We were truly spoiled for choice in 2024 as so many great new movies were released in theaters and across the best streaming services. But with so many options out there, it’s very easy to miss certain titles. While another movie gets a lot of hype, some movies end up being forgotten. While the cinephiles among us may have seen some of these, I’ve been disappointed by the lack of attention on these seven titles.
There’s a huge mix here whether you want Clint Eastwood’s latest drama, my favorite horror movie of the year, or heartfelt documentaries. Each one has an important story to tell and they deserve as much love as some of the biggest blockbuster hits we’ve seen this year.
Love Lies Bleeding
- RT score: 94%
- Runtime: 104 minutes
- Main cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco
- Director: Rose Glass
- Where to stream it: Max (US); Prime Video (UK, AUS)
Kristen Stewart has come a long way since her iconic role in the Twilight series. We’ve seen her as Lady Diana Spencer in a royal biopic and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, and her most recent role sees her as a reclusive gym manager who falls for an ambitious bodybuilder. But it’s not your average love story, as both of these women are caught up in organized crime.
It’s another great win for director Rose Glass who wowed me with her directorial debut Saint Maud, and if you’re looking for a well-written slow burn with lots of style, I really can’t recommend this one enough.
Juror #2
- RT score: 94%
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Main cast: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Chris Messina
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Where to stream it: Max (US); Apple TV (UK, rent or buy); Amazon Video (AU, rent or buy)
Clint Eastwood’s new movie is a gripping legal thriller and perhaps my favorite of his since the brilliant Gran Torino. In Juror #2, we follow a journalist called up for jury duty who realizes that he may be responsible for the victim’s death.
Here, Nicholas Hoult leads the cast and is joined by some great names, including Toni Collette, JK Simmons who recently starred in the divisive Red One, and Kiefer Sutherland. Gabriel Basso stars here, too, ahead of his return in The Night Agent season 2, which will debut on Netflix in 2025. So if it’s a thought-provoking legal drama you’re after, Juror #2 will have you asking questions along the way and I can guarantee you’ll be glued to your screen.
I Saw The TV Glow
- RT score: 84%
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- Main cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Where to stream it: Max (US); Fetch (AUS)
I have spoken about I Saw the TV Glow a lot lately, where I recently hailed it as my favorite A24 movie of the year. It’s my favorite horror in general now we’ve reached December, even though I saw so many of Gem Seddon’s favorite horror movies of 2024, nothing has surpassed I Saw the TV Glow. It had such a profound impact on me and I love discussing it with people, it really is an underrated A24 gem everyone should check out.
The movie follows two teenagers who bond over a campy supernatural TV series The Pink Opaque and they soon realize something isn’t quite right. which inspired Rowan Davies to go and visit his favorite 90s series on Hulu. This is what I’m talking about when I say it makes an impact.
Joy
- RT score: 90%
- Runtime: 115 minutes
- Main cast: Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton
- Director: Ben Taylor
- Where to stream it: Netflix (worldwide)
Joy may very well have slipped under the radar as a frustratingly quiet Netflix release, so I’m bringing it to everyone’s attention now! The movie tells the true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube baby’, which sparked many conversations and debate around IVF.
The story focuses on three real life figures; nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy, visionary scientist Dr Robert Edwards and innovative surgeon Patrick Steptoe, who are all played brilliant by a small but very strong leading cast. If you’re after a good biopic, you won’t want to miss this.
Will & Harper
- RT score: 99%
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Main cast: Will Ferrell, Harper Steele
- Director: Josh Greenbaum
- Where to stream it: Netflix (worldwide)
When I first wrote about Will & Harper, I spoke about how I cried watching the trailer. This heartfelt, honest documentary definitely made me cry again after I started watching it. Here, actor Will Ferrell reunited with his long-time friend Harper Steele, who recently came out as transgender. Ferrell and Steele had worked together on Saturday Night Live, and the latter had reached out to many of her friends to share the news. Off the back of this, Ferrell and Steele take a road trip to reconnect and learn more about her experiences as a trans woman.
This is the kind of documentary I believe everyone should see, and in my op ed I said that Will and Harper was not a perfect movie, but that’s by no means an insult. It’s exactly why you should watch it, because it navigates this often challenging topic with the honesty it deserves.
La Chimera
- RT score: 94%
- Runtime: 133 minutes
- Main cast: Josh O’Connor, Carol Duarte, Vincenzo Nemolato, Alba Rohrwacher, Isabella Rossellini
- Director: Alice Rohrwacher
- Where to stream it: Hulu (US); Mubi (UK); Stan (AUS)
This period drama isn’t been talked about nearly enough as it should, and I am hoping to change that. Challengers star Josh O’Connor leads the cast as a British looter who gets involved in an international network of stolen artifacts during the 1980s. It’s one of the most beautiful movies you’ll ever watch so if you want something with gorgeous cinematography, you’ll certainly find it here.
The story is funny, sad, and compelling. We follow O’Connor’s looter when returns to Italy after being released from prison, and it turns out his life is pretty complicated. His ex-girlfriend is missing and her sisters resent him, and he ends up lured back into the world of tomb raiding.
Daughters
- RT score: 100%
- Runtime: 107 minutes
- Director: Natalie Rae, Angela Patton
- Where to stream it: Netflix (worldwide)
Last but certainly not least is Daughters. This important Netflix documentary is available worldwide and that’s good news because I think as many eyes as possible should be on this one. It follows four young girls as they prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, DC prison.
When she spoke to Tudum, director Angela Patton said: “I would recommend you have a candle, tissues, water, and that you just breathe.” which is a fair approach to this movie. It’s a difficult watch at times but it has a lot to say and we should all be listening.
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lucy.buglass@futurenet.com (Lucy Buglass)
