Perfect Scores
96 films have earned an A
Out of 1,420 reviews since 2012, only 7% make it here. This is the capital-C Cinema I’d throw my full critical weight behind. See it at once.
See also: Top Ten of Every Year · Rankings
Showing all 96 films
You Can See Everything (2026)
“Fielder and Oppenheim spend 174 minutes pointing every available instrument at Elizabeth Holmes, then at the people around her, then at the…”
Tuner (2026)
“Daniel Roher's 'Tuner' is the rare crowd-pleasing crime thriller that works just as well as a thoughtful character study. Propelled by Leo…”
Mother Mary (2026)
“David Lowery's hypnotic 'Mother Mary' is a breakup song filtered through the lens of a ghost story, mounted with spectacular production elements…”
Marty Supreme (2025)
“Josh Safdie proves he was the chosen one with 'Marty Supreme', a chaos-riddled epic about a scumbag ping-pong player trying to scheme…”
One Battle After Another (2025)
“'One Battle After Another' is another masterwork from American auteur Paul Thomas Anderson, who turns his incisive storytelling toward contemporary America and…”
The Substance (2024)
“Coralie Fargeat returns to the horror genre to deliver one of 2024's best films, 'The Substance'. With a remarkable return-to-form performance from…”
Challengers (2024)
“In Luca Guadagnino’s 'Challengers,' the world of competitive tennis becomes a steamy love triangle, where obsession and passion clash in a song…”
Dune: Part Two (2024)
“‘Dune: Part Two’ further opens the book on the world of Paul Atreides and Arrakis in this towering accomplishment that’s as thrilling…”
It’s What’s Inside (2024)
“Greg Jardin’s ‘It’s What’s Inside’ is a hilarious, mind-bending puzzle box comedy-thriller. Crafted with incredible precision and featuring an electrifying ensemble cast,…”
The Zone of Interest (2023)
“Holocaust movies rarely inspire faith in humanity but Jonathan Glazer’s subtle examination of barren decency and bureaucratic evil is a startling reminder…”
Poor Things (2023)
“With Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos continues to prove that he is Hollyweird’s maddest scientist and its most refreshingly singular voice. Emma Stone,…”
Saltburn (2023)
“Emerald Fennel’s venereal second feature is an explosive satire of inheritance and deception framed as a simmering psychosexual thriller. The entire cast…”
The Holdovers (2023)
“A testament to the simple power of an outstanding script, strong direction, and standout performances, ‘The Holdovers’ is a delightfully bittersweet return…”
Theater Camp (2023)
“Fueled by a script that absolutely sings and the thespian talent and improvisational ingenuity to back it up, ‘Theater Camp’ is a hysterical…”
The Northman (2022)
“A cinematic wonder of Viking violence and old-school melodramatic barbarity, ‘The Northman’ is an unrelenting and gruesome historic epic that showcases an…”
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
“‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is a madcap, prismatic martial arts sci-fi family movie that refracts the entire scope of cinema and…”
Speak No Evil (2022)
“A spiritual sequel to Michael Haneke’s ‘Funny Games’, Christian Tafdrup’s ‘Speak No Evil’ presents audiences with domestic discomfort and slowly cranks up…”
Red Rocket (2021)
“A Texan ballad of a dirtbag ex-porn star, ‘Red Rocket’ is a sidesplittingly funny and brutally honest character study from writer-director Sean…”
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021)
“Morgan Neville’s involving documentary puts Anthony Bourdain’s travels and struggles into razor sharp focus, creating a compelling and full-bodied portrait of an…”
Not Going Quietly (2021)
“A masterful character study and politically activated documentary about ALS-stricken activist Ady Barkan, 'Not Going Quietly' is a powerful and overwhelmingly emotional…”
CODA (2021)
“Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, and the rest of the wonderful cast make ‘CODA’ hit the highest of high notes. Writer-director Sian Heder…”
Ford V. Ferrari (2019)
“ A rip-roaring and irreverent crowdpleaser glued to two excellent performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale, ‘Ford v. Ferrari’ fires all…”
Marriage Story (2019)
