Ep. 36: Alex And Lee’s Top 10 Films Of 2024

Alex and Lee present their top 10 films of 2024.

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Transcript

Lee Pugsley
What's up, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of The Dark Room, where two blind cinephiles illuminate the sighted. I'm Lee Pugsley.

Alex Howard
I'm Alex Howard.

Lee Pugsley
And this is a podcast hosted by two legally blind guys for film lovers of all abilities. And today, we are going to be doing our Top 10 List of 2024, highlighting the best films in our personal opinions for the year 2024. But before we get to that, we just wanted to acknowledge something that is currently going on here in Los Angeles, which are the wildfires. They still haven't been contained yet. Many people have lost homes, and there's been so much damage, and it's just really devastating and heartbreaking. We just wanted to let everyone know that our hearts go out to everyone experiencing losses, and also just realizing that this is affecting everyone here in Los Angeles. It's pushing back award shows, it's canceling different events. But beyond that, once again, our hearts really go out to everyone that's been affected by these wildfires.

Alex Howard
Yeah, our hearts really go out to all of LA. Even the people not directly affected, they're breathing in bad air. I mean, everyone pretty much knows someone who has been affected.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, and the rebuilding process is going to take a very long time. I mean, I don't even think we know what that looks like and how that's going to be accomplished. But we're sending our love to everyone here in Los Angeles and everyone that's been affected in any way by this. We will put a link to some resources in our description here. If you or anyone you know has been affected by these fires. We want to give you some resources to help you out in whatever way we're able to. With that down, I know it's a little bit of a somber start here. We do want to highlight the best of 2024 in cinema. We have our Top 10 List. Once again, keep in mind that these are our personal top 10s. That doesn't necessarily mean that they're the best movies in terms of cinematic quality. That doesn't mean that they're all Oscar contenders. That just means that for whatever reason, they hit a chord with us and really stood out at the end of the year. Before we jump into that, Alex, I'm just curious to know how you would summarize 2024 in film for yourself.

Alex Howard
I thought it was a really great year in cinema. I was really surprised at how good it was, considering we had the strikes last year. I think we were anticipating a down year, considering so many projects got delayed and all of that. But it turned out to be a really solid year. I had a lot of trouble narrowing it down to only 10 movies.

Lee Pugsley
I totally agree with that. And 2024 was a surprisingly solid year in film. I remember, like halfway through the year, I was thinking, this year is subpar, but it really ended super strong. So I'm grateful that we had a lot of really good options to choose from. And it was hard for me to narrow down my top 10 list as well. But before we get to that, Alex, why don't you start us off here with some honorable mentions I believe you have.

Alex Howard
Yeah. So I'm just going to name off some movies that didn't quite make it in my top 10, but either they were there before or if I had done a top 15 or 20, they would have been there. The movies are Babes, which was a really underrated comedy this year. I really, really enjoyed that. A nice, raunchy comedy, starring two very, very funny women. A Real Pain, which is an Oscar contender. Civil War, which narrowly got into my top 10. Love Lies Bleeding, which I saw at Sundance, and I really, really loved, and Nosferatu, which is absolutely gorgeous.

Lee Pugsley
Those are all very worthy pics. And while only one of them appears on my list somewhere, I really did appreciate all of those films, except for Babes, which I still haven't seen. And I know that you were raving about that movie, so I really need to jump on that one. But the other movies that you mentioned, I did see, and I thought they were great. A few of them almost made my honorable mentions, and there were a few that I was considering putting in my top 10. So really solid honorable mentions there.

Alex Howard
So what are your honorable mentions?

Lee Pugsley
So my honorable mentions, I have five of them as well. Starting off in the number 15 spot would be Super/Man, The Christopher Reeve Story. I just thought it was a very moving portrait of Christopher Reeve, and I really appreciated the way that they tackled disability and disability awareness. I thought it had a really nice focus on disability in a very effective way. Then Saturday Night, which I found really fun. I know that movie wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but for me, it worked really well. I really enjoyed the quippy back and forth dialog, just knowing who a lot of those people were that the actors portraying was really fun for me. It had a very Aaron Sorkin-like feel to it, which I'm always a fan of his dialog. Then Problemista, which I know you weren't as big of a fan of. I believe you still liked it, but I found that really delightful. I thought it had a really good script. I just found it very engaging all the way through. A really nice dramedy, I guess you could call it. Then a Complete Unknown. I thought that it was a very good musical biopic. It didn't really break the mold in any way necessarily. And I wish it would have gotten a little deeper dive into some of the characters, but I thought that the performances, especially by Timothée Chalamet, were excellent. And he really portrayed the essence of Bob Dylan really well. And then the number 11 spot would be The Substance, which I really appreciated this movie a lot, and we'll talk about it more in-depth when it surfaces on your list because I know it's going to be there.

Alex Howard
Nice. Yeah. I think the only one on your list that I haven't seen was A Complete Unknown, which I have been trying to see for a while. But yeah, that's solid movies on your honorable mentions as well.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I highly recommend A Complete Unknown when you get a chance to see it. I mean, if you don't get to see it in theaters, I think it will be okay to watch it on a streaming service. But it is really great to see it in theaters because you get the whole sound experience, too. And because it's a musical biopic, the music really plays a huge part in it.

Alex Howard
I really would like to see it in theaters, but we will see if I get around to it between Sundance and everything else. I feel like we're ramping up with movies from this year coming out now, too. So it's like, "Oh, man, I'm behind."

