In the opening moments of writer/director Harmony Korine’s Baby Invasion, a complex storyline is introduced: a game developer tells an interviewer that she wanted to create a game that is so realistic that it blurs the line between fantasy and reality. This game follows professional thieves who break into the mansions of the rich and powerful, rob them, and kill them while using baby face avatars to conceal their true identity. The interviewee then explains that an unfinished version of the game was stolen by terrorists and leaked online. Worldwide obsession followed, with some players copycatting the game’s storyline and turning its fictitious crimes into reality.

Sound complexly fascinating?  It is…  well, at first. The set-up for Baby Invasion is thrilling because it offers the possibility of an artful, bombastic, and wholly Korine-esque examination of modern entertainment media and the all-consuming effects it can have on its users. This possibility is largely squandered, however, because, aside from the opening and closing interview with the game’s creator, the entirety of the film’s content consists only of watching the game itself unfold while it is being played by an anonymous user.

Baby Invasion is a fascinating and endlessly colorful game, but it’s still, in the world of the film, just a game. As anyone who has ever watched anyone play a video game for an extended period of time without participating themself already knows, it can be hypnotic and enticing at first if the player is skilled and if the game was created with artistry, but the experience inevitably grows tiresome and dull.

The film Baby Invasion is entirely comprised of art-house and experimental spectacle. There are simply no character or plot details to keep its viewer emotionally engaged beyond its often-enticing surface aesthetics. Its endless flash can only partially make up for its seeming lack of substance.

Korine’s previous feature, the entirely infrared-filmed Aggro Dr1ft, was also highly experimental and low on plot and character development. That film got old fast and failed to hold interest due to its lack of humanity and monotonous style. Like Aggro Dr1ft, Baby Invasion struggles to have enough worthwhile content to fill a feature-length runtime. Baby Invasion, however, is able to hold its audience’s attention with more frequency due to its visual and aural variety.

Knowing Korine, there is quite possibly more to Baby Invasion than meets the eye. There are hints of astute social commentary that could have really raised debate amongst its viewers if the film’s themes had been more clearly and thoroughly developed. Like Korine’s current defining masterwork, Spring Breakers, multiple viewings of Baby Invasion could feasibly unlock layers of meaning that aren’t initially obvious. Korine’s challenging work always demands more than one watch to be fully gestated, but Baby Invasion just isn’t enticing enough to beget the desire for multiple experiences of it.

Baby Invasion’s primary fault lies in the core of its design: it simulates the experience of watching someone else play a video game. It’s a weird, wild, and sometimes alluring game, but it simply isn’t inclusive enough for it to be as memorable or as insightful as it wants to be. Baby Invasion’s audience is too often and too heavily disregarded for it to get little more from the film than the experience of being a detached spectator who watches Harmony Korine have all the fun.

GRADE: C+

Disturbingly lifelike puppets take the place of human beings in this independent surreal horror film. The effect always makes for a highly unique and artistically accomplished movie, though it is one that is otherwise not always a success. Abruptio is admittedly imperfect and has a number of notable flaws, but the fact that something so individualistic was given the obvious care it needed to come to fruition is noteworthy and admirable in and of itself.

The film starts out quite strong, focusing on a thirty-five-year-old man named Les (voiced by the fantastic Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor James Marsters) who works a monotonous and thankless job, is struggling to remain sober, lives with his mother, and has just been dumped by his girlfriend. My favorite parts of the film are the perfectly paced early short scenes that set up Les’ numbing and passionless existence. I’ve never been quite so entertained by boredom.

The plot kicks into gear after Les discovers a bomb that has been inexplicably implanted into the back of his neck. He is then horrifically instructed through mysterious text messages to murder innocent people or the bomb will be detonated. Les discovers what he is capable of when he gives in to self-preservation and carries out the crimes.

The first half-hour or so of the film verges on greatness. Unfortunately, its quality drops somewhat the more the plot progresses and becomes increasingly convoluted and difficult to follow. For such a Kafkaesque and nightmarish premise, the movie would have worked better had its script followed a simpler plot that allowed the film’s disturbing atmosphere, tense tone, dark humor, and unreal reality to take precedence. Instead, the audience is sometimes forced to stop and take themselves out of the movie to try to make sense of the story’s unnecessary complexities. Would Eraserhead have been as good with an intricately detailed mystery at its core? I don’t think so.

The film is also marred somewhat by its low-budget technical limitations. Lighting is often flat, and select camera angles don’t always edit together particularly well. Human stand-ins for wide shots of the puppets can be rather obvious and distracting. Perhaps worst of all, there’s a small but noticeable chunk of the film where Les has obviously been replaced by a new puppet that looks almost nothing like him.

Criticisms aside, Abrutpio still manages to be an overall impressive and rather massive accomplishment in independent filmmaking. The puppet designs (with the exception mentioned above) are almost entirely worthy of praise. The film’s odd otherworldliness that exists due to their presence offers one of the most successful and exciting examples of an artistic risk that I have seen in a movie in recent years.

The film can be confusing, but it’s never boring. It can be frustrating, but it never entirely loses you. The further into it you get, you simply learn to give in, let go, enjoy it, and take its mess of a storyline for what it is. The ending is ultimately and surprisingly satisfying (though the less said about it, the better), which makes the bumpy road getting there somewhat forgivable.

I wish Abruptio had been rewritten and rethought during its preproduction stages. The story doesn’t quite work as it is, but the ingenuity behind its execution still makes for a worthwhile film. It has a quality that can’t be denied and it casts a spell that is consistently intoxicating despite being disrupted on numerous occasions. It has greatness within it, but it isn’t quite great. Abruptio is far from perfect, but it’s still one hell of an inventive and cool little movie.

GRADE: B

It’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement when a celebrated filmmaker like Francis Ford Coppola unleashes a big-budgeted film they have been talking about publicly for decades and which they financed completely with their own plentiful resources. True independent film on a large scale can be endlessly amazing because it combines glamourous Hollywood aesthetics with individualistic and artistic-minded sensibilities. The Apocalypse Now and Godfather maestro’s Megalopolis, while often coming close to being a complete mess, is an endearingly passionate example of such a film.

Financed for a hundred million dollars from his own estate, Coppola’s film never would have made it through the studio system—not in this time or any other. It’s too big, too eccentric, and too tonally experimental to be enticing to large audiences. While the film does admittedly suffer somewhat from being guided by a filmmaker with too many resources and too few artistic constraints, it’s still an endless marvel to witness.

The film (which is labeled a “fable” in the opening credits) follows an idealistic, brilliant, and ambitious young artist (Adam Driver) named Cesar who wants to create a Utopian future out of the film’s modernized “New Rome” setting. Cesar clashes with the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) and is forced to fight for his uncompromised vision. Politics, ego, and temptation become obstacles for Cesar to overcome, which he is only able to do with partial success.

Plot and character take somewhat of a backseat in the film to spectacle and thematic grandness. Megalopolis is, first and foremost, a film about genius, creativity, and vision. The structure supports this theme by being loose and free, something that is both thrilling and trying to experience throughout the film. While the impressive cast (which also includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LeBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, and James Remar amongst many others) does their best to exist vivaciously within the film’s reality, you don’t get much beyond a surface impression of who everyone truly is. Women, especially, are thinly developed (with the possible exceptions of Plaza and Shire), coming across as little more than window dressing or rewards for the powerful and ambitious men’s conquests.

The true star of the film is Coppola. It’s his madness, brilliance, ingenuity, and unabashedly unavoidable sloppiness that is apparent in every single frame of the film. While it is not without its array of faults, the fact that such a large-scale film can exist with such a singularly bold vision is a major accomplishment in and of itself. I simply can’t think of another film that is the result of such an obvious auteur that is also presented with such awe-inspiring enormity. It shouldn’t exist, but it miraculously does because its creator literally and gloriously forced it into being.

There’s no denying that, as I stated before, Megalopolis is a mess. It’s confusing at times, tedious at others, and somewhat jagged throughout. That being said, it is a downright beautiful and glorious mess that is genuinely and completely alive. Francis Ford Coppola, after all his years of making movies, still does so with the courage and energy of a young man. Megalopolis may not quite reach the greatness to which it is so obviously aspiring, but, damn, is it fascinating and thrilling to watch it try.

GRADE: B

When I admire a film as much as I do writer/director Harmony Korine’s 2013 effort, Spring Breakers, I feel an obligation to find merit in the rest of its creator’s filmography, regardless of whether or not it deserves it. For this reason, I really tried to like one of Korine’s latest efforts, Aggro Dr1ft, the “story” (if you can call it that) of which centers on the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest assassin” (Travis Scott) as he takes on his next, lethally dangerous target. Unfortunately, my efforts were not rewarded. Though I admire the film for its artistic courage, I still have to criticize it quite heavily for failing to provide a fully engaging or coherent experience to its audience.

The first feature-length movie shot entirely on infrared film, Aggro Dr1ft’s beautiful Florida locations are thoroughly bathed in and vividly accentuated by the format’s deeply set and endlessly hypnotic color scheme of orange, red, blue, green, and magenta. The movie is, simply put, an endless marvel to witness. The gimmick eventually grows old, however, coinciding with the realization that the movie simply doesn’t have much to offer or communicate outside of its off-kilter and bravely unique aesthetics.

As we experience the characters through endless (and often senseless) internal monologues/voice-overs that are accompanied by AraabMuzik’s trance-like musical score, it becomes progressively apparent that Korine’s intent with his film is for mood and atmosphere to take precedence over characterization and plot. There’s no one to care about or identify with in the film, and there’s seemingly no point being made with the characters’ hollowness or with the aimlessness of the story in general. Sure, the lead character obviously loves his stick-figure family and, sure, his wife endlessly writhes around like a cat in heat on their bed while repeating “I’m so lonely” when he’s away, but it’s not enough to keep the audience emotionally involved for the majority of the film’s eighty-minute duration.

