2023 will go down as one of the best years of cinema of all time. As long as you weren’t a superhero fan, you were well served with quality films throughout the year. There were so many future classics released, that the Academy could’ve extended their Best Picture nominees to fifteen, and they still would’ve missed some all timers. 2024 looks to be continuing this trend with so many potentially great looking movies coming down the pike, I had to make some really hard cuts in order to squeeze everything into a top 30.
These are My Top 30 Most Anticipated Films of 2024.
30. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Wednesday is the only reason this made the cut. I have zero faith in Burton to deliver a good movie anymore. His slow descent into mediocrity is one of the saddest falls from greatness in Hollywood. For a solid decade, he was the most unique voice in cinema. He was King of the Goths with the Midas touch but somewhere down the road, that golden finger turned sour and he was no longer dependable. He still cranked out gems here and there but the bad was starting to outweigh the good till his name no longer carried the same weight. The seal of quality his name once carried was replaced with indifference. It’s no surprise he’s finally making a sequel he put off for 30 years, the man is in desperate need of a hit. He’s hoping we get the Burton from Wednesday and not the one from Dumbo.
29. Gladiator 2
If this was the infamous unmade Gladiator 2 script Christ Killer, it would be much, much higher on this list. From everything I’ve heard about it, that script sounds fucking insane and I would pay a king’s ransom to see it finally get made. This on the other hand, does not sound insane. Even with its stacked cast, nothing about it is interesting to me. It sounds exactly like the type of sequel a studio would shit out just to milk a little more off of an IP that doesn’t need a sequel to begin with. But Ridley Scott has surprised me in the past, so I’m hoping he does it again.
28. Longlegs
FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer (Nic Cage) and must stop him before he strikes again. Longlegs has the best viral marketing since Cloverfield. Each new teaser released has me going to the internet to read theories as to what it all means. I haven’t been this intrigued in a new project in a long time.
27. The Shrouds
David Cronenberg originally envisioned The Shrouds as a limited series for Netflix and while I’m sad we’ll never get to see that version of the story, I’m just glad to see him working again. The world needs more Cronenberg. No one sees the world like he does. The way his brain works is fascinating to me. He’s a futurist that makes prescient body horror films that are equal parts repellant and intelligent. While I wasn’t hot on his last two films, I’m still chomping at the bit to see where his unique brain takes me next.
26. MaXXXine
The first two installments of the Pearl trilogy came out of nowhere and were pleasant surprises. The first was a competent by the numbers slasher film that delivered exactly the type of experience it advertised. The second was a slow burn character study unlike any other horror film released that year. If MaXXXine follows this trend of subverting expectations by changing up the genre with each sequel, I can’t even imagine where it could go from here. My assumption would be giallo but it could be anything.
25. The Bikeriders
Jeff Nichols seems to be cursed. His Alien Nation fell apart, he dropped out of the A Quiet Place sequel for unknown reasons and DC didn’t like his Aquaman script. All that and the fact this keeps getting delayed makes me think the movie Gods are out to get him. You’d think they’d try and punish actual criminals of cinema *cough* Snyder *cough* but they have it out for my boy for some reason. Well, they may hate him but I’m still a ride or die fan and I’m showing up whenever the hell this damn thing finally releases.
24. Dune: Part Two
I don’t care about Dune. It’s overlong, over serious and flat out boring. There’s nothing about its story that justifies it’s length. Guy with his magical wife and kid go to a planet to oversee the production of spice. Fat guy attacks said planet to get the spice killing the man and the mom and kid run off to the dessert where they group up with a bunch of sand rebels. That’s it. That’s the entire goddamn story. Why does it take so long to tell that story. Lynch and Jodorowsky knew this boring shit needs weird shit to balance it out. Denis Villeneuve is an immense talent but he might be too serious for the subject matter. If this next one doesn’t do anything for me, I sure as hell ain’t seeing the third.
