Christian Holub

Furiosa can’t possibly be as mind-blowing as its predecessor, but it does allow us to spend a little more time in this world and Miller’s mind. No other working action filmmaker sees the world the way he does.

Haynes’ camera often perceives these characters from around a corner, or from the other side of a mirror, or inside what they think is a safe space — always giving the viewer the simultaneously icky and exhilarating feeling of being a trespasser on private secrets.

This is not a movie made for second-screen viewing; anyone glimpsing at their phone for even a moment may miss a key character moment or plot detail that is conveyed visually. It will be best to see in a theater during whatever release window Netflix provides — but even when viewed at home, Maestro deserves the same level of respect from viewers as one of Bernstein's public performances of the music of Mahler.

Though they may seem disparate, the many elements of Oppenheimer refract and reflect each other, like a bunch of atoms creating a chain reaction or a group of scientists building off each other's ideas to forge something new.

Rather than the beginning of a cool, new idea, The Flash now feels like it should be the last word on movie multiverses.

It's a little sad to say that aside from certain surprises, much of Across the Spider-Verse's contents were in the trailers. The job of a trailer is to show viewers the premise of a movie without spoiling the conclusion — but there's no conclusion here!

Fast X wants all the grandiosity of finality while not actually ending anything.

It's all quite fun, with a good sense of humor and a consistent computer-animated aesthetic — plus, at 90 minutes including credits, it's short, sweet, and over before anything can get annoying.

What's especially welcome about the humor in Honor Among Thieves is that it doesn't wink or mock its material; the characters just say funny things and bounce off each other as organically as a real-life friend group. The fantasy elements are played straight, and the central story is a relatable romp about how people who fail as individuals can still succeed together.

But for all its faults, The King's Man is at least hilariously bad in the way that emotionless, made-by-committee blockbusters like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are not.

There are some jokes here — Paul Rudd brings a little lightness to the proceedings as the kids' science teacher, Mr. Grooberson — but it's hard to escape the overall sensation of, well, a corpse being exhumed.

Fatalities are the closest we get to the fun of playing a Mortal Kombat game, but future adapters would be better off realizing that video games are art precisely because of their unique gameplay, and not because of the silly lore that stitches cutscenes together.

Mikkelsen has played iconic villains before, and while Prentiss isn't nearly as memorable as Hannibal Lecter or Le Chiffre, he still manages to imbue Chaos Walking with a sense of danger.

Plot doesn't really matter, there's not much character development to speak of, but there is a lot of fighting against an endless swarm of enemies.

Wolfwalkers deserves a new level of praise for the way it takes previous Cartoon Saloon themes (such as the porous relationship between man and nature) to new heights of artistry.

Despite falling for some classic sequel potholes, Trolls World Tour continues the fun energy of its predecessor in a way that should provide some quarantine relief for families.

It’s a proud piece of family entertainment with a good heart, an eye for inventive action, and a delightfully wacky sense of humor.

Lucy in the Sky’s attempt to sync cosmological visions with a believable human drama never quite works.

Abominable’s themes and arc are familiar kids’ movie fare, with only one real plot twist. But its reverent attitude toward nature and wonder is a welcome addition to the cartoon canon.

Unfortunately for Travolta (and for us), only one movie can hold the dubious distinction of being the worst. In place of Wiseau-style eccentricity, The Fanatic has contempt for both its characters and audience.

By giving Chucky a reason to kill, the new movie’s arc can’t help but dilute his menace a bit.

The strength of Tito and the Birds lies in its imaginative touches like this and overall visual aesthetic, which mixes various painting and animating styles into a beautiful fusion, but the actual storytelling leaves a little depth to be desired.

An unimaginative waste of science-fiction potential.

The film makes a compelling portrait of how job assignments can eventually become jail sentences, and how years can drift into each other with little care for unfulfilled dreams. As it goes, Zama ponders the unanswerable question of what kind of life, exactly, is worth living.

Sherlock Gnomes doesn’t quite have the originality and spark to make it a pop-culture phenomenon. Yet it’s still an enjoyable family adventure with a solid message.

Again, we know the beats by heart, but there’s a reason A Christmas Carol has been told every which way from Muppets to Disney. You can’t help getting swept up in it, even if you’ve heard it all before.

Thank You For Service is so successful at capturing the Iraq War’s effects on American lives.

Chan has a bit of Clint Eastwood’s "Unforgiven" aura about him here, with the costs of his violent life visible in the weary lines of his face. I’m not sure anyone has plans to turn this into a franchise, but I certainly want to see more from this Chan-aissance.