Welcome to the 2024 Cinema Club Golden Corn Awards…

We did it. Cinema club 2024 is closed & the year of film is over & honestly that was incredible. I remember back in February when i told my parents i was actively attempting to do the 100 club this year & my mum said, i think youve picked a bad year, strikes only just ended, you wont get it done… I did, i got to film 100 poetically on her birthday. HAHA! Yep 117 trips to the cinema later. Im so glad i have completed this. Do not take the challenge lightly people. Only attempt it if you really are willing to see anything (ive seen lots of crap as well as good). This all probably means that this is the most comprehensive awards iv have ever handed out going form horror to musical, to animation to researching spiders in the amazon (sorry had to) I am not attempting the 100 club this year, we will see how it goes. . So its time to celebrate it all by handing out my awards for the last 12 months. (also i know you wont be getting this on new years day in 2025 but everything was sorted & picked by 30th December 2024)

So what happens at my awards (hopefully you all know the drill by now), well there is no actual award. Ive never made one to hand out, & they arent the most conventional awards either, if youve been here before you know the randomness of this. But some of these films wont be recognised in award season, so im here to make sure they bloody well are, for all the right & wrong reasons. We have our main awards too, which will culminate in the presentation of the golden buzzer winner & therefore the Cinema Clubs Film of the Year for 2024. I did keep it pretty quiet this year, i didnt just blurt it out. I did a good job. I had 3 people work it out when i asked them what they thought my film of the year was

So lets press on shall we. 43 awards in total to hand out & give to some deserving winners. Peoples, Besties & Lovies are we ready, welcome to the Popcorn for One Cinema Club Awards for 2024…..
Ohhh spoilers by the way, thats your warning here. This is now your own fault if you see something you didnt want to know about.

43) My Moment of 2023
Completing the 100 club
When i told my parents 5 films in to the year i was attempting the 100 club this year my mum went oooh theres not much out this year, only 1 mcu film, november is busy but i dont think with the strikes you will be able to do it.. ha. IT was then very funny that i then saw film 100 on her birthday. Im still amazed i did it. & then to also do 100 trips to cineworld as well, thats amazing. Turns out i didnt need to count Paddington in concert in the list, but i did. Problem now is that after a year of aggressive cinema watching its hard to get out of that mind set now.

42) Did I Predict 2024 Correctly
Hell Yes
Out of the 32 films on the hit list i did 27. I hear you all go hang on thats 5 you missed.
1 is delayed with no release date now
1 now has a december 26 release
2 are now coming out in 25
1 appeared on prime for 14 hours then got removed (i want my Pedro fix)
so yes i saw all i could for the hitlist for last year

41) The Number of Films I Considered for the Golden Buzzer in 2024
11
In Alphabetical order they are…
Dune Part 2
Furiosa A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II
Hundreds of Beavers
Inside Out 2
Macbeth
Paddington in Peru
A Quiet Place Day 1
The Iron Claw
The Wild Robot
Wicked
Yep one of these films didnt appear in my top 10 films of the year, i know my bad. Sorry to the one that missed out.

40) Animated Character of the Year
Fink the Fox
This should have been a shoe in for Paddington at the start of the year or Anxiety come the summer, but no, it goes to the Sassy foxy little goose expert. Another Adoptive Father Pedro? Bless you, hes so fun but also so vulnerable & sweet.

39) The Film We Didnt Actually Need in 2024
Back to Black
As a millennial i listened on the radio when Amy passed away, i had seen it in the Press. We just didnt need this so soon, it still all felt fresh. It didnt teach me anything i didnt know. Some points of it just felt a little lazy. Yes she acted her alright, but when i left i was like was that it. Yea this needed to wait another 5 years for this to be a good film choice.

38) The Dullest Film of the Year
The Watchers
The monsters not scary, the suspense not on edge enough. It just felt like it was a covid film that then just took turns & twists cos it knew it had to do something different. Its just had me looking at my watch a lot going what weve still got another 20minutes to go. Even Horizon didnt make me do that & that was 3hours to build up to an act 2 that we will now probably never get.

37) Any Freebies?
My Dune Stuff
I won my local cinemas Dune competition. I was expecting maybe a key ring or a hat. I got a fucking hoodie a bag a hat a pen a key ring. The hoodie is really good quality too. Like people would pay £40 for it, its that good. I also got some freebie popcorns, sweets & a poor things key ring from cineworld this year, but nothing will beat the hoodie.

