2024 has been an incredible year for cinema but don't just take our word for it, listen to none other than Denis Villeneuve.
With his latest feature Dune: Part Two being named our film of the year, ranking at the top of our best movies of 2024 list, we recently caught up with the filmmaker over Zoom. And with the year coming to a close, we wanted to know what his favorite films from 2024 have been.
Villeneuve is quick to admit that he still has many movies to catch up on, but says there are plenty of films that he has really loved this year. So, from these, what were the stand-outs? It's quite the eclectic list as Villeneuve shared with GamesRadar+: "I really loved Jacques Audiard's Emilia Perez. I thought that it was very original and inspiring. Jacques Audiard's movies always give me a boost of energy, he's one of our best filmmakers."
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Villeneuve continued: "I also loved The Brutalist by director Brady Corbet and Nickel Boys [RaMell Ross] too, as well as Conclave by Edward Berger. It's been a great year. I'm impressed by many films this year, I just mentioned these ones and I haven't seen everything yet. Oh, I also loved Queer by Luca Guadagnino which I thought was very inspiring. Daniel Craig gave an incredible performance."
If you aren't already familiar with these movies, Emilia Perez is a musical crime drama about a feared cartel leader who enlists a lawyer to help her transition into a woman. Despite releasing to many five star reviews, including from our very own critic, it's proven to be divisive with audiences since hitting Netflix.
Nickel Boys meanwhile is a historical drama about two African American boys who are sent to an abusive reform school, The Brutalist is an epic that follows a Holocaust survivor, and Conclave sees Ralph Fiennes play a Cardinal who uncovers secrets during the election of the next pope. And finally, Queer is the latest from Challengers director Guadagnino, telling the story of Craig's American expat as he becomes infatuated with a younger man.
With all of these films now coming with the Villeneuve seal of approval, if you haven't seen them already add them to your watch list!
Dune: Part Two is available to stream now on Max in the US and Sky/Now in the UK. For more films to add to your watch list, check our our recommendations of the best Netflix movies and the best Amazon Prime movies.
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