“The Substance” dominated the 2024 awards by the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA), earning Best Film, Best Director and both Lead and Supporting performances for Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, respectively.
Continue reading Indiana Film Journalists Association 2024 AwardsTag Archives: 2024
Trevor Stucker’s Top 10 Movies of 2024
This has been my biggest year of new release watches in my time of review writing. From festival premieres to streaming releases, I have seen a vast number of 2024 films. Like most years, there are some films that I have yet to watch that could end up on this list. Films like The Brutalist, I’m Still Here and Babygirl are ones that I have not watched that could easily end up here. Out of the 190+ new release films I’ve seen this year, these ten stood out as my favorites of 2024.
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A Complete Unknown Review
A Complete Unknown
- Director: James Mangold
- Writer: Jay Cocks, James Mangold
- Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy
Grade: B+
I’ve personally always been softer on musical biopics compared to most. Sure, most of these movies follow the same exact formula, telling the same rise and fall narrative, that movies like Walk Hard and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story mocked relentlessly. But some movies, like Elvis or Rocketman, add some more much-needed personality to the subgenre. But more often than not, we get movies like Bohemian Rhapsody or Bob Marley: One Love, which treat their subjects as if they are literal superheroes.
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The Order Review
The Order
- Director: Justin Kurzel
- Writer: Zach Baylin
- Starring: Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Alison Oliver, Jurnee Smollett, Marc Maron, Odessa Young
Grade: C+
Nicholas Hoult has been busy in 2024. With films like Juror #2, Nosferatu, and a voice role in The Garfield Movie, Hoult has proven himself to be an incredibly versatile actor during this year alone, with more massive projects on the way. With director Justin Kurzel’s The Order, Hoult displays a layer of darkness that I have yet to see in his projects, carrying the film from a forgettable crime drama to an enthralling experience.
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Maria Review
Maria
- Director: Pablo Larraín
- Writers: Steven Knight
- Starring: Angelina Jolie, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Haluk Bilginer
Grade: B-
During his introduction of his latest film Maria, director Pablo Larraín espoused a childhood fondness for the opera, and a hope that the art form could return to its more welcoming, populous roots. With this in mind, it’s clear that Larraín’s film has great reverence not just for the opera itself, but for its subject, Maria Callas. It’s a thread that has connected a number of his films, especially his unofficial trilogy exploring the inner lives of the 20th century’s most misunderstood women, but there’s something missing from his latest entry, and part of it may be because of her unfamiliarity.
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Gladiator II Review
Gladiator II
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Writer: Chris Morgan, Hiram Garcia
- Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielson, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger
Grade: B
Ridley Scott is one of our more interesting filmmakers working today. Like many of his era, he’s directed many films that have been hailed as all-time classics, like Alien, Blade Runner, and of course, the original Gladiator. However, over the past two decades, Scott’s track record has gotten much shakier with misfires such as The Counselor and Robin Hood. It really wasn’t until The Martian in 2015 that Scott felt like he was fully back in form. At least for a little bit.
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Wicked Review
Wicked
- Director: Jon M. Chu
- Writer: Winnie Holzman
- Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Jeff Goldblum
Grade: A-
The movie musical is back in a big way with the long-simmering adaptation of Wicked thanks to director Jon M. Chu and the undeniable chemistry of its leads. Since its premiere on Broadway, Hollywood has tied itself in knots trying to figure out exactly how to film its version of Gregory Maguire’s novel, and while it may not be perfect, Chu’s vision does right by the material – a more difficult feat to accomplish than expected. Yes, technically, Wicked is only half of the story (part two is currently scheduled to be released in one year), but it’s one of the breeziest, most enjoyable moviegoing experiences of the year.
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Red One Review
Red One
- Director: Jake Kasdan
- Writer: Chris Morgan, Hiram Garcia
- Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, JK Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Nick Kroll
Grade: C-
Red One has built up an interesting reputation ahead of its release. Starting production in October of 2022, the film was meant to release during Christmas of 2023, but many problems started to grow. The film delayed production for a multitude of reasons, including rumors of Dwayne Johnson’s constant tardiness and set days missed. Then, the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike delayed the film’s release a whole year, with Amazon MGM choosing to stick with the holiday season release.
After all this time, is Red One able to overcome the controversies and obstacles that came their way? Not really.
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Disclaimer Episode 7 Review
“VII”
- Creator: Alfonso Cuarón
- Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, HoYeon Jung, Louis Partridge, Leslie Manville, Leila George
Grade: B
Warning: This review of episode 7 of Disclaimer will contain spoilers.
After last week’s reveal of Catherine’s version of the events in Italy, a number of questions remained. But the biggest question for Disclaimer lies in how much of her retelling is actually the truth. The show has dealt with a number of ideas throughout its run, especially in the second half, but it’s primarily concerned with the unreliable nature of storytelling. What one person recalls could be totally accurate, or it could be only half true. As the season finale, “VII”, begins, we see more and more of Catherine (Cate Blanchett in present day, Leila George in the past) retelling her truth to Steven (Kevin Kline), and the result is a powerful piece of storytelling and direction from Alfonso Cuarón.
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Here Review
Here
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Writer: Eric Roth
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Dannie McCallum, Joel Oulette, Daniel Betts, Kelly Reilly
Grade: B-
Robert Zemeckis was once one of the top filmmakers in Hollywood. And for good reason. He had delivered hit film after hit film on a consistent basis, ranging from blockbusters like Back to the Future and Oscar-winners such as Forrest Gump.
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The Movie State 