T David G. Hughes Toxic masculinity, intoxicating: psychosexual gym drama Muscle understands spiritual impoverishment in Britain today Muscle (Gerard Johnson, 2019, UK)
A David G. Hughes Another Round is a spirited examination of midlife crisis on the European continent Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, 2020, Denmark)
N Savina Petkova Nomadland entwines a lyrical American West with the corroding effects of capitalism and age Nomadland (Chloé Zhao, 2020, US)
R John McKeown Rebecca is light entertainment with something to savour Rebecca (Ben Wheatley, 2020, UK)
B Patrick Preziosi Beguiling Berlin fairytale Undine smoulders in erotic and emotional hunger Undine (Christian Petzold, 2020, Germany)
T Patrick Preziosi The Salt of Tears interrogates the callowness of male youth with clear-eyed filmmaking The Salt of Tears (Philippe Garrel, 2020, France)
R Patrick Preziosi Rigorous and free-flowing, Days locates tenderness in duration Days (Tsai Ming-liang, 2020, Taiwan)
M Patrick Preziosi Malmkrog transcends the conventions of both the period drama and the conversation piece Malmkrog (Cristi Puiu, 2020, Romania)
M Edward Weech Making and unmaking a cinematic icon in True History of the Kelly Gang True History of the Kelly Gang (Justin Kurzel, 2019, Australia)
S Ruairí McCann Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue is a literary documentary bound for the fields, the seacoast, and the vicissitudes of time Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (Jia Zhangke, 2020, China)
S Patrick Preziosi Schemers is a music autobiography with a a touch of fun and a heap of self-satisfaction Schemers (David McLean, 2019, UK)
A Savina Petkova Absurdist thriller She Dies Tomorrow channels today’s existential dread She Dies Tomorrow (Amy Seimetz, 2020, US)
T Patrick Preziosi Tesla is a biopic of the mystery-shrouded inventor that revels in the anachronistic appeal of cinema Tesla (Michael Almereyda, 2020, US)
R David G. Hughes Road rage thriller Unhinged follows its pulp convictions to a satisfying conclusion Unhinged (Derrick Borte, 2020, US)
M Ruairí McCann Mafia epic The Traitor examines theatrical machismo and Italian identity The Traitor (Marco Bellocchio, 2019, Italy)
B Patrick Preziosi Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets is a boozy last call for the documentary film as we know it Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (Bill Ross & Turner Ross, 2020, US)
C John McKeown Canadian psychological thriller Disappearance at Clifton Hill cites David Lynch but falls short Disappearance at Clifton Hill (Albert Shin, 2019, Canada)
G David G. Hughes Gentlemen prefer righteous wars: Greyhound is Tom Hanks’ impressionistic tribute to values-driven warfare Greyhound (Aaron Schneider, 2020, US)
T Patrick Preziosi The King of Staten Island sees Pete Davidson given the signature Apatow treatment and the jokes transpire organically The King of Staten Island (Judd Apatow, 2020, US)
T Grayson Lazarus The Wretched shows solid horror craft on a small budget The Wretched (Brett Pierce & Drew Pierce, 2019, US)
M David G. Hughes Madness and civilisation: Austrian drama The Ground Beneath My Feet finds neurosis at the core of late-capitalist society The Ground Beneath My Feet (Marie Kreutzer, 2019, Austria)
A John McKeown A Rainy Day in New York is a sensuous ode to rainswept chance encounters A Rainy Day in New York (Woody Allen, 2019, US)
A John McKeown A cast of veteran actors can’t elevate saccharine war drama The Last Full Measure The Last Full Measure (Todd Robinson, 2019, US)
C Patrick Preziosi Capone hedges its bets on a signature Tom Hardy performance Capone (Josh Trank, 2020, US)
T Ruairí McCann Throw Down is a formally adventurous judo musical in salute of Kurosawa Throw Down (Johnnie To, 2004, Hong Kong)
P David G. Hughes Polished British gangster flick Villain hits with surprising emotional depth Villain (Philip Barantini, 2020, UK)
L Patrick Preziosi Liberté pushes cinematic limits but the results fall short of intended subversion Liberté (Albert Serra, 2019, France)
E Patrick Preziosi Ema couches conventionality in otherwise vibrant cinematic tricks Ema (Pablo Larraín, 2019, Chile)
R Ruairí McCann Rote direction and extraneous world-building hampers dystopian heist movie Time to Hint Time to Hunt (Yoon Sung-hyun, 2020, South Korea)
H Grayson Lazarus Ham-fisted messaging doesn’t take away the dark and playful subversion of We Summon the Darkness We Summon the Darkness (Marc Meyers, 2019, US)
C Patrick Preziosi Camino Skies is a polite travelogue that fails both its setting and subjects Camino Skies (Fergus Grady & Noel Smyth, 2019, New Zealand)
K Ruairí McCann Kwaidan is an uncanny anthology of Japanese ghost tales that mixes experimental with traditional forms Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, Japan, 1964)
B David G. Hughes Bombastic action thriller Extraction isn’t as slick as it thinks it is Extraction (Sam Hargrave, 2020, US)
