Best Discoveries (and Rediscoveries) in Movies 2024

I’m so late in my final Discoveries post from 2024… You know, family comes to town, you shovel snow, you eat, you read books and watch movies, you eat some more, you shovel some more snow… Yet here we are.

I was semi-retired for most of 2024, so you’d think I’d have seen more movies, but I only saw about 170 full-length features, many of which were disappointing. (Be careful reliving some of your favorite movies, especially from your youth. You’ve been warned.)

I’m also surprised by how many of my favorite discoveries are from recent movies. (Have I seen all the classics? No, not by a long shot.) You just never know.

So here are my favorite Rediscoveries, followed by the Discoveries:

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A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Wes Craven (2x, previously viewed in 1985)

Anytime you see a movie that spawned so many sequels, you have to wonder, “Why?” In the case of A Nightmare on Elm Street, was it really necessary to make eight sequels/remakes? Instead, we should remember that, at least with the first movie in a franchise, someone had an original idea, and this was a good one: What if a monster could murder you in your dreams as an act against something your parents did long ago? The implications of the premise could never be realized in one film (perhaps the justification for the sequels?), but what director Wes Craven gives us in 91 minutes is quite amazing. I’ve never seen any of the sequels (and don’t plan to, but you can try to convince me), but this first installment is clever, smart, scary, and darkly funny.

The Ten Commandments (1956) Cecil B. DeMille (3x, previously viewed in the 1980s)

People of a certain age saw The Ten Commandments in theaters, not only during its initial run but also in rerelease screenings, at least through the 1970s. When I think of Moses, it’s difficult not to think of Charlton Heston, and the same with Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Rameses II. Yes, it’s overblown, yes, it takes liberties with the story, and yes, Anne Baxter is terrible as Nefretiri, but as a spectacle, The Ten Commandments is spectacular.

Gone with the Wind (1939) Victor Fleming (3x, previously viewed in the 1980s)

Speaking of spectacles, I appreciated this epic much more this time, having seen it as a kid of 8 or 9, then in my 20s. Fast forward 40 years when my friend Ann invited me to see Gone with the Wind for an 85th-anniversary rerelease. I was reluctant, knowing I’d spend four hours on my butt with maybe three other people in the theatre (It turns out there were twelve), but I’m glad I saw it the way it was meant to be viewed. If you’ve never watched it, see it at least once on the largest screen possible.

The Strawberry Blonde (1941) Raoul Walsh (2x, previously viewed in the late 1970s)

I originally watched this on cable TV as a teenager, initially disappointed that this was a non-gangster James Cagney film, but the picture was so charming that I didn’t care. Decades later, I still love the story of a struggling young dentist Biff Grimes (Cagney) at the turn of the 20th century. Biff longs to court (if not wed) the strawberry-blonde society girl Virginia (Rita Hayworth) but can’t help but notice the less-glamorous Amy (Olivia de Havilland) intrigues him in a different way. I just love this movie.

Eye of the Needle (1981) Richard Marquand (3x, previously viewed in 2014)

Saddened by the death of Donald Sutherland in June, I was tempted to watch one of his lighter films but decided to revisit this terrific spy thriller based on the Ken Follett novel (before he decided no book is too long). Sutherland, here playing a Nazi spy in the UK during WWII, is charming and menacing, sometimes in the same breath. Although often remembered for his comedic work, Sutherland had quite a range. If you don’t think he can be terrifying, check out Eye of the Needle.

My Honorable Mention Discoveries first:

Westward the Women (1951) William A. Wellman

A Sunday in the Country (1984) Bertrand Tavernier

A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) Michael Henry Wilson, Martin Scorsese

The Insider (1999) Michael Mann

Birth (2004) Jonathan Glazer

Old Henry (2021) Potsy Ponciroli

Afire (2023) Christian Petzold

The Holdovers (2023) Alexander Payne

Past Lives (2023) Celine Song

My Favorite Discoveries:

The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990) Patrice Leconte

The film opens with a boy named Antoine, who has an obsession with the woman who cuts his hair. Upon becoming a man, Antoine’s (Jean Rochefort) obsession with female hairdressers hasn’t diminished. In fact, he asks one to marry him. We think we’re getting a French romantic comedy, and we do, but there’s much more going on here. Roger Ebert included the film in his Great Movies list, and deservedly so. The Hairdresser’s Husband is also a film about sexuality that’s not pornographic. It’s an adult film without being “an adult film,” if you know what I mean. In French with English subtitles.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) Jane Schoenbrun

“This isn’t how life is supposed to be…” I Saw the TV Glow is sort of a Twin Peaks for young adults. Introverted teen Owen (Justice Smith) tries to navigate school and the suburbs when an older student named Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) shows him a late-night TV show called The Pink Opaque. Owen is, of course, hooked from the get-go and becomes obsessed with the series. The film deserves much more examination than I’m giving it here, but it captures the feeling of not belonging, yet there’s so much more. It’s been called an allegory for being transgender, but the movie is not limited to that. Visually stunning and worth a look.

One from the Heart (1982) Francis Ford Coppola

I can understand both those who loathe and adore this film. I’ve never been a fan of Frederic Forrest, but he works well as Hank, who has an on-again/off-again relationship with his girlfriend Frannie (delightfully played by the late Teri Garr). I love the supporting cast which includes Natassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, Harry Dean Stanton, and especially Raúl Juliá. If you’ve never seen it, I encourage you to do so and just roll with it. Even if you end up hating the movie (which I don’t think you will), celebrate the wonderful work of Teri Garr. Man, I miss her…

Wildcat (2023) Ethan Hawke

Previously reviewed here

The Zone of Interest (2023) Jonathan Glazer

Previously reviewed here

Please share your discoveries and rediscoveries. Happy viewing in 2025!