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© Paramount Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Lucy Fisher/Douglas Wick Productions When cinema audiences weren't marveling this year at Paul Mescal's muscles, they were being bowled over by Zac Efron's sudden emergence as a pretty decent actor. Some viewers were amused by the appearance of an unlikely 94 year old action movie heroine and others enjoyed a cheeky Belfast rap trio who were adept at ducking and weaving both ends of the law. Those movies and many others were part of a smorgasbord of unusual films that 2024 offered audiences escape. But which of them made slots 30 to 21 in the 60 films Pomona saw this year? 30. I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun) If you were handing out a prize for the oddest American horror film this year, Jane Schoenbrun's movie would win it hands down. A horror tale that has cult movie written all over it, the film tells the story of a 1996 TV show 'The Pink Opaque' that becomes the obsession of two teenagers, Justice Smith's O...

© Amazon Prime 2024 saw the return to our television screens of acclaimed dramas and sitcoms. There were devastating documentaries as well and an abundance of shows about spies, psychiatrists, murderers and miscarriages of justice. But what were the 30 TV shows that caught the eye of Pomoma in 2024 and did they live up to expectation? Here's our first countdown of the shows we watched, ranked 30 to 21.  30. BIG BOYS, Series 2 (CHANNEL 4) Jack Rooke's award winning autobiographical sitcom about his experiences in university returned with Dylan Llewellyn's gay student Jack still struggling to lose his virginity after coming out to his kind hearted, platinum blonde mum Camille Codouri's Peggy. Peggy has taken his best friend, Jon Pointing's Danny under her wing. However when Danny takes it upon himself to find the gang a house in second year, he struggles under the weight of unrealistic expectations. Turning to Katy Wix's Jules for help, Jack and Danny find themsel...

© A24, Motel Mojave & Access Entertainment Cinemagoers found themselves this year being transported back to the world of big hair, lycra and VHS as several thrillers affectionately paid tribute to the 1980s. Music biopics were also in abundance as audiences lapped up cinematic depictions of the careers of Bob Marley, Robbie Williams and Amy Winehouse. Icons of the music industry were also not averse to the odd rockumentary, whilst indie films pushed the boundaries of the realist and film noir genres. With Pomona continuing to rank 60 movies that we watched during 2024, what made the top of the bottom half of our movie choices this year?  40. GOOD GRIEF (Daniel Levy) Following up the huge success of a TV sitcom like ' Schitt's Creek ' cannot be easy. However Shawn Levy chose to write, direct and star in his own Netflix movie, a London set comedy drama in the mould of Woody Allen. It's less funny and more wistful with Levy playing Marc, an illustrator who is plunged i...

© Warner Bros Pictures, Joint Effort, DC Entertainment &  Domain Entertainment  2024 saw the return of superheroes on the fringes of the Marvel Universe and Ghostbusters of different generations rubbing shoulders with each other in the Big Apple. Horror films came thick and fast, with directors toying with stories about pregnant nuns and larger than life spooky killers. And if that wasn't enough to float your boat, there were always streaming tales of football playing homeless men and indie tales of lovelorn reincarnated women. As Pomona continues to rank 60 movies it watched this year - here's our countdown from 50 to 41. 50. THE BEAUTIFUL GAME (Thea Sharrock) It's been a hell of a year for Thea Sharrock, with one film ' Wicked Little Letters ' hitting cinema screens and another -this film - landing on Netflix. Inspired by the Homeless World Cup, Sharrock's movie casts Bill Nighy as a widower who takes a group of homeless men out to each tournament to repre...

© Amazon MGM Studios 2024 was a year of underwhelming blockbusters, patchy streaming movies and genuinely rewarding awards contenders. But what caught the eye of Pomona over the past 12 months? Pomona ranks 60 movies it watched - focusing on the good, the bad and the ugly. Here's our countdown from 60 to 51. 60. CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER'S POINT (Tyler Thomas Taomina) Good Christmas movies are difficult to pull off. For every ' It's A Wonderful Life ,' ' Miracle On 34th Street ' and ' Elf ,' there's three or four turkeys like ' Santa Claus - The Movie ,' ' Fred Claus ' or ' Jingle All The Way '. Now you can add Taomina's irritating comedy drama to the naughty list. A feeble attempt to give the Festive movie an indie twist,  Taomina's film thinks it's groundbreaking and is incredibly smug about its indie ambitions. However it's a relentlessly unfunny tale about a large Italian American family celebrating Chris...