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As best of the year lists roll out across the internet, TV critics and fans are reflecting on everything they loved about the year in television. From their favorite shows to their favorite performances and even the most shocking moments, nearly every aspect of the small screen is admired — typically, in list form.

But while plenty of lists double up across various websites through a multitude of voices, one list is built collectively and shared immediately: the best TV lines of 2017.

Spearheaded each year by Variety TV Critic Mo Ryan, the annual tradition of honoring the best quotes of the year began early Monday afternoon with the hashtag #BestTVLines2017 and Ryan’s first selection:

“Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” @GameofThrones #BestTVLines2017

Join the annual tradition! Tweet your #BestTVLines2017! @sepinwall, your turn.

— Mo Ryan (@moryan) December 18, 2017

The quote — “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.

When “Machines” director Rahul Jain was growing up in India, he spent plenty of time as a child in his grandfather’s small textile factory. When Jain started making what would become his first film during his breaks from Cal Arts many years later, he knew he wanted to capture some of those mesmerizing sounds and visuals.

“There was a big sensory soup in my consciousness I was chasing,” he told IndieWire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene following a showing of his film about the goings on of a massive textile factory in Gujarat, India, at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series.

Of course, it took some time to figure out how to do that.

Read More:How ‘La 92’ Directors Sorted Through 1,700 Hours of Footage for Their Sobering Film

“When you’re in such a sensorially rich and stimulating environment, as a director you kind of feel like you should get everything,...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: What’s the best opening title sequence for a show premiering in 2017? (And yes, this is an update of the earlier midseason survey.)

Tim Surette (@timsurette), TV.com

I’ll go with “Mindhunter.” There’s a cool juxtaposition of recording equipment used by weirdo FBI profiler Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and the corpse of a murdered woman, which just goes to show that Ford kind of looks at both as objects for his own research, instead of, you know, an ex-person who still has actual importance to people. It’s an effective way to get right into his somewhat sociopathic head and is a real treat for people who love pareidolia.

For a time, “Chasing Coral” director Jeff Orlowski was worried he wouldn’t actually be able to capture the climax of his film.

Thanks to technical malfunctions and other mishaps, which are documented in the film, he and his team weren’t able to capture the coral bleaching they set out to record. After a showing of the movie at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series, he told IndieWire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene that he expected to finish it an entire year before he actually completed it.

Read More:‘An Inconvenient Sequel’ Filmmakers on Modifying Their Film After Donald Trump’s Climate Policy Changes

“We weren’t capturing the bleaching and the cameras didn’t work,” he said in a post-film Q&A. “We knew that, unfortunately for the planet, more opportunities were coming up, that the bleaching was only scheduled to continue, and that’s what...

As much as we all love a stunning tracking shot or an impeccably stylized thriller, even the most discerning cinephiles have to admit: Sometimes, you just want a good cry. Often it’s the most gut-wrenching movies that remain in our collective cultural memory the longest; “Sophie’s Choice,” “Terms of Endearment,” and “Schindler’s List,” to name just a few. Even in an age when auteur-driven driven sci-fi and superhero franchises reign supreme, Hollywood will always love a good old-fashioned tearjerker. Which is why we thought it necessary to single out some of the saddest movies of the century — so far.

Read More:The 20 Scariest Movie Scenes of the 21st Century

Though it might sound trite, one doesn’t have to give up gorgeous cinematography or a tightly-wound script in order to be moved. Not only do the films on this list find beauty in the most heartbreaking of human experiences,...

Issa Rae is one of the six names in entertainment being celebrated at the inaugural IndieWire Honors on Nov. 2. Her voice and creativity showcased on HBO’s “Insecure” has earned her the Vanguard Award for television.

The success of Issa Rae takes on even more symbolism right now. Her HBO comedy “Insecure” is the story of a young woman, living in the big city, and trying to figure it all out — while often getting it wrong. Rae said she realized that the obstacles that come with being a woman in this society couldn’t be ignored on her show either.

According to Rae, her show’s writing staff has been sharing and discussing the recent litany of stories about how the industry’s misogynistic culture allowed for high-profile figures to commit sexual harassment and assault, and the unfair pressure put on women in Hollywood.

“In our writers’ room it’s mostly comprised of women,...

Kristen Bell has some big news for “Veronica Mars” fans: You haven’t seen the last of her playing the titular girl detective on screen. This scoop comes courtesy of her friend and co-star Ryan Hansen, who called her in the middle of a Facebook Live conversation with IndieWire to ask where things stood with another potential reunion for the fan-favorite series.

“We are willing to put the effort in — I mean, if I have to do it as ‘Murder She Wrote’ at 80, we’re going to do it,” Bell told Hansen and IndieWire. “It’s going to happen.”

Hansen was in the IndieWire offices to discuss “Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television*”, the new YouTube Red series featuring the star as a somewhat fictionalized version of himself, solving crimes on television. (As one might surmise from the title.)

The extremely meta comedy makes a lot of references to Hansen’s past projects,...

It took a serious level of trust for the prisoners who participate in an intense therapy session at Folsom State Prison in California to allow director Jairus McLeary inside the emotional four-day self-help discussion for his new documentary, “The Work.”

After a showing of the film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series, McLeary revealed that he had volunteered at the program, run by the nonprofit Inside Circle Foundation (of which his psychologist father, James McLeary, is CEO), for more than half a decade before the inmates allowed him to film there. Jairus and his producer brothers Eon and Miles were joined by their father and “The Work” subject Vegas, a former inmate, in a discussion of the film with IndieWire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene.

