Families Like Ours (2024) | REVIEW

Paprika Steen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in Thomas Vinterberg’s FAMILIES LIKE OURS — PHOTO: Per Arnesen/TV2.

Series created by Thomas Vinterberg.

Dogme95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg has had quite the career. He burst onto the scene with his sophomore effort, the Cannes-darling and Danish classic The Celebration, and, though he struggled in the early 2000s overseas, he rebuilt his career on home soil with Submarine and The Hunt, the latter of which was a particular international success critically and with awards bodies. In the mid-to-late 2010s, he took another stab at filmmaking overseas with Far From the Madding Crowd and Kursk (with the Danish drama The Commune sandwiched in between the two). Then, at the very beginning of the 2020s, his binge-drinking dramedy Another Round took him to new heights as he not only accepted an Oscar and a BAFTA for the picture but also became the first-ever Danish filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Now, he has turned to TV, as he has crafted a television series about the calamitous potential of climate change that works as an eye-opener and much more. For me, it’s been one of the most interesting shows of 2024.

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Conclave (2024) | REVIEW

Ralph Fiennes in Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE — PHOTO: Focus Features (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Edward Berger — Screenplay by Peter Straughan.

How do you follow up successfully directing a German-language version of All Quiet On the Western Front to critical acclaim and multiple little golden men statues from the Oscars? It’s a good question, and it is exactly the kind of challenge German filmmaker Edward Berger had in front of him. Now, two years later, we have our answer with Conclave, as Berger has crafted yet another adaptation of a major novel. This time around his film is a big screen adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 thriller novel of the same, and his adaptation was written by Peter Straughan, a BAFTA-winning co-writer of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Straughan’s writing and Berger’s direction are paired with a stellar cast spearheaded by Ralph Fiennes, together that trio has brought us a political thriller for grown-ups that is deeply engaging. 

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Red One (2024) | REVIEW

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans star in Red One — PHOTO: Karen Neal/Prime.

Directed by Jake Kasdan — Screenplay by Chris Morgan — Story by Hiram Garcia.

In Jake Kasdan’s Red One, not to be confused with the similarly titled Red Notice also starring Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson, we follow Callum Drift (played by Dwayne Johnson), the commander of the so-called E.L.F. (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification), who spends his Christmases as the head of security for, and bodyguard to, Santa Claus (played by J.K. Simmons). However, after Callum has made it clear to his boss that he wants to retire because of how many people are on the naughty list this year, Santa Claus is kidnapped. Desperate to get him back to the North Pole safely, Callum Drift seeks out the black-hat hacker Jack O’Malley (played by Chris Evans) and demands that he helps him to get him back, since O’Malley was reportedly the person who revealed the secret location of Santa’s workshop.

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Anora (2024) | REVIEW

Mikey Madison as the title character in Sean Baker’s ANORA — PHOTO: Neon (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Sean Baker — Screenplay by Sean Baker.

When Sean Baker walked up to the stage to accept the Palme d’Or prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, he stood next to George Lucas, who had just received an honorary award. There the legendary creator of Star Wars, essentially the blockbuster film that changed the direction of American cinema for the next many decades, stood next to perhaps the most well-known American independent filmmaker who was enjoying the biggest moment of his career with his latest film, Anora. Arguably, no two filmmakers could better symbolize the vast breadth of American filmmaking, and here Baker was becoming the first American competitive Palme d’Or winning director in more than a decade (since Malick in 2011). Frankly, for Baker, Anora marks arguably his feature with the most public appeal. 

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Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024 – Documentary) | REVIEW

HCN991 SUPERMAN, Christopher Reeve, 1978. ©Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is likely to be remembered as one of the best documentaries of the year and, at the same time, also one of the most emotionally overwhelming. It is an incredibly moving portrait of the man who became synonymous with the Man of Steel and whose life was forever changed when he landed head-first on the ground after being thrown off a horse. Reeve’s story is well-known one: from a superhero superstar to a man paralyzed from the neck down forever fighting for improvements for people with disabilities, as well as the opportunity to walk again potentially. But this documentary takes you a step further.

