Kimber Myers

Aggressive and aggressively unfunny, Hollywood-set comedy Walk of Fame hates its characters and its audience — and the feeling is mutual.

Blue Gold: American Jeans is intermittently engaging, but its attempt to weave together the journey of vintage clothing dealer Eric Schrader with the history of the apparel ultimately falls apart.

The flaws of Nola Circus aren’t limited to its outrageous and offensive approach. It’s that it never succeeds in bringing viewers onto its wavelength, which is probably a good thing for humanity’s sake.

This mess never knows whether it’s a mob movie or a raunchy comedy.

It creeps along without providing either scares or an unsettling mood.

The lifeless script and bland performances damn the film and the unlucky viewers who find it.

Though there are some cool moments, the film lacks the connective tissue to make an audience invest in Xia Tian’s efforts.

Unfortunately, the worst fault in this horror movie isn’t the amateur performances, beginner-level editing or the special effects; it’s the dreadfully dumb script.

Hearing Is Believing could have offered more insight into Rachel’s experience, but instead it invests in the action of its title, including long stretches of witnessing Rachel at the piano and on various other instruments.

The film is a moving experience for both its subjects and the audience.

Somehow worse than its ridiculous title, Awaken the Shadowman is sillier than it is scary.

While there are some cool creature effects and committed, physical performances by the actors playing the monsters, the movie’s worst sin isn’t the found-footage rules it ignores. Instead it breaks the cardinal rule of the larger horror genre, running 95 minutes without a single scare or moment of dread.

As writer, director, producer, star, editor and more, J. Van Auken brings a cool central concept and strong visuals, but the film ultimately never finds solidity.

Beyond its style, Dementia 13 doesn’t innovate, but it’s a capably made indie that should please genre fans searching for a haunted diversion.

There’s no artifice in this documentary, with the director simply presenting the women’s lives as they tell them, one after another. Slow-moving and sad, Twenty Two isn’t easy to watch, but it isn’t meant to be.

It’s a stunning feat of technology and artistry.

This slick and stylish exterior belies a rotting core underneath. Ryde thinks little of its characters or its audience; it's an exercise in misanthropy with a nasty streak of misogyny running through it.

The script blunts its own emotional impact with coincidences, odd choices and an ending that feels too neat, even for an inspirational film of this nature.

Slipaway is a simple and sweet film, occasionally to a fault, but Partnow is a revelation. The material could feel manipulative, but she convinces viewers that every moment is real.

Though it’s never really scary, it is appropriately silly and a fun time for genre fans who prefer giggles to gore.

Directed by Michael Achilles Nickles, the movie can’t maintain a consistent tone, veering from earnestness to silliness like a bad slice.

On a single day, the protagonist of The Truth About Lies is fired from his job, his apartment burns down and his girlfriend dumps him. He has it easy compared to anyone who actually watches this thoroughly unpleasant, unfunny comedy.

Shree’s film offers insight and intimacy, with survivors being incredibly honest and vulnerable, which will help to drive awareness of the problem and how to fix it.

Survival stories aren't rare in cinema, but Garcia's journey will make even the most jaded viewers drop their jaws.

Generational Sins does deserve praise for avoiding the saccharine tone that plagues so many other films about faith, though its script may fail to convert nonbelievers.

There’s little fun to be had for the audience other than in some nicely executed special effects.

The romance lacks the depth that can make a love story feel real, but the performances charm, as does the film’s well-meaning take on culture clashes.

There’s no shortage of areas to explore in philosophy, science and religion, but The Man From Earth: Holocene would rather spend its time with unlikable characters than deal with complex concepts.

It’s a well-intentioned film that wants to help people live healthier lives, but it sometimes appears closer to a feature-length infomercial than a legitimate documentary.

The performances don’t always reach the rawness of the subject, but the film will resonate with many people who have experienced similar crises and help others empathize.

t times, Mully is difficult to watch as it explores the depth of poverty and abuse for some Kenyans. However, Mully’s story is ultimately heartwarming, with the postscript about his family and his efforts offering a balm to the pain.

Atomic Homefront is a both a fiery indictment of systemic inaction and a tribute to the work of those battling for their families’ safety.

As a screenwriter and director, Goldbloom is green but well-intentioned, with later moments redeeming some early ugliness.

It is a master class in how not to make a film, beginning with lessons in writing an unfunny script, leaving foundation makeup visible on actors’ faces and sound editing that overemphasizes a bland score.

The documentary is at its strongest when it leans into its variety of subjects, rather than when the director centers on his own history and training. However, he skims over both, and the lack of depth and focus hurts his argument.

