The Best of 2024, according to not j*ss

I'm somewhat of a pop culture connoisseur after all.

I must admit, I had second thoughts about even writing this issue. It has become somewhat of a tradition, I put a lot of pressure upon myself. The trouble is, I don’t think I had a great film year. I didn’t hate too much of what I watched, but I didn’t have any substantial thoughts on a lot of what I had seen, either. I worried I wouldn’t have enough to say, or even worse, I’d just be talking to talk. I’m here because, for starters, just talking to talk has never stopped me before, but mostly because I re-found my passion in the process of writing this specific issue. It became good for me, actually.

In sake of transparency, the deeper issue is my personal life, on top of my academic responsibilities, on top of just… non-stop working… it has all been draining me. Terribly. We’re starting the New Year at a lower vibration, I admit, but… perhaps we’re so back now. With the definitive showcase of the not j*ss awards: 2024 edition! Where I talk about all of the media I have consumed and would like to highlight!

Let’s just get this right out of the way: I have nothing to say about 99% of what aired on television in this past year. Industry would sweep everything if I had a say in the matter. I also loved Anna Sawai’s performance in Shōgun. Abbott Elementary’s current season has had quite an incredible run thus far, I think this is their funniest season yet. Hacks is (mostly) consistently good with excellent work from Jean Smart. Besides that, which I’m now realizing has been quite a few titles to casually drop and proceed to say, I’m not in my TV era. I really spent most of last year watching Girls.

GETTING BOOKS AND MUSIC OUT OF THE WAY.

I don’t keep up with new book releases, though I do try. Even when I hear about them, I usually take a solid year to actually get around to reading them. I mostly spent this year reading some essential, classic literature. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a masterpiece, if you didn’t know that already.

At the very start of 2024, I read Demi Moore’s memoir, Inside Out. It was published in 2019, but let me tell you right now, if you only take one thing away from this issue, let it be that this is essential reading. Demi Moore is a pop culture presence who people have had unmoving thoughts about since the 1980s. She paved the way for so many women in the film industry yet was met with consistent unjust backlash in the process. This memoir took control of the narratives that had spread about her and flipped the notion of who Demi Moore is on its head. Hearing her journey up until 2019 makes for her present moment to be all the more special and especially emotional. She earned this. She worked her entire life for this.

I have been in my music era heavily this year, arguably more so than my film era, yet… I have less to say about music. I just know very little about music, what could I possibly have to say? I have gravitated more towards past generations of music than recent releases this past year as well. With one major exception…

Sometime in this past year, Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé has become my favorite album of all time. If you know me, you know what this album means to me. This project holds so much depth to every aspect put on the record. Every second of every track is done with intent and meaning. The lyrics all contribute to a thematic story, the music pays tribute to those of the past, while also doing something so completely innovative and experimental. An album only she could make, and she could only make right now. She needed her whole life’s worth of experience to make an album of this scale. Every time I listen to this project; I learn new things about it. A new layer unlocks. Whether it be a vocal choice, a lyrical moment, a sonic element. I unpack the project more and more; I grow alongside it. Alliigator Tears is my song of the year, but Riiverdance, II Hands II Heaven, Ya Ya, Ameriican Requiem, and damn near the whole album are amongst my favorite tracks of the decade.

I’ve already written issues on albums such as Short n’ Sweet and Eternal Sunshine. I have been obsessed with everything Doechii has done for years now, and let me tell you, Alligator Bites Never Heal has been on constant loop in my household right now.

FILMS OF THE YEAR.

DISCLAIMER: I have not seen every single movie ever made. If I don’t mention a favorite of yours, it doesn’t mean I think it’s lousy… I’ve either not seen it, or it was exempt because I was quite selective with what projects I wanted to cosign.

I still haven’t seen Nickel Boys, The Brutalist, The Last Showgirl, Hard Truths, Sing Sing, or I’m Still Here, which are subject to completely changing my rankings and making this entire issue obsolete.

5. Lisa Frankenstein (dir. Zelda Williams) // Your Monster (dir. Caroline Lindy)

Yes, I cheated and combined these two. Lisa Frankenstein and Your Monster ranked 5th and 6th on my list, and I couldn’t help but shout out one right alongside the other. I’ve written about their double feature quality before. Though they’re quite different, I’ve found they complement each other well. Both also manage to speak to completely different facets of my taste. Lisa Frankenstein is a quirky nostalgic horror comedy through the distinct tone of the pen from Diablo Cody. Your Monster is a more metaphorical take on monster-romance told through a Broadway setting, with a musical aspect to it as well. Both are expertly acted and unafraid to be quite bold in execution. Lisa Frankenstein has become a streaming hit, but Your Monster, I think, is a cult classic waiting to be found. The characters also have fabulous, distinct styling in both films, which I always appreciate.

