I think it’s pretty safe to say Summer 2024 is in the rearview.
OK, maybe not technically, as the official date to start fall is closer to Sept. 21. However, Starbuck’s is out with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Oktoberfest beer is on the shelves and football is on the TV. More importantly, all of Hollywood’s big releases for the summer have been rolled out, marking the end of the season.
It turned out to be a pretty good one too when it comes to the movies. No, this year didn’t have a total gem like “Past Lives,” but it had plenty of other good cinematic experiences. So, it’s time to hand out awards celebrating the best movies had to offer in Summer 2024.
BEST MOVIE – Furiosa
Intense, rugged, emotional and endlessly entertaining. Director George Miller’s prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a hell of a ride, full of finely crafted action and a powerful character arc.
The film was the highlight of the summer, with great performances all around from Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke.
Runner-Up: Kinds of Kindness
BEST COMEDY – Kinds of Kindness
An anthology film with three stories, “Kinds of Kindness” is an absurdist comedy full of dark humor. Impeccably well written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, “Kinds of Kindness” explores the topic of control in work, relationships and communities. Full of style, the film also has award-caliber acting across the board.
Runner-Up: Ghostlight
BEST FAMILY – Inside Out 2
Pixar’s animated sequel continued Riley’s story in a meaningful way, exploring the many new emotions that come into play when a person becomes a teenager. The goings on both inside and outside of Riley’s mind are compelling. Plus there’s plenty of humor and the animation was looked great as always from Pixar.
Runner-Up: Young Woman and the Sea
BEST ACTION – Furiosa
George Miller sure knows how to direct an action movie. The scale of each battle and chase in this movie is gigantic. It’s impressive to have an action movie that keeps a person fully engaged for more than two hours, and that’s the case here because the set-pieces are all so good.
Runner-Up: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
BEST ACTOR – Keith Kupferer, Ghostlight
Keith Kupferer, an incredibly hard-working actor with a plethora of credits, gets his time to shine in this indie dramatic comedy. He gives a superb performance as someone who’s never been great at expressing his feelings trying to process grief, and finding an outlet in art. It’s a wonderful portrayal.
Runner-Up: Jesse Plemmons, Kinds of Kindness
BEST ACTRESS – Emma Stone, Kinds of Kindness
Emma Stone continues to prove herself as one of the best actresses in the industry with a great performance that varies from story-to-story in “Kinds of Kindness.” Her role is especially large in the third story, where she shines in a lot of ways, capturing the dramatic and comedic elements.
Runner-Up: Maika Monroe, Longlegs
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Willem Dafoe, Kinds of Kindness
Willem Dafoe is such a consistent, good actor, and he fits in surreal, weird films so damn well. Just as he’s done in the likes of “The Lighthouse,” “Asteroid City” and “Poor Things,” Dafoe is effective in portraying eccentric, unique characters big on personality.
Runner-Up: Nicolas Cage, Longlegs
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Hong Chau, Kinds of Kindness
Hong Chau is a fantastic actress with a great deal of screen presence who adds another layer of drama to every scene she’s in. As expected, she does so in “Kinds of Kindness,” and like Stone, especially makes her mark in the third story. She should absolutely get a leading role ASAP.
Runner-Up: Freya Allan, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
BEST ACTION SEQUENCE – Rig Defense, Furiosa
There were plenty to choose from in “Furiosa,” but the definite standout was a battle on the open road. Furiosa and driver Praetorian Jack, along with their crew, have to defend their rig in a fierce fight against raiders. It’s a thrilling set-piece full of shooting and hand-to-hand combat, all of it meticulously well-made.
Runner-Up: Final revenge, Furiosa
BEST SOUND – Furiosa
This was a close one, as “Alien Romulus” had phenomenal sound work, as did “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and “A Quiet Place: Day One.” However, “Furiosa” ultimately came out on top because of the great sound, capturing every high-octane moment. The roar of the engines is essential to “Mad Max” movies, and it’s great here.
Runner-Up: Alien Romulus
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Longlegs
Both “Kinds of Kindness” and “Furiosa” had stellar cinematography, but the film with the best visual technique was “Longlegs” The thriller had an incredible visual style, with a great use of camerawork. The framing and shot composition make every scene in the movie feel important.
Runner-Up: Furiosa
BEST WRITING – Kinds of Kindness
“Kinds of Kindness” was an outstanding film that deserves a lot of credit for the creativity and uniqueness added by its writer. Yorgos Lanthimos injects so much intrigue, humor and substance into each of the three segments, making them all fully-realized stories with memorable characters and witty dialogue, all with a twist.
Runner-Up: Ghostlight
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
It continues to amaze how lifelike the “Planet of the Apes” series makes its main characters look. All of the apes, as usual, are full-fledged characters, and they look completely authentic. Plus, the way the filmmakers created the post-apocalyptic world was impressive.
Runner-Up: Furiosa
BEST STUNT/CHOREOGRAPHY – The Fall Guy
The summer movie season is always a time for the stunt crews to shine, and this year was no different. Of course, these days, there’s plenty of CGI to go around, but this summer also had a good deal of practical effects and stunt work.
This was really visible in “The Fall Guy,” a movie with a stuntman as its protagonist and plenty of stunt work all around to make the action believable. It was a love letter to stunt teams, written with the daring work they do.
Runner-Up: Furiosa
BEST MUSIC – MaXXXine
“Maxxxine” was a movie with its ups and downs. It was largely a good experience but was let down in a major way by its third act. With that said, the movie had an absolutely killer soundtrack. There’s no doubt that the needle-drops added a lot to the film’s enjoyment.
Runner-Up: Furiosa
Past summer award winners:
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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