Susie’s Top Film Picks, 2024

The Oscar Committee is Going to Get a Piece of My Mind

I’m voting this weekend with my brethren in the San Francisco/Bay Area Film Critics Circle— (SFBACC).

“Which are the best movies of the year?” we ask our members, “Without fear or favor.”

I’m delighted to be in a circle that can’t be bought.

There’s few of us around— film critics with thousands of reviews under our belts. We are the relics, but we know our stuff!

Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster in rehearsals for the 1958 Oscars.

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I’d like to share, below, some of the 2024 movies I won’t soon forget.

On my podcast tomorrow, Friday, I’ll tell you the details behind their creators and inspirations.

And, after December 15th, the SFBBACC will announce the group winners.

Note: All the film titles below are linked to their trailers. From there, you could add them to your watch list.

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Today’s International Films are *Heads and Tails* Above Hollywood Efforts

• I’m Still Here (Brazil) - Coming Out January 17th

• Bird (UK) - Coming Out December 23rd

• Kneecap (Ireland)

• Hard Truths (UK)

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The Men You Never Heard Of— Who Made Us Believe in Movies

• Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger

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What If? — The Smallest, Most Original Script Actually Won Something?

• The Feeling that The Time for Doing Something Has Passed - S/M Bed Death, you’ve met your match.

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Old Age and Cunning Are Still The Most Powerful Cinema Force Standing

• Catherine Breillat, director, Last Summer

• Walter Salles, director, I’m Still Here

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The New Citizen Kane

• The Brutalist - Opening December 20th.

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The Best Musical This Year is PURE BOB

• A Complete Unknown - Opening December 25th.

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Sex Work and Class War — Not Shutting Up

• Anora

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Combat Movies, Miracle Movies

• No Other Land - (Palestine documentary)

• Porcelain War - (Ukraine documentary)

• Civil War - (US, feature)

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Features That Feel Like Documentaries — That’s a Good Thing

• All We Imagine is Light - Mumbai. Three Women’s Lives. Unforgettable.

• Hard Truths: There’s “Kitchen Sink.” And then there’s Mike Leigh.

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Susie’s Yuck Box

YMMV, to be sure.

My mileage, and my patience, didn’t get past the First Act.

These films shoulda/coulda been great, festooned with performance talent. But they aren’t. All that’s left is the hype. And you may very well see them among the Oscar nominees.

• Conclave

• Wicked

• Maria - biopic of Maria Callas with Angelina Jolie

• Queer — and this one, I took it personally.

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This brief list is a tease, I know! I’m going to tell you the stories, and the hot gossip, behind ALL these titles, on my Friday podcast. See you tomorrow, and queue these gems up!

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