It's time for lists! While we're trying to settle back in to regular life after the holidays, why not look back at the year that was for a little bit of comfort? "Art is balm for the brain, especially in moments of decision" after all. For us, it'll take a lot of balm to get over last year, so we're gonna dwell in the past this little moment longer to talk about our favorite films of 2024.
And when we say we, that means we've coerced everyone at Culture Combine to come up with at least two movies they really loved this year. Settle in for a satisfying scroll and a good ol' game of "What did they miss that makes this article an absolute travesty?"
To kick it off, let's start with Julian Ramirez's picks:
Dune: Part Two
The trend of needlessly splitting a book into two movies has been an epidemic worthy of ridicule, but rarely has the method been so necessary and expertly done as director/writer Denis Villenue and co-writer Jon Spaihts have with Dune The story feels surprisingly fit for it as the first film showcased the fall of the house Atreides and Dune: Part Two focuses on Paul Atraides' rise to power on the spice planet.
Everything that made the first film great is somehow improved with the sequel. The beautiful cinematography feels all the more epic which lends itself to the more action oriented film. There is powerful acting from everyone involved (even if Christopher Walken is a bit distracting) especially from Timothee Chalamet as he transforms from a young and naive soldier into a begrudging leader who seemingly knows exactly how bad things are going to get with or without him.
At 166 minutes, Dune: Part Two rushes by without ever feeling bogged down by the enormity of its story. There are certain departures from the source material, but they all feel perfectly aligned with the more measured take on the space opera. It all builds on itself wonderfully and culminates in a satisfying way. With another movie likely on the way, Dune: Part Two could have easily fallen to the pratfalls associated with middle film, not being complete without its other parts, but Villenue’s deft hand has ensured it's able to stand on its own.
Immaculate
It’s been an undeniable year for horror movies and Immaculate may be one that gets lost in the shuffle despite its solid efforts. Starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, Immaculate is their second collaboration and better of the two. Centering on Sweeney as an innocent nun who moves to a convent in Rome where she discovers she is immaculately pregnant with what most everyone around her believes is the son of God. Sweeny shines in her role, giving every bit of nuance to her timid turned desperate character.
Immaculate is a throwback if there ever was one, harkening to Italian Giallo films and nunsploitation of yesteryear. The film never quite succumbs entirely to the extremes of those genres, but it definitely comes close with a few religious side characters feeling more like caricatures at times and the creeping pace disrupted by a jumpscare or three. Immaculate surely wears its influences on its sleeves but isn’t beholden to them.
The film’s final scene is one of the best in recent horror memory. It’s a completely satisfying conclusion, both emotionally and narratively, and leaves the audience with a burned-in image that you won’t soon forget.
Marielle's picks:
Woman of The Hour
Woman of the Hour is a retelling of a “stranger than fiction” tale about a serial killer who once appeared on an episode of the Dating Game, and Sheryl, a down on her luck actress, played by Kendrick. In real life, Rodney Alcala, the “Dating Game Killer” was convicted for murdering 7 women, but according to some reports may have murdered up to 130.
While we know who the killer is right away, the brilliance of Woman of the Hour is that danger comes from all sides. Pete Holmes as Terry seems like a loveable sheepdog, but constantly makes unwanted advances. The cocky lothario that is Bachelor 2 obviously sees women purely as objects, and even the “well intentioned” men like audience member Laura’s otherwise kind seeming boyfriend, just dismisses her as crazy when she correctly identifies Alcala as the killer.
Also telling, amidst all the actual danger surrounding Sheryl, the part of the movie that feels the most dangerous is when Sheryl bucks the rules of the dating game and starts asking the men pointed questions like “What are girls for?” thus invoking the wrath of the show’s host, Ed.
