Every year it’s remarkable how much a good performance can salvage a film. Your film can be a boring waste of time but a single great performance can make it worth watching. Every year film nerds love guessing who is going to be given the awards for Acting, those of us into horror are often left disappointed because our faves don’t win, but lists like this let us throw a tiny bit of praise out into the void and so that’s what we’re going to do here.
In normal years this list would be 20 entries long but this isn’t a normal year, I didn’t see my normal amount of films so this is only going to be 10 entries long but god damn are these some memorable entries. 1 entry per film, no honourable mentions this time, here we go.
10: Ry Barrett as Johnny in In A Violent Nature
I’ve mentioned on a previous list when talking about Art the Clown how hard it is to create an interesting character when you don’t get to use your voice, you basically have to pull the audience in using nothing but your face and body movements… well, how about if the camera seldom showed your face? Ry Barrett has possibly the hardest job in cinema this year in that most of the film is just following him from behind while he goes on a killing spree but in doing so he has to rely on very specific micro-gestures to get the audience to see him as a character and not just a big tough guy.
The way he walks, looks around, and pauses to survey what’s in front of him all go into telling you who Johnny is. The few times the camera isn’t just following Johnny we get to see more of the big guy’s personality, especially in moments like when he finds a little toy car and just sits to play with it for a minute. For a movie with a central joke like “The camera never leaves the killer” to work it needed to make sure that you wanted to sit and watch the killer moving about for 90 minutes and even though the things Ry Barrett is doing are incredibly subtle, it’s also kind of undeniably fascinating character work considering what he had to deal with.
Best Scene: The Toy Car
9: Channing Tatum as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine
Channing Tatum was meant to play Gambit for years, in some form his name has been brought up concerning the character since 2007. He was meant to be in several other X-Men films and even have his own solo film, but he’d never had the chance due to Hollywood shenanigans. It was a bit of lore that many superhero fans knew about but thought we’d never see and then Tatum walked on screen as Gambit in the newest Deadpool movie and made it clear why he was always mentioned for this role.
His accent is perfect, his presence undeniable and he just manages to look badass even in the silly outfit. He only gets to be in the film for a few minutes and he shares most of that time with a few other pretty great cameos, but his role was so memorable and fun that there’s a non-zero chance it might make the Gambit film finally happen.
Best Scene: Gambit’s Introduction
8: Renee Rapp as Regina George in Mean Girls
There was a moment early in the year when it felt like 2024 would be the year of Renee Rapp and really, it still might be. Her role in Mean Girls (reprising what she’d done on Broadway for over a year) shot her into the stratosphere and the tie-in song Not My Fault was inescapable for the early part of the year. Seeing her work in Mean Girls, yeah it’s no wonder everyone fell in love with her because that role shows off so many of her talents.
Her comedic timing, her emotional gravitas, that powerhouse voice that just owns the world, it’s all here and it’s all captivating. The Mean Girls movie itself might be a mess, a forgettable reinterpretation of a modern classic, but Renee Rapp manages to make every single second that she’s on-screen into the best thing you’ve seen in a while
Best Scene: Someone Gets Hurt
7: Lauren Laverra as Sienna Shaw in Terrifier 3
On the 2022 list, I put Terrifier 2’s Art The Clown on this list and believe me he could easily go here too, but part of what makes Art work is how great his main protagonist is and Lauren Laverra has made Sienna Shaw into one of the ultimate horror final girls. There’s a long list of ladies who have earned the Final Girl title but only a few in the pantheon of truly great final girls, characters like Laurie Strode or Sally Hardesty are legendary in the genre and Sienna Shaw joins them thanks to how great Lauren is.
Lauren doesn’t just make Sienna an ass kicker who can do anything, in Terrifier 3 this is a woman who has been through the worst trauma you could imagine and somehow survived. That ability to convey the pain and anxiety that one would experience after coming face to face with the most evil killer clown ever while also having an undeniable strength that shows throughout the film is astounding. I don’t know how many more Terrifier films we’re going to be blessed with (Considering Terrifier 3 made $90 million on a budget of $2 million, I’m guessing we’re getting a lot) but I hope Sienna Shaw survives them all so we can get a ton more time enjoying Lauren Laverra.
Best Scene: The final confrontation with Art
6: Hugh Grant as Mr Reed in Heretic
Despite this year’s list being short, it’s notably my 5th time doing such a list. I’ve praised over 100 performances in some way over these lists and in that time I’ve only repeated three names. Nicolas Cage, Stephanie Hsu and Hugh Grant. This has been kind of intentional, I don’t want to do the same actor every time or just repeat characters because the same actor is great each time. It’s why Hsu and Cage both have one numbered spot on the list and one honourable mention… this is Hugh Grant’s third time getting a numbered spot on my list and I am just as stunned as anyone else but the man just keeps delivering great performances and this year might be his best yet.
