NOTE — The goal of the Top 40 is to find a more objective ranking of the favorite films of the year. Projects have a score based on their average critic and audience ratings (to consider quality and satisfaction) plus the average amount of ratings they receive overall (to consider impact and reach). Then, films are separated into four categories in which there is a top ten for each, resulting in a “Final Four” rather than a “Best Picture.” The reason for separation is that some projects have such different intentions they shouldn’t be cross-compared. Final rankings for 2024 movies will publish on March 01, which allows end-of-the-year releases to have a few weeks of reception.

STOCK DRAMA

* Played more straight, with less action or fantasy.

43.82
— I’m bummed I haven’t been able to see this yet. It finally made its way to North Carolina but at just two theaters with limited showtimes. It’s got the highest “satisfaction” scores of any drama and makes it to the top because of wider viewership in Brazil/South America and Western Europe and also due to strong support in the larger, US cities it has played to date. … Once it hits streaming, I think its score will rise and have more room at the top.
40.65
— Really squared the circle as far as making something art and pop and subtle and loud. As such, the high ratings kept up even as the audience scale boomed on streaming.
40.30
— Bum-bum-bum-BUUMMM. Cue the upside down Statue of Liberty, one of the numerous, fantastic images or frames in the film.
39.45
— Not yet seen, but I’ve enjoyed to Timothee Chalamet performance art /promotional tour around it.
39.16
— I think this movie could have had a shot at number one but they just didn’t … release it? And so, its scale/number of ratings score was lower. I saw it in July when it had a couple weeks run at one theater in Raleigh. In general, it never had a wide-ish release and still isn’t on streaming. I’d be curious as to what happened along the way in distribution, because it is a very worthy film to see.
39.10
— A cool concept done well. Strangely, it feels like if the movie came out in the time period its set (1970s), we’d be eyeing it as a potential cult classic. It’s harder to see that kind of thing, though, with streaming movies.
39.00
— Horror is the surest thing there is, as far as making this list. Just make a solid movie and because horror is so popular, it will be seen wide enough to land in the Top 40 or damn near close to it.
38.42
— Horror is also the toughest thing to pin down, as far as which “type” a movie is. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like the characters in a horror are more farcical but the actor plays to that sincerely. So, in that sense, the performance of the absurd character is in fact playing it more straight?
37.87
— This was a surprise. It was never on my radar. It came out in May to almost zero recognition, but then - go figure - its inspiring, family drama story played well on Disney Plus.
37.71
— Not seen to date.

STOCK FARCE

* Played less straight, with less action or fantasy.

44.70
— To be honest, I’ll probably never see it. I should see it, but I don’t think I will. The body horror ain’t for me. But, I’m always going to champion more original or offbeat stories getting made and also take pleasure in any of those stories breaking through like this did. Cheers to everyone involved.
42.42
— My favorite movie of the year (although I still have a couple more to see). It’s easy; I just love a screwball tale but with drama and ideas.
40.30
— Listening to a long cut of Hot In Herre while the trio had awkward conversation during a party was a top moving-going moment this year.
37.97
— It’s possible that Adria Arjona should be a superstar.
37.95
— No shade to Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin who are really great in this movie but I kept thinking about Rain Man with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman and how it was the biggest movie of 1988 and how sometimes I wish I was older so I could have lived to see big-ass movie stars doing character studies and then those studies being both creative and financial hits. … What a time it must have been.
37.77
— Not yet seen but on the list.
37.07
— What a funky idea.
36.45
— Not seen to date.
36.28
— A really solid and warming time at the movies (or, you know, in bed watching a movie). Shout out June Squibb; she was movin.’
36.25
— It’s quirky; it’s fun, but also, you’re gonna cry.

STUNT DRAMA

* Played more straight, with more action or fantasy.

61.20
— Movies like Dune are the reason separate, distinct categories are needed in honoring “best pictures.” It’ll get a token nod in awards races but those ceremonies always go to the more intimate (non-franchise or action) stories. But the “art” is no less in Dune than it is in I’m Still Here, for example. The intentions are just different. One is meant to be spectacle; one isn’t. They are made to be received differently and so should be recognized differently as well.
46.20
— I think this was my personal favorite in the category. Actually, my expectations were too high and so on first watch, I was a little underwhelmed, but a second viewing proved that this movie - like its predecessor FuryRoad - just does sh*t like nothing else can.
42.95
— The best entry into the franchise in a while, in my opinion. I loved how practical the material settings were and thus how real it felt. Movies will never be old-school cool again but in a world dominated by CGI, I appreciate that they went lighter on it here.
42.10
— Robert Eggers isn’t for me, but I do appreciate him embracing the weird and bringing it into the mainstream.
42.05
— Unfortunately for War people disproportionately remember the first 5% and the last 5% of a movie.
39.55
— Haters will say Denzel Washington got the part for DEI.
39.35
— I usually struggle with animated or motion capture characters and stories but these movies have always kept me pretty engaged.
38.33
— Not seen to date. Don’t think it ever made it stateside, but lands here out of solid-to-strong ratings in Europe.
38.32
— Good enough but the ending was lame. Shoulda slobbed down in the airport while the music swelled, like, come on, get real.
37.42
— In a short time it got almost as many ratings as larger, tentpole projects, and yet, it’s not in the culture like those projects. Is that a Netflix thing?

STUNT FARCE

* Played less straight, with more action or fantasy.

