Laxe is aiming to shock the audience, and in that, he succeeds, but the final product suffers as a result.

It's a remarkable, revolutionary work of art. As precisely focused and tightly constructed as it is expansive in its aspirations, it’s a rallying cry for the irreplaceable value of artistic expression in a world that will repress it at all costs.

Riseborough’s impeccable performance cannot be overstated. Her passion shines consistently whether Leslie has hit her lowest low or is riding her highest high. All of this contributes to the film’s poetic ending, which is sure to leave you teary-eyed and reinvigorated with a new lease on life.

The result is a film that leaves a distinct impression, molding deeply personal elements and sweepingly profound ideas into something spectacular that sneaks up on you.

Hamnet captures the beautiful aching that makes up life in all its forms, and it makes for one of the most profound and staggering works you’ll see this year.

Cameron taking the most thrilling aspects of what worked in Alien and punching them up into an action film fits the xenomorphs (and their queen) much better.

Eephus delivers an experience that lingers, successfully capturing a deeper melancholy that can’t be shaken.

Kotevska isn’t just telling a story of a farmer in a foreign land; she’s constructing a story that we can all relate to in our current world, in one of the finest documentaries you’ll see all year.

The story navigates the fine line between community pride and nationalistic zeal, providing lessons for a future while admitting to the existential futility of it all. We can shift our perspective, but every time we do, things stay pretty much the same.

It is a work of big emotions and heart in the middle of the worst time of a person’s life that is also one of the best films of the year.

Silver's vision doesn't always work, sometimes feeling like a mishmash of ideas and tones that don't always go well together. But when the film focuses on this central relationship, Between the Temples finds a lovely sweet spot that makes it all sing.

A vital documentary, Teng gives an intimate look at not only the toll the genocide has had on Gaza, but on the first responders who can do nothing but give their everything, even as the hospitals they work in become military targets of bombings, and survival is far from a certainty.

We feel very much like we are in the thick of it when watching, as if we're in the room as the story develops.

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.

Sing Sing feels like a true ensemble piece, giving all of its characters a chance to shine.

There is no comfort when watching 20 Days in Mariupol, but it's the bitter pill we must all swallow to remind ourselves of what people are going through every day in Ukraine. Chernov's account is but a snippet of the war and should galvanize people into action.

While there is often a necessity to condense potentially decades of context to fit within a bounded runtime, history is much broader and more expansive than that. What makes The Territory such a stunning and standout work is that it never loses sight of this history that is inexorably intertwined with those living with its repercussions now.

In addition to just being side-splittingly funny, Young Frankenstein is an aesthetic triumph.

It’s not only counterprogramming to the same formulaic true crime series that streaming platforms continue to churn out, but it’s also in direct dialog with these shows and the audience's unrelenting obsession with them.

Morrisa Maltz’s Jazzy is a gentle, impressionistic wonder that authentically captures growing up.

Cameron’s epic can still thrill the audience with breathtaking set pieces, bring them to tears with moving moments, and amaze people willing to explore a fantasy land like no other. Every frame is developed with such care that the movie remains one of the most beautiful works of art ever created by Hollywood. [2022 re-release]

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.

Morgen manages to encapsulate that intimate relationship between artist and audience with Moonage Daydream, using only disparate pieces of footage and some clever illustration to nail exactly what it’s like to adore David Bowie.

The timeless style, the gorgeous animation, and the impeccable music make Wallace & Gromit's second feature film a gleeful experience from start to finish. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or do something particularly bold and unique like The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, but it also isn't really trying to. This is a straightforward family-friendly adventure that is simply effective and effectively simple.

Just as credit must be given to Baker for how she so completely captures a moment in time and place, it is Nicholson who inhabits this world so naturally that you feel like you’re just peeking in on Janet’s life.

It's a strong and highly watchable thriller that shouldn't be missed.

With Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, Hinton shows the legacy that films can have and how time can benefit films that don’t receive the recognition they deserve.

It's a surprisingly funny movie at times, even though it deals with serious themes, deconstructing the samurai mythos while also having a solid amount of gritty sword-fighting action.