2024 has certainly been a year for film and television! Coming off the heels of a historic joint strike from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, the industry has been in a somewhat shaky place for the past 12–and–some months. Still, audiences have been fed with a bevy of delicious cinematic treats, from Apple TV originals to Palme d’Or winners to solid, good–old–fashioned seasons of quality comedy writing. Personally, I’ve found my own way with entertainment this year, journeying to Cannes and Los Angeles, and searching for that static buzz of excitement that comes with good television in Philly and New York. In an overwhelming senior year, it’s been nice to know that I’ll always have my friends on my TV set by my side. And if you’re looking for something to engage you, distract you, or just show you the many multifaceted ways that humanity gets depicted on screens small and large, let Street recommend this year’s best offerings. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I hope 2025 brings many, many more things to argue about, fawn over, and watch and rewatch again.
– Isaac Pollock, Film & TV Editor
La Chimera
The best film I saw this year was, without a doubt, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera. With Josh O’Connor playing a sleazy Indiana–Jones–type grave robber surrounded by a band of Italian misfits and Isabella Rossellini, bringing all her usual Isabella Rossellini charm as his ex–mother–in–law, this movie has talent in spades. The film is so beautifully shot and constructed that it’s stayed in my mind every day since seeing it earlier this year. It’s one of those movies that works on every level. Do you just want a fun little caper through the Italian countryside? Perfect. Or maybe you’re looking for a treatise on Italy’s inability to move past its roots in antiquity as society literally becomes a series of ancient ruins—you can have that too. This movie cements Rohrwacher as one of the most talented, most vital voices working in international cinema today. I can’t wait to see what she does next, but in the meantime, you should take a journey with her to some Etruscan ruins and see what you find.
– Aden Berger, Film & TV beat writer
Kinds of Kindness
Kinds of Kindness by Yorgos Lanthimos is a film that leaves you with two pressing questions: “Was that profound or did it just gaslight me?” and “Am I now emotionally unavailable, or was that just the movie?” In true Lanthimos fashion, nobody’s sure if they’re laughing or spiraling and existential dread looks chic. This film, a twisted meditation on what it means to be “kind,” came off like a self–help seminar written by Kafka and hosted by a nihilistic stand–up comedian. This triptych fable of deadpan dialogue, uncomfortable pauses, and unsettlingly symmetrical compositions reminded us that nobody captures emotional constipation quite like Lanthimos. Visually, the film was a feast—a Wes Anderson color scheme mellowed out on Valium, complete with the discomfort of a family reunion but stylized enough to make it feel artsy. Lanthimos’ world is a blend of sharp tailoring, hauntingly beautiful interiors, and the persistent sensation that everything is too expensive to touch but too melancholic to admire. Kinds of Kindness is less a guide to being good and more a master class in making us question if we ever really were—and by the end, you’ll feel like you just got therapy from a very expensive, slightly unhinged mirror.
– Kate Cho, Film & TV beat writer
Challengers
Finally, Hollywood is sexy again! Challengers’ claim to fame this summer may have just been as “that tennis throuple movie," but for me, Luca Guadagnino’s latest film delivered the messy, lovable, and straight–up manipulative characters I’ve been waiting for. Sure, you’d be hard–pressed to find anything directed by Guadagnino that I haven’t been in love with, but for Challengers, it’s difficult to deny that the performances by Mike Faist, Zendaya, and Josh O’Connor are what truly make the film. For non–sports fans like myself, the characters’ all–consuming love for tennis will make you want to hit the courts. As for the romance, audiences have seen enough love triangle plots to last a lifetime, but Guadagnino tells us what sets this one apart. “All the corners touch,” he says, referencing a three–way kiss that wasn’t in the original screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. The film’s flashbacks to the trio’s thorny (and sexually charged) past ooze with early aughts nostalgia: Juicy Couture, warm beer, and all. The cherry on top is the Grammy–nominated original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which seamlessly bled the thwack of the ball with the film’s long, pining shots. My tennis skills have yet to improve, but Challengers has left me with one single question—where’s the decade–long, devastating bisexual throuple to ruin my life?
