The 200 Freshest Movies of the Last 20 Years

Critics Consensus: Almodovar weaves together a magnificent tapestry of femininity with an affectionate wink to classics of theater and cinema in this poignant story of love, loss and compassion.

Synopsis: New friends help a woman (Cecilia Roth) struggling to get her life in order after her son's (Eloy Azorín) death.

Starring: Cecilia Roth, Eloy Azorín, Marisa Paredes, Penélope Cruz

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

Critics Consensus: The endearing Iron Giant tackles ambitious topics and complex human relationships with a steady hand and beautifully animated direction from Brad Bird.

Synopsis: In this animated adaptation of Ted Hughes' Cold War fable, a giant alien robot crash-lands near the small town of Rockwell, Maine, in 1957. Exploring... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel

Directed By: Brad Bird

Critics Consensus: With strong performances and director David Lynch at the helm, The Straight Story steers past sentimental byways on its ambling journey across the American heartland.

Synopsis: A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) learns one day that his distant brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has suffered... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Everett McGill

Directed By: David Lynch

Critics Consensus: Intelligent, compelling, and packed with strong performances, The Insider is a potent corporate thriller.

Synopsis: After seeking the expertise of former "Big Tobacco" executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora

Directed By: Michael Mann

Critics Consensus: The rare sequel that arguably improves on its predecessor, Toy Story 2 uses inventive storytelling, gorgeous animation, and a talented cast to deliver another rich moviegoing experience for all ages.

Synopsis: Woody (Tom Hanks) is stolen from his home by toy dealer Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), leaving Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer

Directed By: Ash Brannon, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich

Critics Consensus: Chicken Run has all the charm of Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit, and something for everybody. The voice acting is fabulous, the slapstick is brilliant, and the action sequences are spectacular.

Synopsis: This engaging stop-motion, claymation adventure tells the story of an American rooster who falls in love with a gorgeous hen on a British farm. The... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Miranda Richardson, Jane Horrocks

Directed By: Peter Lord, Nick Park

Critics Consensus: In its depiction of one family, Yi Yi accurately and expertly captures the themes and details, as well as the beauty, of everyday life.

Synopsis: Set in Taiwan, the film follows the lives of the Jian family from the alternating perspectives of the three main family members: father N.J. (Nien-Jen... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee

Directed By: Edward Yang

Critics Consensus: A haunting psychological drama, Time Out takes a penetrating look at the angst of the modern worker.

Synopsis: When Vincent (Aurélien Recoing) is fired from his job, he cannot bring himself to tell his wife (Karin Viard) and son. Rather than reveal the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aurélien Recoing, Karin Viard, Serge Livrozet, Jean-Pierre Mangeot

Directed By: Laurent Cantet

Critics Consensus: Catapulting Ang Lee into the upper echelon of Hollywood filmmakers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, beautiful scenery, and tasteful drama.

Synopsis: In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) to deliver to safe keeping,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen

Directed By: Ang Lee

Critics Consensus: A feel good movie without an abundance of mush.

Synopsis: The true story of a group of eccentric scientists who are responsible for manning a satellite dish inauspiciously located on a remote Australian sheep farm.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sam Neill, Kevin Harrington, Tom Long, Patrick Warburton

Directed By: Rob Sitch

Critics Consensus: A darkly funny thriller that's reminiscent of Hitchcock.

Synopsis: During a heat wave Michel (Laurent Lucas) and Claire (Mathilde Seigner) take their three small daughters on vacation to get away from the headaches of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Laurent Lucas, Sergi López, Mathilde Seigner, Sophie Guillemin

Directed By: Dominik Moll

Critics Consensus: Clever, funny, and delightful to look at, Monsters, Inc. delivers another resounding example of how Pixar elevated the bar for modern all-ages animation.

Synopsis: Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) is one of its top scarers. Sullivan is... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi

Directed By: Pete Docter

Critics Consensus: A suspenseful, gripping documentary that features an engaging cross section of American children.

Synopsis: Eight youthful competitors, sponsored by their hometown newspapers, travel with their families to Washington, D.C., to compete in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Now... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paige Kimble, Jonathan Knisely, Balu Natarajan, Julianne Ruth

Directed By: Jeffrey Blitz

Critics Consensus: A clever and offbeat character study about two people discovering each other.

Synopsis: Carla Bhem (Emmanuelle Devos) has worked as a secretary for a property development company for a long time. Her job includes everything from handling files... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Devos, Olivier Gourmet, Olivia Bonamy

Directed By: Jacques Audiard

Critics Consensus: Kaurismäki delivers another droll comedy full of his trademark humor.

Synopsis: After a brutal beating in a Helsinki park, a middle-aged welder (Markku Peltola) falls into a coma. When he wakes up, he cannot recollect a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Juhani Niemelä, Kaija Pakarinen

Directed By: Aki Kaurismäki

Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.

Synopsis: 10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong turn down a wooded path,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: Though it may not always convince, Bowling for Columbine asks important questions and provokes thought.

Synopsis: Political documentary filmmaker Michael Moore explores the circumstances that lead to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and, more broadly, the proliferation of guns and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Dick Clark, Charlton Heston

Directed By: Michael Moore

Critics Consensus: The Two Towers balances spectacular action with emotional storytelling, leaving audiences both wholly satisfied and eager for the final chapter.

Synopsis: The sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated and AFI Award-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" follows the continuing... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Critics Consensus: With help from a strong performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as real-life wunderkind con artist Frank Abagnale, Steven Spielberg crafts a film that's stylish, breezily entertaining, and surprisingly sweet.

Synopsis: Frank Abagnale, Jr. works as a doctor, a lawyer and as a co-pilot for a major airline, all before his 18th birthday. A master of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Critics Consensus: Well-acted and dramatically moving, The Pianist is Polanski's best work in years.

Synopsis: In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman

Directed By: Roman Polanski

Critics Consensus: A coming-of-age tale marked by its authenticity.

Synopsis: On New York City's Lower East Side, Dominican teen and aspiring ladies' man Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk) has nothing but girls on his mind. Though... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Victor Rasuk, Judy Marte, Melonie Diaz, Altagracia Guzman

Directed By: Peter Sollett

Critics Consensus: A marvel to watch.

Synopsis: This documentary presents an epic portrait of winter bird migration. Filmed on all seven continents over four years, the footage is brought together into one... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jacques Perrin

Directed By: Jacques Perrin

Critics Consensus: A bleak, but heartbreaking coming-of-age tale that resonates with truth.

Synopsis: While Liam (Martin Compston) waits for his mother to be released from prison, he aggressively resists the demands of his stepfather and grandfather that he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Martin Compston, William Ruane, Annmarie Fulton, Michelle Abercromby

Directed By: Ken Loach

Critics Consensus: Breathtakingly lovely and grounded by the stellar efforts of a well-chosen cast, Finding Nemo adds another beautifully crafted gem to Pixar's crown.

Synopsis: Marlin (Albert Brooks), a clown fish, is overly cautious with his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), who has a foreshortened fin. When Nemo swims too close... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe

Directed By: Andrew Stanton

Critics Consensus: A haunting depiction of a disintegrating family, and a powerful argument on the elusiveness of truth.

