Colin Minihan’s latest feature Coyotes delivers exactly what its title promises. This horror-comedy follows a wealthy family in the Hollywood Hills as they struggle to survive a relentless attack by a ravenous pack of coyotes. The story unfolds over the course of one harrowing night, made even more chaotic by a severe thunderstorm that topples trees, knocks out power, and cuts the family off from help just as the carnage begins.

The Curse feels like a nostalgic trip back to the techno-horror films of the early aughts, calling to mind eerie classics like The Ring and Pulse, but with a distinctly modern twist. Instead of cursed videotapes or haunted websites, the threat here seeps through the familiar feeds of social media, making the film feel both unsettling and eerily relevant.

Quentin Dupieux’s irreverent, brash sense of humor is almost certainly an acquired taste. Known for his offbeat and audacious storytelling, Dupieux has carved out a niche for himself in the world of absurdist cinema. But his quirky style may not be for everyone. With The Piano Accident, he turns his surrealist lens toward social media and influencer culture, providing the perfect opportunity for satire.

In September 2023, a single phone call shattered my world. Much like the protagonist in the opening scene of Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, I thought I had it all. After overcoming a childhood steeped in financial strain, I finally secured a job that freed me from living paycheck to paycheck. My success exceeded my wildest expectations, given the position from which I started. I thought I made it. But then, everything was ripped right out from under me in an instant.

It’s fitting that a movie titled The Ice Tower moves at such a glacial pace. That’s not necessarily a flaw, but it will likely test the patience of many moviegoers. Marion Cotillard is a commanding presence in Lucile Hadžihalilović’s film.

Justin Tipping’s HIM fumbles the opportunity to pack a powerful statement about America’s favorite sport. While football fanaticism is a topic ripe for tackling, the film fails to dive deeper than surface-level commentary on the cult-like obsession. Moreover, the narrative is overly simplistic in its message but scattered in its execution. Tipping’s sophomore feature feels more like an experimental exercise in style over substance.

One Battle After Another might just be Paul Thomas Anderson’s funniest film to date. It’s also arguably his most accessible and mainstream. The film channels the spirit of Thomas Pynchon’s writing style, leaning into paranoia and absurdism. While the narrative is loosely inspired by Pynchon’s novel Vineland

Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut Eleanor the Great is equal parts heart-wrenching and heartwarming. On paper, Tory Kamen’s script might seem like a tough sell. The premise alone could raise eyebrows or even appall some viewers, but it is handled with remarkable sensitivity and sincerity. Thanks to Johansson’s gentle direction and June Squibb’s multifaceted performance, the story comes to life in a way that feels surprisingly sincere, unexpectedly funny, and deeply emotional.

Sentimental Value ranks among the best films I’ve seen about fractured families, intergenerational trauma, and healing through art—and I’ve seen a lot of them. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel or do anything groundbreaking. In fact, the story is relatively predictable, but it’s executed with such masterful emotional precision and sincerity that it feels revelatory.

DISC is cute, funny, uncomfortable, stressful, and unexpectedly sort of sweet. It’s well-crafted thanks in large part to Blake Rice’s direction and writing, along with co-writer and star Victoria Ratermanis. She and Jim Cummings have great chemistry that makes it easy for viewers to get invested in the story and care about the characters.

Trey Edward Shults' filmmaking career was already off to a great start with 2015's Krisha and 2017's It Comes at Night. But Waves is his best film yet. There hasn't been enough awards chatter surrounding Waves, and the film will most likely be overlooked throughout awards season. But make no mistake, Waves is one of the best films of the year.

The less you know about Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, the better. It’s a film that subverts expectations, defies genre constraints, and is bound to make jaws drop. There has never been a movie quite like this one. 

Andy Muschietti’s It: Chapter Two garnered some attention for its nearly 3-hour-long runtime. Considering the length of Stephen King’s novel, the runtime of the film isn’t all that surprising. Tommy Lee Wallace’s 1990 adaptation even took the form of a miniseries. Although Muschietti’s movies are a vast improvement over the 1990 miniseries, It: Chapter Two becomes so repetitive that one can’t help but wonder if the films would have been more successful as a series instead. However, the hefty runtime isn’t the worst thing about It: Chapter Two.

Do you remember the first time you fell in love with a song? How you didn’t just listen to it but truly felt the music? Perhaps the lyrics spoke to your soul and made you feel like you weren’t alone. Maybe the beat was so energizing that it made you want to run through the streets dancing and singing along at the top of your lungs. It’s a rush of euphoria that you can feel pulsing through your veins. No movie has captured that feeling quite like Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded by the Light.

On June 19, 2016, multi-talented actor Anton Yelchin died from blunt traumatic asphyxia after his Jeep rolled down his driveway and pinned him against the gate of his home in Studio City, California. He was only 27 years old. He was known for his role as Pavel Chekov in the recent Star Trek films and starred in movies like Alpha Dog (2006), Charlie Bartlett (2007), and Like Crazy (2011). He was a gifted young artist whose blossoming career was cut short because of such a devastating freak accident.

The comparisons between Steve McQueen’s Widows and Andrea Berloff’s The Kitchen are inevitable. Sadly, the latter drastically pales in comparison. Although The Kitchen was written and directed by a woman, the female empowerment angle of the film feels disingenuous and forced.

Before the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino penned an open letter urging viewers to avoid spoiling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He was right to do so. It’s not that his ninth film has an unpredictable plot or some major twist to spoil. But it does feature what is quite possibly the best movie scene of the year, and no words could ever really do it justice. It’s something that moviegoers must experience, not hear about it. Seeing it in a theater with a big audience also amplifies the fun of the film, especially when it comes to that scene in particular. 

Imagine if Yorgos Lanthimos directed Fight Club. That’s the vibe of Riley Stearns’ dark comedy The Art of Self-Defense. Despite the comparisons, The Art of Self-Defense still feels delightfully original. It’s a savage takedown of toxic masculinity that’s brimming with absurd humor.

Last year gave us one of the best Spider-Man films in the form of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which left the next Spider-Man movie with some pretty big shoes to fill. This year gave us the monumental Avengers: Endgame, which is an extremely tough act to follow. Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Far From Home was inevitably going to pale in comparison to those two films. But if audiences walk into the theater with realistic expectations, they’re bound to have a good time with Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Ari Aster’s Midsommar isn’t as frightening as his feature directorial debut, Hereditary, but it’s still a solid sophomore effort from an indisputably talented filmmaker. Midsommar is much funnier and far more absurd than its predecessor, but it’s also way less accessible. Whether audiences love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Midsommar is a bold follow-up for Aster.