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. And it was crazy because I feel like November and December of 2024 were so crammed with movies. There was a little slow period from August till mid-October, maybe. And then it just started ramping up and there was so much to see, and it was really hard to keep up with all of them. Well, why don't we go ahead and jump into the top 10 now, and let's start with your number 10.

Alex Howard
My number 10, I'm cheating a little bit. I have a tie for my number. They're both documentaries, and they're both pretty hard watches. It is We Will Dance Again, which is on Paramount+. It's a documentary about the October seventh attack in Israel. And Super/Man, The Christopher Reeve Story. They're both really, really powerful. I was definitely tearing up in both of them. I timed the We Will Dance Again. I saw it the night before I saw Wicked because I knew it was going to be a pretty hard watch. That was a pretty good choice to do it that way. Then Super/Man, I just thought it was really good to see a documentary focused on disability. It focused on some things that they don't really talk about very much, like getting healed. And there are some topics in there that I thought was really interesting. He was trying to come up with a cure, and he was getting shunned a little bit for-- being like, "Why aren't you good enough in the wheelchair? Why do you need to find a cure?" All of those questions are really topical when it comes to disability. So I really enjoyed both of them.

Lee Pugsley
I haven't seen We Will Dance Again. I really want to. And from what I've heard about it, from what you told me and what I've read about it, it does sound very powerful. When it comes to Super/Man, I completely agree with you. I think that there were a lot of really poignant issues that aren't often brought up in disability-centered content. Honestly, we could have a whole podcast just talking about this movie and talking about the issues that it brings up and just how it stirs up a bunch of different opinions. None of them are the right or wrong opinions, but just different perspectives that it would be interesting to hear from other people in the disability community, their take on it as well. But once again, really solid choices.

Alex Howard
So what is your number 10?

Lee Pugsley
My number 10 is Nosferatu, which I know is in your honorable mentions. And I wasn't sure if I was going to like this movie, but I walked away really liking it. Just some of the imagery is gorgeous. In terms of the filmmaking craftsmanship, the score, the acting, the costumes, the production design, the cinematography, the editing, all of it is as masterful as you can get in terms of filmmaking. I think that Robert Eggers did a fantastic job. It's really one of the best cinematic pieces of last year in terms of experiencing it in a theater and catching the full grandeur of what cinema is.

Alex Howard
Oh, yeah. This movie is absolutely gorgeous. I made sure to see it in Dolby and was not disappointed. It is a crazy beautiful piece of filmmaking.

Lee Pugsley
It also has really good sound design, too. Credit to the actors as well, Bill Skarsgård, Lily Rose-Depp, and Nicholas Hoult. I think that all of them did a great job carrying that movie and telling story and developing some really interesting characters.

Alex Howard
Yeah, this was really close to making it in my top 10 as well. I had a minor story issue with it, but besides that, it's one of those movies where yeah, that's what cinema is for sure.

Lee Pugsley
Without spoilers, I know that you're not the only one who had a minor issue with a certain part of that film. So know that you're not alone, and I completely understand people that take issue with what you're referring to.

Alex Howard
Yeah.

Lee Pugsley
Let's go ahead and get to your number nine. But before we do that, I know we do this at the end of every year, how many films in our top 10 list do you think we'll have in common?

Alex Howard
I think we're going to have three.

Lee Pugsley
I agree with that. I think we will have three.

Alex Howard
I think I know what they are, but we will see at the end.

Lee Pugsley
All right. So moving on to your number nine.

Alex Howard
Okay. My number nine is Late Night with the Devil. This was one of those really small horror movies that wasn't on my radar in the beginning of the year. I think it got my radar maybe a month before it came out. It's a Shutter original. I know Shutter doesn't do audio description, but they do in the theater, and if you rent it through iTunes. So I actually went to see this twice. Once before, and then I saw they were doing a Q&A with the directors. I went to that one and got to talk to the directors as well. I really love… I think this is a… It's a very unique way of doing found footage. It's told from the perspective of a late night show in the '70s, and someone gets possessed on the late night show. And David Dastmalchian, and he finally gets his chance to be a leading man. I think he was just so good in this movie. So I thought it was a really unique take on the found footage genre and a real surprise this year.

Lee Pugsley
I completely agree with that. It's a bummer that more people didn't see this movie. I feel like it was one of those hidden gems that just came and went. And not a lot of people were really talking about it, but I do think it deserves way more credit than what it has received so far. And yeah, I really appreciated how unique it was, not something that you see every day, and it was compelling from beginning to end. Even stylistically, how you have that TV show style is not something that we get all the time. It was just really interesting to see how everything unfolded, and the end was crazy, and I loved it.

Alex Howard
Yeah. I'm really excited to see what these filmmakers do in the future. I know they're Australian, but I feel like Shutter has all of these hidden gems every year that just come up out of nowhere. I'm really happy you got to see it. I'm trying to get more eyes on this movie for sure.

Lee Pugsley
That being said, if you haven't seen Late Night with the Devil, definitely go watch it. I know that it doesn't have audio description on Shutter, unfortunately, but you can rent it on Prime Video or iTunes, and it does have audio description there.

Alex Howard
I wouldn't say it's super scary either. I feel like even if you're thinking, "I like the horror genre, but I don't love it," I feel like you'd be okay watching this movie. Would you agree, Lee?