Synopsis: The Friedmans seem at first to be a typical family - until one Thanksgiving while they are gathered at home preparing for a quiet holiday... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Friedman, Jesse Friedman, Elaine Friedman

Directed By: Andrew Jarecki

Critics Consensus: Effectively balancing humor and subtle pathos, Sofia Coppola crafts a moving, melancholy story that serves as a showcase for both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

Synopsis: A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris

Directed By: Sofia Coppola

Critics Consensus: The Fog of War draws on decades of bitter experience to offer a piercing perspective on the Cold War from one of its major architects.

Synopsis: Former corporate whiz kid Robert McNamara was the controversial Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, during the height of the Vietnam War.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert S. McNamara, Lyndon B. Johnson

Directed By: Errol Morris

Critics Consensus: Osama is bitterly honest, deeply disturbing, and utterly worth watching.

Synopsis: The Taliban closes down a hospital, putting a mother (Zubaida Sahar) and daughter (Marina Golbahari) who work there out of a job. Legally prohibited from... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar, Khwaja Nader

Directed By: Siddiq Barmark

Critics Consensus: A fascinating, enlightening behind-the-scenes look at the Al Jazeera network.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Jehane Noujaim provides a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of Al-Jazeera -- the most prominent television news network in the Arab world -- during... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Josh Rushing, Hassan Ibrahim, Tom Mintier, David Shuster

Directed By: Jehane Noujaim

Critics Consensus: Filled with engaging dialogue, Before Sunset is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy.

Synopsis: A sequel to Before Sunrise, this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torres

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Critics Consensus: In a striking debut, Moreno carries the movie and puts a human face on the drug trade.

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Colombian Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is desperate: pregnant and with a large family to care for, she's forced to leave a demanding job after... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, Guilied Lopez, Jhon Álex Toro

Directed By: Joshua Marston

Critics Consensus: With death-defying action sequences and epic historic sweep, Hero offers everything a martial arts fan could ask for.

Synopsis: In this visually arresting martial arts epic set in ancient China, an unnamed fighter (Jet Li) is being honored for defeating three of the king's... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen

Directed By: Yimou Zhang

Critics Consensus: Charming, thoughtful, and often funny, Sideways is a decidedly mature road trip comedy full of excellent performances.

Synopsis: Struggling writer and wine enthusiast Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes his engaged friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a trip to wine country for a last... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh

Directed By: Alexander Payne

Critics Consensus: Bringing loads of wit and tons of fun to the animated superhero genre, The Incredibles easily lives up to its name.

Synopsis: In this lauded Pixar animated film, married superheroes Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) are forced to assume mundane lives as Bob... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

Directed By: Brad Bird

Critics Consensus: A concise, entertaining documentary about the spectacular failure of Enron.

Synopsis: This documentary explores the fall of the Enron Corporation, arguably the most shocking example of modern corporate corruption. The company is linked with several illegal... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peter Coyote

Directed By: Alex Gibney

Critics Consensus: An entertaining and gripping documentary that shows being confined to a wheelchair doesn't mean the fun has to end.

Synopsis: This documentary introduces the U.S. quad rugby team -- a team composed entirely of young paraplegic men. Using special wheelchairs and very little protection, the... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro

Critics Consensus: Full of wit, humor, and pathos, Stephen Frears' moving portrait looks at life of the British royals during the period after Princess Diana's death.

Synopsis: Following the death of Princess Diana in an auto accident, Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) and Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) struggle... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Helen McCrory

Directed By: Stephen Frears

Critics Consensus: Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable.

Synopsis: In 1944 in Spain, Ofelia and her ailing mother arrive at the post of her mother's new husband, a sadistic army officer who is trying... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Álex Angulo

Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

Critics Consensus: Taxi to the Dark Side is an intelligent, powerful look into the dark corners of the War on Terror.

Synopsis: This documentary explores the American military's use of torture by focusing on the unsolved murder of an Afghani taxi driver who, in 2002, was taken... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Jack Cloonan, Greg D'Agostino

Directed By: Alex Gibney

Critics Consensus: Featuring gut-wrenching performances from Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu, 4 Months is a gripping portrayal of life in Communist Romania.

Synopsis: The courage and friendship of two Romanian college students are tested when Gabita discovers that she is pregnant by her boyfriend, and seeks an illegal... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Potocean

Directed By: Cristian Mungiu

Critics Consensus: A charming, captivating tale of love and music, Once sets the standard for the modern musical. And with Dublin as its backdrop, Once is fun and fresh.

Synopsis: A vacuum repairman (Glen Hansard) moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova), who earns... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh, Gerry Hendrick

Directed By: John Carney

Critics Consensus: Fast-paced and stunningly animated, Ratatouille adds another delightfully entertaining entry -- and a rather unlikely hero -- to the Pixar canon.

Synopsis: Remy (Patton Oswalt), a resident of Paris, appreciates good food and has quite a sophisticated palate. He would love to become a chef so he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy

Directed By: Brad Bird

Critics Consensus: Charles Ferguson's documentary provides a good summary of the decisions that led to the mess in post-war Iraq, and offers politically interested audiences something they'd been looking for: a lowdown on the decision making.

Synopsis: This documentary film takes a critical look at the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the war that followed. The film includes extensive interviews... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Campbell Scott

Directed By: Charles Ferguson

Critics Consensus: The King of Kong is funny and compelling with more than a few poignant insights into human behavior. Director Seth Gordon presents the dueling King Kong players in all their obsessive complexity and with perfectly al dente observations.

Synopsis: Named "Video Game Player of the Century" in 1999, Billy Mitchell sets a record score in "Donkey Kong" that many felt would never be broken.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Wiebe, Mark Alpiger, Walter Day, Steve Sanders

Directed By: Seth Gordon

Critics Consensus: The Band's Visit is both a clever, subtle slice-of-life comedy, and poignant cross-cultural exploration.

Synopsis: The eight Egyptian musicians who comprise the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive by mistake in a small town in Israel's Negev Desert. Their booking set... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sasson Gabay, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri, Khalifa Natour

Directed By: Eran Kolirin

Critics Consensus: Persepolis is an emotionally powerful, dramatically enthralling autobiographical gem, and the film's simple black-and-white images are effective and bold.

Synopsis: Based on Satrapi's graphic novel about her life in pre and post-revolutionary Iran and then in Europe. The film traces Satrapi's growth from child to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian

Directed By: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud

Critics Consensus: James Marsh's doc about artist Phililppe Petit's artful caper brings you every ounce of suspense that can be wrung from a man on a (suspended) wire.

Synopsis: Using actual footage from the event seamlessly mingled with new re-enactments, filmmaker James Marsh masterfully recreates high-wire daredevil Philippe Petit's 1974 stunt: performing acrobatics on... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Annie Allix, Jean François Heckel, Philippe Petit

Directed By: James Marsh

Critics Consensus: Let the Right One In reinvigorates the seemingly tired vampire genre by effectively mixing scares with intelligent storytelling.

Synopsis: When Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy living with his mother in suburban Sweden, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl

Directed By: Tomas Alfredson

Critics Consensus: A wholly innovative, original, and vital history lesson, with pioneering animation, Waltz With Bashir delivers its message about the Middle East in a mesmerizing fashion.

Synopsis: Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman wrote, directed and stars in this autobiographical animated film. As a 19-year-old infantry soldier in the 1982 war with Lebanon, Folman... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag, Ari Folman, Dror Harazi

Directed By: Ari Folman

Critics Consensus: Wall-E's stellar visuals testify once again to Pixar's ingenuity, while its charming star will captivate younger viewers -- and its timely story offers thought-provoking subtext.

