Personal Oscars - 2024 Edition

Welcome to my 2024 Personal Oscars: my own awards for the best films of the year. This is the first in an ongoing series of Personal Oscars, one for each year once I’ve seen at least 50 films from that year. For 2024, I’ve seen 55 films, and while that’s far from exhaustive, I feel it’s enough to offer a well-rounded snapshot of the year in cinema.

These awards are entirely my own, based on what resonated with me, impressed me, or stuck with me long after the credits rolled. I’ve added a few extra categories beyond what the Academy offers, and omitted others (like shorts and documentaries) where I haven’t seen enough to judge fairly. Also, for now I will only have paragraphs explaining my choices for the above the line categories (Picture, Director, Acting, Screenplays) but I hope I will eventually get to do it for all of them.

This post will be updated as I see more from 2024. I’ll also be releasing Personal Oscars for other years (2019, 2022, 2023) as soon as I hit the 50-film mark for those as well. Until then, here’s how I saw the cinematic landscape of 2024.

Best Picture:

• Anora

• The Apprentice

• The Brutalist

• Challengers

• A Complete Unknown

• Conclave

• A Different Man

• Dune: Part Two (Winner)

• Nickel Boys

• Sing Sing

Sometimes, when you know you just know. For me, this award was all wrapped up in March 2024, when I walked into the theater to see Dune: Part Two. The massive scale and incredible story of this film completely engrossed me from the first moment and left my jaw on the floor. However, I would also like to shout out The Brutalist, which is an incredibly raw and monumental film, and is exceedingly impressive, especially considering the low budget. Additionally, Nickel Boys moved be like few other movies have. This film is so unique and so intimate, while still showcasing such a dark part of our society. It was the first film to bring me to tears in a long long time.

Best Director:

• Edward Berger - Conclave

• Brady Corbet - The Brutalist

• Coralie Fargeat - The Substance

• Luca Guadagnino - Challengers

• RaMell Ross - Nickel Boys

• Denis Villenueve - Dune: Part Two (Winner)

This was a really stacked category for me this year. Just look at this list. You could easily make a case for any of these directors winning. RaMell Ross crafted something truly intimate and raw with Nickel Boys, and Brady Corbet’s work on The Brutalist was monumental, it is one of the most visually and emotionally striking films I have seen in a long time. Edward Berger’s control and elegance on Conclave completely blew me away, and both Guadagnino and Fargeat brought such unique energy to Challengers and The Substance. But in the end, I could not look past Denis Villeneuve. What he did with Dune: Part Two is absolutely ridiculous. The scope, the pacing, the visuals, it all feels so precise and so massive at the same time. Very few directors can pull off a film this big that still feels this human and alive. It is blockbuster filmmaking on a completely different level.

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

• Adrien Brody - The Brutalist (Winner)

• Timothee Chalamet - Dune: Part Two

• Colman Domingo - Sing Sing

• Ralph Fiennes - Conclave

• Dev Patel - Monkey Man

• Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice

The raw emotion and power that Adrien Brody carries throughout this film is insane. I don’t particularly like him as a person, and I thought his Oscar speech was far too long, but his acting skills are just undeniable. I mean, the ability to carry a 3.5 hour Movie with that much gravitas is just insane. Colman Domingo and Ralph Fiennes were both incredible, and easy choices for my lineup. Timothee Chalamet and Sebastian Stan each had two performances that I considered putting in here, but A Complete Unknown and A Different Man ultimately got left off. I’d also like to shout out Dev Patel, I absolutely loved Monkey Man and he did an excellent job carrying every part of this film and portraying such a strong outburst of revenge and anger.

