We count down the Top 10 best movies of 2024 so far, showing that there are so many good choices at the movies this year.
Now that we are more than halfway through the year, we thought it was high time that we made a Best of List. In some ways, I find the halfway point much more interesting than the end of year list. When November and December roll around, those of us not lucky enough to attend festivals are inundated with the Oscar hopefuls. For this reason, sometimes these lists all start to look the same, or at least similar. Halfway through, though? It is all dependent on what you have made time to see and what is playing in your area. So, here it is, the Top 10 best movies of 2024, so far, in ascending order.
Honorable Mentions: Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, Dune: Part Two, The Old Oak, Adam the First, La Chimera
10. Fancy Dance
Post her Oscar Nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon (she was robbed!), Lily Gladstone is certainly not resting on her laurels. She has two movies on my personal Top 10, but Fancy Dance is the one that features her most. Fancy Dance focuses on the relationship between Jax (Gladstone) and her niece, Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olsen). It is, in a way, a coming-of-age story for both of its protagonists as they travel, all while being chased by authorities after Roki was removed from Jax’s home. The movie takes a few missteps, but never enough to go truly off track. Fancy Dance shines because of Gladstone and Deroy-Olsen. Both are such genuine actors that we deeply believe in their connection and family bond. A lovely film that solidifies Gladstone even more as one you need to watch.
9. Stopmotion
Ok, if you’re not a horror/gore person, you can skip this one. But if you have a strong-ish stomach, Stopmotion will not be forgotten for quite a long time. Plus, you get rewarded with some truly amazing, you guessed it, stop motion animation. Stopmotion deals with two main topics. First, separating yourself from your parent, through Ella’s (Aisling Franciosi of The Nightingale) relationship with her overbearing mother, Suzanne (Stella Gonet). But as the film moves forward, the focus shifts to art and obsession, paired with some obvious mental health issues. Given the genre of film that Stopmotion belongs to, it will likely not be thought of by awards bodies, but Franciosi gives a stunning, brave, terrifying performance that truly must be seen.
8. Challengers
Although I am not quite as high on this as many others in the film sphere, it is a movie that, depending on my mood when making this list, could go as high as 5. No, it is not a particularly sex-filled movie, despite the focus on those scenes. Highlighting the rise and fall of three tennis phenoms, Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), Challengers also finds time to explore their relationships on and off the court.
I find Zendaya’s (Dune: Part Two) performance both the most interesting, and the most distant. Despite orchestrating a sexual tryst, she seems almost disinterested in the actual sex, especially when compared to her quest for power. She is playing a role usually reserved for men. She is not necessarily unlikable, but she is difficult to access, as she is a woman unwilling to bend when it comes to her end goals, no matter who it hurts. A freak injury took her career away, and you can see the bubbling rage just under the surface as these boys just don’t measure up.
Challengers is interesting in the fact that it features both stunning subtle acting, and almost campy, over-the-top moments. It is a difficult balance that Luca Guadagnino mostly succeeds at, which should be a mark of pride. He also takes full advantage of Reznor and Ross’ pulse-pounding, note perfect score, which may be the best part of a very good film.
7. Handling the Undead
A lot of people are not going to like this one. But sometimes, you get right on a movie’s wavelength, and that was definitely the case for me and Handling the Undead. Is it a zombie movie? I mean, only kind of. It does something I love, which is use genre trappings to explore a different area than usual. The film uses the undead to take a look at grief and how we would act if we were able to bring people back, even if they were not quite the same. Is it worth it just to see their face, to be in their presence? How long can we lie to ourselves and say that it is close enough?
Featuring Renata Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie reteaming from The Worst Person in the World, the film is an eerie, disturbing, focused work. The pacing, as provided by director and co-writer Thea Hvistendahl, may be difficult for some, but if you stick with it, there is so much to chew on and it will stick in your mind for days after watching.
6. Jazzy
This is a movie that I was lucky enough to see while covering the Tribeca Film Festival virtually. That’s right, here is appearance number two for Lily Gladstone. Although this is technically a sequel, you do not have to see The Unknown Country (also from director Morissa Maltz). Jazzy is an art film in every way. You will not find a standard narrative, quick pacing, or hand holding here. But what you will find is a beautiful testament to young friendship. This friendship, as we all remember, is stranger and more intense than we can ever dream (or fear) as adults. Plus, when Lily Gladstone appears, more than halfway through the movie, everything stops and we realize that we are watching a great actress. She is only in the film briefly, but she lifts Jazzy to a new level in that short period of time.
