Hands down, the best part of working at Digg is the collection of lovely people we get to work with. And, even when a staff member moves onto something else, we like to stay in touch. As such, it only made sense to reach out to our friends, both near and far, to get their favorite pieces of media from the past 12 months.

Today, we're tackling personal favorites from just three categories, but that's not the last of our end-of-year content. In the following days and weeks, we'll be providing our personal picks for albums and TV shows, as well as internet-wide roundups of top-ten lists.

But for now, let's take a look at the films, video games and books you need to catch up on before 2025 rolls around.

Our Favorite Movies

'Good One'

I have to give this to "Good One," a small indie movie from first time director India Donaldson. It's about a 17-year-old going backpacking in the Catskills with her father and her father's friend, and what happens on that trip. Most of the movie is quiet, contemplative, until it takes a turn.

What stands out about the movie is how understated it is in both its loving and devastating moments. — Pang-Chieh Ho

'Longlegs'

I haven't seen everything released this year, and I'm confident it's not the actual best movie I'll see in 2024. Bu,t until bigger Oscar contenders become more readily available on streaming or VOD, the most fun I had in the theater was just seeing my audience's reaction to the crazy twists and turns to Osgood Perkins' wild horror thriller satire "Longlegs."

Nic Cage plays the most iconic unhinged serial killer since Hannibal Lecter, there are some wickedly funny moments, and enough style oozing over the entire ordeal that repeated viewings remain interesting. The marketing, which I can't praise enough, led a lot of people into this one with massive expectations.

It's not the scariest, it can be predictable if you're paying attention, but as far as things I'm obsessed with, Longlegs blowing kisses and winks to the camera is something I'll never forget. Hail Satan! — Jared Russo

'Poor Things'

Before you say anything, I know, "Poor Things" was technically released in 2023 — but it came out in the UK (where I am) in January 2024, so I'm allowed to choose it.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the comedy-fantasy follows a young woman, brought back to life by an eccentric scientist, as she sets out to explore every corner of the globe (and herself) — and gives us a look at human nature, and the world we live in, through fresh, curious eyes.

Everything about the film is vivid and vibrant; the lively performances, the gorgeous costumes, the spectacular set design. "Poor Things" was arguably the most fun I've ever had watching a film, Emma Stone is a delight and I can't recommend the movie enough to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. — Darcy Jimenez

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'

I see very few movies in theaters these days, but I knew "Furiosa" was one I had to make it to the big screen for. George Miller can construct high-octane action better than anyone, and this dark backstory was more than enough to have my heart beating out of my chest half-way through.

This "Mad Max" prequel obviously can't be as surprising and novel as the previous entry, but the larger-than-life performances from Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy work perfectly both within the series and as a stand-alone piece. — Grant Brunner

Our Favorite Video Games

'Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree'

Maybe this is pushing the limit in terms of choosing a favorite "new" "game" of the year, but the "Elden Ring" DLC, "Shadow of the Erdtree," certainly pushes the limit of what a DLC can be, so I'm going with it. Not only is the size and scope of the DLC enormous — you travel to an entirely new dimension of the Lands Between, whose map is almost as expansive as the original — but it has its own atmosphere, its own lore, even its own leveling system.

It introduced what are now two of my favorite bosses of the entire game: Rellana, whose gracefully relentless combos awed me even as I bashed my head against the wall; and Midra, who is just tip-to-toe rad as hell.

I love that there's a whole area that answers the question, "What if 'Bloodborne's' Winter Lanterns, but more, worse, and genuinely terrifying?" I'm charmed by the comically counterintuitive ways you have to navigate the game to get from one area to another. I even forgive the game for including so (so, so, so) many dragons, my least favorite bosses in all the FromSoft games.

TL;DR: I'm impressed by Miyazaki's willingness to test even his most loyal fans' patience with new, infuriating challenges, and I'm grateful to be alive and gaming in his lifetime. — Molly Bradley

'Balatro'

From the opening few notes of the main theme song to the glitchy, pixelated bits of creepy clown animation, I knew this was going to be something special. And, after the first run, not only was I hook, line and sinker addicted, but I had a gut feeling nothing was going to touch this title for my Game of the Year. After the first week or so, I knew deep down, with every fiber of my being, that this was one of the greatest puzzle games ever made.

It is such a staggering accomplishment to create a new video game, made by one person for the most part, that never gets old, the music doesn't get annoying, and it has one of those "easy to learn difficult to master" curves to it that makes it endlessly replayable.