Perhaps even scarier, in contrast to just about all the male characters, Rodney, the actual killer, seems refined, funny, even likeable - and would likely be the last of the terrible people in this film we’d suspect as having brutally raped and murdered two women at the time he appeared on the show. He’s “the danger” but at every point in the show, at every single moment, Sheryl’s been in danger, simply because she exists in the world as a woman. Woman of the Hour is about the monotony and bald reality of being in constant danger, and that’s what makes it truly terrifying, and a must watch in my book.
Turning Red
Pixar stands out as a studio largely based on its ability to craft a unique story that’s accessible to everyone yet doesn’t shy away from complicated topics. If you’ve ever had the experience of being a person who menstruates, you know it’s complicated. There’s a lot of angst that comes from being a ‘neonate and having a body that’s doing things you don’t understand while you’re feeling all kinds of feelings you don’t know what to do with. On top of that your little undeveloped brain thinks that because you’ve reached or are about to reach thirteen, you’re basically an adult, even though everyone (especially your family) is still treating you like a child.
Turning Red’s main character Mei is obsessive, anxious, dramatic, cringey, kinda mean, super silly and, basically, the quintessential obnoxious ‘neonate. And who wasn’t obnoxious at that age? Being a ‘neonate is a lot, when you really think about it. What’s beautiful about Turning Red is that it doesn’t shield its main character from the weird, ugly, incredibly embarrassing parts that even adults don’t always want to talk about. It’s about how you can butt heads with your mom at every opportunity but still desperately need her, about how a community of women cares for and protects each other - and it’s a beautiful film as well, in large part due to the stunning backdrop of Toronto, specifically featuring the Chinese Canadian community there. If you missed it streaming in ‘22 or in the theaters in ‘24, correct that in this new year.
Aaron's Picks:
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
While it might not be “movie of the year,” Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a delightful sequel to the iconic 1988 Tim Burton movie. And though Hollywood has long been too awash with sequels, franchises, and reboots, Burton bringing back some of my favorite childhood characters to the big screen didn’t feel like a nostalgic money grab, but an homage to the original and introduction/continuation of the story for a younger generation.
Many of our characters return, with Michael Keaton returning as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder a now widowed Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as stepmother Delia. While the Maitlands’ have since moved on, Lydia and company are joined by daughter Astrid, played by the perfectly cast Jenna Ortega, a local boy love interest (Arthur Conti), Beetlejuice’s revenge-seeking wife (Monica Bellucci), and a dead cop (Willem Dafoe), along with a host of monsters and ghosts both new and old.
Keaton fits back into the role of our villain turned teammate like a pair of well worn shoes, albeit a little older. Ryder and Ortega make a great estranged mother daughter pair, and you can feel both the tension and underlying love. Lydia’s boyfriend Rory, played by Justin Theroux , pulls off being a creepy grifting con-man pretty well -- maybe a little too well.
While characters are played well and Burton’s design of both the Earth and the now sprawling afterlife are gorgeous, the plot does somewhat falter. At times it feels like our characters were thrown into a kitchen sink from four different bowls, only loosely interacting at times. While it was good to see some old tropes and fun set pieces return, sometimes they do feel a little bit thrown together.
Despite these stumbles, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was at its core, what I hoped it to be – a FUN throwback. I might’ve been scared a little shitless as a child watching the first installment, but growing up watching it again and again, that movie became a lighthearted and fun exploration of life and death, with heaping hunks of bizarre creatures and sets. The second installment felt very similar.
It’s not an Oscar-worthy film and at a refreshingly speedier than most movies these days - an hour and thirty two minutes – not an in depth exploration of anything. But I never expected it to be. Once again, it was just an enjoyable and fun movie. While the story might’ve been a little less coherent than the first and a little less dramatic, it was still a great time.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Let’s face it, superhero movies have been an exhausted franchise for quite a few years now. We’ve been living in an oversaturated market of capes, masks, powers, puns, and one-liners for entirely too long and I’m not the first to have wanted off this ride. That oversaturation though, is one of the things that made Deadpool & Wolverine – the MCU’s third installment of the Deadpool series – good.
