Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson give their all to Marriage Story, a smart exploration of the emotional intricacies of divorce and how they can rip love to shreds. As characters, they’re a little too extraordinary in their careers to be as relatable as the film wants them to be, but that doesn’t get in the way of the sheer power of the writing and acting on grand display.

The Last Duel’s staggering trial by combat allows for some brilliant performances, brutal fights, and impactful social commentary.

Zombieland: Double Tap is a riot, and a lot of that is due to Zoey Deutch and her character, Madison. While it doesn’t quite achieve classic status in its own right, when it comes to sequels that do the original film justice, it is up there. It’s worth the wait, your time and your money.

Despite all the cinematic thievery and homage, The Funhouse manages to stand on its own as an eerie, slow-brewing slasher that builds quite a bit of effective tension and dread leading into the more generic final act.

The Way Back is a somber sports drama more interested in exploring the plight of its hero than in just the big games.

Color Out of Space is a delightful surprise. The film’s success is best viewed through the lens of Nicolas Cage’s increasingly deranged performance, which always entertains as it heightens, but never at the expense of servicing the story and elucidating just how dangerous the Color is.

This is a movie for anyone who has ever loved baseball and for anyone who enjoys the American Graffiti/Stand by Me style of narrative. Highly recommended.

While One Piece: Stampede doesn’t leave an impact, story-wise -- there are no great upheavals or shifting of the status quo -- that’s not really the point here. This movie is a celebration of the legacy of One Piece.

Frank LaLoggia's 1988 film scared the living hell out of yours truly with its singular combination of hometown horrors and operatic tragedy.

Tenet is not Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, but it is another thrilling entry into his canon. In a world where blockbuster cinema is dominated by franchises and sequels, it serves as an accomplished demonstration of the pleasures of unconnected and non-serialised original storytelling. But while it does tread new ground, Tenet is the ‘safest’ film from Christopher Nolan in some years. Following two recent ambitious movies from the filmmaker, Tenet feels a little conservative, as if Nolan’s style is a franchise rather than a framework. Despite this, it remains more interesting than most other tentpole movies and acts as a beacon for the director’s strengths.

Michael Showalter and company aren't reinventing the wheel here, but it's a solidly made wheel. Following in the footsteps of similar comedies, The Lovebirds offers a wild ride with outlandish action, plenty of popping punch lines, and a romance you can really root for.

Director Liesl Tommy and co-writer Tracy Scott Wilson provide a shocking backdrop for Franklin’s life, and Hudson balances all this with a skill that’s worthy of a second Oscar nomination. It feels more like a Broadway-ready musical than a biopic, but that doesn’t take away from the impact of the performances.

Dick Tracy succeeded in translating a classic comic almost perfectly to the screen. Some people may be turned off with Madonna being in the film, but if you can look past that, you'd find one of the best comic-to-film adaptations ever.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautifully animated, action-packed hero’s journey, and a great next evolution of Disney’s modern-day princess films.

It plays into the dystopian fantasy of being able to reinvent yourself in a lawless world, delivering a clever tale about what it takes for someone who's not a part of existence to want to reengage with life.

More than just a retrospective of himself (and his relationship with his sprightly grandmother), Minari feels like Chung gazing into the past to recognize and empathize with the kind of hardships and sacrifices his immigrant parents had to endure. In the process, he creates a riveting drama about hope, family, and the difficulties of change.

Tightly wound on almost every front, His House packs an enormous emotional punch even once its scares grow stale.

The Courier is a tense, well-executed spy drama that wisely focuses on character and performance more than thrills, knowing that if we actually care about these men it will drastically heighten every narrowed glance, near miss, and frightful chase. It's not always the freshest adventure, but that's when the acting carries the piece and breathes life into these unlikely heroes.

Benedetta is led by a wildly fun performance from Virginie Efira as a real-life 17th century lesbian nun. Equal parts funny, sensual and incendiary, it’s a committed work from director Paul Verhoeven — a master of tonal balance — even if its exploration of the war between body and spirit occasionally falls short.

From excellent team-ups between Deku and Bakugo to strategic standoffs featuring some of the more minor characters like Ashido and Tokoyami, the entirety of Class 1-A gets to shine in this new movie.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a ridiculous, riotous, and relevant adventure fill with great humor and winning sentiment.

The Marvels is a triumph. Its depth can be seen not just through its characters, but through its story as it explores war's complicated fallout; the difficulty of being a human when you are perceived as a monolith; and the hilarious and complicated virtues of family. Both funny and heartfelt, Nia DaCosta’s MCU debut will have you asking when she and her leading ladies are coming back immediately after the credits roll. It’s a pity that the villain isn’t given much to do, though.

