OK, this time I really did cut back on movies. When I say “cut back” what I mean is I watched only 291 movies, which is only cutting back if you start at a baseline of 508 movies watched. Partially this is because we didn’t do Fantasia in 2024; really, though, I made myself be less obsessive, watched more TV, and so on. Also I had a nasty case of something at the beginning of the year which left me exhausted for most of the rest of the year; I want to say it was COVID but who knows? Either way my workday evenings were less useful than once they were.
I did SIFF again, with a festival pass this time. I only saw 22 movies because of the aforementioned fatigue factor. I didn’t see as many movies I loved but I saw some really good ones, including my second favorite movie of the year. Janet Planet is awesome. After the first three or four the movies kind of tailed off into a tight group of enjoyable but not excellent movies.
I haven’t nailed down my top ten 2024 movies yet because I give myself a month or so to catch up on a few more 2024 movies post-Christmas. For example, I’m gonna see Nosferatu and Nickel Boys in January. I will be hugely surprised if anything surpasses the amazing The People’s Joker, which found new ways to tell a very personal story. Otherwise, though, there’s some room for changes. The current list is here, and I expect to cut it down to a top 20 in February. Top ten was feeling too limited.
I started the year with Sátántangó. Now I know I can sit through a seven hour movie if it’s really, really amazing! I did take the intermissions. It’s a remarkable deliberate construction; every shot in the movie has purpose and adds significance to the whole. It’s about demagogues and the trust they abuse. It doesn’t provide much hope. I decided this should be a tradition — watching a long movie on January 1st — and I saw an incredible Argentinian movie this year, but that’s 2025. Eh, I guess it’s cool to read ahead. I very much hope to have more to say about Laura Citarella and the film collective of which she’s a part next year.
If I had a theme this year, it was Radiance Films. I did not resubscribe this year, because we didn’t finish the 2024 subscription and because I have enough interesting Japanese and Italian crime thrillers in my library right now. I still love their taste and I’m very glad we did one year of subscription, though.
S. and I successfully finished Boofest, our date night challenge. Second year running. Five 5-star movies for me this year, wow. Two of them were from Kurosawa, who I am getting to appreciate more and more.
My most watched actor was Phillip Kwok. Also a lot of Lo Meng, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng… yeah, I spent quality time with the second Arrow Shaw Brothers boxed set, which has a ton of Five Venom movies. Good stuff. Outside the Shaw crowd, I also saw five films starring Tomisaburō Wakayama, courtesy of Radiance. My most watched director was Krzysztof Kieślowski, since I log each Decalogue episode separately (and as a result, Artur Barciś also snuck into the list of most watched actors). New to me directors: Damiano Damiani, whose 60s Italian politically infused crime thrillers are great and Tai Katō, who I don’t love but certainly like.
I also finished up Céline Sciamma’s filmography with great pleasure. Let’s see. Four films from Lukas Moodysson, including those two very experimental ones that are hard watches. I am up for following his vision anywhere even when he misses. Three Mike Leighs — I also got a great book about his work, Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh. Like Sciamma, he is completely dedicated to the human condition and I vastly appreciate his career.
I guess that’s about it. If I had to guess I’d say I’m going to keep digging into Argentinian cinema in 2025; I bumped into impressive Argentinian work from a number of different directions this year and I’m pretty fascinated. S. and I have plans for Fantasia again, which is exciting, and I already have my SIFF pass for 2025. We have also set out our date night challenge for 2025, which looks excellent. I feel like getting back to the canon a bit; perhaps I’ll make more progress on my Great Directors watchlist? Finally, I am not gonna lay any expectations on myself for numbers — I will watch what I watch and be happy with that.
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