A call to action, a sobering first-hand look at the grueling ordeals refugees face, a story of love persevering against all odds, and a visceral, real-life thriller, Midnight Traveler is a unique cinematic experience that will hopefully snap us all to reality.

Do has created a tense, heartbreaking ode to a tragic time; a deeply personal story, superbly visualized.

Any embedded message ultimately pales in importance to moving and understated story of love.

A House Made of Splinters tells a story that needs to be told as loud as possible. While uncomfortable at times, the filmmaker is respectful and empathetic.

With Gaudagnino’s signature framing styles and natural, lush settings, this movie warrants a re-watch to catch the full picture of a beautiful, ultimately tragic story of a family’s undoing through a woman’s search for herself.

It is Condon's adroit handling of the subject matter and the caliber of performances within that carry it above the norm.

The Auschwitz Report is an intense, visually bold tale of a courageous pair of people who endured the tortures of a concentration camp to escape and become heroes.

The film is a wonder and a joy to watch on any number of levels.

While the images presented here are peerless, James Nachtwey is a fascinating individual and it is a shame we cannot learn more about the man behind these extraordinary images.

To watch Midnight Cowboy is to find one of the great rewards of the movies, two of the finest performances ever seen, and a city made new every time you watch it.

Possibly the most European of major American directors, Jim Jarmusch wears his influences on his sleeve and makes no bones about it.

The animation is beautifully done, with striking color and simplicity.

Structurally, Science Fair is sound. Its a cross-section of human-interest stories is inspiring. The subjects are engaging and worth rooting for. It looks in depth at the processes of competing in a science fair. And the revelation of winners is exciting and nail-biting.

Smartly edited, utterly engrossing, and as intelligent an examination of American race relations as I've seen.

Jarman’s sophomore film Jubilee, is a Molotov Cocktail of celluloid – a film that practically dares you to watch it.

What Flags of Our Fathers is not, however, is moving, evocative, or very unique.

Reprise is an energetic romp through creative frustration, stagnant relationships, the fear of change and romance-fueled insanity.

Ultimately affirming Feels Good Man is a fun, feel-good doc.

Mamet loves to cast his current wives in lead roles -- Whatever you may feel about Mamet's writing, he has an uncanny knack for marrying mediocre actresses.

Though it may not be as iconic as the 1940s version, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is still astounding. Every character is fleshed out and filled with eccentricities lacking in prior versions. Themes of empathy, fascism, dealing with death, and learning to live again run deep within this masterpiece. And for all the complexities, the film is just plain enjoyable.

Spiro has produced a beautiful film on loss, and the cycles of violence that all too many are understandably pulled into, yet she still manages to give us a glimmer of hope in a world of desperation.

In Dune: Part 2, Denis Villeneuve is a sci-fi visionary. He built two massive worlds (on a relatively modest budget) that give you a sense of place rather than feel like a series of random locations. Villeneuve gives us a seamless image, blending the real with CGI. The care and detail make everything feel practical.

Author Judy Blume had a profound effect on many a young girl and boy’s life and adults whether you read one of her books or all of them. Judy Blume Forever is a testament to why.

As Leth overcomes each obstacle set before him, the film becomes a work of extraordinary artistry, intellectual exhilaration, emotional uplift, and outright affection.

Loosely based on Linklater’s experiences growing up in the 1960s, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood is not so much a space adventure as a pleasant reminder of the essence of youth and the comfort of memory.

Despite my ignorance of Hong Kong, I'm convinced that Iron Monkey could be the best, most entertaining martial arts film I may ever see.

While Altman and Liu may have failed to create a fully developed storyline in All These Sons, the filmmakers enlighten the audience to the plights of young men who have been affected by the gun violence that has been ingrained into the overall image of Chicago.

Monster stands as middle-tier Kore-eda. It’s a touching tale about childhood and emotional development in a relatively rigid society. Still, it’s never anything more, nor does it push the boundaries of what we should expect from the seasoned filmmaker.

It’s yet another piece of Coen Brothers’ gold that just makes me curious about what kind of magic they’re going to make next.

While the Raymond Burr sequences and the subsequent clumsy English dubbing of the remaining Japanese footage made the U.S. version an unintentionally funny movie, the complete Japanese version is an unfunny bore.

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen not only leaves us with the hope that things will improve, but it also shows us how much better the industry is when everyone is included, represented, and respected. Here’s to a brighter, more diverse future for all trans actors.

Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World is a highly engaging and fascinating documentary that questions the validity of the “truth” being presented to us on television, in news stories, and through social media. The facts presented are convincing, and the investigation of MH17 plays out like a crime thriller.

The film is a statement and will carve its place in modern Korean cinema just as surely as its conclusion penetrates so profoundly and so indelibly.

The stark contrast between the way-too-confident-for-his-age Jake and the introverted, insecure Ben underscores how identity at that age calcifies in opposition: one boy armoring himself with swagger, the other shrinking under its weight.