36) Animal Performance in a Film (In Honour of the Swan from Hot Fuzz)
Shared between the dog in Anatomy of a Fall & the Cat in a Quiet Place Day One
Lets start off with Messi the dog. If it wasnt for Ryan Gosling he would have stolen all of the show at the oscars cos he was a legend (im just ken is still living rent free in my head from that night its iconic) but in the film, there were gasps when the kid tried to poison the dog to prove his mum didnt kill his dad & it was an accident. We all collectively Held our breaths when the dog woke up. Now thats pup acting.
The Cat in a quiet place, how it didnt once meow to give them away i have no fucking idea. It also got into some of the worst spots possible, it was madness. IT stressed me out so much that this cat was going to get taken out & take them out with it.

35) Best Remake / Reboot
Gladiator 2
Apparently me & my dad were the only 2 people to enjoy this, but in a year of another ghostbusters, the strangers, kung fu panda etc, this stood out. Yes its a legacy sequel, but it was bloody good & our man was not a distraction (except when his face took up half an imax screen) & the fact that both times i saw this in the cinema someone freaked out at the hand cut, proves its bloody good.

34) The Film I Will Never Look At The Same Way Again
Paddington
Yes we now have Paddington in Peru, but going to see the first Paddington film with the London Concert Orchestra was rather wonderful. I am always saying going to the cinema isnt just about seeing stuff on the big screen but hearing it & feeling it too & this with them playing the score, well it gave me goosebumps. Also we all love Ali Plumb as a MC.

33) Best Performance in an Otherwise Crap Film
Daniel Craig in Queer
Daniel absolutely owns this performance, however he was the only person giving it his all. Like i get hes the lead & the power behind this film, but now one was even half as good as him (& thats not even talking about the car crash of act 3 of the film because thats unforgivable). Its easy to see that the rest of this film let him down from picking up any awards this year.

32) Worst Home Viewing Film of the Year
Rebel Moon 2
Let us never talk of this film again. The first one was bearable & i was like well part 2 had better pay off. Oh fuck no. It was horrible & a waste of my evening. When it was over i was like thank fuck for that. I can see why star wars went nope we dont want your help on the new stuff (including rise of sky walker) like it hurt how bad this was.

31) Animated / Children’s Film of the year
The Wild Robot
What a year it was for Animation & family films. We had Inside Out 2, Vengeance most fowl, Paddington in Peru. & yet it was this film that touched my soul. I watched it with millennials & families & both sets it had a profound reaction from (the mum next to me in my second viewing asked to borrow one of my tissues). Its just a special film.

30) Mis-Sold Film of the Year
Joker 2
The hype was there, & then it bottled it on every count. It was not a good sequel, it wanted to be apart of DC but wasnt, it wasnt a good musical, it wasnt a good courtroom drama. It just failed. This is why you leave some things alone as just a one off people. i wanted to see it but i was still undecided on my opinion on the first one.

29) The Film That I Liked That No One Else In The Entire World Did
I Saw the TV Glow
If you can find this please do, its so much more than just a coming of age film. Its beautiful & emotional & has lush cinematography & lighting & really speaks to the part of you that your not so confident about. Be it your sexuality, gender or if its just something you hide about yourself, dont hide the true you.

28) Worst Cinema Club Film
AfrAId
Ive tried to block this film out of my mind. AI bad… we get it, but this AI boring, & if your going to have AI go crazy then make it go even more out there then that please, it was a waste. & i saw a lot of bad horror this year, but there were points in this that were just laughable. I actually tried to see if you could give a film 0 stars on letterboxd… you cant.

27) The Film I need to see in 2025 the most
Mission Impossible 8 The Final Reckoning
Like the trailer is crazy. Stupidly Crazy. Is this the end for Ethan? I have so many questions from the last one which i plan on watching in April so i remember where we left it, but yeah this is the film. I will be IMAXing this for sure when it comes out (although i may not be able to convince the parents ot pay that amount to see it).

26) The Film I need to see in 2025 the most that was on last years list
Ballerina
From the world of John Wick, we all know shes going to kick arse & be epic, i mean she did in Bond so shes going to own this too. Bring it on. I see why they pushed it back from November 24, it was so stacked, it was crazy.

25) Quote of the Year
Maybe this is what happens when you grow up, you feel less joy, Inside Out 2
That spoke to me a lot. It hurt. It felt real. & it probably didnt help that i had a huge anxiety attack on my drive home from my first viewing of this film (i thought i had lost something important but i hadnt). Its just one of those moments which is like damn.

24) Best Song in a Film
Defying Gravity
If there was no music you could have heard a pin drop, because there was no other noise other than people sniffing & crying listening to that. I mean the original in the play made me well up. For Good in part 2 im going to be an emotional wreck arent i, especially if i go with the girls, its going to be all up in the feels. & theyve even since announced that Part two is going to be called for good… yeah im fucked.

