A sprawling, sci-fi procedural anchored by weighty performances, white-knuckle set pieces, and thunderous soundscapes, Nope is director Jordan Peele’s most mature and layered work, exploring our primordial obsession with spectacle and our desperate need to capture it. A slowly unfolding puzzle box that is as alluring as it is exhilarating, Peele assembles his formidable image-making around what he knows best: terror and wit. Minor spoilers ahead…

Amazon’s new animated series goes through familiar superhero motions, but its well-crafted and jaw-dropping twist will keep you engaged. Based on The Walking Dead scribe Robert Kirkman’s comic book of the same name, Invincible captures its source material’s tone and charm; its clean animation, talented voice cast, and big moments do a lot of heavy lifting, even if some of its storytelling and tropes feel dated. Three episodes watched for review. Minor spoilers ahead…

Writer and filmmaker Lee Isaac-Chung’s semi-autobiographical drama Minari, which follows a Korean American family adjusting to rural life in Arkansas, is the best film of the year. With equal parts melancholy, optimism, and tenderness. the film finds poetic balm within the chase for the American dream. Minor spoilers ahead…