The McLearys had all volunteered in the program, which James administers, for years. Because of that, they knew they couldn’t really...

Burning Witches Records has a new Halloween mixtape cooking in the cauldron for a good cause, and we have details on the fundraising cassette and digital release for the World Wildlife Foundation in today's Horror Highlights, as well as home media release details for Ghost Witch and Kill or Be Killed.

Halloween Cassette Fundraiser for World Wildlife Federation: On Cassette Store Day, October 14th, Burning Witches Records will release Witches' Halloween Brew, a 19-song collection on cassette and digital featuring a wide range of synth-centric composers. Sequenced by Mondo/Death Waltz's Spencer Hickman and featuring artwork by Kimberley Holladay, profits from the collection will go to the World Wildlife Foundation. In addition to the digital release on Burning Witches' Bandcamp page, the album will be released on three cassette variants (see below) limited to 75 apiece. Here's the official track list (via Vehlinggo.com):

Xander Harris – “Burn Slow...

The New York Film Festival kicks off later this week, sending us straight into the second half of a very busy fall festival season. In preparation for the festival, we’ve pinpointed its most exciting offerings, from never-before-seen narratives to insightful new documentaries, and plenty of previously-screened features looking to capitalize on strong word of mouth coming out of fellow tests like Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. In short, there’s plenty to experience in the coming weeks, so consider this your roadmap to the best of the fest.

Read More:Bryan Cranston Enters Oscar Race with New York Film Festival Opener ‘Last Flag Flying’

Ahead, 13 essential titles — from buzzy world premieres to highlights from the 2017 circuit— that we can’t wait to see at this year’s New York Film Festival.

“Arthur Miller: Writer”

Documentaries about family members are always a dubious proposition. Some can also come across as overindulgent exercises,...

It’s perhaps the question the IndieWire TV team gets asked the most right now: “Is there anything good to watch this fall?” That’s sort of a loaded question, and always hard to answer. With so much TV available, there’s almost something suited to anyone’s taste.

IndieWire’s TV team — including Hanh Nguyen, Liz Shannon Miller, Steve Greene and Ben Travers — joins host Michael Schneider to discuss what they’re most excited to see in the coming months, on this edition of “Turn It On.” Listen below!

Among the highlights: Everyone is looking forward to see what creator Mike Schur does with Season 2 of NBC’s “The Good Place,” and there’s also interest in Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders”; Netflix’s “Alias Grace,” based on a Margaret Atwood novel; and ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” adapted from a South Korean drama.

Seven episodes into “Rick and Morty” Season 3, fans and critics pretty much agree the Adult Swim favorite is having one of its strongest runs in its nearly four-year history. The season hit an undisputed high point on Sunday with the airing of “The Ricklantis Mixup,” which IndieWire’s Steve Greene gave an A rating and fans have already declared the best “Rick and Morty” episode ever. The half hour was an audacious look at police brutality, discrimination, and political corruption, but it was also a jaw-dropping showcase for Justin Roiland.

Read More:‘Rick and Morty’ Review: ‘The Ricklantis Mixup’ Delivers a Brilliant and Devastating Meditation on TV, Power, and Life Itself

Roiland, who created the series alongside Dan Harmon, has been the show’s most valuable voice performer since the very beginning. As the man behind the voices of both Rick and Morty, Roiland has singlehandedly shaped the two defining personalities of the series.

Much like the Red Woman looking into Arya’s future, much death seems likely in the season finale — but in what form might we expect it? There are plenty of theories out there as to what might transpire in “The Dragon and the Wolf.” The one guarantee: There will probably be a dragon and a wolf involved, at least on a metaphorical level. Beyond that, here are some additional thoughts.

The Snow Job

In order for a previous prediction for the “Game of Thrones” series finale to pan out, there needs to be some traction on the Dany/Tyrion romance. Pair that with my demand for meaningful blood to be spilt, and there’s only one thing that can happen Sunday night:

Jon Snow will die.

I know, I know. He’s died already, and, worse yet, it’s felt like he’s died 1,000 times. Even mentioning Jon Snow dying feels like a tired,...

All this week, IndieWire is rolling out our annual Fall Preview, including the very best indie cinema has to offer, all the awards contenders you need to know about, and even blockbuster fare that seems poised to please the most discerning tastes, all with an eye towards introducing you to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed fall movie-going season. Check back every day for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up. First up: indie films and festival favorites.

“mother!” (September 15)

The return of Darren Aronofsky should be enough to get any cinephile back to the theater, but the fact that “mother!” has remained so secretive with just under a month to go has only made anticipation higher. Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem play a couple whose lives are...

Dozens of movies are hitting Netflix during the dog days of summer (click here for a complete list), but the sheer variety of new titles can be daunting. Movies are long, time is short, and indecision is brutal, so — in the hopes of helping you out — here are the seven best films that are coming to Netflix in August.

7. “Practical Magic” (1998)

Okay, so “Practical Magic” isn’t a “good movie” in the traditional sense…or in any other sense, for that matter. But it’s a perfect Netflix movie, which is another beast entirely. An incredible time capsule — and bottomless gif resource — from an ancient epoch that historians refer to as “1998,” this essential relic tells the story of sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) Owens, twin witches who are effectively cursed to remain single forever.