23) Cried When I Should have
The Migration The Wild Robot
I dare anyone to watch this scene & not at least take some deep breaths. Because everyone i know who has seen this film & watched the migration scene, has not been the same since. I blub hard when i see this. Its just one of those moments which is what cinema is built for. Its magical & heart-breaking & shows what real love & affection is even if you dont know you have it. Full of pride & emotion. The whole film has lead to this 5 mins of the film, im not saying what happens after this isnt important or matters but this well, its magical. Its scenes like this that make you love the cinema.

22) Cried When I Shouldnt have
Sing Sing (about 20 mins in)
Why have not more people seen this film. Because when you realise what its all really about it breaks you & then there are some really real & raw moments in it where the actors (who some of them worked in or were part of this program) start telling their real stories & feelings it just brings it all home. Im not saying they arent bad people, but they all found belonging & purpose & safety in this prison program & its very emotional. Yea i cried a few times in this & i was not expecting it at all.

21) They were just misunderstood award
Anxiety Inside Out 2
Its very weird you sit there at the cinema & look at the screen & see a character & go i really relate entirely. Anxiety was it in 2024. I was like oh my god, that is an exaggerated version of whats going on in my head every day. Also she is not the villain, she is an antagonist but so is actual anxiety. Shes portrayed as bad but Anxiety makes you grow & tried to help but can be a fucking pain sometimes. (bloody hell my emotions went through a ringer this year didnt they).

20) The Person I Cheered When they were Rightly Put in their Place
The Principle, other teachers & Parents in The Holdovers.
It was such a complicated relationship they had in this film, but they really were the most unconventional forced family, so much so that anyone who dared threaten the dynamic especially at the end it bloody hurt. They just didnt understand & if they even knew for a second what they really felt, they might have cared slightly. Urgh Uperty People.

19) The Person I wanted to Punch in the Face for being such a convincing Bad Guy
Christian Friedel & Sandra Huller for Zone of Interest
It was the fact that she didnt want to move as she had built her dream house & that it was just a job to him & he was happy to get promoted, when that horror was going on all around them, but it was just second nature to hear all the screams & smell the smoke & the bullets in the walls, that was their life. It was haunting to see these two live a normal life, but i guess that was what happened.

18) The Film that didnt Match the Hype
Ghostbusters (i cant even remember the second part of its name)
I think it was Frozen Empire. But we didnt give Paul Rudd much more to do. Connie was wasted. Bill Murray turned up to be bill. Too many new characters on top of the new ones met in the last film. Also yes we went back to the fire station, but it just never really got to the medium moments in the first film. Just stop making these films please, no one laughed once in my screening at all except when the kid got slimed.

17) The Film The Exceeded The Hype
Twisters
Now this is how you do a popcorn blockbuster legacy film. You remake the original & you put Glen Powell in it because the man has chemistry with everyone. It was fun, it had me on the edge of my seat & it had some real moments of peril. I loved it. It was better than it had any right to be.

16) The best Ensemble / Cast Performance
Dune 2
Seriously no one drops it. People shine who didnt in the first one. The new people are just as good. Bardem is a highlight for sure, but even Bautista is very vulnerable in this. It wouldnt work with anyone else in any of those roles & the way Timothee uses the inside voice & holds it all together is so spectacular. Its an art to behold seeing everyone own it no matter what part they have to play.

15) Best Actor
James McAvoy
Who doesnt love some Unhinged McAvoy, he owns it & also owns the normal version too. Speak no Evil he was in complete control of. The 4 scenes in the book of clarence we wish he had more scenes in it. My Son for him to have to improvise his reactions to get to the next scene was just incredible. I also saw him in wanted & arthur christmas last year which i had seen before, now all of that my friends is what you call range.

14) Best Actress
Florence Pugh
Felt bad for everyone else that i give this to queen Flo, but she owned it. Be it a princess in dune, a lady in waiting in Lady MacBeth, breaking our hearts in we live in time or being the best bit of The Falling, she just was a force to be reckoned with. Also my annual midsommer rewatch & revesting Oppenheimer, shes just the future of acting. Her & Timothee have the craft in safe hands.

13) The Wow I didnt know they had it in them to do that Performance
Zac Efron for The Iron Claw
Considering i hadnt really seen him in anything that wasnt comedy or from his youth, this performance it stayed with me so much so…. (see next award)

12) Surprise Film of the Year 2023
The Iron Claw
… yea. I know my wrestling but i didnt think id be so passionate about a film like this. It knew when to sell & hit hard & when to hold back the punches. It was a family drama set about wrestling but it was so much more than that. This was snubbed for last years oscars in a huge way. Its not fair.

11) DVD Film of the year
Oppenheimer
I watched 60 DVDs in 2024, including finishing the atoz of physical media, all of pixar & a christmas season, but getting Oppenheimer on bluray, beat all of that. YEs the sound is not as good in the cinema, but it was still fucking phenomenal.