Synopsis: WALL-E, short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class, is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days tidying up the planet, one piece... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard

Directed By: Andrew Stanton

Critics Consensus: Mickey Rourke gives a performance for the ages in The Wrestler, a richly affecting, heart-wrenching yet ultimately rewarding drama.

Synopsis: Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is long past his prime but still ready and rarin' to go on the pro-wrestling circuit. After... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Critics Consensus: A touching, uplifting and inspirational rockumentary about an aging metal band, both hilarious and heart-warming in equal measure.

Synopsis: Canadian heavy-metal band Anvil delivered a highly influential 1982 album that would inspire the likes of Anthrax and Metallica, and then dropped off the map... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner, Slash, Lars Ulrich

Directed By: Sacha Gervasi

Critics Consensus: With Revanche, Götz Spielmann has crafted a debut as surprising as it is suspenseful.

Synopsis: In a desperate attempt to improve life for his prostitute girlfriend, Tamara (Irina Potapenko), ex-con Alex (Johannes Krisch) returns to a life of crime and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Johannes Krisch, Andreas Lust, Irina Potapenko, Ursula Strauss

Directed By: Götz Spielmann

Critics Consensus: An exciting, funny, and poignant adventure, Up offers an impeccably crafted story told with wit and arranged with depth, as well as yet another visual Pixar treat.

Synopsis: Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year-old balloon salesman, is about to fulfill a lifelong dream. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, he flies away to the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson

Directed By: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Critics Consensus: A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic, Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is thus far the best of the recent dramatizations of the Iraq War.

Synopsis: Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce

Directed By: Kathryn Bigelow

Critics Consensus: Though the latter part of the film may not appeal to all, An Education is a charming coming-of-age tale powered by the strength of relative newcomer Carey Mulligan's standout performance.

Synopsis: Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper

Directed By: Lone Scherfig

Critics Consensus: Featuring an impressive star turn by newcomer Tahar Rahim, A Prophet is a French gangster film filled with arresting, immediate details.

Synopsis: This acclaimed crime drama follows Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim), a delinquent young Muslim man, who is struggling to get by in a French prison.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb

Directed By: Jacques Audiard

Critics Consensus: As fleshy as it is funny, Bong Joon-Ho's Mother straddles family drama, horror and comedy with a deft grasp of tone and plenty of eerie visuals.

Synopsis: A widow (Kim Hye-ja) resides with her mentally challenged son (Won-bin) in a small South Korean town, where she scrapes out a living selling medicinal... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kim Hye-ja, Won-bin, Jin Goo, Yoon Je-moon

Directed By: Bong Joon Ho

Critics Consensus: Boasting dazzling animation, a script with surprising dramatic depth, and thrilling 3-D sequences, How to Train Your Dragon soars.

Synopsis: A misfit Viking teenager sees a chance to change the course of his clan's future when he befriends an injured dragon.

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill

Directed By: Christopher Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Critics Consensus: An amusing, engrossing look at underground art, Exit Through the Gift Shop entertains as it deflates the myths and hype surrounding its subjects.

Synopsis: The infamous, shadowy British graffiti street artist Banksy has literally left his mark on cities throughout the world. He comes in contact with Thierry Guetta,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rhys Ifans

Directed By: Banksy

Critics Consensus: Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works.

Synopsis: With their beloved Andy preparing to leave for college, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of the toys... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

Directed By: Lee Unkrich

Critics Consensus: Forsaking narrative structure for pure visceral power, Restrepo plunges viewers into the experiences of soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War.

Synopsis: Photographer Tim Hetherington and journalist Sebastian Junger allow the realities of war to speak for themselves in this unnarrated documentary about a U.S. platoon in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dan Kearney, LaMonta Caldwell, Misha Pemble-Belkin, Brendan O'Byrne

Directed By: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger

Critics Consensus: With confident pacing, a smart script, and a top-notch cast, Animal Kingdom represents the best the Australian film industry has to offer.

Synopsis: In this gritty Australian crime drama, young Joshua J Cody (James Frecheville) is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford

Directed By: David Michôd

Critics Consensus: Impeccably scripted, beautifully directed, and filled with fine performances, The Social Network is a riveting, ambitious example of modern filmmaking at its finest.

Synopsis: In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer genius Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer

Directed By: David Fincher

Critics Consensus: Disheartening but essential viewing, Charles Ferguson's documentary explores the 2008 Global Financial Crisis with exemplary rigor.

Synopsis: The global financial meltdown that took place in Fall 2008 caused millions of job and home losses and plunged the United States into a deep... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir

Directed By: Charles Ferguson

Critics Consensus: Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in The King's Speech, a predictable but stylishly produced and rousing period drama.

Synopsis: England's Prince Albert must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce

Directed By: Tom Hooper

Critics Consensus: Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens' most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.

Synopsis: After an outlaw named Tom Chaney murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross hires Rooster Cogburn, a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper

Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Critics Consensus: Hauntingly filmed and brimming with Herzog's infectious enthusiasm, Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a fascinating triumph.

Synopsis: In this documentary, filmmaker Werner Herzog and a small crew are given a rare chance to film inside France's Chauvet Cave, where the walls are... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Werner Herzog

Directed By: Werner Herzog

Critics Consensus: Takashi Miike's electric remake of Eiichi Kudo's 1963 period action film is a wild spectacle executed with killer, dizzying panache.

Synopsis: In this remake of a 1963 film based on historical events, Shinzaemon Shimada leads a team of assassins in 19th-century Japan to eliminate the ruthless... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki

Directed By: Takashi Miike

Critics Consensus: Equal parts hilarious, poignant, and heartbreaking, Project Nim not only tells a compelling story masterfully, but also raises the flag on the darker side of human nature.

Synopsis: In the 1970s, professor Herb Terrace and his team raise a baby chimp as a human child, as part of an experiment intended to break... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bern Cohen, Reagan Leonard, Anna May Marsh, Dennis Lauricella

Directed By: James Marsh

Critics Consensus: Thrilling, powerfully acted, and visually dazzling, Deathly Hallows Part II brings the Harry Potter franchise to a satisfying -- and suitably magical -- conclusion.

Synopsis: A clash between good and evil awaits as young Harry, Ron and Hermione prepare for a final battle against Lord Voldemort. Harry has grown into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes

Directed By: David Yates

Critics Consensus: Impeccably crafted and edited, The Interrupters is a tough and honest documentary about street violence that truly has the power to inspire change.

Synopsis: Members of the activist group CeaseFire work to curb violence in their Chicago neighborhoods by intervening in street fights and showing youths a better way... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tio Hardiman, Ameena Matthews, Gary Slutkin, Kenneth Oliver

Directed By: Steve James

Critics Consensus: Aki Kaurismäki's deadpan wit hits a graceful note with Le Havre, a comedy/drama that's sweet, sad, and uplifting in equal measure.

Synopsis: A shoeshiner tries to save a refugee.

Starring: André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Blondin Miguel

Directed By: Aki Kaurismäki

Critics Consensus: Clever, charming, and heartfelt, The Muppets is a welcome big screen return for Jim Henson's lovable creations that will both win new fans and delight longtime devotees.

Synopsis: Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, is on vacation in Los Angeles with his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams). They... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones

Directed By: James Bobin

Critics Consensus: A crowd-pleasing tribute to the magic of silent cinema, The Artist is a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare.

