A brilliant Vicky Krieps performance, ample surprises and a series of playful anachronisms elevate Marie Kreutzer’s period drama about a 19th century Empress above the ordinary. That, and a fine soundtrack to boot.

It might be a minor work from a major filmmaker but François Ozon’s remix of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s classic has its pleasures, chiefly strong performances across the board, especially from Isabelle Adjani and the immense Denis Ménochet, embodying the German maverick without ever descending into impersonation.

A daring, formally audacious yet messy ode to cinema from one of the most enterprising filmmakers working today. Bravura and baffling in equal measure. Strap in.

James Cameron has surfaced with a cosmic marine epic that only he could make: eccentric, soulful, joyous, dark and very, very blue. Yes, he’s still leagues ahead of the pack.

Some wonderful visual flourishes and two brilliant central performances by Wright and Lawrence help to illuminate the Gibbons sisters’ headspaces. But without important context, true insight and understanding remains elusive.

It’s a simple but artfully effective debut feature from Irish filmmaker Colm Bairéad, with a remarkable, heartbreaking debut performance from Clinch, whose face betrays anxieties she doesn’t yet fully understand.

Though somewhat flawed and less artistically daring than it could be, Charlotte still makes for an emotional, humane viewing experience.

An emotional, incredibly intimate portrait of one man’s final days. Ondi Timoner’s documentary avoids the political aspects of the process, focusing squarely on the personal impact. The result is moving, humane, and cathartic.

A sweetly pitched — and appropriately unorthodox — tribute from a movie megastar son to his filmmaking legend father.

Emancipation can’t avoid the well-trodden hallmarks of slavery stories, nor offer a particularly fresh perspective on them. It’s best when it leans into other modes — and when it centres on Will Smith’s outstanding, understated performance.

Good fun in places, but dull for the most part, Violent Night is serviceable Christmas viewing. It’s a shame, because with such a fun riff on the Santa story, it should’ve been good for goodness sake!

A strange brew. While the family dynamics and capitalist satire work a little better than the outlandish spectacle, White Noise at least appears to herald an ambitious new phase in Noah Baumbach’s career.

Meticulously controlled, but simmering with a tension that is suffused with fury, this treatise on dignity and depravity, aspiration and apathy is the Dardennes at their most accusatory and damning.

A sugar-fuelled thrill, this boasts a fine young cast and pleasantly pantomime adult roles. It may be too long for younger kids, but tweens are going to love it.

No frills are needed to tell this once-in-a-generation story. Any concerns for a film about the unglamorous world of journalism are avoided thanks to sharp performances, sensitive direction, and one irrefutable truth: these women won.

A sweepingly romantic take on the D.H. Lawrence classic that, while not offering anything revolutionary to the period drama genre, is a satisfying and engaging watch.

The ideas don’t always cohesively fall into place, but Diop’s nuanced performance and Jusu’s sublime direction make this a compelling entry in the horror genre.

Fast, fun, and full of freaky creatures, Strange World shows that Disney can do all-out action-adventure just as well as fairytale fare – while, hopefully, nudging the studio further towards the future.

Guillermo del Toro’s perspective runs through every frame of this unique retelling, which isn’t afraid to tackle troubling themes. A sincere, soulful exploration of what it means to be human.

A fizzy, gaudy, joyfully entertaining couple of hours. If there’s any right in the world, Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig will continue making films in the Benoit Blanc Cinematic Universe forever.

Part arthouse-Twilight, part John Hughes-ian coming-of-age romance, part Bonnie And Clyde cannibal remix, part dreamy Wim Wenders-esque road trip. This is gorgeous, gruesome work from Luca Guadagnino.

If you liked Enchanted, this is a dependably familiar serving. In an era where Disney is constantly raiding its archives for intellectual property to remake, this is a sequel that feels unusually original by comparison.

Both a coming of age and an exploration of an era, this self-biographical reminiscence feels both regretful and hopeful – a filmmaker trying to make peace. It’s not sugar-coated, but it’s full of love.

