In 2017, over 170 movies were Certified Fresh. For movies that went wide (at least 600 theaters), that means it hit at least 75% on the Tomatometer after 80 reviews, along with 5 from Top Critics. For movies that stayed in limited, the barrier was 40 reviews. How many of these have you seen? (And if you’re into it, check out the Certified Fresh gallery for TV!)
Hugh Jackman makes the most of his final outing as Wolverine with a gritty, nuanced performance in a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero action film that defies genre conventions.
It
Well-acted and fiendishly frightening with an emotionally affecting story at its core, It amplifies the horror in Stephen King’s classic story without losing touch with its heart.
John Wick: Chapter 2
John Wick: Chapter 2 does what a sequel should — which in this case means doubling down on the non-stop, thrillingly choreographed action that made its predecessor so much fun.
Blade Runner 2049
Visually stunning and narratively satisfying, Blade Runner 2049 deepens and expands its predecessor’s story while standing as an impressive filmmaking achievement in its own right.
All the Money in the World
All the Money in the World offers an absorbing portrayal of a true story, brought compellingly to life by a powerful performance from Christopher Plummer.
The Disaster Artist
Oh, hai Mark. The Disaster Artist is a surprisingly poignant and charming movie-about-a-movie that explores the creative process with unexpected delicacy.
Kong: Skull Island
Offering exhilarating eye candy, solid acting, and a fast-paced story, Kong: Skull Island earns its spot in the movie monster’s mythos without ever matching up to the classic original.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming does whatever a second reboot can, delivering a colorful, fun adventure that fits snugly in the sprawling MCU without getting bogged down in franchise-building.
Phantom Thread
Phantom Thread‘s finely woven narrative is filled out nicely by humor, intoxicating romantic tension, and yet another impressively committed performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi honors the saga’s rich legacy while adding some surprising twists — and delivering all the emotion-rich action fans could hope for.
Wonder Woman
Thrilling, earnest, and buoyed by Gal Gadot’s charismatic performance, Wonder Woman succeeds in spectacular fashion.
Wind River
Wind River lures viewers into a character-driven mystery with smart writing, a strong cast, and a skillfully rendered setting that delivers the bitter chill promised by its title.
War for the Planet of the Apes
War for the Planet of the Apes combines breathtaking special effects and a powerful, poignant narrative to conclude this rebooted trilogy on a powerful — and truly blockbuster — note.
Coco
Coco‘s rich visual pleasures are matched by a thoughtful narrative that takes a family-friendly — and deeply affecting — approach to questions of culture, family, life, and death.
The Lego Batman Movie
The Lego Batman Movie continues its block-buster franchise’s winning streak with another round of dizzyingly funny — and beautifully animated — family-friendly mayhem.
Wonder
Wonder doesn’t shy away from its bestselling source material’s sentiment, but this well-acted and overall winsome drama earns its tugs at the heartstrings.
United Kingdom
Well-acted, solidly crafted, and all-around worthy, A United Kingdom presents an absorbing look at a singular true-life love story.
Atomic Blonde
Atomic Blonde gets enough mileage out of its stylish action sequences — and ever-magnetic star — to make up for a narrative that’s somewhat less hard-hitting than its protagonist.
Get Out
Funny, scary, and thought-provoking, Get Out seamlessly weaves its trenchant social critiques into a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s action-packed plot, dazzling visuals, and irreverent humor add up to a sequel that’s almost as fun — if not quite as thrillingly fresh — as its predecessor.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle uses a charming cast and a humorous twist to offer an undemanding yet solidly entertaining update on its source material.
Lady Bird
Lady Bird delivers fresh insights about the turmoil of adolescence — and reveals writer-director Greta Gerwig as a fully formed filmmaking talent.
Split
Split serves as a dramatic tour de force for James McAvoy in multiple roles — and finds writer-director M. Night Shyamalan returning resoundingly to thrilling form.
