One of my favorite things about the end of the year is the "year in review" movie specials that come out, reminding us of all the great movies that came out the previous year. They're amazing little odes to cinema, and YouTuber Sleepy Skunk's "movie trailers" are easily among the best. This year is no exception, as their 2024 Movie Trailer Mashup (see above) is another beautifully edited, beautiful reminder of the magic of movies. (It's even better than the 2023 trailerfrankly, which was no easy feat.)

2024 was an amazing year for movieswith a wide variety of stories for all audiences. Indeed, there is something for everyone, and the mix of trailers reflects that. There are art critics like The Brutalist alongside mainstream popcorn fare like Deadpool & Wolverine and family films like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as well as exploitation horror like The Substance, all set to music and timed to perfection. highlight moments from each film. It's evocative stuff that's sure to make you feel something. Better yet, it's sure to make you want to watch some of the movies it features.

A few years ago, there was a Starz TV promo showing the movies it had on the service set to a modified version of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," and Sleepy Skunk's videos feel like an extension of that celebratory spirit, except they're not promoting anything but the joys of cinema (and perhaps their YouTube channel). It's a blast to watch the video and try to pick out all the movies you've seen, especially since some of them are cut pretty secretly. ("Pool Man" in the minor horror/thriller section is oddly clever.) What's even more fun is trying to learn about movies you don't recognize, because some of them might really grab your attention. The video opens with the hilariously weird black-and-white indie comedy Hundred Beavers and includes many other smaller releases alongside major competitors like Dune: Part Two, including Sasquatch Sunset, Strange Darling, I Saw the TV Glow, Memoir of a Snail, Nickel Boys, and much, much more.

In an email Sleepy Skunk sent along with the video's release, he said he was totally unaware of this, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had been watching them "for years" and hired him to put together Best Picture. montage for the 2025 Oscars ceremony. It's honestly great that the Academy is recognizing the talent of someone who clearly really, really loves movies, and at least we know the best movie editing this year is going to rock, even if the Oscar ceremony itself is always some kind of crap. It might help us all to remember what the awards are for: celebrating the movies, baby. Sleepy Skunk clearly gets that.