Right Here we go people the Top 10 Awards of the year. Some Major Spoilers coming up im sure here, heres another warning for you. This is now your own fault

10) Best Random Recommendation from the Letterboxd Community
Hundreds of Beavers
I knew nothing apart from the social media campaign they had, & the word of mouth on letterboxd so in August i went to see it without knowing much. & now i am seriously considering going to see it as a special live Q&A with them. Its best to go in knowing as little as possible because this black & white essentially silent film is bat shit crazy & my face hurt from laughing so much. Its one of a kind for modern cinema, please all track it down if you can.


9) The Inspirational Fuck Me Thats Stunning Moment
All of 20 Day is Mariupol
(just going to point out this had won back in December 24 not because of what happened on 28 Feb 2025)
I was stressed, i cried, i felt the desperation & it hurt a lot. Its essential viewing watching them & the normal people risk their lives to protect & report on others. How are we as the rest of the world not helping anymore that we already are.


8) The Leonardo DiCaprio Award for Hard Work & Perseverance
Fed Hechinger
Who? I hear you all ask. Well he was the grandson in Thelma, the brother in Kraven & the twin emperor with Joseph in Gladiator 2. I also now ive seen it know he was in nickle boys, now that is a lot of work. He was really good in all those roles & just bossed it. He has a bright future ahead of him. (also quick shout out to Colman Domingo who deserves a fuck ton of love for just owning red carpet looks as well as acting).


7) The Film that hasnt won an award but fucking deserves an award for being amazing
Wallace & Gromit A Vengeance Most Fowl
I know some of you are shocked, but yes this has won nothing. Probably its late in the year release means golden buzzers we hit & lack of cinema means it couldnt compete, but who doesnt love Wallace & Gromit & the Icon that is Feathers McGraw. A proper welcome home to the guys on christmas day. Just wonderful & proves it can stand the test of time & also an epic message about AI & technology, thats how you do it AfrAId.


6) The Life Time Achievement
James Earl Jones
We lost a few but going to the cinema on the weekend of his passing to see Rogue One on the big screen was speical. Also as Mufasa originally (which had a nice tribute to him) Yes Maggie Smith means a lot, but James & his voice & his talent just defines so much cinema & film.

Right this really is it now the 5 that really really do matter


5) I Stole the Show
Joseph Quinn
His name might pop up a lot in 2025 too, but him in both a quiet place & gladiator 2, mesmerising. For two completely different performances. It takes a lot to make me not look at Pedro Pascal but he did it. Commanding & Scary, vulnerable & afraid. It was almost if i was watching different actors in these two films, but whenever he was on screen you just brought into him. He is going to be an even bigger star in the future. He almost stole the year, not just the show.


4) Unsung Heroes
Ralph Feinnes
I saw 11 of his films in 2024 (yes some were the wes shorts but still) from MacBeth, to Schindler’s List to Conclave & everything else in between ( his performance in the menu is one of the most underrated of all time{why cant i get this film on dvd?}) Hes even in Wallace & Gromit & lego batman. The man is underrated & im now so glad hes got another oscar nomination for conclave, the man is a legend & we need to shout about him being a second tier level of the best ever.


3) First Time Watching film of the year
HitMan
i can hear some of you going eh? wheres Feathers…
Hitman was a breathe of fresh air this summer. Sexy, sassy, twisty, clever, cosplay & some scenes that were so intense you sat on your sofa going how is this going to work. Also Glen Powell (who only just missed out on two individual awards this year) has good chemistry with everyone & it was nice to see him play with that. Its still on Netflix & is so worth a watch people


2) Cinema Film of the Year
Gladiator 2
For the first time since i have handed out award in years ago, this is not the film that came 2nd on my list. It came 4th. This was all about the spectacle about feeling it on an IMAX screen, feeling that crowd, hearing someone in your screen gasp when someone’s hand was sliced. It was an incredible feeling both times & yes Pedros face took up 40% of an IMAZ Screen (thats not why it won) but this film needs to be watched on the biggest screen ever peoples & if you missed it at the Cinema, boo to you.

& Finally the crowning glory the award you have all been waiting for
1) The Golden Buzzer & Winner of Cinema Club 2024’s Film of the Year is…
THE WILD ROBOT
Come on were you really expecting it to be anything else… & no its not just because its got Pedro in it (see film above). I dare anyone not to cry laugh & smile watching this movie. Its so heart warming & perfect & it will out live a lot of the films on this list for sure. Out of the 117 trips i made this year 2 of them were to see this film, in the space of 48 hours & im still thinking about it now. My entire Top 3 movies of 2024 (Iron Claw at 2 & Inside Out 2 at 3) all deeply made me think & feel but none more so that a Robot, a Goose & a sassy little foxy guy. Its perfect (please dont tell Paddington that).

& that was the 2024 Golden Corns.
Cinema Club 2024 is officially closed & we are already on our way in 2025