The misguided misogyny found within the lifestyle of some of the characters is unabashedly and thoughtlessly presented throughout the film. The antagonist/primary target really likes to thrust his pelvis in the air and repeatedly call the dancing women who constantly envelop him “bitches.” While I have no issue with seeing such bestial and primitive behavior if there’s a point being made, Aggro Dr1ft seems to be basking in the glow of naughtiness and decadence for nothing more than the pure sake of it.

As evidenced by his best work (Mister Lonely, Spring Breakers, The Beach Bum) Korine’s experimental nature can be downright thrilling to witness if it’s anchored by some form of commercial/conventional structure. Without even the most subtle of restraints, he’s simply too out of control and tethered to his own wavelength for his films to be accessible or relatable to more than a very select and small audience. Like most of the great filmmakers, Korine’s genius needs boundaries or it tends to topple under the weight of its own audacity.

Aggro Dr1ft had the potential to be a spectacularly vivid fever dream—a surreal action film with impressively unprecedented artistic goals. Instead, it misfires quite noticeably and comes across as a hopelessly pretentious and sluggishly paced exercise in style that just doesn’t know what it is trying to say or accomplish. Unique brilliance such as Korine’s needs to be handled with care and executed with guidance because, when it’s not, it has the potential to produce an almost entirely wasted effort like this one.

GRADE: C-

A pair of FBI agents (Maika Monroe and Blair Underwood) are in pursuit of an elusive serial killer (Nicolas Cage) whose murders have spanned decades. The killer’s only ties to his victims are coded notes signed with the name “Longlegs” that are left at the scenes of his crimes. No other evidence proves his involvement, as the victims are always families who appear to have been murdered by the father of the household, who always finishes the deed by killing himself.

Longlegs is one of the most effective horror efforts in recent memory. It’s by no means a typical horror film, as it refuses to rely on gore or jump scares to deliver its fright. Instead, the film relies on a searing sense of dread that dominates the film’s carefully constructed and highly disturbing atmosphere. Longlegs grabs hold of its audience through an uneasy, unsettling mood that embeds itself in the subconscious and lingers.

Longlegs is an artful horror film somewhat along the lines of David Lynch or Stanley Kubrick. That being said, comparisons to other work or filmmakers don’t do the film justice, as a large part of its success is owed to its own unmatched uniqueness. Longlegs wouldn’t be as effective and disturbing as it is if it didn’t explore unknown and unprecedented tones that beget very specific feelings of terror.

Writer/director Osgood Perkins is a challengingly smart filmmaker whose previous work is fascinating and visually arresting, though not always successful. I am a fairly large fan of his debut feature, 2015’s The Blackcoat’s Daughter (though it admittedly took me two viewings to conclude that I like it). I was not particularly enthralled by 2016’s I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House or by 2020’s Gretel & Hansel—though I do admire their individualistic presentations. Those two films may have shown heaps of talent and originality, but they were a bit too opaque with their storytelling logic to fully include or engross their audience. Though Longlegs’ similarly risky style could have had similar results, it ultimately manages to pay off greatly. Longlegs is Perkins’ first film in which his complexly off-kilter sensibilities manage to result in something truly great that can also be accessible to and understood by a large audience.

Maika Monroe is flawlessly excellent in the lead role, exhibiting a low-key intensity, an integrity-laden demeanor, and a believably human vulnerability throughout. She is, simply put, a thinking person’s heroine. Blair Underwood is subtle and shaded with his portrayal of Monroe’s inherently decent but noticeably jaded older partner. Alicia Witt is quietly mesmerizing as Monroe’s mysteriously withholding mother.

Nicolas Cage is utterly transformative and freakish as the titular character. The film wisely withholds the full reveal of his grotesque make-up for a large portion of the film, highly aiding the chilling boldness of his work. It is a wild, weird, and endlessly creepy performance that pushes Cage’s singularly surreal acting style to its limits. That being said, I was more enamored by the extraordinary creativity of and commitment to his work than I was frightened by it. I actually caught myself smiling at his acting at times because I was thrilled to see Cage doing his Cage thing so freely and brazenly. However, this probably won’t have the same effect on younger viewers who aren’t as familiar with Cage as I am (he’s been my favorite actor for over thirty years). I can’t say his casting is in any way a fault to the film because I truly can’t (and, more importantly, don’t want to) imagine anyone else in the role. Cage, like any well-known performer, simply brings baggage he can’t control to any film he acts in, and it’s merely an observation rather than a criticism to state as much.

Longlegs is a horror movie unlike any other. It gets under your skin by way of intelligence, extraordinary craftsmanship, and extreme ingenuity. It may not abruptly startle you or make you shield your eyes the way horror movies are expected to, but it will make a home in your head, affect your dreams, and quietly whisper in your ear for some time after it is over.

GRADE: A

This second and, for now, final installment of co-writer/director Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films is as much of a marvel as the first. Consisting of elements that belong to such genres as action, sci-fi, and fantasy, its Star Wars-influenced (it was initially conceived as a Star Wars story that was later rejected by Lucasfilm) universe is intoxicating and enveloping.It is an endlessly thrilling fantasy world filled with interestingly complex characters and plentiful eye candy that is easy to get lost within. The Rebel Moon films are prime examples of escapist entertainment in its most inventive, accessible, and enjoyable form. So, why, exactly, are they getting such massive hate from audiences and critics?

I can’t answer that. Snyder’s movies have always been met with mixed reception due to a bold, theatrical, and unprecedented style that heavily relies on (and pushes the boundaries of) digital technology. Even his greatest fans have to acknowledge that his ideas and his execution of them can sometimes come off as clunky and overblown. That being said, they still deserve credit for trying to deliver a fresh point of view that soars when it works and can be laughably misguided when it doesn’t. The undeniable faults come hand-in-hand with undeniable greatness. All I can say is that I’m on board with Snyder’s wholly singular vision a hundred percent. While his films are never perfect, they simply contain too much high quality to ignore.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver picks up right where the last film left off. Kora (Sofia Boutella) returns to the farming moon that is her home with an assortment of warriors on her side. The peaceful inhabitants of the moon prepare to fight against a tyrannical army led by the sinister Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) who aims to steal the majority of their crop. A plethora of exciting and downright gorgeous depictions of battle ensue.

Rebel Moon – Part Two basically has the same merits and detriments as the first installment. Unnatural and expository dialogue can be overbearing during the first act, the number of characters (and the low amount of screen time some of them are given) occasionally makes it hard to keep track of who everyone is and how they relate to the story, and select moments of high drama don’t quite beget the emotional response that is obviously intended. It is a testament to the quality of Snyder’s vision, however, that the film is able to survive these faults and thrive in the manner it does.

When the film works (which is often), it works splendidly from just about every conceivable angle. Like all of Snyder’s work, the film is simply magical to watch and experience. Its consistently enticing visuals suck the viewer into its world in a similar manner to James Cameron’s celebrated Avatar films. The action sequences are all gloriously and colorfully top-notch in their unabashed Snyder-trademarked execution that constantly shifts between regular and slow motion.

The performances are all quite remarkable, as well. Boutella continues to exhibit a fiery strength that is humanized by select moments of vulnerability. Skrein is, once again, an appropriately, coldly, and mercilessly evil villain. All the supporting cast (Djimon Hounsou, Staz Nair, Cary Elwes, Bae Doona, Michiel Huisman, and many others) fill out their roles with memorable and robustly stylized presences that are in complete harmony with the film’s overall operatic style.

Rebel Moon – Part Two’s first act consists of a lot of exposition and character backstory that runs the risk of bogging it down. Despite some select moments of shaky writing, however, this information is actually rather fascinating. While many characters don’t get the attention they need, many other main and supporting ones are impressively and fully developed so that they are discernible and worth investing in. Such detail serves the remainder of the film well, as you significantly care about most of the key players during the ensuing action.

Once it gets past its first act set-up, Rebel Moon – Part Two’s pacing is simply unrelenting. The last two-thirds of the film’s two-hour runtime simply flies by with a never-ending array of stunning fight sequences. The film eventually becomes a non-stop adrenaline rush filled with breathtakingly artful visuals, skillfully heightened choreography, and expertly precise staging.

Snyder has publicly stated that he hopes to make more Rebel Moon films in the future. It’s an immersive and detailed world that I believe warrants further exploration, but I’m afraid that the inexplicable poor reception of the first two films will prevent that from happening. I hope I’m wrong, but fans may just have to settle on the R-rated, three-hour director’s cuts of both films that are set to be released later in 2024 to appease their desire for more. Perhaps there’s hope, however, that enough people will ignore the negative word of mouth and give the Rebel Moon films the unbiased chance they so completely deserve.

GRADE: A-

Originally a Quibi miniseries that was later edited into a feature-length film for Hulu, The Stranger is a compelling misfire. It showcases exceptional performances, solid filmmaking, and a nightmarishly intriguing premise. However, its increasing and distracting implausibility and, not to mention, the shoddy explanations for it, make it a movie within which it is hard to get lost. Moments that should be filled with tension and terror are often ineffective and fail to grab your full attention because you’ll most likely be trying to make sense of the film’s explanations of how it’s all possible and what, exactly, is going on.