Thor: Ragnarok
Exciting, funny, and above all fun, Thor: Ragnarok is a colorful cosmic adventure that sets a new standard for its franchise — and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Colossal
Colossal‘s singular strangeness can be disorienting, but viewers who hang on may find that its genre-defying execution — and Anne Hathaway’s performance — is well worth the ride.
The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water finds Guillermo del Toro at his visually distinctive best — and matched by an emotionally absorbing story brought to life by a stellar Sally Hawkins performance.
Battle of the Sexes
Battle of the Sexes turns real-life events into a crowd-pleasing, well-acted dramedy that ably entertains while smartly serving up a volley of present-day parallels.
Baby Driver
Stylish, exciting, and fueled by a killer soundtrack, Baby Driver hits the road and it’s gone — proving fast-paced action movies can be smartly written without sacrificing thrills.
American Made
American Made‘s fast-and-loose attitude with its real-life story mirrors the cavalier — and delightfully watchable — energy Tom Cruise gives off in the leading role.
Only the Brave
Only the Brave‘s impressive veteran cast and affecting fact-based story add up to a no-frills drama that’s just as stolidly powerful as the real-life heroes it honors.
Kedi
Kedi is a cat fancier’s dream, but this thoughtful, beautifully filmed look at Istanbul’s street feline population offers absorbing viewing for filmgoers of any purr-suasion.
Your Name.
As beautifully animated as it is emotionally satisfying, Your Name adds another outstanding chapter to writer-director Makoto Shinkai’s filmography.
Chuck
Chuck is hit with a handful of sports biopic clichés but ultimately punches above its weight, largely thanks to a muscular performance from Liev Schreiber.
Darkest Hour
Darkest Hour is held together by Gary Oldman’s electrifying performance, which brings Winston Churchill to life even when the movie’s narrative falters.
In This Corner of the World
In This Corner of the World offers a unique ground-level perspective on an oft-dramatized period in history, further distinguished by beautiful hand-drawn animation.
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z‘s stately pace and visual grandeur hearken back to classic exploration epics, and Charlie Hunnam turns in a masterful performance as its complex protagonist.
Lucky
Lucky is a bittersweet meditation on mortality, punctuating the career of beloved character actor Harry Dean Stanton.
Captain Underpants: First Epic Movie
With a tidy plot, clean animation, and humor that fits its source material snugly, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is entertainment that won’t drive a wedge between family members.
Gook
From its confrontational title to its striking cinematography, this raw cinematic gem uncompromisingly proves writer/director/actor Justin Chon is a filmmaker to watch.
Good Time
A visual treat filled out by consistently stellar work from Robert Pattinson, Good Time is a singularly distinctive crime drama offering far more than the usual genre thrills.
The Founder
The Founder puts Michael Keaton’s magnetic performance at the center of a smart, satisfying biopic that traces the rise of one of America’s most influential businessmen — and the birth of one of its most far-reaching industries.
T2 Trainspotting
T2 Trainspotting adds an intoxicating, emotionally resonant postscript to its classic predecessor, even without fully recapturing the original’s fresh, subversive thrill.
Raw
Raw‘s lurid violence and sexuality live up to its title, but they’re anchored with an immersive atmosphere and deep symbolism that linger long after the provocative visuals fade.
Ingrid Goes West
Led by strong performances from Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, Ingrid Goes West delivers smart, topical humor underlined by timely social observations.
Girls Trip
Girls Trip is the rare R-rated comedy that pushes boundaries to truly comedic effect — and anchors its laughs in compelling characters brought to life by a brilliantly assembled cast.
Okja
Okja sees Bong Joon-ho continuing to create defiantly eclectic entertainment — and still hitting more than enough of his narrative targets in the midst of a tricky tonal juggling act.
My Friend Dahmer
My Friend Dahmer opens a window into the making of a serial killer whose conclusions are as empathetic as they are deeply troubling.
The Big Sick
Funny, heartfelt, and intelligent, The Big Sick uses its appealing leads and cross-cultural themes to prove the standard romcom formula still has some fresh angles left to explore.
