These are the best films I saw in a theatre this past year. Some of these were released late in 2023, but didn’t play in Vancouver until January or February of 2024.

For me, Zone of Interest was one of the great films of the past few years. The way Jonathan Glazer used the medium, especially the sound track, to evoke a place in history and the ways humans can acclimatize to evil was extraordinary. Sing Sing was my favourite film that came out in 2024. An extraordinarily beautiful film with a truly amazing cast.

Sebastian Stan’s performances in both A Different Man and The Apprentice were a mind-blowing combination, and elevated them both onto this list.

1. Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer 
2. Sing Sing, Greg Kwedar
3. Dune 2, Denis Villeneuve
4. A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg
5. American Fiction, Cord Jefferson
6. Anora, Sean Baker
7. A Complete Unknown, James Mangold
8. A Different Man, Aaron Schimberg 
9. Democracy Noir, Connie Field
10. The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi 
11. Who Can See Forever: A Portrait of Iron & Wine, Josh Sliffe

In addition to these films which I saw in a theatre, I have to give a shout-out to three truly excellent shows: Ripley, Say Nothing and Shogun. All are cinematic and top-notch.

I also read many good books and saw many amazing shows in 2024.

I don’t usually post my list of the top movies of the year, which is odd considering my background as a filmmaker. So I decided to post my favourite new films that I saw in a theatre in 2023. Unlike my list of books I read and concerts I attended, this isn’t a list of all the films I saw, but a ranked list of my top favourites.

I give honourable mention to Stop Making Sense, simply because it’s probably the film I’ve seen the most times of any films ever, and the 40th anniversary IMAX restoration was fantastic, both as a film and a musical celebration.

In the end, Past Lives was likely the best film I saw last year. It’s an amazing accomplishment and a beautiful film.

1. Past Lives, Celine Song
2. Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan 
3. Dream Scenario, Kristoffer Borgli 
4. Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos 
5. The Holdovers, Alexander Payne
6. Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet
7. Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson
8. You Hurt My Feelings, Nicole Holofcener 
9. Blackberry, Matt Johnson
10. Maestro, Bradley Cooper
11. Stop Making Sense, Jonathan Demme (honourable mention)