keep his daughter safe from possible suitors.
The cinematography from Quinn Hester works brilliantly and gives Hundreds of Beavers its distinctive style. Director Mike Cheslik has brought us a bizarre and funny movie, but the stars of this movie have to be the Hundreds of Bevers!
The Substance
The Substance is gory, grotesque and gruesomely good. It’s not for the squeamish. As one can be desensitised to gore from viewing many films in this genre, you will be in for a great treat. Regarding the amazing film homage; expect Stanley Kubrick’s narrow hallways from The Shining to create visual beauty. Throw in the head-bashing scene in Gasper Noe’s Irreversible but Coralie Fargeat making it her own. Then there is Brian De Palma’s Carrie with blood spewing over everyone in a climactic scene. penultimately watch out for Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream homage of graphic depiction of needle injecting creating big lacerations along with Aronofsky’s Black Swan where the self-mutilation will make you heave. Finally, any David Cronenberg body horror film is the overall homage from The Fly to Videodrome etc. In years to come, The Substance will be a horror cult classic but realistically an Oscar nomination or a win for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is well deserved.
Life After The NeverEnding Story
A few years ago we brought you a review of the fantastic Life After The Navigator, today we bring you excellent news about Lisa Downs‘ latest in the ‘Life After’ series, Life After The Neverending Story.7
Life After The NeverEnding Story is a well-crafted documentary that shows the passion that Lisa Downs and the Life After team have for the films that they bring these feature documentaries about and this one is certainly worth adding to the collection of great film documentaries.
Deadpool & Wolverine
The movie takes us back through the Marvel Multiverse with the TVA, the Merc with a Mouth and Wolverine, Wolverine is recuperating from his injuries when he encounters the talkative Deadpool. They join forces to take down a mutual foe.
The introduction of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) was a great touch to the feel for Deadpool & Wolverine, she not only looks great in the role but brought the character to life on the screen brilliantly.
As for the cameos, I’m not even going there! If you want to spoil it for yourself then that’s up to you but I think that doing so kills the excitement of the moments that the cameos appear in particular a few cameos in one scene that were one of those moments when you go, “oh F*&k yeah!”.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond.
A monster of a movie with all-out action from start to finish, if you are a fan of the Monsterverse than go see this movie in IMAX.
The Zone of Interest
“The Zone of Interest” is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged film that delves into the complexities of human nature against the backdrop of one of the darkest chapters in history – the Holocaust. The film is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Martin Amis, it’s a unique perspective on the atrocities of World War II, blending historical accuracy with a touch of fiction to create a film that puts a lump in your throat as the happy family get on with their lives while the atrocities are taking place in Auschwitz on the other side of their garden wall.
This is a film that not everyone is going to manage to watch, but it is a film that maybe everyone should see and never forget the horrors of what happened and that should never happen again!
Heretic
Heretic is a haunting, atmospheric thriller that pulls viewers into a world of faith, fear, and the fine line between devotion and obsession. The film is directed with masterful tension by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The film follows two young missionaries played by Thatcher and East who must prove their faith after knocking on the wrong door, where the diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) meets them and they become trapped in his deadly cat-and-mouse game.
If you want something a little creepy and thought-provoking with a superb performance from Hugh Grant as you’ve never seen him before, then Heretic is the movie for you.
So there you have it the list of my top 10 movies of 2024 thanks to Letterboxd which allows me to catalogue my film watches and give me some rather tasty stats for the year. So for those of you who have a hankering for the stats, I’ll leave you with some below for you to enjoy.
Milestones
Most Watched
Cast Most Watched
Directors Most Watched
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
