From a distance The Spectacular Now is mere soap opera, but it is one of those films that grow more fascinating upon inspection.

Under the Skin is a deliberately oblique piece of work that prizes rhythms and textures above hows and whys.

Just plain funny, loaded with joke after joke and pun after pun.

While the final act might not surprise or stun, it does feature some classic le Carre movements, some trademark Corbijn ease, and a terrifying Hoffman bellowing at the sky – not so bad for just another spy film.

A Place at the Table is a fairly no-frills effort, but the ideas behind it are sound.

Downey, Jr. remains a rightfully cherished smartass figure, having as much a ball with Black’s one-liners as he had in “KKBB,” and he sells Tony’s newfound post-traumatic vulnerability more credibly than the film does.

Anderson has abandoned a bit of his whimsical nature for the later portions of the film, but the film’s first half hour presents one of his most darling settings yet, until, of course, it all crumbles into murder, mayhem and bad renovations.

In a film about how hard it is to know what you want, and then to express it, Swanberg gets to the heart of the matters of the heart with disarming doses of both charm and wisdom.

It’s clean, lean and smart.

Superbly written, handsomely made and full of terrific performances, Laggies is Shelton’s best film to date.

Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy might have the scariest ending of any film ever made.

It is amazing, given the modesty of its scope and means, how much Manakamana is able to achieve.

Heartfelt and haunting, sympathetic while still aware of the limits of sympathy, Wild incorporates beautiful direction, smart writing and brave acting.

A potent encapsulation of how fame and finance beget fear and grief.

The Visitor might be a hot mess, the byproduct of tailspinning egos and the best drugs movie money could buy in the late 70s, but it certainly isn’t an accident.

Frank’s film is much more of a noir outing than a straight action feature, and Neeson slips right into the tone and feel of the hard-boiled detective offering. Neeson may have been treated to a big career resurgence thanks to his knack for big action, but he’s great as Matt Scudder, and the darker charms of the film suit him wonderfully.

It's an Egoyan film, and therefore by definition worth seeing.

The boy (Osment) has an uncanny ability to suggest Cole's secretive, haunted soul, and he seems to have inspired Willis to give perhaps his most self-effacing performance.

The landscape is a definitive presence throughout the film, which has almost no music and very little dialogue. The film is short (approximately 80 minutes) and maintains a good sense of dread throughout.

It's swell when a film really does capture a book in some exactitude.

Simply put, Sightseers is a deliciously inappropriate and hilariously weird comedy.

Despite the first-rate acting, the narrative is the star of this show, so much so that you feel yourself occasionally losing interest in the travails of the characters. Instead, you hang on every word and every tiny object, every cut and bruise in the frame, looking for clues that will help you make sense of what's going on.

Rohmer's trademark dialogue...is as poetic in its plainness as ever.

Abittersweet fable about the raw joys of human revival.

What makes Hit and Runway uniquely fun, however, is the unapologetic extent to which Livingston and Cohen turn it into an index of beloved Woody-isms.

Altman lucked out when he cast a singer, Ronee Blakley, in a major role in "Nashville," but he has not been as fortunate here with Annie Ross and Lyle Lovett, who lack Blakley's soulful dramatic presence.

22 Jump Street is a success, as there is a little good ol’ fashioned “heart” beneath its post-modern veneer.

Don't be misled by claims that you've seen this one already. You haven't, and you should.

Has a charm that keeps you involved throughout.

Chan's glorious madness.

An energetic mix of Scream-like dark comedy, senseless violence, satisfying surprises, and good old-fashioned mayhem

A very funny film that never sacrifices the lives of its characters to the needs of its story.

The most faithful cinematic depiction of adolescence in recent memory.

I'm not sure how elaborately I could defend Pola X, but I loved watching it.

Cage, not one known for subtlety of late, is truly great in this sad, funny and tender role.

Craven creates his savviest and most frightening movie since the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" by spoofing the horror cliches and simultaneously reinventing them to scare you all over again.

The bleakness of the material ought to make Ratcatcher a depressing experience, yet Ramsay's power as an image-crafter transforms this grim universe.

The dialogue is sparkingly witty, and Phoenix and Winslet are excellent in what are, after all, meant to be fairly one-dimensional roles.

They Came Together is a very fast, often very funny riff on a very tired Hollywood formula.

A good-natured farce. It's also really, really funny.

Opinionated magic and mayhem

If McCulloch can draw this much humanity out of his actors, and do it in comedies with a deceptively easygoing poignancy, he's definitely a director to watch.

Don't be fooled by the WB appeal; if you've ever been in high school, Cruel Intentions has the wiles to seduce.