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Travis Kelce , Makes First Onstage Appearance With, Taylor Swift. On June 23, at the fourth of eight London Eras Tour shows, Taylor Swift brought her all-star boyfriend, Travis Kelce, on stage for the first time. On June 23, at the fourth of eight London Eras Tour shows, Taylor Swift brought…
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s on-field embrace at the Super Bowl earlier this year looked like the stuff of rom-com magic. And now, it’s becoming just that.
Well … sort of.
The Hallmark Channel, along with the NFL, Skydance Sports and the Kansas City Chiefs — otherwise known as the team Kelce plays football for — announced Tuesday that they’ve joined forces to produce an upcoming holiday movie titled “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” which is set to start production next month.
Travis Kelce kisses Taylor Swift on the field at Arrowhead Stadium after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Fransisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl.
“Holiday Touchdown” follows Alana Higman (Hunter King), who “is sure that her family’s lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team’s ‘Fan of the Year’ contest,” according to a news release. The team’s director of fan engagement, Derrick (Tyler Hynes), is tasked with evaluating how Alana’s family measures up, and “as the pair spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them.”
According to the release, the movie will honor the Chiefs’ hometown by filming entirely in Kansas City, including at the team’s home turf GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Romance took center stage at many Chiefs games last year, with Swift and Kelce becoming romantically linked in September and the pop megastar being seen in attendance at several games to support the Super Bowl champ, who serves as the team’s star tight end.
Their relationship has since become a public spectacle as the couple are frequently seen at each other’s events. Most recently, Kelce made his onstage debut at Swift’s concert in London on Sunday, just one day after the pair went “Instagram official.”
While the plot of “Holiday Touchdown” isn’t exactly based on Kelce and Swift’s ongoing romance, it seems fair to presume that this Hallmark movie perhaps was inspired by it — especially given the Chiefs’ involvement.
The announcement does not specify whether Swift and Kelce are directly involved in the project or gave it their blessing, but CNN has reached out to representatives of each for comment.
Christmas can’t come quickly enough this year it would seem, with “Holiday Touchdown” sounding like a perfect tribute to so-called “Chiefties” everywhere.
The year may have just gotten started, but 2024 is already looking to be an exciting year in film if the following list is any indication.
As a result of the monthslong Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes last year, industry experts, like those at Deadline, are expecting to see a huge drop in the number of major films set to premiere by the end of the year. Although last year saw 124 wide releases, 2024 expects to see just over 100, which will equate to a roughly $1 billion drop in domestic ticket sales.
That said, we’ll still be getting a fair number of blockbusters over the course of the year, with titles like “Madame Web,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and “Gladiator 2” all poised to hit theaters this year. Those are just a taste of the movies expecting a theatrical release in 2024.
In the first two months of the year, however, we’ve already seen a number of truly wonderful films hit the big screen—stories that help audiences see the past and their lives just a little differently.
Stacker looked at Metacritic data on the best films of 2024 so far and ranked the top five. Ordered by Metascore, the films had to have been released in the U.S. in 2024 and have at least seven reviews from critics in order to qualify for this list. IMDb user ratings were provided for popular reception context.
Read on to find some new titles to add to your queue and then come back throughout the year as the list, and this year in memorable cinema, grows exponentially.
– Director: Felipe Gálvez Haberle
– Metascore: 80
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 97 minutes
Felipe Gálvez Haberle’s feature directorial debut, “The Settlers,” is a revisionist Western that follows three horsemen who find themselves mixed up in the South American land grab and the genocide of the Selk’nam people at the beginning of the 20th century.
Premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the film didn’t get a widespread release until early this year, but critical reviews have been overwhelmingly positive since its debut. Writing for Observer, one critic called it “a brutal, chilling indictment of capitalist colonialism,” while IndieWire wrote that “it’s one of the most chilling art-Westerns to come along in some time, as provocative for its ideas, dialogue, and characterizations, as for the beauty of its empty landscapes.”
– Director: Amjad Al Rasheed
– Metascore: 83
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 113 minutes
Wrestling with the devastating effects of Jordan’s patriarchal inheritance laws, “Inshallah a Boy” is a thriller about a woman who pretends to be pregnant with a son in order to save herself and her young daughter. The film was the first Jordanian project to ever compete at Cannes, and what a stunning debut it was. The New York Times praised the performance of Mouna Hawa (a Palestinian actor), calling it “commanding,” and Variety applauded Al Rasheed’s prowess in casting a social-realist drama as a riveting escape thriller.
– Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Run time: 93 minutes
In this documentary, filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits his life in Brazil, recalling its glory days through the prism of the various cinemas he frequented as a child. The New York Times praised the film, which combines both new and archived footage, for the way it inspires a “rumination on life, death, family, movies, and those complicated, invariably haunted places we call home.” Meanwhile, IndieWire loved the film best for its celebratory spirit, noting that Filho is able to give the film “a joyful rhythm, full of hope and wonder.”
– Director: Lila Avilés
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 95 minutes
The National Board of Review named “Totem” one of the best international films of the year, which is as winning of an endorsement as one could hope to receive. The Mexican project follows a 7-year-old girl as she celebrates her father’s birthday and struggles to come to terms with the fact that it will likely be his last. Variety called the movie “lifelike and lived-in” and commended filmmaker Lila Avilés’ “generous, open-ended” style.
– Director: Thien An Pham
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 6.7
– Run time: 179 minutes
Straddling the line between surrealism and realism, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” follows a young Vietnamese man as he navigates the unexpected loss of a family member and grapples with larger questions of faith, god, and the afterlife. Director Thien An Pham’s feature debut, the movie won the Camera d’Or (the award given to the best debut feature film) at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Outlets like IndieWire have gushed over the project’s unique cinematic style (there are long, uninterrupted shots that run for up to 20 minutes at a time), which has already earned praise from critics internationally.
Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
– Director: Molly Manning Walker
– Metascore: 79
– IMDb user rating: 6.5
– Run time: 91 minutes
First premiering at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard competition, “How to Have Sex” follows three young women as they embark on their first real adult vacation. RogerEbert.com called the movie, which is Molly Manning Walker’s feature directorial debut, “a blisteringly real survey of female coming of age.” The visuals here are arguably among the year’s best, which is perhaps not all that surprising considering Walker’s background as a cinematographer.
– Director: Denis Villeneuve
– Metascore: 79
– IMDb user rating: 8.6
– Run time: 166 minutes
The follow-up to the 2021 smash-hit adaptation of the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel, “Dune: Part Two” continues the story of Paul Atreides and the Fremen people as they wage war against the cruel House Harkonnen. The commercially successful film has a massive, all-star cast that includes actors like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Josh Brolin. Critics, like those at Slate, have sung the movie’s praises, celebrating everything from its complex, attention-grabbing plot to its jaw-dropping special effects to its cinematography and score.
– Director: Matteo Garrone
– Metascore: 79
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Run time: 121 minutes
Inspired by the real stories of migrants’ journeys to Europe through Africa, “Io Capitano” tells the story of two young men who leave their native Dakar in search of a better life in Italy. Nominated for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Oscars, the movie’s cast comprises mostly unknown actors, which lends an even more raw and real tone to the story. Audiences should note that the film is a hard watch—heavy topics like abuse and slavery are tackled—but, as Observer notes, it’s important in that it keeps the reality of this international crisis at the forefront of conversations.
– Director: Mike Cheslik
– Metascore: 80
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Run time: 108 minutes
One of the most unique comedies of the last few years, “Hundreds of Beavers” is a black-and-white, slapstick gem about an enterprising woodsman who finds himself facing off against a slew of forest creatures for control of his homestead. With little to no dialogue, a wild soundtrack, and a cast of human actors in mascot-style animal costumes, it’s safe to assume you’ve never seen anything like this ever before. Critics and audiences alike love the way the film pays homage to the cartoons of yesteryear (think “Looney Tunes”) and how genuinely funny the physical humor actually is.
– Director: Felipe Gálvez Haberle
– Metascore: 80
– IMDb user rating: 7
– Run time: 97 minutes
Felipe Gálvez Haberle’s feature directorial debut, “The Settlers,” is a revisionist Western that follows three horsemen who find themselves mixed up in the South American land grab and the genocide of the Selk’nam people at the beginning of the 20th century.
Premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the film didn’t get a widespread release until early this year, but critical reviews have been overwhelmingly positive since its debut. Writing for Observer, one critic called it “a brutal, chilling indictment of capitalist colonialism,” while IndieWire wrote that “it’s one of the most chilling art-Westerns to come along in some time, as provocative for its ideas, dialogue, and characterizations, as for the beauty of its empty landscapes.”
