Jeff Ewing

Nosferatu shows Robert Eggers at the height of his powers, building an atmosphere of choking menace anchored by magnificent turns from Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgard.

Wicked defies gravity for a soaring, beautifully sung return to Oz with wonderful vibrancy and a true sense of scale.

The Long Walk exceeds even optimistic expectations to easily become one of the best Stephen King adaptations.

From a horror standpoint, M3GAN could be scarier, but it's difficult enough for a film to balance suspense, a nuanced look at grief, and intelligently meta jokes, and M3GAN does all that surprisingly well. The long and the short of it is that, while M3GAN could perhaps be scarier and it doesn't feel entirely conceptually novel, it's a genuinely great addition to the horror-comedy canon.

Inconsistencies and issues aside, Shazam 2 hits the comic book movie sweet spot. The performances are strong, the humor lands, and the stakes feel high with comic book panache and the kinds of visuals one only gets in a comic book (business-destroying minotaurs, anyone?).

It's a well-balanced animated actioner that captures everything fans already love about Geralt of Rivia while exploring the complicated politics of monster hunting.

Some moments could benefit from lessened narration, a longer cut in an individual scene, or the maintenance of a less dreamlike tone, but it's a fine film that provides one of the most unique cinematic experiences in biopic history.

It's an excellent, if imperfect, crime thriller, capably indicting our era with the same insight that Kurosawa brought to the internet's potential to isolate in Pulse.

There's a clear command of how to set up a cool/scary/funny scene, execute, and move on before it's stale, and that's a testament to Roberts' skill as director and co-writer alongside scribe Ernest Riera.

It's a fun, action-packed outing with surprisingly effective emotional resonance, adding layers to existing Transformers lore while being a worthwhile story in its own right.

Echo Valley is a tense thriller propelled by strong performances from Moore and Sweeney and a never scarier Domnhall Gleeson.

Ne Zha II is a bold, action-packed, interesting celebration of Chinese legend, wrapped around the story of a growing boy who wants to determine his future. The new English dub translates these characters well to the screen, and its visuals are beautiful companions to the large-scale story.

The entity's visage is shocking, its effects personal and malevolent, and the film had some terrifying set pieces, creating a mysterious new supernatural creature to lose sleep over.

Between strong character work, adept mystery writing, amusingly tongue-in-cheek fourth-wall breaks which broadly work, and swift action sequences, Enola Holmes 2 is by and large a welcome and engaging mystery experience.

The film captures the reality of an abundantly free, but unguarded childhood well, and the resultant dreamlike quality of certain scenes is thoroughly engaging. It's absolutely a journey to watch.

It's a strong and highly watchable thriller that shouldn't be missed.

It's a fun narrative, the action elements are well done and uncompromising, and the jokes work. Sure, the narrative could use a little shine in certain aspects, such as the conspiracy at the film's heart and the background of their newly deceased, estranged father, but as a whole, it's a stellar outing and a lot of fun, a blank check for a probable franchise.

Altogether, The Fire Inside is a strong directorial debut for Rachel Morrison, boasting excellent performances from Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry.

It's a winner, with a surprisingly breezy pace for such a long action spectacle. Interested audiences should catch it on the largest screen they can.

KPop Demon Hunters is a charming action outing with fun world-building, catchy songs, and strong performances.

It's anchored by a wonderful central performance from Susan Chardy, who finds layers of nuance in Shula as her anger over the situation bubbles to the surface. It's an excellent film, and a strong display of talent across the board.

Your Monster is an engaging showcase of Barrera's considerable talents, as well as proof that Dewey can nail a charismatic rom-com lead role under any circumstances.

If Cheech & Chong's Last Movie is actually their last movie (a plausible hypothesis given that their last live-action feature together was back in 1984), it's a great curtain call. It's a breezy, engaging, but still informative look at the duo and their falling out, and it ends on a note that's surely welcome for fans of their comedic oeuvre.

It's a film that subtly reminds the audience to slow down, be present, and enjoy what one has, because it can be gone in an instant, while also encouraging hope. It's a beautiful cinematic journey and one not to be missed.

It may not feel fully original, and some moments could be honed, but it's a solid, visually gorgeous outing from Huston anchored by an excellent central performance from Michael Pitt.

It would have benefitted from a greater inclusion of Pep's good times, allowing a more well-rounded exploration and understanding of the storied athlete, but thanks to a well-scripted narrative and excellent performances, it remains an excellent biographical look into the decline and fall of a featherweight empire.

There's something to be missed from the first due to the predictability of his path in this iteration, but there are enough surprises and novelties (usually violent) to provoke delight and get adrenaline pumping.

It’s a gory, bonkers action-comedy premise anchored by a set of strong performances and a surprisingly poignant meet-cute, making for a wildly memorable action outing.