Top 4 movies from 2024 so far...

Top 4 movies from 2024 so far... 

Movies that I still need to see that could make this list (Furiosa and I Saw the TV Glow) 

Dune 2 dir. Denis Villeneuve 

I was a big fan of the first half of Dune, but Dune 2 rises to the level of maybe the best pure science fiction film I’ve ever seen. Director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) has proven himself to be the best big vision sci-fi director since Spielberg. David Lynch’s Dune is arguably my least favorite film; the film is lifeless, so the idea that Villeneuve was able to take the same story and make it beautiful and thrilling really shows how important it is to pair the right filmmaker with a story they can tell with a grand vision. The visuals are even more impressive in Dune 2 than its predecessor, including a gorgeously violent colosseum scene introducing us to the menacing Fayd Rautha played brilliantly by Oscar nominee Austin Butler. Timothee Chalamet goes from timid and uncertain in the first half to finding his Neo like abilities and giving a commanding, exciting performance that should get nominated for Best Actor. If you were a fan of the first, then you are absolutely going to love Dune 2, especially with the dazzling climax. Get excited for Dune: Messiah which will cap a trilogy that easily rivals those of the Lord of the Rings, and Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.  

Civil War dir. Alex Garland 

Alex Garland’s Civil War is easily one of the timeliest films in a long while, as the world in the film plays on the fears of the potential dissolution of our own fractured national identity. The film follows Kirsten Dunst and several other talented performers including the impressive upcoming Cailee Spaeny, as war photographers attempting to get an interview with the president before he is overthrown. This movie is incredibly intense, yet somehow remains oddly beautiful. The film really crescendos with a ten-minute scene where Jesse Plemons deserves a potential Oscar nod for his terrifying time on screen, juxtaposed with the prettiest scene in the movie as the team drives through a beautiful burning forest in slow motion, to the tune of Sturgill Simpsons’ gorgeous ballad called The Breakers Roar. Civil War is the perfect blend of a vibrant war film combined with modern sociological and existential fears of a future that might not be far off.  

Gasoline Rainbow dir. The Ross Brothers 

This is easily the smallest film on this list, but its impact is tremendous. Gasoline Rainbow tells the story of 5 best friends living in rural Oregon, who are graduating from high school and want to take a road trip to the coast to hold on to the end of childhood innocence and reckless abandon. There are no professional actors in the film and the Ross Brothers use a cinema verité style where they blend a story while allowing the actors to improvise, giving it a documentary feel. This is a road trip movie with a big heart, as the people they encounter along the way are decent people who are trying to survive in an economy not made for them. In various scenes of the film, each character gives a narration of why they want to take this trip and their legitimate concerns about their immediate future. Gasoline Rainbow shows us an authentic and important take on this age group who has gone through so much turmoil politically, socially, and environmentally, while going though half of high school on lockdown. The optimism of this film does give you hope that the kids are going to be alright.   

Monkey Man dir. Dev Patel 

So, the skinny kid from Slumdog Millionaire is trying to direct and star in a martial arts thriller. Let me rewrite that, the skinny kid from Slumdog Millionaire is a total badass action star/director. Dev Patel teamed up with Jordan Peele to create a film that is a showcase for the talent and beauty of India, while managing to condemn the current hyper nationalism and classism left over from the Caste system. Dev’s character is the epitome of vengeance as he singularly focuses on the retribution he richly deserves. After getting his butt kicked throughout the majority of the first half of the film, Patel eventually transforms into the living embodiment of the Hindu God Hanuman, known as the Monkey God and proceeds on his single-minded quest for vengeance as an unstoppable force. This is my favorite pure martial arts action film since The Raid/ The Raid 2 over a decade ago from Indonesia. Reviews for those are in the previous article about elite foreign films.