(NEXSTAR) — The year is coming to a quick close and awards season is very much already upon us. The 82nd Golden Globe Awards are set to be held Jan. 5, while the 97th Academy Awards arrive March 2.
But there's still plenty of time to catch up on all of 2024's best films. Below, find just 10 (unranked) movies from this year that we think are outstanding. And the high-caliber of films this year made choosing only 10 very difficult.
Among films that only just missed inclusion are RaMell Ross' moving and beautiful elegy "Nickel Boys" and Jane Schoenbrun's dreamy and devastating "I Saw the TV Glow."
Keeping in mind that "best" is subjective, here are our favorite films of 2024.
No movie this year has stirred, shocked, disgusted, and fascinated us quite like Coralie Fargeat's beautifully grotesque indictment of beauty standards, agism and the entertainment industry.
The film marks a triumphant return to the big screen for Demi Moore, who stars as faded Hollywood star Elisabeth Sparkle, who is pushed out of her once-beloved TV aerobics show because of her age. But a chance encounter guides Elisabeth to The Substance — a black market serum program that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of the user. We don't need to tell you things go terribly awry but just trust us you'll never quite guess by how much.
"The Substance" is currently nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical at the forthcoming 82nd Golden Globe Awards. Moore is also nominated in the Best Actress category — and we hope (despite the Academy's historical disregard for horror film performances) a much-deserved Academy Award nomination for Moore is in the cards in 2025. If we're being honest, she's who we'd pick to win it.
"The Substance" is currently available to stream as part of a MUBI subscription. The film can also be rented or purchased across most other streaming platforms.
We don't need to tell you that Villeneuve's first installment in a planned trilogy of films based on the works of sci-fi great Frank Herbert is a banger. And with its follow-up, released in March, everything is even bigger, louder and more detailed.
"Dune: Part Two" takes us further into the desert planet Arrakis and of other worlds in the "Dune" universe and in this way, the second part feels like it ups the ante from the first film in every way. The film focuses on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in the aftermath of betrayal and destruction of his family's dynasty. As Paul learns the ways of the desert-dwelling Fremen in preparation to lead them into coming war, we learn secrets of the Bene Gesserit organization and are also presented with multiple potential visions for how this whole story shakes out. Plus, we finally get to ride the sandworms!
The film features some stellar performances from a roster of heavy-hitters, including Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and Florence Pugh. Meanwhile, Oscar winner Austin Butler ("Elvis") serves as a formidable challenger as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen — the baldheaded and ripped Atreides House rival who Paul must battle to the death in the film's climax. This electrifying knife fight is among our favorite cinematic moments this year.
Chalamet and co-star Zendaya, however, are the film's two biggest revelations and the film features some of the pair's best acting to date. Chalamet specifically feels somewhat metatextually perfectly cast, as the film in many respects is the story of Paul leaving boyhood behind to discover what kind of man he will be, and considering Chalamet's two most recent films, "Dune: Part Two" may also mark the end of Timothée Chalamet as cinema "It Boy" and the beginning of his "leading man" days. We're excited to see what our boy does next.
"Dune: Part Two" is currently available to stream on MAX. It can also be rented or purchased across all other major platforms.
Director Sean Baker follows up a string of celebrated character pieces ("The Florida Project," "Red Rocket") with a glamorous, fun and moving glimpse into the life of New York City stripper-turned-escort Anora a.k.a. "Ani" (Mikey Madison).
Living a perfectly okay life, Ani's luck seems to change one night when she meets Ivan a.k.a. "Vanya" one night at the club. The 21 year-old son of a billionaire Russian oligarch is smitten with Ani and makes a proposal to stay with him for a week for $15,000. The arrangement leads to an actual wedding in Las Vegas, after which Ani quits her job and looks ahead to a new life.
Unfortunately for Ani, this isn't a Cinderella story and the tense, "Uncut Gems"-style powder keg of a movie that follows is among the most stressful stretches of film we've seen in any movie this year — and it's also really, really funny.
Madison (2022's "Scream") gives one of our favorite female performances of the year and makes effortless work of cycling through a wide range of emotions and motivations. Meanwhile, Russian actors Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov, give the film's other best performances, riding the changes in their characters with charm and humor, making both characters (who have less to do, narratively, than Ani) feel substantive and real.
