Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) fights for the Fremen desert dwellers including Chani (Zendaya) in “Dune: Part Two.” Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures via TNS
As summer comes to an end and a new school year begins, there comes a noteworthy shift in movie releases.
A line in the sand can be drawn around this time, as theaters and streaming platforms stop prioritizing summer blockbusters and shift their attention toward indie festival releases and late-year Oscar bids. Given the usual late-summer lull in movie releases, there’s no better time to reflect on the year so far and highlight some particularly successful film releases.
Though 2024 has been a comparatively slow year for world-beating films in contrast to 2023’s “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer,” there’s still a diverse swath of new gems that will surely appeal to fans of all genres and stories.
Best comedy: “Dìdi”
Conveying a shared sense of what it means to grow up as a Millenial or Gen Z individual in America is a notoriously tricky topic. As younger generations become increasingly diverse, that means no two experiences are the same.
Sean Wang’s not-quite-autobiographical coming-of-age story “Dìdi” — which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and hit theaters July 26 — resonates with people from all different walks of life, as evidenced by its 2024 Sundance Audience Award.
“Dìdi” centers around the growing pains of a first-generation Taiwanese boy as he navigates an already tense home life, made more complicated by the usual roadblocks that accompany being a teenager.
Beyond all the painfully recognizable and relatable moments of familial strife and reunion, what’s most impressive about “Dìdi” is its simple human through line, which is achieved via a genuine representation of childhood humor.
“Dìdi” is a film that will undoubtedly resonate with first-generation American immigrants but will still affect anyone who has grappled with the unavoidable pains and joys of growing older.
Best romance: “Challengers”
Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” may seem like an unorthodox pick for this year’s best romance flick, and it’s certainly not your mom’s rom-com. Rather, “Challengers” is more ball-meets-racket than “When Harry Met Sally.”
In a relatively weak year for love stories, “Challengers” — which was released in theaters April 26 — stands strong as a slick, downright entertaining love-triangle story.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — leading members of the band Nine Inch Nails — imbue the film with a distinct techno soundtrack that perfectly mirrors the back-and-forth of not just the tennis matches throughout the runtime, but also the erratic nature of the characters’ romance.
“Challengers” drips not just with sweat, but with a fresh take on the often misrepresented love triangle plot device, making for one of the most enjoyable and fast-paced watches of the year.
Best action (and sci-fi): “Dune: Part Two”
No list of this year’s best films is complete without Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.”
Villeneuve’s space epic — which was released in theaters March 1 — is well-equipped with talent from every aspect of production, including a star-studded cast that comprises Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, legendary cinematographer Greig Fraser’s painting-esque shots and Hans Zimmer’s foreboding, vast soundtrack.
Though it may not be the strictest adaptation of the “Dune” book by American author Frank Herbert, it’s hard to ask more of a pure science fiction movie; the film’s scope is so vast and alien that seeing it on the silver screen felt akin to being transported to an entirely different planet.
Everything that can be said about 2024’s biggest blockbuster has already been stated, so perhaps it’s better to let the individual frames speak for themselves; after all, perhaps the greatest strength of “Dune: Part Two’” is its undeniable rewatchability.
Best drama: “Sing Sing”
Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” — released in theaters July 12 — is a truly special, unique film that inhabits a liminal space between the boundaries of fiction and non-fiction cinema.
The story centers around prisoners at the maximum-security Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York, who find a sense of community and belonging through acting in a theater rehabilitation program. It likewise features an authentically raw performance from actor Colman Domingo (“Rustin,” “The Color Purple”).
Domingo occupies the film’s only major role filled by an industry actor; all remaining roles are acted out by actual members of Sing Sing’s real-life rehabilitation program.
Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin plays himself in the starring role opposite Domingo, delivering an acting performance so phenomenal it would be a crime to not nominate him for an Academy Award.
“Sing Sing” gifts viewers with a newfound appreciation not just for their own lives, but also a broader perspective surrounding society’s overly quick judgment of people slapped with the label of “criminal.”
Through an expert choice of lens lengths, the camera brilliantly contrasts the prison’s walls with the freedom of expression found in the theater. The tactful positioning of walls, bars and other objects in shots’ foregrounds helps further convey the mental prison within the prison that traps inmates in a metaphorical cell fortified by others’ judgment.
Above all, “Sing Sing” triumphs as a story about storytelling’s capacity to build an unbreakable sense of community.
Best horror: Up for grabs
Horror is arguably the most subjective film genre, save maybe comedy, so it makes sense that there’s no true standout yet this year.
Some may point to Oz Perkins’ “Longlegs” as the scariest movie of the year, while others will mention their disappointment at its failure to live up to the lofty expectations set by its marketing.
Still, others may bring up Fede Álvarez’s recent “Alien: Romulus” release as a faithful but fresh installment in a classic horror franchise, though more will likely criticize its use of nostalgia bait.
Even Hunter Schafer’s creature-horror film “Cuckoo” has garnered its own cult following but fails to fully reach mainstream acclaim.
Perhaps Robert Eggers’ long-awaited “Nosferatu” — set to be released Christmas Day — will put an end to the debate. Until then, there’s no real right or wrong answer.
Best overall: Yet to be decided
Anticipation is never a bad thing when it comes to cinema, and thankfully there are plenty of unreleased movies that could challenge “Sing Sing” or “Dune: Part Two” for the title of best film of the year.
In particular, “The Outrun,” starring Saoirse Ronan, was the true standout of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival but awaits its broad Oct. 4 release.
Superstar Ronan delivered the best performance of her career in a brilliantly nuanced, raw addiction story based on the true events of Amy Liptrot’s memoir of the same name.
Additionally, Sean Baker’s Cannes-winning “Anora” is likely to turn some heads but won’t be available to view until Oct. 18. As such, there’s plenty to look forward to in 2024, a year that may go down as one of the more underappreciated film seasons in recent memory.
