The Year in Film: Superlatives & Related Lists

My Year in Lists, 2024 — Movies (Part Two)

Wrapping up my year-end wrap-ups with some movie superlatives and my wishful thinking Oscars ballot.

Sorry about all the emails/posts this week. I don’t usually publish so often! Just one more coming later this week, for some reviews of movies out this coming weekend, and then there will be a nice little break. Have a happy new year!

Ten Favorite First Watches

In the order in which I saw them.

• A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

• Sherlock Jr. (1924)

• Rope (1948)

• Cabaret (1972)

• Harakiri (1962)

• Paper Moon (1973)

• Cinema Paradiso (1988)

• The Fall (2006)

• The Holiday (2006)

Superlatives & Other Ephemera

Most New York 🗽

• Anora

• A Different Man

• Robot Dreams

Most Bay Area 🌉

• Dìdi (弟弟)

  

Made me 😭 in a movie theater

My tear ducts didn’t get much of a workout this year… at least not in public.

• Interstellar

• His Three Daughters

• We Live in Time

• Here

• Realizing I was watching Amélie on Valentine’s Day, alone, in a room full of people on dates.

Foodie Movie Moments 🍗

• The Taste of Things: every dish, but especially ortolans, gorged on millet, drowned alive in Armagnac, fried, eaten whole with a sheet over one’s head so God can’t see such indulgence.

  

• The Substance: rotisserie chicken, prawns

• Dìdi: talking steamed fish

• All We Imagine as Light: fish curry and electric rice cooker

• Kinds of Kindness: finger sausages

• Touch: monkfish liver

• A Quiet Place: Day One: Patsy’s Pizzeria

• Babygirl: milk and cookies

  

Good at Being a Bad Movie

• Carry-On

• The Idea of You [August Moon forever!]

• Madame Web

• Trap

  

  The Trap Split Diopter Shot

Bad at Being a Bad Movie

• Y2K

I Feel Like Such a Hater Because I Don’t Get What You All See in These Movies 😡

• Wicked: Part One

• How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

• Monkey Man

• Deadpool & Wolverine

Movies I Seem To Enjoy a Lot More Than Others, Why Are You All Such Haters? 😭

• Anyone But You (2023)

• Trap

• Oh, Canada

• The Shrouds (2025)

Notable Needle Drops 🎶

• “Uncle ACE” - Blood Orange, Challengers

• “I’m That Girl” - Beyoncé, Blink Twice

• “All My Loving” - The Beatles, Here

• “The Homeless Wanderer” - Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, All We Imagine As Light

• “O Canada” - Phosphorescent, Oh, Canada

• “Thong Song” - Sisqo, Y2K

• “Feeling Good” - Nina Simone, Perfect Days

• “Brand New Bitch” - Cobrah, Kinds of Kindness

Favorite Screening Experiences

• Stephen Horne playing piano, flute, and accordion while accompanying the silent film Pavement Butterfly (1929)

• The packed MoMA audience laughing and crying along with the 4K Restoration of History Is Made at Night (1937)

• Seeing my friend Connie give a Q&A as an impact producer for New Wave

• Baby’s first NYFF press screening (Grand Tour)

• Megalopolis at the AMC Lincoln Square IMAX theater

• A string quartet performing the Phillip Glass score for Dracula (1931)

• Interstellar at the AMC Lincoln Square IMAX theater

• Halina Reijn’s simultaneously hilarious and insightful Q&A for Babygirl

Oscar Contenders I Hope Are Nominated for Best Picture, Because the Corresponding Dish for My Dinner Party Would Be Really Good

• Conclave — beet tortellini

• Emilia Pérez — French “tacos” al pastor

• Challengers — churros

• The Substance — syringe shots, roast chicken, head-on prawns (please Academy, make this happen!)

Wishful Thinking Oscars Ballot

Without regard to the Academy’s eligibility rules and shortlist process, this is what I would nominate across various categories. In no particular order.

• Best Director

  • Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw The TV Glow

  • RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys

  • Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed of the Sacred Fig

  • Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine As Light

  • Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

• Best Actor

  • Glen Powell, Hit Man

  • Sebastian Stan, A Different Man & The Apprentice

  • Josh Hartnett, Trap

  • Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

  • Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

• Best Actress

  • Zendaya, Challengers

  • Lily Collias, Good One

  • Mikey Madison, Anora

  • Kani Kusruti, All We Imagine As Light

  • Demi Moore, The Substance

• Best Supporting Actor

  • Javier Bardem, Dune 2

  • Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing

  • Yura Borisov, Anora

  • Guy Pearce, The Brutalist

  • Jay O. Sanders, His Three Daughters

• Best Supporting Actress

  • Auli’i Cravalho, Mean Girls

  • Joan Chen, Dìdi

  • Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson

  • Ariana Grande, Wicked

  • Sunita Rajwar, Santosh

• Best Cinematography

  • The Taste of Things

  • Trap

  • Nickel Boys

  • All We Imagine As Light

  • The Brutalist

• Best Film Editing

  • Furiosa

  • The Brutalist

  • Soundtrack to a Coup d’État

  • September 5

  • Rap World

• Best Original Score

  • Evil Does Not Exist

  • Challengers

  • I Saw The TV Glow

  • The Brutalist

  • Emilia Pérez

• Best Original Song

  • “Compress / Repress” - Challengers

  • “Guard Down” - The Idea of You

  • “Starburned And Unkissed” - I Saw The TV Glow

  • “Another Season” - I Saw The TV Glow

  • “Like A Bird” - Sing Sing

• Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Nickel Boys

  • Oh, Canada

  • The Room Next Door

  • Hit Man

  • Sing Sing

• Best Original Screenplay

  • Challengers

  • Anora

  • Juror #2

  • His Three Daughters

  • A Real Pain