Drama Movies of 2024
American Fiction (2024.6, Engaging , Savvy )
American Fiction is about racial stereotyping cast as a delicious comedy and moving drama. It is also, I think, a story about its own creation. (4*)
Anatomy of a Fall (2024.5, Puzzling , Murder ?)
An accident? A suicide? Or was it murder? Anatomy of a Fall will keep you oscillating between the possibilities even past the end. (4*)
Godzilla Minus One (2024.29, Lots-of-fun Smash )
Godzilla Minus One is a monster movie but it is also a surprisingly good personal drama that tells us much about Japanese national character. (4*)
Io Capitano (2024.17, Not Good , Lost )
Io Capitano is a harrowing tale of two teenage boys, attempting to immigrate to Italy from Senegal. While the story had promise, the movie lacks purpose and fails to define a consistent tone. (2*)
Maestro (2024.2, Powerful , Solid )
Maestro is a well told story of a romance between two individuals over decades and how it developed in the shadow of fame. (4.5*)
May December (2024.26, Uncomfortable , Emotionally Rich )
May December will leave you very uncomfortable, but that is precisely why you should see it. (4*)
Napoleon (2024.32, Stunning , But Bad)
Napoleon is visually stunning but fails to tell an emotionally engaging and understandable story. (1.5*)
Nimona (2024.13, Good , Little-Known )
Nimona may not be the best in animation, but it tells an important message about gender identity. (3.5*)
Nyad (2024.3, Disappointing , Tank )
Despite great acting by Bening and Foster, Nyad fails to develop sympathetic characters and an interesting story. (3*)
Oppenheimer (2024.11, Astonishing , Full )
Oppenheimer is an epic film that rewards the hard work required of the viewer. A full exploration of a man, physics, politics, and movie making. (5*)
Past Lives (2024.7, Simple, Love)
Past LIves tells the story of three characters in a whirlwind of fond memories, painful regrets, and doubts of self-worth. A simple and tightly emotional story, but not one you will long remember (3.5*)
Perfect Days (2024.16, Graceful , Simple )
Perfect Days will appeal to older generations who look for simpler, easier times and marvel in the way light filters through tree tops (komorebi) (4*)
Poor Things (2024.10, Beautiful , Sex )
Poor Things, the story of a baby’s mind in an adult woman’s body, is probably the most bizarre movie I’ve ever seen. It is also one of the best. (5*)
Robot Dreams (2024.27, Simple , Just OK )
Robot Dreams is an animated film with no humans and no dialog that conveys feelings of emotional connection but is mostly concerned with cute and fun imagery. (3.5*)
Rustin (2024.25, Ordinary , Pale )
Bayard Rustin almost single-handedly organized the 1963 March on Washington is, however, a very ordinary biopic. Watch it for Domingo’s performance, or don’t watch it at all (3*)
Society of the Snow (2024.15, Uncomfortable , Value )
Society of the Snow is a very difficult film to watch, but it is probably an essential one. It effectively makes you ask what you would do when faced with these choices. (4.5*)
The Boy and the Heron (2024.28, Interesting , Spirit )
The Boy and the Heron is beautifully crafted, but the musings of a man contemplating the end of his life and what it means to him. Not for everybody. (3.5*)
The Color Purple (2024.24, Disappointing , Rookie )
The Color Purple might work as a TV mini series, but the shifts in tone means that it works OK as a musical but not as a drama. (3*)
The Creator (2024.31, Pale , Not Good )
The Creator is a disappointing science fiction movie that could have had a great story but instead gets lost in the special effects. (2.5*)
The Holdovers (2024.8, Fine , Funny)
In The Holdovers, three people, rife with their own problems, spend Christmas break, 1970, with each other. It is funny and emotional. And it’s a Christmas Movie. (3.5*)
The Teachers’ Lounge (2024.18, Uneven , Edge -y)
The Teachers’ Lounge is an uneven film about a German middle school teacher caught in a web of increasing misunderstandings and uncertainty. (3*)
The Zone of Interest (2024.9, Disturbing , Truth )
The Zone of Interest is more than just a story of evil. But the film’s best characteristics are damaged by extraneous scenes. (3.5*)