Each holiday season, leading up to our Best Films of the Year feature, InRO writers dialogue about the year's films, going to bat for some, stamping others as overrated, and inevitably lamenting how much trash has flooded theaters. That saturation is why we produce a long list of films for our writers to have in pocket while catching up on the year's offerings. That doesn't mean these films are universally (or even at all) liked by InRO staff; what it means is that everything here is notable for cinephiles in some way, whether it indeed be due to enthusiasm shared amongst a demo of InRO writers (though plenty here are not agreed upon), on the strength of a director, or even according to a fascinatingly divisive response that stokes curiosity.

There is also no guarantee that our Top 25 films will come exclusively from this list, as our voting process always produces surprises, even to us. But this is the list that we at InRO are keeping in mind as we are doing our end-of-the-year cramming, and you find yourself trying decide what to prioritize in your own catch-up, perhaps this list can be of use to you, too. Our Best will be announced in mid-late December, but until then, happy watching!