Denis Villeneuve’s Top 6 Films of 2024: You Won’t Believe His Favorites

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The sequel to “Dune: Part II” is being praised by many critics as one of the top films of 2024, with MovieWeb also including it on their list. This grand production, directed by a visionary who has been pushing the boundaries of science-fiction cinema since “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049”, is none other than Denis Villeneuve. Known for his taut masterpieces like “Incendies”, “Sicario”, and “Enemy”, even before these, Villeneuve himself has shared his personal favorite films from the year 2024, despite his humility towards including his own work.

Villeneuve’s selections for the upcoming awards are quite typical, neither too exotic or art-house nor mainstream blockbusters. Unlike top contenders such as “All We Imagine as Light, The Beast, Hard Truths, Flow, Green Border“, nor films like “Wicked, Gladiator II, Deadpool and Wolverine“, his choices are diverse. He has opted for an epic historical film expected to dominate the Oscars (“The Brutalist“), a moving independent film focusing on the lives of two Black men (“Nickel Boys“) , a dramatic production featuring prominent stars exploring religion and power (“Conclave“) , an innovative adaptation with a challenging lead role (“Queer“) , and a contentious French film centered around a transgender crime lord (“Emilia Pérez” ). Villeneuve recently shared with Total Film his thoughts on these selections.

I absolutely adored Jacques Audiard’s film “Emilia Pérez.” I found it to be incredibly innovative and motivating. Whenever I watch Jacques Audiard’s films, they always invigorate me, making him one of our most talented directors. I also appreciated “The Brutalist” directed by Brady Corbet, as well as “Nickel Boys” [RaMell Ross] and “Conclave” by Edward Berger… Oh, I mustn’t forget to mention “Queer” directed by Luca Guadagnino. I thought it was extremely inspiring. Daniel Craig delivered an outstanding performance in this film.

This year has been fantastic, Villeneuve added. I’ve been really impressed by numerous movies this year; I merely pointed out a few, as there are still some I haven’t had the chance to watch yet.

Denis Villeneuve’s Favorite Films of All Time

In 2017, an article was published in The New York Times where director Denis Villeneuve shared his top films of the 21st century. Interestingly, he couldn’t choose between two movies from 2007 – “There Will Be Blood” and “No Country for Old Men”. He expresses that these films had a profound influence on him back then, and continue to do so now.

Certain scenes struck me with a force similar to a bullet, leaving an impression on my mind like Daniel Day-Lewis’ baptism scene in There Will Be Blood or the Coen brothers’ masterpiece No Country for Old Men. The chilling image of boots marking the floor as a policeman is being strangled by Javier Bardem’s terrifying character has lingered in my memory since then.

Further on, Villeneuve brought attention to films such as “A Prophet“, directed by Jacques Audiard like “Emilia Pérez“, and others including “Under the Skin, Children of Men, Inception, Amores Perros, and Dogville“. He also commended an earlier work from a rising star director. “The absurdity in “Dogtooth” (2010) is remarkably innovative. Yorgos Lanthimos, the mind behind “The Favourite” and “Poor Things“, might be one of the most captivating filmmakers currently active,” Villeneuve expressed his admiration for. “I’m still chuckling at the spectacle of adults racing to grab falling airplanes in their garden, because they were led to believe they were fruits dropping from the sky.

According to comments made in various locations, filmmaker Villeneuve holds a deep affection for films such as Vertigo, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dead Ringers, Lawrence of Arabia, Seven Samurai, Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, mother!, and more. He is particularly fond of Steven Spielberg’s work, and was pleasantly surprised by his latest film, The Fabelmans. In a recent tribute to Spielberg at the DGA Awards (via IndieWire), Villeneuve stated, “The Fabelmans is the best movie ever made about the power of cinema.” He went on to say, “It’s a miracle. To claim that I was deeply moved by this film is an understatement. The Fabelmans is a selfless act of artistic generosity from one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.” In essence, Villeneuve praises Spielberg and his recent work, The Fabelmans, as a masterpiece about cinema’s power.

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2025-01-15 18:31