Most Anticipated Movies

With festival season in full swing, having both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival currently ongoing, I wanted to outline some of the most exciting films that will be coming out in the final stretch of the year. With a combination of word-of-mouth from critics and viewers, intriguing directors and performers, along with concepts that I find fascinating in general, I will be going over 5 of my picks for must-sees that will be coming out between now and the end of December. I will be giving my reasonings for each after mentioning them, along with giving information on the film itself and its upcoming release, although this list will not be ranked. Sorry superhero fans, there will be no Joker mentions anywhere on this list. No Nightbitch, either.

Honorable Mentions

While I decided to put only five films on this list, there are still plenty of others that I have my eye on and will likely be getting to at some point. In chronological order of wide release: The Substance, starring Demi Moore, seems to be an incredibly interesting body horror film that has been labeled as a career best for the actress, but it was too recently put on my radar to make the full list. The Lego Pharrell biopic Piece by Piece seems like it could be a piece of shit, but it may also be pretty fun and is definitely interesting in its development. I wonder if Pharrell paid Lego to do this film, or vice versa? I will probably watch A Real Pain almost exclusively due to my massive enjoyment of Kieran Culkin whenever he pops up on my screen, although it has potential to be a very moving film if Jesse Eisenberg can bring his A-game, both on-camera and behind it. I was not exactly a fan of Smile when it came out, but morbid curiosity may get me to see the sequel when it hits screens. I have never seen Gladiator, but you will see me in theatres for that sequel as well, if only for Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal. I also wanna see how shitty Kraven the Hunter turns out, with the quality standards set by Morbius and Madame Web. And finally, A Complete Unknown brings one of the most notable young actors on the scene and makes him one of the greatest songwriters of all time, which can’t go too badly, right? Right?! Anyways, without further ado, here are my five most anticipated movies of the rest of the year. 

Nosferatu

Okay, I lied. This is definitely my most anticipated movie of the year, so at the very least this placement is ranked. Nosferatu is directed by Robert Eggers, and is following up his 2019 film The Norseman, which was incredibly positively received by critics and fans alike, and serves as a remake to the classic 1922 silent film of the same name. The film stars Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok, and features a supporting cast including Eggers all-star Willem Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, and Lily Rose-Depp. While I have not yet seen his most recent film, Eggers got me completely hooked with his one-two punch of The Witch and The Lighthouse, the latter of which particularly is one of the most interesting and exciting films I have seen in the last five years. At this point until I am let down by multiple of his films consecutively, I will be watching his career very closely, and you can count on me being in line to see his films almost as soon as they come out. While there has not been a large amount of marketing for Nosferatu up to this point, with pretty much only the cast and the release date of Christmas 2024 being announced to this point, it didn’t need to do a whole lot other than be announced to get me interested. 

Anora

This movie would have completely flown under my radar if not for the outstanding word of mouth it has been getting coming out of the festival circuit. Directed by Sean Baker, someone whose work I am not all that familiar with outside of The Florida Project, this film won the Palme D’Or following its premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and has been garnering some serious Oscar buzz as it makes its way through the rest of the festivals. Starring Mikey Madison, I was not especially excited for the film at first due to only knowing her for her performance in Scream 5, with which I was slightly underwhelmed. While she was alright within the film, I found her to be quite overshadowed in the moment by other members of the cast, although that could definitely be chalked up to not having enough opportunity within the film. She portrays an exotic dancer who ends up falling in love with the son of a Russian oligarch, before his parents attempt to break them up following their eloping. While the story in particular does not sound like anything outstanding, I am a sucker for a good romantic movie and I am very eager for the waterworks to get going when it premieres October 18th. Who doesn’t enjoy a good love story?

Saturday Night

Time for something a little more lighthearted than the previous selections. Premiering at the recent Telluride Film Festival and receiving positive reviews, Saturday Night is the most recent film from Jason Reitman, best known for his Ghostbusters films and for being the son of the legendary Ivan Reitman. With an intriguing ensemble cast, featuring established actors billed alongside some more unknown names that will surely get some shine following this film, what really draws me to this film is the poster. Giving off some very entertaining old-school vibes, with a style that seems to be making a comeback (also used by the recent film Hundreds of Beavers) it gave me the impression that it will just be a funny, silly little time of a movie, and we need more movies like that. I have never been the biggest fan of Saturday Night Live despite growing up with it on a good amount, but this dramatization of the filming of the pilot feels like a must-watch for anyone looking for a good time. 

Queer

Believe it or not (you should believe it), there is another romance on this list. Looking to continue his outstanding run, beginning with 2017’s Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadagnino returns with his second feature film of the year, which is looking to be an outstanding showcase for the incomparable Daniel Craig. Seeing Craig yet again break out of the mold he set for himself with his numerous Bond films, as well as his more comedic turn in the Knives Out series, Queer sees him as a gay man in the 1940s who falls in love with a discharged military man. While this movie does not have a set release date for 2024, it is presumed to be coming out within the next few months due to a) its positive reception at film festivals, and b) it’s very likely chance to get Craig nominated for every award under the sun. This film sees Guadagnino returning to subject matter he has handled in films such as Challengers and the previously mentioned Call Me By Your Name, so if you were not exactly entranced by either of those movies then you likely are not to enjoy this one, either. But, if you wanna see perhaps one of Craig’s best performances yet, then this seems like it will be a must-watch for you, as it is with me. 

Conclave

This is probably the film that has the least intriguing parts when looked at individually, and yet when brought together as a whole, projects to be a movie I would absolutely love. Conclave is about the process to have a new Pope be selected, starring Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal who has been tasked with establishing the conclave that will make the selection. Directed by Edward Berger, this is his first film since the critically acclaimed remake of All Quiet on the Western Front, which raked in numerous Oscars during the 2023 ceremony. The religious backdrop of this film has me pretty strongly invested. First Reformed is possibly one of the greatest films I have ever seen (as you can read in my review/analysis of it), and if this projects to be even half of the treatise on struggling with faith while being a part of it, then I am going to be obsessed with it. But even if that does not happen, this movie will still likely be a good time. Labeled as a thriller, I am really confused but also curious about how that will play out, although I do have slight fears about the tone of the film being slightly inconsistent if it attempts all of these different goals. Despite this, it has received some outstanding reviews upon its premiere and has maintained its placement in my most anticipated movies prior to its official release on November 1st.