The annual ritual of narrowing down hundreds of titles to just 10 is a cruel but necessary discipline as a film critic. Over the past 12 months, I’ve seen 100 new releases. I spent a combined eight days watching movies this year, and I’m happy to report that 2015 has been a pretty great year for cinema.

We saw new work by visionary filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Todd Haynes, George Miller, and Denis Villeneuve. We witnessed noteworthy performances by Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, Michael B. Jordan, Saoirse Ronan, and Brie Larson. And we were entertained and awe-struck by blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

I saw some truly great movies that renewed my love for cinema and kept my cynicism and negativity buried beneath joy and optimism this year. Here are the ones that did just that: 10 films that moved, inspired, and reinvigorated me.

Sicario
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Screenwriter: Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Daniel Kaluuya, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Julio Cedillo
Lionsgate
Rated R | 121 Minutes
Release Date: October 2, 2015

“There is only dark, my friend.” – Alejandro

In the turbulent area between the Mexico-U.S. border, idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is enlisted by a big-shot government liaison (Josh Brolin) to join an elite task for and disrupt the powerful Juárez Cartel.

Led by a Colombian operative known only as Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), the team sets out on a covert black-ops mission that forces Kate to break the rules in her pursuit of justice.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Incendies), Sicario is a searing crime-thriller about consequentialism; about choices. Do the ends justify the means? If we do immoral things to achieve a virtuous goal, can we still call ourselves the good guys? Or are our hearts darkened beyond repair?

Last weekend Denis Villeneuve“˜s drug war thriller Sicario grossed 401K in six theaters, which by those standards, is quite amazing. Of course the film will expand to a few more theaters later this weekend before expanding nationwide in early October. With the momentum it has now, there is an off chance that it could perform beyond expectations, which would give Lionsgate a reason to greenlight a sequel.

Now it is still very early in the process, but it appears that Lionsgate is very interested in getting a sequel to Sicario off the ground, with most of the major cast and creative team behind the project as well. More on who is involved and the possible plot of the film below.