Much like the first two installments of the series, it doesn’t take itself seriously at all. And despite the red and black suited foul mouthed mercenary donning mouse ears for this one, the movie doesn’t hold back. If anything, Deadpool & Wolverine is even more foul-mouthed and excessively violent than its first two editions.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have fantastic reluctant love/embraced hate buddy comedy energy, and the cast of familiar Deadpool cameos and new to this universe(s) ones keep the fun and energy moving. While the story itself is a little slapdash and basic, tying everything into a bow via Loki was well executed.
There’s probably nothing that can save the superhero genre anytime soon – it’s as overdone as the driest holiday turkey one can’t even stick a fork in. But Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t feel like it was trying to do that. Much like dinner leftovers cobbled together into a delicious brunch the next day, it was just a fun blockbuster filled with the fan-service we’ve come to love and expect from this particular corner of the Marvel universe, and just as rewatchable as the first two.
Alex's picks:
Saturday Night
I’ve always been a fan of Saturday Night Live, and while most of my friends were quoting their favorite Adam Sandler jokes or Will Ferrell sketches, I was more curious about the process. Writing, crafting scheduling--it all fascinated me. The idea of making this show happen reminds me of spinning a million plates at once, where when one wobbles, it threatens to take the entire collection down with it. While Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of SNL book or shows like 30 Rock did their best to give peeks into the background of the show, I wanted more. Queue Saturday Night.
Saturday Night is a retelling of the two hours before the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live goes live. This is where we get a mostly full view of the chaos that goes into every single episode. The drama between personalities and production, constant re-writes and test jokes, the ever looming threat of everything about to go off the rails in a flaming catastrophe. It gave me everything I could want in that view, while also including some of the classic stories you may have heard retold throughout the show's tenure. It’s not 100% accurate of course, but brings the viewer into the chaos while entertaining them thoroughly.
The Substance
I’m not the biggest horror fan, but there was something that drew me to The Substance. It’s no secret that there is a deep-seated fault of ageism that exists in Hollywood towards women. In The Substance, Demi Moore plays a famous television fitness instructor who is getting forced out of her show on her 50th birthday. It’s here that Demi discovers “the substance,” a miracle drug that promises a younger, fitter version of you. This unlocks some of the best body horror that I’ve seen in a very long time.
The transformation into a fitter, younger you is less of a transformation and more birthing a clone of yourself from a giant gaping hole out of your back. It’s a wild visual that is as auditorily wet as it looks with buckets of blood being thrown about all over this film. There’s a fun back and forth adversarial relationship between Demi and her younger ‘fitter’ clone that plays like a celebrity wrestling match, with both playing the heel. There’s an antagonistic nature to it, despite them essentially being the same person. By the end the relationship devolves into a massive discussion on fame's fleeting embrace as time makes fools of us all. Nothing gold can stay.
Hundreds of Beavers
I was not prepared for Hundreds of Beavers, or the nostalgia it would pull out of me personally. What is presented in this film is a throwback to the days of Tom and Jerry, or the Three Stooges. The classic 1920s, 1930s absurdist black and white slapstick comedy with close to zero dialogue. From beginning to end, every bit of this wild tale of love and revenge hits right in the funny bone.
The story begins with our hero Jean getting famous for his apple orchard and distillery but soon after many drunken evenings, it’s all set ablaze by beavers chewing through the wood beams. Now it’s up to Jean to become an animal hunter to rebuild his wealth and possibly win the love of the local merchant's daughter. Of course, his redemption arc crosses paths with those pesky beavers and all hell breaks loose in a final battle of wits. It’s silly, it’s ridiculous and rarely does it make sense, but man, it makes for a solid evening viewing. Technically this has been in the festival circuit since 2022, but it didn’t get its official release until this year. More people need to see this movie.
These are our picks - were any of yours the same? Let us know your favorites from the year in the comments!