Looking back, I realize it is a plus that I became aware of the Oscars around the age of 10, because, at that age, I did not think of the Academy Awards as being something political.
While I can clearly see the political aspects nowadays, there is still a little bit of that naivety I have held on to that translates into this being the best night of the year for movies, even if the “best” never really comes out on top.
That said, I’ve been doing my predictions since I was 13, so I have no intention of stopping now.
My good friend Kenneth is a worthy cinephile, but since the release of Megalopolis, we have been fervently discussing our differences over the film: I was genuinely disappointed (yet still eager to try it again), and he (like many) truly hated it.
Yes, the film does not work, but I could at least see (somewhat) the idea Coppola was going for as he went for a big swing (in a year full of big swings in the cinema). If he is reading this, Kenneth should know I did see more than ten films worse than Megalopolis…and not one of them are Hot Frosty. (I did thankfully dodge a bullet by not seeing films I have heard are trash such as Borderlands, Harold and the Purple Crayon, The Crow, and Kraven the Hunter).
That said, here are the 10 worst films of 2024 that are totally worse than Megalopolis (not including that one movie I saw for free on Twitter by someone I refuse to say makes movies: Kenneth knows who I am talking about).
It is clear that we are feeling the true effects of last year’s strikes.
I supported the strikes, but as a cinephile it came at a cost: This year’s movies would not be strong. As of this writing, I’ve seen just under thirty movies that were released this year (I have yet to see certain titles such as Challengers and Kinds of Kindness), and none of them were five stars (though some were close).
Still, I have hope, as the second half will give us the likes of Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters, Sing Sing, Longlegs, Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and plenty more (I don’t care what the reactions were at Cannes; I am still stoked for Megalopolis.)
With the only a few days left until the Academy Awards, my predictions are finally done, but at the cost of a few things, namely, that I don’t have all the photos I would normally have with this post.
(On the plus side, I did have time to see all the shorts).
Much of that has to do with the same old story of me overthinking certain categories and not knowing what to pick. That is not to say that there are not certain categories that are easy to predict. the real question of Oscar night will be how many awards will Oppenheimer sweep and how many will the rest get?
There are a lot of positives and negatives to look back on in 2023 when it comes to cinema, both industry wise and personally.
Of course, Hollywood had a big dent in the year with two strikes (which I did support, for what it is worth), While they have thankfully ended, we will probably feel the fall out of them in this upcoming year (and possibly into 2025). Looking back at the amount of films I have seen (just shy of 80, which is more than I have done in previous years), I saw nearly 90 percent of them (whether in theater or streaming) by myself. It would really be nice to have my friends and family have a better schedule for me, but such is life.
In the past month, I found myself doing something I never imagined I would do in my time on this planet:
I started watching Hallmark movies.
My first was Holiday Road, followed by titles such as Christmas with a Kiss, On the 12th date of Christmas, A Biltmore Christmas, Norwegian Holiday, and Christmas on Cherry Lane. Much of this was “pressure” from my insistent (and wonderfully amazing) cousin Monroe.
Admittedly, I was not planning on doing a report of the first half of 2023, but obligation did kick in, so here we are.
It has always been no secret that the first half of a calendar year is not as strong as the second half, but that is not the fault of the films that are actually good.
With that in mind, here is a brief look back at what we have gotten so far this year…
Proof the Rom Com is still alive:
Streaming on Hulu, Rye Lane is a brisk 82 minute flick full of 21st century heart and laughs. I truly would not mind if this film lasted a little longer.
Proof that coming-of-age dramadies are still alive:
I never read the book, but I can only imagine this was a breath of fresh air to those who grew up adoring Judy Blume’s classic Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret. Abby Ryder Fortson is a true gem, and this is honestly the best I have seen Rachel McAdams in years.
Best based on a true story about a product:
A tie between Air and Blackberry, both equally enthralling films in their own right.
How to properly end a franchise (potentially):
Despite its run time and refusal to give us time to breath, John Wick: Chapter 4 did bring a fitting end to an action saga in the likes of which we have not seen before.
How to not end a franchise (potentially):
While not a horrible film, you don’t end this franchise with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. You end it the way it always should have ended: with Indy and company riding off into the sunset after the last crusade.
Best Villain of the year so far:
As memorable as Jack Black was as Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, no villain has made a better lasting impact than that of Jonathan Majors’ Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Here is hoping all works out for him in his personal life that he can stay on the MCU roster.
Best Comic Book/Animated/Sequel/Action/Multiverse Film of the year so far:
Duh.
I mean, no offense to the other films that fit this description, but come on: ain’t no way it would not be Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Worst Comic Book/Animated/Sequel/Action/Multiverse Film of the year so far:
I know what you are thinking: “Mark, The Flash was not animated!”
True, but it may as well have been, because that is how horrendous the CGI was.
Between this and Nefarious, I am struggling over which is the worst of the year so far.
Best of the Year so far:
While other films like How to Blow Up a Pipeline were spine tingling in its own way, nothing stole my breath like Past Lives. Believe the hype you have been hearing about the film: It is that good.
Welp, here we go again. I am coming in at the 11th hour, but my predictions are ready. Sadly, I did not get to seeing all I wanted to in time, but such is life.
True, last year I lucked out in going 21/23 (my best to date), but perhaps I am being too modest in saying you should take that with a grain of salt. The only true prediction I know for sure is that Will Smith won’t be there.
Note: As always, I know nothing about the idea of betting odds or anything, so don’t come yelling at me if you lose money.
Like my 2021 list, I rounded out the number of films I saw in 2022 at about 70 films. Unlike 2021 (or the last few years, for that matter), this year is not a top 20.
I’ve always been vocal in saying there are no bad movie years, but 2022 was a tad dull when compared to the likes of 2021 (and certainly to the juggernaut that was the 2019 movie year).
This also could factor into something that hasn’t happened to me in sometime: I did not get to rewatch any movies on my list (save one). That is more on me than the movies themselves (I did watch some more TV this past year than previously, and while not a movie, I can’t stop praising the amazing Andor.)
As always, I had my share of blindspots, so movies you won’t see on here include:
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Babylon
Barbarian
The Black Phone
Close
Devotion
EO
Living
A Man Called Otto
No Bears
Pearl
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
X
Finally, the honorable mentions
Aftersun
Ambulance (a movie I finally caught up with and may be Michael Bay’s best film since The Rock).
Nothing else to say 