My Moments Out Of Time – Glenn Gaylord’s Look Back at 2024 In Film

Every year, instead of making a Top Ten List of my favorite movies, I like to pay homage to a long-discontinued but influential annual column called “Moments Out Of Time” from Film Comment magazine. Their critics would cite their favorite scenes, images, or lines of dialogue, even from films they may not have liked. As a filmmaker myself, I know firsthand how hard it is to make a movie, even a bad one. Most filmmakers don’t set out to make a bad film and there’s usually something in there, perhaps just a moment, which I’ll find worthwhile or at the very least interesting. For example, I hated almost every minute of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, yet it contained a 30 second bow and arrow scene which made me laugh, despite its elementary school level of humor.

This past year, however, featured a bounty of great contributions to cinema. With the high volume of films I see, it’s rare that I’ll watch something more than once, but I’ve returned to such titles as A Real Pain, The Substance, The Last Showgirl, and Wicked over and over. I sat in awe of so many singular visions this past year, I actually felt hopeful for the future of cinema. It was a startlingly great year at the movies with a return to that 70s auteur vibe and an exceptionally strong showing for horror films. So, here, in no particular order, are my Moments Out Of Time for 2024.

Galinda explains to the Munchkins that she and Elphaba were mere acquaintances long ago. Then, in flashback, two pairs of hands touch. In the next shot, a lens flare hits them as Galinda looks lovingly at Elphaba. Clearly they were much closer than Galinda had claimed. Ariana Grande’s face tells the real story. Heartbreak feels good in a movie like this. – Wicked

A young man (Kieran Culkin) sits at an arrival gate looking lost and alone, unsure of his next move. He’s just landed home from a trip but doesn’t seem to want to leave the airport. The sadness in his darting eyes indicates he may not have anywhere to go. He carries the pain of his ancestors so deeply, I wanted to reach across the screen and hug him. – A Real Pain

“I hate myself. You have to come back!” pleads Elizabeth Sparkle (a ferocious, never better and moving Demi Moore) to her literal other half, Sue (Margaret Qualley). The desperation and fear in her voice lets us know she’s not only trying to revive this person, but she’s also trying to reclaim her own lost youth. – The Substance

After an audition goes south for Shelly (a blazingly brilliant Pamela Anderson), one of her younger co-workers, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) tries to comfort her and tells her she loves her. In a jolting moment, Shelly, who is losing her job and has lost her capacity for such Hallmark sentiments, fires back, “I don’t love you!” – The Last Showgirl

“Life can only be understood backwards, but we have to live it forwards. Snails never go over their trails, always moving forwards.” This life-affirming sentiment comes from an adult-themed claymation film which deals with such topics as death, Alzheimer’s disease, religious fundamentalism, gay conversion therapy, depression, loneliness, alcoholism, and more. This gorgeous work of art also made me sob uncontrollably during its last eight minutes. – Memoir Of A Snail

Giving off big Marjorie Taylor Greene energy, Ivan’s Russian Oligarch mother Galina (Darya Ekamasova) uses her scary powers of persuasion and a little blackmail to ensure that Anora (Mikey Madison) will comply with her directives. – Anora

Despite its deeply emotional turn in the last act, Mike Leigh’s story of Pansy (a career best performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste), quite possibly the angriest woman alive, reaches Curb Your Enthusiasm levels of hilarity whenever she goes on one of her rants. Nothing made me laugh harder than when she’s sitting around the table with her long-suffering husband and son complaining about everything from charity workers to dogs being dressed in coats. It reaches a fever pitch when she stumbles upon the subject of designer baby clothes. “What’s a baby got pockets for? What’s it going to keep in it? A knife?!!” – Hard Truths

“What kind of American are you?” Could there be a more terrifying question to be asked at this particular moment in history? Jesse Plemons, in military fatigues, pink sunglasses, and carrying an assault rifle, manages to crawl under our skin. The question isn’t just racist, it’s also a litmus test for a diverse group of journalists caught up in a war zone. If you’re not American enough for Plemons’ psychotic character, you don’t get to exist. – Civil War

