Month: December 2024

2024 Endy Awards

These are the 2024 Endy Awards, wherein I pretend to give out maneki-neko statues to the best movies, performances, etc of this year in film. Awards for many other years can be found in the Rankings & Awards Index. Eligibility is determined by imdb date and by whether or not I’ve seen the movie in question. Films are presented in alphabetical order, and the winners are bolded. As always, the winners and nominees are subject to change as I watch more movies. And the Endy goes to. . .


Best Picture:

1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days
2. Broken Rage
3. Eephus
4. Furiosa
5. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
6. Juror #2
7. Megalopolis
8. The Shadow Strays
9. A Traveler’s Needs
10. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Best Director:

1. George Miller, Furiosa
2. Kevin Costner, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
3. Clint Eastwood, Juror #2
4. Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis
5. Soi Cheang, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Best Actor:

1. Eddie Peng, Black Dog
2. Kitano Takeshi, Broken Rage
3. Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
4. Kwon Haehyo, By the Stream
5. Yoshioko Mutsuo, Chime
6. Suda Masaki, Cloud
7. Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
8. Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
9. Ryan Gosling, The Fall Guy
10. Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow
11. Nicholas Hoult, Juror #2
12. Adam Driver, Megalopolis
13. Josh Hartnett, Trap

Best Actress:

1. Mikey Madison, Anora
2. Akari Takaishi, Baby Assassins: Nice Days
3. Izawa Saori, Baby Assassins: Nice Days
4. Kim Minhee, By the Stream
5. Zhao Tao, Caught by the Tides
6. Zendaya, Challengers
7. Sylvia Chang, Daughter’s Daughter
8. Margaret Qualley, Drive-Away Dolls
9. Anya Taylor-Joy, Furiosa
10. Sienna Miller, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
11. Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow
12. Aurora Ribero, The Shadow Strays
13. Isabelle Huppert, A Traveler’s Needs

Supporting Actor:

1. David Jonsson, Alien: Romulus
2. Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
3. Mike Faist, Challengers
4. Philip Ng, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
5. Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
6. Sergio Castellitto, Conclave
7. Stanley Tucci, Conclave
8. Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa
9. Sam Worthington, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
10. Louis Koo, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Supporting Actress:

1. Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
2. Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
3. Charlee Fraser, Furiosa
4. Jena Malone, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
5. Toni Collette, Juror #2
6. Aubrey Plaza, Megalopolis
7. Yang Mi, Nothing Can’t Be Undone By a Hotpot
8. Yuen Qiu, Second Life
9. Hana Malasan, The Shadow Strays
10. Lee Hyeyoung, A Traveler’s Needs


Original Screenplay:

1. Eephus
2. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
3. Juror #2
4. Megalopolis
5. A Traveler’s Needs

Adapted Screenplay:

1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days
2. Furiosa
3. The Killer
4. Look Back
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

English Language Film:

1. Eephus (Carson Lund)
2. Furiosa (George Miller)
3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One (Kevin Costner)
4. Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood)
5. Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola)

Non-English Language Film:

1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days (Sakamoto Yugo)
2. Broken Rage (Kitano Takeshi)
3. The Shadow Strays (Timo Tjahjanto)
4. A Traveler’s Needs (Hong Sangsoo)
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Soi Cheang)

Non-Fiction Feature Film:

1. Dahomey (Mati Diop)
2. The Kadarius Toney Fan Club (Jon Bois)
3. Made in England (David Hinton)
4. Reform! (Jon Bois)
5. The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel (Jenny Nicholson)

Animated Feature Film:

1. The Colors Within (Yamada Naoko)
2. Look Back (Oshiyama Kiyotaka)
3. Vengeance Most Fowl (Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park)

Unseen Film:

1. Amar Singh Chamkila (Imtiaz Ali)
2. Ghost Killer (Sonomura Kensuke)
3. Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes)
4. Malaikottai Vaaliban (Lijo Jose Pellissery)
5. The Shrouds (David Cronenberg)


Film Editing:

1. Caught by the Tides
2. Furiosa
3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
4. Megalopolis
5. The Shadow Strays

Cinematography:

1. Black Dog
2. Escape from the 21st Century
3. Furiosa
4. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
5. The Shadow Strays

Art Direction:

1. Furiosa
2. Here
3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
4. Megalopolis
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Costume Design:

1. Dead Talents Society
2. Furiosa
3. Here
4. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
5. Megalopolis

Make-Up and Hair:

1. Dead Talents Society
2. Furiosa
3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
4. The Shadow Strays
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In


Original Score:

1. Challengers
2. The Colors Within
3. I Saw the TV Glow

Adapted Score:

1. Black Dog
2. A Complete Unknown
3. The Fall Guy

Choreography:

1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days
2. The Bodyguard
3. Second Life
4. The Shadow Strays
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Sound:

1. Caught by the Tides
2. Challengers
3. Chime
4. Eephus
5. I Saw the TV Glow

Sound Editing:

1. Furiosa
2. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
3. One More Shot
4. The Shadow Strays
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Visual Effects:

1. Dead Talents Society
2. Escape from the 21st Century
3. Furiosa
4. Megalopolis
5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

The Best Older Movies I Saw in 2024 (For the First Time)

An annual tradition here at The End, this is a look at my favorite film discoveries of the year, any movie more than a few years old that I saw for the first time this year. Previous years include: 2023, 2022, 2021,  2020,  2019,  2018,  2017,  2016,  2015,  2014,  2013,  2012,  2011,  2010,  2009,  2008,  2007, and 2006. I watched just over 230 films this year, but only a fifth or so of them qualified for this list. Here are 40 of my favorites.

1. The Heike Story (Yamada Naoko, 2021)
2. Beijing Watermelon (Obayashi Nobuhiko, 1989)
3. Moving (Somai Shinji, 1993)
4. Typhoon Club (Somai Shinji, 1985)
5. Les sièges de l’Alcazar (Luc Moullet, 1989)
6. Golden Eighties (Chantal Akerman, 1986)
7. Visible Secret (Ann Hui, 2001)
8. Ode to the Goose (Zhang Lü, 2018)
9. Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Somai Shinji, 1981)
10. Mermaid Legend (Ikeda Toshiharu, 1984)


11. A Quiet Dream (Zhang Lü, 2016)
12. The Little Girl Who Conquered Time (Obayashi Nobuhiko, 1983)
13. Veteran (Ryoo Seungwan, 2015)
14. July Rhapsody (Ann Hui, 2002)
15. The Fall of Ako Castle (Fukasaku Kinji, 1978)
16. Gyeongju (Zhang Lü, 2014)
17. The Night Comes for Us (Timo Tjahjanto, 2018)
18. Fukuowa (Zhang Lü, 2019)
19. Chu Lien (Lai Cheng-ying, 1979)
20. The Intern (Nancy Meyers, 2015)

21. Beach of the War Gods (Jimmy Wang Yu, 1973)
22. Harry in Your Pocket (Bruce Geller, 1973)
23. Fantasy Mission Force (Kevin Chu Yen-Ping, 1983)
24. August in the Water (Ishii Gakuryu, 1995)
25. Topkapi (Jules Dassin, 1964)
26. Ocean’s Twelve (Steven Soderbergh, 2004)
27. The World of Suzie Wong (Richard Quine, 1960)
28. The Italian Job (Peter Collinson, 1969)
29. The Taming of the Shrew (Franco Zeffirelli, 1967)
30. Yanagawa (Zhang Lü, 2021)

31. When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao-hsien & Edward Yang (Kore-eda Hirokazu, 1993)
32. Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)
33. Lover on the Wave (Chen Kun-hou, 1978)
34. Let the Wind Carry Me (Kwan Pung-Leung & Chiang Hsiu-Chiung, 2009)
35. Ocean’s Thirteen (Steven Soderbergh, 2007)
36. Shaolin Drunkard (Yuen Woo-ping, 1983)
37. The Raid (Tsui Hark & Ching Siu-tung, 1991)
38. Red Eye (Wes Craven, 2005)
39. Cloud of Romance (Chen Hung-lieh, 1977)
40. Once a Thief (John Woo, 1996)

Books of 2024

These are the books I finished reading this year.

1. The Last Samurai – Helen DeWitt
2. Against the Day – Thomas Pynchon
3. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
4. The Novel: An Alternate History – Steven Moore
5. The Life of Tu Fu – Eliot Weinberger
6. Reading Genesis – Marilynne Robinson
7. 84 Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
8. The Shakespeare Wars – Ron Rosenbaum
9. Either/Or – Elif Batuman
10. Quantum Criminals – Alex Pappademas
11. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
12. Will in the World – Stephen Greenblatt
13. Unspooled – Rob Drew
14. The Arabian Nights: A Companion – Robert Irwin
15. A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 – James Shapiro
16. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street – Helene Hanff
17. The Church of Baseball – Ron Shelton
18. There Was Nothing You Could Do – Steven Hyden
19. Blood Sweat & Chrome – Kyle Buchanon
20. Long Road – Steven Hyden
21. When the Clock Broke – John Ganz
22. God Only Knows – David Leaf

And these are the books I read but did not finish in 2024.

