Honorable Mention: Megalopolis 

For over two hours, I had no idea what I was watching or what I was even doing there at the theater in the first place. Francis Ford Coppola felt he still had something to prove, something to give the American moviegoers, that he went to great lengths to bring this cinematic...curiosity(?)...to the big screen and damn near went bankrupt to express his "art."

By the end, I was so flabbergasted by the whole experience, I was convinced this film is too far ahead of its time to comprehend right now. Perhaps this is one to revisit in a few years, and in the end, isn't that what cinema is all about?

10. Sasquatch Sunset 

One of the most absurdly touching films I watched all year, and one of the most beautiful to boot. Four nomadic sasquatch explore the lush wilderness of Northern California in search of food, shelter, and (less successfully) their own kind. As the seasons change throughout the dialogue-free plot, so does the group's dynamics. It's like a mix between a traditional National Geographic documentary and an aspiring stoner comedy.

9. Love Lies Bleeding 

A pulp novel with a pumped-up pulse, Love Lies Bleeding is a piece of trashy-chic cinema that's juiced with so much sex and violence you'll feel jacked for days!

Set in a sleazy New Mexico wasteland during the late-'80s, the film stars a perfectly cast Kristen Stewart as a reclusive gym manager who falls in love with an aspiring bodybuilder played by newcomer Katy O'Brian. Their love affair would be steamier if it weren't for Ed Harris' sinister-looking hairpiece quietly menacing them.

It's a small dose of Bound stacked with a scoop of Desert Hearts--the perfect combo to send the blood rushing to your head!

8. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin 

When Mats Steen died from Duchenne muscular dystrophy at the age of 25, his parents mourned what they assumed was an all-too-brief life spent in isolation. Yet once they retrieve his World of Warcraft login, they uncover an extensive online presence--under the charismatic avatar named Ibelin--that was influential to the many lives he befriended in the gaming world. A deeply moving documentary, it's the only one included on this list!

7. Challengers

A film that somehow features more homoeroticism than Gladiator II! Zendaya might be the headlining ace, but it's the sizzling rivalry between Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist that serves up every frame of Luca Guadagnino's mesmerizing love-triangle about competitive tennis players. You'll never look at a churro the same way again!

6. Flow 

All of those moviegoers who made Inside Out 2 2024's highest-grossing film can go eat their feelings--Flow is the best animated film of the year! While technically an international release from Latvia, it's cinematic power ditches the use of pesky subtitles to better immerse you into the global language of nature: the swift roar of rushing water, the quiet solace of wind stirring the leaves of a tree, and the amusing coos of a cat's meow.

Flow might not have the Pixar brand to set its course for box office gold, but it has plenty of emotional appeal behind its sails.

5. Sing Sing 

One of two films on this list I saw at this year's Chicago Critics Film Fest (the other being Ibelin), it's somewhat baffling this film hasn't received more attention for its arresting story about prisoners of the infamous penitentiary who find purpose through performance.

Colman Domingo turns in another Oscar-worthy performance as Divine G, one of the founding members of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, who decides to shake things up by producing an original comedy. While the felons find the truth behind their characters, they also must confront the truths behind their incriminating pasts. What unfolds is a cinematic triumph thanks to its charming ensemble made up of former inmates.

4. Conclave 

I initially dismissed seeing this film about a papal conclave choosing the next pope, but thank God I relented! Conclave is well-written, intelligently directed, and stacked with a talented cast led by a magnificent Ralph Fiennes.

The investigatory proceedings that take place in the film provide intelligent thrills, unveiling the secrets and scandals of those in the running to take the Catholic church into a new direction. Released during one of our most tumultuous election cycles, the film packs quite the prescient punch!

3. Emilia Pérez 

To describe the plot of this musical comedy-drama-thriller would spoil so much of its original story. Seriously, I went in not knowing much about it, other than its trio of women--played by Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, and Selena Gomez--shared Best Actress honors at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

By the time the end credits rolled, I was so pleasantly surprised by it all, there was no way I wasn't including it on this list!

2. The Substance 

Perhaps the best film of the year to watch with an audience, The Substance was THE water-cooler moment of 2024.

Demi Moore, in a viscerally-raw performance, stars as Elizabeth Sparkle, a Hollywood celebrity whose status fades the moment she turns 50. In a desperate attempt to maintain her stardom, she orders a black market serum known as "The Substance," which promises a younger, more beautiful, and perfect version of herself.

What happens next is two hours of body horror hysteria not even David Cronenberg could concoct from his most demented fever dreams. Funny, disgusting, heartbreaking, stomach-churning--you experience it all in Coralie Fargeat's impressive sophomore feature!

1. Anora 

This movie had me mesmerized from the strobe light start of its opening credits. Sean Baker's refreshing Palm d'Or winner about a sex worker whose fairytale-like tryst with a Russian oligarch's son comes to a crashing halt is made with such audacity, you'd beg it to give you a lap dance!

With a stimulating script performed by an endearing ensemble, Anora was the dizzying experience I yearned for this year at the movies!