53.15
— Take it or leave it.
43.25
— I’m happy for everyone else.
41.35
— Yeah, I got down with it.
38.70
— Guy Ritchie gonna do guy things.
38.17
— I ain’t mad at ya for going again.
37.02
— I didn’t know Jim Carrey was in these joints so I might check it out now.
36.57
— Not seen to date.
36.50
— Like, what is The Rock?
36.22
— I’m not bullsh*tting; this was one of my favorite movies of the year. It’s classic “so-bad-it’s-good” fare. Look, sometimes you gotta pig out and - putting McGregor’s dumb ass aside - I had a great time watching (good) bad performances and ludicrous action in a nice, destination setting.
35.95
— When you’re down, do what lifts you up [Will Smith reference].

REVIEW — 1 To speak broadly, the year was slightly underwhelming. The industry strikes certainly attributed to that, as projects got pushed out of the year. From what we have, though, I’m not sure anything really “lives on.” Maybe The Substance and maybe, actually, Challengers. 2 If you follow the ‘biz, you might have noticed that Emilia Perez is nowhere to be found here. It wasn’t even in the top 40 of its category. That’s because, with all due respect, it’s a poor movie. It’s bold, sure, but so are lot of bad things. 3 I got my eye on the “Stock Farce” category. I’d like to see more pure or lighter comedies. The fact is there weren’t that many made this year, but also, the score system might favor “higher brow” dramedies. We’ll see next year. 4 Two movies I really liked that didn’t make the cut: Horizon Ch. 1 and Flow. I’m in the bag for a western/war epic and I know Horizon wasn’t great, but it was solid and I respect the innovative(?) though narcissistic approach to making it happen. … For Flow, I’m not much into animated fare but I caught this on streaming and found it so engaging. Well done. I considered including animated movies in the rankings. A few qualified; maybe next year. On one hand, the Top 40 should just be about the best fictional stories, no matter the medium. But on the other hand, animation is a different medium and it felt wrong to have The Wild Robot in competition with The Fall Guy. *

tar honors

NOTE — While we’re celebrating the best from last year, let’s also honor some anniversary films that have most endured since their time. Below, we’ve picked a “final four” of films from the years 1924, 1949, 1974 and 1999. That’s movies from 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. The films were chosen using the same score and type framework from above, with a caveat being that what was a “blockbuster” 75 years ago might be considered just a “drama” by today’s standards.

STOCK DRAMA

1999
A death row guard learns that a gentle giant in his charge possesses a mysterious gift.
— To be honest, I’m blanked on this movie. I know I saw it, but it hasn’t stuck with me like other 1999 dramas. I was surprised to learn of its apparent stature in line - and above - movies like The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Eyes Wide Shut and more.
1974
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
— Probably won’t say anything, you haven’t heard.
1949
Several people try to talk 27-year-old Noriko into marrying, but all she wants is to keep on caring for her widowed father.
— Watching Tokyo Story (1953) and Late Spring back-to-back was formative in my film loving and making experience. They taught me how to be still and to take care (in the frame).
1924
An aging doorman is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbors and society after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel.
— To those less familiar with the silent era, a major trend was that Germany was an artistic powerhouse, offering some of the greatest and most lasting works in the 1920s. Of course, that faded as the nation did.

STOCK FARCE

1999
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
— The acidic farce really solidified in the 1990s. Movies like Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, even Goodfellas aren’t really funny, but, they are certainly farcical, in comparison to a more standard drama.
1974
In order to ruin a western town and steal their land, a corrupt politician appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
— What a wild time.
1949
A distant, poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight, other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.
1924
A shy ,young man who can't talk to women ventures out to publish a book full of fictional conquests, but finds true love along the way.
— There were a couple Buster Keaton classics, like Sherlock Jr., that scored higher but I ultimately made a 60-minute rule for the rankings. That being the minimum length for a project to be considered a “feature” film.

STUNT DRAMA

1999
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth: the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
— I’m a little on an island, in that I’m not as engaged by The Matrix movies, but, I understand their immense craftsmanship and meaning in film.
1974
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way, they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within.
— See the above note. Just squeaks in as a “stunt” movie before things really change in the mid-to-late ‘70s.
1949
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.
— Interestingly, this would probably be a “stock drama” today. Such has the scale and possibilities of movies changed since the 1970s/Star Wars.
1924
The sudden fortune won from a lottery fans such destructive greed that it ruins the lives of the three people involved.
— “There Will Be Blood.”

STUNT FARCE

1999
The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.
— Eh, not the strongest year for frolics or adventures.
1974
An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.
1949
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.
— One of my top 10, favorite films of all time. It feels out of place, with these three, super silly movies, but I think it’s the right move. Man is bouncy and quirky, and well, maybe everything sort of was before 1950, but that damn zither (and thus musical score) heightens the camp.
1924
Two, spoiled rich people find themselves trapped on an empty passenger ship.
— For a time, it was Buster Keaton’s and Charlie Chaplin’s world and everyone else was just living in it.

REVIEW — The above is such a wonderful and symmetrical view of the changes in film over the last 100 years. You’ve got the silent era, which we often overlook, but should know that there was a whole generation (30-40 years) of movies before synchronized sound came along. Then, you’ve got 1949 - right in the heart of the “Golden Age” - before moving into 1974, which was near the start of the “New Wave,” when movies became modern. Finally, 1999, and the last moments before widespread internet, social media, et al. It’s wild to know that Fight Club is the same distance from today as it is from The Godfather. From the shape of things over 100 years, it would seem that we are approaching - or are in - a new age/wave/era. What is it, exactly? *