Director J.J. Abrams’s spot-on remake of Steven Spielberg’s ’80s ode to the feeling of childhood, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. It’s all there: the broken home, the mysterious Visitor (more frightening this time, but as in Abrams’s Cloverfield, still somewhat beside the point), the looming shadow of grown-up authority. What is new is the emphasis on moviemaking as a way of engaging with that youthful feeling, and with the world in general. As our junior filmmaker attests, “It’s on TV, so it’s real.” (2011) — Matthew Lickona
This movie is not currently in theaters.