Synopsis: In the 1920s, actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a bona fide matinee idol with many adoring fans. While working on his latest film, George... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell

Directed By: Michel Hazanavicius

Critics Consensus: Morally complex, suspenseful, and consistently involving, A Separation captures the messiness of a dissolving relationship with keen insight and searing intensity.

Synopsis: When Nader (Payman Maadi), a bank employee, refuses to leave Tehran, his wife, Simin (Leila Hatami) sues for divorce in the hope that she can... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini

Directed By: Asghar Farhadi

Critics Consensus: It covers familiar sports documentary territory, but Undefeated proves there are still powerful stories to be told on the high school gridiron.

Synopsis: Since its founding in 1899, Manassas High School in North Memphis has never had a football team win a playoff game. In 2004, former high-school... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Courtney

Directed By: Dan Lindsay, T.J. Martin

Critics Consensus: Through simple means and filming, This is Not a Film presents a vital political statement and a snapshot of life in Iran as enemy of the state.

Synopsis: Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi makes a video diary with his phone in response to his government's threats against him.

Starring: Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Directed By: Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Critics Consensus: Beautiful, thoughtful, and engrossing, Jiro Dreams of Sushi should prove satisfying even for filmgoers who don't care for the cuisine.

Synopsis: Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.

Starring: Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto, Yukio Watanabe

Directed By: David Gelb

Critics Consensus: Thanks to the Dardenne brothers' typically fine direction, The Kid with a Bike is a heart-wrenching, thematically and spiritually rich drama.

Synopsis: Abandoned by his father and left in state care, a young boy finds a new friend in the town's hairdresser, who agrees to foster him... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cécile de France, Thomas Doret, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Critics Consensus: Monsieur Lahzar is a tender and thoughtful portrait of a man with hidden grief and also a compelling exploration of the teacher-student dynamic.

Synopsis: A recent emigrant (Fellag) of Algeria takes over a Canadian classroom after a teacher's tragic death.

Starring: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx

Directed By: Philippe Falardeau

Critics Consensus: Tense, exciting, and often darkly comic, Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters.

Synopsis: On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman

Directed By: Ben Affleck

Critics Consensus: Both a sobering look at a true crime story and a scathing indictment of the American justice system, West of Memphis is a real-life horror story told with fury and compassion.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Amy Berg tells the story of the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man. Beginning with an examination into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Baden, Jason Baldwin, John Mark Byers, Lorri Davis

Directed By: Amy Berg

Critics Consensus: Bolstered by a strong performance from Matthew McConaughey in the title role, Mud offers an engaging Southern drama that manages to stay sweet and heartwarming without being sappy.

Synopsis: While exploring a Mississippi River island, Arkansas boys Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) encounter Mud (Matthew McConaughey), a fugitive who needs their help.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon

Directed By: Jeff Nichols

Critics Consensus: Building on the first two installments in Richard Linklater's well-crafted Before trilogy, Before Midnight offers intelligent, powerfully acted perspectives on love, marriage, and long-term commitment.

Synopsis: On the last night of their idyllic Greek vacation, longtime lovers Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) reminisce about their lives together and what... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Prior

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Critics Consensus: Rich, insightful, and occasionally heartbreaking, 20 Feet From Stardom is an energetic tribute to the passion, talent, and hard work of backup singers.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Morgan Neville shines a long-overdue spotlight on the hit-making contributions of longtime backup singers like Darlene Love and Merry Clayton.

Starring: David Bowie, Ray Charles, Sheryl Crow, Lou Adler

Directed By: Morgan Neville

Critics Consensus: Blackfish is an aggressive, impassioned documentary that will change the way you look at performance killer whales.

Synopsis: The story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale that has taken the lives of several people, underscores problems within the sea-park industry, man's relationship to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tilikum, John Hargrove, Samantha Berg, Mark Simmons

Directed By: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Critics Consensus: Raw, terrifying, and painfully difficult to watch, The Act of Killing offers a haunting testament to the edifying, confrontational power of documentary cinema.

Synopsis: Filmmakers expose the horrifying mass executions of accused communists in Indonesia and those who are celebrated in their country for perpetrating the crime.

Starring: Anwar Congo, Jusuf Kalla

Directed By: Joshua Oppenheimer

Critics Consensus: Short Term 12 is an emphatic, revealing drama that pulls audiences into the perspective of neglected youths.

Synopsis: A supervisor (Brie Larson) at a group home for at-risk teens connects with a new resident (Kaitlyn Dever) while facing a personal crisis of her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Stephanie Beatriz

Directed By: Destin Daniel Cretton

Critics Consensus: Transgressive in the best possible way, Wadjda presents a startlingly assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced.

Synopsis: A rebellious Saudi girl (Waad Mohammed) enters a Koran recitation competition at her school and hopes to win enough money to buy her own bicycle.

Starring: Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd

Directed By: Haifaa Al-Mansour

Critics Consensus: Wryly charming, impeccably acted, and ultimately quite bittersweet, Enough Said is a grown-up movie in the best possible way.

Synopsis: Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a divorced single parent, seems generally happy but dreads her daughter's departure for college. Unexpectedly, Eva begins a romance with Albert (James... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette

Directed By: Nicole Holofcener

Critics Consensus: Essential for soul fans and entertaining for novices, Muscle Shoals offers a compelling, warts-and-all glimpse at one of the most fascinating stories in modern American music.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Greg Camalier pays tribute to an Alabama city that holds a prominent place in music history. Artists who recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Stephen Badger, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Carrigan, Alicia Keys

Directed By: Greg "Freddy" Camalier

Critics Consensus: Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity is an eerie, tense sci-fi thriller that's masterfully directed and visually stunning.

Synopsis: Dr. Ryan Stone is a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission. Her commander is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky, helming his last flight before retirement.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen

Directed By: Alfonso Cuarón

Critics Consensus: It's far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave's unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant -- and quite possibly essential -- cinema.

Synopsis: In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano

Directed By: Steve McQueen

Critics Consensus: Marvelously directed by Sebastian Lelio and beautifully led by a powerful performance from Paulina Garcia, Gloria takes an honest, sweetly poignant look at a type of character that's all too often neglected in Hollywood.

Synopsis: An aging divorcee (Paulina García) embarks on an intense affair with a man (Sergio Hernández) she picked up at a disco.

Starring: Paulina García, Sergio Hernández, Diego Fontecilla, Coca Guazzini

Directed By: Sebastián Lelio

Critics Consensus: Boasting beautiful animation, a charming voice cast, laugh-a-minute gags, and a surprisingly thoughtful story, The Lego Movie is colorful fun for all ages.

Synopsis: An ordinary LEGO figurine Emmet who always follows the rules, is mistakenly identified as an extraordinary being and the key to saving the world. He... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks

Directed By: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Critics Consensus: Warm, affectionate, and sweet but not cloying, The Lunchbox is a clever crowd-pleaser from first-time director Ritesh Batra.

Synopsis: Lonely housewife Ila (Nimrat Kaur) decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband. Unfortunately,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Denzil Smith

Directed By: Ritesh Batra

Critics Consensus: Thrillingly unorthodox and emotionally searing without being didactic, The Missing Picture is a uniquely poignant documentary -- and so much more.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Rithy Panh re-creates atrocities of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.

