Features

Team Movie Marker – Best Of 2024

Published

3 weeks ago

Dec 31, 2024

Darryl Griffiths

A few words from Chief Editor Darryl Griffiths:

‘I can only start by saying a massive thank you to every person who has considered us a worthwhile read in their downtime, throughout 2024. Your continued support means a great deal to myself and the team. I would also personally like to shoutout fellow film-centric outlets such as Filmhounds, Loud And Clear Reviews, The People’s Movies and Take One for their terrific team efforts in this calendar year. In this turbulent climate for film journalism and the industry at large. We must continue to push back against efforts that threaten to tear out the heart and pure emotion that genuinely comes from bearing your soul, through this art form we call cinema. Movie Marker’s mission statement back in January was to amplify voices and support regions that perhaps don’t always get a look-in. From championing festivals which continue to grow in stature, through coverage of Leeds International Film Festival, Grimmfest in Manchester, Film Africa and Bolton International Film Festival. Support up-and-coming talent through short films like Barricade (Birmingham) and The Third Life (Dorset). As well as proudly become an official media partner of Cardiff-based LGBTQ+ film festival Iris Prize. We believe we have stayed true to that original intention, one we fully intend to carry into the new year. Whilst we may not be blessed with a hefty budget. To be able to consistently pay our supremely talented and ever-growing pool of writers has brought us immense joy. To everyone who has contributed to Movie Marker this year, a mere thanks doesn’t feel enough for trusting us with your words. But I sincerely hope that it has been a safe and welcoming space for you, to express your love for film as well as diving into subject matter that can be deeply personal. I very much hope you enjoy this jam-packed round-up of all that we loved in 2024. Whilst wishing you every happiness for 2025. Oh. And keep supporting your independent cinemas, yeah? Thanks bab. X’

Darryl Griffiths

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) All Of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh)

2) Challengers (Luca Guadagnino)

3) Sing Sing (Greg Kwedar)

4) I Saw The TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun)

5) La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)

6) Wicked (Jon M Chu)

7) Queer (Luca Guadagnino)

8) Grand Theft Hamlet (Pinny Grylls/Sam Crane)

9) Slow (Marija Kavtaradze)

10) Crossing (Levan Akin)

Honourable Mentions:

Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass) | The Substance (Coralie Forgeat) | The Beast (Bertrand Bonello) | Late Night With The Devil (Cameron/Colin Cairnes) | Origin (Ava DuVernay)

Favourite Scenes:

Defying Gravity from ‘Wicked’ – ALL the goosebumps

That electrifying final set from ‘Challengers’

Andrew Scott/Jamie Bell’s living room heart to heart from ‘All Of Us Strangers’ – ‘I’m sorry I never came into your room when you were crying!’

Favourite Scores:

No contest! Challengers (Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross)

2024 Belongs To…

Luca Guadagnino. From the throbbing desire at the heart of Challengers. To the deep yearning that consumes Queer. The director has aced 2024.

Clotilde Chinnici

Top 10 Of 2024:

1. Conclave

2. The Room Next Door

3. Sing Sing

4. Bird

5. Anora

6. The Piano Lesson

7. Wicked

8. All We Imagine As Light

9. My Old Ass

10. Kneecap

Honourable Mentions:

The Wild Robot | The Last of the Sea Women | Your Monster

Favourite Scenes:

1. The sixth ballot in Conclave

2. The opening of All We Imagine as Light

3. Dancing Through Life in Wicked

Favourite Scores:

1. Conclave

2. Dune Part II

3. Challengers

2024 Belongs To…

Danielle Deadwyler

Kat Hughes

Top 10 Of 2024:

1. Boy Kills World

2. All of Us Strangers

3. Anora

4. Smile 2

5. Your Monster

6. Strange Darling

7. The Crow

8. Nightbitch

9. Furiosa

10. The Wild Robot

Honourable Mentions:

Deadpool and Wolverine | The Last Video Store | The Substance | Livescreamers | Red Rooms

Favourite Scenes:

Car Scene – Strange Darling

Final Level Battle – Boy Kills World

‘You Were Always On My Mind’ – All of Us Strangers

Favourite Scores:

1) Strange Darling

2) The Substance

3) The Wild Robot

2024 Belongs To…

Kyle Gallner for single-handedly using social media to make Strange Darling a success AND helping finally get screenings of Dinner in America in cinemas across the world.

Katie Kasperson

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) Challengers (Luca Guadagnino)

2) All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh)

3) Hit Man (Richard Linklater)

4) La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)

5) The Holdovers (Alexander Payne)

6) A Different Man (Aaron Schimberg)

7) Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)

8) Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve)

9) Conclave (Edward Berger)

10) Civil War (Alex Garland)

Honourable Mentions:

Will & Harper (Josh Greenbaum)

Favourite Scenes:

Challengers: the hotel room scene – I think we all know the one. Blood Orange’s ‘Uncle ACE’ adds the perfect amount of sexy saxophone.

All of Us Strangers: the diner scene – Andrew Scott saying goodbye to his imaginary parents is so tender, so devastating, that I literally had to choke back my sobs.

La Chimera: ‘You weren’t made for human eyes.’ enough said.

Favourite Scores:

Challengers! a score that could set the clubs ablaze!

2024 belongs to…

Luca Guadagnino! obviously! (but also Josh O’Connor, Zendaya, Paul Mescal and Glen Powell.)

