Kat Coiro’s Italy-set rom-com starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page may not break a ton of new ground, but it’s the kind of big-hearted, escapist cinematic fantasy we don’t get much anymore.

Besides an incredibly fun theatrical experience, Kenji Tanigaki’s third feature feels like a sea change moment for action movies: from now on, there’s only before The Furious and after.

While still full of relevant social media criticism and interesting meta ideas, Faces of Death is ultimately a curiosity rather than a gutting, must-see horror experience. 

Kristoffer Borgli’s follow-up to Dream Scenario is a provocative use of the rom-com format that tries to see how far the genre can be stretched, walking right up to the limit before it breaks.

Tom Stern’s new documentary on cult noise-rock acid-trip group The Butthole Surfers is an exhilarating experience.

The second feature film by Canadian director, writer, and actress Grace Glowicki brought me back to that feeling of being a kid looking at the horror section at Blockbuster, full of movies with outrageous covers I wasn’t allowed to check out.

Using familiar narrative tropes to tell a purposeful story about trans kids and their parents, Fia Perera’s Mermaid succeeds thanks to its touching central relationship.

This is an ambitious take on the kung fu martial arts film, made by an Italian team with character-driven drama that feels grand within the scope of a relatively modest budget.

Ian Tuason’s debut feature was made for just $500,000 and succeeds by using its budget limitations to its advantage.

Written, directed, scored, photographed, edited, and starring Jethro Waters, this deeply strange microbudget tale will definitely appeal to fans of quirky cult movies.

Truly a crowd pleaser, there’s something for everyone to love in Lord & Miller’s adaptation of the Andy Weir novel.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second feature as director is a deeply strange, out-there film that curb-stomps every Frankenstein adaptation to a bloody pulp with an outpouring of style and ideas.

This posthumous documentary spotlights the body modification and alternative BDSM queer culture from the 1950s onward, with performance artist Fakir Musafar at the center.

Rod Blackhurst’s Dolly may not reinvent the slasher horror movie, but its grindhouse feel, captivating villain, and tough-as-nails protagonist offer enough twists on the formula make for a very fun ride.

Get ready for one of the most unexpectedly tense and horrifying cinematic journeys in recent memory.

With a massive cast and grand desert vistas, Yuen Woo-ping’s latest showcases the wuxia genre on an epic scale and should deliver anything a fan wants.

John Patton Ford’s follow-up to Emily the Criminal is an enjoyable, often funny flick riding the current wave of late-stage capitalism cinema. Just don’t expect any real social commentary or airtight logic.

This is a smart, clever, well-crafted movie that offers a true representation of a highly stereotyped and often dismissed queer subculture and so much more.

The visual storytelling, quirky details, and vibrant energy of Emerald Fennell’s enjoyable adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel are held back when the script veers too closely into tradition.

While there are quite a few funny moments and scenarios in The Moment, this mockumentary is conceptually more interesting to think about than to watch.