Maika Monroe stars as a rideshare driver whose latest passenger is an unrelenting psychopath (Dane DeHaan) who somehow knows her every move and starts stalking her all over Los Angeles. She is soon framed for a crime she didn’t commit, then has to elude the police on top of running for her life. She finds help from a kind convenience store worker (Avan Jogia), who unwittingly gets thrown into the insanity.

The Stranger largely follows in the footsteps of director Robert Harmon’s 1986 horror/thriller cult classic, The Hitcher. In that film, C. Thomas Howell plays a man driving across country who picks up an icily menacing hitchhiker portrayed by Rutger Hauer, only to have the hitchhiker follow him on his journey and make his life a living and never-ending hell. What makes The Hitcher work so well is that it’s intentionally irrational. It doesn’t try to explain how Hauer’s character is doing what he’s doing, as it leaves such logistics in the abstract. The Hitcher is an unabashed nightmare that boldly and effectively follows nightmare logic. Hauer’s powers and foresight are basically inhuman, but he and the film are still believable and terrifying because that’s the reality that is so clearly set up from the very beginning.

The Stranger doesn’t succeed in a manner similar to The Hitcher because it makes the mistake of trying to make its far-fetched scenario seem realistic and logical. It’s too outlandish to do so successfully, and it doesn’t have the courage to run with its premise without making sure there’s some explanation (no matter how ridiculous) to appease select audience members who just wouldn’t understand or be on board with it any other way. This backfires often and regularly takes you out of the movie by raising too many questions that the film simply isn’t equipped to satisfactorily answer. If The Stranger just let itself exist, left itself open to interpretation, realized it couldn’t appeal to everyone, and let its story flow freely and organically, it could have been a great, surreal, and horrifying thrill ride. As it stands, however, it’s just too head-scratching and ultimately too noncommittal to its stronger ideas to be fully enjoyable.

Monroe is dedicated and vulnerable, exhaustively staying in a state of hysteria for most of the film’s duration. She is a wholly believable victim, but is just as believable when her character finds the strength to fight back. DeHaan, one of the most interesting young actors working onscreen today, is appropriately intimidating and disturbingly sinister. It’s a fairly hefty fault of the film, however, that his character isn’t fully or properly utilized. He disappears regularly throughout and it deeply affects the film’s momentum every time he does. Jogia is likable and empathetic with his strong portrayal of a man whose good nature draws him further and further into a dangerous situation.

The Stranger tries too hard to make sense and to be accessible to mass audiences. Its efforts to do so ironically only make it more alienating, confusing, dull, and damaging to the film’s overall enjoyability. If it simplified itself without trying to explain every detail, it might have been ambiguously tantalizing. Instead, it’s just another average horror/thriller that falls short of its promise to be something truly unforgettable.

GRADE: C

The 4:30 Movie

From writer/director Kevin Smith, this ‘80s-set film centers on a teenage boy (Austin Zajur) who spends a day with his friends at the local movie theatre while awaiting a date with the girl of his dreams (Siena Agudong). Character-driven, clever, cute, and mildly raunchy, this is the kind of Kevin Smith movie his fans have come to expect—no more and certainly no less. The 4:30 movie isn’t exactly hilarious or strikingly dramatic, but it’s still a nostalgic, pleasant, and entertaining celebration of movies, young love, and the ‘80s in general.

GRADE: B

A ‘90s Christmas

A big city lawyer (Eva Bourne) travels back in time to the holiday season of 1999 and tries to correct the mistakes of her past regarding a long-lost love (Chandler Massey) without altering her present reality. Beat-for-beat predictable but still quite cute, this holiday offering is a breezy piece of entertainment that overall succeeds in its goal to get its audience in the seasonal spirit. A ‘90s Christmas isn’t anything new, but it still manages to be a reliable source of charming festivity.

GRADE: B-

Abigail

Though its primary plot twist has already been spoiled to death in marketing materials and other reviews, I won’t spoil it here because that’s about all the movie has going for it and it’s a highly flat experience without the surprise. In short, a group of criminals kidnap a child ballerina and everything slowly but surely goes to hell. The film drags, has unshaded and uninteresting characters, has little suspense, and, though there are moments of exception, ultimately fails to grab hold of its audience’s attention.

Abigail needed a major rewrite before it went before cameras along with a major rethinking of its story-spoiling promotional campaign.

GRADE: C-

Alien: Romulus

This sequel/prequel set in the middle of the Alien series’ timeline is a fairly substantial improvement upon some of its latter, Sigourney Weaver-starring sequels. Unfortunately, that’s not saying a lot. While the film is technically well-made and has selectively effective moments of tension, there is no real threat created by the film’s creatures because of their hefty over-exposure and the fact that certain characters seem absurdly immune to their powers. Alien: Romulus at least tries to reach the heights of its classic predecessors, but it only truly manages to pay charmingly nostalgic homage to them without fully matching their quality.

GRADE: B-

American Nightmare

This three-part documentary examines the lives of a couple who are accused of staging a Gone Girl-like kidnapping of the girlfriend. Though it probably would have been even more engrossing and effective if it were a tighter-paced feature-length film, the miniseries still packs a sizable dramatic wallop and keeps the viewer in suspense for the vast majority of its duration. American Nightmare serves as a powerful reminder that the truth isn’t always as it appears.

GRADE: A-

The American Society of Magical Negroes

A young man (Justice Smith) is selected to join an elite, secretive, and mystical group of Black people who have the ability to read and manipulate the comfort levels of potentially dangerous white people. The film starts off brilliantly, showcasing uniquely inventive ideas, sharp and astute satire, and numerous characters who, despite the otherworldly aspects of the story they inhabit, feel real and relatable. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite know what to do with itself after its first-act setup and settles on exploring a familiar and safe (though moderately charming) rom-com formula.

The American Society of Magical Negroes could have been a brilliantly singular, hilariously insightful, and unforgettably bold examination of American racism, but instead chooses to be a less-provocative, pleasantly polite, and harmlessly cute reminder that human differences need to be celebrated and respected rather than feared and hated.

GRADE: B

Anora

Mikey Madison vivaciously lights up the screen as a big-hearted but tough-as-nails sex worker who marries a young Russian client (Mark Eydelshteyn), and then has to deal with the disapproval of his oligarch father. Grittily lifelike, bluntly sexual, heartbreakingly honest, and edgily hilarious, the only thing that is lacking from this effort from editor/writer/director Sean Baker is tighter pacing to make it more consistently engrossing. Anora has a lot going for it, but too many uneventful moments and redundancies bog the film down far too often and prevent it from reaching the greatness of which it was capable.

GRADE: B+

Arcadian

Nicolas Cage stars as a father to twin teenage boys (Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins) who is struggling to survive during a monster-filled apocalypse. Solid suspense, creepy atmosphere, well-defined and likable characters, and all-around solid filmmaking make this a primarily high-quality production. While many of the monster moments around which it revolves can be a tad underwhelming and flat, there are still enough merits to the rest of Arcadian that make it worth seeing.

GRADE: B

Asphalt City

The cynicism and loss of self that is begotten from consistently experiencing humanity at its weakest and most vulnerable is dramatically heightened and explored in this gritty and hard-hitting drama. The story centers on a rookie NYC paramedic (a predictably dedicated and sympathetic Tye Sheridan) and his relationship with his seasoned and jaded partner (a predictably excellent-in-every-way Sean Penn). Asphalt City’s sharp filmmaking and believably naturalistic writing result in a film that makes an unforgettable impact.

GRADE: A

Atlas

A solider in the future (Jennifer Lopez) is forced to face her reluctance towards AI when she has to rely on it in order to survive. Lopez carries the film beautifully and with believably fierce determination. This is all the more impressive when it is taken into consideration that she was most likely acting alone for the majority of her work on the movie because her character’s primary interactions are with an unseen technological force. While the pacing sometimes lags and the intended spectacle of action and effects underwhelms and lacks originality, Atlas is still a modestly entertaining and surprisingly emotionally moving effort.

GRADE: B-

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah deliver some truly inventive and inspired filmmaking techniques in this fourth entry to the Bad Boys series—it’s just too bad they weren’t used in a better-written film that isn’t part of an increasingly tired franchise. The fun factor of the film is periodically marred by an indecisive overall tone that too frequently gets a bit too heavy. Bad Boys: Ride or Die has some great action, exhibits some true ingenuity, and contains some great moments of humor (courtesy of the always-vivacious chemistry between leads Will Smith and Martin Lawrence), but it sometimes takes itself too seriously and goes on a bit too long to be little more than a mildly successful piece of entertainment.

GRADE: B-

The Beekeeper

This David Ayer-directed action effort stars Jason Statham as a beekeeper with a mysterious past who hunts down a group of sociopathic telephone schemers/online thieves who destroyed the life of a friend and neighbor (Phylicia Rashad). Good action, great villains (who doesn’t want to see such people be taken down by a badass like Statham?), high-quality performances (Statham, Rashad, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jeremy Irons, and Josh Hutcherson all stand out), and overall solid filmmaking allow the film to rise above its formulaic and overall predictable revenge storyline. The Beekeeper may not be anything particularly new, but it still manages to showcase some thoroughly entertaining, gleefully cathartic, and exceptionally high-quality ass-kicking.

GRADE: B

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Successfully capitalizing on the chaotic energy and whimsical nostalgia of its near-forty-year-old predecessor, this Tim Burton-directed sequel is a fun and inventive piece of work that overall manages to make its audience forget the simple fact that it doesn’t need to exist in the first place. The sequel does suffer from a hefty over-exposure of its best aspects, as it fails to copy the effectiveness of the original film’s wise decision to selectively and sporadically showcase Michael Keaton’s brazenly brilliant interpretation of the title character. The sequel, at times, is simply too much of a good thing and could have used some major simplifications during its writing stages to help clean up a littered and overly busy plot that features far too many side characters.

