354 Best Recent Movies to Watch (Page 24)

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347. Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer, 2024

This is a 3-episode true crime docuseries that shows great care to the victims and affected parties of this particular case. Whether they're detectives, autopsy specialists, victims' relatives, witnesses—all seem to share in this safe space, exploring thought processes behind why a certain place or person might be targeted, while at the same time extending support to the queer community directly harmed by this trauma. The production and reenactments are sleek without being overbearing or needing to sensationalize unnecessary details. The only time the atmosphere shifts is when we see the perpetrator's perspective, which is a kind of creepy that draws no sympathy or intrigue to itself. Its pace can drag in the middle of an episode, but it's a true crime mini-series with a straightforward, respectful approach, and these days that's more than enough.Genre: Crime, Documentary
Actor: Debbie Pollack, Katrin Faust, Lucia Lu, Miroslaw Wawak, Monika Laschke, Niklas Kohrt, Patrik Berg, Rick Hübner, Tristan Bumm
Director: Caroline Schaper, Jan Zabeil
Rating: TV-MA

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Just in time for Halloween, Netflix has shelled out for a new, high production value doc about demonic possession. It has all the right ingredients: a true story (that of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, also known as the "Devil Made Me Do It" case of 1981), some convincing re-enactments, the air of exclusivity (use of real archives), but it still feels like a let-down to the true horror buffs who'd tune in expecting something fresh. After all, Netflix has been in the game for a while and it's not a good look to settle for something as mediocre. For The Devil on Trial, it seems like the execs have just upped the budget on a regular cable-TV-haunted-house after hours special and then patted themselves on the back. Even the interviews featured are full of cliches, which strips down the horrifying potential of authenticity.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Arne Cheyenne Johnson, Tony Spera, Victor Serfaty

Director: Chris Holt

Rating: R

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349. Parish, 2024

Parish bears striking resemblance to Netflix's Kaleidoscope. It follows the same premise of a financially struggling protagonist getting back in the life of crime they had once abandoned, and they even cast the same lead actor in Giarcarlo Esposito. But the similarities end there. No other character is as magnetic as the lead role, making the show light on onscreen chemistry, delivering tension like a middle of the road soap opera. It has a singular stroke of genius, which is the accomplishment of casting Esposito, who is a big enough draw by himself. Beyond that, the writing itself is hollow, the episodes drag 10 minutes too long, and there's no drama you can get here that you can't get anywhere else.Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Arica Himmel, Bonnie Mbuli, Dax Rey, Giancarlo Esposito, Ivan Mbakop, Paula Malcomson, Skeet Ulrich, Zackary Momoh
Rating: TV-14

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350. Appendage, 2023

Horror likes to take a human fear and personify it. It's a winning move, materializing our worst nightmares, but what does a woman's self-doubt look like? In this case, extremely ugly and somewhat laughable, but surely not scary. The special effects team dropped the ball on this one, and the appendage's physical presence is more distracting than anything. Its concept and its aura, though, go a long way, and there are a few admirable twists and turns that make a curious point about female psychology and social expectations. Their interdependency then translates into the film's sparse backstory, tracing a journey of trauma that's surprisingly relatable. Interestingly enough, director Anna Zlokovic made a short of the same name in 2021 which teased the idea of a monster sucking your confidence in secret, but her latest feature film lacks that punch.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Annie Pisapia, Brandon Mychal Smith, Daniel Chioco, Deborah Rennard, Desmin Borges, Emily Hampshire, Hadley Robinson, Kausar Mohammed

Director: Anna Zlokovic

Rating: R

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351. What Jennifer Did, 2024

This is your bare minimum, bog-standard Netflix true crime documentary covering the infamous Jennifer Pan case. The film focuses on Pan's interrogation tapes, with detectives walking us through their thought process at the time, providing evidence and chilling head nods in reaction to her statements. The value of the film is its micro dissection of the tapes, examining it minute by minute, even line by line, which is an interesting way to learn about the case for the first time. But it feels so banally straightforward without adding anything new or being more informative, that it feels like it was just made to dig up old bones and make a bloated made-for-Netflix docu.Genre: Crime, Documentary
Actor: Alan Cooke, Bill Courtice, Deborah Gladding, Fernando Baldassini, Samantha Chang
Director: Jenny Popplewell
Rating: R

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352. THE MAGIC PRANK SHOW with Justin Willman, 2024

Structurally, the show is very clear and intentional, spelling out the stories by giving us the who, the why, and the how behind the pranks. It's fun to think of them as revenge stories, where the payoffs and tricks can be entertaining—but the level of slapstick payoffs we get does not warrant the hefty, hefty setup at all. It fancies itself like a home renovation or baking reality show; difference is we're not really here for the process because we don't need to know how to stage these things, and we're not dying to hear 3 segments of brainstorming banter. It's a lot of sneak peeks and filler and bloat to get to the half decent stuff, but there is some half-decent stuff.

Genre: Comedy, Reality

Actor: Justin Willman, Kimberly Congdon, Kyle Marlett, Simon Taylor

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353. How to Date Billy Walsh, 2024

The film takes us into the mind of a performative teenager trying to convince us, or an imaginary cameraman, of his coolness and wisdom. The second-person device may evoke teen comedy series from the 2000s (at best), but it is incredibly disorienting in this 100-minute movie. It is a slog of straightforward punchlines and tired cliches, which picks up a little too late in the final act where the central idea finally reveals itself: the harder you try to maintain control, the more easily it slips away. Similarly, the less brain power you use for this film, the better it gets.Genre: Comedy, Romance
Actor: Charithra Chandran, Charles Camrose, Daisy Jelley, Dhanushka Anson, Guz Khan, Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Punch, Madeline Holliday, Maisie Peters, Nick Frost, Sebastian Croft, Tanner Buchanan, Tim Downie
Director: Alex Pillai

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354. The Tearsmith, 2024

This was an uncomfortable, unnecessary mess of a movie—it’d be a lot faster to just go to Literotica or something. It’s got rough romance dialogue; everyone’s faces are always pressed so close together; and worst of all is even the fight scenes are awkward. Outside of storylines, music from Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish were made to be associated with this movie which mucks up their good name for people that haven't discovered them in neutral conditions. Caterina Ferioli’s performance as the film’s muse Nica, along with Nica’s warm girl-friendships, carries the entire thing to a semblance of watchability. But I'm not trying to give you hope, I'm saying just open your Incognito tab if you're here "for the plot."

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Alessandro Bedetti, Anna Cianca, Caterina Ferioli, Eco Andriolo Ranzi, Eugenio Krauss, Juju Di Domenico, Laura Baldi, Nicky Passarella, Orlando Cinque, Roberta Rovelli, Sabrina Paravicini, Simone Baldasseroni, Sveva Romano Candelletta

Director: Alessandro Genovesi

Rating: R

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347. Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer, 2024

348. The Devil on Trial, 2023

350. Appendage, 2023

353. How to Date Billy Walsh, 2024

354 Best Recent Movies to Watch (Page 24)

346. Renegade Nell, 2024

349. Parish, 2024

351. What Jennifer Did, 2024

352. THE MAGIC PRANK SHOW with Justin Willman, 2024

354. The Tearsmith, 2024