Yes, it’s gruesome and violent, but it’s also wickedly funny and surprisingly poignant. And while those Keanu comparisons are always going to be there, Nobody easily holds a candle to Wick.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse surges with visual inventiveness and vibrance in an undeniably strong evolution of the style established in Into the Spider-Verse. Miles and Gwen’s search for their place in the multiverse is relentless and exciting, almost to a fault, and though the plot is often an afterthought to the pure chaos of creation on display, strong performances and character arcs that feel true to the heroes we met last time help ensure that Across the Spider-Verse is a more-than-worthy follow-up to an all-time classic.

Hamilton the stage musical may be a 10/10. But this filmed version falls short by repeatedly reminding the audience of what we missed by not being there.

Ron’s Gone Wrong is a weird, quirky family comedy that pushes all the right buttons. Unexpectedly poignant, it asks some big questions about growing up in the age of social media.

The Outpost is a cleverly, and respectfully, crafted war film that uses a segmented, episodic approach to help you invest in the characters while building up to a very impressive battle sequence.

There's a throbbing theme at You Should Have Left's core about what it means to be a man. But if subtext isn't your jam, you can kick back, switch off, and enjoy the eerie thrills and jolting scares of this satisfying horror-thriller.

The Rental boats a strong cast, an intriguing set up, and a compelling mystery. It's a fun and feisty web of lies and deception with the added bonus of having a shadowy, stalking presence surrounding everything and everyone like a God-hand. It's a small film, but it's tense, dense, and delivers a harrowing final act.

Robert Rodriguez delivers a family-friendly film that feels like his most personal project yet. We Can Be Heroes is a cheerful and colorful take on the superhero genre with a powerful message about empowering younger generations to take the reins and do better than their parents.

Spider-Man: No Way Home bounces from hilarious to hurt with ease as both the darkest and funniest MCU Spider-Man entry to date.

Driven by its performances, and smuggling revolutionary politics into “award season” prestige, Judas and the Black Messiah makes for a powerful (if at times dramatically rickety) retelling of a violent chapter of US history.

This contest of wicked wills is a vibrant, penetrating Pandora's Box of predicaments and likeable yet evil central characters, played with satirical skill by Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage.

Pretending I'm a Superman will inspire you to get back on your board whether in real life or in the game.

Hayes and Papadimitropoulos' script is meticulous in its capturing of the internal contradictions that make up real people. Stan and Gough fearlessly embrace it all. Together, they give us such an honest and intimate exploration of an adult relationship that Monday feels almost like prying. Yet the most fascinating element of this rich drama is that there is no determination of judgment. No easy blame may be laid.

Freaky is a bloody good time. It’s smart, sharp and funny with some tasty kills and headline casting that is to die for.

The Duke sets up a hilarious social satire under the guise of a comedy crime caper, with buckets of British humor.

A timely, powerful piece about the slow road to progress, and the nuances of fighting broken systems from within.

Vampire vs. the Bronx offers enough kid-friendly thrills and laughs to entertain and introduce newcomers to the horror genre, while also offering a socially conscious exploration of gentrification we haven't seen in the genre before.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey already feels like a timeless treat. Though it's a little longer than it needs to be, Jingle Jangle is still filled with enticing visuals, holiday heart, and seasonal cheer. It instantly feels like a snug, fabled world ready to be explored.

Blue Bayou works as both an emotionally insightful character piece about a man looking for where he belongs, and as a brutal exposé of the lesser-known broken parts of our immigration system.

PG: Psycho Goreman is campy, ridiculous, and low-budget, and it absolutely owns it.

All in all, Finding 'Ohana is a superb entry into the annals of kid-fronted adventure. The familiarity of concept and character welcomes you into the cozy romp of it all but provides surprises and spectacle unique to its Hawaiian environment. There are laughs and thrills aplenty, spiked with a bit of pathos, but not so much to derail the fun.

A great first feature from Cathy Yan, Dead Pigs paints a vivid backdrop of globalization, wealth inequality, and the anxieties of a dual Eastern and Western existence. With these complexities in mind, it forces its idiosyncratic characters into personal and financial battles which often feel unwinnable.

Despite a bit of an imbalance between its first and third acts, Nightmare Alley delivers a delightfully meaty neo-noir packed with solid performances from its impressive ensemble.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a surprise vindication for the director and the fans that believed in his vision. With a mature approach to its superhero drama, better-realized antagonists, and improved action, Snyder’s version of Justice League saves the movie from the dustbin of history.

