So, in January I stopped watching films to sum up my 2024 list, yet since that day I’ve seen a number of other missed 2024 films that blew me away. I feel they are worth mentioning here:

-Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (2024, dir. Johan Grimonprez)

As dense as it is energizing, as beautiful as it is powerful, this jazz-based documentary about Patrice Lumumba is a remarkable work, immediately leaping to the top of my 2024 list.

-Mars Express (2023, dir. Jeremie Perin)

An animated science fiction detective conspiracy thriller - set on Mars - flips so many satisfactory triggers for me that I’m shocked I didn’t know about it sooner. Action and humor and pathos from unexpected sources, it’s a terrific piece of work.

-Heretic (2024, dirs. Scott Beck & Bryan Woods)

What I thought was going to be another overhyped elevated horror flick turned out to be immensely smart and unsettling, with another latter-career performance by Hugh Grant. So damned good.

-A Complete Unknown 92024, dir. James Mangold)

This beat all my expectations, and destroyed all my concerns. I was on a terrific high from start to finish. The first Chalamet performance I’ve really been wowed by; and Mangold maintains his record as one of the most reliable directors around.