I had a pretty great year at the movies this year. I saw 107 movies in theaters of all shapes and sizes. (That's only one down from last year. And unlike last year, funny enough, I did not attend a movie showing outside of the greater Chicago area in 2024.)
As always, while I saw quite a few new films (36 in all) released in 2024, I saw a lot more films from previous eras (71). Of those 71 films, I saw the most from the 1970s (16), followed by the 1950s (10) and the 1980s (10), 1940s (8), 1960s (6), 1990s (5), 2010s (5), 2020s (4), 1930s (3), 2000s (3), and (1) film from the 1920s. I didn't see any film at the theater this year that predated 1920.
My favorite place to see movies remains the Music Box Theater, where I saw 41 films in 2024. This was followed by Facets (11), Doc Films (9), the Gene Siskel Film Center (7), Hollywood Blvd Cinema in Woodbridge (3) and the great Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge (4). I saw (4) films in the small museum at the freakshow-themed Sideshow Gelato, as well as films at places like Thalia Hall, NEIU, and Chicago Filmmakers. For more new release mainstream stuff, I went to Regal City North (9), AMC NewCity (7), AMC Village Crossing (4), and AMC River East (1).
Among new releases, my favorites (in no order) were THE SUBSTANCE, MEMOIR OF A SNAIL, THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE, ANORA, HANDLING THE UNDEAD, KINDS OF KINDNESS, JANET PLANET, CONCLAVE, A REAL PAIN, and WICKED. I enjoyed JOKER 2 and HORIZON more than most people. I thought MEGALOPOLIS was pretty terrible, FURIOSA was good-but-unnecessary, while both CIVIL WAR and LOVE LIES BLEEDING were movies I wish had stronger third acts. Both DUNE 2 and THE BIKERIDERS were, while not lifechanging, well worth the trip to the theater.
I saw too many great old movies to list here, but highlights would have to include seeing favorites like THE WIZARD OF OZ, IN A LONELY PLACE, PULP FICTION, ZERO FOCUS, and THE FALL. My biggest discovery of the year was the Mexican masterpiece of film noir VICTIMS OF SIN that I saw at Noir City Chicago at the Music Box.
All in all, a great year at the movies.