However, the film’s endlessly impressive design artistry, an exceptionally talented cast, and a charmingly playful tone help to make Beetlejuice Beetlejuice a fun and worthwhile sequel that may not quite match its original’s greatness, but still has plenty of infectious fun while trying.

GRADE: B

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Eddie Murphy returns to the classic character of Axel Foley, a Detroit cop who keeps finding himself as a fish out of water on the slick streets of Beverly Hills. This latest film in the Beverly Hills Cop action/comedy series vastly improves upon the previous and abysmal 1994 third film, offering wonderful ‘80s nostalgia and smile-inducing callbacks to many of the first two films’ best aspects. It’s nothing groundbreaking or particularly unique, but Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is still a funny and action-packed piece of escapism that should entice new fans while simultaneously appealing to those who have already appreciated Foley’s antics for decades.

GRADE: B+

The Bikeriders

This film follows the everyday lives of the members of a motorcycle club in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Jodie Comer, and many others deliver endearingly charismatic and naturalistically committed performances that make you feel like you’re witnessing the sometimes-exciting and sometimes-mundane existence of those who are part of an actual biker gang. The cinematography by Adam Stone is downright beautiful, capturing the characters’ reality with both an eye-grabbing style that highlights dramatic events and a detached objectivism that gives the film a documentary-like feeling of realism.

The film’s primary but ultimately forgivable downside is that it dawdles a bit too much throughout its first two acts and sometimes lacks dramatic urgency as a result (though this issue is rectified during the last forty minutes). It could have been truly great with a little bit of tightening, a little more focus, and a little less dwelling on its more uneventful aspects. However, The Bikeriders is still a really cool and enticingly stylish film from a highly talented writer/director (Jeff Nichols, who based it off of Danny Lyon’s photography book) that undoubtedly deserves to be seen.

GRADE: A-

Boy Kills World

A deaf man with an amusingly masculine interior voice (Bill Skarsgård and the vocal talents of H. Jon Benjamin) uses the training he has received since childhood to seek vengeance against those who murdered his family. Though clever and funny at select moments, the film is far too pointless with its endless kineticism, far too obnoxiously loud, and far too exhaustively busy to receive much more of a response than a tired and dissatisfied head scratch. Boy Kills World is plenty inventive and energetic, but its failure to even occasionally slow down and tell an involving story makes it a highly numbing and overall grating experience.

GRADE: C

Brats

This Andrew McCarthy-directed documentary examines the ’80s “Brat Pack” phenomenon (a group of highly successful young film actors who often worked together and dominated the market for a brief time) with an insider’s perspective. Charmingly nostalgic, keenly insightful, and intelligently self-aware, the film examines the unforgiving influence of careless journalism along with the effects of reaching worldwide fame at a young age in a frank and thoughtful manner. While it is sometimes redundant (the actors interviewed often share the same perspective on past events) and slightly suffers from too much padding that is needed to reach its ninety-minute runtime, Brats is still a must-see for anyone who grew up with or is fascinated by the endlessly colorful insanity of the eighties.

GRADE: A-

Caddo Lake

After a young girl disappears on a lake, nearby residents begin a search and make some rather awe-inspiring and fantastical discoveries about the area they inhabit. Slow-burning and methodical, it’s impressive in theory that the filmmakers try to establish the development of characters, environment, and atmosphere before diving full force into the story. However, the resulting film, despite its thoughtful intentions, is so improperly and inconsistently paced that it’s hard to get lost in its events with any regularity. Caddo Lake is an interesting misfire that might have worked with some rethinking and retooling of its structure.

GRADE: C+

Carry-On

A TSA agent (Taron Egerton) at an airport is forced to allow a bag to pass through unchecked or someone he loves will die. If you don’t look for logic or entertainment value in your movies, then this one should do you just fine. Good performances (Jason Bateman is a smooth and icily charismatic villain) can’t save a script or filmmaking (with the exception of one cool car crash) that sorely lack inspiration.

Carry-On is a rather lame excuse for an action/thriller.

GRADE: C-

Civil War

A group of journalists (Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson to name a few) travel across the country of a futuristic, civil war-torn America on their way to investigate the status of Washington, D.C. While the film is intense and nightmarishly unsettling in a highly effective manner, it never fully takes advantage of or explores the politics behind its provocative concept. It is ultimately a film that is (somewhat confusingly) more about the dangers and thrills of war journalism than it is about the potential implosion that could take place in America very soon if its citizens continue to fail to unite.

Civil War presents a terrifying vision of America’s future with uncompromising frankness, but it doesn’t go quite deep enough to make the impact that it could and should have.

GRADE: B-

Conclave

A cardinal for the Catholic Church (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself in the middle of a complex conspiracy while trying to select a new Pope. Though the sluggish pacing can sometimes be as exciting as watching paint dry, the film’s refined filmmaking, its intelligent writing, and its excellent cast (which also includes Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, and John Lithgow amongst others) manage to make the film a worthwhile dramatic thriller. Conclave is a well-made film for adults who don’t mind their patience being periodically tested.

GRADE: B-

Daddio

Dakota Johson shines as a taxicab passenger who forms a unique bond with her driver (a typically excellent Sean Penn) on her long ride home from the airport. Insightful and great writing, fascinatingly complex characters, hypnotically even pacing, and classily inconspicuous filmmaking create an endlessly compelling viewing experience. Writer/director Chrisy Hall is a genuinely impressive force behind the camera.

Dramatically, emotionally, and intellectually, Daddio is a deeply and endlessly fulfilling film.

GRADE: A

Damsel

A young woman (Millie Bobby Brown) happily marries a prince (Nick Robinson), only to discover that it is a ruse for her to be the generational sacrifice to a deadly dragon and she now must fight to stay alive. The execution is overall uninspired, offering absolutely nothing new to film storytelling or technique. Despite its generic presentation and its over-reliance on sometimes-shaky digital effects, however, the film is tightly paced, sometimes thrilling, and well-acted enough to keep its audience engrossed.

Damsel is a variation of a film we’ve all seen before many times, but it still manages to succeed as a solid, though occasionally underwhelming, piece of popcorn entertainment.

GRADE: B-

Dear Santa

This Peter Farrelly-co-written and Bobby Farrelly-directed comedy is about a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) who accidentally writes a Christmas wish to Satan (Jack Black) instead of Santa. Though it is overall breezily amusing, the film has trouble settling on a tone that is geared towards a particular audience—it doesn’t quite know if it wants to be a family-friendly piece of holiday cheer or an edgy dark comedy geared towards adults. Its decision to try to be both results in a movie that is jarring, inconsistent, and rather messy.

Dear Santa is not without its charms and laugh-out-loud moments, but its overall indecisive nature on what, exactly, it wants to be mars it notably.

GRADE: C

A Different Man

Sebastian Stan triumphs with his portrayal of an actor with a facial deformity who undergoes a radical procedure to correct his condition. His new chance at life then backfires in the most absurd, surreal, and darkly humorous of ways. Despite a strong, emotionally stirring first half, the film simply doesn’t know what to do with itself once its central storyline comes into play. It progressively and increasingly distances itself from the strength of its earlier moments’ sincerity, simplicity, and honesty.

A Different Man deserves points for the artistic courage of its tonally shifting ambitions, but it unfortunately never fully succeeds at the majority of them.

GRADE: C

DogMan

Caleb Landry Jones delivers a sensational performance (which is now predictable due to his repeatedly proven and massive talent) as a man who grows up in a dog cage surrounded by his beloved animals, then goes on to be everything from a drag show performer to a lethal criminal. Writer/director Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Fifth Element) delivers a unique and fascinating character study of a unique and fascinating character. Besson has the courage and the vision to not subscribe to one particular genre and the film displays an excitingly lifelike mixture of drama, comedy, and action throughout.

Though DogMan occasionally tests its audience’s patience with a sometimes-meandering and haphazard structure, its vivacious, adventurous, sensitive, and inventive spirit still manages to come out on top in the end.

GRADE: A-

Don’t Move

A young woman (Kelsey Asbille) is forced to outwit a dangerous killer (Finn Wittrock) after being injected with a paralysis-causing drug that renders her completely helpless. Despite being a tad formulaic and predictable, this is a taut, tantalizingly suspenseful, perfectly paced, wonderfully acted, and consistently engrossing horror/thriller that only lets up once it’s over. Don’t Move could have benefitted from a little more originality and courage in the unfolding of its overall enticing story, but it still manages to be a memorably thrilling experience, regardless.

GRADE: B+

Drive-Away Dolls

Two lesbian friends (Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan) embark on a road trip and find themselves hunted by criminals in search of sensitive and important items that are hidden in the trunk of the girls’ rental car unbeknownst to them. Co-written and directed by Ethan Coen in his first solo directorial effort sans brother Joel, the film is witty, surprising, and endearingly heartfelt in just the right moments.

Though it struggles to find its voice, pacing, and humor during its first half-hour or so, the film eventually hits its stride and manages to be an overall lively experience. The two leads shine with a magically life-like chemistry, but Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart, Lady Bird) steals the show in a highly amusing supporting role. Drive-Away Dolls may hit some bumps in the road, but its eventual destination makes it a trip well worth taking.

GRADE: B+

Dune: Part Two

Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune, is a dense and intricate piece of science fiction literature with an elaborate story that is just too complex to fit into one movie adaptation. Director/writer David Lynch tried in 1984 and created an endlessly confusing yet artistically accomplished mess. Then director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve brought us a less messy but significantly less memorable adaptation of the first part of the book in 2021. Now, in the same straightforward manner that lacks character, heart, and distinct vision, Villeneuve completes his adaptation of the book with Part Two.

