The film is near perfect in its attempt to properly mix the irrationality of war in with an interesting love story.

Jay Sebring…Cutting to the Truth is a great documentary.

Indeed, many professed aficionados of non-narrative cinema are averse to such formal adventurism, but with the right state of mind and their curiosity peaked, there’s no doubt that adventurous film-goers will find this to be one of the most striking documentaries of 2024.

The film works so well because of the development and portrayal of Nanning. He’s such a compelling character, slowly uncovering his family’s moral failings as the film progresses. He displays an inherent empathy for the world around him.

The Pez Outlaw has something for everyone. It’s a crime thriller, rom-com, family drama, corporate espionage flick. It is also a sincere and loving look into the Pez collecting community, which is full of the sweetest people imaginable. This is the kind of film you’d show to someone who doesn’t like documentaries to change their mind. It is that good and powerful.

This is one of the best films of the year.

It signals a strong new voice in the genre with the Philippous that is equally confident, commanding, and committed to slinking under your skin.

Ghostbox Cowboy is a wonderful mishmash of mockumentary that lends comparisons to Ulrich Seidl’s work or Harmony Korine’s earlier films such as Julien Donkey Boy and Gummo, with the weirdness of Terry Gilliam and the idiosyncratic brutality of Werner Herzog, while also being a completely unique animal apart from these influences.

McQueen has aced the task of translating Stigters’s book, putting her research into an educational and provocative collage and bringing it gracefully to another medium and a wider audience.

Dunn does an incredible job of condensing this extremely complex battle into a story that is simple and understandable, as well as extremely compelling.

Benjamin Naishtat directs with a steady hand and a strong vision. Pedro Sotero’s cinematography reveals the place and time in a respectful style that captures the period without satirizing it. This is a film that satisfies on every level and bears repeated viewings.

What sets Bier's film apart from similar fare are the consistently fine performances and powerful scenes of surprising ferocity.

Directors Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch have created a heartwarming testament to a man whose singular message was one of love and inclusion.

Polsky packs a lot into the film’s slim 80-minute running time. It’s dense but never overwhelming, presenting facts and anecdotes in a coherent, intuitive, supremely entertaining fashion.

Any thinking person – no matter what political stripe or moral belief – needs to see this important film then try to apply its valuable lessons to today's, still, unstable planet.

Son of Monarchs is a type of philosophical journey but one of beauty and mystical discovery.

Kusijanovic’s feature-length debut is nothing short of revelatory. Murina is the perfect summer film. Beautiful scenery, nuanced performances, and canny filmmaking provide one of the most memorable coming-of-age stories of the 2020s so far.

Benson and Moorhead have crafted yet another lo-fi sci-fi masterpiece.

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) is a grand rock and roll buffet with something for everybody.

Meditations on the toll of waiting, the damage of estrangement and the fickleness of trust echo in a well-acted, assuredly directed, sometimes brutal, watch.

You're going to hear a lot about 500 Days of Summer over the next few months. All of the good stuff is true. Any bad stuff you hear is not.

A real treasure in the guise of yet another Sundance dramedy.

Although Soderbergh complicates his cinematic dish with too many flavors, No Sudden Move still offers plenty of bites to savor.

Novelist Cormac McCarthy explored the idea that violence can be regenerative and redemptive. In Sisu: Road to Revenge, Helander has painted that concept on the movie screen 20 feet tall, near death, and dripping with gore. By becoming inhumane, Aatami seeks to recover his humanity. Never before will you have felt so cleansed by such brutality.

Normally film is considered a director’s medium, but this one belongs to cinematographer Paolo Carnera. The footage of Felice rediscovering Naples is nothing short of stunning. Martone wisely understands that he has three resources in Nostalgia that other filmmakers do not: Carnera’s eye, Favino’s acting ability to quietly emote with no wasted motion, and a city that is heartbreakingly beautiful to behold.

Usually, films of plays are dull things. Limited access to camera angles, bad sound, lighting that doesn’t work for the movie camera. Theater and film are (appropriately) distinct media. Enter Spike Lee. He’s a master craftsman and his skills are as relevant as ever. Lee made use of all those potential disadvantages to inform his cinematic vision and encapsulate the stage performance into a striking moving picture.

It’s a beautiful visual and spiritual journey through the glorious highs and devastating lows of a brilliant artist who was ahead of his time.

Plays like a fever dream that won't quit until you lose consciousness or your lunch, whichever goes first.