A List of the Best of 2024!

Prolix looks back on the best of books, movies, quotes, and more

In all this springing up was no hint
Of a tide, only a pleasant wavering of the air
In which all things seemed present, whether
Just past or soon to come. It was all invitation. — John Ashberry

This Year’s Roundup

I never could join with those individuals who maintain absolute insouciance at the turning of the New Year. For better or worse, my personality is infused with an incorrigible hopefulness that can only see the potential of every January. I’ve been afforded a few setbacks in my brief life and have learned to appreciate the rare and unlikely prospect of new beginnings. In my mind, celebrating fresh oppurtunities prepares us to enjoy them and, perhaps, even deserve them. Not everyone will agree; and that’s more than okay. As Ashberry wrote… it is all invitation.

Thank You’s

Below is a mini roundup of personal favorites for the year: movies, books, photos, words, quotes, and miscellaneous enjoyables. This is not meant to be an exhaustive or authoritative list, just a personal selection of my more shareable discoveries from 2024. I hope it sparks some curiosity and more than a little conversation.

I also want to express a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone who read Prolix this year. It truly means so much to me. My interview with the Microsoft protestors was my most popular post, something I will keep in mind. My next post should be delivered in a week or so. It will delve into the ongoing crisis among young males and I am confident that it will give you a lot to consider. In the meantime, enjoy the best of 2024 down below — and again, thank you for reading.

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Movies (Ranked)

1. Anora

Equal parts comedy and tragedy, director Sean Baker tells the story of a Brooklyn sex worker who gets a chance at her own Cinderella story. A phenomenal film completely deserving of the Palm D’or it won at Cannes. The story works at every level, managing to balance themes of classism, feminism, and romantic love with perfect pace. If you watch one film released this year, this should be the one.

2. A Different Man

An A24 dark comedy about an actor who undergoes an experimental procedure to remove his severe neurofibromatosis, only to find that the grass is not exactly greener on the other side. This movie seems to have flown under most people’s radar this year, although I have no idea why. It brings you face to face (pun intended) with the stigmas of disability, the illusions of envy, and the strange masks we wear in order to be accepted. A true piece of art that I hope more people will take the time to watch.

3. Didi

A refreshingly local coming-of-age film about a young teenage skater growing up in the early days of Youtube. Hilarious, heartwarming, and low-stakes, this film felt as though it was made precisely for someone my age and gender.

4. The Substance

This one is not for the faint of heart (or stomach). This film explores the violent and profane relationships we have allowed to develop with our bodies, older people, and the ideals of beauty. Not exactly a pleasant watch, but based on the conversations I’ve had about it, I suspect it will stick in our cultural memory for a long while.

5. Wicked

We all doubted — we were all proven wrong. Jon Chu does a faithful adaptation of the beloved musical we’ve loved since childhood. I walked away from the theatre with “Defying Gravity” stuck in my head and no notes to speak of.

6. Furiosa

In a time where studios are pumping out subpar sequels as shameless cash grabs, it's important we give flowers to the movies that successfully deliver on existing IP. Mad Max did not get the attention it deserved, as it was a perfectly executed action film that exhilarated from start to finish. I am constantly amazed that this is the same guy who made Babe.

7. The Brutalist

Oh, the Academy is going to love this film. An utterly moving narrative of the hardships of a Jewish immigrant and architect in the 1900’s. If you don’t have time to sit and watch all 3.75 hours of this high-art film, then at least listen to the soundtrack. The music alone is worth the price of entry.

8. Alien Romulus

I loved this film more than anyone else I know, so take this with a grain of salt. It has all the fundamentals of an excellent sci-fi, minus the pretension and hype that caused me to omit Dune 2 from this list. I know it’s not necessarily deep, but it was fun — particularly on the big screen.

9. Blink Twice

Another film that got overlooked this year. Zoe Kravitz delivers us a delightfully woman-affirming thriller that it feels like she has waited all her life to create. By no means a perfect movie, but pays off in the places that matter most. A promising directorial debut that deserves some love.

10. Challengers

I’m a firm believer that style drives adoption — and style is one thing that director Luca Guadagnino has in excess. The film is excellent. What you see in the trailer is what you get in the film. While it didn’t hit the top of my list, I can predict that more and more people are going to try and imitate Luca Guadagnino’s aesthetics in the coming years — and for good reason!

Books (No Order)

• The Devil Finds Work by James Baldwin

“No one makes their escape personality black.” Although Baldwin’s reputation precedes him, his words still stir the heart in profoundly unpredictable ways. The Devil Finds Work is what happens when a man with genius intellect and compassionate heart applies himself toward cinema, with Baldwin analyzing the films of his time period through a social and racial lens. Smart, soulful, and life-changing.

• The Four by Scott Galloway

NYU Professor Scott Galloway is everywhere these days (his podcast, Prof G, was my most listened to podcast this year) — but criticizing firms like Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Google is still his best subject. This is a must read for business-minded people, anti-technopolists, and everyday consumers alike.

• If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino

Since I spend most of my free time steeped in business school curriculum, this novel was a welcome literary reprieve. Recommended by Cynthia after she read it for her MFA program at Columbia, this hilariously witty post-modern tale follows an unnamed reader in his search for the ending of a book that continually eludes him. If you like Vonnegut, you’ll like Calvino.