Did I mention that it was directed by Griffin Dunne? Did I mention that it was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for including a Faith Hill song on the soundtrack? Did I mention that it features a scene in which Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing use their secret powers to blend alcoholic drinks in order to lubricate a singalong set to Harry Nilsson’s “Put the Lime in the Coconut”? “Practical Magic” was kind of a blip when it first opened, but it would shake our culture to its skeleton if it came out today. A remake feels inevitable, but in the meantime, the original makes for perfect streaming on a lazy August afternoon. Better yet, add it to your queue and swing back once Halloween rolls around.

Begins streaming August 1st.

6. “The Bomb” (2016)

“the bomb” was one of the most exciting, unclassifiable experiences on the festival circuit last year, but the sheer magnitude of the project made it unclear where it might live once it had finished traveling the world, or if it would be possible for the public to see it. Fortunately, the answers to those questions turned out to be “everywhere” and “very.” Here’s IndieWire’s Steve Greene on the 59-minute film into which this enormous piece of experimental art has been newly reshaped:

Read More‘the bomb’ Review: New Doc on Netflix Is a Surreal Music Video About the End of the World

Directed by Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari, and Eric Schlosser, this experimental, sensory history of the nuclear bomb is a staggering look at the world’s most destructive weapon and the lessons of almost eight decades that some still choose to ignore. Threading together modern-day news footage, Cold War era safety videos and grainy archival peeks into the construction process, “the bomb” looks at nuclear weapons in their myriad historic forms. Foregoing the usual talking head interviews or explanatory narration, the one piece of connective tissue throughout the film, besides the subject itself, is the film’s score, from Los Angeles electronic minimalist outfit The Acid. Throughout a harrowing parade of images and fleeting moments of whimsy, the droning, pulsating music underneath brings an alternating sense of dread and power.

Begins streaming August 1st.

5. “Cloud Atlas” (2012)

It’s easy to make fun of “Cloud Atlas,” and not just because one of the six characters that Tom Hanks plays is pretty much a live-action Jar Jar Binks. Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis’ cosmically ambitious sci-fi epic is — in its own delirious way — one of the most earnest movies ever made. Adapted from David Mitchell’s novel of the same name, and now something of an obvious precursor to the Wachowskis’ Netflix series “Sense 8,” this symphonic story of spiritual connection spans from 1849 to 2321 in a go-for-broke attempt to crystallize the effects that one life can have on countless others.

Controversially casting individual actors in multiple roles (with many of the film’s most famous stars disguising themselves as different races and genders), “Cloud Atlas” fearlessly envisions our world as a place where bodies are temporary, but love is eternal. It’s a lot to swallow, but our collective cynicism only makes the movie more valuable, and more important to have on hand.

Begins streaming August 1st.

4. “Donald Cried” (2016)

Kris Avedisian flew under the radar when “Donald Cried” made the rounds last year — his self-directed turn as the most deeply committed man-child since “Clifford” may have been just a bit too raw and cringe-inducing for any major traction — but it’s only a matter of time before people discover one of the most fearless performances in recent memory. Here’s IndieWire’s Eric Kohn on a future dark comedy classic:

The obnoxious man-child is a common trope in American comedies, but few recent examples can match the hilariously unsettling presence of Donald Treebeck, the obnoxious central figure played by writer-director Kris Avedisian in his effective black comedy “Donald Cried.” While the story technically unfolds from the perspective of his old teen pal Peter (Jesse Wakeman), who returns to their Rhode Island suburbs from his Wall Street career after his grandmother dies, Donald welcomes his reluctant friend back to their world and won’t leave him alone. Avedisian gives Danny McBride a run for his money in this pitch-perfect embodiment of a wannabe charmer all too eager to remain the center of attention. Hardly reinventing the wheel, “Donald Cried” nevertheless spins it faster than usual, taking cues from its memorably irritating protagonist. Beneath its entertainment value, the movie also hints at the tragedy of aimless adulthood.

Begins streaming August 15th.

3. “The Matrix” (1999)

At this point, “The Matrix” has effectively become immune to any sort of qualitative criticism; there’s no use arguing that it’s “good” or “bad” or somewhere in between, it simply is. Less a movie than a cornerstone of contemporary pop culture (for better or worse), the Wachowskis’ absurdly influential orgy of mind-blowing action and high school philosophy arrived at the tail end of the 20th century in order to help define the 21st. Its aesthetic impact on the current breed of blockbusters is self-evident, but its more profound contributions have been largely off-screen, as the film brought futurism to the masses in a way that’s only possible to trace through its most unfortunate side effects (e.g. the diseased misogyny of “red pill” thinking).

Of course, “No can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.” Now that it’s on Netflix, it couldn’t be easier to do just that.

Begins streaming August 1st.

2. “Jackie Brown” (1997)

Every hardcore Tarantino fan’s favorite Tarantino film, “Jackie Brown” is more than just an homage to blaxploitation or the best Elmore Leonard adaptation ever made (sorry, “Out of Sight”), it’s also something of a tribute to all of the crime writer’s work and the scuzzy but soulful ethos that bound it together. To this day, “Jackie Brown” remains a major outlier for Qt. For one thing, it’s based on pre-existing material. For another, it’s got a bonafide sex scene. Last but not least, it’s about recognizably human characters who have genuine depth, who have real lives that feel as though they continue beyond the confines of a movie screen (no disrespect to the cartoonish avatars who populate Tarantino’s later, more solipsistic work — they serve their purpose to perfection).

Pam Grier is spectacular in the title role of a flight attendant with a drug smuggling side hustle. Robert Forster is heartbreaking as lovelorn bondsman Max Cherry. Hell, even Robert De Niro is phenomenal, the iconic actor beautifully playing against his legend by inhabiting the film’s most pathetic and disposable character. For anyone put off by the blockbuster scale of Tarantino’s recent work, “Jackie Brown” is a rock-solid reminder of his genius for elevating fevered pastiche into singular pathos. And the soundtrack owns.