The primary fault of Villeneuve’s films is that they play it too safe, showcasing little creative risk and little understanding of the strange otherworldliness of their source material. Both films feel like incomplete stories in and of themselves, relying far too heavily on one another to feel satisfyingly whole. Though Part Two is a bit more adventurous and engrossing than the first part, it still feels frustratingly dissatisfying and flat—especially when compared to the colorfulness of Lynch’s flawed but unforgettable ‘80s adaptation. Like its first part, Dune: Part Two impresses with the scale of its ambition and the technical talent of its filmmakers, but largely and disappointedly underwhelms with the inescapable tepidness of its ultimate impact.

GRADE: C+

The Fall Guy

An injured stuntman (the endlessly charismatic Ryan Gosling) gets back in the game in a production headed by his filmmaker ex-girlfriend (a lovably sassy Emily Blunt) while also wading the waters of a murder mystery involving a spoiled Hollywood star (an amusingly despicable Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Though its loose structure sporadically feels aimless, this extraordinarily funny and exciting film is still notably well-written and showcases amusing and well-staged action scenes throughout. The Fall Guy is a wonderful example of intelligent and joyous Hollywood filmmaking at its finest.

GRADE: A-

Frankie Freako

Editor/effects man/writer/director Stephen Kostanski’s follow-up to his instant 2020 cult classic, Psycho Goreman, is an amusing romp that doesn’t quite match its predecessor’s greatness. Several big laughs, impressive puppetry, awesome low-budget effects, and an endless array of creative designs help make up for the fact that the story and the characters who inhabit it are sometimes (though certainly not always) lackluster. Frankie Freako is an impressive accomplishment, but it’s one that feels a tad thin and stretched out in order to contain enough ideas for a feature-length film.

GRADE: B

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

This prequel to the 2015 George Miller-helmed masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road, is an equally intricate, inventive, and impressive production. However, its storyline is a bit too involved and its two-and-a-half-hour runtime is a bit too bloated for it to equal the perfect, hyperkinetic pacing and the beautifully and refreshingly simplistic storyline of the previous film. Not to mention, there’s just not quite enough revealed in the film for its existence to be fully justified, as the majority of its events would have best been left to the imagination.

As unnecessary as it may ultimately be, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga still manages to be an overall thrillingly massive accomplishment from one of contemporary cinema’s most visionary creators. Next time, however, Miller will probably accomplish even more if he sets his gaze on the future instead of the past.

GRADE: B

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Though it lacks the touching and magical whimsey of its direct predecessor, this latest entry in the Ghostbusters series is still a charmingly humorous film with numerous elements that are downright adorable. Featuring consistent hat tips to the series’ previous titles, the film has an endearing sense of nostalgia that is a comfort to those who are already fans of the franchise. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a highly entertaining film that treads familiar ground, but still manages to have some rather infectious and inventive fun while doing so.

GRADE: B+

Goodrich

Michael Keaton is his usual brilliant self as a man who is forced to re-examine his seemingly charmed life after his wife enters rehab and leaves him to care for their twin children (Vivien Lyra Blair and Jacob Kopera), which he is unable to do without the consistent help of his long-suffering adult daughter (an exceptional Mila Kunis). This steadily paced dramedy isn’t exactly brimming with dramatic urgency or excitement, but it’s still a solid, perfectly pleasant, and wisely astute character study that manages to trigger the proper emotions in its audience. Goodrich is a grounded and mature—though not dramatically striking–movie that quietly and charmingly studies human beings and the complexities of their relationships.

GRADE: B

Here

While weaving in and out of different time periods, a specific location on Earth is observed in this Robert Zemeckis-directed film. It is a fascinating but increasingly tedious experiment that probably would have worked best as a short film. On the plus side, it does spark the imagination with its observations about life, time, and our place in the world. It is also a marvelous and highly inventive technical accomplishment–despite the obnoxious digital shine that is so apparent on the often digitally de-aged cast. However, the film just doesn’t have enough consistent dramatic power to be fully engrossing or reach greatness.

Here is like any challenging task. It’s much more pleasing to reflect on having accomplished it than it is to endure the actual experience of it.

GRADE: B-

He Went That Way

A man (Zachary Quinto) driving across country to Chicago with a trained chimpanzee as his cargo picks up a mysterious hitchhiker (Jacob Elordi) who turns out to be lethally dangerous. Inspired by a true story, the film is well-made, exceedingly well-acted (Quinto and Elordi both excel), intensely suspenseful, and, at times, surprisingly and quirkily humorous. While the story sometimes dawdles and causes the pacing to lose momentum, the film always manages to recover and get back on track.

He Went That Way is an effective and sometimes strange thriller whose good quality and excellent cast make it an overall unique and engrossing experience.

GRADE: B+

Hit Man

Glen Powell stars as a professor who sometimes works undercover for the police posing as a hitman to ensnare potential offenders. This highly charming but somewhat flat and nonurgent comedy gets the job done for the most part and offers a breezy good time. Powell is solid and affable (his romantic chemistry with costar Adria Arjona is lively and believable), and the direction from Richard Linklater is stable, clean, and unobtrusive.

Hit Man isn’t exactly unforgettable, but it’s still quietly and amusingly entertaining nonetheless.

GRADE: B

Hot Frosty

A lonely widow (a lovable Lacey Chabert) unwittingly brings a snowman (an equally lovable Dustin Milligan) to life and slowly falls in love with him while having to prevent him from melting. This Christmas rom-com has loads of heart, humor, and feel-good warmth to make it a must-see holiday viewing. Hot Frosty may not stray too far from countless other holiday offerings, but its endless charm and wit make it stand largely on its own.

Craig Robinson excels as a nosy sheriff who is responsible for a large portion of the film’s comic relief.

GRADE: B+

In a Violent Nature

This uniquely clever slasher film is as such because it’s largely told from the point of view of the slasher and not his victims. The excitement of the gimmick eventually wears off after the first half hour or so, but the film still manages to stand out as a leisurely paced (perhaps sometimes overly so), artfully shot, interestingly edited, and exquisitely directed gore fest. The fact that the film is so effective without the accompaniment of any musical score whatsoever is a testament to its high-quality craftsmanship.

In a Violent Nature is a horror movie that openly takes influence from countless other horror films, but its final result is a wholly original experience.

GRADE: A-

I Saw the TV Glow

Two teenagers growing up in the nineties share an obsession with a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-like show called The Pink Opaque. Years pass and the show gets canceled, but the fascination still remains. Whatever else happens in the proudly indecipherable storyline is largely open to interpretation. The film’s overwhelming priority in making its events and meaning almost entirely ambiguous keeps the audience at a distance and prevents its members from becoming emotionally involved with what is happening onscreen. The strange and surreal film deserves credit for at least trying to do something unique, but it would have been nice if it provided some sort of clear overall picture that satisfyingly connected all of its admittedly fascinating yet ill-fitting elements as a whole.

An intoxicatingly moody atmosphere, hypnotic cinematography from Eric Yue, and naturalistic performances that ground the film’s otherworldly reality all raise the production’s value significantly. While there was obviously a lot of talent involved in its making, I Saw the TV Glow never quite reaches its massive potential because it seems to be unsure of the feelings that it is trying to communicate and what, exactly, it is trying to say.

GRADE: C+

Joker: Folie à Deux

This largely maligned musical sequel to 2019’s exceptional and loose interpretation of the DC Joker character is an interesting, though not entirely necessary or successful, continuation of its predecessor. The film’s consistently slow (or rather, at its worst, sluggish) pacing and the primarily drab musical numbers that comprise much of its duration drag the already depressing film down to a level where it often forgets to be compelling or entertaining. Stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga impressively manage to make the most out of a script that feels like a series of afterthoughts regarding far more fascinating past events.

Despite its lack of steady dramatic thunder, the movie does manage to fully and effectively communicate the hopeless tragedy of its mentally ill protagonist with an impressive display of heart and empathy. It’s just too bad that the rest of the movie lacks the boldness and color that would allow it to soar and fully explore the broad range of emotions that it needs in order to fully succeed. Joker: Folie à Deux isn’t nearly as bad as it’s been made out to be, but that’s not to say it couldn’t have used a bit more excitement and passion in its trivially dry execution.

GRADE: B-

Juror #2

A juror (Nicholas Hoult) in a murder trial slowly realizes that he might just be guilty of the crime he is judging and tries to save an innocent man’s fate while still protecting his own. The fascinating moral dilemma at the heart of the story is only partially explored to satisfaction, as you never fully feel the toll that the situation takes on Hoult’s soul. While the story can be mesmerizing at times, it feels as though director Clint Eastwood wasn’t interested enough in the lead character’s plight for the film to reach its full potential.

Juror #2 is a flawed but capable thriller that could have been great with more careful and observant direction.

The Killer

Action maestro John Woo reimagines his own 1989 Hong Kong classic of the same name with this loose but respectful remake. While this version doesn’t meet the grand, resonating heights of the original, it still provides a solid canvas on which Woo can showcase his affinity and talent for kinetic and poetic depictions of violence. The Killer remake is not a great movie, but it’s still fascinating and wholly entertaining to witness a masterful talent like Woo pay homage to himself.

