C.J. Prince

All technical prowess, from Flanagan to his strong ensemble cast, can only go so far when it’s in service of such shallow, offensive escapism. This is a childish take on a universal experience and everyone, from the people involved in the production to the viewers, deserve better.

It’s a rich subject that Heller dives into without hesitation, including some of the thornier aspects, until a disappointing final act where she settles on basic end points for her ideas.

Timpson, along with co-writer Toby Harvard, prefer to take the easy way for achieving their goals, the film leaning into dated comedy and a relentless charm offensive that makes its efforts too strained to fully embrace.

At the very least, Stuckmann’s earnestness as a horror fan is apparent throughout Shelby Oaks, even though his admiration doesn’t translate effectively to his filmmaking.

Onlookers lacks specificity in its execution, making for a plodding experience across a short runtime.

There’s fertile ground in our current hypersensitive, extremely online culture that’s been used to create good satire in recent years. Borgli is happy to let that potential go to waste, taking broad swings and misses against a changing societal landscape without understanding his targets.

Raymond and Ray, while far from terrible, is more damning for how content it is with mediocrity. We know Garcia and his cast are capable of much better—they’ve done it.

There’s enjoyment to be had with The Menu, even if it amounts to echoes from the belly of the beast it’s targeting.

Empire of Light would like to remind us of the power of movies when it does a far stronger job recalling better ones.

Pugh’s performance is more adequate than impressive, a result of her character having background and motivations laid out so there’s little else to take from what’s onscreen.

It’s lucky that Neugebauer has such strong talent to elevate what she’s working with, as it helps rescue Causeway from a forgettable collection of indie-drama cliches into something more respectable.

However easy it is to admire Polley’s efforts to provide an example of the solidarity and courage it takes to build a better world, that alone doesn’t equate to good filmmaking. Women Talking doesn’t meet the moment so much as show up for it.

The Humans spends its time inside its own head when it should have been putting more effort getting into ours.

A mixed bag, part entertaining and part annoying with a whole lot of gusto behind it.

We’re ultimately left with a sense of formal stillness and relief brought about by the conservative spiritualism that feels strangely vague and unearned.