– Eleanor Grauke, Deputy Copy Editor, Features beat writer, and DIS staffer
Cuckoo
NEON put out two or three big horror movies this year (Longlegs, Immaculate), but Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo easily takes the cake for the best contribution to their catalog. Following a pretty standard slasher trailer, I went into the film knowing nothing about the movie except for Hunter Schaefer’s presence as the leading role. However, my middling expectations were exceeded and I was met with one of the most innovative films in recent years. Singer turns what would have been a run–of–the–mill thriller into an avant–garde fusion of body and psychological horror. Without giving away too much, Singer toys with our temporal expectations using savvy time–looping edits, keeping the viewer trapped in the scene and in their seat. Schaefer’s leading performance as Gretchen, a melancholic American teen trapped in rural Germany after her mother’s sudden passing, anchors the film’s constant state of suspense and surreality. Her energy is matched by Stevens’ chilling portrayal of Herr König, Gretchen’s eerie manager at a vacant Bavarian hotel. Cuckoo might not have found its way onto every horror fan’s screen, but it’s certainly my pick for scariest movie of the year … sorry, Longlegs.
– Kyle Grgecic, Film & TV beat writer
Constellation and Sunny
Apple TV consistently puts out some of the highest quality shows, and this year was no exception. This year, the standouts were Constellation and Sunny. Constellation is an international sci–fi where an astronaut returns home and discovers that not everything was as she expected. Constellation keeps you on your toes and is one of the best executed science fiction TV shows ever made. If I say anything beyond the fact that the writing, acting, and technical elements are stunning, I risk spoiling it for you, and that takes out all the fun. Sunny is a masterpiece by Rashida Jones. After the disappearance of her husband and son, protagonist Suzie (played by Jones) receives a companion robot and the two seek to uncover the truth around her family's disappearance. The show is a beautiful portrayal of grief. Jones takes a break from her typical comedic roles and gives an extremely compelling performance. If you are a fan of extremely well executed media that keeps you on your toes, these shows are a must–watch before entering 2025.
– Bea Hammam, Film & TV beat writer
Only Murders in the Building, Season Four
Every Tuesday for the past two months, I’ve found a routine of sitting down to watch season four of Only Murders in the Building after attending my 10:15 a.m. class. This season, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) work together to investigate the murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles’s stunt double. While this mystery is under investigation, a movie production is underway where everyone on the production team—in addition to those in the building—becomes a suspect. From the celebrity cameos to the shocking plot twists, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez have outdone themselves once again. The creative cinematography, specifically in the episode “Blow–Up,” puts the audience in the shoes of the detectives and makes for an immersive watch; the episode is told with documentary/reality TV–style camera work. The jokes are clever and witty, and there are constant surprises throughout each and every episode. The season also leaves audiences with a cliffhanger that we have yet to see, with a possible connection between two different mysteries. Although the show is a murder mystery, it’s perfect for anyone who wants a cozy and entertaining watch. The next season’s answers have yet to be uncovered, but the one thing that I know for sure is that I will make sure to leave time after my 10:15 a.m. class next year to reunite with the residents of The Arconia.
– Sophia Leong, Film & TV beat writer
Smiling Friends, Season Two
I first saw a clip of Smiling Friends on Tiktok in April this year. I must have watched the entire thing, because from there my algorithm made sure I got to see a clip nearly every day before I finally decided to check it out. As it was airing, I tuned into every one of the 12–minute episodes that aired each Sunday. Reminiscent of the “so random!” humor I remember from 2014, Smiling Friends season two maintains the consistent quality of season one. The show follows Charlie (Zach Hadel) and Pim (Michael Cusack), two employees of Smiling Friends, a charity that is committed to making their clients smile (whatever that means), and their wacky adventures with an array of truly weird clients. Aside from our two protagonists, we have the other employees of Smiling Friends, show stealers Allan (also Michael Cusack), a monotone–voiced tall red thing, and Glep (also Zach Hadel), a small green thing that speaks gibberish. We also have the Boss, who exists exclusively to unnerve and confuse you in the best way possible. When it comes to comedy in adult animation, I often find an over–reliance on crassness with both subject matter and language. Smiling Friends season two is so refreshing because of its blend of absurd, borderline dreamlike plots in each episode that do not rely on profanity and offensive jokes to make you chuckle. This show’s creativity shines through in everything from its animation to its dialogue. If you want to feel like you are watching somebody’s colorful fever dream, I highly recommend Smiling Friends.
