By Mark Pukalo
The Rock rescued Santa. Mia Goth frightened me. Kerry Washington inspired me. Saoirse Ronan was, well, Saoirse Ronan.
That's just some of what happened in the 102 movies I list in the "Low Honorable Mention" category for 2024. These films are far from quality, but you can glance at them in the background while you surf on the internet and focus in for a few moments here and there.
Whether it's good acting, a daring storyline, a few entertaining scenes or some harmless fun, you can find a little to like in most of them.
"Red One" is on most top 10 worst lists for critics, but I found some things to like at the beginning and end. Goth was so fierce in "MaXXXine" and Washington fights for her battalion's rights in "The Six Triple Eight" while Ronan is powerful as an struggling alcoholic in "The Outrun." and Vicky Krieps is very good as a strong French immigrant during the Civil War in "The Dead Don't Hurt."
The 20 films I put a star next to are the closest to the next level up. That includes the dark Danish film "The Girl With the Needle," which has a serious shock factor, and the strange dystopian musical "The End," which had untapped potential.
Peter Sarsgaard commands the screen in "Coup!" "Julia Louis-Dreyfuss does her best in the sometimes confusing "Tuesday," Angelina Jolie is outstanding in the otherwise boring "Maria" and you've got to love the service animals in "Inside the Mind of a Dog." "I.S.S" is also very intense and "Close to You" surprising and thought-provoking.
They are all just a notch below for me, but might be a good watch for some - depending on your genre and subject matter preferences.
Here is the list. Remember, only the very best of these make my top 200 for 2024. There are plenty of better or more entertaining films to come.
Low Honorable Mention
A Family Affair - Famous movie star (Zac Efron) falls for his assistant's mom (Nicole Kidman) in your basic throw away Netflix rom-com. It's harmless and I always enjoy seeing Joey King, who plays Efron's assistant.
Amber Alert - Hayden Panettiere stars as a woman who teams with her lift driver (Tyler James Williams) to track down a kidnapped child.
Argylle - Sometimes confusing comedy/drama about a writer drawn into a spy story. It has its fun moments, but it did not even come close to living up to the hype despite Sam Rockwell's efforts. I must have seen the preview in the theater 50 times.
Atlas - A daring officer (Jennifer Lopez) travels into space to try to stop an AI developed by her mother that she unwittingly helped become dangerous to the Earth.
The Beautiful Game - Story of the English soccer team at the Homeless World Cup. It has its moments, but is a little too thin.
Back to Black - The Amy Winehouse story had some interesting elements and Marisa Abela did a really good job. It wasn't a great film and kind of makes you mad. Amy was such an amazing talent with the worst taste in men.
Beautiful Wedding - The follow up to last year's "Beautiful Disaster" has a gorgeous Abby (Virginia Gardner) and bad-boy surprise husband Travis running off to Mexico and eventually fighting loan sharks. Both films have been mildly amusing.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin - Based on the true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who risked everything to oppose Hitler and the Nazis. It's educational, but a little dull.
Brats - Andrew McCarthy's documentary about a group of talented young actors who were type-casted after some successful movies. I didn't see the real hardship.
The Bricklayer - Aaron Eckhart and the beautiful Nina Dobrev in a CIA spy drama that is - at times - corny, but holds your interest throughout.
Brothers - Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play odd-couple brothers who try to pull one more heist as their estranged mother returns. Barely makes this category because of the acting.
Caddo Lake - Time portal story on Max that gets a bit confusing at times. The family involved makes it is interesting enough to keep out of the bottom category.
Canary Black - Illogical political/crime thriller with Kate Beckinsale as an unbeatable agent trying to save her husband and the world. Kate is fierce and gorgeous.
Chief of Station - Hulu movie with Aaron Eckhart as a retired CIA agent brought back into an investigation of his wife's death in a bombing. A little hard to follow at times.
*Close to You - Elliot Page plays a trans man who returns to his home town after spending several years away. He must deal with unwanted questions and encounters an old flame. It is interesting and unique at times, but nothing else.
*Coup! - Peter Sarsgaard plays a mysterious cook who causes chaos for the snobby head of a manor during WW1. I expected better, but it is a good offbeat performance by Sarsgaard.
Cuckoo - Crazy things are happening at a resort in Germany and a young woman tries to survive. It is quite cuckoo and confusing.