Casting JonBenét
Casting JonBenét‘s unorthodox approach to its genre sets it apart in a crowded field, making for a uniquely thought-provoking true crime documentary hybrid.
Band Aid
Band Aid tells a solidly affecting story of a relationship on the rocks — and marks star Zoe Lister-Jones, who also wrote and directed, as a tremendous triple threat worth watching.
Brawl in Cell Block 99
Brawl in Cell Block 99 rides a committed Vince Vaughn performance into the brutally violent — and undeniably entertaining — depths of prison-set grindhouse genre fare.
78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene
78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene takes a look at one of modern cinema’s most memorable moments, offering insights of value to cineastes and casual viewers alike.
Killing Ground
Killing Ground unnerves and compels in equal measure with a grimly intense story that may be too disturbing for some but delivers a white-knuckle experience for fans of brutally realistic thrillers.
Chuck
Chuck is hit with a handful of sports biopic clichés but ultimately punches above its weight, largely thanks to a muscular performance from Liev Schreiber.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
The Man Who Invented Christmas adds holiday magic to the writing of A Christmas Carol, putting a sweetly revisionist spin on the story behind a classic yuletide tale.
Beach Rats
Empathetic and powerfully acted, Beach Rats takes a clear-eyed yet dreamlike look at a young man’s adolescent turmoil.
My Cousin Rachel
Excellent cinematography and Rachel Weisz’s entrancing performance keep My Cousin Rachel alluring despite a central mystery that’s rather easily unlocked.
Truman
Well-written, well-acted, and patiently crafted, Truman takes an affecting look at a long friendship separated by distance but undimmed by time.
I Am Not Your Negro
I Am Not Your Negro offers an incendiary snapshot of James Baldwin’s crucial observations on American race relations — and a sobering reminder of how far we’ve yet to go.
First They Killed My Father
First They Killed My Father tackles its subject matter with grace, skill, and empathy, offering a ground-level look at historic atrocities that resonates beyond its story’s borders.
Endless Poetry
Endless Poetry extends writer-director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s singular filmography with another joyously surreal, visually vibrant viewing experience.
Detroit
Detroit delivers a gut-wrenching — and essential — dramatization of a tragic chapter from America’s past that draws distressing parallels to the present.
Daughter
With The Daughter, debuting writer-director Simon Stone turns Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck into a thoughtful meditation on the bonds of family, friendship, and community.
It Comes At Night
It Comes at Night makes lethally effective use of its bare-bones trappings while proving once again that what’s left unseen can be just as horrifying as anything on the screen.
City of Ghosts
City of Ghosts takes a hard-hitting, ground-level look at atrocities in a part of the world that may seem foreign to many viewers, but whose impact will be no less devastating.
Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki sidesteps sports biopic clichés with a beautifully filmed, well-acted look at the balance between career fulfillment and personal happiness.
The Exception
The Exception elegantly blends well-dressed period romance and war drama into a solidly crafted story further elevated by Christopher Plummer’s excellent work and the efforts of a talented supporting cast.
Mudbound
Mudbound offers a well-acted, finely detailed snapshot of American history whose scenes of rural class struggle resonate far beyond their period setting.
The Incredible Jessica James
The Incredible Jessica James makes its standard storyline feel new, almost purely on the strength of a captivating, potentially star-making performance from Jessica Williams.
Human Flow
Epic in scope yet clear-eyed and intimate, Human Flow offers a singularly expansive — and sobering — perspective on the global refugee crisis.
Columbus
Wonderfully acted and artfully composed, Columbus balances the clean lines of architecture against the messiness of love, with tenderly moving results.
Handsome Devil
Handsome Devil offers a charming, well-acted variation on the coming-of-age story with a few fresh topical twists.
Death of Louis XIV
The Death of Louis XIV will frustrate viewers out of sync with its deliberate pace, but those with the patience to settle in may be rewarded with a thoughtful, finely detailed drama.