4. Wicked, part one (dir. Jon M. Chu)

I never switched up on Wicked throughout any of the discourse, because I KNEW. this would become an obsession for me. Wicked has been everything to me my entire conscious life. I knew, if all else failed... When Ariana and Cynthia open their mouths to sing the music that has been soundtracking over half of my life, what then? They were born to play these roles in this movie, I truly do believe that, as well as the supporting cast bringing their incredibly skills to the table, each getting their chance to shine in different ways. Ultimately, I can’t separate my love for this project from the nostalgia tied deep within my spirit, but I also can’t discount how marvelous the scale of this film is. Every set, every costume, the score, there’s a level of love and respect for the source materials present from each part of production, that I so deeply appreciate. From the very first scene, as soon as Ariana opened her mouth for the first song, I was enamored. I was transported. I was THERE in Oz with the divas.

Do I agree with every directorial choice made? Not really, but it’s just irresistible to me. I’m happy it seems as though everyone has been converted into Ozians, but some of us have been here!

3. The Substance (dir. Coralie Fargeat)

Another project I have written about before, The Substance has since become even more of a phenomenon. With those two facts considered, I’m not going to spend much time talking about how special this project is. We’ve been over this! I’m very happy the public was so overwhelmingly responsive to it. A truly masterful collaboration between Demi Moore, and Coralie Fargeat, a writer-director that has instantly made a fan out of me. I don’t tend to love body horror, but the story here really shined through. Some have accused it of a lack of subtlety. I think if you really commit to a vision, its messaging doesn’t have to be hidden. If it lands, it lands. In my opinion, this worked. Marvelously.

I was between two movies for my personal movie of the year. These have gone back and forth; I couldn’t possibly make a definitive claim. Don’t even consider one #2 and one #1, just consider them tied, as they have both instantly become favorite films for me.

2. Babygirl (dir. Halina Reijn)

(Pictured Above: Queen mother Oscar and Emmy winner Nicole Kidman and my favorite diva Harris Dickinson, both wet and floating around in the water. From the film Babygirl, in theaters now! Photo Creds: A24)

The main reason I wasn’t able to put Babygirl at #1, aside from just loving the #1 ranked film so very much, is because I have been DYING to revisit this but have not had the chance yet. I’ve seen some people who are less big on it than me, and I want to hold space for their criticisms. The first time I saw it, I knew I was going to love it. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Halina Reijn is one of my favorite directors, Nicole Kidman tears up the screen like no other, I’m absolutely enamored with Harris Dickinson. I was targeted by this film, and I ate it up. So, before I can safely claim it as my favorite of the year, I deem it necessary to take my goggles off and revisit it through a more critical lens.

As for how I felt during the one time I have seen this film? Fabulous cinema. The script to this film is what really grabbed me, though, I was in the theater already thinking about how I want to study and analyze it. The way it explores power dynamics through all of the different relationships explored on screen is just something I want in my veins. Halina is so assured and stylish in her directorial vision. There are countless scenes that I can safely claim rank amongst my favorite film scenes of the year, even before revisiting.

1. Problemista (dir. Julio Torres)

Problemista was one of my most anticipated film of the year. I don’t know if you remember that era of time where I was searching high, low, and center for any way to watch this for the longest time. Speaking of self-fulfilling prophecies, it has become one of my favorite films of all time! The way Julio Torres blends dealing with real world issues, while also being so distinct in storytelling. Using surrealism to highlight its themes rather than distract from them is such a skill. The screenplay is absolutely incredible, but I also love the visual choices and the framing of certain shots. The entire cast is fabulous, including Greta Lee who is in a scene or two… marvelous! I would follow Julio Torres to the ends of this Earth. This is a film that has consistently stuck with me, not a day goes by where I don’t think about certain scenes from this. Above all else, I would consider Problemista to be an essential viewing of the year.

NOW ONTO THE FILM PERFORMANCES…

Let me begin with some HONORABLE MENTIONS…

Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, Challengers

Last Summer, I was working on a piece where I broke down what makes Tashi’s character journey stand out as so particularly intriguing to me. I don’t love Challengers, at least as much as others do. I find it quite flawed in its script. Though, my favorite parts of the text are the bones of her story: Tashi’s dream being taken from her due to her injury. She was driven by one thing. She was destined for greatness, yet it was taken from her so short of what she could have accomplished. This fact directly relates to how she treats the two men in her life, this fact is essentially what dictates the rest of the story. The question of whether she truly loves either one of them, or just the game. It’s fascinating on paper. One of my favorite character moments is when Tashi sits down under the tree, frustrated at the new reality of never being able to play like she used to. I believe Zendaya has a charisma to her that sells the necessary magnetism to Tashi quite well, while also being able to portray the conflict at the core to her story.

