📽️ Rob Christopher
What I Watched in 2024: My 12 Favorite Films
ALL OF US STRANGERS [2023, directed by Andrew Haigh]
THE BEAST [2023, directed by Bertrand Bonello]
OTHER PEOPLE [2016, directed by Chris Kelly]
THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS [1949, directed by David Lean]
PERFECT DAYS [2023, directed by Wim Wenders]
QUEER [2024, directed by Luca Guadagnino]
SAM NOW [2022, directed by Reed Harkness]
THE SEA WOLF [1941, directed by Michael Curtiz]
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL [2023, directed by Mstyslav Chernov]
VENGEANCE IS MINE [1984, directed by Michael Roemer]
THE ZONE OF INTEREST [2023, directed by Jonathan Glazer]
📽️ Cody Corrall
Favorite 2024 watches (in alphabetical order)
ANORA (Sean Baker)
CHALLENGERS (Luca Guadagnino)
CONCLAVE (Edward Berger)
I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun)
LOVE LIES BLEEDING (Rose Glass)
MEGALOPOLIS (Francis Ford Coppola)
PROBLEMISTA (Julio Torres)
RAP WORLD (Danny Scharar, Conner O’Malley)
SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING (Rachel Lambert)
THESIS ON A DOMESTICATION (Javier van de Couter)
VIỆT AND NAM (Truong Minh Quy)
Honorable mentions: BABES (Pamela Adlon), FOUR MOTHERS (Darren Thornton, LISA FRANKENSTEIN (Zelda Williams), QUEER (Luca Guadagnino).
Favorite first watches in 2024 (in alphabetical order)
AUTOMORPHOSIS (Harrod Blank, 2007)
BLACKBERRY (Matt Johnson, 2023)
GARLIC IS AS GOOD AS TEN MOTHERS (Les Blank, 1980)
THE GODS OF TIME SQUARE (Richard Sandler, 1999)
THE IRON CLAW (Sean Durkin, 2023)
ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: COMPANY (D. A. Pennebaker, 1970)
TWISTER (Jan de Bont, 1996)
📽️ Maxwell Courtright
Favorite films of 2024:
1. MSAYTBEH, THE ELEVATED PLACE (Rawane Nassif)
2. CHALLENGERS (Luca Guadagnino)
3. TIMESCAN 2 (Rob Taro)
4. I AM THE STRONGEST WOMAN WHO EVER LIVED (dd oO bentl)
5. A DIFFERENT MAN (Aaron Schimburg)
6. BETWEEN THE TEMPLES (Nathan Silver)
7. SMILE 2 (Parker Finn)
8. DAHOMEY (Mati Diop)
9. MATT AND MARA (Kazik Radwanski)
10. GOOD ONE (India Donaldson)
11. THE PRINCESS AND THE PEACOCK (Daniel Baker-Wells)
12. MUSIC (Angela Schanelec)
13. SANCTUARY STATION (Brigid McCaffrey)
14. SOMEWHAT RIDGED WITH SMOKED PURPLE (zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neil)
15. SKATEFILM (Gosha Konyshev)
16. BEING JOHN SMITH (John Smith)
17. RUNNING FIELDS I-IV (Flo Mavy)
18. ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT (Payal Kapadia)
19. HOW TO RUN A TROTLINE (Carl Elsaesser)
20. NORMANDY (Vadim Kostrov)
📽️ Meg Fariello
Favorite First Watches in 2024 (in the order in which I watched them):
POWWOW HIGHWAY (Jonathan Wacks, 1989)
THE NIGHTINGALE (Jennifer Kent, 2018)
GRIM PRAIRIE TALES (Wayne Coe, 1990)
PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN (George Butler, 1985)
LISTEN TO THIS (Tom Rubnitz, 1992)
DROWNING BY NUMBERS (Peter Greenaway, 1988)
MILLENNIUM ACTRESS (Satoshi Kon, 2001)
SHOGUN ASSASSIN (Kenji Misumi and Robert Houston, 1980)
GOING IN STYLE (Martin Brest, 1979)
ALUCARDA (Juan López Moctezuma, 1977)
