This is a fantastic film. Imagine any John Hughes film as a drug-fueled drama.

The Whaler Boy is an engaging, somewhat fraught look at coming-of-age, sexual awakening, and a broken mind. Onokhov brings the role to mesmerizing life and is supported by a good secondary cast, though they’re playing thinly written parts. But, the epic look and majesty of the visuals carry this drama over any rough waters it occasionally hits.

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

So here it is, an arena rock type film event for lovers of Asian cinema. Good news is that you won’t have that annoying ringing in your ears the day after. Better news is that you’ll have food for thought way after witnessing these spectacles.

The countryside visuals, emphasis on naturalism, and remarkable ensemble must make Alcarràs the most grounded and humane interpretation of a telling representing an entire culture and living.

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.

Friedkin gives us a master class on the creative process of film and a set of expertly told war stories that thrill and inform. It just doesn’t get better than this.

It is sweet, engaging, and has a great message.

If you have been fiending all year for a quality drama that shares a different world, then Frybread Face and Me is what you have been waiting for. Luther’s deft screenplay ably gets across a lot of complicated family business in just a few strokes.

Wow. A heist movie that is more focused on people than it is crime. An incredible cast - Robert Forster and Donnie Wahlberg. Getting to see Kristin Minter's breasts and hearing her say, "F---." Damn near a perfect movie.

The best thing the filmmakers did was to pull a cast out of the stage productions. Importantly, the actors convey a sense of history and comfort with each other.

Nyoni’s handling of tone is astoundingly careful, and because of it, I Am Not a Witch is a truly unique and stirring experience.

A New Love In Tokyo does for sex workers what The Sopranos does for the mafia: it shows what the people behind the jobs are like. I wished I hadn’t missed it the first time and relished this opportunity to finally see it.

Those expecting that a movie about an occult sacrifice to ever become scary will be disappointed with Extra Ordinary. The filmmakers use the trappings of that kind of film for an all-out comedy. Thanks to its nonstop jokes, strong, likable characters, and marvelous cast the movie is hysterical.

Fire Music is a comprehensive overview of the major players in this wild, unrelenting scene. Keep in mind, this is a 90-minute documentary, not a 20-hour Ken Burns epic, so it moves quickly. The point, however, is not to be the ultimate authority on the subject but to discuss the motivations and mindsets of the artists involved.

Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan: Brothers in Blues is that rare insider music documentary that skips the skin and gets down to the bone.

The script for this film is absolutely incredible.

Do we want to live in a society that ruins people’s lives for their musical taste? Hopefully not. Watch The United States of Insanity to see what that means and decide for yourself.

A film to savor and to be thankful for.

Well-executed interviews of key people and all band members, along with excellent animation and archival research, The Go-Go’s reveals a story of talent, will, friendship, addiction, and forgiveness. The backdrop of the male-dominated music business highlights that these ladies who have stayed brash and whipsmart have always been entirely punk.

The writings of Ma Feng appear to have evoked much of the themes Zhangke captures in his beautiful story and its surface simplicity and deeper subtext. Although it is a bit lengthy, Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue is a well-done and beautifully expressed film for understanding a people and their history.

Through Wang’s intimate and gifted storytelling, and her filmmaking abilities, she offers a lens of understanding to the delicate nature of life and death, especially for the frontline men and women who were tackling this faceless and mysterious illness changing life as we know it.

It achieves that magic combination of nuance, depth, and having a big heart that makes it both a crowd-pleaser and a favorite of critics.

This is one of those films that will either hit it big as an indie crossover like "Little Miss Sunshine,” or just make some money and become a film nerd favorite. Either way I recommend you don’t miss this awkwardly fun gem.

On top of the tried-and-true prison genre formula coupled with the misfit gang formula, Rupert Wyatt's "he Escapist flips everything on its ear by playing out in two timelines simultaneously.

The cast is perfect in every way, and each actor brings the right amount of silly and serious to their respective role. This might not be quite as good as Kaufman’s beloved property, nor as brilliant as the stage musical, which remains the definitive distillation of Toxie’s antics. Still, it is a damned fun time at the movies with enough nods and references to please even the most diehard of Troma purists.

As with all of Mann's films, Manhunter is an intense experience. All of the actors, including even legendary goofball Chris Elliott, give brooding, serious performances.

A timeless classic, full of excitement, humor, witty asides and memorable characters.