"Anora" is still in theaters in some areas. It's also available to purchase across several major streaming platforms.
There's absolutely no reason a movie about electing a new pope should be as entertaining as "Conclave" is.
Based on the 2016 novel of the same name, the film focuses on the aftermath of a reigning pope's death as a mass of cardinals travel to the Vatican for a lockdown election process — called a "conclave" — to determine the next Holy Father. What follows is a thrilling and masterfully crafted story about politics, about the Catholic church, and about character.
We experience the melodrama through the eyes of Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), a pragmatic high-ranking church official smack dab in the middle of a crisis of faith. Unfortunately for Lawrence, the pope's death means he must now conduct the conclave, which includes wrangling the main candidates for papal replacement.
These include Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) and Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) — in addition to the mysterious Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), whom no one in the organization seems to know.
In addition to show-stopping performances from Tucci and Msamati, the full cast (in addition to Isabella Rossellini in a smaller role) fill out this tapestry with considered drama, aided by a sharp and thoughtful screenplay by Peter Straughan ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"). Fiennes, meanwhile, holds all of it together, as every micro-conflict over these precarious few days is filtered through Lawrence's perspective and struggles. It's a weighty performance that's already been Golden Globe-nominated and an Academy Award nomination feels like a safe bet.
"Conclave" is very much the kind of movie you'll want to talk about with friends, so it's best watched in a group — and the fact that we're saying that about a Vatican drama tells you how good this one is.
"Conclave" is currently available to stream on Peacock. It's currently still in theaters in some areas and is also available for purchase across several major streaming platforms.
In the opening of Osgood Perkins' "Longlegs," a young girl is playing outside in the snow when she's approached by a bizarre figure. We view this person from a skewed perspective and can't see their entire face — until we do.
That might not sound like one of (if not "the") scariest moments in cinema this year but make no mistake, the odd and nightmarish opening of "Longlegs" pushes you off kilter immediately and the feeling doesn't go away for the rest of the film.
The movie, which was also written by Perkins, follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she investigates a series of grizzly incidents involving several local fathers killing their families. Left behind in each home is a Satanic-coded letter signed by someone named "Longlegs." As Harker gets further into the case — aided by a mysterious semi-psychic ability — she discovers a personal connection to the killer she never knew before.
Then there's Nicolas Cage.
The soon to be 61 year-old Oscar winner has finally found the perfect synthesis between being a great actor (because he is) and also having a sense of humor about himself. In his role as Longlegs, Cage presents a bizarre and unknowable force of nature that you aren't sure whether to laugh at or scream and run away from.
The film is constantly becoming a new thing and everything that we've discussed here is only a bit of the larger "Longlegs" iceberg. It's our favorite horror movie this year.
"Longlegs" is only available to rent or purchase at this time and can be found across several major streaming platforms.
This three-and-a-half-hour film follows fictional Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), who survives the Holocaust and relocates to America in hopes of starting over and achieving the American dream.
What László finds in America industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who commissions László to build a grand community center in his honor. Soon László is knee-deep in construction on the community center — but will it get made if László and Van Buren can't agree on the ultimate vision for the project?
"The Brutalist" is a long watch, for sure, and given its subject matter, you might think it would feel very homework-y, but Corbet's serious historical drama is surprisingly watchable. The film is an immigrant story and a story about the American Dream — and what many immigrants must learn to live with to achieve it.
Both Brody and Pearce give electric performances as two very different men in a very different kind of power struggle. In the battle between artistic vision and capitalism, who will be the winner?
"The Brutalist" is currently in select theaters across the U.S.
Along with "Dune: Part Two," this was the best big screen spectacle we've seen this year.
A film adaptation of Stephen Schwartz's Tony-winning musical has been in the works for a long, long time it seemed the project was cursed. But 2024 was finally the year Elphaba, Glinda and Shiz University made it to the silver screen — and we're happy to report it's a massive musical spectacular that works.
The film succeeds in no small part thanks to its leads, two-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo ("Harriet") and pop songstress Ariana Grande, who carry the story of two friends torn apart by politics and ambition. The film also brings many of the musical's beloved numbers to life in exciting new ways, including the now-viral hit (but we always kind of knew it was the best song in the whole show) "What Is This Feeling?"