Lymon (a superb, scene-stealing Ray Fisher) visits a nightclub decked out in a new suit he just purchased. The seller promised him he’ll attract women in it, but this kind-hearted man, who aches for human connection, barely gets noticed. – The Piano Lesson

“They like it when you say please. It’s like giving them a little morsel to nibble on.” – Elizabeth, the most difficult person in the world and played with a big swing by Tilda Swinton, instructs Julio Torres’ Alejandro on how to order a salad in a restaurant. “What is it with walnuts? Walnuts, walnuts, walnuts! It’s like a café for squirrels.” She may be impossible, but she has a profound effect on our mousy hero and vice versa. This surreal comedy packs an emotional wallop and has a thing or two to say about art. Crying out loud is an option. – Problemista

In a film almost impossible to describe without spoiling, all I can say is that the deliciously surprising unfolding of each plot point had me sitting forward in my seat from beginning to end. This entire thriller is one big moment out of time, from its tremendous performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, to its great calling card for actor-turned-cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi, to writer-director JT Mollner’s impressive storytelling skills. – Strange Darling

A wealthy man (Guy Pearce) humiliates a Holocaust survivor and struggling U.S. immigrant (Adrien Brody) by hurling a penny at him across a dinner table and then twists the knife by asking for it back. The class divide in an instant. – The Brutalist

“Oh! There she is! The almost-birthday girl!” – This line is so officially etched into my brain, that I think it will replace the usual “Happy Birthday” greeting I bestow upon friends and family. Thanks Osgood Perkins and Nicolas Cage for the nightmare fuel. – Longlegs

In a wordless performance, Fernanda Montenegro (Central Station), playing the older version of real life daughter Fernanda Torres’ Eunice Paiva, stares enigmatically right at us, bringing memories lost to Alzheimer’s suddenly into focus. That both mother and daughter have now given wonderful performances in Walter Salles’ films only adds to the experience. – I’m Still Here

The fact that the filmmaker, Mohammad Rasoulof, risked his life to make a film directly critical of Iran’s theocratic, authoritarian regime is in and of itself its own moment, but to have delivered an exciting, nearly three hour knife-twisting thriller showing such things as civilians brutalized by the police had a plethora of indelible moments. The car chase that depicts a corrupted official trying to evade social media activists out to expose him took this tense chamber piece to a whole new level. – The Seed Of The Sacred Fig

A journey through the 1920s streets of Copenhagen, with one character following another, turns an already brutal depiction of female subjugation into something far more complex, perhaps more sinister, or maybe situationally justified. Although fairly well telegraphed earlier, you won’t soon forget how the sequence ends. If David Lynch’s Eraserhead and Robert Eggers’ The Witch had a Handmaid’s Tale baby, you just might come close to describing this harsh yet compelling film filled with cinematographer Michal Dymek’s (A Real Pain, EO) inky black, dank, otherworldly images. – The Girl With The Needle

A middle-aged gay man (Daniel Craig) looks longingly at a young, handsome guy (Drew Starkey) of indeterminate sexuality. Unable to express his attraction, we instead watch his superimposed hand reach out to touch the object of his affection. A simple yet heart-rending depiction of one lonely man’s yearning. – Queer

“I will not accept a life I do not deserve.” Now that this iconic line has made its way into X, Pearl, and the final installment of the trilogy, I can say that Mia Goth and the ambitious, perhaps delusional, sometimes psychotic characters she portrayed definitely walked the talk. – Maxxxine

“Harper and Will Go West / Like Thelma And Louise but with a lot less death”…so go the theme song lyrics written by Kristin Wiig for this supremely touching and funny documentary about a cis man being a great ally to his trans friend. My favorite buddy road movie since, well…I think you can guess. – Will & Harper