Cult Killer - Thought it would be way worse. It's a strange thing when you are rooting for a brutal killer. But that's what you get as woman tries to bring down an evil cult.
Cunk on Life - Mockumentary from a British comedian explaining the world and how it works in a funny way. Philomena Cunk says ludicrous things with a straight face. It's mildly entertaining.
Damsel - A fierce Millie Bobby Brown fights to stay alive after the royal family she is marrying into wants to sacrifice her to a monster.
Dear Santa - Kid miss spells his letter to Santa and it goes to Satan. Oops. Jack Black helps the kid as the evil guy. There's just enough laughs to make it passable.
*The Dead Don't Hurt - Viggo Mortensen stars as a Danish immigrant from Northern Nevada ,who meets a beautiful French immigrant (Vicky Krieps) and the two live outside a corrupt town during the Civil War in this Western-style drama.
Despicable Me 4 - A few laughs, but this series is a little over-rated in my opinion. If you've liked it, I'm not stopping you from watching another.
Don't Move - A serial killer tricks a grieving woman before she is about to kill herself . He kidnaps and drugs her. The series of events are preposterous. Hope Kelsey Asbille gets some better roles because she is appealing.
Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval: Mildly humorous standup from the renowned comedian, who has been trying for a comeback after setbacks.
*The End - A wealthy extended family, living in a luxurious bunker for many years, welcomes a surprise visitor that changes the group dynamic. I didn't mind the odd musical element, but I was waiting for much more to happen.
The End We Start From - Floodwaters have made London unlivable. A woman is forced to flee their country home outside the city with baby in tow, without her husband, on a strange dangerous journey. You stay to the end, but it drags a bit. Jodie Comer is terrific, though.
Find Me Falling - Harmless love story with Harry Connick Jr. as a washed-up rock star who meets an old flame in Cypress. Just needed a little more to it.
Firebrand - Alicia Vikander stars as the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, who is wise beyond her years and it gets her in hot water. Alicia rocks.
Food Inc. 2 - Interesting sequel to the first documentary on how our food is processed and what can be done to improve the industry. Just not surprising.
Fresh Kills - This film examines the lives of two sisters who grow up in a crime family on Staten Island. The two girls are different and that makes it compelling at times.
Frida - Stylish documentary about the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Not interested enough to put it at a higher level.
*The Girl With the Needle - Dark, grimy Danish film about an evil woman dealing with unwanted pregnancies in a sinister way and the mother who is gets involved unwittingly. A strong film technically, but it just didn't affect me as much as it needed to.
Handling the Undead - Strange little Norwegian film on Hulu explores what could happen if a magnetic force somehow wakes up the recently dead. It's slow, but creepy.
Hard Miles - Matthew Modine takes four kids from a reform school on a bike ride to the Grand Canyon. It's not bad, it's just not super compelling.
Hitpig! - Likable animated film with Jason Sudekis voicing Hitpig, who grows a conscience after trying to capture a performing elephant for an evil man.
Hot Frosty - Another one of those harmless Christmas films streaming on Netflix. A snowman comes to life when a "magic" scarf is put on him and he helps a widow heal. A little too goofy at times, but it's ok.
How to Have Sex - Three British teenagers vacation in Greece looking to hookup with guys and stuff happens. Was disappointed there wasn't more to this, but Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce) was very hugable.
If - Odd little movie about kids and their imaginary friends. The cartoon characters are sort of funny, but it doesn't move the scale too high on comedy.
*Inside the Mind of a Dog - Educating documentary about how dogs form their intelligence and personality. Not deep enough to be higher.
In the Summers - Somewhat interesting look at two daughters who visit their divorced father in Las Cruces, New Mexico over the summer at different ages, as life changes for them. It's one of those movies that comes together at the end in some ways.
Irish Wish - Lindsay Lohan makes a wish she realizes she wants to take back. They kind of steal the story line from Titanic a bit, but it's harmless.
*I.S.S. - Russian and American astronauts on a space station must decide and react to instructions from their governments after a Nuclear attack down on Earth.
Kung Fu Panda 4 - Another semi-cute cartoon from the series. It just doesn't distinguish itself as more than this average level.
Junction - Another film about the Opioid crisis from the perspective of the company, the doctor and the addicted. The characters have a little appeal, especially the doctor.
Land of Bad - Marines try to solve an issue in dangerous Southern Asia after a failed extraction attempt. The thrilling ending saved it from lower.
