The 10 best movies you missed in 2024

Yes Inside Out 2 to Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceall but one of the Top 10 highest grossing movies of 2024 were followed (Bad was the only outlier). That really shouldn’t surprise anyone. For decades, the top of the box office has been ruled by sequels, prequels, reboots and reimaginings. But since when is the overall pace of a film indicative of its quality?

The fact is that in 2024, as in most years, some of the most compelling films to be released are titles you’ve never heard of (which is unfortunate). You have plenty of time to correct that mistake, starting with these 10 gems below.

Now

If beautiful woman he never had his Extreme Hollywood Makeover, and instead was shot as the dark, drug-fueled story of sex and violence that first landed on the desks of studio executives, it might be a little like Now. Ani (Mikey Madison) is a sex worker in New York City whose life is upended by Vanya Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the fun-loving but faltering son of a Russian oligarch. After paying Ani $15,000 to spend the week with him, the two fly to Las Vegas, where Vanya proposes – mostly so he can get a green card and avoid going back to Russia, but also because he promises that he loves Ani. When Vanya’s parents learn of his engagement, they dispatch a couple of trusted henchmen to get their son out of this new romantic entanglement, at any cost. Madison (Once upon a time… in Hollywood2022 Scream) is an absolute revelation as the frantic princess at the heart of this “fairy”. It ends in the heart, of course, but also self-discovery. Writer-director Sean Baker (Rocket Rocket, The Florida Project, Tangerines) once again manages to change the conversation around sex workers and other marginalized people to create a new kind of love story. While Now Received a small theatrical release, its five Golden Globe nominations – including nominations for Madison, Baker for best director and best screenplay, and a nomination for best motion picture, musical or comedy – should certainly bring the project more deserved attention.

The Bikeriders

Austin Butler gives off serious James Dean vibes as Benny Cross, the incredibly handsome member of Chicago’s Vandals Motorcycle Club. When the movie opens in 1965, Benny apparently has it all figured out: he’s the right-hand man of Johnny Davis (Tom Hardy), the club’s founder, and he’s just met — and quickly married — Kathy Bauer (Jodie Comer), a new in the motorcycle club world. This is both a help and a hindrance for Benny in the next decade, as the film traces the rise of the Vandals and how the country’s overwhelming disillusionment seeps into their DNA. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, the film is based on Danny Lyon’s 1968 picture book of the same name, which traces the evolution of Chicago’s real-life MC Outlaws. Go along for the ride.

Blink Twice

Zoë Kravitz proves she really can do it all as the co-writer, producer and (first time) director behind this macabre meditation on the power of extreme wealth. Cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) are working at a cocktail party when they meet Slater King (Channing Tatum), a famous tech billionaire who recently resigned as head of the company he founded because of some. some sort of questionable behavior – the details of which are not fully known. He and Frida hit it off, and he invites the two women to join him and a group of friends on his private island for a weekend of partying and pampering. That’s exactly what they get, although Frida can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. This paranoia turns to fear when Jess suddenly disappears and King’s other guests don’t even seem to remember she was there in the first place. Blink Twice it’s not a perfect film, but Kravitz’s willingness to boldly tackle dark issues in a smart and darkly humorous way heralds his standing as a daring filmmaker on the rise.

Show forgiveness

Tarrell (André Holland in a career-best performance) is a successful painter and a loving husband and father, who believes he has moved on from the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his father, La’Ron (John Earl Jelks). ). But when La’Ron resurfaces after years of estrangement trying to reunite with her son, old wounds resurface for Tarrell, whose own mother (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) is desperate to see father and son reunited. Renowned artist Titus Kaphar mined his own haunted history for this harrowing, semi-autobiographical reflection on family, generational trauma, and the power of forgiveness, if you can truly find your way.

roll

Just because roll has been a hit on the festival circuit doesn’t mean it’s become everyone the attention it deserves. Rich Peppiatt makes his directorial debut with this fascinating film about the eponymous hip-hop trio, which was founded in Belfast in 2017 and is still going strong. The group’s real-life members – Liam Óg “Mo Chara” Ó Hannaidh, Naoise “Móglaí Bap” Ó Cairealláin, and JJ “DJ Próvaí” Ó Dochartaigh, who raps in a mixture of English and Irish – perform in this raucous comedy, which is set in 2019. More than just a musical biopic, it is about the continued impact of the Troubles and the “ceasefire babies” that are came later. But it’s also about how three young artists used music to share a political message and save their native (and dying) language.

juror #2

Since its 1992 release UnforgivableClint Eastwood earned 11 Oscar nominations and won four of them, including two Best Director statuettes. That makes the decision of Warner Bros juror #2– which some have suggested will be Eastwood’s final film – is even more surprising. Especially considering how damn good it is. Clint loves a good ethical dilemma (see: Million Dollar Baby), and juror #2 pose a fascinating one: What if you were called to sit on the jury of a high-profile murder case… only to realize that you might have been the one who caused the victim’s death? That’s the question Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) must face in this addictively layered courtroom drama.

Monkey Man

Oscar nominee Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) steps behind the camera to make his directorial debut with this action-packed revenge thriller. Years after witnessing the brutal death of his mother at the hands of Rana Singh (Sikandar Kher), a corrupt cop, Kid (Patel), opts to lean in the eye-for-an-eye approach. While working at an underground fight club where Singh frequently shows up, Kid comes up with an ambitious—and vicious—plan to avenge his mother.

My old ass

As long as films have been marketed, there are many films that have been poorly marketed. While My old ass had a pretty heavy dose of promotion, thanks in part to having the lovable cynic Aubrey Plaza as one of its stars, it may have lost a large part of its audience by making it seem like a drug induced. Freaky Friday– meet –The Lakehouse type of portrait. Really, it’s an incredibly funny and heartwarming coming-of-age film in which 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) is encouraged to use her last summer at home before she leaves for college as a time to slow down and really appreciate the people (read: parents) and places (read: home) too many teenagers take for granted. Yes, Plaza appears as Elliott’s older self — and is the one who imbues him with such wisdom — but his screen time is much more limited than you might think. So appreciate every moment of it, even while you can.

The Order

Jude Law is fantastic playing against type as Terry Husk, a veteran FBI agent tasked with investigating a bewildering series of daytime robberies that have escalated in terms of violence. Eventually, Husk becomes convinced that the crimes are the work of a white supremacist group that is using the stolen money to self-finance a violent uprising. Husk’s investigation pits him against Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult again, in an equally wonderful and countering performance), the impossibly likable leader of a neo-Nazi group known as The Order. The film is based on a true storyand adapted from the 1989 book by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt The Silent Brotherhood.

Rebel Ridge

Directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Green room, Party of the murder) makes his return to the big screen for the first time in six years with this captivating crime thriller that will be remembered as the film that made Aaron Pierre a bona fide star. Terry Richmond (Pierre), a former Marine, travels to Shelby Springs, Louisiana to post bail for his cousin Mike (CJ LeBlanc), who has gotten into some kind of trouble. Richmond soon finds himself in the crosshairs of the local police department, when the authorities illegally take the money he brought with him, which is his only life support. Finding justice in this small town won’t be as simple as filling out a complaint form. The local police, led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), have no intention of letting Richmond ruin the good thing they’ve got.