It's fairly common for creature features to be populated by characters we feel little to nothing for: flat, cardboard people whose only real purpose is to fill the runtime until they get eaten. Thrash does a solid job of avoiding this standard pitfall.

Whether you're a fan of the miniseries or are just discovering Kane Parsons' wildly successful franchise for the very first time, Backrooms is a door that any horror fan should absolutely walk through.

The Plague, at times, can be too grueling a watch, especially in its graphic depiction of self-harm. It's also one of the most vital movies in recent memory in capturing what it's like to be 12 or 13 years old.

Etzler carefully walks the line, taking a dark subject and ratcheting up both the tension and the humor until the two are inextricably linked, making for an entertaining and unpredictably exciting debut.

Swapped takes the tropes of body-swap comedies of the past and filters them through a decidedly contemporary lens.

Far more thoughtful and provocative than your average action-adventure, The Old Woman With the Knife is a thrilling update to the genre, leaving us with a hole in our hearts as the credits roll.

Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile on Earth is a mesmerizing work of science fiction with a magnificent performance by Megan Northman.

Sure, there is a subplot or two that feels a bit uncooked, but it’s easy to forgive because the movie is brisk and wickedly fun. Like its affable hero, Normal is impossible to ignore and proof that when Odenkirk takes on an action role, things are anything but normal.

It’s entirely possible you won’t see a scarier movie this year than Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5.

If you've already tested yourself with other beautiful, albeit lengthy, works of art, don't miss the opportunity of witnessing Hadzihalilovic's imperfect masterpiece. Allow yourself to be mesmerized by its beauty and consumed by the paranoia that surrounds it, much like Jeanne in the realm of the Snow Queen.

With Bugonia, Lanthimos elevates an already fantastic concept, making an essential film about the world we live in and just how insane and hopeless it can feel at times.

Artfully combining song, romance, and unique settings, Oliver Hermanus offers a heartbreaking and emotional film that reminds us not only of the enduring nature of love but also the power of sound and song.

James Mangold's A Complete Unknown explores the music of Bob Dylan with fantastic care and a great performance by Timothée Chalamet.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is still a greatly enjoyable entry in the animated adaptation landscape that mostly captures the essence of the novels. Most importantly, it doesn’t forget that kids’ insecurities can make them reckless and even unlikable, and that’s okay because, eventually, they’ll learn from their mistakes.

A first-hand retelling of how easily racism can become deadly, The Perfect Neighbor is one of the most compelling documents of how inherently dangerous it is for Black people to exist in America today.

The Wedding Banquet is a classic rom-com with modern touches that rarely ring false or feel heavyhanded. The entire ensemble is top-notch, allowing beloved actors like Gladstone and Yang to do something slightly different from their usual fare.

Die, My Love is further proof that no one is doing it like Lynne Ramsay, whose technique and style continue to evolve, as she draws out a career-best performance from Jennifer Lawrence in a must-see thriller spectacle that turns a single woman’s experience into a brutally honest psychological epic.

Bold, effective, and brilliant in equal measure, Moll’s film is a fine policier in the grandest of traditions, joining a long line of noir-inflected French police dramas unafraid of being more than vehicles for action and retribution.

The Final Reckoning is stuffed, convoluted, and ludicrous at times. But it’s also mostly a great send-off to this universe, a deserved celebration for everything this series has accomplished, and one final (again, seemingly) showcase for Cruise as one of the greatest action stars of all time.

Bring Her Back captures the darkness and fear of losing someone, all while making one of the year’s best horror films. It’s that mixture, like with Talk to Me, that makes Danny and Michael Philippou two of the most exciting filmmakers in the genre.

It's a delightfully smart and ambitious story that is equally powerful for children and adults alike.

It is Williams’ portrayal of Keating and his earnest passion that effectively conveys the film’s message as the excitable and unique teacher leaves the audience longing to be inspired.

Wild Diamond operates in both the very new wave of movies incorporating the ubiquitous presence of TikTok and the decades-old subgenre of class commentary.

On the one hand, Seeds provides a unique glimpse into one family’s joys and struggles, while on the other it delves delicately yet effectively into larger questions of policy, politics, the scars of the past, and the challenges of the present.

It gradually starts to shift into something more comprehensively striking and somber the longer you sit with it.

The easy winner out of Armand is Renate Reinsve. . . The runner-up is Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel. While his methods for bringing this story to life are a bit overly perplexing and too head-scratching, there is a clear talent for filmmaking on display here that makes his career one to watch with great and serious interest.

KPop Demon Hunters is a charming action outing with fun world-building, catchy songs, and strong performances.

It'll get your heart pumping from the very beginning, rarely giving you time to breathe, and boasts a lead performance from an actor who's truly in command of his greatness.