Still unfolding, but already delivering. From pandemic pivots to theatrical comebacks, the 2020s are proving that great filmmaking survives any disruption.
Dir. Daniel Kwan
A tax audit turns into a multiverse epic about family, identity, and hot dog fingers. Won everything for a reason.
Popcorn pairing: Everything bagel seasoning (obviously)
Dir. Denis Villeneuve
Villeneuve finished what he started and delivered one of the best sci-fi epics in decades. The sandworm riding scene is pure spectacle.
Popcorn pairing: Cumin and chili powder
Dir. Joseph Kosinski
A legacy sequel that felt necessary. Real jets, real G-forces, and a third act that puts you in the cockpit.
Popcorn pairing: Classic butter
Dir. Martin McDonagh
A friendship breakup on a remote Irish island. Funny, bleak, and quietly devastating in equal measure.
Dir. Celine Song
A love story about timing, immigration, and the lives we didn't live. The final scene is one of the best endings in years.
Dir. Christopher Nolan
Nolan made a three-hour biopic feel like a thriller. Cillian Murphy disappears into the role, and the Trinity test sequence is visceral.
Dir. Charlotte Wells
A father-daughter vacation that reveals itself slowly through memory. Quiet, devastating, and impossible to shake.
Dir. Alexander Payne
A curmudgeon, a grieving kid, and a holiday break at a boarding school. Giamatti is perfect. Warm without being sentimental.
Dir. Jordan Peele
Peele aimed at spectacle and Hollywood mythology. The sky sequence is one of the most original set pieces in recent memory.
Dir. Brady Corbet
A sweeping immigrant epic about art, power, and compromise. Adrien Brody delivers a career-best performance in a film that feels genuinely monumental.