The standard plot may inspire feelings of déjà vu, but the gags and performances in Goldbuster will win over audiences that like slapstick and silliness.

This family film feels episodic and entirely aimless. Set pieces that could have been fun feel rushed, and it’s unclear whether the problem originates with moments that weren’t animated or if connecting scenes and shots were cut in post-production.

There isn’t a lot of insight or depth regarding the bestselling author’s life and experience beyond his career achievements.

This Russian drama is at once poetic and painfully realistic as it explores a century of conflict and its broader impact.

Its story of redemption means well, but its good intentions can't compensate for characters that are often unlikable and unbelievable.

With an affection for nerd culture that is inversely proportional to its budget, this lo-fi sci-fi comedy is destined for laugh-filled late-night viewing.

Writer, director, producer and star Stephen Kogon is clearly trying his hardest to create an entertaining film fueled by a passion for tap dance, but what’s on screen demonstrates an utter lack of filmmaking knowledge.

It wants to be a commentary on the depravity of Hollywood and what people find entertaining, but instead it mostly just mirrors the media's habit of using sexual trauma as a plot device and surviving such horrors as a character trait.

Horton shows clear affection for the genre, but only the most indiscriminate horror fan could love this lumbering five-headed monster.

7 Guardians of the Tomb should be a B-movie blast, but it never seems aware of its own silliness.

There are a few early laughs, but the film from first-time director Brody Gusar is a tonal mess with feelings of disgust as its sole constant.

Poop Talk is at its best when the actors and comics are telling jokes and ruminating on the nature of why these jokes are so funny and their appeal is so universal.

But Deliver Us From Evil has no tonal cohesion, and the amateur editing from Coates only exacerbates the issue.

What makes The Redeemed and the Dominant so engaging isn't the hulking specter of steroids; it's the competitors' feats of strength and speed and their powerful personalities to match.

The movie draws you in with its tender exploration of relationships and authentic performances, but pushes you away with pointless slo-mo sequences.

The script misses the spark of better family films with its overly complicated plot and lackluster dialogue. However, "The Son of Bigfoot" features some nice animation, particularly in its action scenes, and its moments between father and son are especially sweet.

Centering on a vibrant performance by Horta and lively musical moments, this Brazilian biopic from director Hugo Prata celebrates Regina's talent, but it never gives real insight into who she was as a person or the historical period that fueled her work.

With its authentic emotions and good intentions, Herz's drama will still likely inspire empathy in the more sympathetic members of the audience who can see past its filmmaking flaws.

Class Rank is a late bloomer that takes time to find its footing, but once it does, it proves to be as stealthily likable as its characters.

For the skeptics, the film doesn't only focus on how chanting makes practitioners feel, though that is its most compelling, quiet argument. For those who meditate, it also reveals the physical changes that are measurable in brain scans.

Color Me You lacks details that would make its characters, their relationships and their actions feel real.

Compassion, warmth and tenderness radiate off the screen, thanks to the guiding hand of Pendharkar and the nuanced performances of Hollyman and Arison.

Its C-movie horror should only be experienced while under the influence when your judgment isn't at its best.

Written by and starring a bleached-blond Blake Jenner, Billy Boy is ambitious in its structure, style and editing, but the final product is disjointed and irritating.

What's most effective about the film isn't just the events at Porter-Gaud or their aftermath; it's Tolmach's emphasis on the disturbing truth of how often abuse like this is allowed to occur.

Unfortunately, while its intentions are as pure as the heart of its heroine, the biography offers little depth or insight into Yadvi. She is presented more as a flawless saint than a human princess in this drama mired in poor narrative structure and few details.

Trying to straddle the space between “Primer,” “Dark City” and “Memento,” 7 Splinters in Time ends up a frustrating trip to no man’s land. Despite an ambitious premise and style, the neo-noir sci-fi indie is a fractured narrative that can’t achieve what its lofty ideas intend.

This dreadful indie comedy rarely replicates life, instead offering dialogue that someone thought was funny said by awful characters in the midst of inorganic situations.

“To a More Perfect Union” could be more focused, particularly given its brief running time. However, the larger history behind the gay rights movement may be a helpful primer for those unfamiliar with it. But this doesn’t cloud the documentary’s emotional impact and effectiveness.

Christian Audigier the Vif lacks the strong narrative structure that would make it a better documentary, and it often skips details about Audigier’s life and experience that might have offered deeper insight into the designer.

This is writer-director Matt Sivertson’s first film, and he and his cast and crew are able to offer only a maudlin drama that inspires eye rolls rather than tears.

Actor-turned-director Peter Facinelli makes his behind-the-camera debut, and beyond the film’s many script issues, it’s not entirely without its charms. Peter and Daisy might not make sense, but Gibson and Hinson almost sell it with strong chemistry.

