Adam Mast’s Favorite Film Experiences of 2024

ADAM MAST’S FAVORITE FILM EXPERIENCES OF 2024!

– By Adam Mast –

Let me preface this Best Films of 2024 list with a brief admission: There were many noteworthy films that I didn’t make it out to see in 2024. Simply too many movies and not enough time. This is to say nothing of the fact that many of the awards contenders (“The Brutalist” among them) are still in limited release.

This list (as is the case with all best-of lists) simply represents the five titles that moved me most throughout 2024.

THELMA

You will find a few 2024 films as charming, as entertaining, and as downright adorable as Josh Margolin’s wonderful ode to grandmas. “Thelma” is funny, poignant, and surprisingly multi-layered.  Instantly relatable, too. After all, one thing we can’t escape is getting older. Featuring a delightful June Squibb in the title role, this Golden Years-inspired action movie finds an elderly woman taking matters into her own hands after falling prey to a dastardly telephone scammer. Ultimately, Thelma teams with an old friend (played by the late, great Richard Roundtree) and heads out on a dangerous Tom Cruise-style mission all in an effort to get back what is rightfully hers. In addition to the unforgettable pairing of Squibb and Roundtree, this irresistible movie also features a warm and undeniably affable performance by Fred Hechinger as Thelma’s adoring grandson. During a post-screening Q&A back in January, Margolin was quick to point out that watching your elderly grandmother make her way up a flight of stairs can be every bit as terrifying as watching Tom Cruise dangle from a building several stories up, and he perfectly captures this sense of danger throughout the unforgettable crowd-pleasing gem that is “Thelma.”

SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY

The emotional powerhouse that is “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” traces Reeve’s career from his humble beginnings as a classically trained actor to his hitting the big time after being handpicked by director Richard Donner to play the world’s most famous superhero. Ultimately, however, Reeves’s life would forever be altered following a tragic equestrian accident that would leave him permanently paralyzed. As directed by Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedugi, “Super/Man” is inspirational and moving in all of the ways you’d expect, but it certainly doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of Reeve’s highs and lows. Included; A look at a strained relationship between he and his father as well as his thoughts of suicide following a horrific accident that very well could have taken his life. Beyond that, “Super/Man” is punctuated by rare behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews with the likes of Reeve himself as well as his loving wife, his adoring children, and many of his lifelong industry friends (i.e. Susan Sarandon, the aforementioned Donner, and a compassionate Robin Williams.)  As was the case with last year’s stellar Michael J. Fox documentary, “Still,” “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” emerges as so much more than a tribute to a world-famous actor. This is a movie filled with real pathos. It’s a story of courage and resiliency to be sure. In short, it’s a multifaceted look at a real-life superman and how, in many ways, Reeve was able to take a horrific negative and turn it into a monumental positive. This outstanding documentary wrecked me in all the right ways.

DIDI

Sean Wang’s take on the quintessential coming of age story finds a 13 year-old Taiwanese-American boy trying to navigate that tricky thing called adolescence. With its often humorous but altogether thoughtful depiction of teen angst, there are moments here that have a bit of a John Hughes ring to them, but rather than an 80s backdrop, “Didi” is vintage mid-2000’s. Young Izaac Wang is tasked with carrying this film on his shoulders by way of a role that’s as complex as it is nuanced. The fact that Wang was 13 when he shot the movie makes the performance all the more impressive. It’s a tricky balancing act because his character is often moody and not particularly nice to many of the folks around him. It’s a testament to Wang’s wonderful work as an actor that he never comes across as unlikable, though. It should also be noted that the writing is terrific here, particularly in the way this colorful and vibrant script brings authenticity to the relationships at the heart of the movie, most notably, the strained but loving bond between a mother and son (in this case, the mom is played beautifully by the legendary Joan Chen) as well as the typical love/hate relationship between a brother and sister (the sister is played by a lively Shirley Chen.) “Didi” is one of those terrific little coming-of-age gems that proves there’s nothing at all wrong with familiar material provided the execution is there and, in this case, the execution is definitely there.

LONGLEGS

Pound for pound, I’d have to say that “Longlegs” was probably my favorite horror film of the year. That said, it did prove to be a bit divisive amongst horror fans because it’s an “outside the box” slice of horror and offers up “scares” of an entirely different variety. This is to say that “Longlegs” trades in typical jump scares and gore for a tone that is unnerving and unsettling in equal measure. Directed by Osgood Perkins (son of legendary “Psycho” star Anthony Perkins), this tale of an FBI agent (played by an off kilter Maika Monroe) in pursuit of a serial killer (played by a fittingly creepy Nicolas Cage) plays like an extra-artsy “Silence of the Lambs” and I mean that in the best way possible. Perkins does an expert job getting under our skin and he deserves extra props for allowing this movie to zag when you think it might zig. Is it the scariest movie I’ve ever seen? I wouldn’t go that far. That said, of the horror films I saw in 2024, this is the one I thought most about after it was over.

DUNE: PART TWO

Firstly, I’ll address the elephant in the room; Yes…I actually quite enjoyed David Lynch’s critically panned big screen adaptation of “Dune” from 1984. Sure, it attempts to squeeze far too much story into a single film but there’s absolutely no doubt that with that particular movie, one of our greatest cinematic surrealists swung for the fences in a big way. Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 take on “Dune” is an entirely different animal. While I quite liked it from a visual standpoint, it was a little cold for my taste. That said, as is the case with Christopher Nolan, Villeneuve is one of the few high profile modern storytellers out there who often finds a way to seamlessly blend art with populist filmmaking. With “Dune: Part Two,” he manages to build on his previous installment in every conceivable way. This follow-up is certainly bigger in scope but it’s also bigger in heart and that’s where it really counts. Particularly where the bond between Paul Atreides and Chani is concerned. The subject matter here is dense (it’s based off of Frank Herbert’s beloved books, after all) and yes, the movie could have probably stood to be tightened just a little bit but no matter. This movie was made on the largest of scales and Villeneuve is firing on all cylinders. I know this is hyperbole to say, but for my money, this is “The Empire Strikes Back” of the “Dune” franchise. Here’s hoping that the creative team behind these films stick the landing with “Dune: Messiah.”

Honorable Mentions

“Oddity,” “September 5,” “A Different Man,” “Heretic,” “Furiosa,” “Film is Dead. Long Live Film!,” “Chainsaws Were Singing,” “Between the Temples,” “A Quiet Place: Day One,” “The First Omen,” “A Real Pain,” and “Smile 2”