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The Guardian list of the best 2024 movies

Did you smash it

I’ll try and keep it short. Going by the brief synopsis offered the vast majority of these movies sound at best inaccessible to the average movie goer, at worst woke culture war fodder.

Where’s basic genre movies like classics like Heat or more recent good movies like Hell or High water?

Is this list just very guardian?

I’m not opposed to arthouse movies, Aftersun for instance is a fantastic arthouse movie.

I think I’ve only seen no 9 the holdovers from the list. It’s wasn’t anything worth recommending or remembering

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/09/the-50-best-films-of-2024-in-the-uk?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966344#Comment_122966344

Yeah, the IFI and Light House are the main ones to keep an eye on - virtually everything on that list screened across those two, though some do inevitably slip through without any Irish screenings (there are a LOT of films released every year and not enough screens for them). Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, for example, AFAIK got a small commercial release in London but only some once off festival screenings here in Ireland. I don’t think I’ve seen Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point screening anywhere in Ireland, though it’s on VOD already. A handful of the documentaries also mightn’t have gotten a run here.

I think The Guardian’s UK list is very strict on including films that only got a commercial release during the year. Whereas Sight & Sound can include everything - stuff that only screened in festivals, films without commercial distribution deals, films due a commercial release in the following year, and even some films that appear on two consecutive lists due to the gap between premiere date and wide release.

ancapailldorcha

Quite a lazy and poor quality OP. Of course, they got their dig in about "woke" and other edgy culture war drivel so that was obvious.

I don't recognise most of these but there are a few excellent films in there like Small Things Like These and Conclave.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966256#Comment_122966256

The middle ground of decent budget and decent exposure but not dumb movies is ever-shrinking alright. I think as soon as money is getting pumped into something at the moment, there's a drive to make it as broad appeal as possible, often at the cost of whatever made it an interesting idea in the first place. Looking back at many of the classics from the 70s in particular, if they were being made today there's not a hope they'd have been allowed to be as nuanced and brilliant as they were. For that level of introspection and character study you kinda need to look at smaller movies now.

Speaking of which, it's worth mentioning that when people are calling things artsy now, it's not like they're all some experimental weird yolks - most of them are actually the more grounded movies that tell smaller stories to make you think a bit and feel something. Feels a bit dismissive for a lot of them to just be labelled artsy or pretentious, rather than just trying to do something beyond the bare minimum of basic entertainment.

Anyway, was thinking another one missing from the list is Sing Sing, a reasonably likely top 3 candidate though.

khamilton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122965180#Comment_122965180

There's nothing passive aggressive or vicious in my response, and if you or the OP were insulted by it, that's on you. Put some work in on your own movie knowledge and tastes rather than blame others because you're seemingly unaware of what gets released in Irish cinemas (or as in the case of the OP, is one of those people who describes anything unfamiliar to them as 'woke' and therefore deserving of scorn)

Also, pretty much everyone who is into movies these days seems to share a mubi account where you can find many if not most of these movies for the price of a netflix subscription.

So I'd hardly call it inaccessible.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966115#Comment_122966115

Yeah, sure especially when it comes to wars with huge PR elements, it's as much (if not more) important that people SEE things happening. Like that famous Sadam photo in the moments he was captured (not that there was a journo there, the photo is uncredited, but the impact of the image was huge. So it's understandable why there actually is a specific special accreditation for some war correspondents to accompany armed forces on missions).

Romario11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966991#Comment_122966991

he’s entitled to have an opinion without being set upon, as we all are. You should be able to disagree with people without being so nasty about it. Its not in the spirit of a film forum.

Did you smash it

To address some of the points raised

1 - what movies would I add to the list? None. I read it to pick up movies to watch during Christmas. I’ve barely watched any new releases in 2024. The synopsis offered would not appeal for the vast majority of these movies. They might be well made films that will find a niche audience but they will never appeal to the average movie goer.

2- the guardian list maybe just a sign of the industry right now as some posters have alluded to. The days of classic mainstream genre movies like LA Confidential, Heat, Seven, City of God that are accessible to the average movie lover are gone. The best you can hope for is a hell or high water and killing them softly. Arthouse films are being made but aren’t really accessible to the average movie lover. There’s no Trainspottings coming out of the Arthouse. People with my tastes aren’t really being catered for if the list is a genuine list of the best films of the year.

So I’m possibly being unfair on the guardian and the actual issue is we are in a prolonged stage of a dichotomy between dumb cgi laden marvel movies and disaster movies on one side and on the other side we have Arthouse movies. My type that form a large bloc of movie audiences are caught between the sides.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967141#Comment_122967141

honestly, I think you’re positioning a lot of supposed ‘arthouse’ movies as an awful lot less accessible than they actually are. Most of the ones I’ve seen from the list are ones you get sucked right into no bother at all. Could just as easy/accurately call ‘em indies.