Julio Torres as Alejandro and Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth, Problemista

As I’ve previously mentioned, Problemista is my favorite film of the year, and that’s no small part due to how marvelously these two held the screen together. The writing allows for so many genius choices to be made, but there’s also just a strong energy they have towards one another, that makes for the scenes with them both to shine.

KiKi Layne, Dandelion

Another film that ranked amongst my most anticipated releases of the year. I consider KiKi Layne to be one of the greatest stars of her generation. I would, and have, watch absolutely anything her name is attached to. She did not disappoint in this project; in fact, she continues to reach new highs in her capabilities. Though I have no great love for Dandelion as a film. KiKi is a real special talent. If there’s a singular reason to watch it, it’d be for her.

Kathryn Newton and Liza Soberano, Lisa Frankenstein

I’ve held so much space for these two this year. I want to give Kathryn Newton her credit because between both Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail, she’s had some of the most memorable line deliveries of the year. Kathryn and Liza brought Diablo Cody’s distinctive pen to life, which isn’t always easy. Diablo’s characters have such a specific tone to them, that you have to really get down for the film to work. Kathryn and Liza did so expertly, if you let me tell it. They contrasted each other, but in a way that sells you on their sisterhood. I’d consider their dynamic to be the anchor for this film, even over Lisa and Creature.

Since I previously highlighted Kathryn’s comedic delivery already, I’ll also say that Liza Soberano really stole the film in some of her scenes. Her delivery of “yeah… she’s a bitch” when she’s on the phone, then she starts crying. Perfect.

Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson

In any film or television project, every time Danielle Deadwyler steps on to a scene: it is entirely elevated by her presence alone. The question of her getting an Oscar nomination (at the very least) isn’t a matter of “if” but “when.” There’s an undeniability regarding how she crafts a role. In this instance, a true supporting performance, yet also a showcase on how to make your mark on a film.

ONTO THE MAIN LIST… although these are numbered, these aren’t ranked. These are all on the same tier for me. They’ve changed me. This list is completely alphabetical.

7. Naomi Ackie, Blink Twice (written by Zoë Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum)

(Pictured above: Naomi Ackie girlbossing, perhaps too close to the sun, in Blink Twice, Source: Amazon MGM Studios)

I would’ve been tempted to include Blink Twice in my favorite films of the year, but as time has gone on - as I’ve considered both sides of the discourse - I simply can’t get past the ending. It left a sour taste in my mouth. I don’t think the ending holds weight thematically and threatens to undermine the rest of the film. Still, I’m interested in seeing what Ms. Kravitz cooks up next as a director, she certainly has a vision worth executing.

Having said that, none of the issues with the film have to do with Naomi Ackie’s presence. The way the story is framed, you are kind of figuring out the storyline right alongside her, which is always a very tricky part to play, yet she portrays it with such finesse. You don’t know everything about the plot or how she relates to the backstory of the plot from the very start, yet you’re always with her. She feels fully realized from the jump, strongly thanks to Naomi Ackie’s acting prowess. Even in the final scene, where I don’t fully agree with what the film is doing, I’m still with her as a character. It’s what caused me to second-guess my apprehensions. She just sells everything this movie is trying to do with such conviction. Which is the highest of praise, truly.

This film’s journey is also quite the emotional rollercoaster. She goes through practically the entire range of emotion. From the start, where she’s very Cinderella coded being “picked” by Slater, and is ready to just live in luxury for even just a day. From the first realization of horror and heartbreak, from the background of her character also being unveiled. To the very end. She has a lot to carry on her shoulders, and never once is she any short of captivating to watch.

Shoutout to Adria Arjona, as well, who had a marvelous year. I was already a fan of Naomi Ackie, but I’m keeping tabs on both of these stars now. Fabulous work, all around.

