Happy 2025! It’s hard to believe that the first quarter of the 21st century is already done and dusted. It seems like it was just a few years ago when I was partying like it was 1999 because it was 1999. I hope you’re having a good start to the new year.

You’ve probably seen more than a few “Best of 2024” movie lists around the Internet over the past few weeks. If you’ve read my annual recaps, you know that I do something a little different. My lists aren’t “bests” because by the time January rolls around, there are always a few films that I still haven’t seen. As is the case again this year, these films are only released in selected markets in the US (i.e., New York and Los Angeles) in the last week of December so that they can qualify for Oscar consideration and they won’t get a general release until early in the new year. The delay is even more extreme here in Hong Kong where some of these films won’t get a local release until March or April. Looking at my list now, five of my favourite films from 2024 fell into that category and that’s why my list of favourite films this year has 15 entries. Some of them were 2023 films that didn’t make it here until 2024.

Without further ado, then, here is my list of the films I enjoyed the most last year:

15. Love Lies Bleeding

Kristen Stewart may not be the most polished actress working in Hollywood today but I respect her for taking on indie and edgy projects in between her big budget films. Her choices don’t always hit home runs with audiences or critics but you have to admire her willingness to sometimes take the road less travelled. That’s certainly the case with LOVE LIES BLEEDING. This is one seriously erotic film before it shifts gears and becomes a surrealistic thriller. It’s THELMA & LOUISE literally on steroids and it’s intense. Go K-Stew!

14. Hit Man

I’ll readily admit that I had written Glen Powell off as a flash in the pan after his performance in TOP GUN: MAVERICK but after watching HIT MAN, I joined the fan club. His performance here is so brilliant that I even broke down and watched his 2023 film, ANYONE BUT YOU, and I surprised myself by enjoying it too. His co-star in HIT MAN, Adria Arjona, also seems to grabbed everyone’s attention, including Jason Momoa’s, and she is now busy starring in and producing a slew of films that will be released in 2025.

13. Civil War

Writer-director Alex Garland’s (ANNIHILATION) dystopian film has less to do with the political left battling the right than it does with a group of journalists and photographers who are trying to cover the turmoil that has thrown the US into complete chaos. Although the film stars Kirsten Dunst (THE BEGUILED) and Cailee Spaeny, (ALIEN: ROMULUS), it’s Dunst’s real-life husband, Jesse Plemons (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON) who, in just seven minutes, steals the film with his chilling performance as a militiaman whose utterly awesome Armear red sunglasses make him seem even more fearsome.

12. Emilia Pérez

I didn’t know anything about this film going into it other than that it was a musical starring Zoe Saldaña (the STAR TREK franchise). Not being a huge fan of either, I had to muster up the nerve to watch it just to see what all the fuss was about. I’m glad I did because EMILIA PÉREZ is a film that sits with you long after you’ve watched it. A cross between SICARIO, MRS. DOUBTFIRE and pretty much any telenovela, it’s less of a musical than an operetta. Who knew that songs could have lyrics that include vaginoplasty and penoplasty? Saldaña, who has made a lucrative career out of being in franchises, finally has a role that’s worthy of her talent and she delivers the goods. The film’s biggest revelation though is Karla Sofía Gascón, who is well known in Mexico for her appearances in a number of telenovelas and films.

11. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I’m starting to see a trend here with my choices. Like HIT MAN and EMILIA PÉREZ, I was not looking forward to watching the latest film in the MAD MAX saga but just like those two films, I was pleasantly surprised. Forty-five years after MAD MAX burst onto our movie screens catapulting little-known actor Mel Gibson to stardom, and nine years after MAD MAX: FURY ROAD introduced audiences to Imperator Furiosa, director George Miller and his co-writer Nico Lathouris (FURY ROAD) pulled off the impossible. They made a MAD MAX film that combines all the souped-up, post-apocalyptic vehicles, imaginative costumes and makeup, fantastic stunt craft and amazing camerawork that we’ve come to know from this franchise with something its predecessors were all short on – a solid story. Anya Taylor-Joy (THE MENU) is fabulous as the adult Furiosa, ably stepping into Charlize Theron’s shoes (or perhaps it’s the other way around as this is a prequel) and proving that she can be a badass action star too. Chris Hemsworth’s (the EXTRACTION films) performance, though, is on a whole other level. With his prosthetic nose and hilariously shrill Australian accent (yes, I know the actor is Australian but this isn’t his usual accent), Hemsworth chews up every scene he’s in. If you’ve never seen a MAD MAX film, this is a great place to start.

10. Wicked

Lions & tigers & bears, oh my, it’s another film that I didn’t expect to like but I did. Twenty-one years after WICKED first premiered on stage, the movie adaptation is every bit the spectacle that the stage version is, perhaps more so as it’s much longer than the version that millions of people have already seen. Part One of WICKED is just a few minutes shorter than the whole play is. Director Jon M. Chu’s (IN THE HEIGHTS; CRAZY RICH ASIANS) dream cast of Cynthia Erivo (WIDOWS), Ariana Grande (DON’T LOOK UP), Jeff Goldblum (the JURASSIC WORLD franchise), Michelle Yeoh (EEAAO), Jonathan Bailey, (TV’s BRIDGERTON), Bowen Yang (TV’s SNL) and others all bring their A-game to this production and the film’s 160-minute runtime defies gravity and flies by.

9. The Seed of the Sacred Fig

A film that few people have seen so far outside of film festivals, I predict that THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG will be one of the best films of 2024 that you will see in 2025. The film has been chosen by Germany as its entry for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscar Awards and it was recently announced that it had made it to the shortlist of nominees. Given the politics surrounding the release of the film, its director and many of the crew, it has a good chance of winning although it has some formidable competition coming from EMILIA PÉREZ.