Favorite New Releases of 2024 (in the order in which I watched them):
DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villeneuve, 2024)
LOVE LIES BLEEDING (Rose Glass, 2024)
I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun, 2024)
THE FIRST OMEN (Arkasha Stevenson, 2024)
LONGLEGS (Osgood Perkins, 2024)
WITCHES (Elizabeth Sankey, 2024)
THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (Vera Drew, 2022)
THE BIKERIDERS (Jeff Nichols, 2023)
DÌDI (Sean Wang, 2024)
📽️ Marilyn Ferdinand
FAVORITE NEW FILMS SEEN IN 2024
1. CLOSE YOUR EYES (Victor Erice)
2. JUNE ZERO (Jake Paltrow)
3. ALL OF US STRANGERS (Andrew Haigh)
4. GHOSTLIGHT (Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson)
5. THE RYE HORN (Jaione Camborda)
6. THELMA (Josh Margolin)
7. MILONGA (Lara González)
8. SMOKING TIGERS (So Young Shelly Yo)
9. CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION (Carlos Caridad Montero)
10. MY STOLEN PLANET (Farahnaz Sharifi/doc)
11. THE PIANO LESSON (Malcolm Washington)
12. WISHING ON A STAR (Péter Kerekes)
13. SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE (Tim Mielants)
14. HAPPY HOLIDAYS (Scandar Copti)
15. GRAZIE RAGAZZI (Riccardo Milani)
HONORABLE MENTIONS: ARMAND (Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel), CHICKEN FOR LINDA! ((Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta), HIS THREE DAUGHTERS (Azazel Jacobs), IN A VIOLENT NATURE (Chris Nash), INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL (Pham Thien An), MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (Adam Elliot), SABBATH QUEEN (Sandi DuBowski), TAKING VENICE (Amei Wallach), THE GOLDMAN CASE (Cédric Kahn)
FAVORITE NEW-TO-ME FILMS (chronological)
AMERICAN MADNESS (Frank Capra, 1932)
CRAIG’S WIFE (Dorothy Arzner, 1936)
LADY KILLER (Jean Grémillon, 1937)
THE STRANGE MR. VICTOR (Jean Grémillon, 1938)
LE JOUR DE SÈVE (Marcel Carné, 1939)
HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL? (Douglas Sirk, 1952)
NEVER OPEN THAT DOOR (Carlos Hugo Christensen, 1953)
LE NOTTI BIANCHE (Luchino Visconti, 1957)
THE WASP WOMAN (Roger Corman, 1959)
ZERO FOCUS (Yoshitarô Nomura, 1961)
RADIO ON (Christopher Petit, 1979)
SOLO SUNNY (Konrad Wolf, Wolfgang Kohlhaase, 1980)
RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN (King Hu, 1979)
THE VERNON JOHNS STORY (Kenneth Fink, 1994)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven, 1997)
TIGER ON BEAT (Lau Kar Leung, 1988)
THE POLAR EXPRESS (Robert Zemeckis, 2004)
SUNSET SONG (Terence Davies, 2015)
THE SECOND MOTHER (Anna Muylaert, 2015)
OFFICE PARTY CHRISTMAS (Josh Gordon, Will Speck, 2016)
THE DISASTER ARTIST (James Franco, 2017)
SWIMMING WITH MEN (Oliver Parker, 2018)
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (Eli Roth, 2018)
THE LISTENER (Steve Buscemi, 2022)
HALL OF FAME
The Chicago Latino Film Festival for consistently screening so many films that, year after year, make my best-of list (three this year). I hope the Chicago film community will increase its support of this essential festival.