– Ria Rege, Film & TV beat writer
Anora
She was an erotic dancer. He was the son of a Russian oligarch. Can we make it any more obvious? That’s the premise of Anora, the new dazzling fairytale–gone–wrong from indie director Sean Baker. Anora (Mikey Madison), or Ani, as she prefers to be called, is a sharp–edged and fast–talking erotic dancer from Brighton Beach who is swept off of her feet when Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the heir to loads of Russian money, pays for her girlfriend experience and quickly drops a ring on her finger. But this Cinderella story quickly lurches off path when Vanya’s family hears of the runaway couple and demands that they end their marriage. Anora may seem like a modern fairytale that just happens to star strippers and Russian goons, but when it runs up against the unrealistic parameters that fence in our fantasies of love and money, it bursts through them and keeps going. Baker is in full command of his extensive powers here, shifting seamlessly from rom–com to screwball comedy to moments of brutal honesty that hit like a punch. Anora is a film about the limits of the American dream—equality, opportunity, capitalism—but it’s also a story about the limits of a relationship built on those principles. Midnight always comes for Cinderella.
– Catherine Sorrentino, Print Managing Editor
The New Look
For what takes itself to be a somber docuseries, Apple TV’s The New Look is a campy take on the story of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel in World War II. The former, played by Ben Mendelsohn, gets to be a constantly biting–his–nails lispy gay guy designing beautiful and innovative clothes while trying to protect his sister involved in anti-Nazi Paris resistance. The latter is … well … Coco Chanel, played by Juliette Binoche, slinging one–liners galore as she navigates an affair with a British fascist, the downfall of her business, and her general descent into craziness and obscurity. The limited docuseries gets rounded out by a sepia overtone and juicy hourlong episodes. There’s a revelatory visit to a mental hospital, a hilarious drunk cousin, and a string of over–the–top French accents that leave more laughing than understanding. Still, the show does a good job addressing the evils of antisemitism and concentration camps in interesting ways, relying on novel angles—whether that’s Chanel being brainwashed into firing the Wertheimer brothers or the PTSD of Catherine Dior once she’s emancipated from Buchenwald. My favorite part, however, is the soundtrack, boasting covers from the likes of Perfume Genius, Florence Welch, and Lana Del Rey. If you need an escape to Paris that isn’t Emily, take a watch.
– Logan Yuhas, staff writer
Inside Out 2
Despite being a huge nerd for Pixar movies, I wasn’t raised on them—the first time I fell in love with a Pixar movie was Inside Out when I was ten years old. There’s something very special about having been the same age as protagonist Riley when I first got to know her as a character, and now, being a college–aged adult, as I watch her begin to grow up. Both Inside Out films feel real in a way that many animated movies do not; beyond the cute, quotable characters and the cartoon suspension of disbelief, Riley is a real preteen girl with real middle school problems. Like its precursor, 2024’s Inside Out 2 attributes imaginative visuals to abstract concepts; the stream of consciousness as an actual river, puberty as a demolition zone, and, most notably, the tangible construction of beliefs into a larger sense of self. While these creative and intentional choices were written with attention to research in child psychology, they retain the original film’s ability to affect audiences of all ages; the introduction of new characters like Anxiety and Envy (and their complex cross sections with the simpler emotions we recognize) can give any viewer slightly silly, yet very helpful explanations for personal moments of particular emotional turmoil. For a film all about maturing and development, it’s fitting that Inside Out 2 goes even deeper into the workings of the brain … and I guarantee it’ll leave you thinking for a long time after it’s over.
– Jackson Zuercher, Film & TV beat writer
Industry, Season Three
Another year, another stressful HBO show about morally corrupt rich people with sexual problems that would send Freud to an early grave for me to rave about! Industry hit the scene at a steady walk and has escalated over the course of three seasons to a manic, coke–fueled sprint, barreling through the messy and substance–filled lives of young investment bankers in London. The writers went to the Veep and Succession school of making all of the extremely evil, extremely hot main characters just compelling enough that you think they’re going to make the right decision this time, yet realistically nasty enough that it’s never a surprise when they don’t. But it’s not its great characters, talented actors, or overwhelming–in–the–best–way sound design that makes the first three seasons of this show so good—it’s the way it’s been allowed to grow. We may have lost some gems along the way (RIP blue–haired Gus [David Jonsson], too busy screwing a high schooler and becoming a Tory shill to come back for season three, I guess), but Industry’s steady ascent over time has been incredible to watch. And, quite honestly, it’s something that is in short supply these days, with streaming services canceling shows after one season left and right. Just like a successful stock market, Industry has, with a rare chance to breathe and grow a fanbase over time, shot up. Or something. I’m not in Wharton.
– Isaac Pollock, Film & TV Editor