GRADE: B

Kinds of Kindness

Consisting of three darkly absurd and highly bizarre stories that are completely unrelated, this is a painfully jagged and (at nearly three hours) long-winded viewing experience that doesn’t seem to care if its audience is on board with it or not. Directed and co-written by the massively gifted Yorgos Lanthimos, this is the kind of self-indulgent snorefest that could only be created by a successful and powerful filmmaker who is at the height of his fame and who is no longer surrounded by the right people to question his creative choices. Kinds of Kindness does little but test its audience’s patience throughout, and, because there is such little reward to ultimately be found, it’s simply not a test worth taking.

GRADE: D+

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

This fourth addition to/soft reboot of the Planet of the Apes remake series that started in 2011 is a worthy successor to its high-quality predecessors. Though the third entry ended on a highly satisfying note that didn’t need another sequel, this particular film still manages to succeed entirely on its own merits. Stunning visual effects, effective tension, consistently enthralling action, and astute commentary on human nature (by way of talking apes, of course) help make up for the fact that—at an excessive two-and-a-half-hours—the film periodically drags and loses momentum.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes didn’t really need to exist in the first place, but its high-quality execution is entertaining, impressive, and insightful enough to make you forget that fact while viewing it.

GRADE: B+

The Kitchen

This science fiction drama set in the future revolves around a London housing community that is the only place left for lower-income citizens to affordably live. While the action and the drama are a bit tepid at times, the film overall succeeds with its relatable characters, believable performances, strong social commentary, striking visuals, and all-around solid craftsmanship. The Kitchen may often lack excitement, but it still manages to impress in the end with its thought-provoking themes and capable execution.

GRADE: B

Knox Goes Away

Michael Keaton (who also directed) stars as a hitman with dementia who is forced to help his son (James Marsden) get through a dangerous ordeal while trying to tie up all the loose ends in his life before his memory fully fades. Riveting, uncompromisingly straightforward, boldly dramatic, intelligently written, beautifully acted, and carefully crafted, the film is nothing short of a success from start to finish. Knox Goes Away is a mature, complex, and rich character study that examines identity, memory, and regret in an unforgettably thoughtful manner.

GRADE: A

Land of Bad

An army unit is forced to rely on drone protection during a highly dangerous mission. Good action and tension partially make up for a story that largely lacks originality. Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, and Chika Ikogwe all deliver strong and dedicated performances, effectively filling in the gaps in their sometimes underdeveloped characters. Land of Bad could have been a very powerful military drama that examines and educates its audience on modern-day practices, but instead settles on being a passable though somewhat standard action/thriller.

GRADE: B-

Late Night with the Devil

This horror film set during the live broadcast of a late-night television talk show is a cleverly inventive and uniquely captivating experience. David Dastmalchian (who is normally cast in memorably oddball supporting roles in films such as Prisoners and The Suicide Squad) simply amazes with an endlessly energetic and atypically charismatic performance. Though it occasionally grows mildly tedious while having to adhere to the confines of its talk show structure, Late Night with the Devil never entirely loses its firm grasp on its audience and ultimately manages to be effectively horrifying in a truly memorable fashion.

GRADE: A-

Life & Beth: Season 2

Amy Schumer returns for a second season of her insightful and hilarious slice-of-life dramedy series about a woman trying to understand her identity while wading through love’s waters. Like the first season, the second season communicates a woman’s reality with endless wit, great humor, deep empathy, and fearless directness.

The only issue with this season is that it leaves a bit too much up in the air, depicting situations with relatable and gripping drama but rarely fully completing or exploring them in a manner that feels fully satisfying. You can’t blame a series for trying to leave its audience wanting more, but it would have been nice if the second season of Life & Beth gave some of its intriguing storylines a bit more resolution.

GRADE: B+

Lift

The talents of director F. Gary Gray and actors Kevin Hart, Sam Worthington, and Vincent D’Onofrio can’t save this heavily derivative action/comedy heist movie from its own hopeless mediocrity. Most of the jokes fall painfully flat and the obnoxiously flashy and pointlessly kinetic filmmaking style has previously been done to death in similar movies. The film is clearly more interested in showing off its unimpressive big-budget filmmaking toys than it is in telling a unique and interesting story. Though the moderately thrilling climax deserves points, it’s too little and too late to make Lift worth your time.

GRADE: C-

Lisa Frankenstein

This film was made from a clever screenplay by the ultra-talented Diablo Cody that has the clever premise of an ‘80s teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) who starts a killing spree with an undead corpse (Cole Sprouse) so they can find replacement body parts. Despite its potential, however, the film falters heavily with direction from Zelda Williams that often favors overt (and painfully unfunny) goofiness and silliness over the clever satire that is obviously present in the material. Lisa Frankenstein’s merits are largely squandered due to an execution that lacks the proper wit and comic timing its screenplay needed in order to thrive.

GRADE: C-

Love Lies Bleeding

Kristen Stewart is downright sensational as a gym manager who, along with her female bodybuilder lover (an also great Katy O’Brian), gets caught up in a violently dangerous plot after confronting the abusive husband (an amusingly slimy Dave Franco) of her weak-willed sister (a believably co-dependent Jena Malone). Strong performances aside, the film takes far too long to get going and it exhibits too many stylistic flourishes that are ultimately more distracting than impressively artistic. The film eventually manages to be sporadically fascinating and gripping once the pacing finally quickens, but never consistently so.

Love Lies Bleeding aims to be a wild and surreal journey, but its lack of momentum and its overly flashy style prevent it from fully succeeding.

GRADE: C+

Lover Stalker Killer

This riveting documentary focuses on a man whose dating life turns into a nightmare full of twists, turns, and terror. One of the most impressive things about the film is how its narrative unfolds in an engrossing and suspenseful manner that resembles a top-notch Hollywood thriller. Lover Stalker Killer is an effective and terrifying cautionary tale about the potential dangers of modern dating.

GRADE: A

Madame Web

It may have its flaws, but this Marvel superhero effort is much better than its poor critical reception and weak office performance might suggest. It stars Dakota Johnson as a woman who discovers she can see into the future and then uses her powers to protect three teenage girls (Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor) from a common enemy (Tahar Rahim).

Johnson is great, initially displaying an amusingly detached and sarcastically communicated apathy that believably evolves into something more emotionally aware and heroic. The film overall takes advantage of the entertainment value found in its storyline, but its primary fault can be found in its consistently uneven pacing which often runs the risk of dulling the film and losing its audience’s interest. Madame Web has a number of high-quality aspects, but it could have used some serious tightening and whittling in the editing room to give it the much-needed energy it often lacks.

GRADE: C+

MaXXXine

This conclusion to writer/director Ti West’s X trilogy is a dementedly inventive, amusingly campy, and colorfully graphic examination of Hollywood and the desperate pursuit of and desire for lifelong fame. Mia Goth reprises her role of Maxine with both affability and ferocity, resulting in a character you might want to warmly embrace if the strong possibility of her turning on you and attacking you mercilessly didn’t exist. Though the story sometimes feels like utter nonsense, MaXXXine’s prevailing playfulness and debauched charm set the predominant tone for a movie that is sardonically, compellingly, and brutally joyous.

GRADE: A-

The Menendez Brothers

This documentary is a thoughtful and eye-opening companion piece to Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Offering the Menendez Brothers’ personal perspective of their crime and trial, the film sheds light on facts and details that we only thought we previously understood. While it’s not quite as dramatically effective or memorable as Monsters, The Menendez Brothers is still a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours for followers of the case or for fans of true crime in general.

GRADE: B+

Monkey Man

An underground fighter (Dev Patel, who also co-wrote and directed) seeks revenge against the powerful men who are responsible for his mother’s death. Excellent fight choreography and rock-solid technical filmmaking can’t save a hopelessly uninteresting story with flat and undefined characters. It’s hard to care about anyone in the film, which makes it increasingly difficult to be invested in its (admittedly impressive) action.

Monkey Man is quite well-made on a surface level, but increasingly reveals itself to be disappointingly and inescapably hollow the more it progresses.

GRADE: C

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

This second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true crime-inspired anthology series focuses on The Menendez Brothers. Graphic, harrowing, and wisely ambiguous, the nine-episode season raises many questions about the infamous late-eighties/early-nineties parricide crime and trial. While Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is sometimes guilty of sensationalism and exploitation, it is still a hypnotically watchable, surprisingly clever, and overall strikingly thoughtful piece of television drama that deserves to be seen.

GRADE: A-

Nutcrackers

An uptight and self-centered real estate developer (Ben Stiller) is forced to care for his orphaned and unruly nephews (real-life brothers Homer, Ulysses, Arlo, and Atlas Janson) around the holidays. Predictable and formulaic, the film makes up for what it lacks in surprises with heartfelt execution, naturalistically vivacious performances from the entire cast, and uniquely eccentric sensibilities from its returned-to-form director David Gordon Green. Nutcrackers may not win any awards for originality, but it’s still a highly worthwhile holiday effort.

GRADE: B+

The Piano Lesson

Based on the play by August Wilson, this 1930s-set story centers on a Black family and the significance their piano takes in defining their past and present. Fantastic acting (Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, and Danielle Deadwyler lead the faultless cast), cinematic ingenuity, and the unwavering boldness of Malcolm Washington’s direction help to overall rectify faults brought on by the film’s minorly uneven pacing and its distinctly pronounced though sporadically awkward theatricality. The Piano Lesson has rare moments of clumsiness while reaching for grand emotional heights, but it always recovers from them thanks to the obvious and impressive talents of its cast and crew.

GRADE: B+

Poolman

Co-writer/lead actor Chris Pine also makes an impressive directorial debut with this character-driven, endearingly quirky, and sturdily executed mystery/comedy. The central storyline can admittedly be a bit convoluted and flatly unengrossing. However, the many vivacious interpretations of endlessly fascinating, eccentric, and likable characters by the well-cast ensemble (which also includes Annette Bening, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Ray Wise) make the movie worthwhile. The top-notch filmmaking also helps.

