Hollywood won’t soon forget 2024.
The year saw a theatrical rebound, of sorts, from the pandemic and dueling strikes. The stars gave their all for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and came up less than empty.
All the while the threat of A.I. (and savvy YouTube creators) invaded studio executives’ dreams.
Through it all, the industry delivered a few outstanding stories between the prequels, sequels and remakes. None of the latter made this list, for what it’s worth, but they still clogged the box office charts.
‘A Complete Unknown’
Hollywood loves musical biopics, even if some recent ones came and went without a fiscal trace. We’re looking at you, “Back to Black” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”
We don’t know the box office fate of this Bob Dylan tale, but it’s easily the best musical biopic since Joaquin Phoenix Walked the Line (with “Unknown” director James Mangold, too. Hmmm.)
Timothee Chalamet lives up to his immense hype as Dylan, the inscrutable singer whose songs captured the ’60s angst to a “T.” The music matters, of course, but it’s how Mangold assembles the familiar pieces that makes it an essential watch.
It’s refreshing to revisit an artist who created for the right reason – because he had no choice.
‘Am I Racist?’
Who knew we needed a new Borat and his replacement was a mild-mannered Daily Wire podcaster?
“Am I Racist?” rocked Hollywood by making a mint (by documentary standards) and forcing film critics to avoid it like a naked kale salad.
Matt Walsh’s deadpan shtick dressed down DEI “experts” in funny and profound ways. “Racist?” delivered some of the year’s biggest laughs while doing the work the corporate media refused.
‘Wicked’
The film proved as wonderful as its press tour was cringe-y. That’s saying something.
The first of a two-part Oz prequel captured the Broadway show’s magic, starting with two wondrous performances by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Their big, booming voices led the way, spotlighting a sly deconstruction of a pop culture institution.
Who cares if Jeff Goldblum’s voice lagged behind his talented co-stars?
‘The Brutalist’
They don’t make ’em like this anymore. It’s big, ambitious and brimming with bravura performances. Adrien Brody is a lock for another Oscar nomination for playing a Jewish architect rebuilding his life in America in the 1940s.
The film’s butt-numbing run time required an intermission, but the sumptuous story deserved to be shared in its totality.
‘A Real Pain’
The timing certainly boosted this dramedy about dysfunctional cousins trekking through Poland. We witnessed a year-long attack on the Jewish people, from Hamas hostage takers to college students pledging allegiance to hate.
Enter director/writer/star Jesse Eisenberg’s small, powerful film about Jews reconnecting with their roots.
The story features an oil and water duo (Eisenberg and a terrific Kieran Culkin play the squabbling cousins), but the cultural backdrop seeps into the story. That delicate balance shows Eisenberg as a serious talent behind the camera, while Culkin can look forward to a busy awards season.
‘Saturday Night’
The timing here proved … calamitous. “Saturday Night Live” is a shell of its old self, lacking the verve of its formative years. The Counter-Culture became Cancel Culture.
Sad!
Why revisit the show’s debut when the current model should be put out to pasture? How about, “Because it reminds us why we cared about “SNL” in the first place.” That’s why.
Director Jason Reitman captures the behind-the-scenes chaos as well as the anything-goes spirit that made “SNL” matter. The actors tasked with bringing Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Gilda Radner to life got close enough to complete the cinematic spell.
The rest is a mad dash toward the very first, “Live from New York … it’s Saturday Night!”
Honorable Mentions: “Between the Temples,” “The Bikeriders,” “Dune: Part II” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”
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