Begins streaming August 1st.

1. “All These Sleepless Nights” (2016)

It would be reductive and unfair to say that Michal Marczak’s “All These Sleepless Nights” is the film that Terrence Malick has been trying to make for the last 10 years, but it certainly feels that way while you’re watching it. A mesmeric, free-floating odyssey that wends its way through a hazy year in the molten lives of two Polish twentysomethings, this unclassifiable wonder obscures the divide between fiction and documentary until the distinction is ultimately irrelevant.

Read MoreReview: ‘All These Sleepless Nights’ Is the Movie That Terrence Malick Has Been Trying to Make

Unfolding like a plotless reality show that was shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, this lucid dream of a movie paints an unmoored portrait of a city in the throes of an orgastic reawakening. From the opening images of fireworks exploding over downtown Warsaw, to the stunning final glimpse of Marczak’s main subject — Krzysztof Baginski (playing himself, as everyone does), who looks and moves like a young Baryshnikov — twirling between an endless row of stopped cars during the middle of a massive traffic jam, the film is high on the spirit of liberation. More than just a hypnotically hyper-real distillation of what it means to be young, “All These Sleepless Nights” is a haunted vision of what it means to have been young.

Begins streaming August 15th.

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1. “Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later” (available August 4)

Why Should I Watch It? Because you can’t resist. The core cast of “Wet Hot American Summer” is as irresistible as a cast can get, including Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Meloni, Elizabeth Banks, Molly Shannon, H. Jon Benjamin, and Ken Marino. Throw in the new members who joined up for Netflix’s prequel season — Kristen Wiig, Josh Charles, Chris Pine, Lake Bell — and this is a comedy dream team. The only problem facing creators (and actors) David Wain and Michael Showalter is finding enough time to highlight each and every one of their talented team, especially with even more actor additions for “10 Years Later” (like Adam Scott!).

Best Episode: Time proved to be a bit of factor in “First Day of Camp”: There were too many characters, and the script tried too hard to tie...

Judd Apatow is known as the king of the modern R-rated comedy, but he’s been flexing his directorial muscles recently with documentaries like the Espn “30 for 30” entry “Doc & Darryl” and the upcoming “May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers.” With co-director Michael Bonfiglio, Apatow gets up close and personal with a group of folk rock musicians who have been make music as a band for 17 years and counting.

Read More: ‘May It Last’ Review: Avett Brothers Doc Shows That Music Doesn’t Need Turmoil to Be Compelling

“May It Last” takes an intimate look at The Avett Brothers, charting their decade-and-a-half rise and going behind the scenes of the creation of their Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.” With the recording process as a backdrop, Apatow and Bonfiglio dig into the lifelong bond and unique creative partnership among the band members as their personal lives change and their professional lives skyrocket.

“Game of Thrones” is a show that’s always kept us on our toes, year after year, and that’s truer now that we’ve moved beyond adapting George R.R. Martin’s novels and into a 13-episode endgame, stretched across two seasons.

Now that we know how much time we have left in the Seven Kingdoms (at least until the spin-offs start) the question becomes, what will happen when the show ends? While IndieWire may not have the official answers, we have each given serious thought to possible conclusions.

Each member of the TV team has their own theories, based on their own personal opinions and expertise, but the fun thing about “Game of Thrones” is that anything could happen: The crazier the prediction, the more likely it could be right. Season 8 is going to be a doozy.

Read More‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7: All the Clues the Cast...

The ’90s were a moment of tremendous upheaval in international cinema. Here in America, the revolt against Hollywood’s bland output a decade earlier had resulted in a small window in which American independent cinema became commercially viable and started seeping into more mainstream fare. Young and exciting directors, most of whom are now A-listers, were given resources and able to make multiple films. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s big commercial films were in the hands of directors like Spielberg, Bigelow, Verhoeven, Woo and De Palma, as franchises continued to be invented rather than recycled.

On the international scene, the Iranian New Wave unloaded a treasure trove of new films, the great run of Hong Kong cinema was peaking and maturing, three great autuers completely upended how films in Taiwan were made, and a pair of Danish directors with a dogma wanted to change how every film was made.

More than anything,...

NBC has pushed tonight’s episode of “The Carmichael Show,” which deals with a shooting incident, in light of Wednesday’s shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va.

The episode, “Shoot-Up-Able,” may air later in the season, but NBC was not available for comment. The episode centers on Jerrod (Jerrod Carmichael), who returns home after witnessing a mass shooting at a shopping mall. According to the listing, “he fights against being coddled by his family and being labeled a victim, but things are made harder when he’s forced to tell a police officer exactly what he saw.” Later in the episode, Jerrod admits that he may be suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Instead of that episode, NBC will air the episode “Lesbian Wedding,” which was originally scheduled for June 28.

Read More: ‘The Carmichael Show’: How A Live Audience Taught the NBC Comedy What It Couldn’t Say...

[Editor’s note: The following contains light spoilers for each of the shows described.]