“As real and unblinking a tale of American divorce as there has ever been, ’Marriage Story’ earns career best performances from Adam…”
Parasite (2019)
“Like a rival organism depleting its host, ‘Parasite’ may lay waste to the mind but it nests in the soul, lingering with…”
The Lighthouse (2019)
“A24's unsettling ‘The Lighthouse’ is like a message in a bottle from a far off time, one that signals writer-director Robert Eggers…”
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
“‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’ is an aching triumph of self-discovery that’s absolutely electrifying every single minute of your time…”
Her Smell (2019)
“Elisabeth Moss gives an exhaustive show-stopping performance in Alex Ross Perry’s strenuous ’Her Smell’, a thoughtfully terrorizing depiction of soured showbiz success,…”
The Favourite (2018)
“Let them eat cake, 'The Favourite' declares, offering a sickly sweet delight decorated with a quartet of brilliant performances (Stone, Weisz, Colman,…”
The Hate U Give (2018)
““Trigger Warning: ‘The Hate U Give’ adorns its audience with a vital deconstruction of race and police aggression in America in remarkably…”
Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)
“‘Mission Impossible: Fallout’ is action movie heroin. Impossibly entertaining, grittier and more artful than its forebearers while still maintaining its smarmy roguish…”
Hereditary (2018)
“Ranking up their with the great contemporary horror movies of our time, 'Hereditary' delivers the scares of 'The Conjuring' with the atmospherics…”
A Quiet Place (2018)
“You don’t have to be a full-fledged horror buff to appreciate the unadulterated excellence of ‘A Quiet Place’ - but horror buffs…”
Annihilation (2018)
“‘Annihilation’ marries elements of smart science fiction and toe-curling stabs of horror to tell a heady, intellectual creation myth that dares to…”
Phantom Thread (2018)
“A beautiful and thought-provoking slice of cinematic perfection, ‘Phantom Thread’ is just aces across the board. Smart, rebellious, sneakily funny, and strangely…”
The Shape of Water (2017)
“‘The Shape of Water’ shucks convention in making a throwback to the monster movies of yesteryear, showcasing Guillermo del Toro’s soaring visual…”
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
“'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' has smacks of knifelike dark comedy, a handful of brilliant performances (all hail Frances McDormand!) and a director…”
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
“Like a demented and brilliant episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’, The Killing of a Sacred Deer posits a reality off its axis…”
The Florida Project (2017)
“A powerful punch of empathic, humanist, character-driven cinema, 'The Florida Project' boasts a trifecta of sublime performances (Brooklyn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem…”
Dunkirk (2017)
“Sure to leave you visibly shell-shocked, ‘Dunkirk’ is an outstanding war epic that brings together three tales of survival amidst chaos in…”
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
“A masterclass in blockbuster filmmaking, ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ is that improbably rare summer movie that forces you to…”
La La Land (2016)
“A dazzlingly rendered musical masterpiece, 'La La Land' is an unseasonably joyous throwback that marries the best elements of Golden Age Hollywood…”
Don’t Breathe (2016)
“Riveting, horrifying and unwaveringly f*cked up, 'Don’t Breathe' is one of the most breathless, relentlessly intense horror movies to ever open in…”
Swiss Army Man (2016)
“One of the most bizarre and bizarrely beautiful films to grace the Sundance Dramatic Competition in quite some time, 'Swiss Army Man'…”
The Nice Guys (2016)
“'The Nice Guys' is a nearly flawless seminar in action comedy as Shane Black schools the industry with righteous aplomb, paying lip…”
Sing Street (2016)
“Big-hearted, shamelessly cheerful and joyous beyond measure, 'Sing Street' is an upbeat victory for director John Carney. Brimming with laughs and a…”
Green Room (2016)
“Jeremy Saulnier's grotesquely violent 'Green Room' pits a hapless punk band against a group of militant Neo Nazis in almost pornographically gruesome…”
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