Poolman isn’t necessarily great, but it’s much better than its poor audience and critical reception might suggest.

GRADE: B

Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood and Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness (Director’s Cuts)

I have already reviewed the PG-13 cuts of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films and you can read the writeups here and here. These updated, significantly longer, and R-rated director’s cuts offer quite a bit more graphic violence and sex along with a more thoroughly developed and thoughtful depiction of Snyder’s intoxicating (and heavily underrated) sci-fi/fantasy universe. That being said, however, they are ultimately pretty much the same quality of experience as the previous cuts.

The hardcore nature of the director’s cuts does make one wonder what audience Snyder is aiming to please with them, as they are somewhat tonally at odds with the fantastical, child-appealing world they are set within. The director’s cuts of Rebel Moon will mainly appeal to Snyder’s most devoted fans and, speaking as one of those fans, I’m glad they exist even though I’m not entirely sure they need to. They serve as fascinating and enriching companion pieces to previous cuts of the films that tell the same story with the same success but with more brevity and a less provocatively graphic nature. At the end of the day, take your pick. The versions are different, but equally worthwhile.

GRADE FOR BOTH: A-

Rebel Ridge

Aaron Pierre excels as a former marine who gets entangled in the wrongdoings of corrupt, small-town police officers (led by a wonderfully slimy Don Johnson) in this tense and intelligent thriller from the massively talented writer/director, Jeremy Saulnier. Though the film is essentially a variation of police thrillers we’ve all seen before, Saulnier allows his film to stand out by way of thoughtful writing, relatable characters, entirely believable performances, and maturely grounded filmmaking. The sometimes sluggish pacing bogs the film down at select moments where it truly needs to keep up its momentum, but it always eventually recovers.

Rebel Ridge is a notably well-made thriller from a filmmaker who never ceases to impress.

GRADE: B+

Red One

Santa (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped and it is up to his head of security (Dwayne Johnson) to track him down with a rather naughty hacker (Chris Evans) as his aide. Cool effects, tight pacing, enthralling action, solid humor, and affable performances make this a lively and must-see effort. Watching Red One is an exciting and amusing way to get into the holiday spirit.

GRADE: B+

Red Right Hand

The talented and progressively up-and-coming filmmakers Ian and Eshom Nelms (Fatman, Small Town Crime) continue to impress with this gritty dramatic thriller about a recovering addict (a committed Orlando Bloom) who is forced by a ruthless crime boss (a wonderful and cast-against-type Andie MacDowell) to return to the dark side of his Appalachian town. The evenly paced film isn’t exactly exciting for most of its duration and occasionally threatens to be uninteresting, but it never entirely loses momentum and is ultimately successful in an intensely slow-burning fashion that allows for shockingly abrupt and highly effective moments of violence. Red Right Hand isn’t quite great, but it’s still a high-quality film from two of its time’s most interesting filmmakers.

GRADE: B+

Rob Peace

Powerhouse actor Chiwetel Ejiofor co-stars in, writes (based on the biography by Jeff Hobbs), and directs this hard-hitting, reality-based drama about a young, Yale-educated man (a sensational Jay Will) who has to resort to criminal activity in order to pay for his jailed father’s (Ejiofor) defense. A harrowing and tragically eye-opening depiction of Black lives in America, the film powerfully generates deep empathy for its characters in a seemingly effortless and wholly organic manner. Rob Peace tells a story that simply needs to be told and it does so exceedingly well.

GRADE: A

Salem’s Lot

This adaptation of Stephen King’s novel/remake of Tobe Hooper’s 1979 miniseries is a predominantly satisfying, though a tad underwhelming, vampire/horror effort. Believable performances from likable actors, impressive filmmaking and effects, tantalizing tension, and highly effective moments of horror make select moments of flatness or underdevelopment mostly forgivable. This version of Salem’s Lot may not quite be the instant classic that it wants to be, but it’s still a suitable way to reach a desired fright quota for an enjoyably scary evening.

GRADE: B

Sasquatch Sunset

A family of Sasquatch (Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Nathan Zellner, and Christophe Zajac-Denek) is examined for a year’s time while they live their lives in the wilderness. This hilarious, heartbreaking, uniquely inventive, and endlessly captivating film manages to succeed in just about every conceivable way despite its refusal to adhere to a typical story structure (or a typical anything, for that matter). There is nothing else quite like Sasquatch Sunset, as it is a film that refreshingly never ceases to follow its own bravely individualistic sensibilities.

GRADE: A

Saturday Night

This Jason Reitman-directed depiction of the insanity and chaos behind the first aired episode of Saturday Night Live is an interesting, if not entirely powerful or necessary, history lesson. While the focus on small, behind-the-scenes details can be fascinating, most of the portrayals of the show’s iconic key players leave much to be desired. With the exceptions of Gabriel Labelle as Lorne Michaels, Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, and Matt Wood as John Belushi, a large portion of the actors never truly capture the look, essence, or aura of their highly familiar reality-based characters. It can be a chore trying to figure out who everyone is supposed to be portraying for a far-too-prominent portion of the film’s beginning.

Saturday Night, while providing some charmingly nostalgic entertainment, never proves that it couldn’t have worked better if its information were presented in a more straightforward and efficient documentary format.

GRADE: B-

Self Reliance

A man (an always-affable Jake Johnson) who is bored with his everyday routine agrees to participate in a game where he has to dodge lethal hunters for thirty days and is only safe when he is in close proximity to other people. Well-acted and adeptly made (Johnson makes his feature directorial debut), the film has a charmingly idiosyncratic tone that makes it uniquely appealing at first.

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t know how to sustain interest in or take full advantage of its inventive concept for the duration of a feature-length film. It runs out of creative steam about halfway through and never fully recovers, taking an oddly uninspired and cliched rom-com route as opposed to fully exploring the absurdity and dark humor of its central premise. Self Reliance has numerous merits, but is an overall missed opportunity of a film that isn’t quite clear on what it wants to be.

GRADE: C+

Sleeping Dogs

A former detective suffering from Alzheimer’s (a typically outstanding Russell Crowe) revisits a years-old murder case he can’t remember in order to save a death row inmate (Pacharo Mzembe) who may have been falsely accused of the crime. While the central murder mystery is a bit too involved to follow easily or clearly and can sometimes test its audience’s patience, it ultimately resolves itself in a highly satisfying manner. Sleeping Dogs may not be the smoothest or cleanest viewing experience for chunks of its duration, but it still manages to pack an unforgettable and surprising dramatic wallop in the end.

GRADE: B+

Spaceman

Adam Sandler stars as a lone astronaut on a mission in space who starts seeing and communicating with a wise, spider-like alien who may or may not be the product of his imagination. Often hypnotic, the film is an overall success with its consistently meditative exploration of the effects of loneliness on human beings. Unfortunately, the pacing is increasingly sluggish as the film progresses and it becomes difficult at times to stay fixated on the story.

Sandler’s impressive dramatic work, numerous moments of moving poeticism, and an overall thoughtful screenplay all make Spaceman’s faults somewhat tolerable, however, so that its overall impact is a memorable one.

GRADE: B

Speak No Evil

An American family (Mackenzie Davis, Scott McNairy, Alix West Lefler) meets a personable British family (James McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, and Dan Hough) and are invited to spend a weekend at their peaceful country home. The visit soon becomes bizarrely uncomfortable and increasingly dangerous, however. This remake of the Danish thriller of the same name consistently delivers tension through peculiar interactions and odd behavior—something that on rare occasions gets old due to some redundancies in the script and the film’s overly loose pacing.

Speak No Evil effectively keeps its audience on its toes for the majority of its duration, but it gets so caught up in doing so that it sometimes forgets to keep the plot moving steadily forward.

GRADE: B

Strange Darling

A man (Kyle Gallner) meets a woman (Willa Fitzgerald) and they engage in a game of sexual roleplay that turns into something dangerously unexpected. Twisty, shocking, suspenseful, taut, demented, riveting, expertly executed, beautifully performed, and structurally audacious, there are few compliments that could be given to any other horror/thriller that this particular one is not also worthy of. Do yourself a favor and let Strange Darling be the wonderful surprise that it is and don’t read about it any further. Just see it and find out for yourself.

GRADE: A

Stopmotion

A stop-motion animator (Aisling Franciosi) literally and horrifically loses herself in her work after her stern mother falls ill. This trippy, surreal, and highly edgy psychological horror effort realizes a good deal of its potential with strong filmmaking, great visuals, and dedicated performances. It sometimes threatens to stall, disinterest, and cheapen with sporadically sluggish pacing, select moments of nonsensical pretension, and wince-inducing gore. However, it always impressively manages to get back on course.

Stopmotion could have been something truly great with a little more directness in its writing and overall presentation and a little less desire to shock and confuse, but it’s still a strangely and uniquely terrifying experience, nonetheless.

GRADE: B

The Substance

An aging actress (a sensationally brave Demi Moore) starts taking a mysterious substance that allows her to share her existence with a younger, physically flawless version of herself (an equally impressive Margaret Qualley). Paced steadily to perfection, beautifully and articulately photographed by Benjamin Kracun, and thoughtfully written by director Coralie Fargeat, this is a horror film/dark comedy that astutely satirizes and observes youth obsession, aging, and the never-ending superficiality that is more often than not found at the heart of show business. The Substance is entertaining, enlightening, and fulfilling in every imaginable way.