📽️ Shaun Huhn
Top Tens Of 2024
TOP 10 FIRST-TIME VIEWINGS
1. Wang Bing's TIE XI QU: WEST OF THE TRACKS (2002)
2. Herbert Ross' T.R. BASKIN (1971)
3. Bertolini, Padovan, and Liguoro's DANTE'S INFERNO (1911)
4. Toshihau Ikeda's MERMAID LEGEND (1984)
5. Hark Tsui's DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIRST KIND (1980)
6. Robert Kaplan's SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS (1972)
7. Ron Maswell's LITTLE DARLINGS (1980)
8. Camillo Teti's THE KILLER IS STILL AMONG US (1986)
9. Ishiro Honda and Jun Fukuda's DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)
10. Hisayuki Toriumi's LILY C.A.T. (1987)
TOP TEN GENRE FILMS 2024
1. IN A VIOLENT NATURE (Chris Nash)
2. LONGLEGS (Osgood Perkins)
3. I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun)
4. TERRIFIER 3 (Damien Leone)
5. MAXXXINE (Ti West)
6. THE SUBSTANCE (Coralie Fargeat)
7. TRAP (M. Night Shyamalan)
8. MILK & SERIAL (Curry Barker)
9. ABIGAIL (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett)
10. MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK (Caden Douglas)
TOP TEN FILMS 2024
1. ALL OF US STRANGERS (Andrew Haigh)
2. LOVE LIES BLEEDING (Rose Glass)
3. ANORA (Sean Baker)
4. SATURDAY NIGHT (Jason Reitman)
5. JUROR #2 (Clint Eastwood)
6. KINDS OF KINDNESS (Yorgos Lanthimos)
7. A REAL PAIN (Jesse Eisenberg)
8. FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (George Miller)
9. HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Mike Cheslik)
10. SASQUATCH SUNSET (David Zellner and Nathan Zellner)
📽️ Ben Kaye
Favorite new releases (ranked)
1. I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun)
2. PROBLEMISTA (Julio Torres)
3. THE PEOPLE’S JOKER (Vera Drew)
4. HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Mike Cheslik)
5. EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
6. JANET PLANET (Annie Baker)
7. A DIFFERENT MAN (Aaron Schimberg)
8. CONCLAVE (Edward Berger)
9. RAP WORLD (Conner O’Malley & Danny Scharar)
10. CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT (Tyler Taormina)
11. HIS THREE DAUGHTERS (Azazel Jacobs)
12. SING SING (Greg Kwedar)
13. THE BEAST (Bertrand Bonello)
14. RED ROOMS (Pascal Plante)
15. TRAP (M. Night Shyamalan)
16. MOUNTAINS (Monica Sorelle)
17. VULCANIZADORA (Joel Potrykus)
18. FLOW (Gints Zilbalodis)
19. MEGALOPOLIS (Francis Ford Coppola)
20. THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED (Joanna Arnow)
Favorite new-to-me films (in chronological order)
1. THE 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Lau Ker-Leung, 1984)
2. TORSO (Sergio Martino, 1973)
3. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
4. MESSIAH OF EVIL (Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz, 1974)
5. DEEP COVER (Bill Duke, 1992)
6. SEXY BEAST (Jonathan Glazer, 2000)
7. CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (Jack Arnold, 1954)
8. LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan, 2018)
9. 11 X 14 (James Benning, 1977)
10. THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (Clint Eastwood, 1995)
11. TIME OF THE HEATHEN (Peter Kass, 1961)
12. SHIN GODZILLA (Shinji Higuchi & Hideaki Anno, 2016)
13. JAPANESE GIRLS AT THE HARBOR (Hiroshi Shimizu, 1933)
14. DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Sidney Lumet, 1975)