The movie isn’t just an excuse for the filmmaker to declare his love for “Lethal Weapon”; it dives into family dynamics, focusing on the son’s relationship with his unconventional father with some sweet and more serious moments.

Like a wrestler struggling to balance his real-life and in-the-ring personas, the grappling comedy Heels feels torn between its dual personalities, one warm, one coarse. Though individual parts work, this indie film from actor-writer-director Ryan Bottiglieri never fully unites its various elements and disparate tones into a well-crafted whole.

Unfortunately, Hell Mountain lacks basic cohesiveness in its storytelling, taking strange, unnecessary detours and not fully developing its details.

Action star and martial artist White is full of his usual charm and wit, but he and his sparks of humor feel out of place in this otherwise dour film.

Well-shot and well-intentioned, this drama will likely please its core faith-based audience who won’t roll their eyes at the protagonist’s name or the earnest, hackneyed dialogue. However, most others will find the movie’s script from Gianna Montelaro bland and lacking both nuance and specificity.

Last Curtain Call may lament the emptiness of its protagonist’s hedonistic and selfish lifestyle, but the film itself offers few pleasures with its poor pacing and cliched script.

Lost Fare aims to tell a story that’s at once dark and heartwarming, but it never balances these two contrasting ideas. There is genuine feeling here, but the dialogue and plot make the proceedings plodding and contrived.

This character-driven thriller gives specificity to small scenes, engaging the audience in each moment.

Actress and screenwriter Jessalyn Maguire brings her own challenges with anxiety and depression to both the lead role and the script, but the good intentions don’t create a good film with this psychology-driven drama.

Despite its flaws, The Samuel Project is likely to make an impact on open-hearted audiences, with extra credit due Linden for an authentic performance in line with the actor’s body of work.

It’s better than a number of indie films in its craft — particularly the thoughtfully composed cinematography from Kieran Murphy — but a flawed script ultimately keeps it from eking out a win.

Causey deserves real credit for reckoning not only with America’s legacy of slavery and prejudice, but also examining her own ancestors’ specific roles in the racist treatment of African Americans.

Despite chemistry between its attractive leads, 5 Weddings is a hot mess that deserves to be left at the altar. Inorganic and implausible, this Bollywood-inflected rom-com features little comedy and even less romance.

The documentary lacks the polish of films made by a more experienced team; however, its endearing cast of students and teachers largely make up for its flaws.

Underneath the layers of formaldehyde-treated flesh, there’s real heart and deserved wonder at the human body.

Though her script overloads its characters with confusion to the point of farce, there’s still a warm, authentic core that drives this well-meaning effort.

Individual moments work, but there’s little to tie them together in a cohesive narrative.

Madness, Farewell is best when introducing viewers to Liza’s simultaneously dark and sunny world, but later it turns into more of a standard quirky indie than its premise suggested.

It’s entertaining but slight, particularly as it bulks up with the post-credits inclusion of the video.

Rawal’s well-shot film is engaging — particularly for those with an interest in running and/or meditation — but the lack of balance between each of the four stories ultimately throws the film off.

Roll with Me avoids the tropes that narratives about people with disabilities often offer, instead giving a fully developed picture of a man who wants his family to be proud of him and his accomplishments.

Its incoherent script is packed with more “Star Wars” references than Kevin Smith’s entire oeuvre, but none of the laughs.

There’s clear affection for the ocean and its inhabitants in “Bernie the Dolphin,” but the movie’s script from Terri Emerson and Marty Poole is on the level of educational placards at a second-rate aquarium. It’s informative, but there’s little entertainment in director Kirk Harris’ film.

Elephants almost works, but it self-destructs with as much frequency as its damaged characters.

Not every stylistic choice works, with some moments distracting from the film’s message and occasional shots that don’t feel organic. But Brown’s journey remains compelling and absolutely necessary for the audience to see, as do the stories of his fellow veterans.

Though its script lacks moments that bring cohesion to its characters and timeline, Elenie remains a woman whom audiences can empathize with.

John David Ware’s directorial debut is sloppy in its editing and camera angles, though the script from Bonné Bartron gave him little to work with. Unbridled stumbles further with clumsy product placement, making the film seem less sincere in its efforts despite its good intentions.

Both awe-inspiring and mouth-watering, The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution celebrates seven female chefs forging ahead in a male-dominated industry.

Directors Tomer Almagor and Nadav Harel simply let the cameras roll, giving Neilson enough rope to hang himself with his actions and words.

It’s as unfocused as its heroine, roving between subplots, but there’s still plenty to admire in this frank, funny film.