My Top 20 Films of 2024

So far, in our awards, we have looked at Action, Cinematography, Costumes, Emotion, Fun, Music, Tension, Worldbuilding, Best Animation, Best of Australia & New Zealand & Best TV of 2024

However, in this last entry into our Best of 2024 awards, we crown our Best Film of 2024.

All films are subjective, so our list might look completely different from yours. Of the 116 films we reviewed last year, 110 had their Australian Theatrical/Streaming Release in 2024. This is the list from which we draw our entries, and you can see the complete list of movies HERE.

Much like last year’s list, we have had many staggered releases towards the end of the year in Australia. So we may have films here that were released in 2023 for you but 2024 for us, and there may be some omissions here because we won’t get those films until later in 2025.

Highly CommendedThe Beekeeper, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Fall Guy, How to Make Gravy, Inside Out 2, The King of the Indies, The Kitchen, Rebel Ridge, The Rooster,  Transformers One, Turtles All the Way Down, Twisters & Wicked   

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The Best Australian and New Zealand Cinema in 2024

It was a fantastic year for Australian and New Zealand Cinema, with each film I saw knocking it out of the park. Some works held up a mirror to society, those that explored Indigenous voices, and those that brought the action to a new level.

This list will look more at the locally made Australian and New Zealand productions/co-productions and not just films filmed in those countries.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Better Man, The Convert, Force of Nature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Nugget is Dead & Runt

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Buried, Nautilus & Population 11

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Worldbuilding that Astounded Us in 2024

One of the benefits of film is that it is a visual medium, which means that it can do in a frame what it might take a book several pages of description to pull off. We see this the most in its ability to build worlds in front of our eyes.

These worlds could be great space operas exploring galaxies, a small period piece that looks back in time, or anything. But when every part of the film is used to tell a story, you know it is good.   

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Abigail,A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Moogai, The Mountain, Saturday Night, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Wicked  
 Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Agatha All Along, Black Doves, The Diplomat, Earth Abides, The Gentlemen, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Penguin, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Shrinking, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Wars: The Acolyte & X-Men ’97    

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The Costumes of 2024 That Made Us Say ‘Hot Damn’

You can use many techniques to help build your world, ground your setting, or give dimensions to your characters. You can use music and create elaborate sets, but one of the best ways is through the costumes you make.

People instantly judge a character within moments on the screen, and the outfits are essential to that first impression. More than this, you can also use costumes as a way of storytelling. What do they say about this world? What do they say about how a character is progressing? 

Costumes can build worlds and tell us details we can only see, but also, they can make us say, ‘Hot Damn’, look at that beading on that dress. That must have taken hours to do!

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Bikeriders, Challengers, Deadpool & Wolverine, Gladiator II, The Holdovers, Hundreds of Beavers & Monkey Man      

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: The Diplomat, Doctor Who, Dune Prophecy, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Penguin, Star Trek: Discovery & Star Wars: The Acolyte    

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Movie Review

TL;DR – It is a film that roars to life and explodes on to the screen, captivating you with every turn.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Furiosa stands alone in the desert.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Review

Well, this was always going to be an interesting film for me. The last entry in the Mad Max Saga, as we are now calling it, Fury Road, blasted onto the world and had a profound effect on me. It is one of those rare films that I have watched over and over again, and each time, I found a new detail I had missed before. It is in my Top 10 Films of All Time list for a reason. This means that there was some trepidation when I walked into the theatre wondering how a prequel to that film could stand up, but the second my seat reverberated with a motorcycle roar, I knew that I was in for something exciting.

So, to set the scene, a young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) is living in the green land of many mothers when she comes across three bikers who have discovered their hidden sanctuary. Being captured, her mother (Charlee Fraser) chases Furiosa across the desert till they make it to the roving camp of Praetorian Jack (Chris Hemsworth). He sees her value as the one person who knows where the place of abundance is and brings her into his collection, which is where she first meets the leader of the Citadel, Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme).

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