Lee Pugsley
100 %, yeah. It feels more like a drama for most of the movie until we get to the third act, then it becomes more horror. But even still, it's not as horror as some other movies in the genre are.

Alex Howard
Or even on this list.

Lee Pugsley
Exactly.

Alex Howard
So what is your number nine?

Lee Pugsley
So number nine on my list is Challengers, one of the two Luca Guadagnino movies that came out last year. And I really enjoyed this movie because I found the relational dynamics between Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, and Zendaya so interesting. Their relationships are so nuanced, and it's just fascinating to see how they unfold. I also thought that the cinematography was really beautiful, and the score was awesome, and the tennis matches were very riveting. I'm not even a huge tennis fan, but it definitely made me care about tennis.

Alex Howard
This soundtrack was pumping too. I loved the soundtrack. There's some of the cinematography, too. I think there was a shot where the camera was on the ball, and it was getting hit back and forth. That was really cool. But this is definitely an interesting movie.

Lee Pugsley
Absolutely. I don't know if I would call it Luca Guadagnino's best film he's ever done, but it definitely is a very memorable film at the end of the year and one that I do want to revisit at some point in the near future.

Alex Howard
I saw a lot of people raving about it and saying, "This better come back around come Oscar season." I know it is a little bit for score, but I don't think it's coming back up in the conversation as much as people wanted it to.

Lee Pugsley
I totally agree. I think that it died in the conversations, and I don't think we're going to see it in very many categories moving forward. But I'm still here for it. I still appreciate it. So moving on to number eight. What is your number eight?

Alex Howard
My number eight is Hit Man. I know a lot of people have problems with this movie, which I totally see why, but I thought it was so much fun. I think some of it might be the Sundance of it all, since I did see it at Sundance. I think movies you watch at a festival, a lot of times they have this shine to them because it is a very special thing to see a movie at a festival. I think I have Love Lies Bleeding was in my Honorable Mentions. A Real Pain was also in my Honorable Mentions. I have another one higher up. That was a Sundance movie. But I think I really love this concept of a hitman having all these different disguises. I think Glenn Powell is great in it. I really love Richard Linklater's writing. He's always awesome. He's one of my favorite writers. I think the pairing of those two just made for a great movie for me. I keep thinking about in this top 10, what are movies that I want revisit, and this is definitely one that I don't mind revisiting.

Lee Pugsley
That's awesome. I remember you talking about it after you came back from Sundance, and I was really looking forward to seeing it. I do have to actually confess that I did not get around to seeing it yet. That's one of the big movies from last year that, I guess, it just slipped my radar. I still need to watch it, and I am very interested in it. I heard that Glenn Powell plays a really good character, and it's fun. There's some good comedy in it, but also some really good action, too.

Alex Howard
Yeah, I would say comparable to Bernie, in a way, of Richard Linklater's movies. It has that intensity, but it also has that comedy, too.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, and I really like Richard Linklater stuff as well. So I do think that I am definitely the audience that will appreciate this film a lot. So needless to say, I'm excited to check it out. And moving on to my number eight. It is Ghostlight. One of those small movies that came out earlier this year, and it didn't seem like a lot of people saw it, but I keep seeing it on people's top 10 list. So it makes me happy that more people are aware of this movie than I expected. And I don't-- I just think it's a really nice family drama, and it also just shows how the community in theater and being involved in the performing arts can be healing in a way. I really appreciated that aspect of it as well. I think that the performances are really nice. I think that they're subtle, but very effective and very believable. I think it's cool that Keith Kupferer and his family were in this movie together. I think that's really special, too.

Alex Howard
Oh, I just watched this before we recorded this because I figured it would be in your top 10. This is a really, really solid movie, and I totally see why it speaks to you because it really speaks to the power of theater as well.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, and I'm glad that you watched it finally, too. So at least you know what me and John Stark, who's been on our podcast before, were talking about because I know that me and Jon were both big fans of this movie ever since we watched it months ago.

Alex Howard
Yeah. No, it's really great. If you haven't seen Ghostlight, definitely recommend it.

Lee Pugsley
Moving on to number seven. What is in that spot for you, Alex?

Alex Howard
My number seven, once again, this is not in terms of award movies or anything. This is just what I liked the most this year. Alien: Romulus is my number seven. I just think this did so much in an Alien movie that I never thought we would get, especially in terms of zero gravity and the acid blood. There are so things in this movie that I thought was so cool. I really love Fede Álvarez as a director. I think this just exceeded all of my expectations of what an Alien movie could be. I know some people had problems with some returning characters in it and other things that happened. But I just thought this was such an innovative Alien movie, and I'm so excited to see what else they do with this property.

Lee Pugsley
It makes me so happy that you really like this movie because I know that you were super excited about it when you first saw the trailer. And I know there have been other movies that have come out that you were disappointed in that you had such high expectations for. So I'm really glad that this movie hit for you. Once again, I have to confess that this is one of the big ones this past year that I haven't seen, and I still want to see it. And I know that you were talking about how good the audio description was for this movie as well.

Alex Howard
Oh, yeah. I ate up the audio description for this movie. It is fantastic, especially there's something that happens towards the end that's a little crazy, and they describe it so, so well. I had a friend staying with me, and he said he didn't really like the movie that much, and I was like, "We need to watch the end of the audio description." When we did, he was like, "Okay, I see why you like this now." Yeah, I definitely recommend. I think it's streaming on Hulu right now with the audio description.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, that is correct. I will get around to that movie as well, and I'm looking forward to it, too.