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Drive-Away Dolls (2024) | REVIEW

Geraldine Viswanathan and Margaret Qualley in Ethan Coen’s DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS — PHOTO: Focus Features / Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Ethan Coen — Screenplay by Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke.

Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls is set in the late 1990s and the film follows friends Jamie (played by Margaret Qualley) and Marian (played by Geraldine Viswanathan) go on a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida. However, what complicates things is that, due to a misunderstanding, the drive-away car that they are given the keys to a car that three criminals had planned to take and which contains an all-important cargo that they desperately need to get ahold of. As a result, while the more promiscuous Jamie tries to get Marian laid on the way to Tallahassee, criminals are desperately following in their footsteps in an attempt to retrieve what the drive-away car contains.

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Brief History of a Family (2024) | REVIEW

The family that Yan Shuo (played by Sun Xilun) tries to insert himself into in BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY — PHOTO: Films Boutique (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Lin Jianjie — Screenplay by Lin Jianjie.

Lin Jianjie’s Brief History of a Family (or ‘Blood and Water‘ as it is called in my region) is a Chinese mystery thriller flick that follows a young man, Yan Shuo (played by Sun Xilun), as he attempts to ingratiate himself with the wealthy parents of a classmate. This all happens after said classmate, Wei (played by Lin Muran), deliberately chucked a basketball at Shuo, while the latter was doing a pull-up exercise. When Shuo is injured, Wei takes pity on his classmate and invites him back to his parents’ apartment to play video games. When Shuo tells Wei’s family about his bleak daily life, they, too, take pity on him and begin to admire him for being everything Wei isn’t. As Shuo gradually becomes more and more a part of their family, Wei becomes jealous, while his parents’ past insecurities are revealed. 

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Blitz (2024) | REVIEW

Elliott Heffernan in “Blitz,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Directed by Steve McQueen — Screenplay by Steve McQueen.

Despite sharing a name with the celebrated American Bullitt-actor known as the so-called ‘King of Cool,’ this film’s director, the British Steve McQueen, has done a lot to cement himself as one of British filmmaking’s most clear artistic voices, while at the same time becoming not only a critical darling but also someone who has been celebrated at award shows and, in general, for his contribution to culture. After he burst onto the scene as a feature filmmaker with the capital-g great films Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave, and the underseen Widows, McQueen went on to make Small Axe, a phenomenal anthology series about racism, activism, and the joy and spirit of specific communities in mid-to-late 20th century Britain. Since then he has been knighted, and then gone on to make a couple of attempts at documentary filmmaking with his Uprising and Occupied City. Now, with Blitz, he has made his return to narrative feature filmmaking, and while it is not quite as good as his best output, it is absolutely consistent with the artistic interests for which we have come to know him.

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Heretic (2024) | REVIEW

Hugh Grant in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ HERETIC — PHOTO: A24 (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (65) — Screenplay by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place; The Boogeyman).

Though not their directorial debut, writing-directing duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods had their mainstream, big studio debut as directors with last year’s Adam Driver-led sci-fi flick titled 65, which, despite having a great trailer, was a relatively disappointing and unremarkable film. This was a disappointment because, in recent years, the duo had proven themselves to be effective genre film writers with their awards-nominated A Quiet Place screenplay. With their latest film, Heretic, they’ve crafted a psychological horror film that proves their talents and that what they had done a couple of years earlier was by no means an accident or a fluke. This one is terrific.  

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‘The Piano Teacher,’ ‘The Iron Claw,’ and More | Review Compilation

(L-R, top row) The Piano Teacher (MK2 Diffusion); The Iron Claw (A24); The Watcher (New Line Cinema).
(L-R, bottom row) Imaginary (Lionsgate); The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate).

In this review compilation, I have shared my thoughts on a Michael Haneke classic, as well as one of the most devastating wrestling movies. In addition to this, I have highlighted three different horror films from 2024, none of which, sadly, won me over. Read more below to find out why that’s the case.

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