“The Carmichael Show” – “Yes Means Yes”

Season 3, Episode 1

Directed by Gerry Cohen

Written by Kevin Barnett & Josh Rabinowitz

“The Carmichael Show” has never been afraid to present its audience with an idea or moment that cuts through the belly laughs and goes right for something that feels, for lack of a better term, real. Now in its third season, that practice is inextricably woven into the show’s DNA. The best news for fans and potential newcomers alike is that once that sharp intake of breath the subsides, it’s still one of the funniest shows on TV. – Steve Greene

Read More: ‘The Carmichael Show’ Review: TV’s Boldest Sitcom Is Funnier Than Ever, Even In A Season 3 Filled with Deep Questions

“Casual” – “Things to Do in Burbank When You’re Dead”

Season 3, Episode 2

Directed by Carrie Brownstein

Written by Zander Lehmann

In the second episode of “Casual’s” all-around excellent third season,...

Last Week’S Podcast: ‘American Gods’ Producers and Stars on How A Nudity Gender Equality Mandate Led to So Much Penis — IndieWire’s Turn It On Podcast

Moshe Kasher calls himself the Phil Donahue of the Internet age. His Comedy Central series “Problematic with Moshe Kasher,” which wraps up its first season next Tuesday, follows a single topic each week that tackles something triggering outrage online. Kasher and his panelists, plus the show’s studio and online audience, find a way to take on heady subjects like Islamophobia and cultural appropriation.

Kasher is looking to have an honest dialogue, in a world that seems to thrive on the exact opposite. That first episode on cultural appropriation, for example, “was a big loud swing,” he said, and it got “people’s outrage juice flowing. The alt-right went apoplectic in a hilarious, lovely way. They lost their shit. Which was funny, the conversation is pretty balanced!

After receiving over 3,000 submissions since December 2016, the 18th annual Fine Cut Festival of Films has selected its group of winners. This year’s finalists were selected from a juror made up of industry professionals, including critic Pete Hammond, Ida Executive Director Simon Kilmurry, actress Linda Cardellini, producer John Ptak, producer Effie T. Brown, IndieWire staff writer Steve Greene, director Javier Fuentes-Leon and filmmakers Corinne Marrinan and Chris Tashima.

The winners were as follows:

Student Filmmaker Award

“Door to Freedom”

Writer/Director: Jeremias Bayerl

Logline: What if the deepest issue of the refugee crisis is packed into the moral of a bedtime story? A drama, in which a boy has to escape from war and overcome several barriers in order to reach his goal, a wooden door, his only chance to freedom. A paradox world that is truly sad, finally revealing a bizarre surprise.

Viewers Choice Award

“The Outcast”

Director: Bucher Almzain

Writer: J. Scott Sibley,...

It may seem like there are only certain times of the year when the movies are worth watching, but the reality is that quality cinema hits theaters and VOD platforms all year round. We haven’t reached the halfway mark in 2017 yet, there are already dozens of quality new releases, many of which will continue to deserve singling out by the end of the year. IndieWire’s film team has seen a lot of them. The following ranked list was developed out of the aggregate scores from top 10 lists contributed by film writers in New York and Los Angeles. In order to qualify, a movie must have either received a theatrical release in 2017 or become available on a VOD platform during that time. Movies that received awards-qualifying runs in 2016 do not count. In many cases, multiple films tied for votes and are designated as such.

Take a look at our list below,...

Friday, May 5

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” 8 p.m., VH1

Episode Title: “9021-ho”

Network Synopsis: The queens act in a ’90s high school drama, directed by Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth.

Why You Should Watch: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is the smartest reality show on TV. So says IndieWire (more specifically, so says the one and only Jude Dry), and the latest season has been growing in ratings and expanding its audience in exciting new ways. The guest judges have been fantastic, and this week’s theme is a fun riff on a TV classic. Give it a try! We know you’ll be hooked.

Read More: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race:’ 5 Reasons Why It’s The Smartest Reality Show On TV

Saturday, May 6

“Chris Gethard: Career Suicide” 10 p.m., HBO

Episode Title: (Comedy Special)

Network Synopsis: Comedian, talk-show and podcast host, and writer Chris Gethard brings his one-man off-Broadway show, “Chris Gethard: Career Suicide,...

The film community is mourning the loss of Jonathan Demme. Over the last four decades, he turned in one of the most varied filmographies of any director in Hollywood, constantly reinventing himself behind each comedy, documentary, drama, and TV show. Demme never made the same movie twice, and cinema was all the better for it.

Read More: Jonathan Demme, Oscar-Winning Director of ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ Dies At 73

As tributes continue to come in from collaborators and fans, here’s IndieWire’s own appreciation of Demme and why we’ll remember him as one of the truly great filmmakers of our time.

Demme Defied Categorization

Jonathan Demme had such a remarkable range that he defied easy categorization. Even as he made beloved documentaries and Oscar-winning movies, I still get the sense that his career was underappreciated. Everyone knows “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia,” and “Stop Making Sense,” but less...

This week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Summer Preview, including offerings that span genres, a look at the various trends driving the box office, and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed summer movie-going season. Check back throughout the week for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.

Today — a look at a dozen blockbusters (or would-be blockbusters) well worth your time and movie-going dollars.

Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” May 5

If you’ve seen “Guardians of the Galaxy,” you already know a lot about “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” — a lively comedic space opera filled with banter between humans and imaginative aliens, astonishing visual effects, and the most idiosyncratic set of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Now in its sixteenth year, New York City’s own Tribeca Film Festival kicks off every spring with a wide variety of programming on offer, from an ever-expanding Vr installation to an enviable television lineup, but the bread and butter of the annual festival is still in its film slate. This year’s festival offers up plenty of returning favorites with new projects, alongside fresh faces itching to break out. From insightful documentaries to fanciful features, with a heavy dose of Gotham-centric films (hey, it is Tribeca after all), there’s plenty to dive into here, so we’ve culled the schedule for a few surefire hits.