"Wicked" is a big movie with something for nearly every kind of audience member and it was nice to have a major studio movie that's this well made, this cinematic and this fun in theaters this year.
"Wicked" is still in some theaters and its stars recently announced in an Instagram Reel that "Wicked" will be available to rent or purchase on streaming platforms on Dec. 31.
This highly underrated and clever film follows struggling actor Edward Lemuel (Sebastian Stan), whose job prospects are limited due to neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes disfigurement and tumors on his face. Much like in "The Substance," Edward learns of an experimental treatment that can cure his condition — though this procedure actually works. Maybe too much.
As Edward's face completely changes, his life does too, and "A Different Man" explores what it would be like to wake up one day looking like Sebastian Stan after being ignored (or abhorred) for most of your life. But Schimberg's screenplay and direction pivot away from being some kind of corny statement piece and instead the film explores, comically, what would happen if you changed something you hate about yourself only to find out it was what made you unique.
For part of the film, Stan wears elaborate prosthetics created by artist Mike Marino, making the very recognizable actor (he was Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all) disappear into the role of Edward. Stan's performance — one of his two terrific performances this year — is thoughtful and straightforward and ultimately moving.
The film also stars British actor Adam Pearson, who actually has neurofibromatosis, and whose face Stan's prosthetics are modeled on. Pearson appears partway through the film as Oswald, an actor who looks exactly like Edward used to and is successful despite (or perhaps because of) his uncommon features. The way this character and his popularity affect Edward is a delight to watch and the situation only grows more profoundly absurd as the film goes on.
"A Different Man" is a black comedy that's also incredibly kind and empathetic (and very funny) and it deserves a second life on streaming. Stan is currently nominated for a Best Male Actor in a Musical or Comedy award at the upcoming 82nd Golden Globes.
"A Different Man" is still in theaters in some areas. It's also available to rent or purchase across most major streaming platforms.
Luca Guadagnino’s romantic sports drama “Challengers” tracks the love triangle between three professional tennis players over the course of multiple years. If you like pretty people drama, this one's for you.
Friends Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) are best friends and rising doubles players, having just won a U.S. Open title. A chance meeting with another rising star, Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) ends with both men smitten by the confident and elusive young player. As the film plays out, the love triangle — and it is a true love triangle — blurs and changes as these players shift sides, change and fall apart. The real question: Who will ultimately win this long game of power and sex?
All three leads are terrific, with Zendaya adding another great performance to her 2024 roster. O'Connor ("La Chimera") and Faist ("West Side Story"), meanwhile, make big impressions as two friends who love each other and aren't sure exactly what that might mean.
"Challengers" is a fun movie for adults and as an extra-special bonus: Check out Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' club-ready score, which should be on your workout or party playlist if it's not already.
"Challengers" is available to stream with subscriptions on Prime Video, Fubo, and MGM+. It can also be rented or purchased across most major streaming platforms.
It’s been 102 years since F. W. Murnau’s silent horror masterpiece “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” hit theaters — and helped define the vampire genre with conventions that persist today. While the story’s old, and you’ll likely be somewhat familiar with some of it, horror auteur Robert Eggers’ newest incarnation of “Nosferatu” proves that the terrors lurking inside this moody and atmospheric tale still tap into our deepest fears all this time later.
Opening on Christmas Day, Eggers’ “Nosferatu” stars Nicholas Hoult (“Juror #2”) as recently married real estate agent Thomas Hutter, who’s given an undesirable task: Travel to Transylvania and sell a property to the mysterious and decrepit Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who lives in a ruin of castle surrounded by feral wolves and a foggy labyrinth of mountain trails.
It’s no big surprise that Skarsgård, the man behind our most recent Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is stellar as yet another creature of darkness. As Orlok, a scarily thin and heavily prostheticized Skarsgård terrifies in every scene using both his physicality and a harsh, gutteral voice which Skarsgård told Entertainment Weekly was a whole octave lower than his actual voice. Each time Orlok appears in the shadows, you’ll unconsciously find yourself holding your breath, as Skarsgård commands your eyes despite how much you want to look away.
Read our full "Nosferatu" review.
"Nosferatu" is currently in theaters.
What were your 10 favorite films of 2024? Here's hoping that 2025 is just as full of cinematic gems as this year. Happy new year, cinephiles!