Starring: Randal Douc

Directed By: Rithy Panh

Critics Consensus: Part thoughtful tribute, part bittersweet reminder of a missed opportunity, Jodorowsky's Dune offers a fascinating look at a lost sci-fi legend.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky discusses how he would have adapted Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel "Dune" for the big screen.

Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Amanda Lear, Brontis Jodorowsky, Chris Foss

Directed By: Frank Pavich

Critics Consensus: Smart, stripped-down, and thrillingly grim, Blue Ruin proves that a well-told revenge story can still leave its audience on the edge of their seat.

Synopsis: An ominous piece of news sends a drifter (Macon Blair) back to his hometown to exact brutal -- and inept -- revenge for the deaths... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack

Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier

Critics Consensus: Sweet, empathetic, and shot through with a palpable joy, We Are the Best! offers a tender tribute to the bittersweet tumult of adolescence.

Synopsis: Three rebellious teenagers (Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne) form an all-girl punk band in 1980s Stockholm.

Starring: Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne, Johan Liljemark

Directed By: Lukas Moodysson

Critics Consensus: Snowpiercer offers an audaciously ambitious action spectacular for filmgoers numb to effects-driven blockbusters.

Synopsis: A post-apocalyptic ice age forces humanity's last survivors aboard a globe-spanning supertrain. One man will risk everything to lead a revolt for control of the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell

Directed By: Bong Joon Ho

Critics Consensus: Rich in detail and warmly affectionate, Life Itself offers a joyful yet poignant tribute to a critical cinematic legacy.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Steve James chronicles the life of film critic Roger Ebert, especially his career highlights, his battle with alcohol, and his sometimes ruthless rivalry with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roger Ebert, Ava DuVernay, Chaz Ebert

Directed By: Steve James

Critics Consensus: Epic in technical scale but breathlessly intimate in narrative scope, Boyhood is a sprawling investigation of the human condition.

Synopsis: The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke)... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Critics Consensus: Smart, hard-hitting, and queasily realistic, Starred Up is an instant classic of U.K. prison cinema.

Synopsis: An explosive teenager runs into his equally violent father after being switched to an adult prison from a facility for juveniles.

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Jack O'Connell, Sam Spruell

Directed By: David Mackenzie

Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.

Synopsis: A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Critics Consensus: Part real-life thriller, part sobering examination of 21st century civil liberties, Citizenfour transcends ideology to offer riveting, must-see cinema.

Synopsis: After Laura Poitras received encrypted emails from someone with information on the government's massive covert-surveillance programs, she and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, Jacob Appelbaum, William Binney

Directed By: Laura Poitras

Critics Consensus: Restless, visually sleek, and powered by a lithe star performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler offers dark, thought-provoking thrills.

Synopsis: Los Angeles denizen Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) survives by scavenging and petty theft. He stumbles into a new career as a cameraman and -- armed... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed

Directed By: Dan Gilroy

Critics Consensus: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night blends conventional elements into something brilliantly original -- and serves as a striking calling card for writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour.

Synopsis: Residents of a worn-down Iranian city encounter a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who preys on men who disrespect women.

Starring: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnò

Directed By: Ana Lily Amirpour

Critics Consensus: The Babadook relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares -- and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot.

Synopsis: Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney

Directed By: Jennifer Kent

Critics Consensus: Song of the Sea boasts narrative depth commensurate with its visual beauty, adding up to an animated saga overflowing with family-friendly riches.

Synopsis: An Irish youth discovers that his mute sister is a selkie who must find her voice and free supernatural creatures from the spell of a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Pat Shortt

Directed By: Tomm Moore

Critics Consensus: Led by a masterful performance from Timothy Spall and brilliantly directed by Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner is a superior Hollywood biopic.

Synopsis: Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey

Directed By: Mike Leigh

Critics Consensus: Another profoundly affecting work from the Dardenne brothers, Two Days, One Night delivers its timely message with honesty and clear-eyed compassion.

Synopsis: A factory worker (Marion Cotillard) has just one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.

Starring: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne, Simon Caudry

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Critics Consensus: Leviathan lives up to its title, offering trenchant, well-crafted social satire on a suitably grand scale.

Synopsis: A Russian fisherman (Alexey Serebryakov) fights back when a corrupt mayor tries to seize possession of his ancestral home.

Starring: Alexey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Sergey Pokhodaev, Roman Madyanov

Directed By: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Critics Consensus: Fueled by a gripping performance from David Oyelowo, Selma draws inspiration and dramatic power from the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- but doesn't ignore how far we remain from the ideals his work embodied.

Synopsis: Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for Blacks to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Giovanni Ribisi

Directed By: Ava DuVernay

Critics Consensus: Paddington brings a beloved children's character into the 21st century without sacrificing his essential charm, delivering a family-friendly adventure as irresistibly cuddly as its star.

Synopsis: After a deadly earthquake destroys his home in Peruvian rainforest, a young bear makes his way to England in search of a new home. The... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent

Directed By: Paul King

Critics Consensus: Gracefully assembled and ultimately disquieting, Timbuktu is a timely film with a powerful message.

Synopsis: A Malian cattleman (Ibrahim Ahmed) and his family face the wrath of Islamic fundamentalists after a tragic accident.

Starring: Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara

Directed By: Abderrahmane Sissako

Critics Consensus: Smarter, fresher, and funnier than a modern vampire movie has any right to be, What We Do in the Shadows is bloody good fun.

Synopsis: Vampire housemates (Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh) try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer)... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonny Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer

Directed By: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi

Critics Consensus: Smart, original, and above all terrifying, It Follows is the rare modern horror film that works on multiple levels -- and leaves a lingering sting.

Synopsis: After carefree teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her new boyfriend, Hugh (Jake Weary), for the first time, she learns that she is the latest... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary

Directed By: David Robert Mitchell

Critics Consensus: Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck makes a persuasive case for its subject without resorting to hagiography -- and includes plenty of rare and unreleased footage for fans.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Brett Morgen uses material from the Cobains' personal archives in an in-depth examination of the Nirvana frontman's childhood, music career and untimely death.

Starring: Aaron Burckhard, Don Cobain, Jenny Cobain, Kim Cobain

Directed By: Brett Morgen

Critics Consensus: A small, insightful feature with a deceptively thoughtful thesis, Iris adds a bittersweet postscript to director Albert Maysles' filmography.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Albert Maysles pays tribute to nonagenarian Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, longtime interior designer and outspoken champion of eclectic fashion.

Starring: Iris Apfel, Naeem Khan, Mickey Boardman, Linda Fargo

Directed By: Albert Maysles

Critics Consensus: With exhilarating action and a surprising amount of narrative heft, Mad Max: Fury Road brings George Miller's post-apocalyptic franchise roaring vigorously back to life.

Synopsis: Years after the collapse of civilization, the tyrannical Immortan Joe enslaves apocalypse survivors inside the desert fortress the Citadel. When the warrior Imperator Furiosa leads... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne

Directed By: George Miller

Critics Consensus: Inventive, gorgeously animated, and powerfully moving, Inside Out is another outstanding addition to the Pixar library of modern animated classics.

Synopsis: Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is a happy, hockey-loving 11-year-old Midwestern girl, but her world turns upside-down when she and her parents move to San Francisco. Riley's... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader

Directed By: Pete Docter

Critics Consensus: Tangerine shatters casting conventions and its filmmaking techniques are up-to-the-minute, but it's an old-fashioned comedy at heart -- and a pretty wonderful one at that.