This year’s Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 20 – 30. Check out some of our must-see picks below.

Read More: Why ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Is the Most Anticipated Screening of the Tribeca Film Festival

“A Gray State”

It might be the craziest story...

Last Week’S Podcast: ‘Shots Fired’: How George Zimmerman’s Acquittal Led to Fox’s Powerful New Series — IndieWire’s Turn It On Podcast

Before he was one of the stars of “Mad TV” and an accomplished writer/director, Michael McDonald was an improv coach at The Groundlings, where his students included Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone. That’s where those two met, fell in love and eventually got married.

Now, 20 years later, they’re executive producing the new TV Land sitcom “Nobodies,” created by and starring their fellow Groundlings pals Hugh Davidson, Larry Dorf and Rachel Ramras. And McDonald, once their teacher, is now their showrunner.

It’s a common refrain in the world of comedy: Everyone starts off toiling away on stages like The Groundlings. Eventually, some become superstars. But what about the just as talented folks who don’t become superstars? “Nobodies” follows Davidson, Dorf and...

Brace yourself. The annual multi-pronged South By Southwest Conferences and Festivals — SXSW, of course — is hitting Austin, Texas later this week for days and days of fresh film offerings (and music and interactive stuff, too, but we can only do so much here). With it comes the promise of a brand new season of festival-going, along with a slew of films to get excited about finally checking out (and, because it’s Austin, lots of tasty barbecue to enjoy).

From SXSW regulars like Bob Byington and Joe Swanberg to rising stars like Nanfu Wang and Laura Terruso to marquee names like Terrence Malick and Edgar Wright — and just about everything in between — this year’s SXSW Film Festival is offering up its most robust slate yet. We’ve picked out a baker’s dozen of worthy new features to add to your SXSW schedule.

Check out 13 new films from this...

Truth is, while there are about 6,000 voting Academy members, it can take only 300 or so Oscar votes to get a movie nominated. Hence all the relentless campaigning, which is in full gear, as distributors, foreign countries, and Oscar-whisperers plan and execute relentless rounds of screenings with public appearances — at lunches, Q&A panels, premieres, DVD launch parties, and “holiday” fetes.

Check out this slice of the past few days to get a sense of all the wining and dining that goes on. Academy members are being constantly wooed, just like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who vote on the Golden Globes, with yummy food, drink, music, and celebrities —despite various attempts by the Academy to monitor and limit the scale of all this campaigning.

On the animation side, for example, this past week saw a Friday Academy screening of Universal/Illumination’s animated contest musical “Sing,” directed by live-action director...

Truth is, while there are about 6,000 voting Academy members, it can take only 300 or so Oscar votes to get a movie nominated. Hence all the relentless campaigning, which is in full gear, as distributors, foreign countries, and Oscar-whisperers plan and execute relentless rounds of screenings with public appearances — at lunches, Q&A panels, premieres, DVD launch parties, and “holiday” fetes.

Check out this slice of the past few days to get a sense of all the wining and dining that goes on. Academy members are being constantly wooed, just like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who vote on the Golden Globes, with yummy food, drink, music, and celebrities —despite various attempts by the Academy to monitor and limit the scale of all this campaigning.

On the animation side, for example, this past week saw a Friday Academy screening of Universal/Illumination’s animated contest musical “Sing,” directed by live-action director...

Ah, Thanksgiving! A holiday that was seemingly tailor-made for binge-watching, complete with plenty of family and friends to consume mass quantities of both media and tasty meals alongside. But Thanksgiving is also built for reflection, and we here at IndieWire are very happy that the media landscape has afforded us plenty of things to be grateful for, even in the midst of all kinds of cultural and political upheaval: Movies aren’t dead; the biopic is very much alive; on-screen representation is finally taking a turn; some of our most beloved TV duo are back together on the small screen; and 2017 is looking very bright indeed. The list goes on and on.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, the IndieWire team has come together to offer up some of our personal reflections on the movies, shows, trends and creators we are most grateful for this year. Check out our testimonials below, and...

Peter Berg’s “Patriots Day,” his latest collaboration with Mark Wahlberg, examines the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its subsequent aftermath through the eyes of a large ensemble. Wahlberg stars as Sergeant Tommy Saunders alongside John Goodman (“Barton Fink”), J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”), Vincent Curatola (“The Sopranos”), Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”) and more. It premiered last night at the AFI Fest and the first reviews are in, and they’re mostly positive.

Read More: ‘Patriots Day’ Teaser Trailer: Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg Reunite For Boston Marathon Bombing Drama

Variety’s Peter Debruge praises the film, saying it “manages to take a widely reported event and make it feel immediate and at times even unpredictable,” and enjoys that the film “works as a composite celebration of the dozens of people who came together to make ‘Boston strong,’ even if it stars Mark Wahlberg.

The Guardian’s Lanre Bakare describes it as...

The IndieWire team spent Tuesday night scattered across New York and Los Angeles, attending campaign events, sitting in the audience of live TV events, drinking at election parties and watching the coverage at home. Here’s how they experienced the unexpected win for President-Elect Donald Trump.

Colbert’s Rapport

I watched the election results with Stephen Colbert, in his New York City studio with several hundred people for his Showtime election special. It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life.

Colbert struggled to find humor in an increasingly despondent situation and the audience slowly sunk with him. The fixed nature of the program — the guests, the sappy one-liners, Colbert’s occasional f-bomb made possible by the cable format — felt totally out of sync with a combustible scenario that caught everyone by surprise. Being in a studio audience for a show watched around the country should feel exciting; instead,...

