It is time once again to connect at the halfway point of the year and see what are the best offerings cinema has had to offer. I’ll be candid, 2024 has been a very rough year as far as exciting film releases go in H1. This was the hardest list I’ve ever had to make, and not for fun reasons.

To be fair, this was largely expected. 2023 saw Hollywood Union strikes for both writers and actors that lasting for half the year and putting productions/releases deeply behind schedule.

I have yet to give out a rating above 4 stars, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of films to celebrate here from the first half of the year. As we await the exciting releases H2 ’24 has to offer, let’s dive in to what I believe are the 10 best movies released in 2024 through the first half of the year.

Honorable Mention: I Saw the TV Glow

Editors Note: This was originally #10, but after publishing the article I realized I somehow left off a very important entry. But I still wanted to give I Saw the TV Glow it’s flowers, so now there’s 11 films on this list.

Picked up by A24 at this years Sundance Film Festival, I Saw the TV Glow was marketed as a horror film but it’s really hard to define. Considering the movie is one giant allegory for the trans experience, the blend of genre and style works well with the subject matter. Justice Smith continues to make interesting choices in his projects, and this film gives him the chance to let his talents shine. Outside of the trans themes, the film also takes a scathing examination of nostalgia, something I dedicate a great deal of my time to. If none of this is selling you on the film, at the very least you’re getting a stellar soundtrack and some of the most inventive visuals we’ve seen in a while from the indie scene.

#10. The First Omen

I was not personally looking forward to seeing The First Omen simply because it follows 2 trends in horror I’m absolutely sick to death of:

• Centers on nuns at the Vatican struggling with trauma and faith with evil lurking at every corner.
• Prequel to a beloved classic film

On top of this it came out at the exact same time as Immaculate, a much more successful movie at the box office, with virtually the exact same plot. It doesn’t matter, this movie fucking rules. For my money the best horror movie of the year so far before the blood rush of hotly anticipated releases in the genre still to come in H2.

#9. Inside Out 2

A semi return to form for Pixar, Inside Out 2 is a massive hit critically and financially and with good reason. Unlike other sequels they’ve made, this one is actually warranted and has a deep well of emotions to explore as Riley enters her puberty years. The animation is gorgeous, there’s some great jokes for adults thrown in there, and all the new emotions in the fold work perfectly.

I just couldn’t find myself feeling the way I did with the original, which leads me to the glaring flaw working against this movie; we’ve seen it before and done better. Joy and friends are essentially experiencing the same conflicts and learning the same lessons they did in the original outing. The teenage drama angle certainly had me covering my face more than a few times in embarrassment and anger towards Riley. Once again though, I’ve seen it done before and better with Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade. I hope this is the start of a new streak for Pixar.

#8. Love Lies Bleeding

Mix a retro lesbian love story, a gory-pulp-thriller, with a hinge of body horror and you get yourself the highly weird and entertaining Love Lies Bleeding. Katy O’Brian steals the show with a star making turn as a body builder coming into the circle of the wrong family in the middle of nowhere. Kristen Stewart and Ed Harris doing their thing, if you love em (I do) you’ll be pleased. If you don’t, this won’t change your mind. Love Lies Bleeding keeps you on your toes at all moments, and has the important distinction of having the most truly bizarre climax I’ve seen in quite some time.

#7. Kinds of Kindness

A mere 6 months after Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone unite again for arguably the most vexing film of the year in Kinds of Kindness. This movie is actually 3 roughly 50 minute short films put together all starring the same cast; Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, and more great actors. Each tale is a deeply fucked up and weird examination of human behavior that will test your will power and leave you to fill in the blanks yourself. If you have the patience and intrigue for it, you’ll find yourself thinking about each for weeks onward. 80% of the audience I was in the theater left after the 2nd short, but I personally was riveted from start to finish. (Yes they were all over 65 years old)

#6. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I think I speak for everyone in that it would have been preferable to get a sequel to Fury Road starring Charlize Theron, instead of a prequel with a new cast. That being said, George Miller is an icon and I will take any bit of madness he wants to cook up in his advanced age. The action set pieces are absolutely breathtaking and the vehicular carnage is top notch. A lot has been said about the CGI use in Furiosa, which is valid, but I’ll say you’re getting a lot more flavors in this one versus the never ending car chase that Fury Road was. Chris Hemsworth steals the movie and every scene as Dementus, the most bizarre and entertaining villain we’ve seen in quite some time. I personally felt this one was a little overstuffed, but I’m hoping George has one more in him to come. Can’t wait to give this one a rewatch.

#5. Civil War

A24’s first entry into larger budget spectacle still holds the company’s values towards story telling in Alex Garland’s powerful and shocking Civil War. Kirsten Dunst continues her renaissance while teaming up with new it girl Cailee Spaeny in a bleak adventure during a…well…civil war. The marketing heavily implied this movie would explore today’s real world political environment, but what you actually get is something that’s not interested in that at all. This is purely about the dangerous objective life of being a war zone photographer, and Garland pulls no punches. This one will hit you straight in the chest.

#4. Hit Man

One of my idols Richard Linklater reunites with his latest muse Glenn Powell for one of the most fun flicks released so far this year. It’s about a man who pretends to be a hit man for FBI sting operations, and ends up falling for a gorgeous woman who hires a hit. They take a lot of risks blending different genres, taking crazy turns, and being unapologetically sexy. The chemistry between the two stars oozes off the screen. Linklater and Powell’s script plays things loosely and doesn’t sell out the story in name of being morally just. The balls on this film are immaculate and you’re guaranteed to have a great time.

#3. Challengers

Little known fact about me, I actually really love tennis. It’s a real shame we rarely get any cinematic adventures that revolve around the sport. In comes Luca Guadagnino with Challengers, an artful and soapy look at what drives perfection in our greatest athletes, with a sexy twist. Zendaya proves why she’s one of the biggest names on the planet as she meticulously rules these boys on and off the court with ease in this role. Inventive camera tricks and the best score of the year from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross make this a pulse pounding must watch.

#2. The Bikeriders

Jeff Nichols is a very important filmmaker to me and it warms my heart that his first release in a long time is a film that knocked me on my ass in surprise with how much I loved it. There’s not much in a sense of plot, it’s more like a collection of memories centered around a motor cycle club in the 60s. It’s soulful, funny, violent, and beautiful. I’ve finally reached the point where I can confidently say I’m all in on Austin Butler. If you didn’t think he was one of the worlds most beautiful men, see The Bikeriders and welcome to the cult. He, Tom Hardy, and Jodi Comer all get to do their favorite thing, chew up scenery with silly accents. There’s a heavy Goodfellas influence here, mixed with the contemplative sincerity Nichols always brings to his art. This one came dangerously close to being my #1 pick. With that….

#1. Dune: Part 2

Denis Villeneuve completes his masterful adaptation of Herbert’s seminal novel on a grandiose scale. It’s not easy to captivate an audience asking the important question: “What if our hero turns out to be space Hitler?” By god did he and his team do it though. With Paul’s third act speech, even knowing it was coming, I had goosebumps and fought the urge to slam my arm up in the air. This is blockbuster excellence on the highest scale from acting, cinematography, score, visual effects, direction the list goes on. If only we got more cinematic journeys like this. Hopefully the wait for Dune: Messiah is a swift one. May THY knife chip and shatter.