Eichner and Stoller have written a film that plays to both of their strengths as storytellers, all while making one of the funniest and most romantic films of 2022.

Even with some questionable choices, Holy Spider still packs a powerful punch, particularly in its third act, and one of the most disturbing final scenes you'll see all year that feels like the perfect summation of the past two hours.

One True Loves ultimately tackles the idea of what it means to grow and change through both the best and the worst life can hand a person, told through performances that get to the heart of the script, and direction that supports without overwhelming.

Umma is a solid entry for Shim's debut with a strong story and standout leading performance from Oh. It examines generational trauma, identity, and what it means to confront your past, and it does so effectively.

Hit Man is also simply one of the most thoroughly enjoyable films of Linklater’s career, an absolute delight to watch unfold and play out. He keeps the twists of the noir narrative fairly straightforward, leaving us to revel and admire in Powell’s comedic chops, the romantic entanglements, and the anticipation for when this relationship might go too far.

The Movie Teller is a beautiful and moving look into how cinema can bring a community together and how art can help to heal broken hearts.

The Good Nurse is a shocking drama that seeps under your skin with its ferocity and terror. Yet Lindholm makes this story about a disturbing individual into a film about how important kindness and consideration for others can mean in the larger scheme of things.

Mali Elfman’s directorial debut Next Exit, sets out on a journey towards death, but along the way, it is filled to the brim with life and questioning about what it is to really live. What’s fascinating is that Elfman penned the script over a ten-year period, yet it so perfectly encapsulates the here-and-now.

The film is lovingly put together and expertly crafted, making for a gorgeous tribute to Lee.

We follow Angel and her fellow journalists as they must struggle through year after year, celebrating their wins and mourning their losses. There's no glossy sheen, no dramatic score. Bad Press brings us into the trenches of their push and pull with local politics, and it is made all the better for it.

The concept is an exciting new vehicle for a spin on some well-worn tropes, giving them a facelift for today's audiences. If this is just the beginning, then the future looks bright.

Though it works better in its individual moments, there is still something stunning about how it will frequently submerge us in a more subtle and sinister sense of looming dread that soon becomes emotionally shattering.

A descent into darkness that will swallow you whole, In My Mother’s Skin is a beautiful and brutal work of historical horror with visuals that will echo through your mind.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t just the ideal sendoff for this group, it’s the best MCU film in years, and a reminder of how much fun and moving the Marvel Cinematic Universe can actually be after film-after-film of recent disappointments. The Guardians of the Galaxy were the best corner of the MCU, and Gunn has created the perfect goodbye to this gang of misfits.

Polite Society proves to be a triumphant action comedy with wonderful characters you only wish you could get to know even more.

The dialogue remains consistently sharp, authentic, and unique to its characters throughout, proving to be the film's strength.

Wakanda Forever isn’t perfect, but its ability to handle this tightrope walk between exploration of loss and a larger superhero film makes this one of the most moving MCU entries so far, and one of the best films to come out of Marvel’s Phase Four.

Kosinski has already made one of the year's best movies with Maverick, and with an extremely intriguing concept and fantastic performances all around the board, Kosinski has for the second time this year made one of the best movies of this summer.

A true dramedy, it’s as raw and painful as it is refreshing and cathartic. Though nothing is tied up in a neat little bow at the end, you’re left with an undeniable feeling of hopefulness. You’re sure to laugh, and there’s a good chance you’ll shed a few tears, too.

Every scene of Holes is risky since it avoids easy answers and exposes some uncomfortable truths about the justice system.

The young cast helps elevate the comedy, but sadly the deeper conversations and relationships between the characters are never truly fleshed out.

Napoleon is a grand film, both in terms of Scott creating a story with a size we’ve rarely seen from him, and the bold, large choices made by a completely game Phoenix.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a goofy, ridiculous, three-hours of fun that manages to not overstay its welcome. Stahelski continues to find ways to keep this series from getting stale, and Chapter 4 pushes the ambition to the brink.

Even though the musical aspect does make it at odds with darker cowboy movies, Calamity Jane is still a fitting showcase for one of the genre's best characters.

Lost Ladies manages the rare feat of being a joyride and a meaningful social commentary at the same time.

Offbeat and painfully real, Rachel, Rachel fits firmly in with films of the era like Five Easy Pieces and I Never Sang For My Father…not bad company to be in.