15. CEMETERY MAN, aka DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE (Michele Soavi, 1994)
16. MATEWAN (John Sayles, 1987)
17. FULL CONTACT (Ringo Lam, 1992)
18. DON’T LET THE RIVERBEAST GET YOU! (Charles Roxburgh, 2012)
19. MUR MURS (Agnes Varda, 1981)
20. SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS (Robert J. Kaplan, 1972)
📽️ Joshua Minsoo Kim
FAVORITE EXPERIMENTAL FILMS OF 2024:
1. THE PERIPHERY OF THE BASE (Zhou Tao)
2. BUSEOK (Park Kyujae)
3. ADRIFT POTENTIALS (Leonardo Pirondi)
4. UNSTABLE ROCKS (Ewelina Rosinska)
5. A SENSE OF NOTHING (Francisco Rojas)
6. CARROLL GARDENS (Ernie Gehr)
7. LABORES EN CURSO (Bruno Delgado Ramo)
8. ARCHIPELAGO OF EARTHEN BONES — TO BUNYA (Malena Szlam)
9. CARELESS PASSAGE (Jerome Hiler)
10. BEING JOHN SMITH (John Smith)
FAVORITE FIRST WATCHES (OLDER FILMS):
1. PASSAGE THROUGH: A RITUAL (Stan Brakhage, 1990)
2. WATERSMITH (Will Hindle, 1969)
3. WHILE REVOLVED (Vincent Grenier, 1976)
4. UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE (Dirk de Bruyn, 1992)
5. WATER LIGHT/WATER NEEDLE (LAKE MAH MAH, NJ) (Carolee Schneemann, 1966)
6. APRICITY (Nathaniel Dorsky, 2019)
7. UNTILTED (Rudy Burckhardt, 1983)
8. BLINK (Zack Stiglicz, 1998)
9. THE COVENANT (Ronald Chase, 1965)
10. SKYWORKS: WIND + FIRE (LeAnn Bartok, 1975)
11. PITCHER OF COLORED LIGHT (Robert Beavers, 2007)
12. BEACH BIRDS FOR CAMERA (Elliot Caplan, 1992)
13. TRANCHES (TEO HERNÁNDEZ, 1987)
14. GLIDER (Ernie Gehr, 2001)
15. SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT (Daniel Eisenberg, 2003)
16. THERE ONCE WAS A SINGING BLACKBIRD (Otar Iosseliani, 1970)
17. STARLIGHT (Robert Fulton, 1969)
18. IDÉES FIXES / DIES IRAE (Antoinetta Angelidi, 1977)
19. HORROR DREAM (Sidney Peterson, 1947)
20. TM (Takehisa Kosugi, 1974)
21. LINEARITY (Robert N. Zagone, 1968)
22. LIGHT YEARS EXPANDING (Gunvor Nelson, 1988)
23. ASPHALTO (Ilppo Pohjola, 1998)
24. COMMUNICATION FROM WEBER (Robert F. Gates, 1988)
25. INJURY ON A THEME (Amy Halpern, 2012)
26. THE PLACE BETWEEN OUR BODIES (Michael Wallin, 1975)
27. ALIENA KADABRA (Åke Karlung, 1969)
28. SPIN CYCLE (Aarin Burch, 1991)
29. SHELLS AND RUSHES (Sharon Couzin, 1987)
30. DIRT (Amy Greenfield, 1971)
📽️ Nicholette Lindsay
Favorite Comedy Features of 2024:
1. BOYS GO TO JUPITER (Julian Glander)
2. DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Radu Jude)
3. RAP WORLD (Conner O’Malley & Danny Scharar)
4. Tie: LET’S START A CULT (Ben Kitnick) and BETWEEN THE TEMPLES (Nathan Silver)
5. THELMA (Josh Margolin)
Favorite First Watches of 2024 (in the order I saw them):
1. MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks, 1981)
2. STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven, 1997)
3. NORMA RAE (Martin Ritt, 1979)
4. POSSESSION (Andrzej Żuławski, 1981)
5. FIRST BLOOD (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
📽️ Raphael Jose Martinez
Favorite Films of 2024 (in alphabetical order)
Features:
BACK TO 2005 (Herbert Flex & Ronald Mayo)
CAROL DODA: TOPLESS AT THE CONDOR (Marlo McKenzie & Jonathan Parker)
CONCLAVE (Edward Berger)
DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Radu Jude)
HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Mike Cheslik)
KILL (Nikhil Nagesh Bhat)
THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (Vera Drew)
SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT (Johan Grimonprez)
THE SUBSTANCE (Coralie Fargeat)
UI (Uprenda)
Shorts:
CHECK PLEASE (Shane Chung)
DRECK THE HALLS 2024: VERA DREW'S FIRST ANNUAL MUSICAL CHRISTMAS REMIX
TRIBUTE TO BLOOD AND SEX (Vera Drew)
Favorite First Watches of 2024 (in alphabetical order)
Features:
DEMENTIA (John Parker, 1955)
DEPECHE MODE 101 (David Dawkins, Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker, 1989)
DOG MOVIE (Henry Hanson, 2023)
HERO (Stephen Frears, 1992)
I WANT TO LIVE! (Robert Wise, 1958)
THE TELEPHONE BOOK (Nelson Lyon, 1971)
TIME OF THE HEATHEN (Peter Kass, 1961)
WAKE UP, MATE, DON'T YOU SLEEP (Miklos Jansco & Istvan Marton, 2002)
THE ZONE OF INTEREST (Jonathan Glazer, 2023)
Shorts:
POSSIBLY IN MICHIGAN (Cecelia Condit, 1983)
ROAD HEAD (Allison Torem, 2023)
URBAN CRISIS AND THE NEW MILITANTS (The Film Group, 1969)
📽️ Josh Mabe
My best movie-going experience of the year was the 3-day event "The Undersung Films of Late-Era Stan Brakhage" programmed by Joshua Minsoo Kim at Sweet Void microcinema in Chicago. People came from across the country and the place was packed all three days. Chicago has seen a blossoming of new programmers, new spaces, and young large crowds for anything being shown on celluloid and it's fantastic.
Here's the rest of the best I saw on Chicago screens this year.
Chicago History
1. Play & Chicago Girls & Table & The Masturector Set & Plastic Screen Film (Ruth Andrews nee Klassen,
1970s)
2. The Annunciation (Diana Barrie, 1974)
3. Dances #1-8 (Shirley Erbacher 1966-1972)
4. Modern Water Propulsion (Andy Matsui, 1982)
5. The Autopsy (Royanne Rosenberg, 1973)
New Stuff
1. pomeriggio (Ira Vicari, 2023)
2. Ashes by Name is Man (Ewelina Rosinska, 2023)
3. L’ailier (Alexandra Karelina, 2024)
4. Color Negative (Sara Sowell, 2023)
5. Patient (Lori Felker, 2023)
I'm Ashamed I Haven't Seen Before Now
1. If You Stand with Your Back to the Slowing of the Speed of Light in Water (Julie Murray, 1997)
2. Mutiny (Abigail Child, 1983)
3. 29: 'Merci, Merci' (Will Hindle, 1966) & Trekkerriff (Will Hindle, 1984)
4. Shulie (Elisabeth Subrin, 1998)
5. Closer Outside (Vincent Grenier, 1981)
Regular Old Movies That Were New To Me That I Liked A Bunch
1. There's Always Tomorrow (Douglas Sirk, 1956)
2. The Crazies (George A. Romero, 1973)
3. The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (Preston Sturges, 1949)
4. Goodbye in the Mirror (Storm de Hirsch, 1964)
5. Kid Galahad (Phil Karlson, 1962)
📽️ Jonathan Leithold-Patt
In 2024, it was pretty difficult to see films from 2024. More than usual, it seemed, many of the big critical darlings of the cinematic year were given extremely late release dates, keeping them from the eyes of the general public until January 2025 at the earliest (THE BRUTALIST, THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, HARD TRUTHS, and NICKEL BOYS are just some of the vexingly absent titles). Because I am a traditionalist when it comes to list-making, I always put together a yearly top ten, but this year's is going to have to wait until I'm able to catch up with more films. In lieu of a top ten, I present an unranked collection of some of the 2024 films that most resonated with me.
