10 movies we can’t wait to watch
Sasquatch Summer (April 19) Easily the weirdest film at Sundance 2024, occasioning both applause and walkouts, this wordless satire is about a Bigfoot family hiding in plain sight in the American wilderness. Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough, unrecognizable inside designer Steve Newburn’s awesome ape costumes, lead a quartet of humanoid scroungers who appear to be only slightly more intelligent than the squabbling simians of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Over four seasons, they forage, fight, masturbate, have sex, tangle with mountain lions and act like the rude feral creatures they are.
Humane (April 26)
Following the cinematic trail blazed by her artfully horrific dad, David, and like-minded brother, Brandon (“Possessor”), photographer Caitlin Cronenberg makes her feature directing debut with an exceedingly dark satire of Earth-hugging philanthropy taken to extremes. When a global environmental collapse prompts world leaders to seek a voluntary 20 per cent population cull, a wealthy retired TV newscaster (Peter Gallagher) invites his four children to a surprise dinner to announce his civic intentions. What could possibly go wrong?
The Fall Guy (May 3)
We may have already hit peak Ryan Gosling hilarity with his “I’m Just Ken” number from “Barbie” at the recent Academy Awards. Or maybe not: the amusing and quotable trailer (“Engage your core!”) for this big-screen rendering of “The Fall Guy,” a popular 1980s TV action series, suggests new comic heights for the nonplastic actor. Gosling plays Colt, a fading professional movie stuntman who turns amateur detective. The actor he used to double for (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has vanished, imperilling a film directed by Colt’s ex-girlfriend (Emily Blunt). Director David Leitch (“John Wick”) used to be a stuntman himself, so we might expect some Hollywood realism (is that a contradiction in terms?) amid the mayhem.
Back to Black (May 17)
Documentarian Asif Kapadia did such a superlative job with “Amy” in 2015, it’s tempting to wonder if another film about tragic pop star Amy Winehouse is desired or necessary. Drama can reveal new truths, though, and “Back to Black” director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s facility with rock biopics extends right back to her 2009 debut feature, “Nowhere Boy,” about the early life of John Lennon. But the focus will rightly be on the semi-unknown Marisa Abela, who plays Winehouse, to see whether she can pull off not only the late songbird’s soulful singing but also her Motown-meets-rockabilly retro look. A must-see.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)
The madness continues. George Miller’s fifth postapocalyptic desert fandango premieres next month at the Cannes Film Festival. “Furiosa” prequels “Fury Road,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the younger version of Charlize Theron’s scrapper from that earlier film. Taylor-Joy plays opposite Chris Hemsworth’s warlord character Dementus, who kidnaps her title character as a child and forces her to become part of his Biker Horde gang of motorcycle maniacs.
Hit Man (May 24)
“All pie is good,” we are told, and Glen Powell is terrific as a Walter Mitty-ish pretend hit man in Richard Linklater’s comic thriller, loosely based on a true story. Powell’s Gary Johnson is a philosophy professor who instructs his students to maximize their potential. He takes his own advice when his part-time gig for the local cops playing a fake hit man suddenly turns real. Powell is paired with Adria Arjona, playing an abused wife who desires to become a widow; they’re the best movie crime couple since “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
Inside Out 2 (June 14)
This sequel to the 2015 tour inside a young girl’s noggin looks like a potential return to greatness for Pixar. Directed by Kelsey Mann (“Onward”) and written by “Inside Out” writer Meg LeFauve, it takes us deeper into the brain and mindset of protagonist Riley (Kensington Tallman). She’s now a teenager, with all the fireworks that implies. New cast members (and emotions) include Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment, Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ennui and Ayo Edebiri as Envy. They join returning characters Amy Poehler (Joy), Lewis Black (Anger), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Liza Lapira (Disgust) and Tony Hale (Fear). I’ll have my own emotion — Relief — if this movie lives up to its potential.
Kinds of Kindness (June 21)
Emma Stone won a surprising — and deserved — best actress Oscar at the recent Academy Awards for her performance as a libidinous lab experiment in Yorgos Lanthimos’s riotous “Poor Things.” What could possibly top that? How about seeing Stone in another film with Lanthimos? There’s lots of buzz but not much advance word on this one, although Lanthimos has said it’s set in the U.S. and plays like three films in one, with the actors assigned to different roles in all three segments.
Thelma (June 21)
A great lead role can take its time coming and June Squibb makes it worth the wait. The 94-year-old character actor, Oscar-nominated for “Nebraska,” enchants in her first marquee-topping film role as the avenging title grandma. L.A. senior Thelma receives an anonymous call demanding $10,000 to bail out her doofus grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger, “The White Lotus”). She dutifully complies, falling for an all-too-real modern scam, but Thelma isn’t going to let the thieves get away with it. Inspired by “Mission: Impossible” movies, she conscripts her old pal Ben (late “Shaft” star Richard Roundtree, in his final film role), as they hop aboard his scooter in search of the perps. Danny, his mom (Parker Posey) and dad (Clark Gregg) give chase.
A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28)
The storm before the calm. Part three of the ingenious sci-fi horror franchise of humanity vs. noise-triggered interplanetary killers departs from John Krasinski’s original tale and sequel, where silence was golden — and essential to survival. This one’s a prequel, showing how Earthlings first encountered the space invaders. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o joins a mostly new cast in a world that continues to expand and fascinate.