Lazareth - Ashley Judd plays the aunt of two young girls, who lost their mother in a pandemic. She protects them in a secluded place while the world recovers around them. It's a passable story and the girls do a decent job, especially pretty Katie Douglas (Imogen).
Lift - Great cast for a team of thieves who steal some valuable stuff, but it never really gets very fun despite the presence of Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha Raw.
Lonely Planet - Laura Dern plays a blocked author on a retreat, who bonds with a younger man (Liam Hemsworth) re-evaluating his life and marriage. It is harmless, but not very compelling and unique.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim - Passable cartoon with a family drama and battle. Hera is a very appealing character (voiced by Emma Thompson's daughter Gaia Wise).
Lousy Carter - Somewhat humorous, odd little movie about a disappointing college professor who is told he is dying. David Krumholtz holds your attention with his dry humor and young Luxy Banner has a future.
Love, Divided - Interesting concept for the Spanish drama as two single people meet through a wall and begin a relationship without meeting.
Love in Taipei - The stunningly beautiful Ashley Liao travels to Taipei for classes and develops some love interests. It's a decent watch, but nothing special.
Magpie - Daisy Ridley is struggling in a bad marriage and her husband becomes infatuated with the attractive star (Matilda Lutz) of a movie their daughter is filming. The drama barely gets it into this level.
*Maria - Tremendous performance by Angelina Jolie as the great opera singer Maria Callas in her final years. But overall the film is a little boring.
Marmalade - Crime drama about a small-town bank robber, which has quite a twist. It's not a bad movie, just doesn't quite rise to a higher level.
Martha - Documentary on Martha Stewart that is a little too long. The court case part is interesting, but the rest is average.
*MaXXXine - The sequel to X with Maxine facing off against a serial killer while preparing for her first feature film. Mia Goth is amazing and I liked it way more than "Pearl," the prequel to X.
Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken - The great singer, songwriter tours prisons to provide entertainment and hope for damaged women. It is interesting; not earth shattering.
The Merry Gentleman - It's a cliched, predictable, poorly-written love story about a city girl coming back to her country town and falling for the local guy. But, it's Britt Robertson. So it had me at hello.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - It's got some style, there were a few good scenes and Eliza Gonzalez is solid as usual. But I was mostly bored. It was not even a poor man's Inglorious Bastards.
Moana 2 - Popular sequel did not move the needle for me, but it is a passable animated film. Moana goes on another adventure to try and save people connected to the ocean.
Mother of the Bride - Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt make it work as parents - with a history together - of newlyweds. Miranda Cosgrove (the bride) has sure grown up since School of Rock.
*Mufasa: The Lion King - A prequel to The Lion King introduces the grandfather and a young Scar to the series. It is uninspiring at times and does not deliver the emotion it needs.
The Neon Highway - A talented singer/songwriter/electrician meets an aging, forgotten Nashville star (Beau Bridges) and the two try to get a song recorded.
Nutcrackers - Ben Stiller is the estranged brother coming home to take care of his dead sister's wild children. It takes a while to settle in and the last 30 minutes saves it.
*Oddity - A blind shopkeeper tries to figure out how her sister died, haunting the husband in the process. Carolyn Bracken is very, very creepy in the lead role.
Oh, Canada - Richard Gere stars as a progressive icon film maker and draft dodger confessing his sins before he dies in a documentary. Jacob Elordi plays the younger version while Michael Imperioli and Uma Thurman also star in this rather stale film.
*Orion and the Dark - Cute cartoon about a kid who is afraid of the everything, but finds a comfort zone in the dark.
Our Little Secret - Lindsay Lohan comes home from England for Christmas to meet her boyfriend's parents, and of course her old flame is there with his girlfriend. It's okay, just doesn't rise above average.
*The Outrun - Saoirse Ronan plays a young woman struggling with alcoholism. It's well acted, technically solid, but lacks heart.
*The Piano Lesson - Denzel Washington produced the 1930 drama about a fight over the potential sale of a family heirloom. A ghost and an old piano make it stylish, but it is somewhat dull until the final 20-30 minutes.
Players - Ultimately satisfying jaunt about a group of people working at a newspaper who play games to pick up men and women. The ending is predictable, but works.
*Prom Dates - Two girls (Antonia Gentry and Julia Lester) need prom dates after breaking up with their boyfriends and go on a funny journey to try and find another. It has enough good moments to be worthy of your time.