1. The Path to Power – Robert Caro
2. Remembrance of Things Past – Marcel Proust
3. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
4. Paradise Lost – John Milton
5. Winesburg, Ohio – Sherwood Anderson
6. The Tale of the Heike – Royall Tyler (trans.)
7. Orientalism – Edward Said
8. The Valmiki Ramayana – trans. Bibek Debroy
9. Mariners, Renegades, and Castaways – CLR James
10. James – Percival Everett
11. The Penguin Classics Book – Henry Eliot
12. Rabbit, Run – John Updike
13. Count Magnus & Other Ghost Stories — M.R. James
14. Reckless Daughter – David Yaffe

This Week in Rankings

Since the last update, it was announced that I’ve written another liner notes essay. This time, it’s for the Chameleon Films release of Johnnie To’s Sparrow and it’s available for preorder right now. Over at InReview Online, I contributed write-ups of George Miller’s Furiosa and Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In to their Best of the Year countdown.

At The Chinese Cinema, I wrote about Hong Sangsoo’s A Traveler’s Needs and By the Stream, the Yuen Clan’s Magic Movies (Miracle Fighters, Shaolin Drunkard, Taoism Drunkard, Young Taoism Fighter), Qin Pengfei’s The Bodyguard and Blade of Fury, Yamada Naoko’s The Heike Story, and Tsai Ming-liang’s Abiding Nowhere.

You can get all those reviews and much much more by subscribing to The Chinese Cinema today for the low price of only $1/month or $10/year.

These are the movies I’ve watched and rewatched over the last few months, and where they place on my year-by-year rankings.


A Charlie Brown Christmas (Bill Melendez) – 3, 1965
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Bill Melendez) – 1, 1966
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Chuck Jones) – 15, 1966
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Bill Melendez & Phil Roman) – 40, 1973

The Miracle Fighters (Yuen Woo-ping) – 4, 1982
Shaolin Drunkard (Yuen Woo-ping) – 41, 1983
Taoism Drunkard (Yuen Cheung-yan) – 51, 1984
The Young Taoism Fighter (Chen Chi-hwa) – 62, 1986
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds) – 54, 1991

The Heike Story (Yamada Naoko) – 1, 2021
Hundreds of Beavers (Mike Cheslik) – 5, 2022
Woman of the Hour (Anna Kendrick) – 34, 2023

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller) – 1, 2024
Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood) – 6, 2024
A Traveler’s Needs (Hong Sangsoo) – 7, 2024
The Colors Within (Yamada Naoko) – 8, 2024
By the Stream (Hong Sangsoo) – 14, 2024

God Hates a Coward (Jon Bois) – 15, 2024
Abiding Nowhere (Tsai Ming-liang) – 17, 2024
Look Back (Oshiyama Kiyotaka) – 18, 2024
Here (Robert Zemeckis) – 21, 2024
Vengeance Most Fowl (Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park) – 23, 2024

Anora (Sean Baker) – 25, 2024
Trap (M. Night Shyamalan) – 26, 2024
Crisis Negotiators (Herman Yau) – 30, 2024
Dahomey (Mati Diop) – 32, 2024
Drive-Away Dolls (Ethan Coen) – 33, 2024

The Fall Guy (David Leitch) – 34, 2024
The Bodyguard (Qin Pengfei) – 37, 2024
Blade of Fury (Qin Pengfei) – 38, 2024
Made in England (David Hinton) – 39, 2024
Challengers (Luca Guadagnino) – 43, 2024

Conclave (Edward Berger) – 49, 2024
Would You Like to Buy a Mattress (Jon Bois) – 50, 2024
A Complete Unknown (James Mangold) – 51, 2024
Alien: Romulus (Fede Álvarez) – 52, 2024
The Brutalist (Brady Corbet) – 53, 2024

Rainier: A Beer Odyssey (Isaac Olsen) – 57, 2024
Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary (Garret Price) – 58, 2024
Nosferatu (Robert Eggers) – 59, 2024
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Tim Burton) – 60, 2024
Treasure Hunting (Qin Pengfei) – 64, 2024

Civil War (Alex Garland) – 65, 2024
Deadpool & Wolverine (Shawn Levy) – 66, 2024
Madame Web (SJ Clarkson) – 69, 2024
SWAT Angels in Mission (Liu Meng & Xue Wen Hua) – 70, 2024