5. Hit Man
Look, I am a sucker for two things. A romantic comedy and Richard Linklater. So, obviously, this worked for me like gangbusters. Hit Man is romantic, funny, sexy, and downright cool. If anything is going to convince me of the movie stardom of Glen Powell (Anyone But You), it is right here. Bonus points for having my favorite scene of the year, which focuses on one character coaching the other via messages on a phone. I won’t spoil it, but if you don’t get a rush here, this movie is not for you! Powell and Adria Arjona are perfectly matched and the sparks fly quickly and often. We totally get why each one of them is into each other, even if they both think the other might be dangerous. We get it!
4. Immaculate
I have been on the hype train for this since the first trailer dropped. Sydney Sweeney is having a hell of a year and it is so deserved after watching Immaculate. This is sadly a timely horror movie given our political climate and the constant threat to women’s bodily autonomy. Michael Mohan’s film takes its time setting a suspenseful, frightening mood. I mean, what is scarier than a religious building after dark? As we follow, nearly on the shoulder of Sister Cecilia (Sweeney), we begin to understand that she has traveled to a convent in Italy due to a strong calling. However, faith is no protection as she has stumbled upon an unholy plot to birth the Antichrist.
I know that this sounds extreme, but Mohan and Sweeney are up to the task of grounding this in very real, modern terror. They do a wonderful job of crafting scares that let our imagination do the work, all while deftly referencing classics like Rosemary’s Baby without stealing directly from them. A lot has been said about the film’s finale. And all of it is true times ten! Sweeney absolutely owns this sequence and it should go down in horror lore as one of the most effecting, disturbing endings ever.
3. Love Lies Bleeding
After Rose Glass’ last feature, Saint Maud, I thought I was convinced that I was prepared for her next film. Nope! Love Lies Bleeding is part romance, part heist, part body horror; and somehow it all works perfectly. Kristen Stewart (Spencer) and Katy O’Brien electrify the screen in such an intimate way that I almost feel like I shouldn’t be watching them. This is a movie that, on paper, probably doesn’t work, but that’s why a movie is more than a plot outline. In a chance meeting at the gym she runs, Lou (Stewart) falls deeply in love and lust with Jackie, a bodybuilder in training. But love is never easy, and makes us act like people possessed.
As things begin to unravel, we are treated to passion, moments of magical realism, and cathartic forgiveness. Besides the two incredible lead actresses, Love Lies Bleeding adds in a completely insane (complimentary) performance from Ed Harris and an unrecognizable turn from Jena Malone, and you somehow end up with a deeply romantic, edge-of-your-seat thriller that has already rewarded me on rewatch.
2. The Bikeriders
Depending on what you are expecting, The Bikeriders is either going to be one of your favorites of the year or severely disappoint you. First, what it is not. It is not a faithful biography of the history of motorcycle gangs in the United States. If you want that, you can move along. What it is, however, is a beautiful, spiritual, passionate look at the nature of power and the longing for connection. Austin Butler (in a true movie star role), Jodie Comer (The Last Duel), and Tom Hardy are a perfectly imperfect trio that drives this film past expectations. And a special shout out to Michael Shannon for nearly stealing the movie in his one big scene. The Bikeriders is the story of American freedom, and everything that entails, all in the microcosm of biker culture. Wonderful.
1. I Saw The TV Glow
Honestly, I am not even sure how to talk about this movie. You can argue that the script is messy, that some performances are imperfect, but go argue with a wall. This is the most moving film of the year so far, and I have trouble imagining a world in which this gets knocked off of my top spot, let alone the ten best of the year. It is, of course, at its root, a story of a Trans experience, but this does not mean you cannot be impacted.
Any person who has had to hide who they are, simply to function “normally” in the world, will see themselves reflected on the screen here. Jane Schoenbrun manages to stitch together identity, nostalgia, rage, and sorrow all in one narrative, and it is a sight to behold. I Saw the TV Glow is my favorite movie of the year, and I can’t even say it is particularly close. As they say, “what a picture.”
