Patrice Witherspoon

Thankfully, Covino and Martin never insult our intelligence by over-explanatory dialogue and lectures. Instead, this talented writing duo focuses on what audiences want: human desire and the wild things we’ll do for connection.

This story of civic injustice isn’t just a great achievement by the director. It’s a cautionary tale about the repetition of tragic moments in history.

What makes Dossier 137 a fascinating watch is being able to observe a singular character battle all the complexities of morality when it comes to justice, truth, and conflict of interest. Moll doesn’t write Stéphanie with the intent of letting her take the easy way out, which creates some exceptional character study moments.

The Chronology of Water is a boisterous spectacle of the female experience directed with pure love and sincerity.

As a testament to its strong script, Basir’s latest tackles various themes related to addiction, religion, and even manhood. And in its methodical approach towards addressing mental health, To Live and Die and Live defies and exceeds emotional expectations.

A fascinating character study that shows us the dangers of finding fulfillment in all the wrong places.

For a directorial debut, Shanks hits it out of the park with his delightfully squirm-worthy horror comedy.

It may not incite fear in a classical sense, but it haunts us at every minute of its runtime. Gorgeous cinematography and an exceptional score elevate this tale of obsessive torment. Sure, we’re in a time when remakes are becoming more of an annoyance than anything, but with a final product like Nosferatu, it almost seems silly to care about these things.

The Piano Lesson captures the importance of honoring our ancestors through legacy.

Bring Them Down is 105 minutes worth of violence and misery, but it’s great storytelling, nonetheless.

Thanks to a stunning lead performance from Jean-Baptiste and an ending that doesn’t take the easy way out, it is a must-watch.

It isn’t just stellar filmmaking, it’s necessary viewing for those of us aching to break the cycle of abuse.

Costner and company know the importance of visual and sonic storytelling. In this film, the score, landscapes, and set pieces guide the stories along when the dialogue is limited, helping us to connect to the overall experience emotionally.

An obvious inspiration pulled from experiencing losing his wife Carolyn to cancer, Cronenberg delivers a subdued horror film on grief, which feels unlike any of his previous works.

While dissecting the world’s ridiculous beauty ideals, Fargeat directs her sensational feat with pungent audacity, fearless humor, and dysmorphic body horror.

Anora is a lovable tale of rags to riches that comes exploding with chaos, hilarity, raunchiness, and a stupendous performance from Mikey Madison.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness is a melting pot of anthology narratives that callously spotlight our desperation for affection and acceptance.

Megalopolis isn't just a transcendental delight for the senses, it's a manifestation of Coppola's dreams for humanity and his dedication to cinema.

A roaring achievement for the first-time feature director, In Flames is an intensely vivid tale of survival. Khan’s humanistic approach towards understanding marginalized women is hauntingly beautiful.

The First Omen contains the scary elements from the classics and creative upgrades, resulting in a hit for the horror genre and The Omen franchise.

Ultimately, Exhibiting Forgiveness is a movie that spoke to me on a deep level. It’s the type of transcendent experience that could make you confront your own demons and familial traumas you may not even have known existed.

Thanks to phenomenal camera work and partnership with cinematographer Alejandro Mejía, In the Summers is elevated by an impressive experience both emotionally and visually.

As ambitious or complicated as the script may get, the film is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, entertaining the idea of horror tropes but structuring the story with clever twists and thrills that defy the genre.

Your Monster is a magical movie experience you do not want to miss. A nice blend of levity and drama, Lindy’s debut assertively makes its mark on the genre.

Without relying on cheap jump scares, Soderbergh’s psychological horror thriller is a shattering mystery about instinct that will chill you.

The film is endearingly sweet, smart, and funny.

The Color Purple is a resounding success with respect to quality and entertainment. From its messaging about sisterhood and self-love to its stunning filmmaking achievements, it’s a film that's easily enjoyed on the big screen. While the entire cast brings their A-game, Barrino, Henson, and Brooks steal the show with Oscar-worthy performances.

The film's final 30 minutes is simply phenomenal filmmaking, emphasizing Yamazaki’s ability to bring quality back to the franchise and showcase a stunning achievement of human storytelling.

A holiday film full of creativity, family, and fun, Hudlin’s Candy Cane Lane is a Christmas gift worth watching. Led by a talented leading duo, this adventure could be your next guilty pleasure.

Ultimately, this story, likely unfamiliar to the masses, conveys the hidden history behind Miranda Rights with conviction and great storytelling.

A satisfying David vs. Goliath tale of justice, The Burial is the type of film you’d watch for the history lesson, stay for the entertainment, and return to see a wonderful cast let loose in all the best ways imaginable.

Dumb Money is a crowd-pleasing story with great performances and a script that keeps it simple.

Perhaps one of the most provocative and strongest satires in recent memory, American Fiction contains wickedly smart writing, superb performances, and messaging so in-your-face that it could almost be easy to miss.

An appropriate mix of levity and devastation, Sitting in Bars with Cake is a heartwarming journey about endless support, friendship, and appreciating life.

Anatomy of a Fall is as addicting as any true-crime story, and as riveting as some of the best murder mysteries thanks to a team effort in front of and behind the camera.

While Cohen’s latest doesn’t break any genre barriers, this coming-of-age story dissects and visualizes female friendships with grounded realism, welcoming us into its world while leaving room for us to picture ourselves in it.

A fun film for all ages, Haunted Mansion may be the remake you never knew you needed. The feature is full of great laughs and some age-appropriate scares that will keep viewers of all types glued to the screen. While heavy on cheese and silliness, screenwriter Katie Dippold is never afraid to discuss an important topic like grief through her characters. It brings a realistic element to the film and balances out some of the fantastical elements. Haunted Mansion may not break any barriers when it comes to storytelling, but thanks to a dedicated cast and their commitment to their characters’ vivid personalities, you can’t help but smile throughout.

