1) WICKED – I left the theater after my first (of many) screenings of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked feeling ecstatic, and feeling optimistic about the future of cinema and the future of the movie musical as a whole. The way these songs are brought to extravagant, fully realized and breathtaking life by the filmmaking choices here feels nothing short of miraculous. The set design, the costumes, the practical effects, the live singing that actually makes sense and works, everything was stunningly gorgeous from every corner of the frame. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are a cinematic duo for the ages, and I can’t wait to see what they do with part 2.

2) THE SUBSTANCE – It’s gonzo, go-for-broke, increasingly bizarre levels of batshittery and over-the-top nuttiness. There are scenes in this movie that made me gasp, cringe, and cover my eyes, squinting at the screen. And yet, it’s a razor sharp indictment of toxic beauty culture, and the American obsession with image. We all would change things about ourselves if we could, and The Substance takes that idea and blows it up from the inside, and nobody comes out of this thing unscathed, certainly not the audience. Also features probably the best performance of Demi Moore’s career.

3) CHALLENGERS – Director Luca Guadagnino may have made his true masterpiece. Challengers is a grippingly intense, palpably sexy, shockingly funny and endlessly captivating good time. It’s a fascinating study of human relationships, and the sniping and backstabbing and underhandedness that is so engrained in all of us. Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor deliver a trio of instantly iconic performances. The pacing, the cinematography and score all make this an unforgettable experience, and one of the most viscerally exciting and tense films I’ve seen in years.

4) THELMA – June Squibb, at age 94 (now 95), finally first on the call sheet in a feature film, delights in every second of having a role finally worthy of all she always has done so well. Thelma is a warm, thoughtful, hilarious and deeply moving film about a 93-year-old woman who isn’t ready to slow down anytime soon. Every performance is pitch perfect and the story is fast-paced and genuinely has something to say about what happens to a person as they age.

5) NATIONAL ANTHEM – A stunningly gorgeous, empathetic and emotionally visceral queer coming of age story that is generous with its characters and is so specific about the world it’s depicting, and spends no time wallowing in queer trauma or coming of age tropes. This is a story about human connection and what it means to find the place where you belong. This one had me under its spell early on, and kept me there. Charlie Plummer and Eve Lindley are absolute movie stars, full stop. What a thoughtful and emotionally powerful story, told beautifully.

6) MY OLD ASS – There is so much My Old Ass is trying to do. It’s asking big questions about the way we see ourselves, how we are to each other, how we process time, and how we perceive present, past and future versions of ourselves, and what our actions mean, and if we’re bound for a predetermined outcome regardless of what we do about it. And that’s a lot for a scrappy little Sundance darling to wrap its head around. Maisy Stella rocks a star-making performance in Megan Park’s deeply emotional and cathartic sophomore feature.

7) GHOSTLIGHT – A small-scale, yet enormously effective family drama about grief. Ghostlight is a tribute to the healing power of live theatre. It is mores specifically a love letter to community theatre, and the concept of having a community where you feel seen. It is such a beautifully acted, beautifully told story. It is overwhelmingly moving, deeply meaningful and remarkably true. One of those little films that sneaks up on you in a profound way.

8) ANORA – I have not seen a movie juggle tones this effortlessly in a very long time, and done it this well. Anora is a screwball comedy, an action movie, a farce, a romance, an Uncut Gems level anxiety attack, that leaves you with one of the biggest emotional gut-punches I’ve had all year, and none of it feels forced, and it all works so well. Writer/director Sean Baker is an incredibly empathetic and fascinating filmmaker, and this is the best work of his career so far. Mikey Madison is an absolute star, but you’ve heard that elsewhere already I’m sure.

9) A REAL PAIN – Falls into the small group of movies I see every year that I quantify as a ‘no notes’ movie. There is not a single frame of this movie I would change. It’s got real, loud, boisterous laughs and a some earned, cathartic tears. It’s a thoughtful examination of cultural history and generational trauma, it’s a bit of a travelogue, it’s a road movie, but more than anything, it’s a character study of these two broken people who needed this experience, needed each other, in order to heal. And it never went where I expected, and it just kept surprising me in the most satisfying ways.

