Alan Ng

While Buffaloed is light on laughs, it’s Deutch as Peg that is the real joy to watch. She creates a character that is unique, energetic, and thoughtfully developed.

There’s much to like about The Electrical Life of Louis Wain — the Victorian setting, cats, Cumberbatch, and its visually stunning cinematography. But it may not be enough to spark enough life into a movie-going audience that wants something new.

Well Groomed serves more to alert you that creative grooming is a thing, but most likely will find it hard to win over those uninterested in the subject.

The Beach Boys documentary has everything you’d want in a music documentary— a compelling story behind the nostalgia, the main figures being open and honest about the rise and fall, interesting conversations, and great music.

In Amerikatsi, Michael Goorjian channels his inner Roberto Begnini and even Charlie Chaplin to bring humor and levity to a solemn subject. But the best part is he shines a light on the Armenian people and their resurgence to re-establish their culture after great tragedy.

Knock at the Cabin is a thriller with great performances and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

I still can’t believe this is Wolff’s first film as writer and director. He shows an excellent command of storytelling. There’s a lot of backstory and very little exposition (which can be a first-time filmmaker trap). His dialogue is natural and authentic to the age of its characters, and the way eventual conflicts between the friends play out feels unforced.

Empathy and balance is the reason you must see This Land.

The most intriguing aspect of Chef Flynn is its honesty.

While having all the key elements of a mystery, director Stacie Passon’s film is more a character study focusing on themes of the safety of sisterhood and self-imposed alienation.

To me, the story is the reason to see The Matrix Resurrections. Lana Wachowski brings unexpected freshness to this new evolution of Matrix stories.

The fun of Sigourney Weaver in directors Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes’ feature, The Good House, is watching a master actor create an everyday character so believable that she could literally walk into a room and pass as one of us. By the way, everything I said about Weaver equally applies to her co-star Kevin Kline as well.

Though I don’t think 100 Days to Live is necessarily a PSA on suicide prevention, it’s a damn good thriller. I’m still thinking about the morality of that ending even now.

As a comedy, Mark, Mary & Some Other People keeps the laughs light and the story grounded.

Do You Trust This Computer is informative at the least. Everyone and everything comes off as credible, and the philosophy comes off as plausible. It effectively plants the seeds of paranoia.

The Vandevere plot effectively turns the film from a cute animated story of talking animals into a thriller with corporate intrigue.

Ip Man 4: The Finale is a thrilling end to the Ip Man saga. The action is fast-paced, and the fighting is poetic. The story not only brings a modern twist to the legend but is just as relevant today as it was in the 70s.

In the end, Plane is a high-adventure thrill ride. Unplug your brain. Suspend disbelief and strap in. No lectures, moralizing, or virtue signaling. Just an everyman trying to get home to his family. It may also serve as motivation to take a few wilderness survival courses.

Ihara and Aw’s love story feels real and plays well as represented through fine cuisine.

It’s a story of very flawed people who followed the pied piper to a new world that doesn’t exist.

Enter Horse Girl with an open mind and enjoy the ride.

With this cast, the film should have been a knockout. Instead, it feels bogged down, heavy, and way too concerned with making statements instead of just being entertaining.

Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken is not only informative in the same way Super Size Me was, but his story about opening a fast-food restaurant and the journey he took to get there is entertaining and telling.

Ultimately, it’s fine. Yet, considering its cinematic history, fine is never good enough.

For those who appreciate uplifting stories with spiritual undertones, it delivers exactly what’s expected—and sometimes, God’s blessing is enough.

As They Made Us shines because of its cast.

Liesl Tommy extracts the proper emotion from every scene, and the music is like truffles on top of a fantastic meal.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is the story that began it all, laying the themes of Japanese kaiju that would endure for decades.