“Bizarre by traditional sequel standards, '10 Cloverfield Lane' is nonetheless an immaculate work of genre craftsmanship, a bustling coup de grace of…”
The Witch (2016)
“When the family snaps under the pressure of internal and external presses, it’s anyone’s game and you’ll want to behold the result.…”
The Revenant (2015)
“A technically consummate piece of high art bred with a tension-ridden tale of against-all-odds perseverance, 'The Revenant' is a brutal, frigid masterwork…”
Creed (2015)
“'Creed' is vibrant, emotional and exciting as all hell. Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan reunite to deliver a spin-off unlike most;…”
Steve Jobs (2015)
“A purebred masterclass in filmmaking, 'Steve Jobs' brings Aaron Sorkin, Danny Boyle and Michael Fassbender together to tell a misanthropic biography brimming…”
The End of the Tour (2015)
“The End of the Tour is 2015's first dramatic ace in the hole; from the screenwriting to the direction to the two…”
The Look of Silence (2015)
“As the agents of genocide repeat "The past is past", the delicacy of Indonesia's current political balance becomes a focal point of…”
Inside Out (2015)
“A last act reunion once again turned my face soggy, leaving me all the more inclined to stick through the (increasingly hysterical)…”
Ex Machina (2015)
“Brilliant tech work aligns with Garland's beautifully sour/smartly subversive writing/directing and Gleeson, Isaac and Vikander's low-broiling performances to create what can only…”
Nightcrawler (2014)
“A nightcrawler, not to be confused with the blue Russian teleport from the X-Men comics, is a bottom feeder. A succubus. A…”
Fury (2014)
“Fury harnesses the spirit of war, of unchecked testosterone, of sacrifice and mayhem, wads it up into a spitball and blows it…”
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
“It's that impossibly rare blockbuster that shimmers with intelligence and has the FX razzle-dazzle to leave you dazed and amused, grinning from…”
Starry Eyes (2014)
“Starry Eyes conjures up quick similarities to Black Swan and Rosemary's Baby but finds a perfect footing between the two so any…”
The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)
“As the second part in a planned trilogy, I feared Berandal might suffer middle-child syndrome, that it could feel incomplete in the…”
Lone Survivor (2014)
“Backed up by blinding cinematography from Tobias A. Schliessler and an agonizingly plucky score (a throwback to Berg's Friday Night Light days)…”
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
“But it's not the performances alone that shine, as the movie flows smooth as butter. Looking at it as a whole, I…”
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
“For the swing-for-the-fences success, major credit is due to the editing department under Vallée and Martin Pensa's guidance, making the most difficult calls of…”
All Is Lost (2013)
“The creaks and moans of the tried ship mimic the heaves and hoes of a exasperated Redford, visual cues as foreboding and…”
Captain Phillips (2013)
“As a biopic, it's uncompromising and doggedly raw. As a thriller, it defines "being on pins and needles". As a showcase for…”
Fruitvale Station (2013)
“But Fruitvale Station doesn't bank on the brand of weepy, sentimental tearjerkers that leaves you with the bad taste of manipulation. It's…”
Only God Forgives (2013)
“A great film is one that you can look back upon and continue to gleam more from upon - particularly in retrospect.…”
Before Midnight (2013)
“Throughout it's 109 minutes, there is not an ounce of narrative fat asking to be skimmed off nor is there any pandering…”
This Is the End (2013)
“Rejoice, comedy is funny once more thanks to This is the End. Like a moustachioed Chutulu rising from the depths, it's not…”
What Maisie Knew (2013)
“In the age of divorce as norm, this is a strikingly close-to-the-bone story that cuts deep into the ethos of modern day…”
Cosmopolis (2013)
“While this certainly is not a film for everyone and I'm sure that any tween going to see this for their favorite…”
Django Unchained (2012)
“All the performers involved are hitting their mark with pitch perfect bravado and Tarantino once again proves that he's the king of…”
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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