Alex Howard
What is your number seven?

Lee Pugsley
My number seven, which I have a suspicion might be on your list, but maybe in a little higher spot, is Didi. I thought that Didi was so much fun. I thought it was a great coming-of-age story, really authentic to the Taiwanese-American experience from what I had been told. It was just really nostalgic. I used AOL in the chat rooms and instant messenger and all of that. I thought that they captured 2008 so well and in such a humorous and very engaging way.

Alex Howard
This is so funny because actually Didi is my number 6, so we can totally talk about this now. I agree with you. I absolutely love this movie. I immediately texted one of my friends and was like, "You need to go see this because this is our childhood." It's crazy how much nostalgia brought. It was also at Sundance, and I didn't get to see it there. I think it either won Sundance or it won the Audience Award as Sundance. But this is a really, really great movie. It's one of those movies that just makes you happy.

Lee Pugsley
Completely agree. It was just such a joyful experience, especially when you're watching it in a theater where everyone's laughing and just having a really good time. I think, once again, that's just the magic of theater, and that's why going to the movie theater is so fun, because you're having that shared experience with everyone else. For a movie like Didi, it's especially effective and just such a wonderful place to be to have that communal experience.

Alex Howard
Yeah, I completely agree. If you have not checked out Didi, for anyone listening to this, I highly recommend going to check it out.

Lee Pugsley
And if you have checked out Didi, it's definitely very rewatchable because I have rewatched it and it was just as enjoyable the second time around.

Alex Howard
For anyone wondering, it's spelled D-I-D-I.

Lee Pugsley
Correct. So, highly recommend from both me and Alex.

Alex Howard
That was my number 6. What What is your number 6, again, Lee?

Lee Pugsley
My number 6, and this is probably somewhat predictable, is Sing Sing with Coleman Domingo. I think that this movie came out of nowhere. I'd heard a little buzz about it before its release. But A24 wasn't really promoting it, and I don't think they are still. Somehow, it has managed to stay in the conversations for awards season. So we'll see what traction it continues to get throughout the rest of season for the next couple of months. But I really appreciated the authenticity of this film. It's about the Sing Sing Prison and the prisoners in it who use theater as a form of reform. I just think that the relationships were very compelling. They were very touching. Because a lot of the prisoners who actually were in the Sing Sing Prison during this whole experience come back to play themselves, I think that that brought another level of authenticity and honesty to these characters. I don't know, I just found it really moving and also very engaging, probably because of my theatrical background.

Alex Howard
No, that is awesome. It's so funny because this year, I feel like there were a lot of movies that were centered on the love of theater, like stage play theater. It was like Sing Sing, Ghostlight, and then obviously Wicked. This was really a a year for cinema for live theater lovers.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. I think it's cool because it also shows how live theater can be used effectively to really elicit change in the lives of people that are involved in it. There's obviously stage to screen adaptations, and those are really cool, too. But it's actually nice to see movies that really highlight the power of theater in the lives of the people that are involved in it. That makes me really happy. Theater community, let's go.

Alex Howard
I love that you love this movie. I liked it, just like with Ghostlight. I think I like Ghostlight a little bit more, but I think the reason these movies resonated with you so much is because you are such a big theater person, so that is awesome.

Lee Pugsley
I think also because I've experienced just the impact of theater in my own personal life, cultivating personal growth for myself as well. That's probably another reason why these movies were so resonant for me. All right, well, now we're moving on to our top five. Alex, your number five.

Alex Howard
It's crazy. Usually, I really, really like my like 10 to 3 movies, and then 2 to 1, I really love. I would say my top five, all of them, I really, really love. My five and four are very much interchangeable. Then same with my three, two, one, those are all interchangeable as well. But my number five, as of right now, is Wicked. I was shocked how much I love this movie. I like the stage play a lot. I saw it, what, 10, 15 years ago, something like that. I don't remember the ending. I think we covered that before. But I really, really loved Wicked: Part One. I thought it was amazing. I been listening to the soundtrack even in my spare time. I took my mom to see it again on Christmas. So I was very, very impressed with it, and it is definitely in my top five movies of the year.

Lee Pugsley
That is awesome. It makes me so happy to see how many people really love this movie and have really latched onto it, because usually with movie musicals, it hits a certain crowd of people, which are the theater nerds. But it's very rare, honestly, that a movie musical can reach outside of that in a very widespread way. I think that Wicked has really done that. I talked to a lot of people that are like, "This movie wasn't my brand. I don't like musicals, but I still loved this movie." Wicked does make an appearance on my list a little higher up, but since we're talking about it now, I'll talk about it now. Having been a long-time fan of the musical since 2003, when it first came out, there was a lot riding on this movie for me. Initially, I did not like the casting of Ariana Grande. I didn't like the fact that it was going to be split up into two parts. I was really worried about the things that they were going to cut out or change. And I was so happy that they remained so faithful to the original source material. You could feel the love for the material from the cast and the crew in the performances, in the production design, just in every frame of the movie, there was so much passion for this material. It made me so happy. I think that Cynthia and Ariana are incredible. I think that this movie is just so joyful. I mean, it's such a joyful experience. I've seen it six times now, and I'll probably be watching it a few more times before it leaves theaters. I haven't got tired of it yet. I think for being a 2-hour and 40-minute movie, it moves reasonably fast. I mean, maybe there's a few parts that lag ever so slightly depending on who you are. But for me, it worked so well. It was everything that I wanted from a Wicked adaptation, and it was done almost perfectly.

