The Survivor is too frequently going through the motions of tried-and-true biopic stories that we’ve seen countless times before, or making choices that seem daring, but ultimately hold back the power of Harry’s story.

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.

With a stellar cast and inspired direction, Master is a thrilling and potent horror story about academia that has made its impact.

Okuno is certainly not showing us anything we haven't seen before, indeed these stories are all too familiar, unfortunately. But the skill is not making the horror indulgent. Julia's dread is something we feel distinctly. Monroe, someone familiar with the horror genre, is perfect as our hero who is equal parts determined and terrified.

Tafdrup defangs his feature in the final act, choosing to forego the road less traveled, completely breaking up the tension of an otherwise uncomfortable, tension-filled story.

You Won't Be Alone is overambitious, but it's always better to try to overachieve than underachieve, right?

The conclusion might leave some throwing their hands up in frustration and others applauding its audacity, but it's an ending that will definitely leave you with something to talk about and ponder long after the credits finish rolling.

With little-to-no accountability when it comes to the YouTube industry, Under the Influence makes a clear case that mainstream media outlets should be turning a more scrutinizing eye toward the community, and the community itself perhaps needs to differentiate the difference between what is considered 'drama' and what is a criminal offense.

At the end of the day, Soft & Quiet shows a shocking and unbelievable series of events that are meant to cause a reaction and leave the audience with thought-provoking questions. This is not a film for the faint of heart, and might just leave you a bit shell-shocked in the aftermath.

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.

There is no simple solution. All Bad Axe offers is a portrait of an American family coming together in a time of conflict and what they can overcome when they stick together, and sometimes that's enough.

Stay Awake is certainly a balancing act of addiction, compassion, difficult choices, that still manages hilarious moments and periods of joy. Stay Awake isn’t just an integral film about addiction, it’s also one of the best directorial debuts of the year.

The Bad Guys brings a deep love for heist films to this animated adventure, and in doing so, creates one of the year’s best animated films.

Accepting the World’s Fair Challenge isn’t a way to experience a The Ring-like challenge that will probably lead to horrors beyond one’s wildest imagination, it’s a way to be part of something, damn the consequences. Schoenbrun’s impressive debut latches onto that idea of online communities, coming-of-age, and finding one’s own people through a genuinely uncomfortable and unique horror story unlike any other.

With Petite Maman, Céline Sciamma crafts a staggeringly gorgeous fairy tale about the little things we don’t get to learn about the ones we love, the struggles of loss, and the loveliness of those that came from the path behind us.

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.

Instead of having to explain this universe, The Secrets of Dumbledore can let us sit with these characters reckoning with the loves they’ve lost in quiet and gentle ways, create a captivating and often hilarious action sequence with a multitude of beasts, or explore the history of Dumbledore’s family with subtlety.

When You Finish Saving the World is often acidic to a point that might scare away some, but at its core, Eisenberg’s film is an endearing story of mother and son who were once so close, and now struggle to get what they need from each other anymore.

Lucy and Desi isn’t breaking the mold in terms of biographical documentaries, but when put together in this package, the story of Ball and Arnaz has an impressive weight beyond just a collection of compelling anecdotes.

Gillan gets a great opportunity to show her comedic skills, and Stearns remains a solid purveyor of dark comedy, but Dual’s gloom eventually overtakes the absurdity to a depressing degree.

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.

Meet Me in the Bathroom is a tremendous document of one of the most integral musical periods of our time, when the kids asked "is this it?" and responded by changing the world.

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

With only two films, Raiff has proven himself to be one of the most exciting filmmakers today, telling stories that are emotionally honest and lived in, without any pretensions and with an unabashed tenderness.

Jackass Forever is ingenious, disgusting, and one of the most hysterical films you’ll see this year, while also managing to be a wonderfully touching celebration of these jackasses and their history together.

Moonfall, unfortunately, becomes a mixture of Emmerich’s usual clichés that are starting to show their age, a script that only occasionally embraces the insanity of this idea (even though the third act goes all-in on getting mind-numbingly stupid), and a scope that doesn’t do this story justice.

Death on the Nile might have been a long time coming, but it’s one of the most alluring mysteries in years, and a great example of how Branagh can elevate iconic stories with grace and care.

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.