From its endearing animation style, which blends a 2D aesthetic with 3D technology, to its poignant and refreshing writing, Orion and the Dark is a true joy to watch.

Sporting discordant sound design and deliberately surreal visuals, The Amusement Park emerges as a harrowing allegory about the terrors of ageism.

It's a story about family and preservation, but more than that, Flee is a testament to the broken social systems that allow families to fall through the cracks, leaving them desperate — and as a result of that desperation, vulnerable.

The Hamilton filmed stage production is a stunning showcase of one of Broadway's biggest hits, maintaining all the heart and energy of the musical.

The Chronology of Water is a boisterous spectacle of the female experience directed with pure love and sincerity.

James Gunn's Superman movie launches the DC Universe in spectacular fashion, with a fun-filled romp that requires refreshingly little homework.

The Vourdalak is an indication of where modern horror movies should be headed. I was moved not by the gruesome violence of the story but by the devastating tragedy akin to a Greek drama. The Vourdalak doesn't need graphic cruelty to get its point across, as the movie and filmmaker understand that there is even more devastation to be found in the dark.

The Devil's Bath is bleak but well worth the watch, especially if you like being guided down Franz and Fiala's dark, twisted rabbit hole.

The stellar cast, in particular, is reason enough to run to the theater to see Air.

Ultimately, Exhibiting Forgiveness is a movie that spoke to me on a deep level. It’s the type of transcendent experience that could make you confront your own demons and familial traumas you may not even have known existed.

Thankfully, Craig captures the magic that so many have fallen in love with over the decades. The story explores the uncertainties of religion, sex education, and girlhood with incredible sincerity and without judgment of any option. What's more, it beautifully reveals the side to humanity that society often tries to hide with these concepts — but does so with genuineness and care.

Hokum is a refinement of what came before, not a rehash: a terrifically composed throwback that knows when to play things grounded and when to embrace the horror for its full potential.

The psychological thriller is clever, sharp, and intoxicating, even in its eeriest moments. There’s a charm and depravity that are all too real, hanging over every scene as it makes us wait with bated breath for the big reveal that comes in glimpses and acts as stark contrasts to the characters’ initial excitement.

The Long Walk is a film that requires patience from the audience as it unfolds; there is plenty to digest. With a stellar ensemble cast and a challenging, emotionally-driven narrative, this atypical ghost story will nestle into viewers' minds until Mattie Do’s next directorial triumph.

It is focused on its small-scale story about the main characters who are burdened by pain and dead-ends, but carefully works in the broader injustices it wants the audience to see.

Song has a particular knack for telling stories that break down the walls around our hearts and leave us aching in the best way possible.

Pitch-perfect performances elevate this magnificent film that I can’t say enough good things about.

It's not only a modern classic of the zombie genre, but one that is sure to stand the test of time for the next 20 years and beyond.

As it tells a thrilling story, engineered with expert precision to keep you hanging on every turn, it embarks on a truly fascinating thought experiment about the nature of identity in relationships: who we are to other people, how easily that can change, and how disruptive it can be when it does. This film is rooted (to steal one of its laugh lines) in "double empathy," exploring when and why we condemn others without itself condemning any of its characters. It may be an entertaining conversation piece, but make no mistake, The Drama is also one of the best movies you'll see this year.

The movie is so interested in archeology (the credits dedicate it "to all archeologists, custodians of every end") that it becomes an analogue for the viewing experience. Rohrwacher asks us to interpret La Chimera the way archaeologists interpret fragments of the past.

It's not a perfect film, but Emilia Pérez is endlessly captivating, an exercise in genre, tone, and sheer fearlessness.

This breathtaking, funny, and heartwarming tale is creativity and sincere storytelling at its finest.

This may well be Fanning's best performance to date, an intricately laced characterization of someone who is as filled with determination and dignity as she is by indecision. As Wendy, Fanning has a special way of presenting someone that can be both open and closed in equal measure: smiling through difficulty, forceful and righteous when angry, light and airy when experiencing joy.

Despite some of the movie's flaws, Santosh's cast truly shines, particularly Shahana Goswami in the titular role. Serving as an audience surrogate, Goswami nicely balances the feeling of curiosity and uncertainty as she becomes more embroiled in the case and her job.

Through form and function, Abbas demonstrates the ironic and contradictory nature of his very enterprise, as the temporal fixity of the photograph clashes with the persistent movement of a migrant constantly pulled in multiple directions.

Sorry, Baby is the kind of movie that will linger and stick with you. It is far more than a story about trauma; it's also about friendship and growing up, concepts that will feel deeply relatable to anyone.

In a world that can have very black and white storytelling, What We Hide lives in the gray, dominating that space with ease and fluidity. What We Hide deserves to get its time in the light.

The film, comprised of over 20 stories, is a cry for help. A cry for humanity. A cry for justice.

Wilson showed with his television series just how life-affirming it can be to just observe, and, with his triumph of a feature doc, he shows us how merely looking around can reveal entire histories.

Moon Manor is an absolute triumph, one which celebrates life and embraces death while touching upon the bittersweetness of everything that occurs in between.