Rowe and co-director Kyler Spears are able to make this world action-packed, exciting, abnormal, and humorous in equal measure, and by focusing on making these TEENAGE Mutant Ninja Turtles into authentic youths, Mutant Mayhem takes characters we’ve seen over and over again and makes them fresh once more.

Summering provides the perfect territory for whoever wants to feel nostalgic about childhood, or just wants to enjoy spending time with kids trading clever banter. But the journey gets a little less sweet once you realize that the movie lets go of basic logic just so its main characters can have a bit of fun and bring their journey full circle.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a fun movie that knows how to use its humor and has fun with the fights, but it’s very conscious that you need to care about those characters to enjoy the ride. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero isn’t afraid to let go of brainless action in favor of developing its own plot and spending quiet time with some fan favorites.

Ezra is irresistibly charming, full of so much passion and care, and finds strength where similar films fall flat.

From the gorgeous cinematography by Erik Messerschmidt, the mesmerizing Daniel Pemberton score, a towering performance by Cruz, and Martin’s screenplay that reflects as much on Enzo’s insular battles as well as his public ones in equal measure, Ferrari is one of Mann’s best film in years.

Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car worked so beautifully because of the smaller, quiet moments of life, the drives from one place to the next, and the undiscovered moments that we keep hidden. Evil Does Not Exist turns these moments into an entire feature-length film, and while it might seem slight at times, the approach is wonderful in its own right—a master filmmaker taking his time and embracing the silence.

The film is funny but also manages to be a smart comedy that feeds off its dramatic moments for a story that shines thanks to the depth of sisterly love.

Seydoux brings both parts of this story together with grace and charm, and an honesty that makes this one of her best performances so far. Hansen-Løve’s story is deceptively light, yet packs an emotional wallop as it explores the impact that love—and our separation from such love—can have on a person.

The film tackles an age-old theme of man versus monster, but does so in a way that creates a strangely perfect balance between action, science fiction, and even a dash of horror.

Kore-eda crafts a careful story, full of hidden twists and turns that reveal themselves with time and patience.

Till the End of Time remains an extraordinary exploration of what happened when the boys came home...and when they didn't. In many ways, it's a landmark film.

Veronica Carlson and Barry Andrews made the strongest couple to fall victim to Christopher Lee’s Dracula. All the supporting cast are excellent. It’s easy to get invested in their lives and wish them a happy ending after enduring Dracula’s horror.

Dead Reckoning Part One is plenty of fun, and one of the best action films of the summer by far, but coming five years after Fallout, it’s hard for this seventh film to not feel like a bit of a disappointment.

Moving On is yet another tour de force for Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who once again prove that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Some well-timed edits maximize the impact of the jokes and help leave necessary horror elements up to the imagination. Even when we don’t see everything, our minds fill in the gaps to make the gore and gags that befall Wes land.

Godzilla Minus One more than carves out its place among the best entries of this long-running series.

It's both biting and prescient in its satirical message that details the contrast of the desires of selfish individual player taking precedence over the team mentality that the coaches encourage in the locker room.

You Hurt My Feelings is the type of film that reminds us why Holofcener is one of the best writers of comedies today, and that her ability to write films with such small consequences can often feel like a massive achievement, as these are situations that feel honest and human and wholly earnest.

There are few filmmakers that can make the leap from smaller, insular stories into large-scale epics, but with The Northman, Eggers has proved that his style and substance can remain intact, regardless of the size of the story.

Audiard, Mysius and Sciamma, along with their fantastic cast, create an enchanting and seductive story told through an intimate group of relationships. This beautiful and simple story of young love and finding one's self through love is one of the most romantic and sexiest films of 2022 so far.

It is the vibrancy to the presentation that remains the standout though the performances are also good fun.

Even as there are some moments where it can fall into feeling like a greatest hits recap of the group that dances along the surface of the story, the more complicated reflections it offers on their lives and music cuts quite a bit deeper when it counts.

At Midnight is a rom-com that loves the hell out of rom-coms, and rightly so — the genre’s at its best when it’s not trying to be clever or smart or better than those that came before it, when it fully embraces the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with watching two people fall in love, and Feingold’s script knows it.

It finds just the right combination of nostalgia and fresh blood, telling a story that manages to feel familiar in its winks at the past, but breaking with tradition in ways that are exciting and new for this series. Scream VI might be a sequel to a requel, but this franchise still finds new ways to feel original in its approach to this world.

