It has been another fun filled year of watching movies at home on Sunday Afternoon’s. Seriously, you need to do it, if your not already! My Sunday routines most weeks involve going to Church in the morning, followed by a nice Lunch, and then plenty of time to get a Movie in, followed by time to Write a Review; it’s all rather pleasurable.
That doesn’t mean to say though that all the films I saw this year were good, No! I saw plenty of poor movies; such as:
But a film cannot guarantee itself to be good, not until someone has sat down to watch it in full, and I have watched quite a few cool movies this year too, with those outside my Top 10 being:
- Sonic The Hedgehog,
- Threads,
- Mother,
- Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,
- Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom,
- Bank Of Dave,
- and Apostle.
But what about the other film. You see, with these lists I choose to pick films that I saw for the first time, not films I have watched many times over. For the past few Easter Sundays I have enjoyed re-watching the Gamera Heisei Trilogy, but as I was re-watching them, rather than seeing them for the first time, I have not included them on any of these lists. There was one film though that was a bit trickier to consider.
Godzilla Minus Colour. I saw Godzilla Minus One for the first time in 2023, but the Minus Colour version of Minus One I saw for the first time this year (2024) on Netflix. So it was a bit of a conundrum, as do I state the obvious and pick it as my favourite film of the Sunday Movie Watching Year, or do I leave it out, as I saw Minus One last year. Well I decided to leave it out, but write a paragraph or two explaining why I left it out.
So with all the red tape out of the way; here are The Top 10 Films I have Enjoyed Watching on Sunday Afternoons over this Past Year…also known as 2024; Enjoy!
10. Civil War – Civil War is a weird one, because it’s not what you immediately think it’s going to be. You think it’s going to be more like say Olympus Has Fallen, or Independence Day; a big blockbuster action movie, with a big villain, and an action hero. It’s Not! Civil War is a road movie combined with a coming-of-age drama, about a war photographer, and her adopted prodigy, who tour the USA; which just so happens to be experiencing a modern day Civil War, looking to be the first to reach the White House, and confront the President. It’s that simple, narratively speaking though!
9. Arrival – In a post Independence Day world, it’s easy to assume that anyhing involving a giant alien spaceship, will automatically be an alien invasion story. Well Arrival certainly isn’t, although other characters threaten it to be so. No! Arrival is a more cautious science fiction movie, which chooses to be more mystical in it’s approach, and feature constant switches of narrative, to suggest what could be, or what will be, whilst still second guessing the viewer. It’s a very prolonged viewing film, but one you can’t turn away from, just in case you think you might miss something!
8. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre – The first of two films on this list to feature Jason Statham. Operation Fortune is a really clever spy/heist like movie, featuring terrific perform,ances, particularly from Statham and Aubrey Plaza, although Hugh Grant‘s constant impression of Michael Caine can be a little bit off putting. Issues aside though, it’s a very engrossing, and highly enjoyable movie, with some spectacular moments in the explosive grand finale!
7. The Beekeeper – The second of two films on this list to feature Jason Statham. A very John Wick like film, featuring a rather unique, but also believable villain, incurring the wrath of a simple beekeeper, who also happens to be a member of a special forces group also known as The Beekeepers. Featuring a lot of explosive situations, and terrfific fight scenes to boot, this was a really fun, and of course violent action thriller!
6. The Fugitive – This was the first time that I ever saw The Fugitive, and it didn’t disappoint. You can actually play a fun game with this film, where you try to recognize all the actors that appeared in the previous Andrew Davis film; Under Siege. The story is a nice easy going affair, that doesn’t trip into that easiest of footholds, making the lead an automatic action star, instead he is just a doctor, trying to prove his innocence. It features several edge of your seat chase sequences, and a terrific performance from Tommy Lee Jones too!
5. The Maze Runner – When I first heard about this film, I just thought it sounded absolutely ridiculous. The idea of kids trying to escape a giant maze, like something your family visits on summer holiday, but usually made of corn, no…not for me. It turns out I actually rather liked it. The story is constantly on the edge of becoming Lord of the Flies, but occassionally likes to throw a curve ball, by adding moments of mystery, science fiction, and a wicked (pun not intended) twist at the end. Plus it has terrific character development, that would become the series standout trait, and you’ll see why shortly!
4. The Iron Claw – The Iron Claw is quite possibly, the saddest film I have ever seen. It’s such a tragic piece, and yet gets even more devastating, when you realize that it’s based on the real life tragedy of the Von Erich Family. The film basically likes to toy with you during the first half, setting up the key family bond between four professional wrestling brothers, whom by the half way point, are ready to conquer the world. And then, one by one, its all taken away in flash instances. By the time the film reaches it’s conclusion…no, it’s just too sad to explain!
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – This is one of those films that I had no intention of ever watching, as it all looked rather ridiculous. So I’m rather glad I changed my mind. It’s a rather satirical take on Spy Films, like James Bond in a way, about a secret society, an unlikely recruit, wicked gadgets, and the one thing that is sorely missing from James Bond films these days, a megalomaniac villain. It’s a very well made film, with plenty of room for laughs, but the highlight is the frequently epic fight sequences!
2. Maze Runner: The Death Cure – If you watch the entire trilogy (and why wouldn’t you), you reach what is by far the most imaginative film; the thrid one. It is so nice, for a post apocalyptic, dystopian world, to have a proper modern city in it, it actually makes it something you can connect with. But that’s not the reason why this one is the most enjoyable. The character development reaches a head by this one, leading to three heartbreaking scenes, as a good friend, and another one who did something bad, but is not inherantly evil…dies. When these first two moments happen, I was in tears, it was like losing two good friends. And it’s a film that makes you feel like that. And then, it ends with the another tear jerking moment, but a happy one!
1. Leave The World Behind – Leave The World Behind, is a rather weird approach to a seemingly end of the world type story. It’s a showcase of weird goings on, which always seem frantic, but also rather goofy. It features a great cast, whose motivations always seem flimsy at best; which reaches a hard to understand reasoning as to why it’s all going on in the first place, as well as a rather absurd closing moment. But all this weirdness, just makes it quite a cool film, that chooses to be different, rather than doing the same thing that everyone else chooses to do!
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