The Accountant 2 is a pleasant surprise. It scratches that crime procedural itch, along with paramilitary-style gunplay, for a winning combination.

Emotionally charged, enigmatic, electric, and inspiring, Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound is the ideal gateway for the new listener. But for those who have known their greatness from day one, this movie is a celebration of the individuality, creativity, unity, simplicity, community, and majesty of one of the most exceptional and innovative musical acts on the planet. Turn it on, and turn it up!

For its searing look at mental deterioration in solitary confinement and ingrained racism in the prison system, Caged is an absolute must-watch, minor flaws and all.

Levack’s screenplay is sharp, deeply human, painful, but genuinely hilarious. You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, you may even shed a tear. And while it’s formulaic at times, it resists the grand, third-act romantic gesture for a quieter, more resonant finale.

Its complicated story, hero, and visual style are a great reminder of the beautiful thrillers birthed during the Golden Age of Hollywood, albeit with the help of modern technology to pull it off with a modest indie budget.

The whole picture trades in the type of exotica that is fundamentally linked with the Arabian Nights stories, which melds amazingly well with the sci-fi tropes employed. The strategic use of location shots abroad, perhaps on a vacation, hides the fact that most of this was shot in Michigan, which is truly impressive.

Solo Mio is good, sappy fun, and the perfect date movie for all the craziness going on in the world at the moment.

With Garland crafting the script and DeCosta at the wheel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a winner on all fronts. It is wildly entertaining, never predictable, and explores the clash between superstition and tradition versus hard science.

Bonjour Tristesse is a rich experience in more ways than one, while it also burns beneath with a rising secret fire. Give it some patience, and it will give you an unforgettable experience.

You’ll be holding your breath at times.

The archival footage, reenactment, well-executed cinematography, and stunning wardrobe and makeup allow Framing Agnes to linger in your thoughts much past its ending. Joynt created an exquisite beauty that banishes the notions that trans is wrong or dirty and highlights how it is wildly misunderstood.

As a film, Reagan is about as perfect a biopic as you will get. The story flows quickly and feels cinematic for a man whose life plays out like a movie.

The Wedding Banquet is the kind of film that reminds you why we fall in love with movies in the first place—because they surprise us, move us, and make us laugh at how messy and magnificent life can be.

The Biggest Little Farm not only has by-the-minute drama and an ever-present tension between success and failure, but as an accomplished cinematographer, the film’s images of the farm is breathtaking.

This isn’t just an aesthetic exercise. It’s a sandblasted fable about meaning and memory. The Phoenician Scheme doesn’t ask you to love it. It dares you to look closer. And for those who do, the reward is quietly spectacular.

Atlantics can be seen as telling a haunting, tragic story. Despite its ethereal style, and a semblance of magical-realism, it is mostly grounded in the drama of reality.

In the final analysis, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is not as good as the first, but comes pretty damn close and is another example of a well-executed sequel. As cliched as it sounds, yes, this is a film for the kiddies, yet suitable for adults.

None of the shortcomings diminish how ridiculous and darkly funny the narrative is from fade-in to closing credits. Bess and the cast take viewers on an engaging, comedic journey through making a deal with the demon, crafting an enjoyable reminder of how innovative indie film can be.

The cast is excellent, and the story structure is so unique that it is refreshing. Bareisa has taken the family drama formula and reworked it entirely into something heartfelt, heartbreaking, and utterly absorbing.

EO is an incredible film, but do be aware it does skew bitter, especially at the finale.

Affecting, sincere, and most importantly socially astute ... it’s one of the sharpest and most promising first films I’ve seen in some time.

A finely gradated study of race and masculinity in the age of Trump, Tyrel is also an engrossing portrait of the revealing power of language.

A Boy. A Girl. A Dream may seem simple but every frame is a vibrant work of a passionate filmmaker.

It’s a compelling ride. But the film also manages to accumulate a layered look at the nature of brotherhood, parenting, adoption, and above all the power we do or do not have over the mental and emotional tendencies woven into our DNA.

It’s effectively creepy, well-acted, and thoroughly engaging.

Absolutely perfect family entertainment for anyone over the age of ten. It is a celebration of not just the usual triumph of the human spirit, but a celebration of the human experience.

An endearing view of a past time and filmmaking style – think Corman with a heart – Eating Raoul offers a bare Woronov, a prime slice of sexy-ugly that can never be duplicated, just like this film.

An essential for all serious humor fans who don't mind verbal grossness of the most extreme sort.