GRADE: A

Suncoast

Nico Parker, Laura Linney, and Woody Harrelson all deliver knockout performances in this endearing and highly touching dramedy. Parker stars as a young girl who longs to live an ordinary teenage life, but her terminally ill brother (Cree Kawa) and abrasively overbearing mother (Linney) often make that difficult. Suncoast is a coming-of-age-story that might seem a tad familiar and overly sentimental at first glance, but it’s told with such heart and sincerity (it has autobiographical origins from writer/director Laura Chinn’s life) that it still manages to ultimately affect its audience on a deeply and profoundly emotional level.

GRADE: A-

That Christmas

A snowstorm interrupts Christmas Eve, leaving children alone, parents in danger, and Santa’s plans in disarray. While the animation and art design are a tad generic and uninspired, the characters are still lovably amusing, the story is still delightfully heartwarming, and the holiday cheer is still plenty evident. That Christmas is a perfectly pleasant effort that is sure to find its way onto numerous seasonal watch lists.

GRADE: B+

Thelma

An elderly woman (a downright excellent June Squibb) falls for a telephone scheme that robs her of $10,000, then sets out on a journey to get it back. Smart, unique, funny, thoughtful, and engrossing, this is the kind of high-quality, character-based, and mature comedy geared toward adults that we just don’t get to see enough of these days. Wonderful writing, filmmaking, and performances culminate to make Thelma an inspired and lovable film that reminds us that growing old doesn’t have to equate with growing helpless.

GRADE: A

The Thicket

Juliette Lewis lights the screen on fire as a notoriously brutal cowgirl who kidnaps a young girl (Esme Creed-Miles) and then has to face the consequences of being tracked by the girl’s brother (Levon Hawke) and some skilled bounty hunters, the head of which is portrayed by an outstanding Peter Dinklage.  While there is not a weak link in the cast and the filmmaking is reliably sturdy, the uninspired and, at times, dull execution fails to make a memorable impact. Lewis and Dinklage deserve a film that better lives up to their astounding talents.

While The Thicket is passable and can sometimes be mildly entertaining, it is ultimately an unexceptional entry in the Western genre that fails to fully live up to its potential.

GRADE: C+

This Is the Zodiac Speaking

This three-part documentary series on the unsolved Zodiac Killer case features plenty of information that is already known to its followers, but it also fascinatingly contains new testimony from adults who claim to have known prime suspect Arthur Leigh Allen when they were children. These fresh perspectives are wholly believable and further nail the coffin shut on Allen’s increasingly probable (though still frustratingly uncertain) guilt. This Is the Zodiac Speaking requires some patience if you already know the facts, but it still manages to heavily increase interest in an already-compelling case whose full truth may torturously forever elude us.

GRADE: A-

Trap

This wannabe thriller from M. Night Shyamalan centers on a serial killer (a gleefully twisted Josh Hartnett) who walks into a police trap while attending a pop music concert with his daughter (a believable Ariel Donoghue). The first half offers classy, suspenseful, and inventive thrills, as the film initially has great fun with its enticing premise. Roughly halfway through, however, the film runs out of ideas, stalls, ditches the storyline that made it so interesting in the first place, and becomes less believable and less interesting the more it progresses.

Trap could have been spectacular if it stuck to the tight confines of its initial set-up, but it instead takes a direction that forces it to lose a great deal of its quality and become just another basic, generic, and wholly unthrilling thriller.

GRADE: C

Trigger Warning

Jessica Alba stars as a Special Forces agent who faces violent corruption in her hometown after the unexpected death of her father. Alba is a believable tough gal, exuding precision, control, and strength throughout the film. The action is also well-staged and manages to be intensely involving at times.  Unfortunately, the quiet moments between the excitement that are used for story and character development are dull and largely forgettable. Quite early on, they deeply harm the film’s momentum to a point from which it is unable to fully recover.

Despite containing some impressively thrilling moments, Trigger Warning increasingly becomes a tedious task to endure rather than effective entertainment in which to escape.

GRADE: C

True Detective: Night Country

This fourth season of True Detective is the first season without any involvement from its creator/former showrunner, Nic Pizzolatto. Writer/director Issa López takes over the reins this time around, and the results can be a tad rocky but ultimately quite worthwhile. While Pizzolatto’s irreplaceable voice is often missed and never forgotten, there is no denying the quality and uniquely brutal beauty that this particular season showcases.

Jodie Foster and Kali Reis lead the wholly impressive cast, portraying Alaskan detectives investigating the mysterious and horrific death of a group of remote station workers. The narrative can sometimes be confusing, the over-reliance on expository dialogue grows tiresome, and minor callbacks to the first season feel tacked on and cheap. That being said, the season’s overall hypnotic progression, dark poeticism, beautifully drawn and fascinatingly flawed characters, and ultimately satisfying conclusion make it wholly worthwhile. True Detective: Night Country may not quite rival its original creator’s vision, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a high-quality runner-up.

GRADE: B+

Unfrosted

This fictional interpretation of the origin of Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts is an interesting, though not entirely successful, exercise in absurdity. Co-written by, directed by, and starring Jerry Seinfeld, the film has a quirkily surreal comedic style that is initially endearingly unique, but also grows tiresome as the film progresses. The exceptionally gifted cast members (Seinfeld, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy, and many, many others) deliver heightened performances with straight faces and full dedication, matching the exaggerated tone that dominates the film while simultaneously bringing it down to a level of believable reality.

While the satire is intelligent, the jokes, unfortunately, don’t quite land the way they need in order for the film to truly work. Unfrosted is plenty colorful, clever, inventive, and amusing, but its overriding and significantly marring fault is that it never quite manages to be funny.

GRADE: C+

What Jennifer Did

A young woman’s family is attacked in their home, and the story she gives to the authorities becomes increasingly implausible. Unfortunately, the title of this film alone already gives too much away because it makes it obvious that the girl is guilty of something. The film also sorely lacks the much-needed testimony of the surviving family members that would give it a bit more emotional depth and narrative clarity.

What Jennifer Did examines a riveting mystery, but is partially unfulfilling because it lacks the humanity it needs to fully involve its audience’s interest and empathy in its twisty narrative.

GRADE: B-

Woman of the Hour

Co-star Anna Kendrick makes a stunningly intelligent, impressively thoughtful, and strikingly refined directorial debut with this seventies-set, true life-inspired examination of select women who unluckily crossed paths with the serial killer Rodney Alcala. The always-tasteful film is never exploitative, but it still manages to contain high entertainment value while telling a wholly and endlessly compelling story. By way of a successfully complex structure, indisputably top-notch performances, highly skilled filmmaking, and sensitively aware writing, Woman of the Hour is an unforgettably rewarding experience.

GRADE: A    

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More

Wes Anderson continues practicing his whimsically innocent, quirkily humorous, endlessly innovative, and meticulously detailed sensibilities with this four-part anthology film based on the writings of Roald Dahl. Despite the film’s many attributes, the imposed theatricality of its style—while highly unique–grows increasingly tiresome and ultimately makes the film an uncinematic and overall tedious experience. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More is further proof that the ultra-talented Anderson needs to step outside of his comfort zone if he truly wants to grow and further develop his exceptional talents.

GRADE: C+

A young woman (Lucy Boynton) who is grieving over the death of her boyfriend (David Corenswet) finds that she can travel back in time to different parts of their relationship when she listens to music that the two of them previously heard together. With this ability, she makes it her mission to correct the past and save the love of her life. Things get complicated when she meets a new man (Justin H. Min) for whom she starts to develop feelings.

The Greatest Hits is an inventive, sensitive, emotionally moving, and strikingly insightful movie that centers on the theme of grief in an easily digestible and wholly accessible fashion. It makes sure to never sink into the depressed nature of its lead character, and always remains hopeful and upbeat—even when examining the emptiness that comes with extraordinary loss. It is a film that impressively provides both escapist entertainment and emotional catharsis in an intelligent and tender manner.

Boynton carries the film beautifully. She is bravely vulnerable throughout, portraying a character who is consistently struggling with the undercurrent of emotional pain that defines her present-day reality. She is able to convey her character’s struggles while also magically showcasing an effortless affability and lifelike chemistry with her co-stars. It is a complex performance that successfully conveys many complex emotions.

Corenswet is wholly charismatic in flashback/time travel scenes, making Boynton’s inability to let his character go entirely understandable. Min clearly exudes the kindness, gentleness, and empathy that make his character so appealing to the wounded and suffering Boynton in present-day scenes. Both Corenswet and Min serve The Greatest Hits well by portraying characters who believably take a strong hold over Boynton’s emotions. The film simply wouldn’t have worked as well as it does if the two actors weren’t as charming and as capable as they repeatedly prove themselves to be.

Writer/director Ned Benson brings extensive thoughtfulness to the film. The script favors the examination of the human condition over full reliance on its high-concept (and admittedly fantastic) central storyline. Benson’s directorial method allows the strength of the screenplay and the strength of the performances to take precedence above all else. Stylistic flourishes are used sparingly and exist only when necessary to organically highlight emotions or to communicate when time travel is taking place in the story.

The Greatest Hits’ only real fault is that it doesn’t fully commit to its initial theme of grief being an inevitability for us all. Its desire to be wrapped up too neatly slightly disempowers its overall impact. The ending feels like a compromise and, while it’s not one that ruins the film’s otherwise exceptional quality, it does hinder its potential to truly and completely reach greatness.

The Greatest Hits is a smart and emotionally moving movie with a unique and creative concept. It showcases a sincerely touching screenplay, impressively assured filmmaking, and realistically human characters portrayed by exceptional performers. While its ending falls short of the quality that comes before it, there is no denying that The Greatest Hits creates some very fond memories that will linger long after you’ve finished watching it.

GRADE: A-