Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost stands not only as Ben Stiller’s best film directorial work in years but also as a very personal keepsake for him and his family. With admiration, respect and honesty, this carefully crafted cinematic family album ensures his parents’ brilliance and love will never fade.

Boots Riley is a genuine original, and in I Love Boosters, he makes a statement as wildly entertaining as possible.

A non-stop spectacle unlike any other. I hoped it would be awesome, and somehow, against all odds, I’m ready for more.

Pulling from personal and vulnerable archives, Birds of War gives voice to the people and gives us a grounded perspective on international conflict.

Given how well “Brian” works, it’s tempting to call it a miracle of a movie, simply because this humor shouldn’t play this well. But that’s not a miracle, that’s just everyone working on a film being perfectly aligned on how to tell the story they’re telling.

The film’s relentless narrative is expertly performed by a cast of newcomer talent who empathetically portray its heavy subject matter with deliberate psychological intensity.

Atonement is a powerful human drama about the often elusive nature of forgiveness.

Regardless of one’s beliefs—or lack thereof—”The Testament of Ann Lee“ is an undeniably moving and inspirational story of holding true to one’s convictions and finding strength in a like-minded community, effectively brought into the 21st century through powerful, stirring music.

Minotaur is another unmistakably political, bleak, and methodical work from one of our best storytellers.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable mixture of period drama, romance, and a coming-of-age story that’s extremely rewarding in its thoughtful central theme of the connection between past and future.

Cookie Queens excels at balancing a light-hearted energy with thought-provoking musings on entrepreneurial sacrifice and ambition.

This carefully crafted documentary is more focused on telling a particularly curated story about Candy than any incisive or thought-provoking portrayal.

The Alabama Solution may not provide a definitive answer, but it sparks an undeniable demand for change, making it one of the most urgent and important documentaries of the year.

V/H/S Halloween is a terrifyingly worthy addition to the ranks, excitedly and expertly bringing gorgeously gory and gratuitous fun to fans who love that stuff the most — and god are we grateful for it.

For fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, this is essential viewing. Whether you’ve seen the iconic musical one time or one thousand times, be sure to take a “Strange Journey.”

Ben’Imana is a stunning, gorgeously assembled film about a people faced with a level of emotional labor that no one should ideally be forced to surmount.

Director Sepideh Farsi's startling documentary utilizes WhatsApp video chats with a young Palestinian artist living in Gaza to provide a powerful snapshot of how the deadly war is decimating lives across her country.

The subdued, naturalistic, and sometimes playful approach to the subject is a welcome departure from more conventional family dramas about separation.

The School Duel is, at its core, a savage satire about a society so obsessed with its right to bear arms that it sacrifices its own children on the altar of nationalism. It dares to ask if patriotism has a limit and what happens when you blow past it. In doing so, Wiseman Jr. doesn’t just twist the narrative. He detonates it.

Homebound is both especially relevant in its exploration of the marginalized communities suffering on the outskirts for the identities society deemed lesser and increasingly resonant for how it shows human endurance does continue to live and fight on in pursuit of achieving their dreams to one day escape, earn their right to freedom and show that no single person should be defined by their background or community.

Disclosure Day is a film made by a human being who has been asking the same question his entire life and who, finally and beautifully, seems at peace with the answer. Are you ready for the answer?

Like the titular woman herself, the film from co-directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley is equally hilarious and unafraid to be very, very real, beckoning viewers in like a close friend and rewarding them with laughs and profound insight.

Our Hero, Balthazar, is a riotous dark comedy that manages to push all the right buttons in its curiosity about an isolation that is currently plaguing young male zoomers.

It’s a touching and moving homage that reminds us of the precious spirit that directs us towards remembering the deep love we have for family, through all its ups and downs.

Making dumb seem clever, and clever seem silly, Matt Johnson and company take their mockumentary shtick to new and dizzying heights, literally.

While it falls short of the brilliance of the “Nebraska” album itself, Cooper’s against-the-grain approach offers a refreshing antidote to the formulaic music biopic, delivering a bleak yet moving exploration of an artist in crisis.

Wicker is a sweet, gently moving love story at its core that reminds its audience that the most effective and necessary traits for a successful relationship of any kind are simple honesty and respect.

An enjoyable, meaningful, (mostly) sharply-scripted farewell to the beloved series.