I’ve always loved the movies. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of being dropped off at the American Theater in Pittston, PA to see such films as Tales of Terror, The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t, McHale’s Navy Joins the Air Force, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Aristocats.

When my father moved the family to Puerto Rico for a few years, movies were one of the few English-language entertainments available so I saw a lot of movies, including several I probably shouldn’t have. I saw my first James Bond movie (Live and Let Die) and the last Planet of the Apes movie (Battle for the Planet of the Apes). I saw all the disaster movies (The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake … in SENSURROUND!) and what passsed for a Disney movie in the early ’70s (Now You See Him, Now You Don’t).

I also saw Blazing Saddles, Chinatown, The Emperor of the North (starring Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine, who was lights years away from Lt. Commander Quinton McHale), and a true trash classic called The Klansman, also starring Lee Marvin with O. J. Simpson and a clearly drunk Richard Burton.

Our church would show movies on Saturday nights and my love of movies got me on the committee that picked the movies from a rental list. The priest in charge disbanded the committee when a teen a few years older than me put Prudence and the Pill on the list. It was films like Dr. Doolittle from that point forward.

Flash forward to adulthood and my love of movies remains.

I used to keep track of all the movies I watched in a year. Whether at a theatre or on a streaming service, if I hadn’t seen it before or hadn’t seen an uncut, commercial free version, I counted it. For a time, I was averaging 100+ movies a year, from silent classics to the latest blockbusters. Being a regular attendee at the San Francisco International Film Festival helped, as that Festival alone was good for 20 films over three weeks.

But between the pandemic and my responsibilities in covering live theatre in three counties for three weekly papers, movie-going became sort of secondary. Since every other movie seemed to be a comic book adaptation, I didn’t feel like I was missing much.

Then, through my gig co-hosting a local radio program, I started a friendship with Ky Boyd of the Rialto Cinemas. He has a weekly segment on the program, and I loved talking movies with him. Even better, through him I got to interview some really cool filmmakers including lengendary producer Lou Adler and the oft-controversial director Oliver Stone.

Through Ky’s good graces, I’ve been able to make movie-going a regular part of my life again. I see dozens of movies a year now, almost all of them at his theater in Sebastopol. He always programs a good mix of films, from the latest mainstream releases to foreign films and documentaries.

I saw 36 movies in 2024, all but one of them at Ky’s theaters. I saw my first movie of the year on January 1 and I saw my last movie of the year on December 31. What follows, in chronologiocal order, are my Top Torn Movie Tickets, the best and/or most interesting films of the year that I saw, followed by my Top Time Wasters, the worst films that I regret wasting my time seeing:

Origin – It’s an exploration of the journey author Isabel Wilkerson took and the losses she endured while writing her book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” in which she connects the dots between racism in America to the “Final Solution” in Nazi Germany and the caste system in India. It’s not a pretty picture and is a cinematic reminder as to where this country once was and a warning as to where it could end up again.

One Life – Director James Hawes has a flawless cast at work here (Anthony Hopkins, Lena Olin, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce) telling the story of Nicholas “Nicky” Winton and the group of volunteers that rescued 669 Jewish refugee children in Czechloslovakia from the Nazis in 1938-1939. It flashes between the late 1930’s and the late 1980’s when Winton was finally recognized for his effort.

This world could use a few more Nicky Winton’s right now.

My Penguin Friend – “Inspired by true events” (though apparently heavily fictionalized), it’s the story of the relationship between a Brazilian fisherman and a penguin that’s strayed off its migratory path. Regardless of how much of the story is actually true, it’s a beautifully shot film and the performances by Reno and Amanda Magalhães (as his wife) are compelling. The story of loss, redemption, persistance, and compassion is simply but effectively told. It’s a great family film.

Saturday Night – Director Jason Reitman put together an energetic film that captures the absolute insanity surrounding the mounting of the show’s first live TV broadcast. It makes a nice companion piece to 1982’s “My Favorite Year”, which was set at a 1950’s Sid Ceasar-like show. It’s a very entertaining “historical drama” about the beginnings of a television show that is approaching its 50th year on the air. Fans of the show, of television, of comedy, or just of good filmmaking should appreciate it.

Conclave – This is the best political thriller to come out in a long time. And yes, I said political thriller because it’s about the machinations that go on behind the scenes at one of the world’s oldest political entities – the Catholic Church – after the death of the Pope. If you think American politics get down and dirty, wait till you see what these pious men are capable of as they scramble to get the required number of votes to become the next Pope. Suffice it to say it kept me engrossed from beginning to end… and that ending… wow. Just… WOW. I did not see that one coming.

The Substance – This is the most f-ed up movie I’ve seen in a while and THE cult movie of the 21st Century (so far).

That’s all you need to know.

Flow – A very special film. Stunning animation. Solid storytelling. If you love cats, dogs, or any animals, see this film on the big screen. It’s only 85 minutes longs, so it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Probably the Oscar front-runner for animated film, and probably deserving of the win.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – I smiled and laughed throughout this movie. It’s a sequel to the 1993 Academy Award-winning animated short “The Wrong Trousers”, and it’s worthy of a nomination for best animated feature itself. The humor is smart, clever, and layered (check the backgrounds/posters/books, etc. for sneaky laughs.) It is absolutely delightful.

Honorable Mention – A Real Pain, A Complete Unknown

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Don’t waste your time with the following films:

Trap – This was, without a doubt, the STUPIDEST film I have seen in a long time. I laughed more at the dialogue and situations than I have at most comedies. I found myself shaking my head and exclaiming “NO!” and “Are you kidding me?!” on several occasions.

This film doesn’t just require a massive suspension of disbelief, it pretty much demands you slip into a coma to get through it.

Blink Twice – This was a very unpleasant film. Despite its pretentions of being a female empowerment flick, what it really is is a big budget, 21st-century version of a low budget, 1970’s filmed-in-the-Philippines “Women in Prison/Peril” grindhouse movie with a bit of “The Stepford Wives” thrown in for good measure. It’s a glossy bit of cinematic trash that exists only to give a female director (Zoë Kravitz) the opportunity to produce the same kind of torture/revenge porn men have been grinding out for years.

Here – Robert Zemeckis has made some great movies. Tom Hanks has made some great movies. Together they’ve made some good movies. This one is not much of anything.

It tells the story of the events all occuring and the people all occupying a single spot (apparently in Pennsylvania) from the age of the dinosaurs to early man to colonial America to the turn of the twentieth century through the 50s, 60s, and 70s up till present day. The film is literally framed by that single spot, so you only see the things that occurred exactly there and from a single perspective.

It’s nothing more than a gimmick film, and not a particularly good one.

Dishonorable Mention – Longlegs, Deadpool and Wolverine, Queer

See ya at the movies…