Rather - Documentary about one of the best journalists of our lifetimes. It still baffles me how he can basically get fired for telling a true story.
Red One - Santa Claus gets kidnapped? It was a better premise than a movie, but the opening 15-20 minutes and the last 10-15 were decent. I have it way higher than most`. LOL.
Reverse the Curse - A son returns home to be with his dying father and uses a Red Sox winning streak to invigorate him. David Duchovny directs and plays the lead.
Rez Ball - Based on the story of Chuska High, which won the New Mexico state basketball championship after a tragedy before the season. The script is hokey at times, but it has enough heart to make it worth a watch.
Rob Peace - Based on a true story about a young man who works his whole life trying to prove his father's innocence after he is convicted of murder. The story is decent, nothing more.
The Roast of Tom Brady - Some very funny moments throughout, but it gets spoiled by all the unnecessary crude, sexual humor.
*Robot Dreams - Somewhat entertaining animated film about a dog that buys a robot. It just doesn't deliver as much as you anticipate after the first 10 minutes.
Sasquatch Sunset - I give them credit for inventiveness, but the Bigfoot family didn't really move the needle. Some will put it on their worst lists. I'll just say there is one hilarious scene that saves it.
*Self-Reliance - Funny concept that doesn't really deliver as a common guy is offered $1 million if he can stay alive from hunters for 30 days. Anna Kendrick adds a sprinkle of spark.
Shirley - Regina King is solid as the great Shirley Chisholm, who ran for President against impossible odds in 1971. Unfortunately, the story is more bland than it should be.
*The Six Triple Eight - The story of a battalion of black women stationed overseas during World War II to help deliver the mail. It's old school and Disney-like at times, but has strong performances from Kerry Washington and Ebony Obsidian.
Skincare - Hope (Elizabeth Banks) has successful facial care business until a new competing office opens across the street that sends her world into a spiral.
Spellbound - A sweet cartoon about a young princess trying to cure her parents, who have turned into monsters. Rachel Zegler's voice is good to hear for the main character. It is not annoying, but not enthralling.
Stopmotion - Psycho drama about a young stop-motion film maker going through mental issues while trying to create her own movie after being groomed by an overbearing mother.
Subservience - Megan Fox plays a super sexy robot who is bought to help with a family that has a mother dealing with health issues. Surprise, it was not a good idea for the mom and dad.
Summer Camp - Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates and Alfie Woodard return to the summer camp they went to as kids and rekindle a lost friendship between them and others. It's ok, but tries too hard.
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can Eat - Three long-time friends go trough trials and tribulations of life together in a small town. A decent one time watch. Nothing more.
Time Cut - Time travel movie with a twist. It's a little illogical the way it plays out, but the two lead girls (Madison Bailey and Antonia Gentry) are likable. An IVF girl goes back in time to save her sister from a murder.
*Tuesday - Emotional and offbeat story about a mother dealing with the impending death of her terminal daughter. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss provides a strong performance, but the movie veers a bit too much for me.
Uglies - I like Joey King, but this is not a good Sci-fi film about a futuristic society. It tries to be Divergent in some ways, but it is not nearly as compelling as that one. Maybe the sequel will be better.
The Union - Preposterous stunts and an illogical story, but it is entertaining enough as Halle Berry coaxes old flame Mark Wahlberg to turn from construction worker in New Jersey to undercover agent.
Unsung Hero - Based on a true story about the musical Smallbone family, who went through adversity in Australia and Nashville. It's a a nice story. Rebecca St. James became quite a star.
*Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Entertaining animated feature that was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe. Just not better than this level in my opinion.
The Watchers - Psychological thriller about a mystical power that imprisons a group of people in the forest. Wasn't good, but I still wanted to know what happens in the end.
Wolfs - George Clooney and Brad Pitt are fixers who are called in on the same job, which sounds like a good scenario. But it is confusing a times and not that much fun.
Wonderland - Korean Sci-fi film. A young woman uses an AI simulation to cope with the fact her boyfriend is comatose, but then he wakes up a different person.
You Gotta Believe - Based on a true story. Rag-tag little league team from Texas is inspired on the way to Williamsport after its coach is diagnosed with cancer. It pulls at the heart strings a little, but is a quite thin in the character area.
Y2K - High school kids try to save the world from robots that come alive around the turn of the century. There are a few laughs, some ridiculous situations and the cuteness of Rachel Zegler, but overall a big disappointment.
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