Eli Glasner's top 24 movies and moments of 2024
CBC
Amid the constant turmoil of the entertainment industry and the encroachment of AI on screens big and small, filmmakers still captured beauty, horror and hilarity this year at 24 frames a second.
Below are 24 of the best films of the year that left me gasping, laughing and inspired.
Drive Back Home functions as an interesting companion piece to the classic Canadian travelogue Goin' Down the Road. The story, also set in 1970, finds Weldon reluctantly driving from small-town New Brunswick to Toronto to bail out his gay brother Perley (Alan Cumming). Perley long ago fled to Toronto where he drinks to forget what drove him away. During the drive back, the two men slowly shed their assumptions and begin to see each other again.
The moment: Weldon bares his soul to a Francophone farmer who just nods politely.
Where to watch: In theatres.
For his documentary about music producer Brian Eno, Gary Hustwit created "bespoke software" that generates new versions of the film every time it's shown. It's an apt approach for Eno, the unpretentious musician who's worked with Devo, David Byrne, Coldplay and more. Bouncing between his present-day studio to archival interviews, Eno's playfulness and openness to ideas holds this algorithmically created doc together.
The moment: Eno patiently talks to Bono about his singing during a recording of U2's Pride (In the Name of Love).
Where to watch: A special 24-hour live-stream screening is planned for Jan. 25.
Don't come for me, Wicked hive — I liked the musical, but it didn't crack my top 10. While some of director Jon M. Chu's colour and de-saturation choices boggle the mind, the musical sequences made magic.
The moment: Jonathan Bailey effortlessly surf-slides across books in Dancing Through Life.
Where to watch: In theatres.
There's been a few other adaptations of playwright August Wilson's work, but never anything as cinematic as what Malcolm Washington brings to the screen. Directing his brother John David Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson (who starred in the Broadway original), the result is a foot-stomping, spirit-raising experience.
The moment: Bernice hammers away on the piano. If you watch it at home, play it loud.
Where to watch: Netflix.
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