The themes in The Miracle Club may be as old as time, but it beautifully celebrates the idea that friendship and compassion can be healing.

Shannon and Neveu’s compassionate display of understanding different perspectives when it comes to something as tragic as a school shooting is simply beautiful storytelling.

Luckily, it’s as entertaining as it is insightful, using humorous undertones to highlight the dangerous personalities of those who offend. And thanks to that eccentric and campy score to match the tone of the story, Haynes’ latest has all the elements needed to confuse us as much as it entertains and educates, which takes us on a fascinating watching experience.

Warwick Thornton’s feature tests faith and humanity in a way that will leave a lasting impression. It’s the kind of film that requires no stance from us, yet is fully capable of opening hearts and minds from a place of empathy and understanding.

Sure, the script takes wild liberties that bear no resemblance to historical accuracies, but with Vikander and Law leading this wonderful ensemble, it’s a rather welcomed addition that will keep your eyes glued to the screen from start to finish.

Riddled with uncomfortable dialogue, audacious sequences, and a piercing score, Club Zero has all the ingredients to become a future cult classic. It’s for a great reason, too. The film contains a terrifying yet wonderful performance from Wasikowska, it includes brilliant commentary on the dangers of following blindly, and it provides great entertainment.

The exceptional camera work by Kore-eda and tender script from Yuji Sakamoto is a near-perfect pairing. Together, this dynamic duo created a great film that enabled the cast to put every ounce of emotion into their performances.

It’s a simple story about the power of pure determination and will, and it’s certain to leave you fully captivated from the minute lead actor Jorma Tommila appears onscreen.

Full of action sequences and an incredibly moving score to pair, this could be the kind of war drama that audiences have been missing. It’s heavy on the violence and anti-war messaging, and contains a beautiful story about survival, humanity, and doing the right thing even when there are countless obstacles in the way.

Thankfully, Craig captures the magic that so many have fallen in love with over the decades. The story explores the uncertainties of religion, sex education, and girlhood with incredible sincerity and without judgment of any option. What's more, it beautifully reveals the side to humanity that society often tries to hide with these concepts — but does so with genuineness and care.

The stellar cast, in particular, is reason enough to run to the theater to see Air.

Packed with great technical achievements and sequences that will keep viewers on the edges of their seats, John Wick: Chapter 4 is, without a doubt, a great time at the movies.

Though Baylin & Coogler’s script gives just enough to not be forgettable, Jordan’s direction seals the deal and provides fulfilling entertainment.

Cocaine Bear is exactly what one would imagine from its title, yet the carnage and shocking scenes yield an experience that soars beyond expectations.

It doesn’t nail everything it set out to accomplish, but A Thousand and One is a breathtaking character study of perseverance in Black motherhood.

Barthes’ thought-provoking script is backed by phenomenal performances from Clark and Ejiofor. And despite its longer-than-needed runtime, the feature is sure to keep audiences entertained from start to finish.

Allen-Miller’s inventive feature debut suspends everything one may know about moving on too soon and getting over heartbreak. The creative world she conjures is vibrant and entertaining, leading to an experience that is humorous and immersive.

Even in the most discomforting moments, director Parmet finds a way to delicately balance morally complex issues. The Starling Girl, even with its unsettling themes about abuse, is a triumphant effort about finding love within.

This isn’t a film that relies on gimmicks and shock value. Instead, first-time feature directors Johnson and Merrick masterfully craft a story that relies on social media and technology to the benefit of the script. And thanks to a well-framed story and clever structure, everything comes together by the film’s end, revealing the answers from clues that just may have been there the entire time.

Thanks to the intriguing nature of the titular character’s existence, audiences everywhere can expect a thrilling horror feature that capitalizes on the charm and acting of its leads, campy sequences, and fun uses of music. This is the type of film enjoyed best with a crowd.

This breathtaking, funny, and heartwarming tale is creativity and sincere storytelling at its finest.

Though it tends to overstay its welcome, She Said takes its time sharing the experiences of women in a way that leaves enough impact to make one want to stand up to the systematic mistreatment of women in their own workplace.

Thanks to the cast and crew, this flamboyant tale of lavishness works on almost every level. At the heart of Pretty Problems lies a story about appreciating what you have and not relying on the compliments of strangers to influence your self-worth.

In the end, Goodnight Mommy contains a great balance of intrigue, shock, and entertainment. The film also captures the need for a mother’s love and truly thrives when it settles into the more intricate and intimate part of its storytelling. The cast does an incredible job conveying these underlying themes in addition to leaving enough open for audiences to interpret and figure out on their own.

That familiar question of “am I a good person?” will linger with viewers just as it does the characters, making it a fascinating watching experience as much as it is a good time.

In End of the Road, Shelton transforms an already compelling script into one about family, motherhood, and survival. And it is nothing short of entertaining and refreshing.

Speak No Evil shows viewers the dangers of not speaking up about discomforts for the sake of politeness, and it’s horrifyingly twisted.

It’s unapologetic with showcasing the intricacies of girlhood, and it’s a joy to experience and witness sexuality, queerness, and female friendship in its honest totality — free of judgement and restraint.

With stuntman J.J. Perry behind the camera, Day Shift is a killer upgrade to vampire lore and a damn good time.

While not breaking any molds or revealing a side to addiction that many films haven’t before, Stay Awake tastefully captures how devastating it can be for family members.

Ultimately, Father Stu is unlike any other faith-based film I’ve seen. It’s raw, honest, and uplifting without tapping into preachy territory, which ultimately makes it effortlessly uplifting.

Some pacing issues result in a feature that feels a bit uneven, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained throughout all the craziness.