Self Reliance
Hulu
Jake Johnson makes his directorial debut in Self Reliance, a sci-fi dystopian comedy where he also plays the lead role in. In this bizarre movie, a guy stuck in a boring life routine gets the opportunity to compete in a complicated game for rich people on the dark web that seems simple enough: stay alive, and win $1,000,000. Imagine David Fincher’s The Game crossed with the “White Bear” episode of Black Mirror , with a little bit of Johnson’s typical New Girl Nick Miller charm thrown in. It’s a strange mix, but also a fun movie that’s worth a watch.
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Lisa Frankenstein
Focus Features
Lisa Frankenstein tells the story of a girl (Kathryn Newton) who worships a long-dead dude immortalized as a statue (Cole Sprouse)… only for him to be resurrected back to life unexpectedly. The movie—which also marks the directorial debut for Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin—didn’t exactly set the box office on fire, but it was a fun, campy ride that horror comedy fans will probably love as a cult favorite. Think of it as a spiritual sequel to underrated 2000s horror comedy, Jennifer’s Body (the two share a screenwriter in Diablo Cody).
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Madame Web
Sony Pictures
This movie is truly beyond terrible. Not only does the plot make no sense and the dialogue sound like it was written by someone who’s never heard human beings talk before, but there are so many moments where the speaking doesn’t even match up with whoever’s talking’s mouth. That being said, the actors (for the most part) aren’t doing anything wrong. This is all to say: the phrase “so bad it’s good” gets thrown around quite a bit, and it’s rare that it actually proves to be true. But… with Madame Web… it happens. This movie is such a disastrous, fun, blast. Is it good? No. Will I watch it many more times in my life? Oh yes.
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Drive Away Dolls
Focus Features
If you’re feeling withdrawal from the excellent Season 5 of Fargo, we’ve got just the movie for you. Drive Away Dolls is the solo directorial debut for Ethan Coen (who previously collaborated on countless classic films with his brother, Joel, including the original Fargo movie, The Big Lebowski, and No Country For Old Men), who also co-wrote the script with his wife, Tricia Cooke. And we’ve got some great news: Drive Away Dolls has a fantastic old school Coen Brothers vibe—think Raising Arizona meets Burn After Reading.
The film follows a pair of women (played by the wonderful Margaret Qualley, putting on a Daniel Craig-in-Knives Out-esque accent, and the always-charming Geraldine Viswanathan) who head out on a soul-searching road trip only to find themselves crossing paths with a series of criminals (played by Colman Domingo, Matt Damon, and others) that only a Coen could think up.
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Dune: Part Two
Warner Bros.
Let’s put it simply: Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece. Fans of the first Dune film from director Denis Villeneuve may have thought it couldn’t get any better; they were wrong. Part Two raises the stakes in every way as the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) reaches its conclusion in dramatic, visually-arresting fashion. Newcomers to the cast include a fantastic Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken, while Zendaya and Javier Bardem also see expanded roles from the first film. Chalamet, Josh Brolin, and Rebecca Ferguson are predictably fantastic as well in their ongoing roles in the series. There’s talk of a Dune: Messiah to come, but Dune: Part Two is so good that if this is all we end up getting for this story… that would be OK too.
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Love Lies Bleeding
A24
An old fashioned neo-noir crime thriller, Love Lies Bleeding is one of 2024’s best movies without question. When a drifting bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) rolls into town, a local gym owner’s (Kristen Stewart) life changes when she’s swept into an unexpected romance. But issues with her crime lord father (Ed Harris) and horrible brother-in-law (Dave Franco) make things… well, a little bit difficult to maintain. Love Lies Bleeding is a fun story you won’t regret watching, but also shows off the major filmmaking talent of director Rose Glass (who previously helmed the underrated A24 horror movie Saint Maud).
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Immaculate
NEON
The general media “vibe” of Sydney Sweeney is pretty in line with her role in last year’s romantic comedy Anyone But You; bubbly, fun, funny. But people may not realize that she has a bit of a rough, daring, gritty streak, and is putting it on display with Immaculate, an uber-violent horror movie that she leads and also produced. This is far from the best or most original horror movie you’ve ever seen, but it’s a slow burn with a third act that really pays off. If you’re a horror fan looking to feel something, this will do the trick.