Alex Howard
Yeah, I completely agree about Ariana Grande. I'm not the biggest fan of her either, but she blew me away, especially the second time I saw it, I was really watching, "Was she that good in it?" And she was. She really captured the Glinda of it all. I think someone like you, the fact that you love it so much, you've seen the play, what, 22 times?

Lee Pugsley
Correct.

Alex Howard
The fact that you've seen the play that many times, that means Wicked is one of your favorite all-time musicals. That bar was super hard to reach for you. I think the fact that you love the movie, I think it speaks volumes because it is a different medium, but I think it captures the essence of the play in a different way. I really love that everyone is embracing it as much as they are. I mean, it's crazy. I would say it's one of the three or four movies that are going to be nominated for Best Picture that actually has a chance of winning.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, which is crazy because when the trailer first came out, I wasn't sold on the trailer. I thought that it looked a little too CG from the parts that I could make out. Even the little song clips and stuff I was very on the fence about. I was excited because it's Wicked, but I was still very nervous. And I wasn't like, "Oh, yeah, this is going to be amazing." The fact that we got a product that was as good as it is is just so good. I know it's been in the hands of so many different directors through the years, and they've been trying to get this movie made for so long. I think that John Chu was definitely the right person to do this movie.

Alex Howard
Most definitely, yes. What is your number five then?

Lee Pugsley
My number five, and I'll echo what you said about your top five movies, that the top five movies this year on my list are movies that I love all of them, and they could easily be interchangeable with the spots that they're in. My number five is The Brutalist. Now, I'll be honest and say that I was very hesitant to watch this movie because when you hear that a movie is three hours and 35 minutes, it's an effort. It seems like it could be very boring. It just seems very long. It seems like a big commitment that I was willing to make, but I can't necessarily say I was looking forward to it.

Alex Howard
It's almost like homework. I completely agree.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. Yeah, that's a great way to put it. It's almost like homework. It's like something that's like, well, I have to watch this because there's buzz about it. As a cinephile, it's going to be something that people are talking about, but it's not necessarily something that I'm looking forward to doing. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised in the best way possible with what this movie was. I mean, I think that the performances from Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones are all fantastic. I think that the production design, because it does deal a lot with architecture, is really beautiful to look at. The score is awesome. I think it just harkens back to the epic movies of the Golden Age of cinema, something like, I don't know, Lawrence of Arabia, in that vein. Even though it's interesting because it's a simple story when it really comes down to it. It's about people. There's not this hero's journey or this big quest going on, but it still feels very epic. Maybe even having the intermission makes it feel more like the Golden Age epic movies. But I wasn't bored with this movie. I was very engaged, and I thought that the character dynamics were really fascinating. I think that there's a lot of poignancy to just the ideas of trauma and how you deal with trauma. I think that there's a lot of stuff to in this movie.

Alex Howard
I completely agree with everything you said. This is my number four, so we can talk about this now. The Brutalist, I don't like throwing around the word masterpiece, but it's hard not to when you see this movie. It is epic. It's crazy how... Like you, I was like, "I really don't want to go watch a three and a half hour movie right now." I made sure I went in the afternoon, so I didn't fall asleep. I was like, "You really have to plan out your day going to see it." I thought-- The only thing I'd heard about it was it's about a Holocaust survivor, and it's three and a half hours. I was like, "Oh, man, this is going to be a rough watch." I was not excited. The Holocaust played into it, but it's not a major plot point. It's not a super depressing three and a half hour Holocaust movie, which is what I thought it was going to be. It's extremely good. I was very, very impressed by it. I did not think I'd like it as much I did. I actually would be willing to go back and watch it again, surprisingly, even though it is three and a half hours. So yeah, I was very impressed. I think you and I had the same… There's a plot point in the second half of the movie that you and I were both, like, iffy on, which I think it's why it's not at our top. Besides that, I mean, it is a fantastic, fantastic movie.

Lee Pugsley
Totally agreed. To that point, if the plot point that you were referring to -- which we've talked about and we'll avoid spoilers on it -- if that plot point wasn't what it was, I think that this movie could have easily been in my number one or two spot. It's not a major criticism of the movie because obviously, it's high up on both of our lists, so we still loved it. But it was enough to push it down just a little bit, just a little bit, not significantly.

Alex Howard
Yeah. I think, honestly, what they do with that plot point later, I actually really do like. In the moment, I  was like "Ooh." But then later I was like, "Okay, this works for me." And I think you're right. Felicity Jones. I almost think, I mean, if I had my pick, Felicity Jones would win the Oscar. I don't know if she will, but I think she gave the best supporting actress performance of the year.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. I really hope that she's nominated. That would be awesome.

Alex Howard
That was my number four. So what is your number four, Lee?

Lee Pugsley
My number four, which will be no surprise to you because I've been raving about this movie all year. And just a side note for all the listeners out there, whenever I get super excited about a movie, Alex just has to listen to me rave about it, inhale its praises for the entire year. And he's probably like, "Really? We're talking about this movie again every time I bring it up in every conversation about film." But that being said, it's going to be no surprise to you, Alex, that my number four is Thelma, which you saw at Sundance as well.