8. All of Us Strangers

Released in December 2023, ALL OF US STRANGERS went straight to Disney+ in Hong Kong in February 2024 without getting a commercial release here. It is a film that has really resonated with me, probably because my parents passed away in 2022 and there were more than a few things I would have liked to have asked them but never did. With strong and understated performances from Andrew Scott (1917) and Paul Mescal (GLADIATOR II), and an evocative soundtrack from the 1980s that includes Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “The Power of Love”, ALL OF US STRANGERS is one of the most underrated films of that year.

7. Robot Dreams

Another film from 2023 that didn’t make it to Hong Kong until June 2024, ROBOT DREAMS was easily one of the most joyful, sad, uplifting, poignant, witty and tender films I’d seen in years. This animated tale of friendship is an absolute delight from beginning to end. It was nominated for an Oscar award but it lost out to THE BOY AND THE HERON.

6. Perfect Days

Yet another 2023 film that didn’t make it to Hong Kong until January 2024, PERFECT DAYS is a Japanese-language film from German director Wim Wenders (WINGS OF DESIRE; PARIS, TEXAS). The story follows Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho/役所 広司, SHALL WE DANCE?), a dedicated cleaner for the Tokyo Toilet Project. A gentle man of few words, the film has very little dialogue; in fact, minutes go by without anyone saying anything. All there is for much of the film is watching Hirayama carrying out his duties diligently. It works effectively well as we get to know the man through his actions rather than through his words. The film was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar award but it lost out to THE ZONE OF INTEREST.

5. Dune: Part Two

Released last March (or February 29th here in Hong Kong), I predict DUNE: PART TWO will be forgotten come Oscar time. Sure, it will garner a bunch of technical nominations but I doubt it will win few if any awards come March 2nd. If so, it will be too bad because DUNE: PART TWO is a visual spectacle to behold. While there was no naked Sting save for his blue winged codpiece in this film, DUNE: PART TWO has something even better: a shaved Austin Butler (THE BIKERIDERS) shot using infrared filmstock. Awesome!

4. Anora

One of the most surprising films of the year, ANORA is writer-director-producer-editor Sean Baker’s (RED ROCKET) latest look at people who make their living in the sex industry. Featuring a seemingly authentic performance from Mikey Madison (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD) with support from a cast of relative unknowns that include Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov, two actors you’re going to see a lot more of very soon. Expect to see Oscar nominations for Baker, Madison and Borisov. The film may even take home the Best Picture award.

3. Poor Things

Another film from 2023 that didn’t reach Hong Kong until the end of February 2024, POOR THINGS was one of the most daring films I saw last year. Emma Stone took home a well-deserved second Best Actress Oscar for her role as the free-spirited Bella Baxter who discovers the joys of “furious jumping” while on a whirlwind adventure with lothario Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo, SPOTLIGHT). Although director Yorgos Lanthimos’ (THE FAVOURITE) follow up film, KINDS OF KINDNESS, failed to connect with audiences, he’s busy working on his next production, BUGONIA, starring Stone and Jesse Plemons. It’s due out in November.

2. Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラ-1.0)

Unlike in the US and in many European countries, GODZILLA MINUS ONE never got a commercial release here due to the agreement that Toho, the film’s distributor, has with Legendary Pictures, the distributor of GODZILLA x KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE. Thou shalt not have two Godzilla movies playing in the cinema in the same calendar year. Like many of us here in Hong Kong, once the film showed up on Amazon Prime Video in Japan in May, I had to find “alternative means” to watch it and I’m glad I did. This is how you make a kaiju film! Although there has been no word yet on a sequel, GODZILLA MINUS ONE leaves the possibility for one wide open. If it will be as entertaining as this one, I’m all in. In the meantime, a black-and-white version of the film, entitled GODZILLA MINUS ONE/MINUS COLOR, has been released. Now that we’re in a new calendar year, let’s hope it gets a commercial release here.

1. The Substance

In a year of daring films, THE SUBSTANCE gets my vote for the most daring. Writer, director, producer and co-editor, Coralie Fargeat (REVENGE) knocks it out of the park with her sendup of Hollywood’s obsession with youth and beauty. Featuring a fearless performance from 61-year-old Demi Moore, the film is a unsettling balance of satire and body horror that pays homage to some of Hollywood’s classic horror films such as THE FLY, THE SHINING and CARRIE. The film will certainly garner more than a few Oscar nominations and Moore may finally get the respect that she’s long been denied.

So what’s missing from my list? These are the films I have yet to watch:

A Complete Unknown
All We Imagine As Light
Babygirl
The Brutalist
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu

And now, my not-so favourite films of 2024:

3. Joker: Folie à Deux

I was really torn about including this film in this list. While I admire director Todd Phillips (JOKER; the HANGOVER films) for taking a big swing by making a musical, or perhaps he was just thumbing his nose at the suits at Warner Bros. and all the DCEU rabid fanboys and fangirls, JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX is just a complete misfire. Maybe it’ll be a cult classic in about 20 years but for now, it’s just a bad memory from last October.

2. Go For Broke (重生)

There are so many films from China that I could have chosen because they’re all the same these days but this one really stands out for its lack of coherence, poor writing, insanely bad performances, historical revisionism and, of course, its patriotic propagandistic subtext. GO FOR BROKE is yet another garbage movie from a country that once made great films.

1. Borderlands

A complete mess from start to finish, BORDERLANDS is a 102-minute joyless slog that’s full of generic action sequences and clunky dialogue. When the nominees for the 45th Razzies are announced on January 16th, expect this film to feature prominently. Director Eli Roth (THANKSGIVING) needs to go back to making thriller and slasher films.

Do you agree or disagree with my choices? What are some of your favourite and not-so favourite films from 2024? Let me know!

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