A ’90s boy band on the rise, and led by a CGI chimpanzee representing singer Robbie Williams, takes over the iconic Regent Street in London with a phalanx of dancers for one of the most jaw-dropping, kinetic, joyful musical sequences ever committed to film. – Better Man

A cat survives one disaster after another, often alone, starving, displaced, and trying to get through each minute of a post-apocalyptic world in one piece. Yet, our little hero manages to make other animal friends who help each other get by. In one sublime moment, our cat, never forgetting to be a cat, circles and circles around until it’s safe to lie down for a little snooze. – Flow

Existential dread found a new form in a slasher movie. For almost its entire running time, we follow behind a slowly moving killer as he trudges through a forest taking out one victim after another. We barely get to know the cast of horny teens, instead focusing on the inevitable march of death, which feels like one, big drawn-out moment. – In A Violent Nature

A group of refugees get used as political footballs in the border dispute between Poland and Belarus. Forced back and forth between the two countries and left to starve in a frozen forest, people of all ages and from such countries as Syria and Afghanistan suffer at the hands of cruel border guards. The biggest gut punch comes when the Polish guards back a truck right up to a slight opening in the barbed wire fence and violently dump a pregnant woman back into Belarus. – Green Border

In what’s made to look like a single long take, Janis Ian (Auli’i Cravalho) roars the blistering “I’d Rather Be Me” as she races from the high school gym, through the cafeteria, down the main hallway, in and out of classrooms, and finally outside to witness Regina George (Reneé Rapp) get hit by a bus just as the song ends. – Mean Girls

“Oh fck off you pasty old shriveled old piss bastard fcking old c*nt!” Without spoiling who says this, it’s my favorite bit of swearing in a movie this past year. When the character unleashes this on someone, they let out an immensely satisfying cackle, even getting their supposed rival to smile broadly. – Wicked Little Letters

Maddie: I like girls. You know that, right? I’m not into boys.
Owen: Totally. That’s fine.
Maddie: Okay. I’m just making sure. What about you? Do you like girls?
Owen: I don’t know.
Maddie: Boys?
Owen: I think that I like TV shows. – I Saw The TV Glow

As fun as the performances and the tennis ball POV shots were, the real star was the propulsive, horny, and ubiquitous score, which sometimes intentionally drowned out the dialogue. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross pay homage to Giorgio Moroder during his “I Feel Love” era and somehow managed to give it more beats per minute. Or maybe that was just my heart working overtime. – Challengers

Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), the nascent sketch comedy’s only Black cast member at the time and feeling self-conscious about it, joins Billy Preston (Jon Batiste) and his band for a sound check. Starting with a cigarette held up high for dramatic effect, he gets everyone’s attention when he sings, “I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-m gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whites I see!” – Saturday Night

A flooding Tube station threatens the life of our young, lost protagonist as his worried mother won’t give up on her search for him. The “Keep Calm and Carry On” of an entire nation during World War II seems to get us through this unforgettable sequence. – Blitz

Looney Tunes meets live action in this masterful black and white silent film, which builds upon a myriad of sight gags and short vignettes to reach its Rube Goldberg Contraption, pull out all the stops of a climax. Still, nothing made me chuckle more than the dead beavers, who are really people in mascot costumes, represented by having X’s for eyes. – Hundreds Of Beavers

A police department employee (Glen Powell) posing as a hit man wears a wire to entrap a customer (Adria Arjona), but the only problem is that he’s fallen in love with her. So being a good boyfriend, he warns her through iPhone Notes while verbalizing what the listening law enforcement want to hear. With chemistry oozing off the screen, this scene proved sexier than any naked tumbling ever could. – Hit Man

The slow-motion walk away from an explosion gets the extra kick you never knew it could have when Thelma (June Squibb) and Ben (the late Richard Roundtree), two senior citizens, are the badass ones strutting right towards us. – Thelma

