Greenwood's Power Ranking™ from the first 50 movies I watched in 2024
"Alex, you have already watched at least 50 movies this year? You need a life."
I love movies. In my lifetime, I have gone through seasons where I watch a TON of movies, and where I don’t get to see all too many. Toward the end of last year my thirst for movies grew and I started getting into a pretty deep rhythm of watching at least 4-5 per week. To keep my momentum, I set a challenge for myself to watch 224 movies in 2024. 365 movies felt like too many movies, but I am on pace to overshoot it. I hit the 50 mark on February 12th with a bad horror movie, Slotherhouse. It’s exactly what you would think, a movie about a sloth murdering people. Regardless, it’s time for a check-in for some of the best movies I have watched as part of this challenge.
A quick note on the rules: I am counting every movie I see toward this challenge. It doesn’t matter if it’s my first time seeing the movie, or tenth. Each watch should theoretically bring something different for me. Also, if you would like to follow along, go check me out on Letterboxd. I’ll check back in around 100 or so, unless I don’t feel like it anymore.
Let POWER RANK™.
Stand By Me (1986) - It was my first time watching this movie. Savannah and I watched it on my iPad in a hotel in Bolivar, MO. We were on a trip visiting family and for whatever reason this movie was what I landed on that night. I’m very happy that I did, this movie is wonderful. It captures the weird magic of being a kid, without it feeling childish. You still work through things while watching this movie, and unlike films like The Goonies, I really felt things. What a good movie.
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) - I have seen this movie MANY times, but this was my first time in probably 10+ years. Who would have thought that one of my top three Disney movies would star DAVID SPADE? Honestly though, if you haven’t seen this (in a while) you should give it some time. It’s only 78 minutes long, you have time. It’s colorful, funny, meaningful, and all things that a Disney movie should be.
Knives Out (2019) - The best Whodunnit I’ve ever seen. I do love Clue, but this movie is just better somehow. It was the 4th or 5th time I’ve seen it, I watched it with a friend who had never seen it before, and it holds my attention just the same despite knowing all the twists and turns. I could listen to Daniel Craig do that accent forever.
Interstellar (2014) - Somehow, I missed this in theaters, and never saw it at home after. I watched it in January at home and I am sad that I missed it. I’ll love almost anything McConaughey is in, and the sassy robots got me. Sound design is KILLER, Topher Grace is in this movie for some reason, it’s just the real deal for a space movie.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - This was a formative movie for me. I know that if it didn’t grab you when it came out, you probably think it’s the stupidest movie you have ever seen. That’s what I love about it. Its tagline “He’s out to prove that he has nothing to prove” feels perfect for this movie. It has no agenda, no drive, nothing but spending an hour and a half in a fever dream of 1980’s rural Idaho, and that’s perfect. Again, a movie I have seen so many times, but I just can’t help myself when I get the chance.
The Revenant (2015) - I was mad about this. I had somehow made it through until JANUARY 8, 2024 without seeing this movie. All of my friends that have seen this and didn’t come SCREAMING at me to watch it, shame on you. This movie has all of my favorite things: Bears, cold, sad, weird snowflake catching scene, frontiersmen, Domhnall Gleeson, sad, survival, and sad. It’s SO good and I’m genuinely regretting not seeing it earlier.
ᑐᑌᑎᕮ (2021) - I watched this in IMAX the other day in preparation for ᑐᑌᑎᕮ: PART TWO, and my goodness is this a good movie. I had seen it previously in IMAX when it released, and it held up. I THINK it might be my favorite sci-fi movie to date. Part two might dethrone it, the few minutes they showed at the end of the IMAX screening we went to looked GOOD. Go see ᑐᑌᑎᕮ and ᑐᑌᑎᕮ: PART TWO.
Godzilla: Minus One (2023) - My favorite movie that came out last year. There were some BANGERS last year too, so that means something to me. I watched it in black and white on my viewing in 2024, and I was worried that the removal of color would detract from the movie, because one of my favorite things about it was how amazing it looked. It did not detract. The nostalgia it brought, and the fact that more “muted” visuals made the movie lean on it’s character work more, carried this movie in B&W. When I first saw it, I was not expecting a post-WWII period piece that also sometimes has a big lizard in it, but that’s what we got. If you didn’t see this because it’s Godzilla, and you don’t do that, you missed out. ALSO I KNOW THAT I JUST SAID THAT ᑐᑌᑎᕮ WAS MAYBE MY FAVORITE SCI-FI MOVIE TO DATE, THEN IMMEDIATELY LISTED ANOTHER SCI-FI MOVIE ABOVE IT, BUT THIS MOVIE DOESN’T COUNT AS SCI-FI IN MY BRAIN FOR SOME REASON AND I STAND BY THAT.
The Batman (2022) - I honestly go back and forth on if this is the best Batman movie, or if it’s just my favorite. It’s one if not both, and my feelings are too complicated for me to really put them into words. This movie feels like everything I want in a Batman movie, it’s dark and gritty, it’s detective focused, it’s sad and weird. I have watched it twice in 2024 already, and I’m sure I’ll see it again.
The Dark Knight (2008) - Yes, two Batman movies are my top two movies in this list. I’m not even REMOTELY sorry about it either. I think as I’m writing this, I’m realizing that The Dark Knight is a better MOVIE, but The Batman is my favorite Batman movie. I’ve seen this movie a billion times, and I’m still grabbed every time. It’s such a complete MOVIE. It looks good, it sounds good, the characters are good, the plot is good, the pacing is good. It’s just GOOD. WATCH THIS MOVIE.
I still have a bunch more movies to see this year. Hopefully some 2024 releases will make it high up into these lists. I have high hopes for ᑐᑌᑎᕮ: PART TWO. We will see.
LOVE YA
TEX TAX - Photo cred goes to my wife.