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

• Lily-Rose Depp - Nosferatu

• Cynthia Erivo - Wicked

• Mikey Madison - Anora (Winner)

• Demi Moore - The Substance

• Florence Pugh - We Live in Time

• Anya Taylor-Joy - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

This was probably the easiest choice of the year for me. Mikey Madison was so perfect in Anora that there really was no competition. The emotion, layers, and depth she brought to the role are incredible. If I had to pick a second place, it would be Lily-Rose Depp for her haunting performance in Nosferatu, truly redefining what it means to be a nepo baby. I have yet to see Hard Truths or I’m Still Here, and I suspect Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Fernanda Torres would both make this list if I had. Cynthia Erivo was fantastic as the lead of a blockbuster, and I cannot wait to see her in Part Two. Anya Taylor-Joy gives a fantastic performance as the rugged young Furiosa, a worthy successor to Charlize Theron and maybe the most overlooked performance of the year.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

• Mike Faist - Challengers

• Chris Hemsworth - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown

• Josh O’Connor - Challengers

• Guy Pearce - The Brutalist

• Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice (Winner)

For me, Jeremy Strong stole this one. I was shivering because The Apprentice provided him with the ideal stage on which to display that eerily quiet menace that he excels at. Long after he leaves the screen, the film is haunted by his tense yet terrifying performance. Chris Hemsworth was a complete surprise; I thoroughly enjoyed the chaos and unhingedness that Furiosa allowed him to unleash. Guy Pearce's tragic presence in The Brutalist added a slow-burning depth that stayed with me, and Josh O'Connor's simmering tension and vulnerability in Challengers contributed significantly to the film's emotional gravity. One of the actors who can convey a lot with a glance is Mike Faist - he gave Challengers a tenderness that perfectly counterbalanced O'Connor. Edward Norton, who was sharp, elusive, and magnetic in a quieter, more reserved role than we're used to seeing from him, was still excellent even though he didn't quite reach the top tier for me.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

• Joan Chen - Didi

• Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor - Nickel Boys (Winner)

• Rebecca Ferguson - Dune: Part Two

• Ariana Grande - Wicked

• Felicity Jones - The Brutalist

• Margaret Qualley - The Substance

Without a doubt, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor's supporting actress performance was my favorite of the year. With a performance full of heartbreak and quiet strength, she manages to be the moral and emotional backbone of Nickel Boys despite her limited screentime. The Substance is a wild, raw, and strangely moving work by Margaret Qualley that goes completely feral in the best way possible. Felicity Jones grounded the film's expansive themes in something profoundly human by bringing such heartbreaking vulnerability to The Brutalist. To be honest, Ariana Grande was a bit of a revelation; she gave Wicked depth and heart that I didn't anticipate, in addition to holding her own. In Dune: Part Two, Rebecca Ferguson was her powerful self as usual, but with a darker, more unsettling edge. Joan Chen was perhaps the most understated of the bunch but still delivered a moving performance that makes any kid relate to their childhood.

Best Original Screenplay:

• Anora

• The Apprentice

• The Brutalist (Winner)

• Challengers

• A Different Man

• A Real Pain

In the end, I had to choose The Brutalist out of the top two very different but equally daring scripts. It is one of the most ambitious screenplays I have read in a long time, despite the fact that it is dense and expansive. It creates a grand yet personal experience by fusing trauma, architecture, and the experience of immigrants. Challengers comes in second, snappy, sexy, and full of subtext. Under all the glitz and glamour, it's surprisingly intelligent. The dialogue and character development in The Apprentice are incredibly precise and incisive. I mean it when I say that A Different Man was one of the most bizarre movies of the year; the screenplay takes genuine chances and largely succeeds. Only Sean Baker can successfully combine raunchy, heartfelt, and tragic elements in Anora, and A Real Pain lives up to its title by being both incredibly funny and incredibly sad, frequently all at once. The Brutalist struck me the most, but all of these could have taken it.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• A Complete Unknown

• Conclave

• Dune: Part Two

• Nickel Boys (Winner)

• Sing Sing

• The Wild Robot

Although this was a competitive category, Nickel Boys was the best. Not only is it an excellent adaptation, but it is also incredibly faithful and recognizes the value of moderation. Both the dialogue and the silences convey a sense of authenticity. A great example of transforming what ought to be a group of men conversing in rooms into an intense, high-stakes drama is Conclave, my second favorite. Dune: Part Two is a marvel; it's almost miraculous how much lore and internal monologue can be turned into something exciting and coherent. Sing Sing seemed like such a grounded, intimate tale, and the characters are treated with dignity and empathy in the screenplay. The structure and tone of A Complete Unknown are unquestionably strong, despite the fact that it may be a little too elliptical for me to fully embrace. Despite being the least strong of the six, The Wild Robot is endearing, intelligent, and obviously written with younger viewers in mind.