Before we even see her, we hear her impatiently complaining that she’s there and wants to start the interview. And then there she is, the 83-year-old screen legend sitting on a couch and complaining about its discomfort and demanding water from a glass. She laughs as if to acknowledge that there’s a bit of merit to her difficult reputation, yet over the course of the documentary, we also bear witness to a huge talent with an even bigger heart. – Faye

The inherent narcissism which comes with fame and power meets its match when two titans sit across from each other. One, the President Of The United States, JFK, assumes he can have a friendship with the world’s greatest opera singer because of their shared stature. Angelina Jolie, in a towering performance as Maria Callas, is quick to correct him. – Maria

Just when I thought this franchise had completely run out of fresh ideas, a handheld fluoroscopic monitor gets used on a character to terrifying effect when it reveals a baby Xenomorph pulsing inside their chest. – Alien: Romulus

“I’m sorry, I’m…I’m sorry? I’m sorry. I’m SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! So, are we good?” Channing Tatum’s portrayal of a sociopathic billionaire impressed the hell out of me with this brief but scary monologue. – Blink Twice

Sometimes two characters hugging can shatter your heart into a million tiny pieces. Aubrey Plaza did just that in one of the best moments of her career so far. – My Old Ass

No spoilers here, but this definitely had the most provocative, “I didn’t see that coming” moment of the year. – Conclave

Naomi Scott’s brilliant performance as a Gaga-esque pop star perfectly conveys the terrors of fame. Nowhere is this more evident than in the moment where she has a meet-and-greet with a young fan who wordlessly smiles and stares at her for far too long. – Smile 2

Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), dying from AIDS complications, realizes he’s no longer welcome in the inner circle of the monster he helped create. – The Apprentice

A worried grandmother (the great Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) tries to visit her grandson at the Nickel Academy, but gets turned away by the murderous, racist powers that be. Instead, she comes across her grandson’s friend. Having to accept what little information he’s able to provide, she offers him a hug. It’s the best that she can do to connect to someone, anyone, and it’s painful. – Nickel Boys

In bed one night and not quite feeling the sexual heat, Edward’s (Sebastian Stan) director girlfriend Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) asks him to put on the mask he’d been wearing for a role as a disfigured person. Unaware that it was how he actually used to look, Ingrid’s feelings call into question the rules of attraction, upending the audience’s world view in the process. – A Different Man

She made how little for composing the megahit “Theme From Friends”?!!! The Producers of the show got the lion’s share?!!! Man is show business cruel. – The World According to Allee Willis

In one single left-to-right lateral camera move, Deadpool and Wolverine work their way through a bus, obliterating everyone in their path, only to burst out of the back door in an RRR-worthy display of slo-mo hero worship. That Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” accompanies this moment is the bloody cherry on top. – Deadpool & Wolverine

Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) performs “The Times They Are A-Changin” to an outdoor festival crowd. The moment they catch onto the chorus of this new song and sing it with him, you witness not only the beginning of a legendary career, but the very moving birth of a revolution. – A Complete Unknown

Producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) notices his live cameras picking up a TV set in a hotel room where Black September militants have kidnapped members of the Israeli team from the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. This means they’re able to see what ABC is beaming out to the rest of the world. He wonders if this will compromise the rescue mission. Is it more important to tell the story to the world or should they shut down the cameras to protect the hostages? This chilling moment brings up ethical questions we still wrestle with today. – September 5

Thomas Hutter’s (Nicholas Hoult) carriage ride and slow entrance through Count Orlok’s dark, grimy castle, redefines dread. – Nosferatu

Dear God, what is up with that human-sized and bone-chillingly terrifying wooden doll? How did it get from its wooden crate to the dinner table? How does it keep changing its head positions? Why is its mouth agape in a perpetual state of horror? Please hold me! – Oddity

After an over-the-top, blood-soaked, demonic massacre breaks out on the set of a struggling ’70s era late night talk show, the station cuts to a perfectly timed “Station Difficulties” card. – Late Night With The Devil

The power dynamic between CEO Romy (Nicole Kidman) and new Intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson) gets laid out with sly humor and economy during their first conversation:

By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic