The State of 2024
Recounting the best films, TV and music that was released that year.
As of writing this, I’ll end 2024 having written more bylines than ever, and hopefully, this will continue more for next year. On the pop culture side, I’ll admit that I’ve mellowed out by watching, reading or listening to any of the new releases in films, TV, books and music. Given the level of engagement, Don’t expect this to be a diagnosis of the media, but more like an observation on the things that I’ve enjoyed in what was a chaotic year, culturally and personally. Instead of a list, that I did last year, I’ll write stray thoughts and jump from one title to another. You’ve been warned.
Film
This year has been quite underwhelming for movies, especially if you limit it to the “supply and demand” side of the medium. I’ve written that moviegoing has always been a communal experience, one that doesn’t necessarily require internet-driven events like “Barbenheimer”, but art requires attention, as much as anything being sold in commerce. Had Furiosa, which is my favorite film of 2024, took that as an opportunity over its shortcomings as an entry in the cult franchise that aren’t necessarily box office bonanzas. That, however, doesn’t override many of its greatest setpieces, all of which consist of a simple and quintessential revenge story; a vital and energetic lead up to one of the greatest action movies of all time (even if Fury Road has to be compressed during the end credits). Even prestige season isn’t hitting the same levels of hype as the last two years. The only one I can recall is Anora, which won the Palme D’Or and is expected to be nominated for lots of awards. Despite being exceptionally funny and containing a breakout performance from Mikey Madison, it is Sean Baker’s least memorable film, lacking the consistent pacing of his previous filmography (Red Rocket had better buildup than this one). But the film that deserves some recognition should be Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour, a sprawling romance set in 1918 Rangoon, where it transports the viewer from the past and the present in such a transcendent manner. Meanwhile, Kinds of Kindness is Yorgos Lathimos’s best film, a return to his Greek New Wave roots and designed to turn off the Academy after two consecutive films of awards pandering. And for all the buzz surrounding Sebastian Stan’s bravura performance in The Apprentice, his other film A Different Man - in which he cures himself from his body dysmorphic condition, only to be outwitted by the same person with that condition - should be receiving further notice. Fingers crossed though for Look Back to get a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars. We need more anime representation over there!
Music
While I haven’t listened to a lot of music this year, but the pop genre is having its biggest moment that I can recall, and having heard a triptych of incoming pop starlets - Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX - it feels like I’m already on the bandwagon. I’ve listened to Charli XCX’s brat multiple times, and have even written about how the Democrats were attempting to co-opt its messy, don’t-give-a-fuck aesthetic. It’s an effort that, if you just accept it as a bare bones collection of dance tracks (one that has been remixed with several collaborators, thus expanding the title to “brat”), it’s decent. But personally, having listened to her from the beginnings in the early 2010s, it is essentially an artistically mature work of art from someone who is a student of pop into one of its most charismatic veterans.
The other two new releases that I quite liked this year are Tyler the Creator’s Chronokopia and Schoolboy Q’s Blue Lips, which also has similar cases of presenting creative and personal maturity that’s purely compelling. Chronokopia shows Tyler at his most uncertain, the male equivalent of Brat. But whereas that album demonstrates the finity of being immature, this one is about the challenges of getting mature. The opportunity that Schoolboy Q takes advantage of is expanding his flow and turning into something more compelling as his peer Kendrick Lamar. Hip hop hasn’t had its day in the limelight and you can thank Drake and Kendrick Lamar beefing. Kendrick’s GNX is his least memorable work, more forgettable than Damn. It’s a rather competent victory lap, yet compared to Good Kid Maad City and To Pimp a Butterfly, it doesn’t explore the human condition in further detail. He’s more capable of looking at his own shoulders like with Mr Morale and the Big Steppers.
Television
The best television I’ve watched has been very varied. And for that, I’m going to annoy some of my readers about an anime I really enjoyed. But I haven’t watched a lot of anime that came out this year, and Dandadan stands out as the best show I’ve seen then. Centering around two teenagers, who become best friends due to their interests in aliens and ghosts, this colorful show defies all sense of narrative logic and accommodates its search for meaning.
Similarly, the second season of Smiling Friends is colorful and powerful. As I wrote:
One might argue that commentary by “Smiling Friends” on current issues like cancel culture and mental illness, particularly when the Friends have to rescue an entertainer named Mr. Frog from a career collapse, is timely, but it’s never quite on the nose. And this makes for some hilarious punchlines. Examples include the Halloween special, where Pim gets chased by a demon and ends with the creature being obliterated because the partygoers think he’s wearing blackface. There’s also when Mr Frog saves his career by eating the executive producer who fired him.
But there are other highlights. I have written about the greatness of HBO’s Industry and why, with the faith of the studio and a growing fanbase, the show has more than creative legs. This show is a mixture of stressful trade deals and entertaining gossip, but more importantly, it’s about how these young adults evolve in this cutthroat environment. The Penguin was a pleasant surprise. I expect it to be derivative of other superior crime dramas, but slap it with an IP sticker. However, Oz Cobb’s villainy is consistently compelling and Cristina Miloti is revelatory as Sofia Falcone.