The Best Movies of 2024, So Far
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
What does a year at the movies after Barbenheimer look like? Though we’ve yet to see an equivalent cultural movement (we’re still holding out for Glicked this fall, though), these past several months have given us some gems, including international films, moving indies, and sure-fire blockbusters. Some sequels didn’t suck, as the follow-ups to Dune and Inside Out have proven; but many of the year’s best are originals (a concept!), like Sing Sing, which follows a theatrical production hosted by inmates, or Challengers, which made us see tennis, trios, and churros in a different light.
Before the heavy-hitters of award season start descending upon theaters, here are the films we’ve loved so far this year. Stay tuned later this year for new additions.
Challengers
“Thank god for Challengers, the love-triangle-tennis film that became one of the year’s cultural juggernauts. What would we have worn this spring without the influences of tenniscore or Zendaya’s slate of press-tour outfits? What would have soundtracked our lives if not the film’s techno-laced score? And who would we have lusted over—and endlessly memed—if not Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor and his churro? I’m so glad we’ll never know.”—Madison Feller, digital deputy editor
See the original post on Youtube
Sing Sing
“Colman Domingo stars in this moving film about Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison’s Rehabilitation Through Arts program. Domingo portrays the wrongfully convicted John Whitfield, who along with other incarcerated men, are putting on a comedy play through the organization. The film also features actors who had been through the real-life RTA, including standout Clarence ‘Divine Eye’ Maclin, who plays himself.”—Samuel Maude, associate editor
Now playing in theaters.
See the original post on Youtube
Dune: Part Two
“I love these little sand movies. In the second installment of the Dune franchise, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides teams up with Zendaya’s Chani to seek revenge for his father’s death from the previous movie. It’s got everything you’d want in a sci-fi drama: romance, villains, prophecies, and the infamous sandworms.”—Juliana Ukiomogbe, assistant editor
See the original post on Youtube
Origin
“Ava DuVernay takes on an ambitious project, adapting Isabel Wilkerson’s Pulitzer-winning Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents for the screen, by interweaving her rich research with a human story. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays the author as she endures a personal tragedy, travels the globe, and turns her discoveries into a groundbreaking book.”—Erica Gonzales, senior culture editor
See the original post on Youtube
La Chimera
“Want more Josh O’Connor after Challengers? Your next watch is La Chimera, where he portrays an Englishman living in Italy with a strange supernatural sense, which he uses to help his motley crew of grave-robbing friends. In Alice Rohrwacher’s quietly magical film, he’s less the bad boy of tennis and more of a lovesick Brit, still grieving (and searching for) a former love. As the title suggests, some things we search for are impossible to find, and others just aren’t meant to be found.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
Longlegs
“Scariest movie ever? Not sure. Great film that keeps you guessing right up until the last scene? There it is. Longlegs, which has been dubbed by many as the horror final boss of the year, is about as creepy as a movie can get. It’s not too scary, but Nicolas Cage’s performance as the titular character is enough to send chills down your spine. Horror darling Maika Monroe is also excellent as Agent Lee Harker.”—SM
See the original post on Youtube
Thelma
“Tom Cruise who? 94-year-old June Squibb is the action star of the year in this sweet indie comedy about a grandmother who plots to get back at the scammers who swindled her out of $10k. There’s a scooter chase in a nursing home and some very suspenseful computer usage, but at its heart, the story is one that shines a light on the elderly maintaining their autonomy. The late, great Richard Roundtree (Shaft) co-stars in one of his final roles, adding the cherry on top.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
Love Lies Bleeding
“Kristen Stewart in an A24 movie? Sign me up. Stewart plays Lou, a gym manager, who falls in love with a bodybuilder named Jackie, played by Katy O’Brian. Things quickly go south when Jackie makes a deadly decision that changes everything. Dave Franco (remember him?), Ed Harris, and Jena Malone also star in this bloody, romantic thriller.”—JU
See the original post on Youtube
Dìdi (弟弟)
“In the summer of 2008, Chris Wang is just about to enter high school, he’s making silly videos with his friends, trying to fit in with the skater bros, and pretending to love A Walk to Remember to impress his crush. Sean Wang’s feature debut is a crowd-pleasing coming-of-age film in the vein of Stand By Me—but for a Taiwanese American kid in the early age of YouTube and Facebook. Late-aughts references, from AIM to Hellogoodbye, make the film incredibly relatable, especially for millennial audiences, but it’s the mother-son relationship underneath it all that gives it heart. Give Joan Chen her flowers!” —EG
Now playing in theaters.
See the original post on Youtube
Inside Out 2
“As a massive Inside Out fan, I was nervous for the sequel, worried if Pixar could recreate the magic that came from the first film. But they delivered, and then some. By including the new emotions of Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, Inside Out 2 creates a fun, imaginative world that explores the perils of puberty and the nervousness around fitting in. I just hope Riley has more adventures and that we get to follow the growing teen along the way.”—SM
See the original post on Youtube
I Saw the TV Glow
“Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film follows two outcast teens and their obsession with a cult sci-fi TV series in the ’90s, The Pink Opaque. As Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy’s (Brigette Lundy-Paine) real lives slowly mesh with the show, they start to question their identity—and so do viewers. Partially inspired by the filmmakers’ own love for Buffy growing up, the film delves into what it feels like to have an ‘emotional relationship with media in a formative time,’ they told ELLE.com. The film has resonated especially deeply with queer and trans viewers, as Schoenbrun aimed to ‘elucidate experience that’s invisible.’ The neon-hued result is unnerving and truly unique.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
Janet Planet
“Janet Planet just feels like summer. And we see it through the bespectacled eyes of Lacy (Zoe Ziegler), an 11-year-old in 1991 living with her single mother (Julianne Nicholson) in woodsy Massachusetts. Annie Baker’s debut film is tactile, precious, and at times darkly funny.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
Hit Man
“Glen Powell might attest that he’s ‘just Glen,’ but his star power is undeniable this year. And while everyone might be swooning and clutching their popcorn over 4DX screenings of Twisters, I think Hit Man is where he’s having more fun: wearing disguises, having steamy chemistry with Adria Arjona, and examining human psychology. Powell plays a lowly professor who, on the side, helps the police squash assassination plots by posing as a hitman. He even co-wrote the script with Richard Linklater.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
Shayda
“Shayda (Holy Spider’s Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her 6-year-old daughter, Mona, are living in a women’s shelter, hoping for a fresh start after leaving her husband and filing for divorce. But he re-emerges when he’s given visitation rights, and Shayda worries he’ll take their daughter back to their native Iran. Stirring yet hopeful, the film is partially based on the life of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari and her mother.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
The Taste of Things
“France’s submission to the Oscars will have your mouth watering right at the opening scene. Rich with delicious shots of food, this film from Tran Anh Hùng follows chef Dodin Bouffant (Benoit Magimel) and his personal cook and lover, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), in 1889 France. It’s a heartwarming portrayal of love in the autumn years.”—EG
See the original post on Youtube
You Might Also Like
