I bookended the year with a pair of favorites. I began 2024 with arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, 1955’s The Ladykillers and closed the year out with a Bronson fave, The Mechanic (1972). In between I visited most every genre from westerns to musicals, from Lon Chaney Jr.’s Inner Sanctum Mysteries to Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedies and so much more.

A special thank you to all those who stopped by in a year that saw me take a break only posting a pair of articles. Despite my inactivity I still saw over 100,000 visitors drop in which really caught me off guard and I’m thankful.

The five links that saw the most traffic here at Mike’s Take in 2024 were ….. What the Peeper Saw (1972) …. Charles Bronson in the Movies …. Paul Newman In the Movies …. Elizabeth Taylor in the Movies and MASH (1970).

The one kind of film I did focus on this year were the Martial Arts films produced by Shaw Brothers Studios. With assistance from both Shout Factory and Arrow Video’s blu ray box sets I saw no less than 61 films from the fabled studio. Among the memorable titles are King Boxer, The Five Deadly Venoms, Brothers Five, Man of Iron and so many others. More importantly I believe is these sets introduced me to many stars I only knew fleetingly. Ti Lung, Cheng Pei-Pei, Ku Feng, David Chiang, Lo Lieh, Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu stand out. Binging on these also gave me a strong appreciation for director Chang Cheh. The best news is I have 3 sets I’ve yet to open and there are two more from Shout Factory on the market I need to pick up.

“I never thought I’d ever see that movie” goes to 1978’s True Grit : A Further Adventure. An all but forgotten TV Movie of the week that cast Warren Oates in the role of Rooster Cogburn.

Everybody loves “old favorites” and I have far too many to count but here’s a rundown of some that spring to mind that I sat in on once again over the past 12 months in no particular order.

Dreamscape (1984), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Desperate Hours (1955), The Shootist (1976), The Sting (1973), The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), How Green Was My Valley (1943), Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1964), 5 Card Stud (1968), Kansas City Confidential (1952), 48 HRS (1982), The Monster Club (1981), Dracula (Frank Langella 1979), Send Me No Flowers (1964), The Law and Jake Wade (1958), Rolling Thunder (1977), House of Bamboo (1955), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Twins of Evil (1971), Ride Clear of Diablo (1954), White Zombie (1932), The Party (1968), Boeing Boeing (1965) Cliffhanger (1993), and in a gorgeous 4K release Once Upon a Time In the West (1969).

I also enjoy rediscovering films that I had seen previously but for whatever reason I hadn’t seen them in many years and revisiting them proved enormously entertaining or in some cases eye opening. Included here are Run of the Arrow (1957), Pursued (1947), Experiment in Terror (1962), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962), Gilda (1946), Rio Conchos (1964), Five Graves to Cairo (1943), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), My Favorite Year (1982), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Blood and Wine (1997), The Mephisto Waltz (1970), Once a Thief (1965), Cisco Pike (1972), Glory (1989), Scarlet Street (1945), The Outfit (1973) and 1971’s controversial Ken Russell/Oliver Reed pairing The Devils.

Some of the new to me titles I’d like to recommend are The Suspect (1945), Walk a Crooked Mile (1948), Flesh and Fantasy (1943), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017), The Night has a Thousand Eyes (1948), Sudden Fury (1975), Burning Paradise (1994), VIY (1967), Across the Bridge (1957). A pair of documentaries about the movie world, That Guy Dick Miller (2014) and The Conqueror : Hollywood Fallout (2023) and finally the recently released Nosferatu (2024).

Who doesn’t love a “guilty pleasure” when it comes to movies? Here’s my list of titles I’ll admit to having a fondness for that I sat in on this year. Some rewatches, some new to me. The Devil’s Nightmare (1971), Frankenstein’s Daughter (1958), Leprechaun (1993), The Panther Women (1967), The Bat Woman (1968), Alvin Purple (1973), Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987), Dracula’s Widow (1988), a dubbed John Carradine in Las Vampiras (1969) and it’s hard to beat a restored blu ray release of William Shatner as a murderous conman who marries for money in 1974’s drive-in classic, Impulse.

Worst movie I saw in 2024? Nothing definitive but here are a few nominees….. The Expendables 4 (2023), Warriors of the Year 2072 (1983), Dead Girls (1990), Sins of the Flesh (1974), Children of the Corn (1984), The Flying Saucer (1950) and The Panther Squad (1984).

Despite my taking time off from writing about films I sure didn’t slow down in collecting them thanks to the Boutique Labels like Indicator, Vinegar Syndrome, Severin, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Arrow Video, Mondo Macabro and Shout Factory.

While I may be buying films I also embarked on selling classic movies this year at local conventions prompting many enjoyable film conversations with other vintage film fans.

Memorabilia? I never stop collecting when it comes to movie posters and among the hundred or so original movie posters I grabbed on to this year an original 3 sheet of The Dirty Dozen is surely a favorite.

No promises of how active I’ll be this year at Mike’s Take but I do have a few ideas up my sleeve. Thanks once again to all of you who continue to drop by and comb thru the 2000 plus posts/articles I’ve written up over the past few years.

My sidekick Brando and I wishing you all a great 2025 with magical movie moments in your future.