It was finally a distraction free year at the movies.

No pandemics closing theaters or limiting releases. No strikes delaying films. It was just a fairly normal year where the blockbusters continued to shine (even if many underwhelmed creatively) and the shift from theaters to streaming continued to be a viable path for smaller films.

This made for a solid, though not spectacular year for moviegoers. There were plenty of quality films to choose from – and a few that will arrive in more theaters later this month. Ultimately, 2024 won’t likely go down as an all-time great year, but it was still good enough that narrowing down to 10 films was difficult. So technically I cheated and added another.

And then there were a handful of films I really wanted to add but for whatever reason just missed the cut. That group of honorable mentions includes (alphabetically) “Conclave,” “Didi,” “Ghostlight,” “Good One,” “Inside Out 2,” “Juror No. 2,” “My Old Ass,” “No Other Land,” “Nosferatu,” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.”

Here are my picks for the best films of 2024.

1. The Substance

A film unlike any other in 2024 with writer/director Coralie Fargeat crafting a scathing indictment of ageism, sexism and the obsession with beauty and placed it into a body horror film reminiscent of some of David Cronenberg’s best work.

Here is hoping Demi Moore’s career work doesn’t get overlooked during Oscar season, because it was one of the best performances of 2024 …

2. Anora

… With probably the second best coming here – a star-making turn from Mikey Madison as an exotic dancer in Brooklyn who gets involved in a whirlwind romance withy the son of a Russian oligarch.

Writer/director Sean Baker continued his great run of films – taking subject matter that shatters the “fairy tale” element of romance in films. But none of this works without Madison’s spectacular performance that captures the emotional roller coaster in perfect fashion.

3. A Real Pain

Jesse Eisenberg’s simple tale of two cousins taking a trip through Poland is full of surprises and some profound observations about grief, mental health and family bonds.

It’s a film that packs a powerful little punch in its brisk 90-minute run time.

4. Longlegs

Writer/director Oz Perkins delivered a taut psychological thriller that is on par with some of the great films in the genre. In a year when horror really delivered, this was the best of the bunch.

5. Dune: Part Two

After the first film set the table, scratching the surface of this characters and world, this followup from writer/director Denis Villeneuve is the full course meal – a sweeping sci-fi epic with top notch storytelling and even better craftsmanship.

6. The Brutalist

Director and co-writer Brady Corbet’s ambitious endeavor about Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the United States is the kind of sweeping epic that isn’t seen as much anymore.

Anchored by strong work from Adrian Brody, this is nearly flawless story-telling and some of the best craftsmanship in 2024 that needs to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated. It will expand nationally later this month.

7. Challengers

One of two films from director Luca Guadagnino in 2024 and the second film on this list featuring Zendaya in a key role, “Challengers” is an absolute blast from start to finish – a twisty love triangle filled with sexual tension that hooks you in the opening scene and never lets up.

8. Flow

In a year with some really strong animated films this is is the best of the bunch – a beautiful tale from Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis that follows a cat who escapes a flood on a boat with other animals on a new planet.

It’s a universal story told with magnificent visuals and no dialogue, that never once lost my interest. The best family film of 2024.

9. September 5

This thriller about the Munich Olympics massacre told in real time in the ABC control room is more old-school filmmaking – reminiscent of other films about journalism like “All The President’s Men” and “Network.”

It is slated for a wider release later this month.

10. Hundreds of Beavers/Late Night With the Devil (tie)

Sometimes the best are just the films that were the most fun and that is the case here. “Devil” was one of the best uses of the found footage horror sub-genre in recent memory, while “Beavers” was one of the funniest movies of 2024 – an homage to silent films that proved it was willing to do anything for a laugh.