With 2024 winding down, it is time for my 9th annual list of the best movies at least a decade old that I watched this past year. Once again, the list is somewhat random and arbitrary, based on the movies I just so happen to choose to watch (or re-watch) over the course of the past year. (In case you missed it, I made a separate list for the best horror movies I watched in 2024.) As always, check JustWatch.com to see where the following films may be currently streaming.
Tier 1: Cinematic Masterpieces
1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) directed by Sergio Leone
I’d seen and loved all of Sergio Leone’s “Spaghetti Western” movies before, but it had been a while, so I rewatched them this year. A Fistful of Dollars is good but a bit derivative of Yojimbo. For a Few Dollars More is a slight step up from that. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is much more epic in scope than the previous two films, which were mostly set in a single small town. The third movie travels across the West during the Civil War, with bigger and better action scenes. You can see Leone perfecting his craft in each film, culminating in The Good the Bad and the Ugly, the best of the bunch and a true masterpiece. What raises these Italian Westerns above traditional American Westerns is the style. Leone uses inventive filmmaking techniques of super close-ups of faces interspersed with wide-shots of vast landscapes. Composer Ennio Morricone has an iconic musical style using various types of instruments. Finally, lead actor Clint Eastwood, and his “Man With No Name” bounty hunter character, represents the essence of “cool.” Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, including Once Upon a Time in the West, remain my favorite movies in the Western genre.
2. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) directed by Jim Jarmusch
This was one of the most unique, idiosyncratic, and weird crime movies I’ve ever seen—and one of the best crime movies overall. Because of the positive reviews, it had been on my watchlist for years, but I hesitated watching it because the premise seemed kind of silly: a black man in the ghetto who lives by the code of ancient Japanese samurai works as a hit man for the Italian mob, whom he communicates with exclusively through carrier pigeons. But the execution (no pun intended) was perfect on every level: the dialog, style, music, and tone. There are some laugh-out-loud moments but also chilling scenes of violence—including one of the most inventive kills I’ve ever seen involving a drain pipe and a sink. “Ghost Dog” himself (like Eastwood’s Man With No Name) embodies “coolness” as he wields his gun with a laser aim and silencer like a sword, and he outsmarts the old mobsters at every turn. The way the Samurai philosophy is tied in works surprisingly well. The film also lends further credence to my thesis that 1999 was the best year for movies ever—or at least if I could only watch movies from one year for the rest of my life, it would be 1999.
3. The Player (1992) directed by Robert Altman
I first saw this in my college screenwriting class, back when I knew much less about Hollywood and the inner workings of the movie business. I liked the film then but appreciate it even more now after living in Los Angeles for four years while attempting to be a professional screenwriter. The film is about a big-shot movie studio executive being stalked by a bitter screenwriter, and it turns into a gripping noir murder mystery, while simultaneously a biting satire of Hollywood. The film illuminates the problems with Hollywood which have only gotten worse since then. At least in the 90s they were making original commercialized movies. Though I do wish I could go back in time to Hollywood in the early 90s, when screenwriters could sell a $1-million spec script based off a 2-minute pitch. The good old days when rich people had fax machines in their cars…
Tier 2: Great Films
4. For a Few Dollars More (1965) Sergio Leone
5. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) directed by Sergio Leone
(See above.)
6. California Split (1974) directed by Robert Altman
This doesn’t feel like a movie; it feels more naturalistic, like we’re following genuine people in real life. The experience is like taking a time machine back to see what life was actually like in 1974, at least for a couple of degenerate gamblers.
7. Manhunter (1986) directed by Michael Mann
I’d seen all the Anthony Hopkins Hannibal Lecter movies but never saw this, the first adaptation of Thomas Harris’ books, with Brian Cox playing the infamous serial killer. Cox is fine as Lecter, but his character plays a minor role in this movie, which is much more focused on FBI profiler Will Graham and his pursuit of the “Toothfairy” serial killer. This movie is very 1980s, but in a good way. The synth score and other 80s music fit the vibes of the era, and director Michael Mann has a great sense of visual style. This is not quite as good as Silence of the Lambs, an all-time masterpiece, but Manhunter is far better than all the other Hannibal films, including Red Dragon, which is based on the same book as Manhunter.
8. Audition (1999) directed by Takashi Miike
A Japanese movie about a widower who searches for a potential new wife via a TV show audition. What seems to start as a romantic drama turns into a horrific thriller (and another great movie from 1999).
9. Three Days of the Condor (1975) directed by Sydney Pollack
Three Days of the Condor is considered to be one of the great political conspiracy films of the 1970s (along with The Parallax View) made in the wake of the real-life political assassinations of the 1960s. Robert Redford works for a CIA-front company that analyzes books for hidden codes. While he’s out picking up lunch, everyone in his office is murdered—then the assassins come after him to finish the job. He soon comes to learn that the CIA itself may be involved in a grand cover-up conspiracy. As Roger Ebert said in his review, “We can believe that the CIA might behave in this way — and that it possibly has.” P.S. In an eerie synchronicity, I randomly watched this movie one day before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
10. Spring Breakers (2013) directed by Harmony Korine
This movie perfectly captures that time in a young adult’s life when all that matters is partying at spring break, while also revealing just how nihilistically empty and depressing spring break truly is. You see these college-aged kids supposedly having the time of their lives, but you feel sorry for them for thinking this is the time of their lives. James Franco’s character “Alien” represents the person who lives the “Spring Break” lifestyle year-round forever. (Not something to aspire to.) When I was in college I wished I could go to a spring break party like that, but now I’m glad I never did.
Honorable Mentions (Still Tier 2) in alphabetical order
Funny Ha Ha (2002) directed by Andrew Bujalski
This low-budget indie film was the first of the “mumblecore” genre. It’s about a young woman, her friends, and their relationships as they try to figure their lives out post-college. The writing and acting felt so natural and realistic (like Altman’s films). There is not much plot, but I found it fascinating as a slice of life during that time in the early aughts, which now seems like another world.
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) directed by Thom Andersen
A documentary about the history of Los Angeles as it has been portrayed through movies. It made me feel nostalgic for my time living in L.A.—though I don’t actually want to move back.
Mutual Appreciation (2005) directed by Andrew Bujalski
The second mumblecore movie from Bujalski, similar to Funny Ha Ha, but this one is about an aspiring musician in New York City and is shot in black and white. I normally like the B&W aesthetic, as it gives the film a timeless feel. That might have been a good choice at the time, but twenty years later, I would have liked to have seen the now “alien world” of the early aughts in full color.
Tier 3: Just Good
8MM (1999) directed by Joel Schumacher
A dark noir about a private detective investigating a snuff film that showed a woman being killed. I saw this movie years ago after learning it was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the screenwriter of Se7en, one of my all-time favorite movies, but I was let down because it did not measure up. But re-watching 8MM for a second time this year, I enjoyed it more. Though “enjoy” is the wrong word, because it covers some supremely dark and disturbing material. It’s not as well-directed as Se7en (I would like to have seen Walker’s original script directed by David Fincher), but it is a gripping mystery plot full of twists and turns. It shows the mental havoc that investigating such dark crimes can have on the investigator, bringing to mind the famous quote by Nietzsche: “If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” Or as Joaquin Phoenix’s character says, “If you dance with the devil, the devil don’t change. The devil changes you.”
The Boys from Brazil (1978) directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
A political conspiracy thriller with a wild premise taken seriously: Nazis secretly cloned Hitler before he died and his children are being raised without knowing who they are.
The Crush (1993) directed by Alan Shapiro
A movie that would never be made today—about a 14-year-old girl (Alicia Silverstone) who tries to seduce a 28-year-old journalist, but when he rejects her advances she goes full psycho on him.