In the Earth is an oppressive, bizarre trip of sight, sound, and spore-induced psychedelia. Director Ben Wheatley sometimes sacrifices characterization for the loftier ideas about nature he wants to explore but given how innately the audience should understand how one would be affected by a pandemic, it’s a gambit that mostly pays off as the film’s third act roars toward an all-out sensory assault in the climax.

Thoughtfully conceived and brilliantly acted, it’s one of the most bleakly funny films to come out this year.

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is a moody, slow-burn horror drama about loneliness online.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a great meta horror-comedy. It focuses less on scares, but makes up for it with great effects, a hilarious story, and awesome supporting characters.

I’m Your Man promises Dan Stevens as a rom-com dreamboat, but what it delivers is far more intriguing and rewarding.

The real heart and soul of the picture is Cage’s on-screen bromance with Pedro Pascal’s Javi. Their chemistry carries the movie into far more memorable territory, and more than makes up for a few of the film’s less-interesting elements.

Whether you're a theater lover, who aches for playhouses to reopen, a cosplayer who yearns for the return of Comic-Con, or a sci-fi fan who dreams of making an Alien of your own, Alien on Stage is a must-see.

Though it's hard to recommend this film to people without at least a passing interest in folk horror or folklore, those who stick with Woodlands Dark will find an expansive, practical, entertaining history lesson in a popular yet ill-defined subgenre of horror and come out the other side with a newfound appreciation for it.

Stowaway is shrewd in its decision-making and even better in its execution.

The themes of hope and positivity introduced are a welcome change for the franchise, and help give a sense of closure for the characters we’ve come to know and love. A sometimes inscrutable final act overflowing with extremely busy visuals and a never-ending barrage of new in-universe terms is the only major gripe in an otherwise satisfying and life-affirming finale to this beloved series.

The Guardians of the Galaxy deliver their swan song in Vol. 3 and it’s a rockin’ good time. Through Rocket’s tragic origin story we’re given a new appreciation for this whole family of lovable malcontents. And even though the plot has a bit too much going on, some of the humor feels stale, and Adam Warlock was woefully underused, the cast’s incredible chemistry and James Gunn’s soulful style remain unlike anything else in the MCU, and this movie sends them out on an emotional and action-packed high note.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie is a feel good adventure that boasts stunning animation, vibrant storytelling, and the return of our favorite magical girl Sailor Scouts in a dynamic double bill that will inspire and entertain.

Fear Street Part 3: 1666 becomes that final puzzle piece that clicks into place, making the big picture clear. On its own, it's spooky fun, reveling in shadows, suspicion, and twisted reveals. In the broader context, it’s a climax that’s sensationally bold, thrilling, and joltingly entertaining… and perhaps not just an end, but also a new beginning.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem oozes confidence, energy, and heart, and the animated adventure represents a new high for the Turtles on the big screen.

Director Sean Baker continues his strong career of shedding light on the fringes of American society with incredibly human stories. The undeniable center of Red Rocket, however, is a powerful turn from Simon Rex.

Lamb is a wonderfully strange film about parenthood.

Clerks III delivers all the inappropriate cuss-cluttered humor and pot smoke that is Kevin Smith's trademark but evolves his sentimentality beyond bong-rip wisdom. The third Clerks installment is a moving ode to working-class nobodies that amplifies Smith's touchstone sincerity above Randal's not-so-passive aggression or Jay's lit-for-days attitude.

Parallel Mothers is a really engaging watch with plenty of unforeseen story turns that seem incredibly random at first, but ultimately come together in a very intentional way. Penélope Cruz gives a powerful and beautifully relatable performance as a woman navigating some very messy life choices with wisdom and empathy.

Official Competition is a sharp black comedy that skewers grandiose wealth, egocentric artists, and how quickly art is swallowed by money and celebrity.

Spencer is a narratively ambitious film that remixes reality and fiction to get us inside the head of the Princess of Wales, exploring mental illness and past trauma with high camp that captures the suffering of its main character. Kristen Stewart gives a career-best performance while Pablo Larrain cements himself as a go-to director for unique and thoughtful biopics.

Director Lee Haven Jones elevates this ripe premise with a masterful use of color and a garnish of gore. This makes for a feast of the eyes, bursting with visuals gorgeous and gruesome. Tied together with a surreal tone and topped off with a generous sprinkling of carnage, The Feast serves up a heady and haunting experience that sticks to your ribs and rattles your nerves.

The‌ Deer King may feel familiar to fans of Studio Ghibli, but it’s made with such dedication to the craft and the story that it results in a brand-new experience full of heart and action.

The Summit of the Gods is a standout tale in both story and animation technique.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On suffers from an aimless plot that feels stretched too thin, but it provides one of the most endearing and adorable animated characters since Paddington Bear. It delivers enough heart, laughs, and innocence to forgive its shortcomings.

