Mae Abdulbaki

Limbo handles its themes with enormous grace, balancing despair with levity and a realism that makes this drama emotionally intense and worthwhile.

It’s a rousing horror with entrancing lore, an eco thriller with interesting themes, and a hostage drama that banks on gruesome and disorienting actions. Not everything comes together cohesively, but the story has a lot to offer and it’s grounded enough to leave a big and lasting impression.

While there's an attempt to convey a message about relationships, We Broke Up is more focused on awkward shenanigans than in exploring its characters.

Reliant on specific political clichés and a twist the audience will see coming from a mile away, Without Remorse is utterly bland and devoid of moxie.

It’s a passion project that, while evoking emotion in the wake of grief, could have used some more editing and fine-tuning for a better and smoother journey.

Despite the film's underwhelming and bizarre story developments, French Exit will remain memorable for Pfeiffer's performance alone.

The cast does a lot of the heavy lifting in the film, which evades exploring the characters' trauma. The emotional drama is a vehicle fueling a messy story in a film primarily concerned with elevating the mystery that so easily unravels by the end.

Poignant, funny, and emotionally resonant, Language Lessons organically develops a heartfelt friendship while its cast exudes warmth and charisma.

There's a lot to like in this engaging and unnerving drama, but the finale doesn’t come together to deliver on an intriguing and chilling first half.

While the film tells a raw, intriguing story, it isn’t always smooth sailing.

Violation is trenchant and effective, deftly handling the emotional trauma at its core.

While the human characters are there for exposition and could’ve used additional development, Godzilla vs. Kong is engaging and visually stunning.

With strong characters and a twist that meaningfully adds to their story, Long Weekend is an engaging romantic tale that offers a satisfying journey.

Despite everything, it has its fair of shining moments. There's a clear direction Snyder's Justice League has that the 2017 version of the film does not, and for that alone viewers can appreciate this film a whole lot more because of it.

Crisis tries its hardest to be like Traffic, but fails in creating a satisfyingly thorough world with enough high stakes or tension.

There are minimal bursts of potential lurking in Chaos Walking’s messy execution, but it doesn’t deliver much but stagnant characters and dull action.

Despite some genuinely funny and endearingly nostalgic moments, Coming 2 America attempts to do way too much with its plot rather than keep it simple.

Despite a weaker final act, Night of the Kings is spectacular, enthralling, and gripping. It's nearly poetic in its execution and that alone makes it well worth the watch.

The film is bolstered by the strength of Cooke's magnetic performance and is energetically entertaining, heartbreakingly sad, and darkly humorous.

The Father dives deep into the mind, delivering an engaging film that is unsettling, achingly sad, and is strengthened by Zeller’s assured narrative.

The film has its fair share of intoxicatingly gripping moments and watching Kaluuya as Hampton is visceral and empowering. Unfortunately, it never feels like the story gets out of its own way enough to flourish, nor does it explore the complexities needed to emphasize and humanize the characters in the way that it should.

The Mauritanian is an incredibly powerful, poignant, enraging film, one that is uplifted by an incredibly magnetic lead performance by Tahar Rahim.

It’s fraught with frenetic energy and delightfully charming performances, but Blithe Spirit is not as funny or absurd as it sets out to be.

Flora & Ulysses has all of the right ingredients, but falls short of bringing them all together, leaving the film an uncharismatic and empty shell.

With no buildup, tension, or interesting characters, The Sinners fails in its execution and exploration in the themes it puts forth.

Tonally inconsistent, writer-director J Blakeson takes a big swing and misses with regards to the film’s message. Rosamund Pike gives a fiery, powerhouse performance, but there is something completely missing from I Care a Lot that makes it a hard pill to swallow.

Silk Road has the makings of a gripping thriller, but it surprisingly lacks the tension required for it to work.

The film does an outstanding job elevating its horror with a sprinkling of disconcertment, but it takes a wrong turn by offering a muddled message.