Erick Massoto

Unfortunately, We Kill Them All doesn't know how to escalate its story beyond its initial premise, fumbling to make this concept work once it has been laid out. While the movie seems to that that less is more, the weaknesses of the film prove that isn't the case with this film.

Mononoke doesn't just deliver great works of art in every frame. It challenges you to keep up with it.

Pedro Páramo uses its supernatural language to inform the audience of the consequences of a collective wrongdoing. It is also remarkably efficient at communicating different storylines to the audience without making viewers get lost in the process.

All in all, the movie is a series of missed opportunities to create compelling storylines, and it's a shame that it doesn't use anything it presents on the screen to its advantage.

When we get to the end of its hefty runtime, we get the sensation that La Cocina tried to be several things — an investigative thriller, a fish-out-of-water drama, a delirious trip of a man who’s starting to get burnt out — and didn’t manage to take any of them all the way.

With vaguely established threats and storylines, Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate is the movie equivalent of meeting a friend you missed for many years only to realize that the encounter didn’t really need to happen.

Don Lee comes out the other side unscathed since his charisma helps carry most of the story and he’s always fun to watch.

At the end of the journey, Lift ends up as a double disappointment. It doesn’t work as a comedy, it doesn’t work as an action film, and its claim to the heist movie subgenre is tenuous at best.

For a film that originally was thought of as a subversion of the Star Wars franchise, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire feels pretty similar to an installment of it.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is still a greatly enjoyable entry in the animated adaptation landscape that mostly captures the essence of the novels. Most importantly, it doesn’t forget that kids’ insecurities can make them reckless and even unlikable, and that’s okay because, eventually, they’ll learn from their mistakes.

From references to Lin-Manuel Miranda (Moana) to songs that don’t rhyme and even metalinguistic performances – the one with the clocks is especially good because it completely underscores a particular character’s personality – Leo shows a surprising level of maturity that we’ve only come to expect from Pixar and Studio Ghibli films.

Thurman’s scenes only get better when she’s paired with Jackson. The duo handles their dialogue like a walk in the park, and you can tell that The Kill Room tries to make the most of it.

Mountains is the kind of movie that reminds us why we love to sit in the dark and peek at other people’s lives. It’s a three-way character study that teaches us about life, parenthood, marriage, and expectations without ever feeling preachy, boring, or flimsy.

Lost Ladies manages the rare feat of being a joyride and a meaningful social commentary at the same time.

From its simple but effective production design right down to Jinkings’ excellent performance, Toll provides a multi-layered picture of what Suellen’s life is like.

It’s pretty easy to fall in love with Ari and Dante, but the movie is only in love with the idea of them, neglecting quality time between the characters that would really make us feel like they've traveled through galaxies and beyond.

With disregard to elements it itself establishes and featuring more characters than it knows what to do with, the film forgets to flesh out its comedic potential and sticks to the repetition of a handful of jokes, even when some of them fall flat.

Power Rangers: Once & Always doesn’t make the same mistake as the 2017 feature film Power Rangers, which took itself way too seriously when it didn’t need to. At the same time, the special is too aware that it should be a little serious, which prevents viewers from having fun with the truly campy moments that, although rare, fire up the screen when they pop.

It’s open enough to be perceived as a character study, a horror story, or something different altogether. But what is indisputable is the movie’s excellent use of wide shots and close-ups, the gorgeous production design and cinematography, and Woodvine’s quiet but compelling performance.

Prom Pact is the perfect choice of flick for you to watch when you’re in the mood for something light and fun. It has an excellent cast, the jokes come easily and never feel forced, and the story is a true celebration of friendship and how you should always do your best to not let your people down – and work hard to apologize if you do. John Hughes would be proud.

The young cast helps elevate the comedy, but sadly the deeper conversations and relationships between the characters are never truly fleshed out.