Best Animated Feature:

• Flow

• Inside Out 2

• Piece by Piece

• Transformers One

• The Wild Robot (Winner)

Best Foreign Feature:

• Flow

• Kneecap

• The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Original Score:

• The Brutalist

• Challengers

• Conclave

• Dune: Part Two

• The Wild Robot

Best Original Song:

• Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma - Twisters

• Compress/Repress - Challengers

• If I Fall - Transformers One

• Like a Bird - Sing Sing (Winner)

• Piece by Piece - Piece by Piece

Best Sound Design:

• Challengers

• A Complete Unknown

• Dune: Part Two

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• The Substance

Best Production Design:

• The Brutalist

• Dune: Part Two (Winner)

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• Nosferatu

• The Substance

Best Cinematography:

• The Brutalist

• Conclave

• Dune: Part Two

• Nickel Boys (Winner)

• Nosferatu

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

• A Different Man

• Dune: Part Two

• Nosferatu

• The Substance (Winner)

• Wicked

Best Costume Design:

• Conclave (Winner)

• Dune: Part Two

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• Nosferatu

• Wicked

Best Film Editing:

• The Brutalist

• Challengers

• Conclave

• Dune: Part Two (Winner)

• Nickel Boys

Best Visual Effects:

• Alien: Romulus

• Deadpool & Wolverine

• Dune: Part Two (Winner)

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• The Wild Robot

Best Voice/Motion Capture Actor:

• Yann Bean - The Substance

• Maya Hawke - Inside Out 2

• Chris Hemsworth - Transformers One

• Brian Tyree Henry - Transformers One

• Lupita Nyong’o - The Wild Robot

Best Acting Ensemble:

• A Complete Unknown

• Conclave

• Dune: Part Two

• Nosferatu

• Sing Sing (Winner)

Best Stunt Work and Choreography:

• Deadpool & Wolverine

• Dune: Part Two

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• Monkey Man (Winner)

• Wicked

Best Soundtrack:

• A Complete Unknown (Winner)

• Deadpool & Wolverine

• Piece by Piece

• Twisters

• Wicked

Best Cinematic Moment:

• Roy’s Birthday Dinner - The Apprentice

• Match Point - Challengers

• Fremen Meeting - Dune: Part Two (Winner)

• Escape From Nickel Academy - Nickel Boys

• Defying Gravity - Wicked

Thank you so much for reading through my Personal Oscars, please remember to like and subscribe to my Substack, it helps me so much.

Nominated Films:

1. Dune: Part Two (16 nominations, 8 wins)

2. The Brutalist (10 nominations, 2 wins)

3. Challengers (10 nominations)

4. Conclave (9 nominations, 1 win)

5. Nickel Boys (7 nominations, 3 wins)

6. The Substance (7 nominations, 1 win)

7. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (7 nominations)

8. Wicked (7 nominations)

9. A Complete Unknown (6 nominations, 1 win)

10. Nosferatu (6 nominations)

11. Sing Sing (5 nominations, 2 wins)

12. The Apprentice (5 nominations, 1 win)

13. The Wild Robot (5 nominations, 1 win)

14. Transformers One (4 nominations, 1 win)

15. Anora (3 nominations, 1 win)

16. A Different Man (3 nominations)

17. Deadpool & Wolverine (3 nominations)

18. Piece by Piece (3 nominations)

19. Monkey Man (2 nominations)

20. Flow (2 nominations)

21. Inside Out 2 (2 nominations)

22. Twisters (2 nominations)

23. A Real Pain (1 nomination)

24. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (1 nomination)

25. We Live in Time (1 nomination)

26. Alien: Romulus (1 nomation)

27. Didi (1 nomination)

28. Kneecap (1 nomination)

If you want to see all the films that I saw from this year, here is a link to a Google Sheet with every film I have ever seen (updated semi regularly):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VVfmNKKcYWUH5WTXAAQKO_C1BBYntHwJSe-KbXk8hY8/edit?usp=sharing

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