5 Movies That Will Make You Feel Old in March 2024

The Oscars are just around the corner, and as we celebrate the fantastic films that graced our screens in 2023, it’s also nice to look back at old favourites. Here are 5 movies celebrating their movie anniversaries in March 2024; be warned though, reading this list will make you feel your age acutely.

 

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) | 10th Anniversary

Release Date: March 7th, 2014 (United States)

Yes, you’re reading that right, it has been 10 years since the release of Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel. Is it hyperbole to say that this film is Anderson’s most universally beloved film? It was a rave at the Oscars, earning 9 nominations and winning the Oscars for Costume Design, Original Score, Makeup and Hairstyling and Production Design.

The film follows a lobby boy named Zero (Tony Revolori) as he starts his life working at the Grand Budapest Hotel. Zero becomes the friend and protege of the eccentric Monsieur M Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), the hotel’s concierge. When one of Gustave’s lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the chief suspect in her murder, as well as the new owner of a priceless painting.

Anderson’s films are known for their quirky tone and his signature brand of humour, but I do think this movie is truly one of his most outright funny films. Fiennes is in fine form, and the film is just a joyous, fun time.

 

2. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)| 30th Anniversary

Release Date: March 11th, 1994 (United States)

It’s been ages since we’ve seen Hugh Grant in a rom-com, and it all started with Four Weddings and a Funeral. This film put him on the map, and led to a series of films where he played the romantic leading man. It also has one of the most devastating eulogy scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie.

Charles (Grant) and his group of friends seem to be unlucky in love. When Charles meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding, he thinks his luck may have changed. After one magical night together, their romance is short-lived when Carried returns to the States. As Charles and Carrie’s paths continue to cross – over the course of a handful of weddings and 1 funeral (hence the title) – Charles feels like fate is bringing them together, even though their timing has never been good.

I will never say no to a Richard Curtis movie (he wrote the screenplay for the film), so if you’ve enjoyed movies like About Time and Notting Hill, then this movie should be right up your wheelhouse.

 

3. Dawn of the Dead (2004) | 20th Anniversary

Release Date: March 19th, 2004

Dawn of the Dead is the movie that put Zack Snyder on the map. Whatever your perspective of Snyder’s filmmaking skills, his remake of George Romero’s horror classic is pretty darn good. That opening scene alone is fantastic and one of the best opening moments in a zombie movie.

The idyllic, peaceful image of a couple sleeping is immediately subverted with the introduction of a zombie child, who immediately rips out the throat of the man, and we see our main character Ana (Sarah Polley) react instinctively as she tries to preserve her own life. She manages to escape, only to realize her entire neighborhood has been overrun by the walking dead. After being questioned by policeman Kenneth (Ving Rhames), Ana joins him and a small group that head towards the local shopping mall.

It’s a rare thing for a remake to succeed on its own terms, but that’s what we have here with Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead.

 

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) | 20th Anniversary

Release Date: March 19th, 2004

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those rare films where all the parts came together to create movie magic. We have Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry’s excellent script, Gondry’s assured direction, as well as the talents of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in the leading roles. It is one of those films that honestly feels life-changing – there’s life before Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and then there’s life after.

After a painful breakup, Clementine (Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her former boyfriend Joel (Carrey) from her mind. When Joel discovers that Clementine is going to extremes to forget their relationship, he undergoes the same procedure and slowly begins to forget the woman that he loved. But as he re-experiences the passionate moments of the early days of their relationship, he falls in love with her all over again.

If you have ever experienced heartbreak, you will know how tempting it is to desire complete erasure, so you don’t have to hurt anymore. But what happens when you do? If we are the sum of our relationships, will the erasure of one change our lives for the better, or will it make things worse?

If you’ve never seen the movie, now’s the perfect time to do so.

 

5. The Matrix (1999) | 25th Anniversary

Release Date: March 24th, 1999

Keanu Reeves might seem immortal and ageless, but unfortunately, the rest of us aren’t. The Matrix was released in the last of the 90s, and it has now been 25 years since its release. It’s wild that we even got a new Matrix movie 3 years ago.

I’m pretty sure that most of us would have watched The Matrix at least once, and if you haven’t, well, there’s no time like the present. Neo (Reeves) is contacted by Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), a beautiful stranger who leads him to the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). Morpheus offers him a choice – to keep things as they are, or to find out the truth about the matrix. Neo chooses the red pill, and becomes aware of the oppressive, parasitic nature of the matrix.

They find themselves up against secret agents led by the formidable Agent Smith, and Neo will need to overcome the barriers within himself to finally realise his destiny.

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