23. The End
A post-apocalyptic musical starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon from the director of The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence? Inject that into my veins right the fuck now. That is so up my alley, I wouldn’t be shocked if a future version of me directed it and came back in time just to give it to me as a present. I’m here for the weird and this sounds like it’s going to deliver and then some.
22. Drive-Away Dolls
When the duo went their separate ways, I assumed that was the end of their careers but the brothers seem to still want to work, so in a way, that means more movies for me. It’s like when you’re parents get a divorce, it’s sad but now you get two Christmases. A Russ Meyer-inspired action sex comedy centered on a party girl who takes a trip from Philadelphia to Tallahassee with her buttoned-down friend. As they cruise the bars they find themselves mixed up in a series of misadventures involving a severed head in a hatbox, a bitter ex-girlfriend, a mystery briefcase, and an evil senator. The trailer didn’t exactly sell me but I trust Ethan Coen.
21. The Legend of Ochi
A fantasy adventure film produced by A24, The Legend of Ochi focuses on a young girl (Helena Zengel) who runs away from home and learns how to communicate with an animal species known as Ochi. Not the most compelling elevator pitch I’ve ever heard but it’s A24 producing, helmed by one of the greatest music directors working today and Willem Dafoe is in it. I’m seeing it regardless of how basic it sounds.
20. Last Train to New York
The original is among the greatest zombie movies ever made, so remaking it drew the ire of every single person in the horror community and I see why. There’s really no reason to touch a masterpiece, especially since it just came out but what the whiny bitch babies in the internet are overlooking is the fact that Timo Tjahjanto is directing it, and that’s reason alone to get excited. He (along with Gareth Evans) made the single greatest horror anthology segment ever with Safe Haven in the film VHS, and that alone should get anyone pumped but he also made May the Devil Take You and it’s sequel and the action packed The Night Takes You. There’s no doubt in my mind that this won’t be as good as the original but I’ll settle for a new take that’s more visceral instead of emotional.
19. Civil War
Known for his thought provoking sci-fi films, Alex Garland is switching it up and going full on political thriller for Civil War. The trailer depicts a near future where the United States has fractured into a handful of multi-state alliances fighting each other for control of the land of the (formerly) free. The premise has potential to deliver epic set pieces along with Garland’s brand of provocative storytelling.
18. Kinds of Kindness
Yorgos Lanthimos. Emma Stone. Jesse Plemons. Willem Dafoe. Honestly, do I need to say more? There’s not much else to say since the only other details that have come out is that it’s an anthology film where every story is interconnected and that it used to be called And. I Can’t wait to find out more. Actually, I don’t need to know anymore, I’m already sold.
17. Blitz
A follow up to his documentary Occupied City about the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam during WWII, Blitz is McQueen once again exploring that same time period with a film that depicts the bombing of London by the Axis during the war but this time within a fictional story. WWII, like zombie movies, has been done to death. I feel like I’ve seen every single battle in every type of genre that happened in that war, so it takes a lot to get me excited for yet another movie about the topic. Steve McQueen’s involvement is more than enough to get me excited. The man has never missed and I wouldn’t be surprised if this turns out to be an Oscar contender.
16. Alien: Romulus
I’m over legacy sequels. I think they’re a plague on cinema built on nothing more than cheap nostalgia. As far as I know, this is a standalone movie set in the Alien universe with no ties to any other movie. I’m fine with a reference here and there but if a single character shows up, I’m out. I think this franchise has massive potential as long as it goes back to its horror roots. Which I’m hoping it does considering who’s directing it. Here’s hoping he delivers his patented brand of thrills and chills and leaves those old movies in the past where they belong.
15. Terrifier 3
This is my guilty pleasure pick. I am as shocked as you are that I liked the second as much as I did considering how awful I found the first. I still think it’s far too long but that’s honestly a mild criticism considering how much fun I had with it. I’ve really came around on Art the Clown. He went from a try hard edgelord to a legit competitor to the throne of all time great horror villains. That’s how huge a 180° he made to me in that last movie. I can’t wait to get more of that over the top ultra violence only he can deliver.
