Missing
Sony Pictures
The people behind 2018’s underrated and very thrilling Searching (which starred John Cho and told almost its entire story through a computer screen) are back for a spiritual sequel with Missing, with The Last of Us and Euphoria star Storm Reid taking the lead. And it’s just as fun, with just as many wild twists as the original. We are on board with them making as many movies in this little series as possible. And once you check this one out, if you like fun mysteries, you will be too.
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Infinity Pool
NEON
The idea of a “Nepo baby” has been a topic of frequent discussion recently, but you don’t hear it too much when talking about Brandon Cronenberg, the son of legendary director David Cronenberg. That’s probably because Brandon (who directed the awesome, intense, and grossly-brutal Possessor) clearly has the same kind of talent that his famous father (The Fly, The Brood, Crimes of the Future) has. Infinity Pool stars Alexander Skarsgård and 2022 horror darling Mia Goth (X and Pearl) in a story that takes us to a luxurious vacation resort—before things start getting really, really weird. The movie is a bit out there, and very, very intense as far as sex and violence goes. But it’s a fun time, especially for anyone who enjoys surreal and experimental thriller/horror worlds. Think of this one like the weirdest White Lotus you’ll ever see.
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Knock at the Cabin
Universal
M. Night Shyamalan’s movies may not always hit, but we will always commend him for being one of the few auteur filmmakers in the business who’s always trying to bring something new and exciting to the table (OK, outside of his Avatar movie. We can forget about that one). Knock at the Cabin—based on the novel Cabin at the End of the World—finds a family taking a trip to a secluded cabin only to be confronted by violent conspiracy theorists (led by Dave Bautista)who hold them hostage for increasingly wild reasons. It’s not the best movie of the year, but, like most M. Night movies, it’s certainly a ride worth taking. Maybe the creepiest and most committed that Bautista has ever been, and with a supporting cast that includes Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, and Rupert Grint, among others.
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Cocaine Bear
Universal
Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks and with an impressive cast featuring Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Margot Martindale, and the late Ray Liotta, is a fun and campy thriller/action/horror flick that delivers exactly what it’s premise (and, of course, title) promises: a bear takes cocaine and causes a whole lot of trouble. We’ve got Cocaine Bear fever!
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Scream VI
Paramount
The most consistent franchise in horror—seriously, every Scream movie is good—returns for its sixth installment, this time moving the action to New York City. It’s the first film in the franchise without original final girl Neve Campbell (boo!!!), but at least Coureney Cox and Hayden Panettiere (returning from 2011’s Scream 4) along with Scream (2022) stars Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, and Jasmine Savoy Brown all returned.
And the movie was great! Scream VI had all the intrigue, mystery, and humor that we love in this franchise, along with some of the best chase scenes and action sequences in any Scream movie ever. Scream 7 has turned into a mess, so this may be the last time we get to see this cast—so thankfully it went out strong.
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John Wick: Chapter 4
Lionsgate
We don’t need to say much more than: John Wick: Chapter 4 is the best movie of 2024 so far. This is the best-executed blockbuster sequel—on an R-rated, big-budget scale—in a long, long time. Keanu Reeves has this character down to a science, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, and the late Lance Reddick are all back for more fun, and new supporting cast members Donnie Yen, Rina Sawayama, Bill Skarsgård, and Scott Adkins are all A+ additions.
And can we talk about that last hour? We don’t have to get into too much detail, but we need to at least mention that last hour. Some of the greatest action ever put on film. If you like any other John Wick movies, or action in general, do not skip John Wick: Chapter 4.
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Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Paramount
Evil Dead Rise
Warner Bros.
Evil Dead Rise is the fifth big-screen outing for the Evil Dead franchise, which began with Sam Raimi’s three films before continuing with Fede Alvarez’s film in 2013. This time Irish director Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) takes the helm, and he proves himself to be more than capable of carrying the violent, creepy, and darkly funny torch.
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Beau Is Afraid
A24
Are you ready to be disturbed? Are you ready to be shaken to your core? Are you ready to leave a movie theater thinking “what the hell did I just watch?” Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) is without question one of the most brilliant writers/directors in modern horror, and his new A24 behemoth of a film Beau is Afraid—coming in at 3 hours and 15 minutes—is poised to be one of the most polarizing movies of the year. And while it absolutely will not be for everyone, it was, in fact, for me.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular Beau, in a movie that tells its audience immediately that they’re watching a heightened world where everything for its sad-sack protagonist is at its horrifying and anxiety-inducing most. You’ll spend much of Beau is Afraid wondering how much of the movie you’re watching is really happening, and how much is a hallucination, eventually seeing things devolve into what’s almost a David Lynch-esque abstraction of real life and pure nightmares.
Less a horror than a surreal existential dread bonanza, Beau is Afraid is also quite funny throughout. It’s hard for a 3 hour and 15 minute movie to not be boring, but this movie somehow makes that time fly. By the end, you may love it, and you may very well hate it—but either way, it’s a ride worth taking.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Marvel Studios
Before he moves to the top job at DC, James Gunn put a bow on his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy within the Marvel Cinematic Universe withVol. 3—and it turned out to be probably the best movie in the expansive franchise since Avengers: Endgame (just ahead of Spider-Man: No Way Home). The whole team returns for one more adventure (though Gamora is now the 2014 version of Gamora) that puts Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon at the center of everything. Newcomers include Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock and the villainous High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji. I this movie going to make you cry? Well, it made me cry around four times. So there’s that.
