The Water Diviner marks the feature-length directing debut from actor Russell Crowe, who also stars in the leading role
Irena Pavlásková’s new Jan Saudek biopic Fotograf claims to be “loosely based” on events in the famed Czech photographer’s life
Disney’s 2015 live-action update of Cinderella is an elaborate, vividly designed and gorgeously-detailed version of the familiar story
The Gunman is a sleek, adult thriller bolstered by a terrific cast and taut action direction from Luc Besson protégé Pierre Morel
Song of the Sea is an enchanting, magical little fairy tale that does what films do best, enveloping us in its mythology and transporting us to another time and place
Internal logic takes a holiday in Insurgent, the sequel to last year’s Divergent and adaptation of the middle book in Veronica Roth’s young adult trilogy
Chappie is the latest piece of thoughtful science fiction filmmaking from District 9 director Neill Blomkamp
Flatliners meets Re-Animator in The Lazarus Effect, a dull, plodding, but mercifully short horror film from Blumhouse
The Snake Brothers stars real-life brothers Matěj and Kryštof Hádek as a pair of down-and-out small-town siblings whose relationship is tenuous at best
Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in US history with 160 kills verified by the US government
Wild, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée from Cheryl Strayed’s autobiographical novel, is almost like the inverse of Into the Wild
While the results may not be satisfying, it’s fun trying to work out all the angles of Focus while the game is underway
Petr Jákl’s Ghoul was filmed in English with an international cast of actors, and shot in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and California
The Theory of Everything is beloved by just about everyone, earning five Oscar nominations and winning for Redmayne’s incredible central performance
Kingsman: The Secret Service works best as a comedy that subverts the James Bond franchise and doesn’t take itself seriously
Fifty Shades of Grey, an adaptation of the bestselling but poorly-received erotic novel that began life as a piece of Twilight fan-fiction, is not terrible
In both visual and storytelling terms, Big Eyes is the most straightforward movie that Tim Burton has ever made
Unbroken is a gorgeously-photographed (by Roger Deakins), vividly-realized, authentic-feeling adaptation that nevertheless struggles to come to life
Jupiter Ascending is an original, great-looking and (mostly) serious take on sci-fi from the Wachowski siblings
Whiplash is something like Mr. Holland’s Opus meets Full Metal Jacket: J.K. Simmons’ instructor is brutal, violent, and relentlessly foul-mouthed
Nightcrawler is an original and highly impressive directing debut from Dan Gilroy bolstered by a startling lead performance from Jake Gyllenhaal
The predominant image of Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game is that of Alan Turing’s giant machine, tirelessly and slowly churning its gears
Birdman is fluidly directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, who keeps the action moving at a fever pitch even though we’re essentially watching a stage play
Stonehearst Asylum is an enjoyably old-fashioned piece of horror filmmaking, though it won’t hold many surprises for astute viewers