Smile holds no surprises. No big twists. You know what you are getting going into this movie. It is predictable from the first minute. But it is an enjoyable, scary ride that is well-plotted and acted. You will know how it ends within the first five minutes of the film. But the ride getting there is well worth it.

Affleck makes Air look easy, a director who knows exactly what he’s doing, and knows how to build anticipation, work our excitement, and tell a story about a shoe that is truly enthralling and gripping.

V/H/S/99 still echoes some of the issues most anthologies face, as the rhythm of the movie depends on the pacing of each story. And at a 108 minutes runtime, V/H/S/99 might test the patience of some viewers. Still, this is the best the franchise ever gave us.

Prom Pact is the perfect choice of flick for you to watch when you’re in the mood for something light and fun. It has an excellent cast, the jokes come easily and never feel forced, and the story is a true celebration of friendship and how you should always do your best to not let your people down – and work hard to apologize if you do. John Hughes would be proud.

It summons the magic of nostalgia with laughs, heart, and music, and perfectly satisfies the heart of audiences trying to rekindle the past.

Of course, Gardner’s documentary will please horror fans above anyone else. Still, Living with Chucky is a thoughtful study of how filmmaking, especially independent filmmaking, brings people together.

Lost Illusions may not break the mold in the way Goodfellas did, but it does provide a fun, provocative, hilarious, and at times even moving rags-to-riches tale with a protagonist and a setting we have not seen before.

The grim absurdity of it goes hand in hand with the horror, making the escalations and chaos properly fun.

Benson and Moorhead have always been able to make the most of small budgets and confined spaces. Nevertheless, Something in the Dirt is the most minimalist project they ever created. Yet Something in the Dirt might be their most ambitious movie, as they dedicate two hours to an intimate study of meaning as the main motor of human life.

The out-of-this-world premise about a woman befriending the alien clone of her dead best friend is a Trojan horse for a deeper meditation on loss that’ll remind you to hug your friends a little tighter.

There are many aspects to her legacy as a writer, but what makes Judy Blume Forever such a valuable documentary is that it reveals the person underneath her work that made it all come alive.

It is a delightfully bizarre film that is always unexpected while being perfectly balanced by the two lead performances of Edebiri and Sennott.

If a film like this were to have anything less than perfection from its leads, it would likely fall to pieces. Thankfully, the story comes to life in the hands of two veteran performers at their very best.

In three hours, Cameron turned this Avatar nonbeliever into a viewer who can’t wait for a new sequel every two years. Avatar: The Way of Water truly feels like a fresh start for this series, as Cameron and his team address the weaknesses of the first film, improving the script and characters, while also creating one of the most extraordinary experiences one can have at the theaters.

Minnie and Moskowitz could easily be retitled as “Men Who Yell at Gena Rowlands About Why They Should Be an Item”. But with John Cassavetes script, the yelling is fun.

Director McKay seems to understand that special balance between terror and camp, and it’s that which makes Renfield, which premiered this week at the Overlook Film Festival, such a delight to watch.

A stunning embrace of abject horror that peels back the layers of skin just as it does those of the mind, The Outwaters stumbles upon a brutal brilliance in the desolation of the desert.

Booger is a bold and refreshing journey into grief and the damaging effects of holding it in when it desperately wants to claw its way out.

As a live-action film, The Peasants would’ve been a grand achievement, but by taking the time to animate these frames and add that extra texture to this story, the Welchmans have made one of the most impressive animated films of the year by far.

Some might criticize Tancred’s approach to this mystery, which meanders, goes on tangents, and follows several red herrings over the course of its two hours. Yet it’s precisely that free-flowing style that makes Last Stop Larrimah so unique.

With a great lead performance by Kravitz, a plot that—like the KIMI device itself—is persistently upgrading and shifting, and a shockingly optimistic story despite the fear of the technological world, KIMI is a shining example that Soderbergh is one of the best directors working today.

On paper, Late Bloomers may not be a revolutionary tale, but its execution makes it a clear standout within this specific sub-genre of nihilistic millennial dread.

With Thanksgiving, Roth brings horror back to basics and reminds us that it can be nasty, gory, gnarly, and a ton of fun all at once.

Emily the Criminal is an excellent example of how to make an effective thriller on a smaller scale.

