Let’s face it: 2024 has been a GREAT year for movies. Every time I saw a great movie, I thought to myself, “the movies are back, baby!” Of course, we are still approximately 15% lower in total box office revenue than last year. But I think the worst of is behind us as the studios learn to navigate a post-COVID landscape.

10. Hundreds of Beavers

You probably have never heard of Hundreds of Beavers, a film festival favorite from this year that has to be seen just to experience how weird it is. It is among the most inventive filmmaking I’ve seen in years and it’s streaming on Amazon Prime. I’ve included a trailer for at the bottom of this post.

9. Music by John Williams

It’s no secret that I’m a pretty massive film score geek, so of course this documentary was near the top of my most anticipated films of the year. And it is great, however, I was a bit disappointed it kept things a bit too surface level and didn’t delve into his genius more. He is a modern Mozart, and I actually think that in fifty years his work will be studied with the same adulation and scrutiny as the other greats in musical history.

8. Fall Guy

Fall Guy is a clever, charming, and satisfying. Its performances, both stunt and acting, make it worth the price of the rental. Both Gosling and Blunt give such fantastic performances. And I can’t help but love a film that admits it has a third act problem.

7. Transformers One

To say the Transformers franchise has been uneven is a bit of an understatement. But I’m just so happy that the latest works on almost every level. It has some flaws, but the film’s highs more than make up for them.

6. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

This might be the first time more than one documentary has made my top ten, yet Super/Man more than deserves to make the list. It made both my wife, and I cry multiple times. It is among the best theatrical experiences I’ve had this year.

5. The Wild Robot

A lot of folks will be shocked that The Wild Robot isn’t higher on my list, but the more I watch it (my 4-year-old watches it constantly), the more I think that splitting the theme into “other-ism” and motherhood made the film not stick its landing as well as it could have. Yet, that doesn’t mean that it’s not one of Dreamworks best films. It will win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and deservedly so.

4. Young Woman and the Sea

I am just so happy that Disney decided to release this movie in theaters. It has a super sharp script that melted my girl-dad heart. It is superbly acted and edited and has second best score of the year. (review here)

3. Thelma

There is usually one independent film each year that blows me away, and this year that was the brilliant Thelma. It is my favorite script of the year and possibly my favorite performance in June Squib. It is streaming on Hulu right now and I seriously can’t recommend it enough.

2. Wicked: Part One

John M Chu is proving himself to be one of the best young directors working right now with this one. Wicked is a cinematic spectacle for the ages that I think will age very well. I’ve seen it 3 times in the theater already and will watch it many more times at home.

1. Dune: Part Two

The Dune films are the films we as a society need right now, but not the ones we deserve. To me, they are the modern equivalent of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Denis Villeneuve has crafted a modern masterpiece with Dune Part Two. He is Spielbergian in his discipline as a storyteller.