And so we’ve hit the home stretch for this year’s Halloween season. If your preferred method of celebration involves dressing up for the occasion, we came up with a handful of costume ideas inspired by the 2016 indie film world.

Period pieces, genre fare and absurdist thrillers all brought us iconic characters and distinct looks replicable for any big costume gathering you might be attending in the week to come. Beyond our simple how-to lists, we’ve also tried to give our reasoning for ditching the slutty pirate garb and going for something that might ingratiate yourselves with new cinephile friends.

[Note: Because some of these costumes hinge on some late-film developments, a few spoilers for 2016 indie film releases follow.]

Jesse from “The Neon Demon”

Costume Essentials: Metallic strapless dress, fake blood, face jewels, bright pink lipstick

Why It’s A Great Idea: Nicolas Winding Refn’s visually arresting horror film has the kind of symbolic lead character that Halloween costumes were made for. One of Elle Fanning...

A lot of things were lost in the shuffle when those Trump tapes hit the internet on Friday afternoon, but one of them was a story that would undoubtedly have made bigger waves in the film community if not for the unfortunate timing of its announcement: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is being turned into a television show. That’s right, Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman’s wickedly creative and widely beloved modern classic is being developed for the small screen, and — unsurprisingly — neither of them will be involved in this new take on their high-concept romantic drama. In fact, very little is known about the project, which will be produced by Anonymous Content and written by “Chuck” scribe Zev Borow.

Needless to say, we’re a bit trepidatious about the whole idea — it worked out well for “Fargo” (and potentially “Westworld”), but not every movie can be so easily distilled,...

Editor’s Note: This article is presented in partnership with Bleecker Street’s release of “Anthropoid,” directed by Sean Ellis and starring Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy. “Anthropoid” is now playing in theaters.

This week, “Anthropoid” looks to join the ranks of a rich and complex cinematic history: films about World War II. A global conflict that has yielded global stories, World War II continues to be the basis for films that challenge our perceptions. “Anthropoid” uncovers an episode from before the fighting stopped, focusing on the attempt to assassinate high-ranking SS General Reinhard Heydrich. Writer/Director Sean Ellis uses the true-life mission as a backdrop for a talented ensemble, including Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan and Toby Jones.

The best of these modern WWII films never lose sight of the idea that this was a conflict fought by individuals. Their weapons and their ideologies were varied, but this was history...

To paraphrase “Ratatouille,” not everyone can act, but a great actor can come from anywhere. The beautiful thing about the movies is that they so often do.

Screen debuts can have such an impact precisely because audiences don’t know these people. We haven’t read about them in the tabloids or seen them in other roles. The best inaugural performances bristle with the rush of witnessing raw potential, of being introduced to something incredible before the world has decided what it is yet. A great debut can make you feel like you’re witness to a happening, or getting in on the ground floor of an investment — watching John Boyega defy an alien invasion in “Attack the Block,” it was immediately clear that learning his name was going to pay off.

Sometimes, as with Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave,” that excitement instantly translates into a sensation. Other times,...

Let’s acknowledge it up front: Rating films for their content is a dubious process at best and a dangerous one at worst. Trying to place disparate, diverse films into a handful of age-based categories has rarely come without controversy, especially when the MPAA ratings board deems a hint of language and nudity untenable while excusing wide swaths of violence for lower classifications. Yet, there’s a way that a “R” rating has become shorthand for a specific type of comedy. Geared toward older viewers (or those on the precipice of adulthood), these are the laugh-based moviegoing experiences so confident in their own ability to attract an audience that they’re willing to accept what some might see as a theatrical release stigma.

These are films that luxuriate in moving swiftly past their allotment of one, non-sexual use of everyone’s favorite four-letter “f word,” further flaunting their disregard for...

Once the default mode, black and white has now become a bold statement of artistic intention. What that intention is, however, seems to be a little bit different for all of the recent films that have made the most of it. Often, monochrome is used as a pipeline to the past — in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” a lack of color not only speaks to how history remembers Edward R. Murrow, it also conjures the imagery of his television news broadcasts. Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” similarly uses the technique to take us back in time, but is less about recreating an era than it is about establishing a chokehold of fatalistic austerity.

“The Man Who Wasn’t There” is another period piece, but the lack of color in the Coen brothers’ film — which was shot in color and then bled dry — assumes a moral quality, making Billy Bob Thornton...

With Monday fast approaching, we’re all still looking to get into that patriotic spirit — especially since “Independence Day: Resurgence” definitely did not resurge anything and actually brought many of us down. The first film, however, does have one of the greatest and most patriotic speeches of all time, one that really heats the American juices in our hearts. The same can be said of many, many speeches in TV, but they prove to be a little harder to place. So, just in case you need something particularly nifty to quote at the family BBQ this Monday, we decided to play a trivia game.

And who doesn’t love trivia? In Very Good TV Podcast’s latest episode, IndieWire TV Editor Liz Shannon Miller, TV Critic Ben Travers, Special Projects Editor Steve Greene and Senior Editor Hanh Nguyen whipped up 16 of the most patriotic TV quotes out there, quizzing one...