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Monkey Man
Universal Pictures
You may still remember Dev Patel best for his leading role in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (or Skins, if you’re a real Dev O.G.) . But with Monkey Man—which marks Patel’s feature directorial debut and counts Jordan Peele as an executive producer—s hows the full range of 2024 Dev Patel’s talent. And let’s make one thing clear: this is his first go at it, but the man was made to be an action star. Monkey Man has some minor issues with pacing, but Patel’s performance and visual eye behind the camera—along with some of the most badass action sequences you’ll see all year—make this an extremely fun film. We can’t wait to see what Patel does next.
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Civil War
A24
Writer/director Alex Garland (Ex Machina) makes an unbelievable comeback with Civil War, coming after 2022’s not-horrible-but-pretty-weird-and-not-beloved Men. Civil War is the closest thing A24 has ever made to a blockbuster movie, and it really feels that way—if you’re anything like me, you’ll be gripping your hands in fists the entire movie. It’s that tense.
Imagining a near future where the United States is at war with itself (including a faction where Texas and California have allied), Civil War isn’t quite what you’d expect. Rather than focusing on the war itself, the film follows a pair of war photographers (Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny) and a journalist (Wagner Moura) who just want to document the craziness occurring around the country—and get the biggest stories they can. The story is pretty basic, but the filmmaking, visuals, and tension are a real return to form for Garland. And it’s hard to say enough about how fantastic Dunst and Spaeny in particular are in the film. Perhaps a bold statement, but Civil War was perhaps the most gripping thrill ride of a film I’ve watched since Top Gun: Maverick.
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Abigail
Universal
While Spyglass sent the Scream franchise into disarray by firing lead actress Melissa Barrera from its forthcoming seventh entry (and fellow lead Jenna Ortega departed the franchise not long after), the directors of Scream and Scream VI re-teamed with Barrera for Abigail a home-invasion thriller that gets a horror twang when the daughter of the VIP being robbed turns out to be a bloodthirsty vampire. Abigail is one of the most fun horror comedies of the last few years, as Barrera is joined by a delightful cast that includes the always-fantastic Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton (a scream queen in her own right having an absolute blast), and the late Angus Cloud. The movie is the perfect mix of spooky, funny, and campy, and if you like blood and gore… well, you’re in for quite a lot of it.
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Challengers
Amazon MGM Studios
Challengers is a tennis/love triangle/throuple film that stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, and, folks, it is awesome. It delivers exactly what it promised: a great story, incredible music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and some truly fantastic performances from those three lead performers. Oh, and can we add that it’s steamy? Because it is.
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I Saw The TV Glow (May 3)
A24
Director Jane Schoenbrun’s follow-up to We’re All Going To The World’s Fair stars Justice Smith in what is essentially an existential horror film that touches on identity and deep connections to both television and new childhood friends. Anyone who’s come of age and gotten obsessed with a TV show along the way (for me, it was LOST) will feel right at home here—if you can handle some very unsettling imagery. The movie features an unbelievable soundtrack (including a score by indie darling Alex G), and it’s an absolutely unique cinema experience in 2024.
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Furiosa (May 24)
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Every time I would ever get to the end of a Mad Max: Fury Road rewatch, I almost instantly wanted to return to for more. Now, 9 years after one of the most miraculous action/post-apocalyptic films of all time hit theaters, we finally got the chance to return.
Furiosa trades the nonstop action of Fury Road for a slower, more focused film, focusing on the rise of its titular character (but, of course, with some absolutely unbelievable action along the way). Director George Miller gets some incredible performances out of Anya Taylor-Joy (who plays Furiosa) and Chris Hemsworth (who plays Dementus, the movie’s villain). The movie underwhelmed at the box office, but we think it will gain quite a few fans in the years to come—it’s another masterpiece.