Synopsis: After hearing that her boyfriend/pimp cheated on her while she was in jail, a transgender sex worker and her best friend set out to find... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan

Directed By: Sean Baker

Critics Consensus: The Look of Silence delivers a less shocking -- yet just as terribly compelling -- companion piece to Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing.

Synopsis: An optician confronts the men who killed the brother that he never knew during the 1960s Indonesian genocide.

Starring: Joshua Oppenheimer

Directed By: Joshua Oppenheimer

Critics Consensus: Tense, complex, and drenched in atmosphere, Phoenix is a well-acted, smartly crafted war drama that finds writer-director Christian Petzold working at peak power.

Synopsis: After undergoing reconstructive surgery, a concentration camp survivor (Nina Hoss) tries to find out if her husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) betrayed her to the Nazis.

Starring: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Nina Kunzendorf, Michael Maertens

Directed By: Christian Petzold

Critics Consensus: Listen to Me Marlon offers a fascinating look at the inner life of a Hollywood icon, told in his own words.

Synopsis: Actor Marlon Brando reveals personal thoughts on audio tape, offering insight into his life and career.

Starring: Michael Borne, Marlon Brando

Directed By: Stevan Riley

Critics Consensus: Warm, funny, and brilliantly animated, Shaun the Sheep is yet another stop-motion jewel in Aardman's family-friendly crown.

Synopsis: All is well at Mossy Bottom Farm, except for the fact that the animals will do anything to get out of work. So, Shaun the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili, Richard Webber

Directed By: Mark Burton, Richard Starzak

Critics Consensus: The Second Mother's compelling characters serve an artfully drawn, thought-provoking story that's beautifully brought to life by a talented cast.

Synopsis: Unspoken class barriers that exist within a home come crashing down when the live-in housekeeper's daughter suddenly appears.

Starring: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Lourenço Mutarelli

Directed By: Anna Muylaert

Critics Consensus: Of a piece with much of director Laurie Anderson's idiosyncratic output, Heart of a Dog delves into weighty themes with lyrical, haunting grace.

Synopsis: Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.

Starring: Jason Berg, Paul Davidson, Laurie Anderson, Sasha Grossman

Directed By: Laurie Anderson

Critics Consensus: Brooklyn buttresses outstanding performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen with a rich period drama that tugs at the heartstrings as deftly as it satisfies the mind.

Synopsis: Young Irish immigrant Eilis Lace navigates her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent

Directed By: John Crowley

Critics Consensus: Spotlight gracefully handles the lurid details of its fact-based story while resisting the temptation to lionize its heroes, resulting in a drama that honors the audience as well as its real-life subjects.

Synopsis: In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber

Directed By: Tom McCarthy

Critics Consensus: Mustang delivers a bracing -- and thoroughly timely -- message whose power is further bolstered by the efforts of a stellar ensemble cast.

Synopsis: In a Turkish village, five orphaned sisters (Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Elit Iscan) live under strict rule while members of their family prepare their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Elit Iscan, Tugba Sunguroglu

Directed By: Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Critics Consensus: Shaped by Todd Haynes' deft direction and powered by a strong cast led by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, Carol lives up to its groundbreaking source material.

Synopsis: Aspiring photographer Therese spots the beautiful, elegant Carol perusing the doll displays in a 1950s Manhattan department store. The two women develop a fast bond... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy

Directed By: Todd Haynes

Critics Consensus: Creed brings the Rocky franchise off the mat for a surprisingly effective seventh round that extends the boxer's saga in interesting new directions while staying true to its classic predecessors' roots.

Synopsis: Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born. However, boxing is in his... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Directed By: Ryan Coogler

Critics Consensus: Essential viewing for cineastes while still offering rich rewards for neophytes, Hitchcock/Truffaut offers an affectionate -- and well-crafted -- tribute to a legend.

Synopsis: Filmmakers Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Wes Anderson and others discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book "Hitchcock" by François Truffaut.

Starring: Bob Balaban

Directed By: Kent Jones

Critics Consensus: Grimly intense yet thoroughly rewarding, Son of Saul offers an unforgettable viewing experience -- and establishes director László Nemes as a talent to watch.

Synopsis: During World War II, a Jewish worker (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Géza Röhrig, Kecske Molnár Levente, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsótér

Directed By: László Nemes

Critics Consensus: 45 Years offers richly thought-provoking rewards for fans of adult cinema -- and a mesmerizing acting showcase for leads Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.

Synopsis: As their 45th wedding anniversary approaches, a woman (Charlotte Rampling) learns that her husband (Tom Courtenay) was once engaged to someone else.

Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine James, Dolly Wells

Directed By: Andrew Haigh

Critics Consensus: As rich visually as it is thematically, Embrace of the Serpent offers a feast of the senses for film fans seeking a dose of bracing originality.

Synopsis: In the early 1900s, a young shaman in the Colombian Amazon helps a sick German explorer and his local guide search for a rare healing... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis, Nilbio Torres, Nicolás Cancino

Directed By: Ciro Guerra

Critics Consensus: The brilliantly well-rounded Zootopia offers a thoughtful, inclusive message that's as rich and timely as its sumptuously state-of-the-art animation -- all while remaining fast and funny enough to keep younger viewers entertained.

Synopsis: From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba

Directed By: Byron Howard, Rich Moore

Critics Consensus: As taut as it is timely, Eye in the Sky offers a powerfully acted -- and unusually cerebral -- spin on the modern wartime political thriller.

Synopsis: A lieutenant general (Alan Rickman) and a colonel (Helen Mirren) face political opposition after ordering a drone missile strike to take out a group of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi

Directed By: Gavin Hood

Critics Consensus: As lovely to behold as it is engrossing to watch, The Jungle Book is the rare remake that actually improves upon its predecessors -- all while setting a new standard for CGI.

Synopsis: Raised by a family of wolves since birth, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) must leave the only home he's ever known when the fearsome tiger Shere Khan... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Critics Consensus: Sing Street is a feel-good musical with huge heart and irresistible optimism, and its charming cast and hummable tunes help to elevate its familiar plotting.

Synopsis: In 1985, a Dublin teenager (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) forms a rock 'n' roll band to win the heart of an aspiring model (Lucy Boynton).

Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Aidan Gillen

Directed By: John Carney

Critics Consensus: Love & Friendship finds director Whit Stillman bringing his talents to bear on a Jane Austen adaptation -- with a thoroughly delightful period drama as the result.

Synopsis: In the 18th century, the seductive and manipulative Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale) uses devious tactics to win the heart of the eligible Reginald De Courcy... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Morfydd Clark, Emma Greenwell

Directed By: Whit Stillman

Critics Consensus: Weiner uses sharp insight and untrammeled access to offer a portrait of a political and personal collapse that's as queasy as it is undeniably compelling.

Synopsis: Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) runs for mayor of New York in 2013, but a new sex scandal ruins his attempt at a political comeback.

Starring: Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, Dean Obeidallah, Philippe Reines

Directed By: Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg

Critics Consensus: As gripping as it is unique, the thrillingly kinetic The Fits marks debuting writer-director Anna Rose Holmer as a singular talent.

Synopsis: An 11-year-old tomboy (Royalty Hightower) tries to fit in with her peers after joining an all-girl dance team.