Even if you’re wholly unfamiliar with the franchise, Confess, Fletch will find fans among anyone who likes mystery-comedies, wickedly dry humour, and the sight of Kyle MacLachlan twirling glow-sticks to club music.

Bardo sees director Alejandro González Iñárritu looking at the man in the (hall of) mirrors; the result is visually sensational but sometimes lethally patience-testing.

Rare and special is a film capable of summoning this much poignancy: a feeling which lingers well beyond the film’s final, achingly moving moments on screen. That Aftersun is the debut from British filmmaker Charlotte Wells only adds to its accomplishment.

The Menu’s straight-faced depiction of absurd culinary violence may not be imaginative or thrilling, but the film is rarely boring. It’s deep-fried junk disguised as gastronomy; it may not fully satisfy, but it’ll fill a hole.

A long, sometimes broad film, but one that tackles an important and prescient subject, especially considering the ever-increasing numbers of asylum seekers crossing seas in dangerous circumstances.

Another smash from Cartoon Saloon, at once heartily funny and heartfelt. With this and The Breadwinner, director Nora Twomey is now two-for-two.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stands out from a somewhat formulaic era of Marvel movies: held together by its compelling sense of place, and by acting as a passionate eulogy for Chadwick Boseman.

Not a write-off, but more like a respectful homage than a 2020s update in the manner of Candyman (2021). Perhaps a little disrespect would have been truer to the Clive Barker/Pinhead spirit, which is curiously muted in this outing.

Despite the almost caricatural Frenchness of the premise, this is a superbly acted and intricately directed drama that makes a virtue of its very human feelings and follies.

Despite following the same formula as its predecessor, Enola Holmes 2 keeps up the charm and humour with a crafty mystery filled with entertaining twists and turns.

Really quite something: a rare remake that only augments and enriches the original. For Bill Nighy, meanwhile, it feels in every sense like the role of a lifetime.

A darker turn for the sensitive Sebastián Lelio, and yet more proof that Florence Pugh is among our greatest treasures. Plenty of food for thought among the emptier moments.

Hardly as revolutionary as the activists it draws inspiration from, Call Jane is nonetheless a charming, big-hearted story of a fight for justice, and might just change a few minds along the way.

While not quite on a level with The Endless, this is another pocket lint sci-fi from the current masters of such. A welcome sign that Benson and Moorhead haven’t gone fully respectable just yet.

Like any good “Weird Al” song parody, Weird takes the music-biopic template and transforms it into something utterly absurd. The result is a polka-popping, piss-taking joy.

Solid, but understated to a fault. Causeway’s biggest appeal is seeing Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry act up a quiet, powerful storm.

Wildly unpredictable, Barbarian begins as a tale of awkward circumstance, before mutating into something intensely claustrophobic, satirically amusing, and in its best moments, both.

Wendell & Wild marks the anarchic return of one of the most exciting directors in animation, retooling his idiosyncrasies in service of a boundary-pushing children’s horror with strong political messaging.

A tense true crime thriller that avoids schlock horror tropes in favour of a welcome focus on the environment that allowed one of America’s worst serial killers to operate freely for years.

An absurd, iconoclastic riot. Ruben Östlund’s point may be blunt — yep, rich people are bad — but his telling of it is hilariously, breathlessly entertaining.

Hilarious from start to finish, with two excellent leading men and dollops of queer joy sprinkled throughout, Bros hits classic romcom beats while giving the genre a refreshing, much-needed update.

A spry police procedural fused with an achingly intense romance, Decision To Leave keeps you off-kilter throughout, in the best possible way. Make a decision to see it.

An absolute shambles of a fantasy folly. Overlong, undercooked, and clogged with enough clichés that even its teen target audience will feel disrespected.

Big, dumb and only mostly fun, this doesn’t always find the right tone to marry action and charm, but Johnson’s remote and ruthless superhero is a welcome change from the norm.

Well-meaning but unfortunately misjudged, this clichéd melodrama is a minor stumble for Harry Styles’ continuing conquest of cinema.

