In the annual Movie Club of Slate, film critics chatted about the year’s cinematic hits. Critic Dana Stevens, along with Bilge Ebiri, K. Austin Collins, Alison Willmore, and Odie Henderson, discussed the films that turned heads in 2024. Dana compared film criticism to embroidery on Kleenex, but believed movies outlasted fleeting critiques. Despite challenges—like strikes and streaming—movies like Dune: Part Two and Wicked: Part I drew crowds. Smaller gems, such as Longlegs and The Substance, gained word-of-mouth popularity. Even indie hits like Challengers and Conclave did well. However, the industry faced issues with delayed blockbusters and films failing to draw expected audiences. But people kept going to theaters, debating movies’ merits. Dana wondered about the role of scale in 2024’s films. Long movies like Horizon: An American Saga and The Brutalist pushed boundaries, while smaller films like Hard Truths and Good One showed simplicity’s power. Dana asked Bilge about the year’s epics. Here’s Dana's Top 10: Anora, The Brutalist, Challengers, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Eno, Good One, Hard Truths, Janet Planet, Love Lies Bleeding, and No Other Land.
