Kimber Myers

When Reinhardt’s fingers aren’t dancing across guitar strings, it has all the vitality of an educational film shown by a substitute teacher. It comes alive in those fleeting moments, but they are too infrequent to keep audiences engaged.

Like the man at its center, the film is aggressive and awkward, but there’s a sense of playfulness in how it pokes and prods at the world of independent cinema.

Catfight is the type of blackly comic film that works to alienate some viewers with its over-the-top approach and its unlikable characters. But those who enjoy its dark humor will cackle with mean-spirited delight.

It’s surprisingly intimate at times, but we leave without greater insight into its subjects’ world.

Throughout the documentary, infectious joy leaps off the screen with the same energy the color-guard teams display.

Movies with this serious a message about race are rarely fun to watch, but Peele has a perfect handle on tone, knowing just when to lean toward menacing, eerie or sharply funny and when to tip things in another direction.

Other than the enjoyably silly banter between Damon and Pascal, there are few moments that endear you to anyone on screen. The movie’s tone veers from bombastic to goofy with speed but little grace.

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t fully explore its big ideas or give its talented cast dialogue to match.

This is a saccharine science fiction romance that doesn’t actually concern itself with science fiction or romance; instead, it’s the equivalent of astronaut ice cream, lacking in substance and crumbling to bits at the slightest pressure.

With This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, acclaimed filmmaker Barbara Kopple retains her signature intimacy and freedom from judgment of her subject.

It earns points for not being overly pious, but there’s little depth in its exploration of one man’s spiritual evolution.

Boasting a higher body count than its IQ, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is violent, idiotic fun.

This documentary meanders a bit as it goes between time periods, but it’s never less than entertaining and illuminating.

There’s something fresh in Detour, but it’s buried underneath a largely unremarkable movie.

Director Gustavo Ron and co-writer Francisco Zegers fill the movie to bursting with plot, turning what might have been a delightfully airy cream puff of a film into a soggy disaster.

Animated comic book panels hint at an attempt at style, but bad camerawork captures bad performances of bad dialogue.

The Bye Bye Man just skirts so-bad-it’s-good territory, unintentionally making the audience laugh more than they gasp.

The fifth film in the series still executes creative kills; if only the same attention were paid to the rest of the movie.

With its saturated colors, swirling camerawork and aggressive techno beats, Sins of Our Youth is rarely dull, but it lacks the emotional resonance that one expects from a film with the death of a child at its heart.

This isn’t just a necessary or powerful story; it’s a well-told one.

More unity of style would have made a better final product, but Kyle’s story — coupled with vibrant cinematography from Schlanser — is strong enough to keep audiences engaged and moved throughout the brief running time.

It may lack focus in its approach to its subject, but Davis’ compelling character and powerful message keep the audience engaged.

Pretty but oh-so-dumb, Sugar Mountain is the cinematic equivalent of a himbo.

Contract to Kill looks remarkably cheap for a film whose characters wear Rolexes and take private planes. The money also wasn’t spent on the script from writer-director Keoni Waxman, which confuses a stream of expletives for wit.

Director Akan Satayev’s hacker thriller looks gorgeous, featuring locations around the world shot with crisp cinematography by Pasha Patriki. However, the script from Sanzhar Sultan is poorly structured and silly, revealing the emptiness beneath the shiny facade.

As impactful as its rarely told story might be, “Trezoros” would have been better served by a shorter running time or a more focused approach to its central story.

The fine cinematography, set design and costumes only serve as a distraction from the sparsely drawn story and uninteresting characters.

If you have an affection for puns or off-kilter humor, it’s hard not to be charmed by Asperger’s Are Us.