This is the second part of my "Most Anticipated Films" feature, devoted to the non-mainstream films. I'm listing these entries by director because the titles at this stage often don't stick.
So many films that I was anticipating from last year's art house/indie/foreign movies list got delayed to 2024. "Nightbitch," "Hitman," and "Blitz" will not be appearing on this year's list because I've already written about them. This year's picks are listed below:
Luca Guadagnino, "Challengers" - I was very disappointed when this was delayed from last fall due to the strikes, because I was so ready for this particular combination of actors - Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist - in this particular film. Luca Guadagnino has been consistently good at making sexy movies over the past decade, and there are simply not enough sexy films these days. Also, we haven't gotten a good onscreen tennis romance since "Wimbledon" at least.
Alex Garland, "Civil War" - I know it looks like a Roland Emmerich disaster movie from the trailer, but this is an Alex Garland film from A24, so it belongs on this list. We've got Jesse Plemmons and Kirsten Dunst in the mix, Nick Offerman playing a tyrannical three-term president, and a whole lot of military hardware on display. Until I hear otherwise, I'll be treating this as a sequel to "Leave the World Behind." Oh, and did we forget that 2024 is going to be an election year? The discourse is gonna be fun!
Alex Scharfman, "Death of a Unicorn" - However, of all the A24 films currently in the pipeline, the one that has me most intrigued is this oddity, where Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play a father and daughter pair who accidentally run over and kill a unicorn, with spiraling bad consequences. I expect this is some flavor of black comedy, but it may cross into horror, especially since John Carpenter is apparently working on it as one of the composers. First time director, so fingers crossed.
Betrand Bonello, "The Beast" - This one got good notices from the Venice film festival. It's a dystopian science-fiction romance about a couple played by Lea Seydoux and George MacKay, which involves past lives and "purging" of emotions. It sounds enough like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to be intriguing, and yet at the same time very different. I'm not too familiar with Bonello, but I liked "Nocturama," and this is reportedly his most ambitious project to date.
Mike Flanagan, "The Life of Chuck" - I don't know much more than that this is based on a Stephen King novella, naturally, and stars Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill. Frankly, I don't want to know more. Flanagan's track record has been so strong these past few years, I trust him implicitly to knock my socks off. This will be his first theatrical film since "Doctor Sleep," and honestly I'm not sure that this belongs on the indie list since Warner Bros. appears to be handling distribution.
Sam and Andy Zuchero, "Love Me" - There seem to be a lot of robot and AI love stories making the rounds this year. However, "Love Me" is a clear standout for pairing Kristen Stewart with Steven Yuen as two post-apocalyptic, non human lovers - one is a buoy and one is a satellite - who run into difficulties trying to navigate a romantic relationship. I have a great affection for weird little sci-fi indies like this, and "Love Me" definitely has one of the weirder premises I've seen in a while.
Joshua Oppenheimer, "The End" - Oppenheimer has made some of the greatest documentaries of all time, including "The Act of Killing," and now after a long break he's making his first narrative film. It's a post-apocalyptic musical about a family emerging from a survival bunker after the fall of civilization. And it'll star Tilda Swinton, George McKay, Michael Shannon, and Moses Ingram. I have no idea if it'll be any good, but I have got to get a look at this thing whenever it comes out.
Robert Eggers, "Nosferatu" - This will only be the third version of "Nosferatu" after the F.W. Murnau and Werner Herzog versions, and I can't wait to see what Eggers comes up with. There's no one I'd rather see tackle a new "Nosferatu," and I'm glad this is finally getting made. Obviously, I'd rather see Anya Taylor-Joy as the leading lady instead of Lily Rose Depp, but Eggers still managed to get Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe onboard, not to mention Bill Skarsgaard as the title fiend.
The Cairnes Brothers, "Late Night With the Devil" - This is an Australian found footage horror film that premiered at SXSW a year ago and ended up in distribution limbo for a bit. However, IFC and Shudder acquired it, and it'll finally be surfacing this spring. David Dastmalchian plays the host of a fictional '70s late night talk show that puts on a macabre Halloween special. There's reportedly a lot of meta fun going on with this one, and I've been keeping an eye out for it.
Yorgos Lanthimos, "Kinds of Kindness" - This is the project formerly known as "And," an anthology film with a bunch of actors including Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, and Hong Chau. I have no idea what the plot will involve, but at this point any new Yorgos Lanthimos project is one to keep an eye out. Also, I wouldn't trust that title.
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