The New York Times

Brimming with style and spirit up to the final scene, Maddie’s Secret is among the most daring movies I’ve seen this year. That it simultaneously guarantees a giddy good time is a minor miracle.

From a perspective of pure atmosphere, this is arguably the most mesmerizing film of the year thus far.

Daniels, an actor skilled at delivering hushed poignancy, shares a sincere rapport with Catlett, who furthers the film’s organic tenor with weary eyes that plead for one’s time and grace. His and Daniels’s steady work makes Color Book deserving of both.

Kiyoko didn’t come by her fan-given nickname, Lesbian Jesus, for nothing. Like Kiyoko’s videos, the movie wants to create space for romantic deliverance.

We know from innumerable slashers that when a character is alone, trouble is around the corner. But “Leviticus,” with its gloomy, isolated setting and dogmatic parents, manages to turn this vulnerability into an existential issue, too. To make matters worse, the only glimmers of human warmth our boys receive are from each other — and that opens yet another can of worms.

It is the sort of film to which you want to apply the word “visionary,” which is to say that it’s clear the filmmaker had a vision and stuck to it admirably. Nothing in the movie is easy or comforting. Little about it even feels like a gesture toward those enamored of other Robin Hood tales.

It’s fine, pretty and amusing, but if no one’s heart seems in it, perhaps it’s time to make way for other toys.

While decently absorbing, Unidentified eventually goes way more Hollywood than either of those films, with a plot that defies logic (raising issues of both structure and perspective) and undermines the movie’s message — unless the pulpy swerve is itself intended as a kind of statement.

Murthy’s story as a child of immigrants is not particularly unique. But her film is engrossing because of the rich tapestry of sources she draws on.

Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day is one of those movies that sweeps you up from the start and rarely lets you down.