Dirty Work (1998) directed by Bob Saget
Norm MacDonald was not a good actor but he was a great comedian, and this movie is full of his signature style of humor. Dirty Work is retroactively funnier because of the classic 90s wardrobes. I can’t tell if Norm’s extra-baggy outfits were a joke or just the current style. Did he and Artie Lang intentionally swap shirts as a gag?
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) directed by Jonathan Demme
With all the real-world political drama of 2024, I was in the mood for a political conspiracy movie. (I have not seen the 1962 original.) The Manchurian Candidate seems a bit over-the-top with brain chips, mind control, and brainwashing—but when you look into MKUltra, a mind control program the CIA actually experimented with in real life, the movie seems less far-fetched. It accurately shows the extreme lengths D.C. power players will go to attain and retain their power.
Naked Lunch (1991) directed by David Cronenberg
A bizarre film by a bizarre director based on a bizarre book by a bizarre man, William S. Burroughs. The entire movie feels like a bad trip from a drug I haven’t taken and hope to never try. My thoughts echo Roger Ebert’s: “While I admired it in an abstract way, I felt repelled by the material on a visceral level. There is so much dryness, death and despair here, in a life spinning itself out with no joy.”
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik
A classic Christmas comedy starring Chevy Chase. I had seen it before but it had been a while, so I watched it for Christmas 2023. Not great, but good fun.
Rewind This! (2013) directed by Josh Johnson
A documentary about VHS tapes. It covers the history of the technology and the business of the rental industry. But it also covers modern collectors of VHS tapes. Like them, I find something nostalgic about VHS, even though the video quality is inferior to DVDs and Blu-Rays. And I like having a physical product, even though streaming is more convenient.
Tombstone (1993) directed by George P. Cosmatos & Kevin Jarre
I saw this Western movie many years ago and liked it but didn’t love it, finding it to be a bit overrated. Upon this recent rewatch I feel the same way. There are some great moments, but the movie doesn’t quite come together as a whole. It feels anti-climatic at the end, perhaps because they had to conform to the events of the true story it is based on. I wrote about this problem in the context of Se7en vs. Zodiac, but Tombstone is another example of why a fictional western like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is far superior to this one based on true events.
Tier 4: Flawed But Entertaining
Excalibur (1981) directed by John Boorman
A medieval fantasy movie about the legend of King Arthur and the wizard Merlin. It had some good moments and striking visuals, but the story was a mess and difficult to follow.
A Field in England (2013) directed by Ben Wheatley
A period piece about soldiers during the English Civil War who escape the battle to a field where they discover magic mushrooms and an occult wizard. The film is shot in such a way to make you feel like you are on mushrooms yourself.
Natural Born Killers (1994) directed by Oliver Stone
This movie (originally written by Quentin Tarantino1) has long been on my to-watch list, but for whatever reason I never got around to it—until now. Despite Tarantino being rewritten and him disowning the film, you can still recognize his influence in certain scenes and bits of dialogue. But I did not like Natural Born Killers as much as any of the films QT directed himself. Some of the hyperactive directing/editing choices by Stone were off-putting and way too over-the-top, such as the constant random cuts to black-and-white or animation. Stone tried to make the movie a critique of the media for glorifying violent killers, but in doing so, the movie itself glorifies violent killers. The movie has allegedly inspired several copycat killers in real life. Then again, maybe Stone was successful after all, because I did not enjoy the movie and found Mickey and Mallory thoroughly despicable—which I guess is what Stone wanted the viewer to feel.
Sunset Strip (2000) directed by Adam Collis
This film follows several characters in the music scene on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip over the course of one day in 1972. It’s like a cross between Almost Famous and Dazed and Confused, but it’s nowhere near as good as either of those movies. Though it is interesting to see the culture of the early 70s as viewed through the prism of the culture of the late 90s.
Tier 5: Disappointing (Don’t Bother)
Thankfully none in this category for 2024. That’s the benefit of waiting ten years, to see which movies have stood the test of time.
My Past Lists in This Series:
- Fellow VHS aficionado. ↩︎
T.Z. Barry 