Subverting the Unexpected

At the end of the 20th century, Bobcat Goldthwait’s legacy read like a cheap joke: He was a screaming comedian from the eighties best known as Zed in the “Police Academy” franchise who once tried at his hand at directing a movie (“Shakes the Clown”). Those achievements barely skimmed the surface of Goldthwait’s ability, as the ensuing years made clear, when Goldthwait completely transformed his career into one of the most provocative American filmmakers working today. With the microbudget “Sleeping Dogs Lie” (aka “Stay”), Goldthwait showed his potential to funnel taboo subject matters into oddly touching, relatable human dramas, a proclivity he kicked up to a whole new level with the subversive black comedy “World’s Greatest Dad,” which features Robin Williams in one of his all-time great roles.

Goldthwait has kept innovating, with each new movie offering a fresh perspective on the naive assumptions...

Close your eyes and you can hear the music of John Williams without trying too hard. You know the greatest hits and can probably hum through most of them from start to finish, even if the extent of your musical career is plunking out “Heart and Soul” on your grandparent’s piano.

The legacy of Williams’ music extends beyond the cinema. The “NBC Nightly News” theme? That was him. That fanfare you’ll be hearing once the Olympics arrive? Him, too. A fan of that “Sunday Night Football” march that leads up to kickoff? Guess who.

And even though the world now recognizes Williams for his trademark triumphant horns and sweeping orchestral strings, this was a composer who, a year before “Jaws,” was penning acoustic love themes so ’70s they would make Burt Bacharach blush. So as much as we remember the soundtracks to dizzying flights across space and wide shots of dinosaurs in paradise,...

Picture the ending of the standard-issue based-on-a-true-story film. Once the picture fades on a family’s final teary goodbye or the camera pans up from our hero(ine) in a moment of triumph, there’s a postscript. And then, the inevitable grainy home video or candid photo of the “real” main character, proof that someone in the casting office (or the hair/make-up department) did their job and brought you the closest facsimile of the real thing.

This may be the most common approach, but it doesn’t produce the best biopics. Good biographies recreate a moment; great ones evoke a sprit that reverberates through the current time.

Read More: Director Debuts: The 20 Best First Films of the Last 20 Years

The standout biographical films from the past two decades reflect the different ways that we commemorate figures of fame or infamy. Sometimes we devote three hours of our lives to...

This year's Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, opening today and running through May 8, "features a whopping 232 titles from 51 countries," notes Indiewire, focusing "five notable highlights." David Ehrlich recommends Brendan Byrne’s Bobby Sands: 66 Days, Steve Greene goes for Livia Ungur's Hotel Dallas and Eric Kohn revisits Matt Johnson's Operation Avalanche. For the Canadian Press, Victoria Ahearn talks with Rama Rau, director of the festival opener, League of Exotique Dancers, and we're collecting further recommendations from the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Sun, the programmers themselves and more. » - David Hudson...

This year's Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, opening today and running through May 8, "features a whopping 232 titles from 51 countries," notes Indiewire, focusing "five notable highlights." David Ehrlich recommends Brendan Byrne’s Bobby Sands: 66 Days, Steve Greene goes for Livia Ungur's Hotel Dallas and Eric Kohn revisits Matt Johnson's Operation Avalanche. For the Canadian Press, Victoria Ahearn talks with Rama Rau, director of the festival opener, League of Exotique Dancers, and we're collecting further recommendations from the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Sun, the programmers themselves and more. » - David Hudson...

Read More: Watch: 'Meet the Patels' Trailer Brings Romantic Comedy to the Documentary Genre Documentarian Geeta Patel recently joined the International Documentary Association for a discussion of her latest film, "Meet the Patels," with Indiewire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene. Joing Patel were her brother and co-director Ravi, co-producer Janet Fries Eckholm and Patel's own parents.  "Meet the Patels" follows Geeta's brother, actor Ravi Patel, as he attempts to find a woman to marry. While this may not seem like the most difficult task out there, Patel's conservative Indian parents and their high expectations and standards complicate the matter significantly. The film is mostly shot during the Patel's family vacation and examines the role that family plays in finding lifelong love. "Meet the Patels" is currently in limited release; in the meantime, you can check out clips from the Ida discussion below. Patel's Parents on Their Only...

Read More: Watch: 'Song of Lahore' Directors Reveal Why the Film Almost Unraveled (Exclusive)Producers Pras Michel and Karyn Rachtman recently joined Indiewire's Special Projects Editor Steve Greene to discuss their film, "Sweet Micky for President," at the International Documentary Association's continued screening series.The official synopsis reads: "'Sweet Micky for President' follows Pras Michel, Grammy award-winning rapper and founder of the hip-hop group The Fugees, as he returns to his homeland of Haiti post-earthquake and finds a corrupt government in paralysis. With no experience or money, Pras passionately mobilizes a presidential campaign for the unlikeliest of candidates: Michel Martelly, aka 'Sweet Micky,' Haiti’s most popular and most outlandish pop star. The idealistic and politically inexperienced pair set out against a corrupt government, civil unrest, and a fixed election system to change the course of Haitian history." In this first clip above,...

Off The Dock, Lakeshore Entertainment’s digital studio, will collaborate with Maker Studios on an original digital mockumentary called “Internet Famous,” the companies announced Thursday. Directed by Michael Gallagher and written by Gallagher and comedian Steve Greene, the film follows six Internet personalities — played by Shane Dawson, Greene, Amanda Cerny, Christian DelGrosso, Wendy McColm, and Richard Ryan — as they travel across the country to compete in a talent competition for their very own TV show. Also Read: TheGrill 2015: Maker Studios, AwesomenessTV CEOs Compare Video on YouTube and Facebook It is produced by Off The Dock, Maker Studios, and Gallagher’s Cinemand.