14. Love Lies Bleeding
Kristen Stewart in a muscle mommy gay crime thriller? Sign me the fuck up now. Even if that was all there was to this movie, I would still be there day one but this is A24 we’re talking about; they don’t do simple thrillers. Lou (Stewart) is a reclusive gym manager who falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) who’s heading to Las Vegas to pursue her dream. Their love soon leads to violence as they get pulled deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family. I expect to see twists and turns and a trail of corpses. Oh and some hot lady on lady action. But that’s a given.
13. Rebel Ridge
I am beyond delighted to see Saulnier back in the director’s chair. I’ve dug every one of his films with Green Room being a particular favorite. Not only is it one of the best films of the last decade, it might be one of the best films ever made. There are few examples of single location horror done better. It’s unbearably tense and unflinchingly brutal. Two things I hope he brings to his long overdue return to cinema. There’s very little known about this movie outside of the cast but it could be about mowing lawns or doing your taxes and I would still count the days till it came out.
12. C’est Pas Moi
Leos Carax has long been one of the most delightfully unpredictable filmmakers working on Planet Earth. Any new film that the French auteur decides to grace us with is bound to be a polarizing event. It’s been close to 12 years since the release of his magnum opus Holy Motors and I can only think of a handful of films that come close to touching its unhinged brilliance. It’s a film that tackles seemingly every theme and topic under the sun save for one: himself. His latest project has been described as “a self-portrait, which revisits more than 40 years of the author’s filmography and questions the major stations of his life, while capturing the political tremors of the time.” Essentially what that means is, Carax will encounter characters from his past films including the sewer dwelling beast man Denis Lavant plays in Tokyo! and Holy Motors. The premise and their long awaited reunion is enough to get me psyched for whatever this is.
11. Borderlands
I do not trust Eli Roth to deliver a good movie and since the studio brought Tim Miller in to take over directing duties for the last two weeks of filming (the reason being that Roth left to shoot Thanksgiving), I suspect the studio doesn’t trust him either. He clearly wanted to make his Guardians of the Galaxy (take a shot every time you hear about that in the next couple of write ups), seeing as how Gunn started off as a horror director turned action guy, so Roth decided to literally do the same thing but since he’s nowhere near as competent a director, I have no faith that this is even going to be half as good but since Borderlands 2 is in my top five favorite games of all time, I’m still holding out hope it’s at least fun.
10. The Toxic Avenger
As a connoisseur of bad films, I am intimately familiar with the work of Troma. They have been producing grade A trash for over 40 years. Their most well known and arguably best series is the Toxic Avenger. It spawned four movies, a children’s animated show and even a toy line. It was easily their biggest cash cow but for some reason, Uncle Lloyd stopped milking it almost a quarter of a century ago. It’s laid dormant ever since. Thankfully Macon Blair decided now was the time for Toxie and I agree. We need more wacky over the top splatter action and from the reviews I’ve heard from its festival run, it delivers that and then some.
09. Megalopolis
Let’s be real. This thing is going to be a fucking disaster. Passion projects are almost always awful and the longer a director lives with an idea, the worse it ends up being. Coppola has been trying to make this goddamn thing for over 40 fucking years. He talked to Rob Lowe about it on the set of The Outsiders. The only reason he made Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jack and The Rainmaker was to get out of debt to fund this. This is his Don Quixote, the elusive white whale he’s been hunting for half his life and I guarantee it will not be worth the wait. It’s going to be a disaster of epic proportions and I’m here for it.