As comic book movies go, Iron Man is a solid entry. Downey and company help drag Favreau out of the genre holes he digs, making for a decent experience.

Here's the sliver of hope: In contrast to everything we've been told, the people who run Al Jazeera turn out to be decent and level headed.

Offers an unflinching look at the effects of a terminal diagnosis, not just on the victim, but on everyone around him.

I loved it. I'm glad it was made...Film Threat's association with Flynt would sometimes bring gasps of outrage or phones slammed down in disgust. Now, it brings curiosity and even admiration. Kinda weird, huh?

Toying with the audience’s own expectations and predispositions, Schimberg has made a movie that can be confidently called original.

The twists and turns happen right on point to keep the lively meter cranked up to a wicked level. You don’t even get that feeling that you watched half a movie like with other two-part pictures, as all the crescendos you need are included here.

The film uses voyeurism, knowing exposure turns desire into a visual battleground. To look is to risk punishment; to be seen is to invite destruction.

An insightful character study, and an absolute must-watch for Saint-Laurent fans – or anyone with a remote interest in the fashion industry.

Miller has hinted that this may be the last adventure set in the wasteland, and if that’s true, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a powerful swan song to Furiosa, Max, and all the denizens of that blasted, delightful place.

Pelted with tragicomic scenes, Thunder Road, an acceptably funny slice of drama, depicts anxious times by carrying a furious tone and bitter pathos. However, not everything shines here.

The Assistant, without a doubt, leaves a lasting impression for any woman who has experienced an oppressive work environment without recourse. I don’t think there’s a woman alive who can’t relate to The Assistant’s main character Jane played by Julia Garner.

It is the kind of ensemble that deserves some kind of recognition as the casting department did a great job, and the chemistry was remarkable.

The heart of Return to Dust is centered on the married couple’s efforts to construct a new home by hand. It’s grueling work, but through Li’s stunning visuals and mastery of pacing, we become engrossed by the details not only of the labor but by their burgeoning love.

Yes, stories like this have been told before, but there’s an earnest, sweet charm to it all that really works.

Twinless delivers a sharp take on grief, deception, and unlikely connections. Characters are pushed into situations both painful and oddly tender. By the end, the film leaves you squirming but fully invested, proving that even the strangest setups can lead to an emotionally devastating payoff.

It feels like a timeless classic. It takes us into the forbidden spaces we can’t otherwise know, not just cloistered rooms but deep into the human soul.

Mikkelsen is at his best, but all the actors convey a range of emotions masterfully and share real chemistry. Add in Vinterberg’s careful direction of the wry screenplay he wrote alongside Tobias Lindholm, and you have a great dramatic comedy.

The oddball, fun factor potential is present in Nude Tuesday. But as it stands, it’s just another slightly strange, will they or won’t they get back together, love story.

For all of its groovy fun, Yellow Submarine offers a subliminal reminder that the power of love never goes out of fashion.

Official Competition is a bit long and could have used some more of the offbeat humor that it excels at. But overall, it’s a worthwhile journey into pulling back the curtain satirically on movie magic.

Slow in places, but the feeling of foreboding you’ll take away from it is undeniable.

The more unpleasant aspects of the case are minimized in favor of telling the story and highlighting the effects of the case on these four men. It drags in spots, but even if Fincher hasn't hit it out of the park, Zodiac is easily a stand-up triple.

I can't rave about this film enough -- this is passionate filmmaking at its best. One of the best foreign films, heck, one of the best films I have seen this year -- go see it!

The female-centric, lo-fi South Mountain is an excellent example of how little a budget matters when all the other puzzle pieces are in place. We need more cinema like this.

Sometimes we need to bask in each other’s demons, to exorcise them and achieve a semblance of redemption. Ree traces such a relationship; like an evocative painting, The Painter and the Thief will remain engraved in your memory.

Throughout clever turns and twists of the plot, Levine presents a meditation and deconstruction on life imitating art and vice versa with a dash of Robert Altman and a nod to David Mamet as players fill in the story.

i’m thinking of ending things is a lawless movie, made up of one memorable scene after another, none of which are restrained by any storytelling edicts—anything goes, and it goes.

The honesty of the troupe in telling their story is both brutal and hilarious.

That The Devil's Backbone makes any sense at all -- with its many, swirling plotlines -- seems like a little wonder.

Thanks to a smart screenplay, excellent, stylish direction, and an outstanding cast from top to bottom, the entire production will unnerve and shake up all watching.

Forest Whitaker is the perfect guy to play Parker, Diane Venora is hotly sympathetic to Parker's genius as his last wife Chan, and Eastwood's intentions are pure and golden, but Bird is a solid base hit on a hanging curve ball that should have been knocked well out of the Park. It's a powerful Heroin parable, but it could have been so much more.

As it progresses – and Smith cunningly makes it feel like the film attains a life of its own, guided not by directorial hands but by fate itself – Sr. becomes a touching ode to a formidable individual whose countercultural comedies influenced generations of filmmakers.