It’s rare for a final film in a horror franchise to deliver character development, a chilling story, and a satisfying ending for the characters. The Conjuring: Last Rites does all three. As a farewell to the Warrens, Chaves balances the terrifying with the heartfelt to great effect.

The Harder They Fall is a crowd-pleasing and worthy addition to the Western canon that knows how to have a good time with a familiar story.

Broe is able to go beyond a clichéd queer cityscape to capture something that feels achingly real, all the more so in the evolution of Johan and William's relationship. There's a sadness here, but it's blunted by the fact that it plays out in a way that feels very true to life.

With an outstanding cast and compelling themes, In the Heights soars, bringing emotional beats together in a celebration of culture and community.

It's the kind of filmmaking that rewards returning fans while being accessible to new or casual viewers. As a result, The Suicide Squad is a delicious, deviant and delightful watch for everyone.

Bolstered by an incredible cast, the film offers commentary on filmmaking as an art and the lengths the characters will go to outshine each other.

The action isn't elegant. It's erratic and loud and ugly. . . it's a symphony of chaos. It's also a damn good time, even if Kurosawa leaves us with the haunting notion that we're all too connected, just one click away from finding opportunity or something much more dangerous.

It's a journey as much defined by tedium as tension, but to paraphrase the assassin, if you can't handle a little boredom, this might not be the film for you.

It’s got everything — tense chase sequences, anxious and wary phone calls, and heart-to-hearts between Sarah and Ash that underscore their characters’ need for true connection. There have been so few exceptional thrillers in recent years, but Relay is certainly one of them.

Lili Taylor's work here is rather brilliant, as she completely inhabits the soul of Patti, a single mother who is close to giving up on any future. It is a striking work in a great example of independent cinema.

Along for the Ride captures the magic of young adulthood and first love, delivering a relatable coming of age story with a sweet romance.

For a film that clocks in at around only 90 minutes and doesn't tackle any one subject outright, Wasteman effortlessly makes you think about many issues.

Along with a sharp sense of humor and compelling performances, Palm Springs delivers an absolutely charming rom-com with a fun sci-fi twist.

Black Bag is engaging and refreshing precisely because it is so personal, raising the stakes to the highest level without having to be extravagant in its set pieces.

The anime film Blue Giant is a jazzy tribute to aspiring young musicians, offering a glimpse into the world of music in a stunningly visual way. Starring relatable characters with a solid bond of friendship, Blue Giant hits a lot of the right notes to get an interesting story while keeping the music center stage.

As fun as the film is when it leans into its genre trappings, Touch Me wouldn't be anything without its small-but-superb cast. Olivia Taylor Dudley, largely underutilized beyond her time on The Magicians and with Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, is transcendent as Joey, easily delivering a career-best performance.

It's a fascinating character study and a strong debut for Clint Bentley.

It's a deliriously perfect, laugh-a-second satire.

It would be an understatement to say that Dead Lover is unusual. It may be more accurate to call it entirely novel.

Problemista invokes the simplicity of myth without ever letting its characters become simplistic.

Bloody Hell inexplicably combines two elements that shouldn't work and yet do: high-octane action with a creepy, sadistic family of murderers.

With strong characters and a twist that meaningfully adds to their story, Long Weekend is an engaging romantic tale that offers a satisfying journey.

The Good Boss is a pitch-black comedy with a pitch-perfect performance by Bardem, playing prime dartboard fodder for the proletariat.

Thunderbolts* deftly tackles mental health and serves as a fantastic MCU movie, with great performances from Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman.

Mank is a wonderfully crafted and well-acted ode to a bygone era carried by Fincher's vision and Gary Oldman's standout performance.

Miller’s film is deceptively simple, but there is a tremendous amount of depth and nuance. Viewers will walk away thinking a lot about the film, and a second or third watch is needed to fully absorb the layers within its story.

While Code 8: Part II manages to outdo the original movie in its sci-fi elements, that is not the only improvement that can be seen in the sequel.

With stuntman J.J. Perry behind the camera, Day Shift is a killer upgrade to vampire lore and a damn good time.

Priscilla is another masterwork from Coppola, a study of a woman in a gilded cage and her journey to freedom with two central performances that will go down as some of the best in Coppola's entire filmography.

One Piece Film: Red is the best movie in the franchise and an entertaining experience for its audience, who should be ready to shed some tears, too.

Masterfully written and directed, Saint Maud is a captivating, compelling, and disquieting horror film that is distinct and incredibly intense.

The film is grounded, avoiding sensationalism and empty indulgences.

Explorations of sex are a dime a dozen in Hollywood but Thyberg isn’t interested in sex, she is interested in people who are interested in sex. There is no judgment and no fetishizing. (The film even has time for a boner joke.) What more could one ask for in a film such as this?

As a marriage of theme (the pace of modern life makes enemies of potential friends and renders everyone faceless) and technique, Duel is a compelling thriller that crystallizes Spielberg’s early promise and, as a result, is often seen as one of the best TV movies the medium has ever offered.

Ultimately, The Eyes of Tammy Faye has to compromise its story with real events, and at least it gives Tammy Faye a celebratory note to end on.