• The Great God Pan and Other Short Stories by Arthur Machen

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve warmed up to the horror genre in the last few years. The Great God Pan, written in 1894 by a Welsh writer, is a staple in the dark fantasy category. Equally intelligent and patient, this book is scary in a non-confrontational manner. If you like movies such as The Witch or Pan’s Labyrinth, this is for you.

• What Are People For? by Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry was a formative influence on many of my favorite thinkers, so I was delighted to finally read him for myself. His words are as tender as his insights are sharp. This warm, human-centric book was a welcome palette cleanser to the late capitalist and techno-optimistic diet I’ve been consuming.

• Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party by Jonathan Karl

Technically, I listened to this one via Libby, but it was still easy to follow. Tired of Winning records some of the most concrete examples of the Republican party’s descent into MAGA madness. Not exactly an objective piece of journalism, but illuminating and intriguing nonetheless. I particularly loved the section that celebrates those members of the GOP who have not sold out in order to cozy up to the new administration.

• How To Make Sense of Any Mess by Abby Covert

How To Make Sense of Any Mess is less of a book and more of an articulation of best practices and modern wisdom. Abby Covert is an expert in the discipline of “information architecture.” The entire book is free online and enormously helpful. Anyone looking to get some good advice on organization and sense-making will find it relevant.

• The Year of Our Lord 1943 by Alan Jacobs

This book weaves together the intellectual work of five Christian Humanists who, in the wake of WW2, were wrestling with the question of how to rebuild the world and fortify future generations against fascism. Although it raises more questions than answers, it contains undeniable significance to today’s cultural mood. I lifted a plethora of quotes that I’ll be pondering for the next four years and beyond.

For more updates on books I’m reading (and enjoying), let’s connect on Goodreads!

Photos

In June I chatted about Cynthia gifting me a very simple film camera for my birthday, so I’ve decided to include a couple of my favorite snaps from this year. I know, I know — I’m not doing myself any favors with the black and white. However, some of these have gotten a ton of downloads on Unsplash, so maybe I’m doing something right?

Words That Were New To Me:

I’ve written before about how I record words that I don’t know the meaning of. Here a few favorites I learned this year:

Gourmand: a person who enjoys eating and often eats too much

Velocipede: any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels

Aleatory: depending on the throw of a dice or on chance; random; lucky

Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict

Monopsony: inversion of a monopoly, in which a single buyer substantially controls the market as the major purchaser of goods and services

Sprezzatura: studied nonchalance; graceful conduct, or performance without apparent effort

Pleonasm: the use of more words than those necessary; redundancy

10 Quotes Discovered:

1. “Nothing is more divine than belly laughter.” — Robert Jenson

2. “Sometimes, you just don’t know what you love until someone puts you on the good s**t.” — Beyonce

3. “He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.” — Gandalf the Grey

4. “The devil is not in the least concerned with damnation… but with property, safety, tax shelters, stocks and bonds, rising and falling markets, the continuing invulnerability of a certain class of people, and the continued sanctification of a certain history.” — James Baldwin

5. “If you want to survive, you’ll have to learn to adapt. The question is, will you still want the same things?” — Fallout

6. "Every great and original writer, in proportion as he is great and original, must himself create the taste by which he is to be relished." — William Wordsworth

7. “Unfair systems give rise to sub-optimal behavior.” — Dan Gode

8. “Whenever I have encountered any kind of deep problem with the world… somewhere at the long chain of events that gave rise to the problem at issue I have always found one and the same cause: a lack of accountability to and responsibility for the world.” — Vaclav Havel

9. It was fun until you started to put money in the streets // Then lost money 'cause they came back with no receipts // I'm sorry that I live a boring life, I love peace. — Kendrick Lamar

10. In our morale must lie our strength:
    So, that we may behold at length
    Routed Apollo's
    Battalions melt away like fog,
    Keep well the Hermetic Decalogue,
    Which runs as follows:—
    
    Thou shalt not do as the dean pleases,
    Thou shalt not write thy doctor's thesis
    On education,
    Thou shalt not worship projects nor
    Shalt thou or thine bow down before
    Administration.
    
    Thou shalt not answer questionnaires
    Or quizzes upon World-Affairs,
    Nor with compliance
    Take any test. Thou shalt not sit
    With statisticians nor commit
    A social science.
    
    Thou shalt not be on friendly terms
    With guys in advertising firms,
    Nor speak with such
    As read the Bible for its prose,
    Nor, above all, make love to those
    Who wash too much.
    
    Thou shalt not live within thy means
    Nor on plain water and raw greens.
    If thou must choose
    Between the chances, choose the odd;
    Read The New Yorker, trust in God;
    And take short views. — WH Auden

Bonus Round: Random Shareables

• GIRLS - Kid Laroi Choreography by Wren Crisologo

• Is My Toddler A Stochastic Parrot? from the New Yorker

• The Obsessive Details of My Custom Uniform by Van Neistat

• New York’s Mass Wedding Day at the Lincoln Center

• Boiled Peanuts/Denial is a River Performance by Doechii

• This Shakshuka Recipe from Love and Lemons

• The Moo Deng Reddit Page for an easy serotonin hit

Happy New Year friends! Thanks for tuning in!