Starring: Royalty Hightower, Makyla Burnam, Inayah Rodgers, Alexis Neblett

Directed By: Anna Rose Holmer

Critics Consensus: The charmingly offbeat Hunt for the Wilderpeople unites a solid cast, a talented filmmaker, and a poignant, funny, deeply affecting message.

Synopsis: A boy (Julian Dennison) and his foster father (Sam Neill) become the subjects of a manhunt after they get stranded in the New Zealand wilderness.

Starring: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House

Directed By: Taika Waititi

Critics Consensus: Don't Think Twice offers a bittersweet look at the comedian's life that's as genuinely moving as it is laugh-out-loud funny -- and a brilliant calling card for writer-director Mike Birbiglia.

Synopsis: Turmoil strikes a New York improv troupe when one member leaves to star in a television show.

Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia, Kate Micucci

Directed By: Mike Birbiglia

Critics Consensus: Little Men takes a compassionate look at the ways in which adult problems impact childhood friendships -- and offers another affecting New York drama from director Ira Sachs.

Synopsis: Two teens develop a growing friendship in Brooklyn, N.Y., while the feud between their respective parents (Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle) continues to escalate.

Starring: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García, Michael Barbieri

Directed By: Ira Sachs

Critics Consensus: Hell or High Water offers a solidly crafted, well-acted Western heist thriller that eschews mindless gunplay in favor of confident pacing and full-bodied characters.

Synopsis: Toby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life for his son. His brother Tanner is an ex-convict with a short temper... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham

Directed By: David Mackenzie

Critics Consensus: Kubo and the Two Strings matches its incredible animation with an absorbing -- and bravely melancholy -- story that has something to offer audiences of all ages.

Synopsis: Young Kubo's peaceful existence comes crashing down when he accidentally summons a vengeful spirit from the past. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei

Directed By: Travis Knight

Critics Consensus: Fresh and inventive yet immediately accessible, Cameraperson distills its subject's life and career into an experience that should prove immediately absorbing even for those unfamiliar with her work.

Synopsis: Cinematographer Kirsten Johnson exposes her many years behind the camera through a memoir made up of decades of footage shot all over the world.

Starring: Kirsten Johnson, Roger Phenix

Directed By: Kirsten Johnson

Critics Consensus: We love them, yeah, yeah, yeah -- and with archival footage like that, you know The Beatles: Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years can't be bad.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Ron Howard examines the early years of the Beatles, from their club dates in Liverpool, England, to their concert tours in Europe and the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Whoopi Goldberg, Elvis Costello

Directed By: Ron Howard

Critics Consensus: 13th strikes at the heart of America's tangled racial history, offering observations as incendiary as they are calmly controlled.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michelle Alexander, Bryan Stevenson, Van Jones, Newt Gingrich

Directed By: Ava DuVernay

Critics Consensus: Led by a powerful performance from Sônia Braga, Aquarius uses a conflict between a tenant and developers to take an insightful look at the relationship between space and identity.

Synopsis: Clara, a 65-year-old widow and retired music critic, vows to live in her apartment until she dies after a developer buys all of the units... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão

Directed By: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Critics Consensus: Moonlight uses one man's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema.

Synopsis: A look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to manhood is... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mahershala Ali, Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes

Directed By: Barry Jenkins

Critics Consensus: The Handmaiden uses a Victorian crime novel as the loose inspiration for another visually sumptuous and absorbingly idiosyncratic outing from director Park Chan-wook.

Synopsis: With help from an orphaned pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri), a Korean con man (Ha Jung-woo) devises an elaborate plot to seduce and bilk a Japanese woman... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong

Directed By: Park Chan-wook

Critics Consensus: The Edge of Seventeen's sharp script -- and Hailee Steinfeld's outstanding lead performance -- make this more than just another coming-of-age dramedy.

Synopsis: Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick

Directed By: Kelly Fremon Craig

Critics Consensus: With a title character as three-dimensional as its lush animation and a story that adds fresh depth to Disney's time-tested formula, Moana is truly a family-friendly adventure for the ages.

Synopsis: An adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison

Directed By: John Musker, Ron Clements

Critics Consensus: A union to cherish between a writer-director and star working at peak power, Things to Come offers quietly profound observations on life, love, and the irrevocable passage of time.

Synopsis: A passionate middle-aged philosophy professor (Isabelle Huppert) rethinks her already much-examined life after an unforeseen divorce.

Starring: Isabelle Huppert, André Marcon, Roman Kolinka, Edith Scob

Directed By: Mia Hansen-Løve

Critics Consensus: Manchester by the Sea delivers affecting drama populated by full-bodied characters, marking another strong step forward for writer-director Kenneth Lonergan.

Synopsis: After the death of his older brother Joe, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked that Joe has made him sole guardian of his teenage nephew... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges

Directed By: Kenneth Lonergan

Critics Consensus: Paterson adds another refreshingly unvarnished entry to Jim Jarmusch's filmography -- and another outstanding performance to Adam Driver's career credits.

Synopsis: Paterson (Adam Driver) is a hardworking bus driver in Paterson, N.J., who follows the same routine every day. He observes the city and listens to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Rizwan Manji, Barry Shabaka Henley

Directed By: Jim Jarmusch

Critics Consensus: The Salesman takes an ambitiously complex look at thought-provoking themes, and the well-acted results prove another consistently absorbing entry in writer-director Asghar Farhadi's distinguished filmography.

Synopsis: After their flat becomes damaged, Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), a young couple living in Tehran, Iran, must move into another apartment. Once... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Babak Karimi, Farid Sajjadi Hosseini

Directed By: Asghar Farhadi

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, "Remember This House." The book was to be a revolutionary,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson

Directed By: Raoul Peck

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Hundreds of thousands of cats have roamed the metropolis of Istanbul freely for thousands of years, wandering in and out of people's lives, impacting them... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Ceyda Torun

Critics Consensus: Funny, scary, and thought-provoking, Get Out seamlessly weaves its trenchant social critiques into a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.

Synopsis: Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway with Missy and Dean.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford

Directed By: Jordan Peele

Critics Consensus: My Life as a Zucchini's silly title and adorable characters belie a sober story whose colorful visuals delight the senses even as it braves dark emotional depths.

Synopsis: A police officer (Nick Offerman) and some new friends help an orphan adjust to life at a foster home.

Starring: Will Forte, Nick Offerman, Elliot Page, Amy Sedaris

Directed By: Claude Barras

Critics Consensus: After the Storm crosses cultural lines to offer timeless observations about parental responsibilities, personal bonds, and the capacity for forgiveness.

Synopsis: A dissolute private detective (Hiroshi Abe) attempts to reconnect with his distrustful family following the death of his father.

Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Yôko Maki, Kirin Kiki, Taiyô Yoshizawa

Directed By: Hirokazu Koreeda

Critics Consensus: As beautifully animated as it is emotionally satisfying, Your Name adds another outstanding chapter to writer-director Makoto Shinkai's filmography.

Synopsis: A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies.

Starring: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, Laura Post, Glynis Ellis

Directed By: Makoto Shinkai

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Syrian rebels who call themselves Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently risk their lives to document the atrocities committed by ISIS in their homeland.

