I am a massive movie fan. I love the theatrical experience. What scares me is the fact that this experience is on the verge of death. With all that is available for streaming now, it upsets me the most. Call me old. Call me old-fashioned. Call me out of touch. You can label me in whatever way you want. However, throughout my life so far, I have been a massive fan of the experience of watching a movie in a theater, on a gigantic screen, and taking me into real worlds, fantasy worlds, and worlds that are a little of both.
2024 feels like the start of the nails driving into the coffin of cinema. Theaters are struggling to remain viable, and the movies they show don’t last in these venues before they are available to stream on some television channels. This trend is rather scary to me. As a film critic, I have the distinct pleasure of experiencing films as a lot of these movies deserve to be experienced–on a massive screen, with an excellent sound system, appearing larger than life, and sounding incredible.
Now, I realize not all films deserve this treatment. However, even some of the smaller, more soft-spoken movies could use a boost of attention from the theatrical treatment. These are the movies that speak to our hearts and stimulate our minds, but I am afraid that this experience is coming to an eventual end. I initially wanted to write this piece with the enthusiasm I usually have, but now I feel trepidation that cinema is changing for the worse.
I don’t have any easy answers for a solution. It is simply the state of cinema these days. 2024 was an unusual year that dealt with the aftermath of a writers’ strike that delayed a lot of films that were released this year, with an assortment of movies whose releases were stalled due to negotiations. As a result, some directors had more than one film to release.
The reality is that the state of cinema is very messy. I rewatched one particular film to take my mother to the movies, and even she was frustrated with the amount of commercials she had to endure before we actually watched any trailers. The reality is that theaters are struggling, which does not bode well for this experience.
This problem scares me because I still love watching movies in a theater. I am not wealthy, so while I have a decent big-screen television, it does not compare to the experience of watching a film on a large movie screen with a fantastic sound system. I realize that some people are more fortunate and blessed than I am, but most people like me, who love the cinematic experience, treasure watching a movie in a theater.
I didn’t originally plan on writing a rant like this, but based on my experience this year, I feel that I had to express my fears of the death of a unique experience I think a lot of people take for granted. 2024 was an unusual experience for film critics because we were exposed to films released in theaters and on streaming platforms. Like I usually do, I took it all with a grain of salt and felt fortunate that I was able to witness most of the films in a theater.
Thankfully, many movies are still worthy of the theatrical experience, and all of the ones I have selected for my top ten and other awards are worthy of such. I don’t know what 2025 has in store for cinema, but I hope I can continue enjoying the cinematic experience in a dark theater, as worthy cinema deserves to be witnessed.
Here are my top ten movies of 2024, along with my choices for some specific categories:
THE BRUTALIST
SING SING
ANORA
DUNE PART II
NICKEL BOYS
THE SEED OF A SACRED FIG
THE SUBSTANCE
CHALLENGERS
FLOW
A REAL PAIN
Best Director: Brady Corbet: THE BRUTALIST
Best Actor Male: Colman Domingo/SING SING
Best Actor Female: Mikey Madison/ANORA
Best Supporting Actor Male: Kieran Culkin/A REAL PAIN
Best Supporting Actor Female: Margaret Qualley/THE SUBSTANCE
Best Original Screenplay: Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold/THE BRUTALIST
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar/SING SING
Best Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke/NOSFERATU
Best Score: Daniel Blumberg/THE BRUTALIST
Best Editing: SEPTEMBER 5
Best International Film: THE SEED OF A SACRED FIG
Best Documentary: WILL & HARPER
Best Animated Film: FLOW
Though it was a good year at the movies, the continued commercialization of cinema has finally begun to scare me. It not only affects the quality of the art, but also how it is best experienced.