Alex Howard
I did, yeah. I think I have a little bit PTSD with Thelma because I had a bad AD experience with it at Sundance. That probably soured my enjoyment of it, and I haven't rewatched it. You probably had a different track than I did, or maybe, I don't know.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, and I guess with my track, it didn't bother me. I didn't really think about it, so I don't know if it's the same track or not. I would be very interested if you were to rewatch it to know if it was the same audio description track that you had. But regardless, I just found this movie such a blast. It subverts the whole heist, the heist movie, and it gives it a more unconventional feel. And I think that June Squibb, as Thelma, was fantastic. I think that she really did a phenomenal job for being 94, and this being her first leading role. It's pretty incredible, honestly. I also just thought that the script was really fun and it dealt with issues of old age and things that people in old age really deal with. So I don't know. It was just so fun to me, and it's so rewatchable. Once again, I've seen it a few times now, and I still really like it. I think it's really sweet. I think it's heartwarming. I think there's a lot of really good things about it that just really have made a standout and something that I've remembered throughout this whole past year.

Alex Howard
It is a very sweet, heartwarming movie, and I definitely recommend it to our listeners because I think our listener base in particular would really enjoy this movie.

Lee Pugsley
All right. Well, now we are down to our top three. So what is your number three?

Alex Howard
This was so hard. I was like, "Which one would put my three?" My three, two, one are so close. My number three is Dune Part Two, which seems crazy because after I saw this, I was like, "No movie is going to top this. This is my number one for the year. No way." Yeah, Dune Part Two, it's absolutely epic and gorgeous. It's like that, The Brutalist, and Nosferatu are, I would say, the prettiest movies of the year, for sure, just in terms of the cinematography and scope and everything of it. It's like they are cinema, literally. It's just so good. I like Dune Part Two actually a lot more than Dune Part One. I think we've talked about this a little bit halfway through the here, but the story of it is so against the grain of what you would expect. I really love all of that.

Lee Pugsley
I agree with everything you were saying in Dune Part Two is actually in my number 2 spot, so we can talk about it as well. I think that Dune Part Two elevated the material from Dune Part 1 while still keeping the same consistency of quality in terms of the cinematography, the editing, the production design, the sound design, the performances, everything. But there was just so much more to it, and there was so much to unpack in so many different relevant and relatable themes in that movie. And I think that it only made Dune better. I love Dune Part 1, and that still was one of my favorite movies of that year. But Dune Part Two was just on a whole other level and was glorious. And I agree with you that Dune Part Two, Nosferatu, and The Brutalist are the three most beautiful movies in the theater in 2024. And there was action, there was drama. It was just interesting to see the twists and turns. Having read Dune, the book, I think that they adapted Dune Part Two so well because it's not easy to do. The changes they made from the book, I thought were very effective and merited, and I understand why they made those changes. I had no issue with them. I have nothing but high praise to sing for Dune Part 2.

Alex Howard
Yeah, I know we like waxed poetic about it. I think it was at both of our number one spots at that halfway point of the year.

Lee Pugsley
Exactly, it was. So it only moved down one spot for me, surprisingly. It moved down two spots for you, but that's still pretty good.

Alex Howard
It started my Popcorn Bucket collection as well.

Lee Pugsley
And on a side note, that's the only popcorn bucket that I have is the Dune Part 2 Popcorn Bucket with the sand worm, and it's really fun.

Alex Howard
So what is your number three then?

Lee Pugsley
So my number three is the Wild Robot. Not only do I think that this is the best animated film of the year, obviously, I think it's one of the best films of the year. I think it's such a simple story that we've seen before about a mother raising a kid. Granted, it was a robot raising a goose, but it's still a parenting story. But there was so much heart in the film, and I was surprisingly emotional throughout the whole film the first time I saw it. It reminded me of my relationship with my mom. For those that don't know, I was raised by a single mother who passed away when I was younger. Also, having a disability, it reminded me of just the way that I felt when I was younger, not feeling like I fit in and my mom making sacrifices and creating structures that would help me to succeed. She pushed me to succeed, but she didn't force me to do anything. But she set up a structure where I could succeed, but she still was like, "You have to put in the work." So I don't know, it just resonated for me on a very personal level. But beyond I think that Lupita Nyong'o's voice performance is one of the best voice performances in years. It's so hard to be a robotic voice and to convey a level of emotion in humanity in that as well. I don't know, just the themes of kindness and them not being afraid to talk about death. I think that there's a lot that anyone could take away from this movie, whether you're a parent, whether you're a kid. We've all been kids, and we all have parents, and we know parents. So I think that whatever age you are, I think there's something that you can take away from this. Plus, the animation is gorgeous. I think you could freeze frame any one of those shots, and it would be a beautiful painting on your wall. And the score is very sweeping and adds a lot to the emotional arc of the story.

Alex Howard
I'm really glad this hit you so well. I agree with you. This is definitely one of the best animated movies of the year. I think, especially for parents, this is a fantastic movie. And I think it's definitely Dreamworks' closest thing they've had in years to anything Pixar has done.

Lee Pugsley
Totally agreed. Once again, it just was so unexpected. I did not expect to cry during this movie. I don't cry at movies. I didn't even think the trailer looked that interesting. I was like, "Oh, it's like WALL-E all over again." But there's so many layers to unpack in this movie, and I'm just so happy that this movie exists, and I'm rooting for it to continue throughout the rest of awards season.

