In contrast to a desultory year of reading, our viewing choices continue to be blessed with plenitude and quality. The streaming platforms are slowly raising prices or insinuating advertising while the flow of “product” (especially the best stuff) could be said to be slightly diminishing, but anyone with the ability to flit between platforms is still assured of high-quality cinematic viewing.
- Boldly unconventional yet riveting and moving, Season 3 of The Bear was the year’s highlight. Yes, we’ll need to wait for the fourth season to see if Carmie triumphs, but the slow burn of this season was exemplary.
- As striking as the first season of Kleo was, Season 2 took it to another level. A female Stasi killer as hero of a post-Berlin-Wall thriller? You bet!
- A similar “let’s take it to a new level” judgment can be cast on Dune: Part Two. Such gorgeous sci-fi drama!
- And at the risk of gushing repetition, Season 4 of Slow Horses was the most exciting, nuanced pleasure yet (to give credit where due, the underlying Mick Herron novel is also one of his best).
- The only plain movie on this list is also a controversial one, not for everyone. A portrayal of the family life of the Nazi abomination in charge of Auschwitz, The Zone of Interest is mandatory viewing. Are all of Jonathan Glazer’s films so intense?
- From one extreme to the other, the genius comedic team of Steve Martin and Martin Short shows no sign of any flagging of brilliance in Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building. Enough laughs to conquer the Trumpian blues.
- If this list sounds like retreads of stuff I’ve watched in years gone by, I had to watch the first season of Alice in Borderland (a strange, out-of-the-blue, violent sci-fi concept from Japan) before rushing through the dramatics of Season 2.
- A couple of flatter seasons of the Minnesota twisted noir of Fargo did not prepare me for the kinetics and brilliant uber-acting (Juno Temple and Jon Hamm) of Season 5.
- Perhaps the pleasure of the short, skewed episodes of Fisk is limited to Aussies, but no matter, it amazes me that Season 3 of the tale of an awkward suburban lawyer is the funniest yet.
- Clearly I must have needed humor this year because three of this Top 10 are primarily comedies and four others contained chuckles aplenty. The most unexpected joy was The Franchise, a stiletto-sharp satire of superhero movies (“franchise,” get it?). I stand by the opinion that The Bear was 2024’s peak but I think The Franchise gave me the deepest (richly deserved, I’m sure) pleasure.