Selma

David Oyelowo portrays Martin Luther King, Jr. in director Ava DuVernay's stunning depiction of the civil rights march on Selma, Alabama, in 1965. It's one of 2014's most accomplished directorial debuts. In an attempt to gain equal voting rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. organized the march despite violent opposition from citizens and law enforcement officers. The film covers everything from MLK's dealings with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to the bewildering, despicable actions of then Alabama Governor George Wallace (an evil Tim Roth). Oyelowo delivers a star-making performance as King, while Carmen Ejogo excels in the role of Coretta Scott King for a second time (she played the role in a 2001 TV movie, Boycott). The very British Wilkinson and Roth do well with their accents and create memorable characterizations. This is one of those films everybody should see.