10 best films of 2024 so far, and how to watch and stream them
I’ll be honest: This was more difficult than I thought it would be.
I mean, it wasn’t roof-repair-in-the-Phoenix-sun difficult. But coming up with the top 10 movies of 2024 so far was not the easy task I’d hoped for. Because while there is at least one great film and some really good ones, there wasn’t exactly a competition for space.
That’ll come later, at the end of the year. I hope. I really hope. And that’s usually how it works. In a great year — like 2023 — a lot of the mid-year best films get crowded out by December. I have a feeling that’s going to happen this year, too.
Here's a look at the best movies of 2024 (so far, anyways).
'Civil War’
In Alex Garland’s terrifying, brilliant film about a near future in which three states have seceded already, and the rebels are marching on Washington, Garland doesn't take sides. At heart, it’s a journalism movie, with Kirsten Dunst as a jaded photojournalist who’s seen it all, but still struggles to process what’s happening. Everyone talks about the Jesse Plemons scene (“What kind of American are you?”), and it’s great, but the best is the gun-toting idiot who has strung up three people at a gas station. Who are they, he is asked? They’re people who wouldn’t talk to me before. But they’re talking to me now. This succinctly encapsulates the MAGA experience and all its dangers.
How to watch: Rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video.
'Hit Man’
What a blast. Glen Powell plays a professor who moonlights for the police, posing as a hired killer making deals with would-be clients. Then he falls for one — Adria Arjona. It’s a fun, sexy film, and it’s actually based, however loosely, on a bonkers story in Texas Monthly. Count on Richard Linklater to find the weird and make it sing.
How to watch: Streaming on Netflix.
'Inside Out 2’
Hollywood is lousy with sequels, and whatever short-term benefits they have — pulling a lazy audience into theaters with titles they know — is killing creativity in the long run. Except for this. Pixar is usually good at this kind of thing (“Toy Story” and its sequels being the shining example), and while there is no sure-fire tear-jerker Bing Bong moment like there is in the original, the emotions living inside teenage Riley’s head still have a lot to sort out, including the arrival of Anxiety (Maya Hawke, outstanding).
How to watch: In theaters.
'Late Night with the Devil’
Why this didn’t come out close to Halloween, I have no idea. That’s when it’s set — Halloween of 1977. David Dastmalchian stars as Jack Delroy, a late-night talk show host who's getting pummeled in the ratings by Johnny Carson. He tries to save his show with a ratings stunt: Invite a girl who was reportedly possessed. Things go stunningly wrong, and we learn that Jack may have a little bit more to do with the chaos than anyone realized. The period details are spot-on, and Dastmalchian is outstanding as a late-night host who will do anything to keep his career going.
How to watch: Stream on AMC+, Shudder. Rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video.
'I Saw the TV Glow’
Jane Schoenbrun’s film is both a captivating depiction of 1990s pop culture — anything with such a strong “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” influence is likely to win me over — and a more complex story of trans discovery. The story gets more surreal as it goes, as Schoenbrun’s imagination goes into overdrive. And the look of the film, a kind of Day-Glo nightmare, is insanely cool.
How to watch: Rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video.
'Evil Does Not Exist’
Ry?suke Hamaguchi’s patient, searing film delves deeply into the day-to-day life of a rural village outside of Tokyo where a corporation is trying to build a resort, environmental impact be damned. Hitoshi Omika gives an understated performance as the man the company wants to buy off by making him caretaker. But more is in store. Not for everyone, as they say, but that’s true of about half of this list. Their loss.
How to watch: Not available for streaming.
'Girls State’
A companion piece to “Boys State,” only this time directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss follow the weeklong civics camp on the young women’s side. It takes place between the weird leak of the Supreme Court decision to kill Roe v. Wade and the decision itself. As one participant says, “There’s something in the air. And it’s politics.” Is there ever.
How to watch: Streaming on Apple TV+.
'Love Lies Bleeding’
Rose Glass’ film is a gut punch, a dark comedy that amps up the intensity like a steroid-swollen bodybuilder and never lets up. Kristen Stewart is typically good as a woman working in a crummy little gym in a crummy little town when Katy O’Brian’s character, a bodybuilder, shows up. Stewart’s character sells black-market steroids, which is only the catalyst for their relationship. It’s a twisted noir and it’s nuts — and so is Ed Harris as the creep who runs the town.
How to watch: Rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video.
'They Shot the Piano Player’
Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba's film is the animated telling of the story of Francisco Tenório Júnior, the piano player of the title. The Brazilian musician went for a walk while touring in Argentina in 1976 and was never heard from again. The more than 150 interviews in the film are real but rendered in brightly colored animation, which diminishes their power not at all. A framing device has Jeff Goldblum providing the voice of a (fictional) New Yorker writer trying to get to the bottom of things.
How to watch: Rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video.
'The Fall Guy’
Before “Inside Out 2” came along and made a fortune at the box office, this film was supposed to be the bellwether for a dying industry. How was it not a hit? How indeed? Ryan Gosling is incredibly charming — surprise — as a stuntman who winds up working for his former girlfriend (Emily Blunt) who is directing his latest film; he is soon drawn into a real-life mystery. The romance is the weak link, but the film is really a love letter to stunt actors. Fitting, as director David Leitch used to be one.
How to watch: Rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video.
Reach Goodykoontz at [email protected]. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.
Looking back: 2023 was a great year for film. These were the 10 best movies. Plus, where to stream them
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best movies of 2024 so far, plus where to watch and stream