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– Director: Bertrand Bonello
– Metascore: 80
– IMDb user rating: 6.8
– Run time: 146 minutes
Loosely based on a Henry James short story titled “The Beast in the Jungle,” “The Beast” is essentially about how humanity’s pursuit of authenticity is often thwarted by roadblocks of its own making. A bizarre sci-fi and horror mashup, the film is set across three distinct time periods (1910, 2014, and 2044) and follows one woman as she attempts to rid herself of all emotion and the ripple effect that has on all of her past lives. Unsettling and thought-provoking, the movie certainly isn’t a mindless watch, but it is an important one.
– Director: Goran Stolevski
– Metascore: 80
– IMDb user rating: 7
– Run time: 107 minutes
Set in North Macedonia, “Housekeeping for Beginners” follows one woman as she does her best to raise her deceased girlfriend’s two daughters despite never wanting to be a mother herself. Full of found family and LGBTQ+ themes, the movie is deeply emotional and raw, feelings that are compounded by the fact that director Goran Stolevski allowed the actors (many of whom made their big-screen debut here) to improvise large sections of the finished product.
– Director: Alex Schaad
– Metascore: 81
– IMDb user rating: 6.2
– Run time: 103 minutes
“Skin Deep” is a philosophical relationship drama that follows a young couple who find themselves in a body-swapping situation during a visit to a mysterious island. The New York Times lauded the way the film handled deep questions that might arise in romantic relationships and broader society should body-swapping become an established, serious possibility. Written by brothers Alex and Dimitrij Schaad, the film first premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival and only made its way to the U.S. this year. It is also Alex’s feature-length directorial debut.
– Director: Frank Berry
– Metascore: 81
– IMDb user rating: 6.6
– Run time: 94 minutes
Set in Ireland, “Aisha” examines the complicated friendship that grows between an asylum seeker and a security guard at the accommodation center where she is living. Perhaps best known for her role in the “Black Panther” movies, Letitia Wright has been praised by outlets across the internet for the controlled anger, dignity, and quiet power she infused into the character. While the film is understated in its tone and emotional pull, it’s sure to have viewers reevaluating their thoughts on the immigrant experience around the world.
– Director: Luca Guadagnino
– Metascore: 82
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Run time: 131 minutes
Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, “Challengers” follows the tense dynamic that unfolds between a tennis coach, her player/husband who is on a losing streak, and his former best friend and rival/her former lover. Told largely through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, the movie is messy, dramatic, and very, very sexy (including a highly charged churro scene). Critics have praised the stars’ performances as well as the complex editing, which makes what could be a fairly basic story far more compelling.
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– Director: Richard Linklater
– Metascore: 82
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 115 minutes
In this Netflix original, Glen Powell (who co-wrote the screenplay) plays an undercover cop posing as a hit man who falls in love with a woman who has hired him to help kill her husband. The black comedy has garnered tons of praise for feeling like an old-school movie—one of those delightfully fun romps that’s also well-acted, sufficiently funded, and not unduly concerned with getting a message across.
– Director: Amjad Al Rasheed
– Metascore: 83
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Run time: 113 minutes
Wrestling with the devastating effects of Jordan’s patriarchal inheritance laws, “Inshallah a Boy” is a thriller about a woman who pretends to be pregnant with a son in order to save herself and her young daughter. The film was the first Jordanian project to ever compete at Cannes, and what a stunning debut it was. The New York Times praised the performance of Palestinian actor Mouna Hawa, calling it “commanding,” and Variety applauded director Al Rasheed’s prowess in casting a social-realist drama as a riveting escape thriller.
– Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
– Metascore: 83
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 106 minutes
The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 80th Venice Film Festival, “Evil Does Not Exist” is a Japanese film that follows the residents of a small village as they push back against the development of the forest they live near. Described as “sparsely written” and “unsettling in tone” by NPR, the film is far from predictable with an ending that leaves audiences with plenty to think about.
– Directors: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
– Metascore: 83
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Run time: 77 minutes
In this Iranian film, directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami follow nine individuals as they face off against different iterations of power in the Middle Eastern country. At times comedic and difficult, the stories examine the way certain codes of behavior (whether dictated by culture or religion) can often be used as a channel for more deeply held prejudices.
– Director: Annie Baker
– Metascore: 84
– IMDb user rating: 6.6
– Run time: 113 minutes
Set in the early ’90s, this drama follows a hippie mother (Julianne Nicholson) and her preteen daughter (Zoe Ziegler) over the course of one slow summer as they spend nearly all of their time together and confront changes in their relationship. The movie is the feature directorial debut of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker, who also wrote the screenplay.
