Watching movies is my job. Here are 10 I can't wait to see in 2024 - and why

It’s time for the annual movies-I’m-looking-foward-to guessing game, in which I choose 10 films that look interesting, have a lot of buzz or that I’ve actually heard of.

That last is no joke. Well, not entirely. Going into 2023, I’d never heard of “Past Lives.” By the end of the year, it was sitting at the top of my top 10 list. (And it was a great year.) Pleasant surprises are among the most rewarding things about watching movies, and 2024 will doubtless bring plenty.

But for now, as we begin the year, these are the ones I’m most looking forward to, for various reasons. Sure, prurient interest leads me to wonder what Kevin Costner was thinking with not one but two installments of “Horizon: An American Saga,” released less than a month apart. Hubris is such an interesting thing.

But time, space and interest require we limit the list to 10. As ever, release dates often change, so always check local listings.

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‘Drive-Away Dolls’

Ethan Coen’s first dramatic feature without his brother Joel (who directed the great 2021 film “The Tragedy of Macbeth” solo; Ethan has directed a documentary by himself). Coen wrote "Drive Away Dolls" with his wife, Tricia Cooke. It stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two women who take off for Tallahassee on a whim. Things go south — literally and figuratively — from there. With Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon. Sounds suitably weird.

Expected release: Feb. 23.

Read the review: 'Drive-Away Dolls' isn't a road to nowhere, but it isn't the quirky joy ride it should be

‘Dune: Part Two’

Now where were we? Ah, right smack dab in the middle of the latest adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, which just sort of stopped. But Director Denis Villeneuve bet on himself — if Part One bombed there wouldn’t be another movie, so we’d left hanging. Yet here we are, awaiting the return of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya since 2021. The first installment was quite good. I was going to say I can’t wait to see how the second half holds up, but waiting is something we’ve gotten used to with this.

Expected release: March 1.

Read the review: 'Dune: Part Two' picks up where the first left off in expectedly chaotic style. And it works

‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’

Writer-director Kobi Libii (in his feature debut) takes on the old literary trope of a Black character with unusual powers who usually exists to help a white protagonist. Justice Smith plays a man recruited into a secret society named after the trope, whose first assignment grows complicated. An intriguing notion, to say the least. With David Alan Grier.

Expected release: March 22.

‘Mickey 17’

Director Bong Joon Ho’s last film was the brilliant “Parasite,” so this was going to be must-see no matter what. Robert Pattinson plays an “expendable,” a crew member on a space mission who can be regenerated after they die. And then things go awry. … With Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette and Steven Yeun. Hopes are high.

Expected release: March 29.

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‘Civil War’

I’ll watch pretty much anything Alex Garland (“Ex Machina,” “Annihilation”) makes. Here Kirsten Dunst and Stephen McKinley Henderson are among a group of journalists covering a civil war — in the United States. Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny and Jesse Plemons also star. There is nothing about this that doesn’t scream "Must Watch." Let’s hope it doesn’t prove prescient.

Expected release: April 26.

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‘IF’

John Krasinski writes and directs a movie about a girl (Cailey Fleming) who can see imaginary creatures — IFs — who were left behind by their real-life friends. Then she learns that The Man Upstairs (Ryan Reynolds) can also see them. Sounds fun enough, but get this: the voices of the IFs include Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Awkwafina, Sam Rockwell and Louis Gossett Jr. Go big or go home, I guess.

Expected release: May 17.

‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’

Everybody loved “Mad Max: Fury Road” in 2015, as they should. Now director George Miller is back with the origin story of Imperator Furiosa, played here by Anya Taylor-Joy. Chris Hemsworth looks demented as, well, Dementus, who leads a horde of bikers. These movies are so nuts, in the best possible way.

Expected release: May 24.

‘The Bikeriders’

Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Michael Shannon and Tom Hardy star in the story of the Vandals, a 1960s midwestern motorcycle club. That’s a lot of talent. And Jeff Nichols makes cool movies (“Midnight Special,” “Mud,” “Take Shelter”), so I’m looking forward to his take on this. (It screened at the Telluride Film Festival in 2023, but Hollywood strikes delayed its release.)

Expected release: June 21.

‘Beetlejuice 2’

Why? Seems like a fair question — the 1988 original is pretty great. But director Tim Burton returns, along with Michael Keaton (love it when he does comedy), Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara; Jenna Ortega plays Ryder’s character’s daughter. Sounds about right. It may well be terrible. It certainly seems unnecessary. Given the people involved, I want to see it anyway.

Expected release: Sept. 6.

‘Nosferatu’

Robert Eggers (“The Witch,” “The Lighthouse”) takes on the story of Count Orlok, played by Bill Skarsgård, everyone’s favorite evil villain. Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Nicholas Hoult also star. Definitely check out the 1922 version, an unauthorized version of “Dracula” (thus the Count’s name change). It’s an absolute classic. Will this one be? With Eggers directing, it’s got a shot.

Expected release: Dec. 25.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New movies in 2024: 10 I can't wait to watch and why