Big ambitions inspire great designs; little things bring them to life. Nausicaa has both in abundance.

Even though the story isn't as impactful as its stylized packaging, Wright creates a delightful new film that is sure to satisfy his legions of fans.

No Other Choice is another great film from Park Chan-wook, featuring excellent performances and the auteur’s signature directorial acumen.

A Real Pain is a hilarious and tender drama that shows us that truly living is the only way to honor those we've lost.

The Green Knight is truly astounding.

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is a dazzling complementary piece to the original.

At its core, Kiki's Delivery Service is about the conflict between becoming your own, independent person and relying on the support and comfort of others. Not every child who watches it will get that message, but like so many other Miyazaki's films, it strikes a chord deep down. And that's not the kind of thing you ever grow out of.

A deeply human film with no human characters, The Wild Robot is a tear-jerking and unpredictable animated adventure.

Mudbound is a daring approach to a classical narrative, a film that tries to look from multiple perspectives at an intimate human drama that has far-reaching ramifications. Its imperfections are debatable, and fairly minor. It is the work of a bold storyteller working at the top of her game.

What Nolan and Co. have created doesn't just function as a thrill ride or even a terrific movie, but rather as a substantive and philosophical examination of why we need heroes, and then when we need them, what they mean.

Its story of three couples working at the same British agency turns all the right screws with impeccable timing, forcing its characters to examine the flaws in their relationships as its tale of state secrets gradually unravels.

The glass slipper, the Fairy Godmother, Jaq and Gus - Cinderella is a parade of majestic moments.

With a coming-of-age story that is universal in its portrayal of misunderstood artists and broken homes, but hyper-specific in its portrayal of the childhood that formed a legendary filmmaker, this is a therapy session turned into a hugely entertaining movie, aided by a fantastic cast, and one of John Williams' best scores in years.

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.

It's a strange, hypnotic, completely fresh vision, not of the future per se, but into Terry Gilliam's own mind.

It’s a joyful, uplifting ode to tokusatsu and to superhero tales, and well worth a watch no matter your level of familiarity with the character.

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.

The respective performances of DiCaprio and Pitt and the film’s meticulous attention to period detail are all great and keep you invested in where this cruise around Tinseltown will ultimately take you.

Ryan Coogler enters the horror realm and nails it in Sinners, which drops vampires into a deeply personal, heartfelt, emotional, sexy, and bloody story that’ll stick with you.

The cast is pitch-perfect, scoring big laughs, heart swells, and even tears. Feldstein and Dever are a phenomenal comedy duo; Lourd is a stellar standout. And Wilde crushed it right out the gate.

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

Pixar Animation delivers another hilarious yet also deeply moving chapter in their blockbuster franchise.

In the Heights moves smoothly between cinematic realism and the magic of the stage, in a defiant musical about what it means to belong, and what it means to be remembered. It is one of the most moving and joyful films this year.

Hamnet is not without a few flaws, but it ultimately comes together as a strong dramatic showing for director Chloé Zhao. Anchored by a fantastic performance from Jessie Buckley, Hamnet simultaneously works as a family drama and as an exploration of how personal experience manifests in artistic expression.

The Vast of Night is a minimal marvel, drawing out fear and anticipation with not much more than a cunning script, stirring performances from its young stars, and the starkness of the dark skies above them. Within it you'll find a Spielbergian love for sci-fi peppered with a twisted appreciation for negative space and the unknown.

This is a film about pain, and it forces the audience to live in and work through that pain. And it’s absolutely worth the effort. By the end it’s a transformative experience.

Widows is so severe and reserved a picture that it never quite works as a thriller, but it’s so mired in conventional thriller storytelling that it never completely works as a serious drama either. But there’s no denying the power of that cast and the particular vision of McQueen, who turns Widows into something truly distinctive… if not necessarily effective.

The Bad News Bears isn't the greatest film ever made, but it's definitely better than its two sequels and worth its cult classic status.