From A24 indie darling I Saw the TV Glow to early year blockbusters like Dune: Part Two, here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 best movies of 2024 so far.
The movies are back in a weird way in 2024. A spring season loaded with blockbusters delivering shoddy results – Dune: Part Two, Challengers, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga being the headliners – signaled a quieter summer season that hasn’t exactly captured the audience’s attention besides a few animated features for children.
There have still been a few solid releases to mark the first six months of 2024, even if it hasn’t amounted to the same depth of quality movies that we’ve seen in the past. To put it bluntly, 2024 has had its high highs, but a lot of low lows. The usual crowd of poorly executed studio fare that releases in January has seemingly spread across the entire calendar thus far, without many indie darlings and mid-level success stories to speak of.
I’ve managed to find 10 movies in 2024 that I’ve really enjoyed, and that I think deserve a recommendation. All carrying various budgets and constraints, each of these films have succeeded despite the concerns and troubles that led to them (delays due to strikes, studios cutting back on original stories, etc.).
Before I recount my favorite movies this year (in alphabetical order this time, I’ll save the full ranking for December), I wanted to highlight the blind spots for me so far in 2024. I’ve seen 55 new releases so far, but there are plenty more I still need to catch up on. Those include (but are not limited to): Sasquatch Sunset, Abigail, Evil Does Not Exist, The People’s Joker, Janet Planet, Last Summer, Longlegs, MaXXXine, Chime, Kinds of Kindness, A Quiet Place: Day One, The Bikeriders, Twisters, Fly Me to the Moon and Firebrand. With that being said, here are the 10 best movies that I have seen so far in 2024. Reviews are included in entries for films that Cinephile Corner has covered throughout the year.
The Beast (Directed by Bertrand Bonello)
Challengers (Directed by Luca Guadagnino)
Luca Guadagnino directs one of his best movies with Challengers, which pairs his interests in yearning, miscalculated protagonists to the competitive world of tennis. It’s exhilarating and wild, with three prophetic performances from Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor that’ll challenge many of the year’s best efforts. Challengers review
Drive-Away Dolls (Directed by Ethan Coen)
Despite Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls feeling like “lesser Coen brothers” at times, there are still some great lines and hilarious set pieces to make the movie worthwhile. Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan shine, and the noir elements hint at a style that the Coens have only ventured into a few times with their earlier films. Drive-Away Dolls review
Dune: Part Two (Directed by Denis Villeneuve)
There’s nothing like Dune: Part Two, which feels like it could only be conceived by Denis Villeneuve and the best crew around him possible. Everyone is working at the top of their game to create one of the best theatergoing experiences of 2024. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya star in the science fiction movie that stands against the genre’s best. Dune: Part Two review
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Directed by George Miller)
George Miller finds so much new ground to cover with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga that perfectly justifies its own existence. While Fury Road was interested in such a contained story propelled by larger-than-life action sequences and big rig warfare spawning from a game of cat and mouse, Furiosa fills in the gaps of a world much larger than what is expected. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth stun in a prequel well worth the wait. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review
Girls State (Directed by Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine)
Girls State isn’t quite the reckoning that Boys State was four years ago, but there’s still enough to reflect on as the events unfold at the Missouri campus. Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine deliver a lighter experience this time around with a movie that makes the case that society isn’t entirely doomed. Girls State review
I Saw the TV Glow (Directed by Jane Schoenbrun)
Jane Schoenbrun delivers a similarly sinister and bewildering story with I Saw the TV Glow as they did in 2021 with We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. And while their debut film used its DIY aesthetic to great effect with long uninterrupted found-footage shots, I Saw the TV Glow uses every effect and camera flourish you could think of. I Saw the TV Glow review
Snack Shack (Directed by Adam Rehmeier)
Snack Shack is an uncomplicated good time, anchored by two excellent and innocent performances by Conor Sherry and Gabriel LaBelle as 14-year-olds A.J. and Moose, respectively. Director Adam Rehmeier flexes his ability to tap into the mind of today’s youth and deliver a movie that is laugh out loud funny with a charming, heartfelt story. Snack Shack review
Sometimes I Think About Dying (Directed by Rachel Lambert)
Sometimes I Think About Dying has a very specific set of ideals and sensibilities, but I found I was able to break right through the mundane delivery and gleam a lot from the movie. Daisy Ridley and Dave Merheje share unique chemistry, and it’s quite unlike anything I’ve seen so far in early 2024. Sometimes I Think About Dying review
The Taste of Things (Directed by Tran Anh Hung)
I think it may take a few screenings to soak in everything that The Taste of Things has to offer, but Tran Anh Hung has put together a singular viewing experience that I can’t wait to return to. Boasting its fair share of delicious imagery and culinary procedural moments, the movie depicts a decades-long romance between Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche. The Taste of Things review
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