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE (Matthew Rankin)
THELMA (Josh Margolin)
ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL (Rungano Nyoni)
BIRD (Andrea Arnold)
A DIFFERENT MAN (Aaron Schimberg)
BETWEEN THE TEMPLES (Nathan Silver)
SASQUATCH SUNSET (David and Nathan Zellner)
📽️ Ben Sachs
Favorite New-to-Chicago Releases of 2024 (in order of preference):
1. MOVING (Shinji Sômai, 1993)
2. CLOSE YOUR EYES (Victor Erice, 2023)
3. JUROR #2 (Clint Eastwood, 2024)
4. Tie: YOUTH (HARD TIMES) and YOUTH (HOMECOMING) (Wang Bing, 2024)
5. THE TASTE OF THINGS (Tran Anh Hung, 2023)
6. HERE (Robert Zemeckis, 2024)
7. TRENQUE LAUQUEN (Laura Citarella, 2022)
8. THE BEAST (Bertrand Bonello, 2023)
9. DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Radu Jude, 2023)
10. Tie: YANNICK and DAAAAAALI! (Quentin Dupieux, 2023)
Ten Runners-up (in alphabetical order):
AMAKKI (Célia Boussebaa, 2024), LA COCINA (Alonso Ruizpalacios, 2024), COBWEB (Kim Jee-woon, 2023), THE END (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2024), GREEN BORDER (Agnieszka Holland, 2023), HIT MAN (Richard Linklater, 2023), IT'S NOT ME (Léos Carax, 2024), LAST SUMMER (Catherine Breillat, 2023), MAMBAR PIERETTE (Rosine Mbakam, 2023), MEGALOPOLIS (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024)
A few notes:
I had the hardest time choosing the #10 spot on this list because I value all of the runners-up so highly; any of them could have taken the spot. I went with Quentin Dupieux because no other working director makes me laugh harder or more often, and given the state of the world in 2024, I think we all deserved a good laugh. YANNICK is the one film on this list that didn't get a theatrical release here (it premiered on MUBI), but I thought it had more to say about the rise of authoritarian movements than any other movie I saw this year.
By far, my greatest moviegoing experience of 2024 was discovering the work of Shinji Sômai thanks to Cinema Guild's belated North American release of MOVING. I've now seen most of this director's films, and I'm convinced that he ranks with the greatest of all Japanese filmmakers. Here's hoping that we can see more of his films on a big screen in the coming years.
The two Hollywood films in my top ten, JUROR #2 and HERE, stood out in their appeals to American filmmaking tradition in an age that seems not to value it anymore (see also: CLOSE YOUR EYES). Eastwood's film, reportedly the director's last, is a Fordian meditation on the legal framework that's meant to hold our society together; Zemeckis' film, an equal parts creepy and astonishing technological feat, is a profoundly bitter film about American isolationism that managed to move me nonetheless.