Hounds of Love
Smartly constructed and powerfully acted, Hounds of Love satisfies as a psychological thriller with a few nasty surprises — and marks writer-director Ben Young as a promising talent.
David Lynch: Art Life
David Lynch: The Art Life offers a look at the director’s life and craft whose unusual approach is in keeping with its subject’s singularly strange aesthetic.
Beatriz at Dinner
Beatriz at Dinner offers timely social commentary enlivened by powerful, layered performances from Salma Hayek and John Lithgow.
Heal the Living
Beautifully filmed and powerfully written, Heal the Living interweaves seemingly disparate narrative threads to present a vibrant portrait of human connection.
Hero
The Hero rests on Sam Elliott’s understated performance, which proves more than capable of carrying the film through the less inspired moments of its somewhat clichéd story.
Graduation
Graduation marks yet another well-written and powerfully acted look at morality and societal decay from writer-director Cristian Mungiu.
Girl With All the Gifts
The Girl with All the Gifts grapples with thought-provoking questions without skimping on the scares — and finds a few fresh wrinkles in the well-worn zombie horror genre along the way.
Ghost Story
A Ghost Story deftly manages its ambitious themes through an inventive, artful, and ultimately poignant exploration of love and loss.
Frantz
Frantz finds writer-director François Ozon thoughtfully probing the aftermath of World War I through the memories and relationships of loved ones left behind.
Ex Libris: New York Public Library
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library adds another remarkable chapter to documentarian Frederick Wiseman’s career-long quest for observational excellence.
Crown Heights
Crown Heights‘ heartbreaking fact-based narrative — and LaKeith Stanfield’s remarkable starring performance — push this powerful drama past its structural flaws.
Clash (Eshtebak)
Clash is far from an easy watch, but the story’s ripped-from-the-headlines energy more than makes up for its unrelentingly grim tone and sketchily developed characters.
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City offers a compelling overview of an influential activist’s importance — and underscores why the spirit of her work remains crucial today.
Brad’s Status
Brad’s Status transcends its familiar premise with insightful observations and affecting interplay between stars Ben Stiller and Austin Abrams.
Brigsby Bear
Audiences attuned to Brigsby Bear‘s strange frequency will be moved by its earnest — and endearingly original — approach to pop culture’s impact and the creative urge.
Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal highlights Takashi Miike’s flair for balletic violence, making up what it lacks in strict originality with rich characterizations and kinetic thrills.
Berlin Syndrome
Berlin Syndrome offers thriller fans an uncommonly well-written descent into dangerous obsession, enlivened by taut direction and a committed performance from Teresa Palmer.
The Beguiled
The Beguiled adds just enough extra depth to its source material to set itself apart, and director Sofia Coppola’s restrained touch is enlivened by strong performances from the cast.
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power makes a plea for environmental responsibility that adds a persuasive — albeit arguably less impactful — coda to its acclaimed predecessor.
All This Panic
All This Panic offers an unvarnished look at the lives of young American women whose less compelling moments are more than balanced out by documentarian Jenny Gage’s empathetic approach.
After the Storm
After the Storm crosses cultural lines to offer timeless observations about parental responsibilities, personal bonds, and the capacity for forgiveness.
After Love
After Love isn’t easy viewing, but its brutally honest examination of a crumbling family offers powerful performances and penetrating insights that make it well worth the effort.
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail transcends its less-than-dramatic trappings to present a gripping real-life legal thriller with far-reaching implications.
God’s Own Country
A quiet, moving rumination on loneliness and newfound intimacy, God’s Own Country marks an outstanding directorial debut for Francis Lee.
Faces Places
Equal parts breezily charming and poignantly powerful, Faces Places is a unique cross-generational portrait of life in rural France from the great Agnès Varda.
Dina
Dina presents a clear-eyed and uncommonly detailed view of one couple’s relationship, offering insights as broadly illuminating as they are compassionate.
