Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies presents the Solzy Awards for 2024…so far, which spotlights the best films and performances of the first half.
As we reach the midway point of the year, I have to be honest in that I’ve lightened my film load a bit this year. Much of this has to do with headspace in the months that followed October 7. In some instances, I had conflicts with press screenings and could not attend, such as Challengers. The film’s home video release is on July 9 and I expect to watch it later this week. Horizon: An American Saga did not screen widely for press and I did not have three hours to spend this weekend watching the film in a theater. Because of missing films and such, I’ve opted not to list my favorite performances at the halfway point. Those will definitely be listed at the end of the year.
Throw in the worst levels of anti-Jewish hate since the Holocaust and there are days where it’s nearly impossible to get through a movie while watching from home, even comedies. It certainly explains why I did not watch as many films during virtual Sundance. Attending Tribeca in person was impossible because of Shavuot. Similarly, I did not watch as many films through the app for press viewing.
If I screened a film during a film festival or it had a one-off screening while touring the country and has not been released yet, it will be listed below under Festival Favorites. That being said, one of the Nova Festival documentaries appears to be available to rent on demand through Vimeo, which speaks to American distributors shying away from releasing documentaries about October 7.
Narrative Features
Animated Feature
Documentaries
- The Beach Boys
- Screams Before Silence
- Remembering Gene Wilder
- Rather
- The Blue Angels
- STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces
- Brats
Film Festival Favorites
Narrative Features
Animated Feature
Documentaries
The Solzy Awards for 2024 will be announced this December. All films released January 1-December 31, 2024 are eligible.
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