10) THE ROOM NEXT DOOR – Pedro Almodovar’s first English language feature accomplishes a stunning feat of preserving all that makes his films special. In the hands of two powerhouses like Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, it feels almost effortless. The Room Next Door is a deeply felt mediation on friendship, morality, grief, what it means to make the most out of your life and deal with the circumstances that are outside of your control. Beautifully made and deeply felt.

11) BABYGIRL – As a character study and as a narrative about infidelity, as a story about the quest for power and control and dominance, and what all that means in a post-Me Too world, Babygirl is electric, fascinating and ultimately thrilling. Featuring an all-timer performance from Nicole Kidman, who has no comfort zone, and that’s something we often forget about her. You feel the presence she brings to everything, even when the movie doesn’t meet her level. But when an exciting filmmaker like Halina Reijn gives her the canvas to dive this deep into a character, there’s no limit to what she can do.

12) FLOW – A vibrant, emotionally powerful wordless masterclass in animation, one that expands on the limits of what animation can do. Flow is a family film about accepting the limits of one’s own morality, it’s also about the climate crisis, it’s also an intelligent, funny and deeply emotional delight that just about any viewer in any country could watch and find something to love in. This is quite the intense, nerve-wracking experience but you leave feeling so inspired and so emotionally fulfilled. That’s a lot for a film to accomplish without any dialogue.

13) HARD TRUTHS – A deeply thoughtful and poignant character study about an aggressively unhappy woman and the pain she is – or isn’t – dealing with. Marianne Jean-Baptiste reunites with director Mike Leigh for a fascinating, heartbreaking and unexpectedly funny. Mike Leigh is always so hyper-focused on character detail and nuance, and the people we meet in this film are absolutely fascinating. Also featuring terrific work from Michele Austin, David Webber and Tuwaine Barrett.

14) SATURDAY NIGHT – Full of remarkable performers doing impressions of comedy icons that somehow don’t feel like impressions, Saturday Night like a historical document that also somehow has an alive, beating heart and a blood pressure going through the roof. It’s incredibly well cast, it’s paced like a rollercoaster ride, one with plenty of laughs along the way. Seeing this with an enthusiastic crowd has been one of the most exciting viewing experiences I’ve had all year.

15) BLINK TWICE – Actor Zoe Kravitz’s debut film was the best kind of late-summer surprise. It’s twisty, it’s disturbing, it’s thrilling, it’s boasted by a great cast, it’s thematically fascinating and leaves you with so much to talk about after you leave the theater. The other films where Kravitz found inspiration are clear, but it never plays like anything less than the birth of a truly exciting new filmmaker.

16) A DIFFERENT MAN – Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson stun in a deeply fascinating story about self image and how you may never find what you want in life if you’re unable to accept who you are. That sounds like a downer, but there’s lots of wry humor in this satire that is constantly giving you insight into these fascinating characters. Shares a lot in common thematically with The Substance, and would make a great double feature.

17) SMILE 2 – Director Parker Finn’s horror sequel is better than the first in every way. It’s twistier, more ambitious, more nerve-wracking and more psychologically punishing. It’s got a broader scope, more effective scares, and a sharper focus on something we didn’t have last time. Featuring an all-time great scream queen performance from Naomi Scott, and the way we delve into her psychological perspective early on drives up the intensity brilliantly in the insanely over-the-top third act. And it sets up an absolutely bonkers third film brilliantly.

18) KINDS OF KINDNESS – It feels like director Yorgos Lanthimos, following the success of Poor Things, the closest thing to a mainstream hit so far in his career, broke out of the psych ward and went off his meds and let his imagination go to some truly nutty places, and ran with it. I’m deeply thankful for that. Kinds of Kindness is a dark, savage and hateful little movie, one that’s delightfully out of its damn mind.

19) THE WILD ROBOT – This is a warm, humane, sensitive narrative filled with visual gags that will keep the younger viewers entertained, but a worldview and a striking emotional truth that will keep the grown-ups in the room entertained, and will likely bring a tear or two to their eye. The Wild Robot is a visually dazzling, beautifully performed and deeply poignant and emotional masterclass in animation, boasted by an incredible voice cast.

20) DADDIO – This kind of film is admittedly very much my kind of thing. I love when you have two actors in a claustrophobic setting and you’re just watching two talented people play off each other, and if you’re lucky, if the film is good, it feels like you’re seeing two genuinely vivid people beyond what the actors are doing in their parts. And Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn are acting their asses off in Christy Hall’s dazzling debut Daddio.