Cats win, at least for 2024 film highlights. So says Nevada’s biggest movie reviewing group, the Las Vegas Film Critic’s Society, which despite its name includes voters like me who live in Reno. We added a category this year: best animal performance. Deadpool and Wolverine proved competitive for work by Peg as Dogpool but A Quiet Place: Day One sped by with teamwork by Schnitzel and Nico, trading places as Frodo the Cat. The kitties got my vote, not just for a high cuteness factor but because Frodo played a long and key role in the plot, not just an accessory. Though I felt part of a unified front in the society with Frodo, we parted ways on other winners. Dune II won the best picture slot, but not from me. I see it as a middle film without a beginning or end--though brilliantly put together by our winning director, Denis Villeneuve. I preferred Conclave for suspense, clarity, and humor plus I thoroughly admire The Brutalist for scope and ambition. The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody earned best actor from both me and my group along with Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez spinning a musical turn I didn’t know she had. As best actress,
I went for Cynthia Erivo’s complicated musical and emotional range in Wicked though the rest of my group opted for Mikey Madison’s lap dancing skills in Anora.  Denzell Washington’s shifty, charismatic turn in Gladiator II won supporting actor—no complaint from me in my own ever shifting ratings for best in a category laden with top work. Figuring your own choices proves easy enough with most projects available through streaming services as 2025 gets underway.
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