Dawson City: Frozen Time
Dawson City: Frozen Time takes a patient look at the past through long-lost film footage that reveals much more than glimpses at life through the camera’s lens.
Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name offers a melancholy, powerfully affecting portrait of first love, empathetically acted by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer.
Mayhem
Mayhem delivers stylish violence by the bloody bucketful — and grounds all the titular chaos in sharp humor and surprisingly effective real-world economic angst.
B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography
The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography offers an intriguing glimpse at a distinctive artist’s work that’s as warmly engaging as its subject.
The Work
The Work takes a gut-wrenching look at lives all too often written off as lost causes, persuasively arguing that growth and change can be waiting where we least expect it.
The Women’s Balcony
With rich characters and a thoughtful approach to timely themes, The Women’s Balcony tackles complicated subjects with intelligence, compassion, and wit.
Midwife (Sage femme)
The Midwife takes a rewardingly patient approach to potentially melodramatic material, emerging with a well-acted, emotionally resonant character study.
Whitney: Can I Be Me
Whitney: Can I Be Me offers a sobering inside look at the tragic downfall of a brilliant performer, even as it leaves the audience yearning for deeper insight.
Wedding Plan
The Wedding Plan is steeped in convention, but has a thoroughly charming star and enough fresh twists to set it pleasantly apart.
The Villainess
The Villainess offers enough pure kinetic thrills to satisfy genre enthusiasts — and carve out a bloody niche for itself in modern Korean action cinema.
The Untamed
The Untamed attempts some ambitious tonal juggling between fantastical and disturbing — and draws viewers in with its slippery, inexorable pull.
Una
Una‘s well-matched leads bring an uncomfortable story fearlessly to life, keeping the movie consistently gripping as it navigates the tricky journey from stage to screen.
Tragedy Girls
Tragedy Girls injects familiar teen tropes with just enough up-to-the-minute commentary — and pitch-black humor — to work as an irreverently entertaining diversion.
Transfiguration
The Transfiguration tells a quieter, more deliberately paced tale than genre fans might expect, but for those with the patience to let it sink in, it offers its own rewards.
Tom of Finland
Tom of Finland honors its subject with an empathetic, even-handed, and above all entertaining look at the pioneering art he produced from private turmoil.
Thank You for Your Service
Thank You for Your Service takes a sobering and powerfully acted — if necessarily incomplete — look at soldiers grappling with the horrific emotional impact of war.
13 Minutes
13 Minutes explores an oft-neglected corner of World War II history with just enough craft and narrative momentum to offset a disappointing lack of subtlety.
Their Finest
Carried along by a winning performance from Gemma Arterton, Their Finest smoothly combines comedy and wartime drama to crowd-pleasing effect.
Thelma
Thelma plays with genre tropes in unexpected ways, delivering a thoughtfully twisty supernatural thriller with a lingering impact.
Step
Step tells an irresistibly crowd-pleasing story in a thoroughly absorbing way — and while smartly incorporating a variety of timely themes.
Sense Of An Ending
Anchored by a strong starring performance by Jim Broadbent, The Sense of an Ending proves consistently gripping even as it skims the narrative surface of its literary source material.
A Quiet Passion
A Quiet Passion offers a finely detailed portrait of a life whose placid passage may not have been inherently cinematic, but is made more affecting by Cynthia Nixon’s strong performance.
Patti Cake$
Patti Cake$ hits a number of predictable beats, but adds enough fresh elements — not least Danielle MacDonald’s potentially starmaking turn — to make its underdog story work.
The Orinthologist
The Ornithologist demands patient viewing from an audience attuned to symbolic pleasures — and rewards the investment with an unusual tale of self-discovery.
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
Moving without resorting to melodrama, BPM offers an engrossing look at a pivotal period in history that lingers long after the closing credits roll.
Novitate
Led by a gripping performance from Melissa Leo, Novitiate grapples uncompromisingly — and ultimately compellingly — with questions of faith and feminism.