Starring: Aziz, Mohamad Almusari, Hamoud Almousa, Fuad Hasan

Directed By: Matthew Heineman

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Kumail is a Pakistani comic, who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano

Directed By: Michael Showalter

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Deep in the heart of New York's notoriously secretive Hasidic Jewish community, Menashe, a good-hearted but somewhat hapless grocery store clerk, struggles against tradition to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Menashe Lustig, Ruben Niborski, Yoel Weisshaus, Meir Ber Schwartz

Directed By: Joshua Z Weinstein

Critics Consensus: Wonderfully acted and artfully composed, Columbus balances the clean lines of architecture against the messiness of love, with tenderly moving results.

Synopsis: When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself stranded in Columbus, Ind., a small Midwestern city... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Rory Culkin, Michelle Forbes

Directed By: Kogonada

Critics Consensus: Step tells an irresistibly crowd-pleasing story in a thoroughly absorbing way -- and while smartly incorporating a variety of timely themes.

Synopsis: The senior year of a girls' high school step team in inner-city Baltimore is documented, as they try to become the first in their families... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Blessin Giraldo

Directed By: Amanda Lipitz

Critics Consensus: Lucky is a bittersweet meditation on mortality, punctuating the career of beloved character actor Harry Dean Stanton.

Synopsis: A 90-year-old atheist has outlived and out-smoked his contemporaries, and as he comes to terms with his own mortality, he searches for ever-elusive enlightenment.

Starring: Harry Dean Stanton, David Lynch, Ron Livingston, Ed Begley Jr.

Directed By: John Carroll Lynch

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Director Agnès Varda and photographer and muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

Starring: Agnès Varda, JR

Directed By: Agnès Varda, JR

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Set in the shadow of the most magical place on Earth, 6-year-old Moonee and her two best friends forge their own adventures, while Moonee's struggling... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Valeria Cotto

Directed By: Sean Baker

Critics Consensus: Moving without resorting to melodrama, BPM offers an engrossing look at a pivotal period in history that lingers long after the closing credits roll.

Synopsis: Nathan is a young man who joins an AIDS activist group in 1990s Paris. As he attends the weekly meetings, he learns that some members... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel, Antoine Reinartz

Directed By: Robin Campillo

Critics Consensus: Jane honors its subject's legacy with an absorbing, beautifully filmed, and overall enlightening look at her decades of invaluable work.

Synopsis: Jane Goodall, a young and untrained woman, challenges the male dominated scientific consensus of her time with her chimpanzee research and revolutionizes people's understanding of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jane Goodall

Directed By: Brett Morgen

Critics Consensus: A quiet, moving rumination on loneliness and newfound intimacy, God's Own Country marks an outstanding directorial debut for Francis Lee.

Synopsis: A young farmer numbs his frustrations with drinking and casual sex until a Romanian migrant worker sets him on a new path.

Starring: Josh O'Connor, Alec Secareanu, Gemma Jones, Ian Hart

Directed By: Francis Lee

Critics Consensus: Lady Bird delivers fresh insights about the turmoil of adolescence -- and reveals writer-director Greta Gerwig as a fully formed filmmaking talent.

Synopsis: A teenager (Saoirse Ronan) navigates a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of an eventful and poignant senior... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges

Directed By: Greta Gerwig

Critics Consensus: Mudbound offers a well-acted, finely detailed snapshot of American history whose scenes of rural class struggle resonate far beyond their period setting.

Synopsis: Set in the rural American South during World War II, Dee Rees' Mudbound is an epic story of two families pitted against one another by... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige

Directed By: Dee Rees

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: Despite his family's generations-old ban on music, young Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach

Directed By: Lee Unkrich

Critics Consensus: Inspiring and tragic, Bombshell is a bittersweet celebration and reclamation of Hedy Lemarr's journey from Hollywood legend to technology genius.

Synopsis: Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr fled an oppressive marriage to create a name for herself as one of Hollywood's top leading ladies in the 1940s. Behind... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mel Brooks, Diane Kruger, Peter Bogdanovich, Richard Rhodes

Directed By: Alexandra Dean

Critics Consensus: Paddington 2 honors its star's rich legacy with a sweet-natured sequel whose adorable visuals are matched by a story perfectly balanced between heartwarming family fare and purely enjoyable all-ages adventure.

Synopsis: Settled in with the Brown family, Paddington the bear is a popular member of the community who spreads joy and marmalade wherever he goes. One... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville

Directed By: Paul King

Critics Consensus: Call Me by Your Name offers a melancholy, powerfully affecting portrait of first love, empathetically acted by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer.

Synopsis: It's the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar

Directed By: Luca Guadagnino

Critics Consensus: Black Panther elevates superhero cinema to thrilling new heights while telling one of the MCU's most absorbing stories -- and introducing some of its most fully realized characters.

Synopsis: After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira

Directed By: Ryan Coogler

Critics Consensus: Foxtrot uses topical themes to deliver a bruising sociopolitical statement that's equally effective taken simply as an absorbing, well-acted drama.

Synopsis: A knock on the door leads to unfathomable grief as a man and his wife learn that their son died in the line of duty... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin

Directed By: Samuel Maoz

Critics Consensus: 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.

Synopsis: When tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin dies in 1953, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. Among... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Paddy Considine

Directed By: Armando Iannucci

Critics Consensus: The Endless benefits from its grounded approach to an increasingly bizarre story, elevated by believable performances by filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.

Synopsis: Two brothers receive a cryptic video message inspiring them to revisit the UFO death cult they escaped a decade earlier. Hoping to find the closure... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington

Directed By: Justin Benson

Critics Consensus: A Quiet Place artfully plays on elemental fears with a ruthlessly intelligent creature feature that's as original as it is scary -- and establishes director John Krasinski as a rising talent.

Synopsis: If they hear you, they hunt you. A family must live in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. Knowing that even the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe

Directed By: John Krasinski

Critics Consensus: The Rider's hard-hitting drama is only made more effective through writer-director Chloé Zhao's use of untrained actors to tell the movie's fact-based tale.

Synopsis: After a riding accident leaves him unable to compete on the rodeo circuit, a young cowboy searches for a new purpose.

Starring: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Lane Scott

Directed By: Chloé Zhao

Critics Consensus: Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes a fittingly patient and honest look at the life and legacy of a television pioneer whose work has enriched generations.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Morgan Neville examines the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the popular children's TV show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

Starring: Joanne Rogers, Bill Isler, Hedda Sharapan, Margaret Whitmer

Directed By: Morgan Neville

Critics Consensus: Leave No Trace takes an effectively low-key approach to a potentially sensationalistic story -- and further benefits from brilliant work by Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie.

Synopsis: A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Ore., rarely making contact with the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Jeff Kober, Dale Dickey

Directed By: Debra Granik

Critics Consensus: Fast, sleek, and fun, Mission: Impossible - Fallout lives up to the "impossible" part of its name by setting yet another high mark for insane set pieces in a franchise full of them.

Synopsis: Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg

Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie

Critics Consensus: Eighth Grade takes a look at its titular time period that offers a rare and resounding ring of truth while heralding breakthroughs for writer-director Bo Burnham and captivating star Elsie Fisher.

Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school -- the end... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elsie Fisher, Daniel Zolghadri, Fred Hechinger, Imani Lewis

Directed By: Bo Burnham

Critics Consensus: BlacKkKlansman uses history to offer bitingly trenchant commentary on current events -- and brings out some of Spike Lee's hardest-hitting work in decades along the way.

Synopsis: Ron Stallworth is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace

Directed By: Spike Lee