From top to bottom, puns on the joker names or the intricate ways the decks influence your decision making, the design here is nothing short of brilliant, and "Balatro" is one of the best things I've played in years, which is why I own it on four separate platforms as of the time of this writing.

GOTY ended early this year — nothing has come even close to topping it. It's just that hard to put down. — Jared Russo

'Dragon Age: The Veilguard'

This game is so much more than the fourth installment in yet another fantasy RPG franchise. "The Veilguard" represents a homecoming of BioWare, and the promise of a real future instead of further decline into oblivion.

By putting together strong action-oriented combat and a cast of characters that's easy to care about for dozens of hours, this studio has proved that it still has the goods. I just hope it wont take another decade to see them follow up on what they've built here. — Grant Brunner

'Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth'

I grew up playing video games in the '90s, so there simply was no escaping the "Final Fantasy VII" juggernaut. The weird chibi character models and messy translation left something to be desired back then, but still it delivered a world that we simply can't move past even all these years later.

This second part of the "Remake" trilogy fully fleshes out the characters, story and world in a way that we could have only dreamed of back in 1997. And after nearly 80 hours of gameplay, I was left aching to finish this remixed epic story sooner rather than later. — Grant Brunner

Our Favorite Books

'All Fours' by Miranda July

When a book (or movie, or TV show) comes out to a lot of excitement and discourse, I'm always afraid it won't quite live up to the hype. So I resisted picking up Miranda July's new novel, "All Fours," until my curiosity outweighed that fear. And, I'm delighted to say I was not remotely disappointed.

July has a gift for creating characters who are painfully self-aware and meticulous in describing their every thought and desire, and whose emotions and predicaments are extremely relatable — but whose choices and actions remain utterly unpredictable, delightfully surprising and always compelling. And, the thing about these characters is that they remind me that, in fact, that's what real people are actually like: much more mysterious, surprising, and human than we tend to give them credit for. — Molly Bradley

Miranda July's "All Fours" is an autofictional novel that tells the story of a woman, wife and mother who — on the precipice of menopause — decides to take a solo road trip from LA to New York. Only she doesn't get anywhere near that far — and where she ends up, and the people she meets there, both leave her life totally and permanently altered.

There's a lot to love about "All Fours," but the book's greatest accomplishment is how uncompromisingly real its protagonist is; messy, flawed, contradictory, deeply likable, human. It's at once comforting and heart-rending to see a woman so honestly depicted.

"All Fours" is the only novel so far that my entire book club has been united in adoring, and with good reason; it's funny, poignant, life-affirming and an absolute triumph. — Darcy Jimenez

'The Coin' by Yasmin Zaher

"The Coin" is a book that you'll love if you've ever basked in the glory of apathy. I'm not saying that's the best use of one's time, but there's a certain comfort in it that I found a lot of in Yasmin Zaher's debut novel, which is about an unnamed teacher's monthslong stay in New York, and everything that comes with — especially when it comes to the "filth" this city festers.

Its detached prose gives readers a nice, almost out-of-body, view of the protagonists antics, and the references to luxuries and locations will definitely draw smiles out of those who are familiar with those worlds. — Adwait Patil

'The Women' by Kristin Hannah

Fans of "The Nightingale" will be delighted to hear that Kristin Hannah has struck a chord once more with her newest historical fiction novel about the unsung heroes of Vietnam: the women nurses. "The Women" follows Frankie McGrath, a young woman anxious to prove her nettle to her parents, who only seem to worship the male war heroes in her family.

In joining the Army Nurse Corps in 1965, she finds herself in the chaos of Vietnam, a truly life-changing ordeal for Frankie, but one that is diminished, ignored or disbelieved upon her return. Hannah weaves a captivating tale of heartbreak and chutzpah that honors the forgotten heroines of a conflict that defined an era. — Annie Johnson

'Want' by Gillian Anderson & Anonymous

This collection of real fantasies by anonymous women might seem to some like it would be nothing but prurient gawking, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Collated and commentated by none other than Gillian Anderson, this dive into the sexual fantasies of regular folks provides a clear look at how diverse and often unfulfilled people are in every nook and cranny of the world.

Even if these women would never want to act on their fantasies in reality, it's painful to realize that so many of them only feel comfortable sharing them with a total stranger. Only through confronting what we're scared of admitting publicly can we reclaim our true selves. — Grant Brunner

[Image: Warner Bros., IGN, Amazon]