Alex Howard
Is there the Wild Robot streaming on Peacock yet?

Lee Pugsley
The Wild Robot is not streaming anywhere for free yet. You can rent it on video on demand, and I think it's gone down from the $20 price point.

Alex Howard
Okay, great. Because I think our listeners would really like that one as well.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, listeners out there, highly recommend. All right, so moving on, what is your number two?

Alex Howard
My number two, I also cried in, which is why it's in my number two spot, given it's not as cinematic as some of the other ones below it, but I think had the biggest gut punch for me. It's My Old Ass with Aubrey Plaza. This is streaming for free right now on Prime Video with audio description. I was very shocked that I had such a reaction to this movie. It is so good. It's about a girl who her future self comes and talks to her during a mushroom trip and tries to tell her how to improve her life. It's just I don't know. Every time I watch this movie, I cry. I cried in the theater, and then I showed my parents and I cried, and my mom was like, "Why are you crying?" I was like, "Did you not watch the same movie I just did?" But it really hits me, and I think it just strikes the right cord. I think it's up for some Spirit awards, but I recognize that it's not shot in the same epic way that a normal Oscar nominee would get, which is why I don't think it's getting the nominations, but that script is so good.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, that is awesome. I feel so bad because I have not seen this movie yet still. There's three of your movies that are on your top 10 list that I have not seen. For those listeners out there, I have seen a lot of movies in this past year. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't watch any movies this last year. It's just those three, and you've been talking about them ever since you saw them. I know that Alien: Romulus, Hit Man, and My Old Ass really stood out to you. I apologize that I have not seen these movies yet. I do think that My Old Ass is one of those movies that I really will like because I just think that there's a poignancy to the story. I'm glad that it really resonated with you. I think that's the beautiful thing about the movies that make our top 10 list is just really seeing the resonance that they have for us personally. I love seeing the variation. I love seeing how passionate you are about this movie, and I wish I had more to contribute to this.

Alex Howard
I think it's like... Well, I mean, first of all, lucky for you, all those movies are streaming for free with AD. So I know immediately after this show, you're just going to go watch all three, and then you're going to call me after. I think what's crazy is I don't cry in this movie for, like once you watch it, for the obvious reason. It's more like I think back on my own life and what I would tell my future self and then the implications of that. And I think that's where I really get emotional is putting myself in the shoes of those characters. I think it strikes in a special cord with me because of my life experience. It's a fantastic, fantastic movie.

Lee Pugsley
That totally makes sense. I think that in a similar way, that's why the Wild Robot resonated with me because of my own life experience, just seeing some resonance and reflecting upon, yeah, my past life events and just thinking about what those were like. And in the same way, it feels like My Old Ass did that for you.

Alex Howard
Yeah.

Lee Pugsley
It's such a beautiful thing when movies can really hit us in those ways. And I'm glad that I'm both of our list this year, we have one of those movies that really resonated on such a personal and deep level.

Alex Howard
Oh, yeah. What is your... Oh, wait. We have your number two, which was Dune, right?

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. My number two was Dune Part Two. So we've already talked that. So now we are at the grand finale, and I'm pretty... No, I'm not even going to say I'm pretty sure I know yours. I do know what your number one movie of the year is. And I'm just going to take a guess right now and say that it is undoubtedly The Substance.

Alex Howard
Yeah. It is The Substance. It's so crazy because I feel like the first time I saw this movie, I really, really liked it. But then the second time I saw it, that's when I really fell in love with it. I think it is... And by the way, it is returning to theaters on January 17th for the Oscars and stuff. If you have not seen The Substance and you are okay with some gore, I would highly recommend going to see The Substance. It is just so… For me, I think it's gorgeous in the fact that the cinematography is very zoomed in, so it's very close-up shots, like the entire movie, which I obviously love because I'm blind, so that helps me see everything better. But then also, I think all the bright colors in it, I think it's also just a great message of not being happy with yourself, whether it's what you look like or who you are, and having the opportunity to change that and what can go wrong. Because, I mean, it's core it is a movie about beauty and the female gaze and all of that. But I think beyond that, I think a lot of people can relate to it. For those who don't know, it is-- Demi Moore plays a woman who gets an opportunity to have a younger version of herself. So she takes this thing called the Substance, and it makes a younger version of herself, and they just split time in her life. So one gets a week and the other one gets a week. For me, for someone having a disability, I've always been unhappy in my own skin. Having that opportunity to be like, "Oh, potentially I can have a part of me that doesn't have this challenge, that would be amazing. I would jump at that chance." But then what can go wrong with that is really intriguing.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I'm on board with everything that you just said. I think that this movie does have a lot to relate to because even if it's not about beauty or your appearance, there's those insecurities within each of ourselves, those imperfections that we see in ourselves that we wish we could swap with someone else or that we could get rid of in some way. I think that there is very much a universal relatability that you can put yourself in Demi Moore's shoes and connect to that character. I also think that from a filmmaking point of view, this is such bold filmmaking in terms of just the color palette, the concept itself. Some of the shots, visually, are really interesting and not something that you see in other movies. The score really adds a lot to the environment as well. I really did enjoy this movie, and that's why it was on my honorable mentions and almost made my top 10. I think for me, the the third act just became a little too over the top for my personal sensibilities. That doesn't mean it was bad. That doesn't mean that there's anything to dislike about that, just more so a personal taste. But I'm guessing that the third act was probably one of your favorite parts of it.