Norman
Norman‘s elegantly told story is brought brilliantly to life by a quietly powerful performance from Richard Gere.
My Scientology Movie
My Scientology Movie offers a personal perspective on the controversial religion whose lack of investigative depth is more than balanced out by its sense of humor and all-around entertainment value.
My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea
My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea‘s attention-getting visual style matches debuting writer-director Dash Shaw’s distinctive narrative approach — and signals a bright future for a promising talent.
Menashe
Menashe offers an intriguing look at a culture whose unfamiliarity to many viewers will be rendered irrelevant by the story’s universally affecting themes and thoughtful approach.
Megan Leavey
Megan Leavey honors its real-life subjects with a sensitive, uplifting drama whose honest emotion more than makes up for its mild approach to the story.
Mean Dreams
Mean Dreams enlivens its familiar premise with rich details, strong performances from a talented cast playing fully realized characters, and sensitive work from director Nathan Morlando.
Maudie
Maudie‘s talented cast — particularly Sally Hawkins in the title role — breathe much-needed depth into a story that only skims the surface of a fascinating life and talent.
Marshall
Marshall takes an illuminating, well-acted look at its real-life subject’s early career that also delivers as an entertainingly old-fashioned courtroom drama.
Marjorie Prime
Intimate in setting yet ambitious in scope, the beautifully acted Marjorie Prime poses thought-provoking questions about memory, humanity, and love.
The Lure
The Lure adds a sexually charged, genre-defying twist to well-established mermaid lore, more than overpowering its flaws through sheer variety and wild ambition.
Logan Lucky
High-octane fun that’s smartly assembled without putting on airs, Logan Lucky marks a welcome end to Steven Soderbergh’s retirement — and proves he hasn’t lost his ability to entertain.
Loving Vincent
Loving Vincent‘s dazzling visual achievements make this Van Gogh biopic well worth seeking out — even if its narrative is far less effectively composed.
Lovers
With appealing leads and a narrative approach that offers a fresh perspective on familiar themes, The Lovers tells a quietly absorbing story with unexpected emotional resonance.
Limehouse Golem
The Limehouse Golem offers old-school Hammer-style horror anchored by rich period detail and strong work from a solid cast.
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth flashes some surprising toughness beneath its period exterior, bolstered by a mesmerizing — and unforgiving — central performance by Florence Pugh.
The Last Laugh
The Last Laugh takes a fresh — and unexpectedly funny — approach to sensitive subject matter, uncovering affecting insights about the nature of comedy along the way.
Last Flag Flying
Last Flag Flying balances raw drama against refreshing moments of humor in an impeccably cast film that wrestles with questions of patriotism, family, and grief.
Jeremiah Tower: Last Magnificent
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent serves up a smorgasbord of documentary delights for foodie film fans — and it’s a pretty good watch for non-enthusiasts too.
Jane
Jane honors its subject’s legacy with an absorbing, beautifully filmed, and overall enlightening look at her decades of invaluable work.
Trophy
Trophy offers a thought-provoking look at big-game hunting that should challenge, trouble, and enrage viewers regardless of their personal perspective.
Prevenge
As ambitious as it is daringly transgressive, Prevenge should thrill fans of pitch-black horror-comedy — and open untold opportunities for writer/director/star Alice Lowe.
Other Side of Hope
Writer-director Aki Kaurismäki further sharpens his craft with The Other Side of Hope, offering a timely drama whose melancholy air is leavened by its empathy.
Obit
Obit shines an entertaining — and overdue — spotlight on an engaging group of people whose singular craft is too often taken for granted.
Whose Streets?
Whose Streets? takes a close-up look at the civil unrest that erupted after a shocking act of violence in Ferguson, Missouri – and the decades of simmering tension leading up to it.
Wakefield
Thanks to a committed, powerhouse performance by Bryan Cranston, Wakefield is a fascinating character study of a decidedly unpleasant character.
Trip to Spain
The Trip to Spain offers more of the same scenery, food, and conversation that filled Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s first two Trips — which is to say, more of a good thing.
