559 Best Movies & Shows Released in 2024 (Page 22)

Staff & contributors
Find the best movies and show to watch from the year 2024. These handpicked recommendations are highly-rated by viewers and critics.
Invisible Victim may not be all that different from the plethora of true crime documentaries available on Netflix and other streaming platforms, but it is worth watching if only to see how misogyny continues to be rampant at best and deadly at worst. Despite being beaten, kidnapped, drugged, and eventually murdered by the superstar footballer Bruno, Eliza Samudio was still largely framed as the perpetrator in the public’s eye because she was deemed a slut. “She died because she was money hungry,” one fan said on social media. A reporter, meanwhile, asked Bruno, “How are you handling all the embarrassment coming your way?” as if the real crime was Eliza tainting Bruno’s glowing career, instead of Bruno ending her short life. The documentary succeeds in arousing the viewer’s anger, though it doesn’t offer anything particularly new to a well-known case apart from Eliza’s never-before-seen messages to her friend, which revealed her fearlessness and defiance up until her untimely end.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Director: Juliana Antunes

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This story involves a jealous sister and a boy, which is enough of a foundation for a suspenseful story. Though a bit lacking in depth, onscreen interactions carry a lot of emotional weight and strike the balance of having enough said and unsaid. The upbeat pop hits and casual banter throughout goes a long way to at least break up the film's heavy atmosphere. At its heaviest, it is raw and glorious in its unraveling, placing the ugly side of grief next to the alluring side of envy. But throughout it all, it treats the plot with enough respect to not just be some cheap glorified fantasy.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Alva Bratt, Edvin Ryding, Felicia Truedsson, Ida Engvoll, Mustafa Al-Mashhadani, Zara Larsson

Director: Sigge Eklund

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Based on a bizarre true story, Woman of the Hour follows Cheryl (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actor, and Rodney (Daniel Zovatto), a serial killer, as they participate in a dating game show. Part of the film is about the tense cat-and-mouse chase that happens between the two, but other parts are less tight. There are flashbacks and flashforwards to Rodney’s other exploits, as well as a subplot about one of the victim's friends seeking justice. Then underlying everything is a potent message about the misogyny that ran rampant in the 1970s. Feminism is supposed to be the throughline that ties everything together, but an imbalance in tone and a clumsy attempt to jam as many stories as possible results in a film that feels sorely undone. It’s admirable that Kendrick, who’s made her directorial debut with this movie, has decentered the focus from the serial killer to the female victims. I’ve had about enough of true crime outings romanticizing the killer. Kendrick is a promising director to be sure. But if only the narrative were tighter, then the film could’ve been memorable, too, instead of just meaningful.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Andy Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Autumn Best, Bonnie Hay, Daniel Zovatto, Darcy Laurie, David Beairsto, Denalda Williams, Dylan Schmid, Geoff Gustafson, James Yi, Jason Simpson, Jedidiah Goodacre, Jessica Chaffin, Jessie Fraser, Karen Holness, Kathryn Gallagher, Kelley Jakle, Matt Visser, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Matty Finochio, Max Lloyd-Jones, Michael Adamthwaite, Michael Jonsson, Nancy Kerr, Nicolette Robinson, Pete Holmes, Rob Morton, Taylor Hastings, Tony Hale

Director: Anna Kendrick

Rating: R

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If you’ve seen the original film by Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, then you might be disappointed by Taika Waititi’s 10-episode adaptation of the time-traveling romp. It’s less out there, catered as it is to young kids, and less tight too. A camera lingers for two seconds longer here, a reaction isn’t given 100% there—they’re small missteps, but they do add up to a mediocre whole. Other than that, the series is undeniably charming. It’s educational and entertaining in equal measure, and the hilarious banter between Lisa Kudrow’s Penelope and Tuck’s Kevin gives the show its edge. It’s naturally, almost unintentionally sweet—the more Penelope and the bandits push Kevin away, the more apparent their care for him is. The show’s quirky sense of humor recalls Waititi’s other shows, specifically Our Flag Means Death and What We Do in the Shadows, while also employing a more kid-friendly approach, a la Doctor Who. It has its faults, but it’s all good fun that might even inspire young kids to review their history lessons this summer.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: David Daker, David Leland, David Rappaport, David Warner, Declan Mulholland, Derek Deadman, Derrick O'Connor, Ian Holm, Jack Purvis, Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, Kal-El Tuck, Katherine Helmond, Kenny Baker, Lisa Kudrow, Michael Palin, Neil McCarthy, Peter Jonfield, Peter Vaughan, Ralph Richardson, Roger Frost, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Sean Connery, Sheila Fearn, Shelley Duvall, Tadhg Murphy, Terence Bayler, Tony Jay

Director: Terry Gilliam

Rating: TV-PG

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