Jeff Ewing

Striking Rescue follows familiar beats, but there are enough twists and solid performances to land it well, while the action sequences are delivered with Jaa's characteristic uncompromising intensity.

The finale could use a little honing (greater context, a little more clarity, some tighter thematic context and background information), but it's still full of enough twists, tension, and surprises to have a solid time at the theater that audiences will be thinking about afterward.

The film is at its best when Heller is executing novel kills or blackmailing his bosses, and we're given just enough of those adrenaline-pumping scenes to make it all work together well. The Amateur strikes that delicate balance often (though not universally), but it works well enough when it counts, for an outing worth seeing.

Altogether, Black Phone 2 is a mixed bag that still has some clear winning attributes.

It's a good adaptation that stays true to the source material, but Chapter 2 still falls short of adaptational greatness.

The Rule of Jenny Pen has a lot going for it. Lithgow and Rush pull off strong performances, the escalation of tension is well-developed regarding the scenes taken as a whole, and the central conceit of the doll is used to strong effect.

Carmen is a largely enjoyable outing, fueled by a fresh take on the narrative and two leads with great expressiveness and a lot of on-screen chemistry. Barrera's dancing is truly beautiful, the choreography is inspired, and the gorgeous score pulls it all together.

As a whole, Devara: Part 1 is a bold and engaging tale marked with a pair of excellent performances by starN.T. Rama Rao, Jr., alongside a bold antagonist outing from Saif Ali Khan.

80 for Brady isn't the most original play in the playbook, minus the sheer atypicality of aiming a gang of protagonists with around almost 400 years between them at a sports event for which they aren't the usual fanbase. That said, the comedy has enough charm, memorable moments, and charismatic performances from legendary actresses that it's a good, breezy time.

It could innovate more thoroughly and ground its antagonistic plot with stronger internal logic, but it's a solid action outing that's well worth any audience's time.

Altogether, it's a solid dark comedy in the trappings of a psychological horror film.

The idea is good, but in practice The Prosecutor doesn't fully feel like a legal drama, nor does it feel like a martial arts film. It's a decent film with strong direction, but laden with regrettable missed opportunities.

A Man Called Otto has its moments, both humorous and heartwarming, and it works better than it should due to the strength of its performances. Unfortunately, it's also plagued by choices that blunt its overall coherence, seeming like Forster wanted to make an entirely different kind of film than the material dictated.

Some jokes run too long, don’t land, or could use another draft. It's a constant stream of cameos, which is overall fun but sometimes a little distracting. But, at its core, the sequel is a good-natured charmer about a troubled everyman who is trying hard to grow up without losing himself in the process, and it gives us a lot to laugh about on the way.

It's a beautiful tribute to a legend, packed with footage and interviews that highlight his accomplishments and unique talents, though at times a greater focus on John Williams the man, or a follow-up on certain thought-provoking threads, would be welcome.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle boasts stellar action, animation, and some wonderful performances, but it would be better as episodes than as a standalone film.

It takes some smart turns in the finale that modernize old tropes and give familiar beats a refreshing upgrade to relevant (but perhaps insufficient) degrees. The dialogue and situations feel real and authentic, and the performers land the material and have strong cast chemistry. At the same time, much of the movie is enjoyable but feels inescapably familiar.

One can't help but note the irony of a film about the pivot from the silent era to the talkies having such a loud, booming start but ending with a muffled thud.

It's a tense, mostly successful thriller with a talented cast, but greater artistry in the thematic development and greater novelty in the plotting would enhance the freshness of the crime drama.

What Last Rites gets most correct is its family dynamics, hearkening back to the first film's initial moments and providing a strong thread throughout the series. Farmiga, Wilson, and new and returning characters all pull this off brilliantly.

It is a somewhat decent movie hampered by so many preventable oversights and missteps.

There are successful elements in the script, certainly, but there are also several frustrating moments that simply needed another draft to work the knots out. All that said, it's a successful foray into sci-fi territory thanks to a willingness to stretch the subgenre's established rules, making for a fun murder mystery that keeps audiences guessing.

Altogether, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a fun MCU entry that finally starts to feel like the new Saga is pointing somewhere interesting.

Brothers is a largely enjoyable comedy, predominantly thanks to its talented central duo and smart direction by Barbakow, though it admittedly suffers from a host of issues baked into the script itself.

It's considerably elevated by strong performances and some excellent directorial and cinematographic choices, but it ultimately is undone by details and narrative pivots that don't work.

There's certainly good here, but it's hard not to wish certain key moments were allowed to thrive.

Altogether, a lot works about Now You See Me: Now You Don't. It's a lot of fun, with a dangerous new foe and big, great-looking tricks. The new cast members are all stellar, have an engaging dynamic with the original team, and everyone gets a stand-out hero moment (a must for an ensemble this size). On the other hand, the script feels perpetually rushed.

It's a film with several strong elements, though some issues in the scripting and execution limit its ultimate impact.