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) observes the family dynamic through writer-director Noah Baumbach’s bittersweet lens and the impressive efforts of a remarkable cast.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deftly balances black comedy against searing drama — and draws unforgettable performances from its veteran cast along the way.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Killing of a Sacred Deer continues director Yorgos Lanthimos’ stubbornly idiosyncratic streak — and demonstrates again that his is a talent not to be ignored.
The Florida Project
The Florida Project offers a colorfully empathetic look at an underrepresented part of the population that proves absorbing even as it raises sobering questions about modern America.
The Death of Stalin
The Death of Stalin finds director/co-writer Arnando Iannucci in riotous form, bringing his scabrous political humor to bear on a chapter in history with painfully timely parallels.
The Square
The Square finds writer-director Ruben Östlund as ambitious as ever — and delivering an unforgettably unusual work whose challenging themes pay thought-provoking dividends.
School Life
School Life offers a warm-hearted glimpse of an educational institution that may leave audiences as inspired as the students.
Risk
Risk poses knotty questions regarding documentary filmmaking ethics, but remains consistently compelling despite its flaws.
Professor Marston & Wonder Women
Professor Marston & The Wonder Women winds a lasso of cinematic truth around a fascinating fact-based tale with strong performances from its three stars.
The Fencer
The Fencer‘s inspirational coming-of-age arc is given added heft through sensitive direction, affecting performances, and a moving, fact-based story.
Stronger
Stronger rises on the power of its well-chosen ensemble to offer an emotionally resonant fact-based story that transcends inspirational drama clichés.
I Called Him Morgan
I Called Him Morgan doubles as a seductive tribute to its subject’s jazz passion as well as an absorbing look at a fatally doomed relationship.
The Breadwinner
The Breadwinner‘s stunning visuals are matched by a story that dares to confront sobering real-life issues with uncommon — and richly rewarding — honesty.
Devil’s Candy
The Devil’s Candy playfully subverts horror tropes while serving up more than enough stylish thrills to satisfy genre enthusiasts.
Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris is whimsical to a fault, but its fanciful light-heartedness earns the audience’s indulgence with charming performances and an infectious absurdity.
Manifesto
Laugh-out-loud humor and Cate Blanchett’s tour de force performance(s) make Manifesto worth watching, even if the subject matter is too esoteric for all but a few.
The Post
The Post‘s period setting belies its bitingly timely themes, brought compellingly to life by director Steven Spielberg and an outstanding ensemble cast.
Quest
Simultaneously sweeping and intimate, Quest uses one family’s experiences to offer trenchant, wide-ranging observations about modern American life.
Sweet Virginia
Smart and well-acted, Sweet Virginia delivers a tense, atmospheric thriller that transcends genre conventions even as it embraces them.
I, Tonya
Led by strong work from Margot Robbie and Alison Janney, I, Tonya finds the humor in its real-life story without losing sight of its more tragic — and emotionally resonant — elements.
The Void
The Void offers a nostalgic rush for fans of low-budget 1980s horror — and legitimate thrills for hardcore genre enthusiasts of all ages.
Molly’s Game
Powered by an intriguing story and a pair of outstanding performances from Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, Molly’s Game marks a solid debut for writer-director Aaron Sorkin.
Personal Shopper
Personal Shopper attempts a tricky series of potentially jarring tonal shifts with varying results, bolstered by a performance from Kristen Stewart that’s impossible to ignore.
Better Watch Out
Carried by its charismatic young cast, Better Watch Out is an adorably sinister holiday horror film.
Dunkirk
Dunkirk serves up emotionally satisfying spectacle, delivered by a writer-director in full command of his craft and brought to life by a gifted ensemble cast that honors the fact-based story.
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool showcases brilliant work from Annette Bening, whose performance is more than enough to outweigh this biopic’s basic narrative.
A Fantastic Woman
Subtle and tender, A Fantastic Woman handles its timely, sensitive subject matter with care.