Jethica feels like the middle act of a much more compelling film and is a rare example of a film that could have done with a smidge more exposition. If this were a proof-of-concept I would love to see a much deeper, broader look at this story.

The final scene all the way up to the last line hits like a truck. It leaves wreckage in its wake as the psychological and emotional scars linger for us as an audience just as they do for its central character caught in the grasp of a cruel world.

Pomerantz’s screenplay is deceptively complex, yet it’s pulled off effortlessly. Pomerantz is presenting ideas of self-discovery, lifelong friendships, confusion and uncertainty in who a person is, and handling all this in a remarkably entertaining and endearing story.

Book Club: The Next Chapter is a raucously funny movie that will leave audiences ready to grab their gal pals and set off on an adventure to Italy.

Though Bruiser doesn’t provide any easy resolutions, it's a beautifully shot work that grapples with fatherhood, masculinity, and growing up that emerges as a fittingly flawed cinematic gem.

Figgis’ Megadoc is an engrossing look at one of the biggest pet projects of all time, a film that lived in Coppola’s brain for so long and struggled to come to life on the screen effectively. Megadoc shows that while it's great to bring your passion to life, sometimes, it wasn't meant to be.

At the end of the day, Rehmeier's take on an outlaw romance wrapped in a road movie is entirely too enjoyable to give too much hate to. From the country music needle drops to the oozing on-screen chemistry, anyone who loves a good crime movie that doesn't take itself too seriously will need to get their butts into the theater for this one.

The Balconettes is the announcement of a formidable comedic voice.

Despite its occasional flaws, The Brutalist is one of the most remarkable films of the year, and proof that Corbet is a fascinating filmmaker to keep an eye on.

Hoppers is an absolute delight, setting the bar high for animated films this year, while creating a film that reminds us just how amazing Pixar still is at making new, exciting worlds and stories, without relying on sequels.

A Goofy Movie remains an understated film in the Disney animated film canon, and Not Just a Goof wonderfully reminds us why this is a film that deserves far more attention than it ever received.

Empathetic human performances turn Sovereign into more than a typical crime thriller.

You get wrapped up in the whimsy of it all just before it all hits you like a truck, finding plenty of resonant emotional flashbacks that contextualize and deepen the experience just in time for the conclusion.

Jim Carrey is the real star of this trilogy. Carrey's signature brand of improvisational comedy serves him well once again here, as his gleefully cartoonish villain continues to be a highlight of his recent acting works.

A stunning movie that continues to solidify the franchise's legacy as one of the best zombie stories to ever hit theaters.

Featuring sidesplitting performances from its stacked cast and some gnarly, shocking twists, Dito Montiel's Riff Raff is as fun as it is jaw-dropping, and will keep you entranced (and at times mildly disturbed), for its entire wacky runtime.

Distancing itself from clichés in the name of honesty and earnestness, the charming British dramedy showcases the whole gamut of human relationships but takes tender care to highlight the good. The performances are delightfully honest, its cinematography is visually stunning and immersive, and the tale it tells is one of forgiveness and letting go – one that highlights the power of being gentle to one another.

With Joaquin Phoenix at the height of his abilities, Eddington is, if you look close enough, just as, if not more terrifying than anything Paimon or a Swedish cult could ever unleash.

It's a well-balanced animated actioner that captures everything fans already love about Geralt of Rivia while exploring the complicated politics of monster hunting.

If The History of Concrete proves anything, it’s that Wilson can make a movie about anything and make it absolutely brilliant.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a thoughtful crime drama that features good performances from Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds, as well as another standout turn from Kerry Condon.

This version of Merrily We Roll Along doesn’t fix every flaw in the material, but it doesn’t need to. What it does instead is honor how difficult, tender, and painfully human this story has always been, giving it the kind of intimacy that a lot of pro-shots never quite reach. For a musical that was once called a massive flop, it’s got a pretty satisfying second life — and one that’s very easy to roll along with.

Overall, Goodbye June proves Winslet is just as talented onscreen as she is calling the shots, bringing a raw approach to this already emotionally-driven story. Through her thoughtful direction, the ensemble is able to deliver a convincing portrayal of a dysfunctional yet loving family dealing with potential loss and precocious grief.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel ' perfectly recaptures the joy of the original two films and is powered by a joyful Eddie Murphy.