Hit Man
Netflix The Bikeriders
Focus Features
The Bikeriders is hardly doing anything new—think of it like Goodfellas meets Easy Rider, based on Danny Lyon’s photojournalism book of the same name—but man is it good at it. The movie gives Austin Butler his greatest movie star showcase yet, fully enveloping the cool vibes that the movie itself somewhat mocks others (Tom Hardy’s character in partiuclar) for striving toward. Butler and Hardy are joined by Jodie Comer, who herself gives a fantastic performance as the viewer surrogate suddenly thrust into this Chicago world of motorcycling. Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook, and Norman Reedus are among the many others in the impressive cast that help bring this exciting story from director Jeff Nichols to life. You won’t regret watching this one.
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Kinds of Kindness
Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Yorgos Lanthimos is also acting fast. After a five year gap between The Favourite and Poor Things, the director returned less than six months after the release of his Oscar-winning film with Kinds of Kindness, an existential horror anthology film that once again teamed him with Emma Stone. And it’s weird and wild! This movie tells three different stories of control in the modern world, each with some kind of eccentric, sinister, and rather abstract twist. Stone is joined by a fantastic cast of players that includes Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer, Mamoudou Athie, and Hong Chau, among others. Emma Stone has one of the greatest dance scenes in the last few years (up there with her own greatest dance scenes in other movies, including Poor Things) in this movie.
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A Quiet Place: Day One
Paramount
Going to be honest: before this movie, this was not my favorite horror franchise. I thought A Quiet Place was just OK (not worth all the hype it got upon release), and didn’t even bother with the sequel. But the prequel has a stacked cast, and marked writer/director Michael Sarnoski’s follow up to his remarkable film Pig, so I was intrigued at the very least.
And I am pleasantly surprised to share that the movie was actually really, really good. Lupita Nyong’o gives the lead performance that we should’ve been getting far more of from her since her Oscar-winning turn in 12 Years a Slave (not quite at Us level, but not far off), and Joseph Quinn proves that he’s still got it after his breakout in Stranger Things (and ahead of his roles in Gladiator II and The Fantastic Four: First Steps). Most importantly, though, you can tell it’s from the writer/director of Pig; yes, there’s an alien invasion, and plenty of action, but it’s also got deep characters who you grow to care about, and plenty of melancholy along the way. And as a bonus, this is simply one of the greatest cat moves you’ll ever see. Have to love that.
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Horizon: An American Saga — Part One
Warner Bros.
If you want to see the film that directly led Kevin Costner to his Yellowstone departure (and, presumably, the forthcoming end of the franchise’s flagship series), look no further than Horizon: An American Saga — Part One . Costner put his heart, soul, and entire effort into co-writing, producing, directing, and starring in this new western epic, which is planned to eventually be four parts (the second was originally planned for an August release, but has since been removed from the Warner Bros. schedule; justice for Horizon!).
This movie is long, yes. But it’s a really fun Western that sets a lot of stuff up, with characters that you’ll probably grow to care about, and visuals to die for. Costner also shares one of the year’s very best scenes, a tense two-handed moment shared with Jamie Cambell Bower, that will leave you breathless. Whenever the rest of the Horizon movies come out, we’ll be waiting.
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MaXXXine
A24
The Ti West/Mia Goth horror trilogy comes to a close with the release of MaXXXine. After a Texas Chain Saw Massacre-esque first film (X) and a “demented Disney movie” prequel (Pearl), the events of MaXXXine move to the ’80s, following Goth again in the titular role—this time, she’s chasing fame while a serial killer is chasing her. Goth is joined by a very stacked cast, including Elizabeth Debicki as an acclaimed horror director, Kevin Bacon as a crooked private detective, and Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan as a pair of hilarious L.A. cops. Is MaXXXine as good as X or Pearl? Well that’s up for fans of the trilogy to decide for themselves. But it’s absolutely a blast.
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Longlegs
NEON
After releasing bizarre teaser after bizarre teaser after bizarre teaser in the early parts of 2024, Longlegs went on to become one of the biggest box office successes of the year—and one of the best movies overall, too. Maika Monroe plays Lee Harker, an FBI agent hunting down an eccentric serial killer who goes by Longlegs (Nicolas Cage); if that sounds kind of like Silence of the Lambs, well, it’s by design. But don’t worry—writer/director Oz Perkins had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and this movie takes quite a few twists and turns that you probably will not see coming. It’s very unsettling, and very well done.
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