Heretic is a psychological thriller disguising itself as a supernatural horror film where 90% of what makes it work are the lengthy monologues delivered with expert ease by Hugh Grant. Hugh takes every little trick that made him the go-to leading man of the 90s Rom-Com and turns them into tools in his arsenal used to absolutely terrify the living shit out of you. It’s a masterclass in timing, in body movement, every single element of the performance is highly controlled but feels as casual as if it were completely improvised. Hugh has been a splendid surprise over the last few years but this is his magnum opus, his grand declaration that he’s one of the greatest character actors working today and we should take notice. Truly everything that you could want in a horror movie antagonist
Best Scene: Comparing religion to Monopoly.
5: Chris Hemsworth as Dementus in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
The fact that the prequel to Mad Max wasn’t a monster hit is a crime that people should suffer for, that crime is exacerbated by the fact that this is now the second time that Chris Hemsworth has played an absolutely fascinating and bonkers villain in a film no one bothered to go see. In Furiosa, Dementus just chews scenery every single second he’s on screen. He’s intimidating as hell but he’s also just flat out hilarious, Chris dialled the Aussie accent up to the absolute limit and it was one hell of a choice to behold.
It’s a glory of a performance, fun and captivating in every possible way and it also might be part of the last Mad Max film we’ll ever see because a lot of you didn’t go to see it (you will not be seeing heaven because of this fact!)
Best Scene: Making a deal with Immortan Joe
4: Danielle Brooks as Sofia in The Color Purple
Danielle Brooks first played Sofia in 2016 in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple and for that role she got a Tony Nomination and it’s very clear that in the time since then, she never forgot how to pull Sofia out of her because her performance in The Color Purple was the standout of a film full of people standing out. She brings an energy to the screen that the film desperately needs by that point, pulling out some genuine comedic moments and more than a few cheer segments before the big climax of Sofia’s story hits and then Danielle brings us as much emotion as we can bear while also just occasionally belting out musical numbers for the back of the room.
This is the kind of performance that requires you to be able to do everything and anything and damn if Danielle doesn’t do everything and anything and does it all expertly. She’s a gift that this film never squanders and I hope that we get a hundred more musicals with her in them because any musical would be improved with her talent.
Best Scene: Hell No
3: Naomi Scott as Skye Riley in Smile 2
FINALLY! Finally, someone gave Naomi Scott a role that was worthy of her talents, it took fucking long enough. Naomi Scott is a performer that I mostly know from 3 films, Power Rangers, Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels. All three of those films were absolute garbage but Naomi was great in all of them and it absolutely killed me seeing her talent being wasted and was hoping someone would rectify that. Thank you Smile 2 for giving Naomi a role that let everyone see what was always here, a superstar with enough talent to light the southern hemisphere.
Smile 2 is a hard film to star in because you have to not only be a believable pop star (and she is, there’s literally a Skye Riley EP out as part of the promotion) but she has to basically have an extended mental breakdown for the entire film’s runtime and make it convincing. It’s a barn burner of a performance, one that will have you holding your breath until the final seconds of the film because Naomi has you in the palm of her hand and will not let you go. It’s glorious, a goddamn masterclass in modern horror acting. Thank god someone finally saw what was waiting this whole time and let Naomi be the superstar she was born to be.
Best Scene: Escaping in the car
2: Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance
The best part about the era of Hagsploitation was that legendary actresses got truly meaty roles that they could sink their teeth into and remind the world why they were legends… It feels like that’s what Demi Moore got to do in The Substance. The Substance is largely a double act between Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley who both deliver wildly different performances but Demi is the one who just commands all your attention. Her willingness to play with her image is glorious, the comedic and emotional beats are so well done and the more fucked up everything gets, the more Demi just seems to revel in it.
When The Substance makes her into a withered old crone, you best believe Demi makes sure she’s the best withered old crone you’ve ever seen. It doesn’t shock me at all that there’s Oscar talk for Demi with this role, she more than earns the discussion and the only thing that’s going to stop her is that she’s in The Substance and the Oscars will never be cool enough to nominated that film in anything other than effects (I invite them to prove me wrong though)
Best Scene: Elisabeth first realising Sue has gone over her time
1: Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in Wicked: Part One
I have said it before, I will say it again. If Cynthia Erivo is not nominated for an Oscar for this performance, I will burn down the Dolby Theatre. Her performance in Wicked is nothing short of genre-defining, this is how you do a goddamn musical performance in modern cinema. This is how it’s done people, take copious notes so we can learn. Every single second Cynthia is on screen is magnetic, she sells every joke and every dramatic scene, the musical numbers are so good that it almost hurts when they finish because you just want to hear more of Cynthia singing.
Pick any scene from the film and you will see genius on full display, little moments that hint at the Wicked Witch that we will eventually come to know or jokes that are elevated by how she delivers them (just the word ‘blonde’ can bring the house down). It’s wild to think that people were doubting her, it’s almost like she heard that and took it as a challenge. Well, challenge passed because this is the ultimate Elphaba and nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was is ever gonna bring her down!
Best Scene: Defying Gravity (As if it was ever going to be anything else)
And that’s my top 10 performances of the year. Were there any other ones from this year that I missed because I didn’t get a chance to see them? Maybe you should tell me so I can catch up. Here’s hoping next year I see enough films to make a normal list!!
Movie Meister Reviews 