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who was essentially handpicked by now-executive producer Danny Boyle, gives us a more depressing look at humanity while retaining several of his predecessor’s moves. This isn’t always a good thing, since Fresnadillo can’t seem to get his fill of low-light hyper-edited fight scenes or frenetic hand-held shots of people running, but when used right it adds to the sense of claustrophobia and impending doom.

It’s gripping, reflective, dramatic, and even a bit humorous.

Slow pacing and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details abound, placing the film in the tradition of foreign arthouse films.

A good movie, atmospheric and sometimes creepy. It grabs us with the premise and holds our attention and doesn’t let go, right up to the explosive climax.

It is leaps and bounds above the average boring status quo comedies, and it is exceptionally well-crafted.

If you view life as being full of rainbows and ponies, you'll see this film as a remarkable display of courage and hope. If you wake up to reality, though, you'll see this as a depressing exercise in futility.

BlackBerry is another movie where we all know the ending, but the fun is in finding out how we got there.

Bleached by the Southwestern sun, this blunt and biting look at a shattered family’s struggle to survive everyday life in Nowheresville, New Mexico, is not only inspired and entertaining, but accessible to thick-headed louts like myself.

Movies about writers are almost always romanticized affairs but Starting Out in the Evening is the rare exception. It is at once an elegy for the vanishing generation of Bellow, Cheever, Mailer and Updike and a dead on indictment of our culture’s current state.

It’s a funny, sad, and ultimately joyous journey into a world that most Westerners will not understand. It highlights the resilience of people, particularly women, in a place where the system has set them up for failure. Yet somehow, they strive, survive, and sometimes succeed.

The situation’s gothic stylings and the isolated yet sprawling location give us a mile-deep trench of dread. The musical score, solid direction, and envious camera work all add finesse to the proceedings.

Camilleri captures the beauty of Malta in Luzzu. He shows us the island, the sea, the colorful traditional boats with faces painted on the front, and the glamour of sunset over the ocean. He also shows us life there can be destructively difficult for people trying to make it on the low end, as they struggle to maintain their traditions and pride while the world changes around them.

The intense and fascinating vision and lens through which Guan Hu observes everything makes Black Dog unforgettable and haunting long after watching.

If you get half of the jokes flung your way, and laugh at half of those you’re still in much better shape than the very best episode of Three’s Company. If you truly study this movie and love it all, you probably haven’t done much with your life, but at least you’re smiling.

Sketch isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but it’s great at being a touching and thoughtful story of young kids and preteens.

A documentary which wobbles and weaves as much as often as it soars.

Streaks of sadism emphasize the prevailing humanity, as do the borderline-psychedelic brushstrokes: the intentionally murky nightmarish visuals, Ariel Marx’s nervous score, the bleak set design, the impassivity with which cinematographer Chananun Chotrunngroj’s camera observes the two women’s descent into madness.

This is a family film. There's a great deal of wackiness.

Shot in the manner of a grueling horror picture, with jittery edits to half-remembered traumas and glistening close-ups on the faces of monsters.

The kind of film that you just don't want to end.

After Yang is a good-looking movie, especially for one that’s mostly talking and conversations, the acting is good — an easy feat for seasoned actor Colin Farrell and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja is adorable as hell. But unfortunately, it misses its storytelling potential by focusing too much of our attention on the wrong story elements.

Better than the first in some ways: the superfluous Agent Meyers is gone, Doug Jones is great as Abe, and Strauss is an amusing addition (if almost structurally identical to Kroenen).

Scene after scene blends masterfully with the work of Ohwon’s paint brush, and the power of images and symbols reveal not only a great artist, but also a pivotal era in Korean history.

If you are a lover of art, especially abstract art, you must see Beyond The Visible – Hilma af Klint. You’ll be blown away by af Klint’s genius and how ahead of her time she really was.

The brightest facet of the movie is that even as they face oppressive conditions they still persist with joy.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the return to the greatness we associate with the franchise, particularly after the misstep that is Chapter 3. It is easily my favorite movie of 2023 so far and begs for repeat viewings.

This documentary is an eye-opener to the future of this ever-shrinking yet growing world.

One wishes that the directors would have devoted more time to his past, how he came to be interested in Philosophy, and how he came to harness it as a tool useful in conflict resolution. Even still, McAverey and his staff’s love for the children comes through clearly.

I loved Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain because, like Bourdain himself, the film pulls no punches. It’s fearless in that it’s not looking to beatify its deceased subject.

While the sequences involving Robert attempting to confront his dying wife are certainly heart-rending (perhaps a tad too forcefully), the movie’s most sublime moments happen in the present, when Putnam focuses on the man’s recovery. The bits where Robert encounters the insects he’s after are as magical and ephemeral as said butterflies.

The characters feel real, the performances are personal, and you really know each character by the closing credits. It’s not the most rewatchable film, but Under the Fig Trees will capture your curiosity and more than satisfy a need for an excellent character-focused drama.

Every frame will blow your baby dome to smithereens, as I can guarantee you have seen nothing like this.