Ten Best Films of 2024 So Far...

We are 6 months into 2024 and that means the studios and production companies will start releasing their box office giants and strongest Oscar contenders between now and Christmas. Usually, the first half of the year is lucky to have a few great films, but because of last year's strike and the still lingering effects of Covid holdovers, 2024 is on pace to be a great year in cinema. While I wasn't a fan of Dune 2, many are considering it a frontrunner for Best Picture and a lot of tech awards. For a March release, that shows the strength of the film's appeal. I've seen 34 releases specific for 2024 so far. I've watched 80 overall. I'll probably catch over 150 once the streamers pick up films like If and Kong X Godzilla, and other films I can wait to catch at home. But so far I've given 9 films a 4 1/2 or 5 star review on Letterboxd, meaning they are already in contention for top ten of the year come next January. 

I'm going to list the ten films I've enjoyed the most this year and put the link to my review under their title. These films range from quirky independent films, to horror, to epic action adventures. I won't rank them today, but I will list what my favorite film so far this year has been. As the rest of the year unveils itself, I have to say films like Heretic, Deadpool V. Wolverine, Joker 2, and Blitz all excite my movie gong sensibilities. So here are the 10 best films I've seen so far this year: 

BEST FILM (SO FAR)
Kinds of Kindness * * * * * Stars 
​Read my Full Review Here

Yorgos Lanthimos tells three separate stories with the same actors, including Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and the delightful Willem Defoe. The stories are fantastical in nature, based in some sense of the real world, only to shatter those expectations and take us to dark corners of our own soul. This is an ambitious film, full of ideas and images we don't see in movies. By not trying to please anyone, it ironically becomes the most pleasing experience I've had so far. 

BEST OF THE REST (NO PARTICULAR ORDER) 

Challengers * * * * 1/2 Stars 
Read my Full Review Here  

A sexy sports drama with three dynamic performances. Zendaya puts herself into Oscar contention as the once brilliant tennis player turned coach/wife/mother not completely sold on any of those roles.  

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes * * * * * Stars 
Read my Full Review Here 

This isn't an action film about monkeys. This is Shakespeare with a sharp political satire bent. When the king yells "What a wonderful day!" I can't help but think how it was the day I saw this explosive masterpiece.  

Thelma * * * * * Stars 
Read my Full Review Here

June Squibb steals the show after a scammer steals $10,000 from her. Richard Roundtree co-stars in a final performance that is warm and lovely. A very funny and poignant film.  

Inside Out 2 * * * * 1/2 Stars 
​Read my Full Review Here

Pixar goes the full Toy Story 3 on us here with an emotional (get it?!) rollercoaster as young Riley hits puberty and has new emotions like Anxiety and Envy to make Joy's life miserable.  

Hit Man * * * * * Stars 
​Read my Full Review Here

Richard Linklater made the sexiest, funniest, wildest comedy caper of the year so far. Glenn Powell is becoming a movie star playing a fake hit man, and Adria Arjona is memorizing as his potential target and love interest.    

The Bikeriders * * * * 1/2 Stars 
​Read my Full Review Here

Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Jodi Comer command every scene as mid-west bikers and the woman Butler loves in Jeff Nichols picture-esque drama filled like a cross between Goodfellas and Easy Rider.  

In a Violent Nature * * * * 1/2 Stars 
​Read my Full Review Here

Easily the most divisive film on this list. A horror film that dares to look at the serial killing of a mythological monster from his point of view, this slasher is a somber yet gruesomely violent experience. If this tells you anything, I can't get it out of my head.    

Furisosa: A Mad Max Sage * * * * * Stars 
​Read my Full Review Here

Everything I wanted Fury Road to be, this is George Miller's finest edition to the Mad Max series. Chris Hemsworth, in a wild turn, gives a great performance as the madman and Anya Taylor-Joy captures all the brooding toughness Charlize Theron did the last time around as the title character. 

Sasquatch Sunset * * * * Stars  
​Read my Full Review Here

Without any dialogue or plot, four sasquatches wonder the forest, eating, pooping, and having sex. It's a wild existential comedy with a lot to say about how our inner natures can both help us survive and drive us insane. 

To read all of my Reviews on Letterboxd, click HERE