560 Best Movies & Shows Released in 2024 (Page 23)

Besides the futuristic tech that pops in and out, there’s not a lot about The Kitchen that signals it as a sci-fi film. Neglected housing projects and violent raids have become too common to count as dystopian, so it often feels like The Kitchen could’ve gone without labeling itself as part of the genre (the real world is bad enough). But underneath those layers is a subtle but sublimely tender story about father and son finding each other amid the rubble of real life. First-time directors Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, The Black Panther) and Kibwe Tavares delicately balance the personal and the political, never undermining the former as many socially aware films do. If Kaluuya and Tavares had fleshed the world it built a little more and removed the parts, such as the sci-fi elements, that did not work out, then Izi and Benji’s story would have been memorably devastating, instead of just affecting.

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: BACKROAD GEE, Cristale, Dani Moseley, Demmy Ladipo, Ewart James Walters, Fiona Marr, Henry Lawfull, Hope Ikpoku Jnr, Ian Wright, Jedaiah Bannerman, Kane Robinson, Karen Williams, Lola-Rose Maxwell, Neville Watson, Rasaq Kukoyi, Rhys Yates

Director: Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe Tavares

Rating: R

For a romantic comedy with a fairy tale premise (a star falls in love with a regular person, and a much older one at that), The Idea of You is surprisingly relevant. It interweaves its romance with discussions of ageism and sexism, making it more self-aware than other movies in the same genre. But with that relevance comes a certain dryness; The Idea of You, for all its steamy scenes, lacks the sensuality and charm of a legitimate romcom. Solene is overly cautious, which doesn’t give much way to mystery and mistakes. She makes for a wise role model sure, but not necessarily a rootable heroine. If you like your romcoms to be more on the smart and predictable side, then you’ll enjoy The Idea of You. But if you prefer more hearty laughs and big gestures, then you’re better off looking for another title to stream.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance

Actor: Adele, Angela Davis, Anne Hathaway, Annie Mumolo, Bethany Brown, Brent Bailey, Chandler Lovelle, Cheech Manohar, Demi Castro, Dustin Lewis, Ella Rubin, Grace Junot, Graham Norton, Hedy Nasser, Holly A. Morris, Holly Morris, Jean-Luc McMurtry, Jon Levine, Jordan Aaron Hall, Lauren Revard, Mathilda Gianopoulos, Meg Millidge, Melanie Kiran, Nicholas Galitzine, Nina Bloomgarden, Perry Mattfeld, Rashal James, Raymond Cham Jr., Reid Scott, Roxy Rivera, Tiffany Morgan, Trevor David

Director: Michael Showalter

Rating: R

Not a lot of people will like Stress Positions, a COVID-era film filled with characters whose ballooning egos make isolation all the more claustrophobic. Critics have used the word “unlikeable” and “obnoxious” to describe them, these mostly queer New Yorkers who populate the decrepit apartments where the film is set in, but if you have room for them, they’ll deliver some of the sharpest criticism of liberal and leftist hypocrisies in a while. The self-awareness of their jokes might get lost at times, but it’s there, and it can be enlightening if you let it in. Together, Terry (John Early) and his friends parse things like race and identity—specifically misogyny and transphobia among gay males, and the rampant exoticism of white people over dark-skinned immigrants. The latter is a subject explored poignantly and delicately through Terry’s nephew Bahlul (Qaher Harhash), a young model from Morocco who seems to be the only one smart enough to identify the follies of the people surrounding him. At its best, the film is a darkly funny exploration of even darker themes, as well as an impressively non-cringe throwback to the early days of the COVID lockdown. But it can also be quite difficult to watch, especially if you’ve had enough of New York solipsistic fare.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Amy Zimmer, Faheem Ali, John Early, John Roberts, Qaher Harhash, Theda Hammel

Director: Theda Hammel

Rating: NR

There’s a certain magic in childhood that makes you see the world with bright eyes– every small task is an exciting quest, not weighed down by budgeting, lack of control, and worry. Riddle of Fire captures that magic on 16 mm film, transforming buying a blueberry pie into a whimsical, chaotic adventure involving covens, witches, and huntsmen in modern day forms, echoing a fairytale with vintage 20th century trappings. It’s certainly nostalgic, but it’s created through stylistic choices instead of constant references on older media franchises. While it does lose some momentum in certain moments, Riddle of Fire is such a charming feature debut.

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Actor: Austin Archer, Charles Halford, Charlie Stover, Colleen Baum, Danielle Hoetmer, Jason K. Wixom, Lio Tipton, Lonzo Liggins, Lorelei Olivia Mote, Phoebe Ferro, Skyler Peters

Director: Weston Razooli

Rating: PG-13

Produced by ABC News, Print It Black is a documentary that opts for a straightforward approach instead of a stylish one. It’s more breaking news than investigative, more TV than film, but it works to highlight the urgent issue at hand. Well, two issues, which it sometimes clumsily handles. On the one hand, Print It Black is about the devastating Robb Elementary massacre and how the small town of Uvalde is further divided in the aftermath. On the other, it’s about the relevancy of the town paper, The Uvalde Leader-News, and the crucial role it plays at a time when more and more news publications are shutting down. At the intersection of these two stories is Kimberly Rubio, a staff reporter for the paper whose 10-year-old daughter was one of the victims of the massacre. Without Rubio, the two threads come undone and the documentary fails to feel like a cohesive story. Odd decisions, like leaving out the identity and motivations of the perpetrator and allotting virtually zero screentime to the other nine victims, start to become glaringly obvious. It’s a shame because both are worthy topics that deserve their own features; here, they seem unfairly smushed into a feature that’s unconfident about the way it handles them.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Beto O'Rourke, Craig Garnett, Meghann Garcia, Pete Luna, Sheila Jackson Lee

Director: Tomas Navia

Rating: NR