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“For the first time, I found movies that were all rated 90 or above on Rotten Tomatoes,” said Susan Woods, the film series’ programmer. “A lot of the summer’s biggest movies weren’t very good. I handpicked these films to get local audiences over that.”

Whether you’re a fan of aggregate rating systems like Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic or simply see them as just another marketing gimmick, there’s no denying the six films lined up for the Indie Series are critical darlings. Go ahead and look for a negative review about any of them.

“These movies are the ones that have proven themselves as being wide audience pleasers and having extremely high ratings with the critics,” Woods said. “’The Lunchbox’ is just a slam-dunk — I’ve heard that it’s the crowd-pleaser of the summer. ‘Ida’ has been getting unbelievable reviews, and ‘Life Itself’ has been a massive success.” (See de scriptions below.)

But the biggest get is “Snowpiercer,” a South Korean piece of dystopian sci fi about the remnants of humanity living on a supertrain following a worldwide weather calamity. In Michigan, the film had only appeared in the Detroit and Grand Rapids markets before it went to on-demand and iTunes. But Woods said that’s not how she wants to see a movie.

“I spend a lot of time to bring films that have a big appeal to the people,” Woods said. “My audience is primarily older intellectuals who were raised watching films in the movie theaters. I’m not going to watch it on my computer or on my phone. I love the big theater, the experience. That’s what this series is for.”

The lineup for the Indie Film Series at Studio C! for September is:

“Ida” (PG-13, 80 minutes) In 1962 Poland, a young novitiate nun raised in an orphanage discovers the truth about her family from her last living relative. This black-andwhite drama has won critical and audience choice awards around the world. In Polish with English subtitles.

“Le Week-End” (R, 93 minutes) Jim Broadbent (“Moulin Rouge!,” “Cloud Atlas”)  and Lindsey Duncan (“Alice in Wonderland”) lead this romantic comedy about a British couple looking to rekindle their marriage in Paris. Also starring Jeff Goldblum.

“Life Itself ” (R, 120 minutes) From acclaimed documentarian Steve James (“Hoop Dreams”) comes this earnest examination of the inspiring life of world-renowned film reviewer and social commentator Roger Ebert. Critics and audiences have been giving this one big thumbs up.

“The Lunchbox” (PG, 104 minutes) A lonely widower and a bored housewife connect through love notes packed in the wrong lunchbox. Starring Irrfan Khan (“Life of Pi,” “Slumdog Millionaire”). In Hindi with English subtitles.

“Particle Fever” (NR, 99 minutes) Yeah, yeah, we know — a documentary about the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and the search for the Higgs boson sounds about as exciting as a root canal. But through clever storytelling, “Particle Fever” has been praised for making science exciting and its ability to make obtuse theoretical physics concepts comprehensible.

“Snowpiercer” (R, 126 minutes) This dystopian science fiction actioner has chugged through distribution snafus and a nonexistent North American marketing campaign to become the buzziest non-hit of the summer. This is the first mid- Michigan showing of this South Korean import, starring Chris Evans (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton.

Indie Film Series

Sept. 5-Oct. 2 Studio C! Meridian Mall 1999 Central Park Drive., Okemos (517) 393-7469, celebrationcinema.com/ studioc