Stew’s Top 30 Movies Of 2024 (#30 – 21)

As I cruised along 2024, watching as many movies as I could, I was never sure I would hit 100 total new releases watched on the year. I want to say that at some point in October, I was only up to 80 new releases, and it just seemed unlikely I was going to get through enough new films in the last two months–the months in which I typically watch fewer movies than any other– to crack triple digits.

Well I started cooking with gas at some point, and I finished 2024 with 111 such films watched! Wow! And as I type this, I COULD fudge that up to 112: It’s January 1st, and I just got out of Nosferatu. But no, I’ll slot in Nosferatu as my current #1 for Movies I Watched For The First Time In 2025 list instead. I tried my best, but a stomach flu the weekend after Christmas killed my chances of making it to the theater to see Robert Eggers’ new picture in time.

Still, 111 new releases in a year is not at all unsubstantial. It’s just two off from what I accomplished in 2023, and I am fine with that!

And now that it’s a brand new year and that list is closed, it’s time to take a look back at everything that came out that I saw, and rank the very best. Since I watched so much, we’ll do a somewhat thorough top 30, counting down the best ten at a time.

Are you ready? Let’s get into #30 then!

30. The Fall Guy

For my full review, click HERE.

The Fall Guy has some warts, for sure, but when it worked, it worked really well. The scenes with Gosling and Blunt on camera together were great, and if the movie had paired them up more frequently, it would have been a non-stop hit. Unfortunately, they spend chunks of the film separated, and the movie is weaker for that.

Aside from that, though, you’ve got a decent little action comedy that is all about paying love and respect to the hardworking stunt actors in Hollywood. Those unrecognizable faces that do the grunt work to make our movies more enjoyable. And that deserves all of our admiration.

Now if only there Academy would recognize them, as well. Maybe someday.

29. Life Of Belle

For my full review, click HERE.

I can be a sucker for a well-made found footage flick, and that’s just what we have here in the indie thriller, Life Of Belle.

To be fair, my adoration of this film is less about the scares and the horror aspect of it all, and more about the family dynamics in play, and the way the movie portrays mental illness and its impact on the innocent children whose parents struggle with it. Life Of Belle can be an uncomfortable watch at times, as Belle and her brother Link deal with their mother’s descent into paranoia. And it makes you realize there are kids out there for whom this is real life, not just a movie.

That said, the ending kind of sucked, or else this would have been higher.

28. Carry-On

Possibly the newest movie to make the Top 30, Carry-On just released in December 2024 in an attempt to make a new holiday classic. It’s a holiday movie in the same vein that Die Hard is–this is also basically the “Die Hard At A ____” formula with the blank being filled in by “Airport”–in that it’s set at Christmas and plays Christmas music, but is otherwise an action flick.

Jason Bateman and Taron Egerton are the primary leads, and they do a sensational job carrying this picture, Bateman in particular, whom I have never seen play as this nefarious before. The movie is all about their dynamic, and Bateman often only gets to act with his voice, which makes his performance even more note-worthy.

I’m not going to sit here and say this is a new go-to for the holiday season, but you could do a lot worse.

27. I Used To Be Funny

Rachel Sennott rules, and nothing about this movie does anything to change that, as she plays a former stand-up comedian who underwent some difficult times that changed who she fundamentally is.

I Used To Be Funny does a great job meting out information to you over its runtime instead of spoon-feeding you everything last the beginning and letting the movie just strap you in for the ride. It jumps around in time, but it also stays focused and never feels too confusing or anything. The overarching stories are worth investing in, and everything here is well worth your time. I certainly dug it.

26. Jackpot!

For my full review, click HERE.

As noted in my full review there, I really enjoy both John Cena (more on him in a minute) and Awkwafina. Your mileages may vary, but this was both of them at the height of their shticks and playing off of each other exceedingly well. I was a sucker for it.

The story may not make any sense–I still don’t know why anyone on Earth would register for this completely voluntary lottery–but it’s more about the journey, and that definitely worked for me.

25. A Bit Of Light

For my full review, click HERE.

I’m a sucker for hopeful movie about someone down on their luck or struggling with their own mistakes as they try to fight back to the life they want but aren’t entirely sure they deserve. It’s just the kind of things that gets to me. And this story about an alcoholic who has lost custody of her children is right up that alley.

The friendship forged between Paquin and the newcomer young actor Luca Hogan is so genuine and well-acted that you can’t help but root for it, despite it being so strange if you think about the real life context of a 40 year old woman befriending a 14 year old boy. Though the movie is well aware of that and has other characters calling it out.

This is one you probably have not seen, but I recommend it.

24. Ricky Stanicky

For my full review, click HERE.

And on the other end of things, here is some more John Cena and a boat-load of dick jokes! I am a man of many tastes.

This FEELS too high for this picture, and yet, I really enjoyed it when I saw it the first time. Cena is absolutely killing his usual “humorous scumbag with a heart of gold” routine here, and this might be his best performance to date. He’s hilarious as the made-up “Ricky Stanicky” character. Even if it reduces everyone else in the flick to being the straight man to his lunacy, it still makes me laugh enough that I don’t care.

23. Your Monster

For my full review, click HERE.

It’s great to see the talented Melissa Barrera still getting work even after she was unjustly booted off the Scream franchise. She is a star who deserves to shine.

And so with Your Monster, Barrera gives a great performance as a young woman overcoming both cancer and a break-up when she faces the fact that the monster that lives in her closet is a very real thing. The horror-romcom takes off from there, as the dynamic between the two rules.

A great third act really lifts this up, too, in a year where I’d gotten a little tired of seeing movies whose worst act was the concluding one.

22. It’s What’s Inside

For my full review, click HERE.

This was a 2024 callback to Bodies Bodies Bodies from a few years ago in that it is the tale of a bunch of spoiled, unlikable 20-somethings getting together to play a game that ends in tragedy for everyone involved. Characters find out what others really think of them, and by the time the night is over, there’s simply no going back to the way things were before.

It’s a very smartly written story with some great reveals. It came out on Netflix and was a big deal for a week or two before getting buried by other releases, and I haven’t heard of this flick in months at this point. But it definitely deserves a shout-out from me, as I enjoyed it a great deal.

21. IF

For my full review, click HERE.

2024 was a pretty good year for family-friendly fare, too, and we’ll see more of that as the list goes on. But for now, we’ve got this John Krasinski-directed picture about imaginary friends that underperformed in theaters but was no less quality because of that.

Ryan Reynolds–this isn’t the last we’ve heard of him in this countdown, either–aims his charms at a younger audience than usual here, but he is just as effective as ever. Krasiniski’s imagination is on great display, and the voice acting of the larger-than-life characters is all spot-on.

*******

And that’s just the first third! Stay tuned for part two of this progression, where we will count down another Netflix originall, three sequels, one prequel, and our first [fully] animated film. Among others!

Until next time… take care!