08. Sesame Street
I think there’s a strong possibility that Sesame Street could be this year’s Barbie. Not in terms of box office gross, Oscar nominations or critical acclaim but in the sense that it’ll be much better than any one could’ve predicted. This prediction is based solely on the fact that Bo Burnham is involved. I trust that dude so much, that it’s in my top ten without me knowing a single other thing about it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I have a vague plot description and I know Anne Hathaway is the star of it. But as of this writing, there hasn’t been a single piece of marketing released. No production photos, no concept art, no posters and no trailer. Not even a teaser. It could be cancelled for all I know. All I do know, is that Burnham is involved and that’s all I need to know.
07. Deadpool 3
If it wasn’t for the director, this would be much higher on the list. Real Steel is the only good thing Shawn Levy has ever directed. Everything else oscillates between mid and straight up trash. He doesn’t inspire confidence and since I wasn’t the biggest fan of the second one, I didn’t have that much to begin with. So why is it this high on the list? Because I’m betting against my gut and hoping I’m wrong. I’m cautiously optimistic that it’ll be better than I expect. Not great mind you, just fun. I miss fun superhero movies. Since it’s dealing with the multiverse, here’s hoping it’s more Everything Everywhere All at Once and less like Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness.
06. Mickey 17
The plot of this film is still under wraps but that’s not the selling point to me anyways. It’s directed by Bong Joon Ho and has a cast consisting of Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun, Toni Colette and Robert Pattinson. That’s all I need to know for this to be in my top ten most anticipated movies of the year.
05. Havoc
After a drug deal gone wrong, a bruised and battered detective (Tom Hardy) must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son. Based on the director’s previous works and the intensity of its lead, I’m predicting Havoc will be this year’s John Wick. As much as I love those films (I can watch Keanu load a gun all day), they pale in comparison to the Raid 1 & 2. They’re about as close to non-stop bone crunching action as you can get. Even if he dials the action of those films down by 40%, this’ll still be the most action packed movie of the year by a considerable margin.
04. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I feel bad for Furiosa. It has impossibly huge shoes to fill and frankly, the trailer doesn’t look like it has the feet to fill them. The biggest complaint everyone seems to have is the over abundance of CGI and while I agree, I still trust Miller to deliver, at the very least, an entertaining thrill ride. It probably won’t be the masterpiece its predecessor was but I guarantee it’ll be far superior than Beyond Thunderdome.
03. Nosferatu
With just three movies under his belt, Eggers has already proven himself one of the most unique voices working in film today. His debut was a slow building exercise in dread, his follow up was a multilayered slice of insanity and his last film was a Shakespearean epic but with Vikings. The man is on fire and I have full confidence that he’ll do justice to the Murnau classic.
02. Me
Right before the end of the year, sensing we might need some good news to carry us into 2024, Don Hertzfeldt announced that his next film will officially be released in 2024. It also has a name — Me. Not even the second coming of Jesus Christ himself could make me more excited. I mean, I am an atheist so that doesn’t really mean anything but still. I love Hertzfeldt so much, I named one of his shorts the second best film of the 2010s. I considered that fifteen minute short so brilliant, it was better than almost everything I saw that decade. I have no idea what this is about (there’s a rumor Ari Aster might be producing it) but I don’t need any details to make me anticipate the fuck out of it. It’s Hertzfeldt. That’s all I need.
01. The Day the Clown Cried
According to conflicting sources, the most infamous unreleased movie might finally see the light of day this year and there’s nothing I’m anticipating more. From everything I’ve heard, it sounds like the biggest trainwreck in film history and I can’t wait to see for myself just how awful it is. This is the only film on my list I’m actively hoping is bad because if it isn’t, it’ll be another The Other Side of the Wind. A movie cinephiles wanted to see for forty years and then when it finally came out, they all (myself included) immediately forgot it existed due to how boring it is. Fingers crossed that we’ll finally get to see a movie so spectacularly awful, Harry Shearer once described it as “a painting on black velvet of Auschwitz.” I have no idea what that means but I can’t wait to find out.
What are some of your most anticipated movies?