Alex Howard
Yeah. I think for me, being a big horror fan, and especially body horror, the third act goes nuts. I had heard that. I don't think that's really a spoiler because I think that's pretty much out there now. I'm not going to go into detail. But when I saw it, I was thinking like, "Oh, this movie must be almost over, and that's it." Then they went further, and I was like, "Oh, this is what they were talking about." And so I think just having something like this, it's kind of like Cronenberg's The Fly or Society or Slither or something like that. This is the first movie like that that has audio description. And it's great audio description. And so having a movie like this that is actually described is crazy to me. That's another reason why I love this movie because it is, like, it really does deliver the body horror that I love, but in a medium that I can actually enjoy. So you're right. The third act is one of my favorite acts of any movie this year, for sure.

Lee Pugsley
And the audio description in the third act is crazy good, too. There's so many complicated things to describe, and they do such a good job of describing all of them. Then just another comment I have, in addition to the performances of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley being fantastic and very nuanced, and I appreciate both of those, is I really enjoyed how the opening shot and the closing shot come back full circle. That's all I'm going to say about that to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the movie, but it was such a smart way to open and close the movie.

Alex Howard
Oh, definitely. I do want to give a disclaimer that this movie is definitely not for everyone, but it is streaming on Mubi, M-U-B-I. If you get the free trial, they're the distributors. They have the exclusive rights to this. So it is streaming on Mubi for free if you do the seven day free trial. But like I said, it's also coming back to theaters on the 17th.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, that's awesome. I totally see why this movie really struck a chord with you.

Alex Howard
I was going to say, I bet I can guess what your number one is as well. Your number one is Wicked, right?

Lee Pugsley
Absolutely. My number one is Wicked. Once again, with my top three movies, especially, but really the top five, it was such a toss-up between what was going to be number one. But I think that Wicked is my number one, in addition to the reasons that I've already discussed that I won't go into again, just because of how big of a theater person I am and how much I've loved this material for over 20 years. Just to finally get adaptation that all of us in the theater community wanted was just so wonderful.

Alex Howard
No, that is awesome. This was your number one most anticipated, right?

Lee Pugsley
It was, actually. It's cool that my number one most anticipated lined up with the expectation as well, because it's not often that that happens.

Alex Howard
Yeah, that is super rare. I'm really happy that that happened for you. It's funny because both of our number ones are actually getting a lot of awards buzz, too, which also that doesn't happen very much.

Lee Pugsley
So true.

Alex Howard
And they're tooootally different movies.

Lee Pugsley
Totally, like night and day difference. But I feel like it's funny because they both really play to our sensibilities, me being the musical guy and you being the horror guy. It totally makes sense that these would be our number one movies of 2024.

Alex Howard
It's also funny because a movie like The Substance rarely gets awards love, so it's great to see that happening. But then also, same with Wicked. Back in the day, movies like this would get awards love, but now not so much. It's great that both of these movies are striking such a cord with awards voters that they're... I think they're both rising in their awards chances right now, whereas I think a lot of other movies are falling, like Emilia Perez and things like that. So it'll be interesting to see, I think the awards nominations come out this weekend to see how many nominations The Substance gets and how many nominations Wicked gets.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, absolutely. I think this year, I think we can say, has been this year, as in 2024, has been a win for both of us, that we're both getting what we want in terms of quality movies that are really in our wheelhouse, but also that they're getting the recognition that we would want them to get. This is a really good note to end on, actually.

Alex Howard
Yeah, I completely agree. It was so hard to pick my number one. I was like, "Is it The Substance?" I was like, "You know what? That's the movie I keep thinking about from I see it. That's the movie I'm like, I want to put art on my wall." You know those like, um, they have those artworks where they take each frame of the movie and they squash it down into a line. Basically, the artwork is like a wavelength of the different colors through the movie. I feel like The Substance would be such a colorful piece that I'm like, "I hope they make it for that." I just keep thinking about it. I'm like, "It has to be The Substance." I'm sure it's the same for you with Wicked. You said you saw it six times. That must be the one for you.

Lee Pugsley
Absolutely. I would love that art on my wall as well. Let's hope for both of us that we get what we want there, too.

Alex Howard
I was going to say thank you all so much for listening. You can always reach out to us via email if you have any tips for us or topics you wanted to talk about. Honestly, let us know what your top 10 of the year is and what you think are our top 10.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, please do. You can reach us at DarkRoomFilmCast@gmail.com. Once again, that's DarkRoomFilmCast@gmail.com. If there's any of these movies that you want us to do a deeper dive on, we're happy to do that. Just let us know what you would want because we want to cater to what you guys want. Also, stay tuned this year for a lot of other cool things that we have planned, including the second annual Oscars Audio Description Roundtable, which will be coming in the next couple of months.

Alex Howard
Yes, so stay tuned for all of that. We have some fun stuff planned.

Lee Pugsley
You can also follow us on Instagram and subscribe to us on YouTube, both @DarkRoomFilmCast.

Alex Howard
And we would also like to thank Matt Lauterbach for making captions of this episode possible, as well as BlindCAN for helping editing this episode.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. Thank you, Matt and BlindCAN as well. And thank you, guys, once again, for listening. This has been a really fun episode, and we will see you here next time on The Dark Room.

Alex Howard
All right. Take care, guys.

Lee Pugsley
All right. Bye.