Regina Hall as Lisa in "Support the Girls"

Even the title of the film is a leering reminder of the perpetual indignities in the life of Lisa, played with grace, wisdom, sensitivity, and humor by Regina Hall in “Support the Girls.” Lisa is a manager at a “boobs, brews, and big screens” restaurant called, ahem, Double Whammies. It presents itself as “a mainstream place,” with skimpier clothes and bigger tips. “Manager” goes well beyond her job title; it is what she does in every aspect of her life. She never has the luxury of losing her temper or showing her exhaustion. Every interaction is a problem to be solved by conciliation, courtesy, and misdirection. Over the course of one day, Hall is a marvel at showing us Lisa’s constant tiny calibrations as she manages everyone around her, from the hapless would-be robber who gets stuck in a heating vent to the waitress who insists on going back to her abusive boyfriend to the restaurant’s owner, whose racist “rainbow” policy means no more than one black waitress on duty in each shift, to the husband she cares about but can no longer care for. Lisa always has to be the grown-up in the room, except when she is crying in her car before her shift or, in the film’s cathartic last scene, allowing herself the release of a primal scream. Lisa understands that the world is not fair but she always is, to everyone but herself. Hall has been a reliable if underused utility team player for many years, mostly in light comedies, but her roles in “The Hate U Give” and “Support the Girls” this year show the strong, versatile, deeply lived performances she is capable of. (Nell Minow)

Henry Cavill as August Walker in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout"

It was the moment everyone fixated on in the “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” trailer. It wasn’t a huge stunt but a gesture from Henry Cavill. The scene was some kind of fight in a restroom and he shrugged his shoulders, almost looking like he was reloading his arms before charging in for another round of blows in whatever brawl this was.Gifs of that moment appeared almost immediately after the trailer and people said explicitly they were looking forward to seeing that movie to see that scene in context. When too many films, not just action ones, forget the importance of the body in getting across information and fixate either on CGI spectacle or info dumps of lines delivered in close ups, Cavill’s performance in “Fallout” was a thrilling reminder of the tension that can uncoil just watching somebody walk across the screen. His ramrod straight posture, piercing eyes, and yes, that amazing mustache slightly twitching in contempt at the group of spies he’s been assigned to monitor puts the viewer immediately on edge. The “Mission: Impossible” series is about the various identities we slip on in our personal and professional lives and how blurry the line can be between the two. Cavill’s performance was a canny mix of his square jawed good looks and volcanic bursts of rage so that when it’s finally revealed where his allegiances lie the viewer is terrified of the threat his strength and the willingness to have his body destroyed by pieces will mean. The final fight between Cavill and Tom Cruise features some first rate location and stunt work, but it leaves an impression because it’s undergirded by being a battle between two people who have given far too much to the causes they identify themselves by. Causes that have more often than not given them little in return, but it’s too late to turn back now. Cavill refusing to stop, eyes burning with fury, gasping in choked breaths from his ruined face is the holy hell of the zealot that’s causing all sorts of damage now. The “Mission: Impossible” films are delicious escape in a lot of ways, but their effectiveness lies in never forgetting that the body is the first battlefield. Cavill’s clear understanding of that made for one of the most exciting performances of the year. (Jessica Ritchey)

Ethan Hawke as Toller in "First Reformed"

Though he's showed great range over the course of his career—from laid-back, freewheeling charm in his films with Richard Linklater to everyman in way over his head in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Training Day"—it's genuinely startling to see Ethan Hawke as tightly wound as he is in "First Reformed." As Rev. Ernst Toller is a pastor dealing with the lingering guilt of his son's death, the concerns of a troubled congregant and his wife, and the specter of a world being destroyed by climate change, Hawke's body seems weighted down with spiritual and physical pain; as Toller, Hawke's movement is slower and more arduous than we've ever seen, his bodily pain clear even before we know what his maladies are.