From Blockbusters to Indies: Revisiting My June 2024 Movie Ranking

With June at an end, I wanted to share my thoughts on the June new releases that I saw. June was a bit of a packed month with the last week of the month releasing four movies I wanted to see. I managed to see nine movies this month. A lot of the movies were pretty solid but there were a few that just didn't do it for me. Hopefully, the rest of the year continues on the level that the last two months have had. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the nine new releases that I saw.

9. A Family Affair

A Family Affair is probably the worst movie I watched this month. This is a Netflix film that follows Zara, an aspiring film producer who deals with an unexpected romance between her mother and her boss. This movie is just another one of those flashy Netflix films with some big-name actors that turns out to not be very good. On the positive side, I did enjoy the whole dynamic between Joey King and Zac Effron. I thought that they had better chemistry than Zac Effron and Nicole Kidman. There were also a few moments that made me laugh. However, beyond that, there wasn't a lot for me to enjoy. I found all of the characters to be incredibly selfish and unlikable. Even towards the end, one person's selfishness wins out over another. The movie also had a hard time deciding who to focus on as the main character and what issues they should work through. I also thought Zac Effron and Nicole Kidman were not all that great together. There wasn't a lot of chemistry going on there. In the end, this movie ends up being another generic Netflix film that gets a bunch of money thrown at it and ends up pretty mediocre.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

8. The Watchers

The Watchers is the directorial debut of Ishana Shyamalan, the daughter of the famous director M. N Shyamalan. The Watchers follows a young woman as she gets stranded in a forest with four strangers. They soon learn that they are being watched by a mysterious creature and must figure out how to work together and escape. I find this movie to be a bit disappointing. For some positives, I thought the first 45 minutes of the movie worked rather well. It does a great job of setting up this premise, establishes the rules of the area, and provides a sense of mystery as to what is holding these people here. The movie does a great job of building tension and mystery with several effective moments causing you to stress about whether they will make it back safely. The second half is where this movie really loses steam for me. I didn't find any of the reveals all that satisfying nor did they really make a ton of sense. I also felt that the final 15-20 minutes felt a bit tacked on. The initial conflict of the movie is resolved but then it just keeps going long after its natural ending. I think it could have ended in a more natural place and been a brisk 90-minute thriller and been a lot better. Finally, I found all of the characters to be very poorly written. None of them are given any real defining character traits and just come across as very bland. Overall, while I did find the premise and setup to be very intriguing, the payoff and execution left much to be desired.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

7. Kinds of Kindness

Kinds of Kindness is another film this year that I appreciated the craft more than I enjoyed the movie. Kinds of Kindness is from the director of the Oscar winner Poor Things and is essential three short stories in a single film. As individual shorts, I thought they were very well done. The first two films are both incredibly interesting thrillers that leave you tense and wondering what is going on. Jesse Plemons is the standout in these two shorts. He just does a great job of playing these semi-creepy characters. I have seen him in quite a lot recently and this movie shows how great of an actor he really is. The third short centers around Emma Stone and was just a bit too weird for my liking. I thought all of the actors in the three shorts were very good, aside from Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley gave consistently great performances. What irritated me about this film was the lack of cohesion between the stories. There is no narrative connection, theme, or any other link other than the actors between the films. It just seemed like Yorgos Lanthimos had three different ideas for a movie, and couldn't decide which one to do, so he picked all three. I also got annoyed with the lack of explanations throughout the stories. There are a lot of mysterious aspects about the films and characters that never get resolved or explained. A lot of other people find this artistic and different, I just find it lazy. Any one of these ideas could have worked as a feature-length film but instead, we got three shorter unresolved stories. I am starting to feel that Yorgos Lanthimos is too weird of a director for me.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

6. The Bikeriders

The Bikeriders is another movie I found to be a bit disappointing. I can appreciate that this movie is quite well made, but I just didn't get a lot of enjoyment out of it. The performances of the main characters are some of the best parts of the movie. Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Jodie Comer all dive so deep into their roles. They do a great job of each showing a different relationship with the biker club and their reaction to the club's gradual transformation. I also thought that the movie did a great job of setting up the basis of the motorcycle club and establishing the rules and moral code of its early members. They are not exactly good people but they still have a moral line that they won't cross. Finally, I thought the movie did a great job of showing the club's gradual transformation from a motorcycle club for outsiders to a criminal gang of drug runners. While there are a lot of positive aspects, I just didn't enjoy the film all that much from an entertainment side. I felt that the movie runs a bit slow at times mostly due to the storytelling style. I also thought that Austin Butler was a bit underutilized. The movie made him out to be the main character but in reality, he is more of a supporting role. The movie also feels a bit longer than it actually is. It comes in under 2 hours but it feels much longer than that. In the end, while I can appreciate what it was going for, I don't think this movie was really for me and I probably won't find myself watching it again.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

Click Here to read my full review of this movie.

5. Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter One

Horizon: An American Saga is just a good old-fashioned cowboy movie. As the name indicated, this movie is part one of a four-part saga about a group of characters learning to make their way living in the western territories of pre and post-Civil War USA. I had a fun enough time with this movie. It is a sweeping epic telling multiple stories across the American West which I assume will combine together in a future film. Kevin Costner knows how to make these traditional Westerns. It doesn't bring anything new to the genre but just delivers a typical Western that fans of the genre will enjoy. I thought all of the characters were interesting with each having a well-established goal and compelling storyline. It is important to know that this is part one of a story so no plotlines are resolved. This movie is essentially just setting up all of its characters for future films. This is the type of movie my Grandpa would have enjoyed, just a simple cowboy story without much depth or complicated ideas. The biggest issue I had with the film was that it should have been a TV show. It has been written as a four-part story with all these different stories which would make much more sense as a TV show in an episodic format. Additionally, Kevin Costner spent millions of his own money to get this movie and there is no way any of these movies are going to be profitable which is just another point why it should have been a TV show. Overall, this is a solid Western movie that is well made and well written but, because of the intentions of it, should have really been a TV show.

Score:8/10 Grade: B+

4. Bad Boys Ride or Die

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the newest film in the Bad Boys franchise and continues the highs of Bad Boys for Life. Just like with Bad Boys for Life, this movie has a much more personal conflict where the villain is connected to someone in Mike and Marcus's life. This movie also makes a lot of unique style choices with the action. The action sequences are all very exciting and great but the shooting style just adds an extra level and makes you feel more engaged in what is happening. This movie also does a great job of giving every character some moment to shine. There is a scene in the middle of the film where the least expected character gets this super cool action sequence and is easily the best part of the movie. I also liked how the movie connected to the rest of the films in the franchise, especially the third film. Finally, I like how the movie has both Mike and Marcus go throw a life-changing event and has them have to cope with that during their mission. The biggest issue is that the film tries to be too goofy at times. It makes Marcus a bit too goofy of a character and also treats the issues that Mike and Marcus are going through as a bit of a joke. Beyond that, this is a very good film. Overall, this is a solid addition to the franchise and is proof that the franchise is on a hot streak.

Grade: 8/10 Grade: B+

Click Here to read my full review of this movie.

3. A Quiet Place: Day One

While A Quiet Place: Day One is the weakest in the series. It is still a very solid horror film. This movie does a great of taking what worked with the other films and bringing it to a new setting. We get to see all of these people in NYC experience this alien invasion and must figure out how to survive. While the movie is about this alien invasion, at its core it is about this hospice cancer patient learning to survive and enjoying the last moments of her life. The Lupita Nyong character goes through a pretty solid arc and by the end of the movie learns to accept her fate and just enjoy the last moments that she has. I also liked how the movie was set in a large city. This brings in so many different elements that the original films couldn't do being out in the country. The movie also does a great job of building out the world. We get to see a bit more of how the aliens interact with each other as well as the government's initial plan to stop the invasion. The main thing about keeping this from being higher is that it just didn't have the emotional weight of the other two films. I also thought that the Eric character didn't add much to the story. He was there more to help Sam on her journey and not really on a character arc on his own.

In the end, this is another great addition to the franchise and proves that the series is still going strong.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

Click Here to read my full review of this movie.

2. Inside Out 2

Inside Out 2 is probably the best movie Pixar has put out in a while. This movie brings the natural next step in the story of Riley's emotions. Anxiety makes so much sense to be the newest emotion in Riley's head and the movie perfectly portrays the emotion along with the struggles and help that goes with it. Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui are also great additions as they are all natural emotions that a teenager would experience. I also like how the 5 original emotions still get a lot of time to shine. Each one gets their own little moment with Anger, Disgust, and Fear getting a lot more screen time outside of headquarters. This movie just does a really great job of explaining all of these complex emotions in a clear way that anyone could understand. Finally, I like how this movie places a lot more focus on Riley as a person. You feel the dread and sadness when she makes poor choices and really wants her to succeed and make the right choices when it comes to her friends. The only thing holding this film back is that I felt that it was a little bit too complex for kids. Older kids and adults will be able to connect with it but I think this will be a bit too complicated for little kids. Overall, this is a great Pixar that takes the perfect next step in telling the story about these emotions.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

Click Here to read my full review of this movie.

1. Hit Man

Hit Man was one of the movies I was looking forward to the most this month. I had heard a lot of good things about it and was very happy with how it turned out. Easily the best part of this movie was Glen Powel in the lead role. He does such a great job going all in with all of these different personalities and switching between the different characters so well. The story itself is very interesting and I thought it was so cool that it was at least somewhat based on a true story. The movie does a great job of balancing both the romantic and comedy and manages to not be a traditional rom-com. This movie also absolutely nails the tone. It has a bit of a lighter tone with some funny moments without being super campy and also manages to have serious and romantic moments when it needs to. The movie also does a great job of paying off dialogue and character arcs established earlier in the film. The way that Gary's character transforms throughout the movie is so gradual yet so well done. Finally, I liked how streamlined the story was. It doesn't get too bogged down with any subplots or complicated twists. It just wins audiences over with its simple story, witty dialogue, and fun characters. In the end, this was a very fun movie that was the best I saw this month and probably will make my top 10 of the year.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A

Click Here to read my full review of this movie.