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– Directors: Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta
– Metascore: 84
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 73 minutes
In this animated film, a mother sets out to make amends with her daughter by cooking her favorite meal, despite her lack of culinary knowledge and a strike that’s essentially shut down their city. The French project is playful and emotional, exploring themes like grief and memory in ways that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
– Director: Jane Schoenbrun
– Metascore: 84
– IMDb user rating: 7
– Run time: 100 minutes
Dubbed “weird and transfixing” by NPR, “I Saw the TV Glow” follows two teenagers who bond over a supernatural TV series only to have their lives go off the rails years after the show’s cancellation. Produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s company Fruit Tree, the movie stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine and is far more unsettling than the previews may have led viewers to believe.
– Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Run time: 93 minutes
In this documentary, filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits his life in Brazil, recalling its glory days through the prism of the various cinemas he frequented as a child. The New York Times praised the film, which combines both new and archived footage, for the way it inspires a “rumination on life, death, family, movies, and those complicated, invariably haunted places we call home.” Meanwhile, IndieWire hailed the documentary’s celebratory spirit, noting that Filho is able to give the film “a joyful rhythm, full of hope and wonder.”
– Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Run time: 197 minutes
This Turkish-language drama follows a teacher who finds his future threatened after a female student alleges inappropriate contact. As is the case with many of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s projects, the movie is slow and sparse, with a strong emphasis placed on still photography. The New Yorker called it “nimble, alert, and alive,” stressing that it “brims with a bitingly melancholy Chekhovian spirit,” something that’s sure to appeal to certain moviegoers.
– Director: Alice Rohrwacher
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Run time: 130 minutes
Set in the ’80s, “La Chimera” follows a lovelorn archaeologist who unwittingly finds himself the head of a ragtag gang of grave robbers, stealing artifacts and passing them on to a mysterious buyer. The Guardian called it “uproarious and celebratory” noting that its tone—and the way it teems with life—is one of the best things about it. Meanwhile, Slant loved the way it wrestles with time and its effect on all of our lives.
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– Director: Lila Avilés
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Run time: 95 minutes
The National Board of Review named “Tótem” one of the best international films of the year, which is as winning of an endorsement as one could hope to receive. The Mexican project follows a 7-year-old girl as she celebrates her father’s birthday and struggles to come to terms with the fact that it will likely be his last. Variety called the movie “lifelike and lived-in” and commended filmmaker Lila Avilés’ “generous, open-ended” style.
– Director: Neo Sora
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Run time: 103 minutes
Called “a parting gift from a master musician” by The New York Times, “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus” is the pianist’s final performance. There are no interviews or introductions in the film, it’s simply 103 minutes of the Japanese artist sitting at his piano playing some of his greatest hits. While it may not sound like the most exciting film the year has had to offer, the space it offers for contemplation is unlike anything else the big screen has ever given us.
– Director: Bas Devos
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 6.8
– Run time: 84 minutes
Dubbed “a celebration of connection” by The New York Times, Bas Devos’ “Here” follows the lives of a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese academic who studies moss. Their lives, which have almost no reason to intersect, inevitably do in the most unusual of places. The quiet film is beautifully photographed and captures a sense of connection where “nothing much and everything happens—or could,” according to the Times.
– Director: Thien An Pham
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 6.7
– Run time: 179 minutes
Straddling the line between surrealism and realism, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” follows a young Vietnamese man as he navigates the unexpected loss of a family member and grapples with larger questions of faith, god, and the afterlife. The movie won director Thien An Pham the Camera d’Or, the award given to the best debut feature, at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Outlets like IndieWire have gushed over the project’s unique cinematic style (there are long, uninterrupted shots that run for up to 20 minutes at a time), which has earned praise from critics internationally.
– Director: Radu Jude
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Run time: 163 minutes
In this black comedy, a production assistant is tasked with shooting a workplace safety video, only to find their plans upended when an interviewee makes a surprising statement. Completely unique in its form (it’s a mix of new footage; edited excerpts of another 1981 film, “Angela merge mai departe”; and the main character’s TikTok videos), Variety called the movie a “dizzying, dazzling feat of social critique, an all-fronts-at-once attack on the zeitgeist, and a mischievous, often hilarious work of art about the artifice of work.”
Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Story editing by Carren Jao and Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
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Travis Kelce , Makes First Onstage Appearance With, Taylor Swift. On June 23, at the fourth of eight London Eras Tour shows, Taylor Swift brou…
Travis Kelce kisses Taylor Swift on the field at Arrowhead Stadium after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Fransisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl.
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