Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Megalopolis:
Babylon
Damien Chazelle announces himself as the antichrist with Babylon – a film focused on the fake it til you make it side of the industry, and Chazelle might just be faking it after all. I’ll be tossing and turning in my head for months about whether he deserves the ending that he presents, because he’s having his cake and eating it to with that final montage, but at least along the way he also throws it up and laughs at you for thinking he’d do anything else. I love it.
Read our full review of Babylon
Mickey 17
Following up Parasite was never going to be easy for Bong Joon-ho. The 2019 film was a global phenomenon, breaking language barriers at the Academy Awards and cementing Bong as one of the most exciting directors of his generation. With Mickey 17, his first film since that historic win, he dives headfirst into sci-fi, adapting Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel Mickey7 with an all-star cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette.
Read our full review of Mickey 17
Gladiator II
Gladiator II tries to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, but often stumbles, feeling like a rehash of the 2000 original rather than something new. The story treads familiar ground, and the visual effects can be distractingly bad, as if Ridley Scott decided to embrace outdated CGI instead of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible today. It’s frustrating to watch a film with such potential settle for being a shadow of what came before.
Read our review of Gladiator II
Leave the World Behind
Sam Esmail, renowned for his work on Mr. Robot, returns to feature filmmaking with Leave the World Behind, a star-studded drama delivered straight to Netflix that operates as an apocalyptic mystery thriller. Boasting a cast of A-listers like Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and the promising up-and-comer Myha’la, the film carries the weight of its cast’s reputation but, unfortunately, doesn’t quite live up to expectations.
Read our full review of Leave the World Behind
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049 tries to operate in two separate modes, as a humane and personal drama, and a science fiction epic. While these two styles work in their own separate veins, they cross to make a visually stunning, emotionally hollow movie. Denis Villeneuve directs himself into a corner with this one.
Read our full review of Blade Runner 2049
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is undoubtedly one of the best movies directed by Christopher Nolan, who puts any doubt to rest that he wouldn’t be capable of capturing a story of this magnitude. Cillian Murphy gives an iconic performance that intensifies each moment rolling along this breakneck biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Read our full review of Oppenheimer
Everything Everywhere All at Once
To put into words how exhilarating Everything Everywhere All at Once is isn’t easy to do. A film unlike any other, it pushes every filmmaking possibility to the brink in 2022. Many films come and go with the wind, but Everything Everywhere All at Once will be in our culture for years – even decades. The phrase “modern classic” doesn’t apply to films very frequently, but this is one of those instances where it feels justified.
Read our full review of Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Brutalist
Throughout December, expect to see many outlets anoint Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist as the best film of 2024. It’s epic. It’s wildly accomplished. And it knows it. The movie’s operatic opening crescendos into a visually striking image of the Statue of Liberty flipped upside down—an arresting symbol that mirrors the film’s poster. It’s the kind of bold, declarative start that announces a filmmaker fully in command of their craft.
Read our full review of The Brutalist
Magnolia
Magnolia might feel a bit like the film that got away from Paul Thomas Anderson (because it kinda is), but it’s the sort of big-budget passion project that up-and-coming filmmakers rarely get to make nowadays. The ensemble cast of Magnolia is littered with A-listers and common Paul Thomas Anderson players, from Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman to Tom Cruise and John C. Reilly, each actor adds their own weight to this shotgun blast of characters.
Read our full review of Magnolia
Inland Empire
Inland Empire is not nearly the best David Lynch movie, but it sure is the strangest. It bounces from loosely connected vignettes at a moments notice. Lynch finds a groove with help from a trio of solid performances, headlined by Laura Dern as the main character capable of morphing when required.