The sharp economic filmmaking of this meta-textual satirical mystery is ultimately weighed down by its cleverness.

A thoughtful, meditative thesis on humanity’s relationship with nature, filmed with the kind of cinematographic beauty most fiction filmmakers can only aspire towards.

The Michael versus Laurie showdown delivers — but for the most part, Halloween Ends is an unsatisfying closing chapter for this continuity. In trying to grapple with the horror beneath Michael Myers’ mask, it gets lost up its own abyss.

Another stunning adaptation of the classic anti-war novel: epic and horrific, in equal doses. War has rarely felt this wretchedly, desperately pointless.

If O’Connor’s aim was to recreate a British classic, she has surely failed to reach those lofty heights. Mackey shows further signs of promise, but she’ll be better off elsewhere.

Amsterdam suffers from a surfeit of story detail without the vigour to whizz you through it. It has likable leads and the craft is on point, but the result, given all the talent involved, is a tonally uneasy disappointment — a romp that fails to romp.

This is just as unevenly plotted as the original, lacks even the element of surprise, and is not by any reasonable standard “good”. Between gooey and ghoulish, there must be better options.

Though it may be derivative, Smile still manages to be a scary, unsettling ride that’s powered by an impressively committed Sosie Bacon performance and some assured direction. Finn is one to watch.

A brilliant, bizarre, occasionally grotesque, horror-inflected cinematic delicacy. Sounds like a Peter Strickland film, then.

A small but effective portrait of adolescence in Scandinavia, unpretentious enough to avoid heavy-handed lessons, but not bold enough to become an all-timer.

Peter Farrelly’s latest semi-serious effort is light, goofy and sometimes perilously frivolous. But like sharing a few beers with your buds, you soon warm to it.

It may sound dismissive to call a film ‘nice’, but that’s exactly what this is. It’s beautifully produced, entirely uncynical niceness. If you’re after just a lovely time, come on in and put your feet up.

An apt tribute to a major figure in film history. The talking heads and archive clips do the job — but hearing it told by Sidney Poitier himself is the real treat.

Sidestep the somewhat over-egged stylistic touches and you’ll find a fun coming-of-age tale boasting three irresistible performances from Bella Ramsey, Billie Piper and Andrew Scott.

It Is In Us All is slight, sombre, and something of a slog, but features another strong turn from Cosmo Jarvis – and is still a positive indication of Campbell-Hughes’ potential behind the camera.

A creepy, compelling creature-feature packed with interesting themes, and carried by an impressive lead performance. Cracking stuff.

Proof that Netflix doesn’t just do Kissing Booth movies: given the right talent, they can produce a genuinely compelling high school comedy. And you thought they didn’t make ‘em like this anymore.

Strawberry Mansion is hugely ambitious, even more so because it doesn’t quite have the resources to realise its own dreams. Nonetheless, it’s a soulful, adorable and unique little trip.

Owen Kline’s debut is a hectic portrait of a volatile artist, swirling in a thick, uneasy atmosphere. Whilst there’s not much emotion to cling on to, the parade of uniquely absurd characters and agonising situations make it a real page turner.

With Clooney and Roberts cranking up the charm, even the creakier elements of Ticket To Paradise are watchable. A warm, witty, welcome escape from reality.

A spectacular documentary portrait of a great artist and extraordinary pop star. Despite a few omissions, it’s a triumph of Sound And Vision, and essential for every David Bowie fan.

It’s comedically uneven and overly distracted by side-characters, but when Clerks III gets to the heart of Dante and Randal’s decades-long friendship it’s enough to assure you that Kevin Smith is still open for business.

Though not without charm, and some splendid CGI, this scattershot grab-bag of good intentions results in a bit of an emotional flatline. This puppet will not tug on your heartstrings.

There’s a fine line between depicting the way Marilyn Monroe was underestimated, and joining in with that assessment. Blonde doesn’t always wind up the right side of that line, but has spectacular visual fireworks to spare.

