Every typical category of film analysis – the performances, the cinematography, the score, the wit, so on and so forth – needn’t be labeled as anything less than great.

12 Years A Slave will beat you down emotionally, scene after scene, without any mercy - but that's just a testament to the brilliant direction, transformation-like performances, and unapologetic storytelling that elevates Steve McQueen's movie high above the masses.

It’s a movie where even seasoned cinemagoers who feel like or claim to have seen everything are likely to marvel at how director Kenneth Lonergan was able to achieve something new, interesting, painful, hilarious, or beautiful, or some combination of all these things, in every single scene. It’s the type of movie that makes a person reach for the nearest hyperbole to describe it.

By combining her nostalgic take on formative family holidays with an unflinching portrait of conflicting personal identity, Aftersun intentionally delivers an emotional sucker punch few will soon forget.

With tighter scripting, this’d be a masterpiece. As is? Christopher Nolan has produced a damn-fine picture that goes against most of what his catalog has become renowned for in a good, streamlined way.

The Irishman is delicately handled by experienced, especially-inspired makers. It’s simply the kind of film that isn’t made too often anymore; and it’s one of the best this year has to offer.

Delightful, inventive and deeply affecting, Inside Out embodies the very best of what Pixar has to offer.

La La Land feels like a throwback and also like something we've never seen before, resulting in a dreamy musical that hits just about every note.

With a perfect balance of heart and humor, Toni Erdmann transcends its clichéd premise, becoming one of the most tragic comedies of the decade so far.

Apocalypse Now: Final Cut is a graphic yet gorgeous masterpiece about the Vietnam War. It's also perhaps the best movie ever made about the horrors of war.

Propulsive, beautiful and tense as hell, Tower is superior documentary filmmaking.

Hayao Miyazaki's 12th and possibly final feature film could not be more relevant as a call to action, bravery, and the unrelenting hope of childhood.

Unsentimental, brutally honest, and staggeringly complex in its execution, intelligent cinema like this is a rarity.

Slow, low-key and often beautifully observed, Blue Is the Warmest Colour won't blow your mind, but it will charm your socks off.

The true test of 'Oppenheimer' is whether Nolan can maintain his typically mammoth vision with a narrative that mostly comprises white men talking in small rooms. Like his protagonist, the writer/director succeeds in a grand and unexpectedly horrifying fashion.

Paterson, led by Adam Driver's skillfully restrained performance, is a brazing social commentary culminating in a harsh, yet beautiful truth.

It's hard not to anticipate many of Verhoeven's moves, but Isabella Huppert is too good to ignore in Elle.

Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train is an expertly made thriller with fluid camera work, dark humor and enough cliff-hanging build up to keep you biting your nails until there's nothing left. Easily one of Hitch's most underrated films.

Intellectually vibrant and emotionally complex, Things To Come is a luminous film drawn along by Huppert’s central performance and Hansen-Løve’s delicate script.

In spite of a momentous directorial debut and performance from Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga leaves the lasting impression in A Star Is Born, a beautiful production perfectly suited to re-release the superstar as a top-tier performer; she is nothing short of astounding.

Part of Hamilton’s brilliance is this reclamation of U.S. history.

Pulpy, old-fashioned Western action and terrific performances make Hell or High Water one of the most satisfying releases of the summer.

Black Panther proves how representation can rejuvenate even the oldest superhero origin arcs, allowing Marvel a victory that still feels every bit a Ryan Coogler film.

Led by a fantastic Michael Keaton, Birdman is a deeply thoughtful and darkly hilarious meta dissection of egotism that satirizes the entertainment business with a compelling visual style that is all its own.

A rebirth for both actor and director, Pain and Glory sees Banderas and Almodóvar at the peak of their electric, heart-wrenching capabilities.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is cocked, locked and ready to blow you away with more than just Henry Cavill's forearms.

In Martin McDonagh's morbidly hilarious meditation on male friendship, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson turn in performances every bit as powerful as in 'In Bruges' and paint a heartbreaking but comic look at one happens when one man doesn't want to be friends with another anymore.

Prepare to be turned-ghost pale by horrors of the mind, body and soul, unlike you’ve experienced in quite some time.