📽️ Elise Schierbeek
Top first watches, as pairs:
1. PACIFICTION (Albert Serra, 2022) and THE INTRUDER (Claire Denis, 2004)
2. STROSZEK (Werner Herzog, 1977) and BUZZARD (Joel Potrykus, 2014)
3. THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1972) and THE DUKE OF
BURGUNDY (Peter Strickland, 2014)
4. STAR SPANGLED TO DEATH (Ken Jacobs, 2004) and THE FALLING SKY (Peggy Ahwesh, 2018)
5. AGGRO DR1FT (Harmony Korine, 2023) and POLYCEPHALY IN D (Michael Robinson, 2021)
6. SLEEP HAS HER HOUSE (Scott Barley, 2017) and BY HALVES (Amy Halpern, 2012)
7. THE HEART OF THE WORLD (Guy Maddin, 2000) and WHIRRED, WHIRLED (Jesse Malmed, 2015)
8. PLAYTIME (Jacques Tati, 1967) and SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (Roy Andersson, 2000)
9. 11 X 14 (James Benning, 1977) and LIFE/EXPECTANCY (Shellie Fleming, 1999)
10. THE FLICKER (Tony Conrad, 1966) and NIPKOW TV (Christian Hossner, 1998)
📽️ Michael Glover Smith
1. THE BEAST (Bonello)
2. CLOSE YOUR EYES (Erice)
3. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Mangold)
4. MUSIC (Schanelec)
5. JUROR #2 (Eastwood)
6. YOUTH (HOMECOMING) (Wang)
7. ANORA (Baker)
8. LAST SUMMER (Breillat)
9. HIT MAN (Linklater)
10. DAHOMEY (Diop)
10 Runners-Up (Alphabetical Order)
AGGRO DR1FT (Korine)
EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Hamaguchi)
THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED (Arnow)
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (Miller)
GHOSTLIGHT (O’Sullivan/Thompson)
GOOD ONE (Donaldson)
JANET PLANET (Baker)
A REAL PAIN (Eisenberg)
ROXANA (Shahbazi)
SAM’S WORLD (Lady)
📽️ David Whitehouse
FAVORITE NEW RELEASES:
1. CHALLENGERS (Luca Guadagnino)
2. DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Radu Jude)
3. AGGRO DR1FT (Harmony Korine)
4. IT'S NOT ME (Leos Carax)
5. EUREKA (Lisandro Alonso)
6. RUMOURS (Guy Maddin)
7. JANET PLANET (Annie Baker)
8. TRAP (M. Night Shyamalan)
9. DAHOMEY (Mati Diop)
10. THE BRUTALIST (Brady Corbet)
11. MEGALOPOLIS (Francis Ford Coppola)
12. CLOSE YOUR EYES (Víctor Erice)
13. THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED (Joanna Arnow)
14. TRAILER OF A FILM THAT WILL NEVER EXIST: PHONY WARS (Jean-Luc Godard)
15. THE PEOPLES JOKER (Vera Drew)
16. HERE (Bas Devos)
17. A TRAVELER'S NEEDS (Hong Sang-soo)
18. EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Ryūsuke Hamaguchi)
19. THE ZONE OF INTEREST (Jonathan Glazer)
20. YANNICK (Quentin Dupieux)
21. MUSIC (Angela Schanelec)
22. THE BEAST (Bertrand Bonello)
23. RAP WORLD (Danny Scharar, Conner O'Malley)
24. MISERICORDIA (Alain Guiraudie)
25. JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (Todd Phillips)
26. HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Mike Cheslik)
27. ANORA (Sean Baker)
28. KINDS OF KINDNESS (Yorgos Lanthimos)
29. VULCANIZADORA (Joel Potrykus)
30. JUROR #2 (Clint Eastwood)
FAVORITE FIRST-TIME WATCHES:
1. HONOUR OF THE KNIGHTS / BIRDSONG (Albert Serra)
2. NOTRE MUSIQUE (Jean-Luc Godard)
3. THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (Peter Strickland)
4. THE CELEBRATION (Thomas Vinterberg)
5. CHOCOLAT (Claire Denis)
6. THE FLICKER (Tony Conrad)
7. OLD JOY (Kelly Reichardt)
8. COWARDS BEND THE KNEE / CAREFUL (Guy Maddin)
9. CRUMB (Terry Zwigoff)
10. TIE XI QU: WEST OF THE TRACKS (Wang Bing)
11. NAKED (Mike Leigh)
12. POLYCEPHALY IN D / LIGHT IS WAITING (Michael Robinson)
13. THE OLD DREAM THAT MOVES / STAYING VERTICAL (Alain Guiraudie)
14. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July)