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You Hurt My Feelings
A24
Julia Louis-Dreyfus reteams with Enough Said director Nicole Holofcener for You Hurt My Feelings, a dramedy about trouble that can stem from the fine lines between the truth and little white lies in adult relationships.
JLD plays a novelist who, in a moment of shock, overhears her husband (Game of Thrones and The Crownstar Tobias Menzes) giving his friend (Succession star Arian Moayed) completely honest, unfiltered thoughts on her work. It’s a really good, really engaging, really tight story that will probably bring on at least a conversation and two in your own life—in addition to just being a good fun movie.
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Sony Pictures
Picking up a year and change after the events of 2018’s mind-blowing, Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales on his next inter-dimensional adventure—and it absolutely rules (some, in fact, might argue that it’s the best Spider-Man movie ever). This movie is a visual and audio experience that will not be matched by anything else in 2023, because that would be impossible. It’s an experience. It’s art. It’s a whole lot of fun. The cast of the original (Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson) are joined by Oscar Isaac (following up on his role in the credits scene of the first movie) and Daniel Kaluuya, among others. It’s the first of a planned two-part story—with the next movie due some time down the line. Just get ready to take it all in.
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Asteroid City
Focus Features
As a big Wes Anderson fan, I must admit: 2021’s The French Dispatch wasn’t my favorite of his work. Which is why I’m thrilled to report that Asteroid City is absolute mastery; the Texan director leans hard into his traditional bag of tricks for a story that merges his usual gorgeous, visually symmetrical aesthetic with a story that buries a bit of sci-fi in a meta-creative package.
Anderson’s frequent collaborator Jason Schwartzman (having a great year, also voicing a character in Across the Spider-Verse) is at his best since Rushmore, and newcomers like Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie are absolutely exceptional. I’ll say it: Asteroid City may ultimately turn out to be Anderson’s masterpiece.
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Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Paramount
Did you see Mission: Impossible — Fallout? That movie is absolutely amazing. So amazing, in fact, that Dead Reckoning — Part One, the first Mission: Impossible film in five years, had its work cut out for it in order to stack up. But we’re talking about Tom Cruise. This is a man who would absolutely not release this movie if it wasn’t the most absolutely epic piece of action filmmaking it could possibly be. And to quote this very franchise: mission accomplished! Dead Reckoning Part One is a triumph, complete with great characters and even greater action. When Cruise goes through with his epic motorcycle stunt, you will be able to hear a pin drop no matter where you’re watching.
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Theater Camp
Searchlight Pictures
Do you like laughing? Do you like humor? Do you like surprising character development and emotional depth? Then, wow, can we tell you that Theater Camp is for you! Fans of Wet Hot American Summer will love this movie’s summer camp story setting, and fans of Christopher Guest’s films (Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, etc) will adore the kooky mockumentary format. One of the year’s most delightful comedies.
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Barbie
Warner Bros.
There was an almost impossible-to-reach amount of hype around Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and yet… she reached it. And maybe even exceeded it? Barbie is not only one of the most fun movies of the year, but it’s also one of the very best. With an incredibly game cast—including the perfection that we knew Margot Robbie would bring and a truly Oscar nomination-worthy effort from Ryan Gosling—and Gerwig’s thoughtful direction and script (her partner Noah Baumbach co-wrote), this is a movie that won’t just be a hit in 2023. First, we’re going to get that hoodie. And then we’ll be watching again, and again, and again…
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Oppenheimer
Universal
Just like Barbie, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer—a three-hour epic biopic centered on the “father” of the atomic bomb as played by Cillian Murphy—had an ungodly amount of hype. And just like Barbie, Oppenheimer lived up to it all, and then some. Nolan’s film is a masterful look at the brilliant but deeply-flawed man who was responsible for the creation of the most powerful weapon ever deployed in an act of war. Murphy’s performance is sensational, but Nolan’s brilliance as a director also allowed for numerous supporting actors (including Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and Josh Hartnett, among others) to all give truly exceptional an possibly career-best performances. It’s hard to rewatch a 3-hour movie as grim and bleak as this one, but I already want to.
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Talk to Me
A24
The year’s most original and unique horror movie is A24’s Talk to Me. This creepy ghost story feels like the perfect melding of It Follows—a teen-centered horror—and Hereditary—a creepy ghost-adjacent story—with some A+ filmmaking bringing it all together. With a group of characters you’ll pretty quickly come to love and truly intense and shocking moments of terror, twin brothers/co-directors Danny and Michael Philippou have made a pretty special film. And star Sophie Wilde is absolutely a new Scream Queen worth watching—she is sensational as the movie’s lead. Anyone looking for a horror ride that will keep them up at night (but not regret it for a second) will want to check this one out.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Paramount
This TMNT reboot is produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, which was itself enough for us to get excited for it. But this movie is inventive, fun, and overall a great time—with some truly eye-opening animation. The cast, which includes Rogen, Giancarlo Esposito, Ayo Edebiri, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Rose Byrne, Paul Rudd, and way more, is exceptional. You’ll have a great time.
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Oldboy
NEON
This absolute classic of early-aughts international cinema returned to theaters—in restored and remastered form—just in time for its 20th anniversary, courtesy of NEON. In case you’ve never seen it (I only recently had my first taste of this one-of-a-kind revenge thriller), director Park Chan-Wook’s film is an absolute touchstone that will captivate you through every twist and turn, leaving you somewhere between enthralled and rattled when it comes to its stunning conclusion. We will say up front, even 20 years after its initial release: Oldboy is not for the faint of heart.
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Evan Romano
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
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