It works better as a weird relationship movie than a murder-mystery but See How They Run is the whodunnit as hoot, with lots of laughs, oodles of style and played with verve by a quality cast. It also reconfirms Saoirse Ronan as a comedy god.

Hypnotic, maddening, pervy and disturbing. In other words, vintage Cronenberg. The doomy slow-burn won’t be to all tastes, but its abstract, feverish images are pure nightmare fuel.

Pugh is superb, while Wilde confidently steps up to a bigger subject and budget to deliver a slick, beautiful film. It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but its flight to that point is fascinating.

The film is engrossing and beautifully mounted, and is sure to not disappoint anyone who’s enjoyed McDonagh’s previous rough rides.

It doesn’t always work, but an unexpected, perfectly pitched bad-guy turn from national treasure Hugh Bonneville makes I Came By just about worth stopping by for.

The stiffness in the writing and general lack of subtlety leave this feeling underwhelming and overwrought. As a moral fable, The Forgiven offers little genuine critique.

Elba’s performance as a lonely Djinn with a bottomless reserve of charm, paired with Miller’s unbridled energy, make this a modern fairy tale worth seeking out.

If it adds little in the way of dissenting voices or a different viewpoint, Explorer tells the tale of a remarkable, stranger-than-fiction life and emerges as an affecting, entertaining portrait of a true eccentric.

Remember the name Nana Mensah — as an actor, writer and director, Queen Of Glory is a hugely impressive calling card.

In a crowded marketplace, new superhero movies need a lot to stand out; despite some solid work from Sylvester Stallone, it’s not really clear what Samaritan is bringing to the table.

An old-fashioned, B-movie creature-feature with some CG gloss. Beast is as predictable as anything but it’s a fun, silly, well-made film about a man punching a big cat.

The charming performances make this a win for colourblind casting. On the list of period romcom requirements, the sweet love story ticks all the right boxes.

A simultaneous celebration and subversion of popular surfing culture, Girls Can’t Surf makes for a dynamic cinematic experience, celebrating the real badasses and unsung heroes of the sport: women.

Despite being anchored by moments of real emotion and good performances from James Purefoy and Imelda May, One And All often feels like it’s taking on water while drifting further out to sea.

A slow-burn, sluggishly surreal horror, The Feast takes its time getting to the point — but the bloody final act is something to really sink your teeth into.

Weighted by a reliably mesmeric performance from Alan Cumming, this visually varied doc misses an opportunity to ask big questions, but still manages to pack a punch on a small scale.

Despite some lovely cinematography and interesting insights into what makes the Parisian landmark so special, Eiffel is a forgettable forbidden love affair.

While still a lurid sequel to a ropey slasher movie, Orphan: First Kill is refreshingly clever, unpredictable and gruesome. Isabelle Fuhrman’s Esther deserves three more sequels and a ‘Versus’ movie with the Stepfather or Chucky.

Tense when it needs to be and awfully good fun throughout. Stupidity reigns supreme for these rich kids, but the filmmakers are smart enough to make Bodies Bodies Bodies stick the landing.

It’s an enjoyable, super-faithful cover version but Laal Singh Chaddha is like a box of chocolates: you know exactly what you’re gonna get.

The action is well-shot, and the buddy dynamic is fun. There’s plenty here that’s familiar, but it’s actually not a terrible way to spend a couple of hours with your Familiar.

Bearing a passing resemblance to both Man Bites Dog and Chopper, it’s hardly original, but still a laudable example of proficient guerilla moviemaking.

Effortlessly the best Predator movie since the original, Prey proves that, against all expectation, there’s life in the franchise yet, not to mention a thrilling new lead in Amber Midthunder.

If you can stomach the wobbly lessons, the sometimes clunky writing and the offensively bad Irish accents, this is a perfectly fine thing to pop your kid in front of for a couple of hours.

The action is first-class, and Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are having a blast — but with all that hyperactive style and cartoonish violence, you’ll be ready to disembark by its final destination.

A story of love and discovery told with curiosity and care, Dosa honours her unique subjects — lending tenderness and poetry to the archive footage.