The Big Hits of My Year

What Did You See That You Liked?

Time for the annual list of my top movies of the year. As is my practice, I limit my list to NINE selections. (Lots of reasons, the most important is that it’s my favorite number).

For the year, I watched a disappointing 34 movies. The goal is to hit 51 (I take the last week of the year off). So, I was 17 movies shy. I know I hit a lull for a while, but I’m amazed that it took out that many entries. That’s a third of the year. 2025 will be better.

As always, the list is of the movies that I thought were the best from this year’s selection. There are a couple movies I loved, but didn’t offer the overall quality that the nine finalists did. That doesn’t mean they are bad movies. Just missing the cut this year was “The Cooler”, “Jumanji” (w/Robin Williams), “Catch-22”, “Evil Under the Sun”, and “Deep Impact”. In the “guilty pleasure” category you’d find “Escape From New York”, and “Robot Monster”. You’ll find all the reviews on the blog. Hit the Movie button to see only movie reviews.

But the movies below offered something special in my opinion. I can recommend any of them if you’re looking for a good movie next year.

So here we go:

At NUMBER NINE, is “Dead End”. This is a classic 1930s gangster movie, that also offers social commentary along the way. With Humphrey Bogart in a great role as a gangster lost in the rose-colored memory of his childhood.

NUMBER EIGHT is “The Big Heat”. Here’s another film noir classic, directed by the legendary Fritz Lang. Glenn Ford stars as a cop investigating the suspicious “suicide” of another officer.

NUMBER SEVEN is the charming Christmas movie called “The Holdovers”. Starring Paul Giamatti as the cantankerous teacher at a private school who remains with the students who don’t go home for the holiday. A “coming of age” story for both the adult and youthful characters.

NUMBER SIX on the list is a surprise for me, “The Sandlot”. As I explained in my review, I’ve had an attitude about this movie for years. When I actually watched the movie, I discovered what so many people love about it.

The top five movies on the list all received my highest rating of five stars.

NUMBER FIVE is one of the great auto racing movies I’ve ever seen. “Ford vs Ferrari” is a great story of the challenge to the greatest racing team ever by an iconoclastic American team.

NUMBER FOUR marks another classic movie offering some social commentary. Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis are brilliant as two prisoners on the run, despite their dislike for each other.

NUMBER THREE is a movie that stars an actor that has become controversial since its debut. Kevin Spacey was at his peak for me in “The Usual Suspects”, a brilliant movie with a question that isn’t answered till the final moment of the movie. Who is Kyser Sose?

NUMBER TWO is a searing biopic of a stand up comedian who opened the way for most of the top comics of the last seventy years. “Lenny” stars Dustin Hoffman as the immortal Lenny Bruce. It stunned me- fifty years ago and did it again this year.

NUMBER ONE is something very different from the rest of the list. “When The Wind Blows” is an animated movie that will charm you even as the world crumbles around the main characters. It is gentle, and funny and warm. It’s also about the end of the world. Just stunning.

I’ve already started the lineup for 2025. I’m always open to a recommendation. As with “The Sandlot”, sometimes I need to get out of my own way. I’ll aim for a nice diversity of genres and decades. Best of all I’ll get to watch a lot of great movies!

Grab some popcorn and join in!

Peace,

Jay