15. LOS MUERTOS (Lisandro Alonso)
16. AT SEA (Peter Hutton)
17. STAR SPANGLED TO DEATH (Ken Jacobs)
18. DADETOWN (Russ Hexter)
19. MOVING (Shinji Sōmai)
20. CAFÉ LUMIÈRE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
21. GEORGE WASHINGTON (David Gordon Green)
22. FREDDY GOT FINGERED (Tom Green)
23. TWENTYNINE PALMS (Bruno Dumont)
24. EL SUR (Víctor Erice)
25. STRAWBERRY FIELDS (Rea Tajiri)
26. SLEEP HAS HER HOUSE (Scott Barley)
27. 23RD PSALM BRANCH (Stan Brakhage)
28. WHO'S CAMUS ANYWAY? (Mitsuo Yanagimachi)
29. 11 x 14 (James Benning)
30. ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (Werner Herzog)
📽️ Olivia Hunter Willke
Favorite theater experiences of 2024:
1. O.C. AND STIGGS (1987, Altman) – 3/19, 35mm @ Music Box, by Oscarbate
2. GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE 3D (2014, Godard) – 4/11, 3D @ Music Box
3. AN ARTIST OF INTIMATE INTENT: JAMES BENNING (1977-2022) – 3/24-5/19, 16mm @ Doc Films, by me + Josh Wagner
4. INVENTING ETERNITY: THE UNDERSUNG FILMS OF LATE-ERA STAN BRAKHAGE (1979-2003) – 6/29-30, 16mm @ Sweet Void Cinema, by Joshua Minsoo Kim
5. THE SEARCHERS (1956, Ford) – 8/8, 70mm @ Music Box
6. SICILY! (1999, Straub-Huillet) + WHERE DOES YOUR HIDDEN SMILE LIE? (2001, Costa) – 4/26, 16mm, DCP @ Block Cinema || Q&A with Pedro Costa
7. THE DEVOTIONAL CINEMA OF NATHANIEL DORSKY AND JEROME HILER (1964-2024) – 10/6-12/8, 16mm @ Doc Films, by Hannah Yang + Jackson Zaro
8. MIAMI VICE (2006, Mann) – 4/16, DCP @ Music Box, by Oscarbate
9. THE PIANO (1993, Campion) – 9/22, 35mm @ Music Box, by CFS
10. RAP WORLD (2024, O'Malley) – 7/28, DCP @ Music Box, by Oscarbate || Q&A with Conner O'Malley and cast & crew, moderated by Aidy Bryant
11. CALIFORNIA SPLIT (1974, Altman) – 9/30, 35mm @ Doc Films, by me + Brian McKendry
12. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1949, Mankiewicz) + TIGER ON BEAT (1988, Kar-Leung) – 9/1,
35mm @ Gene Siskel
13. YOU'RE DANCING THIS DANCE ALL WRONG (2023, Worden) – 8/25, 35mm @ Gene Siskel, by Cameron Worden + CFS
14. THE HEARTBREAK KID (1972, May)– 11/17, 35mm @ Music Box
15. BOYS IN THE SAND (1971, Poole) – 9/21 + SEXTOOL (1975, Halsted) – 11/23, DCP @ Music Box, by The Front Row + Scott Potis
Notes on O.C. AND STIGGS at #1
Sometimes an opportunity to view something coalesces into a combination of circumstances that lead to the perfect screening. O.C. AND STIGGS was paired with THEY LIVE for Oscarbate's Highs & Lows series. I decided to forgo the preceding screening of THEY LIVE to instead smoke a joint with my best friend and grab a submarine sandwich from a shop down the street. We arrived at Music Box Theatre blasted out of our minds, sandwiches hidden inside an inconspicuous tote bag. Apprehensive of how the audience had behaved during THEY LIVE, we were told that everyone had been on their best behavior. A good, welcome sign. We settled in the front row center, left aisle and were treated to Robert Altman's cynical stoner buddy comedy on 35mm. A spoof of a genre that had yet to be prevalent in the cultural zeitgeist. The lackadaisical yet determined, engaging leads bounce perfectly off each other and the film seems to devour its own sharp screenplay. Shreds youth, establishment, class, drug, race stereotypes through its teeth, licks its lips, and finishes with a satiated grin. I remember the sandwich also being tasty, I consumed it similarly to the previous metaphor. It was the perfect combination of sly anti-establishment shenanigans, camaraderie, good vibes, and good art.