Swan Song is a beautifully acted near-future exploration of self, technology, and the soul.

The Humans is a thoughtful and brilliantly acted meditation on family and humanity.

Pieces is a work of manic inspiration whose weirdest and wildest moments are strangely as integral as the ones bound indelibly to its utterly conventional plot. It's silly, it's absurd, it makes no sense, and whole scenes come and go without a link to anything else in the film, but it may be some of the most fun you'll have being scared at the movies.

With a stunningly honest performance from the director’s son — Jojo Rabbit star Roman Griffin Davis — Silent Night balances the eccentricities of a Christmas get-together with nihilistic acceptance of certain doom, making for a film that’s both bleak and dryly funny.

LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales gives the dark side its time to shine in a clever and funny mash-up of horror classics and Star Wars mythology.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission boasts the franchises' best animation yet, as well as a dark and menacing villain straight out of an X-Men comic. It all results in a compelling and thrilling adventure that, sadly, suffers from being an isolated non-canon story.

Featuring absolutely staggering visuals, Dune: Part Two is an arresting, transportive middle entry in Denis Villeneuve’s tricky sci-fi saga.

Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey never lets up. It’s full of the Predator franchise’s trademark violence and tension, but it’s the ferocious, star-making turn from Amber Midthunder that stands as its greatest strength.

The Bad Guys is a fun, family-friendly caper that’s bursting with action and brimming with laughs.

With a simple but effective script and some fun visual experiments, it's an entertaining conspiracy thriller set in (and very much about) the post-pandemic world.

Less of a straight-up horror movie and more creeping dread, You Won’t Be Alone explores the spectrum of human emotion with an otherworldly curiosity. Perhaps it takes someone on the fringes of society to find out what it really means to be human.

It may not always succeed, but it arrives with an energy worthy of the TV comedy legends.

While its gnarly payoffs eventually peter out, X is filled with fun and intense setups that harken back to classic slasher fare.

Speak No Evil is a worthwhile test of wills that’s sure to dampen anyone’s day with a superbly excruciating tale of monsters in civilian clothing.

Led by moving performances from Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard, the film takes a roundabout approach to its drama, resulting in a realistic portrait of a relationship in stasis.

It walks a tightrope with its topics, but Williams is delicate and confident with every step — his performers following close behind, dominating the screen.

Fresh delivers a full-course meal with dazzling cinematography, disturbing imagery, and one of the best horror performances of the past few years. Sebastian Stan joins the pantheon of horror psychopaths as this delightfully gory movie explores the world of modern dating.

Writer-director Riley Stearns transforms depression and disappointment into a hilarious confrontation of death and a peculiar tale of self-image in an uncanny film with a precisely bizarre lead performance.

With a layered performance by Regina Hall as the university’s first Black dean of students, the film plays with familiar tropes and images from American horror, but re-fashions them into an unexpected, subdued story with a chilling emotional payoff.

In Thirteen Lives, Ron Howard sheds the spectacle of the 2018 Thai soccer team cave rescue by recreating the impossible logistics, choices, and dangers with intimacy and chilling claustrophobia.

Windfall is a tight, smartly constructed thriller that succeeds on the strength of its performances.

Hook's Dante Basco and his brothers deliver an outrageous comedy about love & family in The Fabulous Filipino Brothers.

The pace of this gorgeously shot Norwegian pseudo-fable will be a roadblock for some, but give Vogt a chance. Storytelling rewards are bountiful once The Innocents executes its conflicts well above the expected maturities of players on screen.

Bodies Bodies Bodies’ great ensemble and delightfully chaotic script make for a tense and laugh-out-loud funny film.

The Woman King overcomes the perils of its overstuffed script with a collection of performances that elevate the whole. As expected, Viola Davis is the emotional center of the piece, masterfully fine-tuning her performance to go from fierce to vulnerable as needed.

With a stunningly raw performance from Danielle Deadwyler, Chinonye Chukwu’s Till lives in the body of a traditional biopic — about Mamie Till-Mobley in the aftermath of her son Emmett’s lynching — but it turns real events into regretful, wistful memories, with a camera that refuses to look away from a mother’s pain.

While Creed III may not stray too far from the very familiar format of a Rocky movie, seeing Creed truly begin a legacy of his own apart from Rocky Balboa is an exciting chapter for the series.

The Equalizer 3 ends the trilogy strong with a style, energy, and cohesiveness that most sequels aren’t capable of. Fuqua and Washington’s circle feels complete and delivers a showstopping dessert at the end of a solid three-course meal they’ve been preparing for almost a decade.