6. Melissa Barrera, Your Monster (written by Caroline Lindy)

What a demanding performance. There is so much inner-world and layers of character to Laura Franco that Melissa Barrera has to portray. Not only is she processing and recovering from a traumatic diagnosis; she got everything taken from her by this man she had helped build. Not only did he break up with her; he took away the role that was hers, legitimately an extension of herself. A role she helped write. On top of that, you have the monster of it all, which after the last scene particularly, recontextualizes the rest of the film you had seen. As I touched on before, I also really love the Broadway setting. The setting allowed for such a range of her talent to be showcased. It’s a bit of a horror, it’s a bit of a romance, it’s a bit of a comedy, it’s a bit of a musical. She sounds marvelous in the last scene, while also giving the performance of her career thus far. Much of the reason I adore this film is because of the character of Laura Franco. Caroline Lindy’s writing for her just shines and allows Melissa Barrera a brilliant showcase.

5. Ryan Destiny, The Fire Inside (written by Barry Jenkins)

I went out of my way to wait until seeing this film to start drafting this issue. I just had a feeling that Ryan Destiny was going to deliver a very special performance, and she did. I’m such a Barry Jenkins fan, and although he didn’t direct this - huge shoutout to Rachel Morrison - his pen consistently allows for actors to consume the role. Alongside an always incredible Brian Tyree Henry, Ryan Destiny delivered upon a nuanced, human approach to a character that could’ve fell flat in lesser hands. This is a role with an internalized struggle through much of the runtime, and though the third act allows for a release of emotion, there’s a tightrope that Ryan has to walk, which she does so tactfully.

4. Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande-Butera, Wicked (written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox)

I’ve held so much space for these two this year.

I’m not the first person to ever say this… but Wicked raised me. I first saw the musical when I was 9 years old, and something immediately shift in my brain. The deep love and respect I have for the craft of acting, music, writing, live theater but really any production, was strengthened by my love for Wicked. When Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were cast, they had shoes to fill. What a marvelous job they did.

I never doubted they’d give great performances, and I’ve made my excitement very clear over the past 3+ years. I do confess, though, I thought they were a little old to play college students, no? Seeing this film made me feel stupid for ever doubting the powers that be Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera. I didn’t even doubt them, for real, but ever implying they might have been miscast. Seeing how they bodied these roles and consumed the screen together so completely never fails to be just incredible to witness. To have such star quality is one thing, but to work so magically together is another. They have chemistry that just radiates through the screen any time they are near one another. I understand why they are sobbing in these interviews. To have done your dream project, but to also come out of it with someone who you just work with so magically… it’s something so special. We witnessed history, I fear.

Onto individual performances, though: Next to Rachel Sennott in Saturday Night, Ariana Grande delivers the most Brittany Murphy coded performance of 2024. In my head, when I watch films of any given year, I award people who radiate the most “Brittany Murphy energy” and Ariana was off the charts in this film. If you get it, you get it. That’s the highest acclaim I can give, but seriously, Ariana is an effortless film star. The charisma that I always knew she had just translated onto the screen from the very first frame she appears in the film. I have rewatched Wicked three times now, and each time I find the first scene alone to be some of the best acting of the year, that only becomes elevated upon each and every revisit. The mask slips throughout No One Mourns the Wicked hit harder and harder the more times you watch, especially if you hold space for the little details Ariana adds in the character. She sounds fucking unbelievable, obviously, but the acting is what really shines in the moment. Even if you know nothing about the story, you gain the sense of her having to put on a performance within the performance. In the canon reality, she has lost everything… but Oz can’t know that. Nobody can know that. Besides herself, who must live with what is in part the consequences of her own actions. I am very beyond excited for her take on Thank Goodness in Part Two, for this exact reason. She just embodies every facet of this character so completely. The physical comedy, the line deliveries, the music, the conflict, the heartache.

Cynthia Erivo’s performance is also fascinating in a way that I am happy is getting more appreciation as time goes by. I feel as though when the movie first dropped, people were all in on highlighting how good of an actress Ariana is because there was a sense of shock there, as it is essentially her serious film debut. Now I feel like Cynthia is finally getting her deserved highlight as well. Cynthia’s take on Elphaba is becoming my definitive Elphaba right now. I don’t say that to diss any other take on the role, least of all Idina Menzel who made the role instantly iconic on Broadway. I mean that to say, I love the nuances that Cynthia allows on the screen. She’s done stage acting and film acting before, and that allowed for choices and emotional nuances that could only be seen on a screen. When I think of “Elphaba,” I start to think of Cynthia first. I feel as though she put so much of herself into the role, and it shines through. One detail I have grown to love is Cynthia’s vocal evolution in the role from the start of Elphaba’s character journey to the “To Be Continued…” ending. The turn from the optimism radiating from her voice in The Wizard and I, a youthful-like free spirit finally being seen for who she is, compare that to Defying Gravity, where she’s given up on the world around her. Her faith in the Wizard completely shattered. You can hear the hurt in her voice throughout the song, before she finds her power at the end, though with a very bittersweet tone. She’s found herself, yet she’s also lost so much in the process. You can tell so much from just her vocal delivery. I also find her performance during the “you have no real power!!” sequence to be some of the best acting of the year. She just sellllllls it.