Speaking of City of God, there’s a great Brazilian movie this year called I’m Still Here.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967189#Comment_122967189

maybe…but no one’s really watching those movies are they? Even 2 years from now, who’s going to have watched the vast majority of movies on that list. It’s pretty niche in my view.

Romario11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967189#Comment_122967189

I think you are probably right. Indie movies is a better term. Gonna start watching some of these starting with number 4 and test the theory!

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967141#Comment_122967141

I think it's been a pretty good year for film, IMO. Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune II, Furiosa, Cuckoo, The Substance, The Apprentice, and Kneecap were all great to see in the cinema (when people behaved themselves, that is).

I've no idea why you dismiss everything as pretentious arthouse crap or MCU/DCEU nonsense. There's plenty in between though one entry in my wee list is an MCU film, it was fantastic so I'm including it.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966444#Comment_122966444

I watched it there. I’m not sure what it was really. I was mainly just confused at what it was trying to be. There’s no comedy or drama or tension, just … oddness.

If I didn’t know, it wouldn’t really surprise me that it got stellar reviews, it wouldn’t surprise me if it got one star reviews. I’m just totally at a loss of what films like this are.

Other opinions are available

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122968832#Comment_122968832

another one I really enjoyed… there was no shortage of tension there for me anyway. Thought it was a great classic neo-noir setup, taking some mad visceral detours along the way (a bit requiem for a dream at times, a bit Cronenberg at others).

p to the e

I don't know why people get so upset about someone else's favourite films of the year. Doesn't really matter if it's in a newspaper or in your head, they're all subjective. I see them more as suggestions for films I may have missed that other people enjoyed. Pick the ones that sound interesting and maybe give them a watch.

It's also the Guardian which will always have a left leaning slant to any article.

And it also has Peter Bradshaw as their chief film critic who is awful. It's become a joke at this stage that he basically gives away the plot of the film in his reviews.

FullBack Jam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122968832#Comment_122968832

Ya. I thought it dragged for the first half hour or so. Then it picked up a bit of pace and got interesting. But then just got too weird with the giant thing. If it just maintained a normal trajectory, I think I would have enjoyed it. But that particular piece of the film just threw me and was a bit silly.

The way I look at it - just because a film is strange, doesn't make it interesting or good.

Did you smash it

All of us Strangers was selected as #1

RickBlaine

I cannot take any post seriously that uses the phrase "woke culture war fodder". The reason is that "woke" is a term that is now so broad that it has lost all real meaning. Ask 10 people who criticize a movie for being "woke" and you'd get back 10 totally different definitions. For some people, the mere presence of a minority demographic in a prominent role means the movie is "woke".

Take No Time To Die - I've heard it being described as woke because a black woman is a MI6 agent (I guess that also makes The Day of The Jackal TV show woke by that definition), Bond has a child, and Bond dies at the end. I can appreciate why people may not feel the last two plot points belong in an escapist franchise with an established formula like Bond, but that just proves my point - "woke" is now used as a catch all term for whatever the writer dislikes.

FullBack Jam

Great post.

I has become perceived as trendy and "cool" to use the term woke.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967203#Comment_122967203

I've watched a fair few from the list. But honestly, expecting it to be the exact same as every other list is a weird thing thing to be disappointed by. A list that isn't generic that exposes us to movies we wouldn't ordinarily seek out is great. If this one doesn't suit you, I'm sure you'll find hundreds of sites that provide entirely generic movies.

Homelander

Not a bad list, have seen a handful of them and honestly hadn't even heard of many of them, but seems criminal that Civil War and The Substance aren't there.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122976756#Comment_122976756

Oh believe me, there's plenty of that going on in The Day of the Jackal thread too. A large contingent of posters seem to be watching it specifically so they can complain about the fact that Lashanna Lynch is in it.

Man Vs ManUre

I went to the cinema a lot in 2024, and my top 5 is Dune 2, Longlegs, poor things, Furiosa, the iron claw.

_Quilombero_

Longlegs was great alright.

_Quilombero_

Heretic another very good recent film IMO

Did you smash it

the order is a solid flick, late night with the devil is well put together, conclave was ok

Jim Herring

I watched Longlegs assuming it was going to be like ‘Silence of the Lambs’, it was grand, but not really my cup of tea due to the supernatural aspect.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123057225#Comment_123057225

Worth a watch? It's on Prime and I missed it at the cinema.

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122965829#Comment_122965829

That unplanned cameo was scene of the year

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123035321#Comment_123035321

Late night with devil is in my top 5

FullBack Jam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123035321#Comment_123035321

I watched The Order at the weekend. I enjoyed it. Based on a true story, so couldn't go too "hollywoody" on it. Good acting performances in the movie. And a good story.