10 movies our critic says you can’t miss this spring, including the return of Ryan Gosling

But this year is different: the movies of spring 2024 are more than placeholders. Many films are emerging with new release dates following last year’s epic strikes by actors and writers. 

Here are the 10-plus films I’m most excited about, some of which I’ve already seen. 

1. Sasquatch Sunset (April 19)

Easily the weirdest film at Sundance 2024, occasioning both applause and walkouts. David and Nathan Zellner exceed the strangeness of “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” their 2014 riff on Coen Bros. lore, with this wordless satire of 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 generally act like the rude feral creatures they are. Is there a more potent way of getting back to nature than sniffing a skunk?

2. Humane (April 26)

The Cronenberg dynasty continues. Following the cinematic trail blazed by her father, 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 — played by Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Sebastian Chacon and Alanna Bale — to a surprise dinner to announce his civic intentions. What could possibly go wrong with such a noble gesture, especially with smiling facilitator Bob (Enrico Colantoni) on hand? Is it suicide or is it “Succession?”

3. 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.

4. 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 supporting cast that includes Eddie Marsan (“Fair Play”), Lesley Manville (“Phantom Thread”) and Jack O’Connell (“Ferrari”), plus a promising screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh (“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool”), also help make this musical movie 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, just as his fourth film, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” did in 2015. “Furiosa” prequels “Fury Road,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the younger version of Charlize Theron’s scrapper from that earlier film. Taylor-Joy knows how to play rough in a violent world; her sorceress character in Robert Eggers’ Viking thriller “The Northman” defied skeptics. In “Furiosa,” she 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. Expect a confrontation with Immortan Joe, the water-hoarding villain from “Fury Road.” Drivers, start your engines and prepare to kick up some dust.

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 cat-loving and Honda Civic-driving New Orleans 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.” I saw this at TIFF 2023 and can’t wait to see it again.

Inside Out 2 (June 14)

Do you miss the days when the Pixar label guaranteed quality animation? I sure do; it’s been more miss than hit in recent years for the ’toon titan. But This sequel to the 2015 tour inside a young girl’s noggin looks like a potential return to greatness. 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. Stone is joined by her fellow “Poor Things” alumni Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, along with Joe Alwyn (“The Favourite”), Jesse Plemons, Hunter Schafer and Hong Chau. Lanthimos co-wrote the screenplay with his favourite writing partner, Efthimis Filippou, with whom he penned “Dogtooth,” “Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “Alps” and Oscar-nominated “The Lobster.”

“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 in Josh Margolin’s debut feature, which premiered at Sundance. 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. There’s much love and humour in this most unlikely of action movies.

“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, and the trailer makes it look absolutely terrifying. It’s set largely in Brooklyn, NYC, a noisy shift from the relatively quiet rural settings of the previous films. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o joins a mostly new cast (we do get the back story of Djimon Hounsou’s character from “A Quiet Place 2”) in a world that continues to expand and fascinate. It’s directed by Michael Sarnoski, who made “Pig,” the best Nicolas Cage movie in years. My hopes are high and my lips are sealed.

Correction - April 15, 2024

This article was edited from a previous version that misstated the name of the film, “Sasquatch Sunset.”