Blake Simons

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) I Saw The TV Glow

2) Super Happy Forever

3) Matt and Mara

4) The Other Way Around

5) Self-Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle

6) Challengers

7) Summer Solstice

8) Black Box Diaries

9) Caught by the Tides

10) Gift

Honourable Mentions:

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell | Happyend | The Delinquents | You Burn Me | Reas

Favourite Scenes:

I Saw The TV Glow – in the bathroom mirror

Challengers – the climax

The Beast – “I’m going to open the door”

Favourite Scores:

1) I Saw The TV Glow

2) Challengers

3) Summer Solstice

2024 Belongs To…

trans+ people on screen (I Saw The TV Glow, Summer Solstice, Chasing Chasing Amy, Stress Positions, Castration Movie, The People’s Joker, Cuckoo)

Alex Gilston

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) Conclave

2) Challengers

3) La Chimera

4) Queer

5) Wicked

6) The Wild Robot

7) Dune Part 2

8) Bird

9) Robot Dreams

10) Love Lies Bleeding

Honourable Mentions:

Monkey Man | His Three Daughters | Sing Sing | My Old Ass | Daughters

Favourite Scenes:

Challengers – Hotel Room Scene

Wicked – Dancing Through Life

Conclave – Cardinal Tedesco hits his vape in the cafeteria

Favourite Scores:

1) Challengers

2) Queer

3) Dune: Part 2

2024 Belongs To…

The girls (Tashi Duncan, Elphaba, and Glinda), gays (Lee, Lou, and Jackie), and theys (Cardinal Benitez, Roz, and Bailey)

Martin Richmond

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) Dune Part Two

2) The Iron Claw

3) Challengers

4) All of Us Strangers

5) The Wild Robot

6) Inside Out 2

7) Conclave

8) The Fall Guy

9) Sing Sing

10) Wicked

Honourable Mentions:

The Zone of Interest | The Color Purple | Twisters | Anora | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Favourite Scores:

Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Challengers

Volker Bertelmann – Conclave

Favourite Scenes:

Paul rides the sandworm for the first time – Dune: Part Two

Defying Gravity sequence – Wicked

Brightbill learns to fly (Kiss the Sky) – The Wild Robot

2024 Belongs To….

Zendaya, starring in two of the year’s biggest/most talked about films. We stan an absolute queen!

Kelechi Ehenulo

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) Dune: Part Two

2) The Wild Robot

3) Sing Sing

4) Poor Things

5) Challengers

6) Anora

7) Inside Out 2

8) American Fiction

9) The Color Purple

10) Wicked

Honourable Mentions:

Daughters | The Holdovers | The Iron Claw | Conclave | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Favourite Scenes:

The migration scene from The Wild Robot

Paul riding the sandworm from Dune: Part Two

Defying Gravity from Wicked Part One

Favourite Scores:

Dune Part Two – Hans Zimmer

Challengers – Trent Razor and Atticus Ross

The Substance – Rafertie

2024 Belongs To…

Colman Domingo (Runners Up: Cynthia Erivo | Lupita Nyong’o | Glen Powell)

Latoya Austin

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) American Fiction

2) Sing Sing

3) The Piano Lesson

4) Dune: Part 2

5) The Wild Robot

6) Love Lies Bleeding

7) The Color Purple

8) Wicked

9) Rosalie

10) Robot Dreams

Honourable Mentions:

Hitman | Conclave | The Substance | Slow | The Iron Claw

Favourite Scenes:

Hitman – phone notes scene

Challengers – final scene

Conclave – the final voting process

Favourite Scores:

The Wild Robot

Dune: Part Two

Wicked

2024 Belongs To…

Denis Villeneuve | Colman Domingo | Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Chris Connor

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) The Zone of Interest

2) The Holdovers

3) Perfect Days

4) The Iron Claw

5) Anora

6) Conclave

7) La Chimera

8) Hit Man

9) Dune Part Two

10) The Wild Robot

Honourable Mentions:

The Outrun | Monster | Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl | American Fiction | Kinds of Kindness

Favourite Scenes:

The Holdovers finale

Anora car scene

Dune Part Two opening

Favourite Scores

The Wild Robot

Conclave

Challengers

2024 Belongs To…

Timothee Chalamet and Josh O’Connor

Dimitri Kraus

Top 10 Of 2024:

1) Serpent’s Path

2) Trap

3) Caught by the Tides

4) Megalopolis

5) Juror #2

6) Better Man

7) Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

8) Furiosa

9) Longlegs

10) Queer

Honourable Mentions:

No Other Land | All We Imagine as Light | The Last Dance | Love in the Big City | Cloud

Favourite Scenes:

“Do It for Me” – Megalopolis

“Warehouse Shootout” – The Shadow Strays

“Knebworth” – Better Man

Favourite Scores:

Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Rebel Moon — Parts One and Two: Director’s Cut – Tom Holkenborg

Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer

2024 Belongs To…

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Rehna Azim

Top 7 Of 2024:

1) Conclave

2) Dune Part Two

3) Maria

4) Furiosa

5) The Apprentice

6) Twiggy

7) Return of the King: The fall and Rise of Elvis Presley

Honourable Mentions:

The Piano Lesson | Emilia Perez | Gladiator 2 | Wicked

Favourite Scenes:

Death scene in Maria

Favourite Scores:

Conclave – Volker Bertelmann

2024 Belongs To…

Sir Ridley Scott for bouncing back from the dismal Napoleon to a worthy sequel to the classic Gladiator | Denis Villeneuve for Dune 2 and a fascinating talk at LFF 2024 | The cast of The Apprentice for their integrity and courage in taking on the film in the current narrow minded culture of Hollywood and especially Jeremy Strong for a blistering performance.

Katie Smith-Wong