3. Angelina Jolie, Maria (written by Steven Knight)

A triumphant turn from one of the greatest film stars of this century. Maria is not one of my favorite films of the year, I admit. However, what Angelina does with this part is generational. Despite how award season is turning out, this is likely the most traditionally “Oscar bait” roles of 2024, yet it’s the polar opposite of soulless. Every frame of this movie, you can feel raw passion radiating through Angelina’s performance. There’s a concept in this film about having no life away from the stage, and how once her voice gave out, she didn’t have anything else. Similar to how I feel about Challengers, that thesis is fascinating to see explored in any context. Alongside knowing how Maria Callas was treated in the press, seeing Angelina Jolie embody this role just hits in a completely different lens, that a lesser hand might have fumbled. She studied for this; she trained for this. She put her everything into this role and reminded everybody exactly why Angelina Jolie is the definitive, once in a generation film star.

There’s a great deal of empathy that was present in how Angelina approached playing Maria Callas. You don’t need to watch the interviews to see that. It’s completely felt. Even when the script had its shortcomings, there’s an emotional anchor that Angelina brings to the film through its entire runtime. She’s entirely transcendent. Even when its script falls short, when I watch Maria, I don’t see Angelina Jolie. She’s completely transformed into the role she is playing, with so much respect held for the subject. This will go down in her history books as a career highlight.

2. Nicole Kidman, Babygirl (written by Halina Reijn)

Despite being a monumental, undeniable screen icon, I’m still continuously impressed by just how hard Nicole Kidman swings in the roles she takes on. How much she continues to push herself creatively. You never see her stagnate as a performer. She’s committed to this consistent work ethic, largely directed by women, and as a result, we witness her reach new career highs in roles unlike any we have ever seen her take on before. Romy Mathis is such a singular vision of a role, and that’s largely due to Nicole Kidman completely immersing herself into the assignment she was given. A bold, complete approach to the material in a type of film that historically doesn’t favor the perspectives of women over 50. She is in almost every frame of this film. Everything is told through her perspective. You have to be with her on this journey, and Nicole commands the screen the entire time. I understood Romy Mathis on a deep and personal level. As much as I credit this to Nicole Kidman, the screenplay by Halina Reijn gave her so much space to make choices that are just inspired. It’s one thing to embody a part on paper, but to make a part your own. To make a part feel as though it had to be you playing it… that’s the marker of a star, which Nicole has done her entire career but is still reaching new highs with each passing year. Hearing Nicole talk about this project, I genuinely believe in her excitement for it. That passion is what manifests in her acting.

This was undeniably Nicole’s film, however Harris Dickinson did what a co-star should do. He matched her energy perfectly whenever they were on the screen together. Harris and Nicole brought out the best in one another as performers, and it made the film spark. The rest of the supporting cast is great as well, but the dynamic at the center of the film is of Romy and Samuel. Nicole and Harris diving into these roles so completely is what makes the film what it is.

1. Demi Moore, The Substance (written by Coralie Fargeat)

Demi Moore is a film legend. Yet one of the most disrespected of her generation. As such, you can feel the passion coming from within Demi for this specific character. She had a fire inside of her, and this film was her outlet to let it out onto the screen, completely. It’s just so incredible to bear witness of her performing at such a level. Reaching new highs within her capabilities and finally getting recognized for the greatness I always saw in her.

Not only does Demi Moore embody the role as a human, becoming the grounding force in a very surreal project, she carries much of the body horror aspect of the film as well. The film becomes increasingly more out of this world, and she is up to task the entire time. To wear full body prosthetics, to become a “monster” yet to still feel so completely consistent, empathetic, human. That is what is quite integral to this film working as well as it does. If you didn’t have her heart at the center, you didn’t have a film.

Can I also just say… best performance by a coat in a motion picture. Entirely fab, entirely glam. Coat fashion is, like, my favorite thing ever, and The Substance did not disappoint in that aspect of filmmaking.

I don’t have a conclusion. I kind of just said everything I had to say. I know I have some major oversights that I need to amend, but… when I tell you, it is not for lack of trying. I’ve been keeping tabs on so many films that everyone is raving about right now, and I just have no way of seeing them yet. Forgive me.

Anyways, 2025 has been putting up a fight against me so far. It has not been giving “my year” energy. Let’s try again in 2026.