A roaring achievement for the first-time feature director, In Flames is an intensely vivid tale of survival. Khan’s humanistic approach towards understanding marginalized women is hauntingly beautiful.

In its own way, Griffin's experience is universal, but Griffin in Summer finds specificity in its amusingly abrasive central character.

The film balances scares and laughs with pitch-perfect timing, creating one of the smartest, most inventive vampire movies in decades.

The action itself is where 11 Rebels' mix of modern and classic filmmaking really shines and had me gripped.

While The CW’s Arrowverse brought Crisis to life in its own way, the animated version takes things to the next level in an adaptation that is at once sorrowful and thrilling.

No matter how ridiculous the plot, and no matter how super Christmas-y these films get, Hudgens will remain the steadfast north star.

It's hilarious, heartbreaking, distinctive, significant, and just what Hollywood needs after countless DC and Marvel projects.

Hersh and Poitras fit together like hand in glove. Exceptional warriors for absolute truth and justice, both have made careers out of exposing systemic abuses of power in ways that have often made them enemies of the state - and yet, both have been granted unusual access to the truth.

Tótem's camera is always studying the actors, exploratory and intrusive in the manner of a child's perceptive gaze.

Showcasing a harrowing horror story about the cost of happiness, Best Wishes to All is a terrifying, twisted tale that never lets up on the scary revelations it keeps unearthing.

Unflinching in its bold lack of subtlety that's contained within a nudge and a wink to the movie's primary audience, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm doesn't hesitate to abruptly kick open the door on polite boundaries, social taboos, and tough talking points that are keeping an entire country at odds.

Wonder Woman 1984 is filled with hope, love and optimism, offering impressively cinematic superhero action with beautifully sentimental heart.

Kontinental '25 is an acerbic film which makes you feel uncomfortable for chuckling your way through it, because by doing so you acknowledge an awkward sense of resonance with the guilty.

As ambitious or complicated as the script may get, the film is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, entertaining the idea of horror tropes but structuring the story with clever twists and thrills that defy the genre.

Something only Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires could do is explore the important role that gods play in the story. Yohualli Coatl is the chosen figure of the Aztec bat god Tzinacan. The inclusion of the gods and that mystic origin of the Dark Knight make this story distinct, mysterious, and a treat to slowly unravel.

While the movie starts off on a pretty straightforward note, one of the things that took me by surprise was just how often I was left guessing how the story was going to play out.

The writing, direction, and acting are spectacular. The score by Robert Ouyang Rusli is stirring and never ceases to amaze. Among 2023's film entries, Bruiser stands among the year's best so far.

Without relying on cheap jump scares, Soderbergh’s psychological horror thriller is a shattering mystery about instinct that will chill you.

Gladiator II really soars when it does the unexpected and, for the most part, that only happens when Washington, Quinn, and Hechinger are onscreen. It doesn't make for a well-rounded film, but it does make for an entertaining one. For all its faults (of which there are only a few), Scott is still fully in control of this massive undertaking, letting his contemporary sensibilities bleed into the gravity of the past.

Your Monster is a magical movie experience you do not want to miss. A nice blend of levity and drama, Lindy’s debut assertively makes its mark on the genre.

Thanks to its matured presentation mixed with comedic elements and important lessons, Magnetosphere crafts a perfect coming-of-age tale about the difficulties of entering one's teenage years.

It's a thrilling ride, and the fun the production is having with itself is contagious. There are moments of humor and necessary breaks in the tension that let us laugh and allow us to get braver alongside the characters.

As a testament to its strong script, Basir’s latest tackles various themes related to addiction, religion, and even manhood. And in its methodical approach towards addressing mental health, To Live and Die and Live defies and exceeds emotional expectations.

What's even more impressive about Osiris are its visual effects, which rival even those of some of the big-budget studio movies.

Thank You For Coming comes close to being a definitive sex comedy for women, with Bhumi Pednekar's star turn offering laughs and life lessons to spare.

It’s a movie that will have a lasting impression on the audience as its themes, execution, and sharp, lustrous visuals fully take hold, leaving viewers with a lot to think about.

Wrapped together by an entertaining story and a compelling lead, the movie is smart, interesting, and honest about its core subjects.

Kurzel's film can be watched at face value, and anyone inclined to like this type of movie will enjoy it. But as it chugs along, it also shows us what hate can look like and what it can do. Like Husk's story, it is a warning, and it leaves us with the chilling sense that the events depicted haven't, or maybe can't, come to an end.

Though the movie goes by way of Shaun of the Dead and refuses to ever use the z-word, there's no denying that We Bury the Dead is a zombie movie, even if a more scaled-down one than some might come to expect.

It might be a Formula One promotional movie at its core, but at least it’s a damn good film.

The Convert is by far one of Tamahori's best films in years.

Rebuilding chooses a gentle, deliberate approach to its story, making it all the more powerful in its observations on what it means to find a home and community in places and ways you'd least expect.

There is a lot of love put into the making of this film and it shows in every single scene. It’s one of the best romantic comedies in a while, and not one to miss.