Marco Vito Oddo

While 'Presence' may not deliver traditional horror scares, Soderbergh's innovative ghost's-eye-view approach and strong performances create an intriguing supernatural drama that prioritizes technical brilliance over frights.

Robert Eggers' reimagining of the 1922 classic "Nosferatu" delivers a visually striking but uneven Gothic horror experience, elevated by Lily-Rose Depp's captivating performance and stunning second half.

A stay-at-home mother's slow descent into lycanthropy serves as a metaphor for maternal struggles in this uneven adaptation that never fully commits to its provocative premise, despite Amy Adams' raw and transformative performance.

While Ridley Scott delivers spectacular gladiatorial action and Denzel Washington steals every scene, 'Gladiator 2's derivative plot and inability to escape its predecessor's shadow prevent it from achieving the same legendary status as the original.

In "Juror #2," Clint Eastwood delivers his best directorial effort in years, crafting a morally complex courtroom drama that's elevated by Nicholas Hoult's compelling performance and a thought-provoking premise.

While it may not break new ground, Smile 2 delivers a thrilling sequel that surpasses its predecessor, thanks to Naomi Scott's tour de force performance and Parker Finn's improved direction.

Terrifier 3 marks a significant evolution in the franchise. Director Damien Leone delivers the most vicious iteration of Art the Clown yet, while also maturing as a filmmaker and providing a solid foundation for future installments.

While still a fascinating filmmaking exercise, this is, unfortunately, one of those movies you can recommend to everyone. Still, The Outrun is a vehicle for Ronan’s talent, with her driving fast towards awards season.

The Platform 2 does more than follow the first movie recipe, spicing things up with new ethical conundrums and serving a new batch of intriguing puzzle pieces.

In Joker: Folie à Deux, director Todd Phillips's attempt to blend courtroom drama with musical elements results in a disjointed and sluggish narrative that fails to capitalize on its potential.

With a weak script and choppy editing, "Uglies" struggles to bring its dystopian world to life, wasting the potential of its cast and source material.

Blink Twice is a stylish psychological thriller about sexism in the #MeToo era. While its plot may feel familiar, Zoë Kravitz's confident direction and Channing Tatum's surprising performance elevate the film above its occasionally on-the-nose script.

Netflix's The Union is a formulaic spy thriller that wastes its promising premise. Despite the star power of Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, the film suffers from a predictable plot, mediocre action sequences, and shallow character development.

While its dedication to fan service occasionally holds it back, 'Alien: Romulus' is still a thrilling addition to the franchise, thanks to director Fede Álvarez's dedication to visceral practical effects and new twists to the canon.

Jackpot! delivers a delicious deranged mix of dark comedy and thrill ride. While its silliness may not appeal to all, the film's clever premise, strong performances by Awkwafina and John Cena, and well-timed humor make for a great experience.

In Skincare, Elizabeth Banks leads a tense, socially conscious thriller that cleverly blends suspense and social commentary to create an engaging, if uneven, experience.

Cuckoo blends B-movie energy with arthouse ambition, delivering a fresh horror concept bolstered by Hunter Schafer's standout performance. While its scattered storytelling may divide audiences, the film's atmospheric tension makes it a worthy watch.

Thanks to its meticulous Craftsmanship, unsettling narrative, and Nicolas Cage's most harrowing role yet, 'Longlegs' is a masterclass in psychological horror that lingers long after the credits roll.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F struggles to balance nostalgia and reinvention, with Eddie Murphy's charm unable to save it from a muddled script.

A Quiet Place: Day One is a gripping prequel that balances emotional depth with thrilling suspense. Lupita Nyong'o's standout performance and the film's fresh take on the franchise make it a must-watch, despite some predictable plot points.

Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness is a unique, thought-provoking anthology exploring human kindness's dark side. With stellar performances, the film's surreal and unsettling narrative will captivate long-term fans but will alienate some viewers.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die leans heavily on nostalgia and fan service. While Smith and Lawrence's chemistry remains, the film's predictable plot and over-reliance on past glories make it a forgettable experience for all but diehard fans.

While 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' is highly entertaining, it fails to capture the chrome-painted perfection of 'Mad Max: Fury Road.' Instead, we end up with a bloated epic that focuses too much on world building and not enough on its titular character.

While 'IF's colorful creatures and set pieces might offer a temporary distraction, the weak script and superficial world building crumbles into dust at any sign of scrutiny.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 just feels like an overstretched introduction.

While Bloody Hell is undoubtedly courageous for dealing with many sensitive themes, the film struggles to find its pacing and keep the audience engaged in a story that sometimes feels too predictable.

Brutal Heat delivers a curious experiment that never fully embraces the potential of its concept.

Despite using genre conventions both for its thriller and the mysterious horror story layers, New Life feels fresh and innovative, presenting a mix that works so well that it’s a wonder no one ever tried to do something similar before.

The core concept of Bride versus Groomsmen could have led to an exciting action flick, yet when not even the action scenes work as they should, it’s hard to defend Til Death Do Us Part.

In the end, Meg 2: The Trench is not much different from the first installment in the franchise, for better and mostly worse.

The Becomers is a movie that’s interesting even in its misfires, as there’s always something quirky and curious happening on the screen.

Sympathy for the Devil should be thankful for Cage and Kinnaman's brilliant dynamics as, without them, the movie would be nothing more than a bland thriller.

There’s no sugarcoating Cobweb’s flaws, from pacing to convoluted editing. Yet, the movie does have the potential to become a crowd-pleaser, as it does deliver the scares. It might not be a particularly memorable horror film, but it’s still entertaining, and sometimes that’s all the reason we need to go to theaters.

Ultimately, watching Scream of My Blood is not so different from watching Gogol Bordello live, thanks to the perfect balance of unhinged fun and political purpose.

Jalali creates a unique dramedy that will be remembered for its solid direction, powerful performances, and eye-popping cinematography.

If We Have Never Been Modern had been produced in Hollywood, Křenková would be an early candidate for an Academy Award thanks to her passionate take on Helena. Chlupáček knows that character should be at the center of a movie that’s all about the human experience, which is why the director gives Křenková plenty of space to shine. And shine she does.

While the road is frequently more important than the destination, the lack of surprises may test the audience’s attention span, especially in the third act, when both characters are already well-established and we understand their inner struggles. That said, You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder is still a powerful family drama enhanced by phenomenal performances.

It offers a solid police investigation story though fails to use its unique sci-fi world as well as it could have.

While Bird Box Barcelona is only following the trend, it is too bad to see the spin-off try so hard to keep fans excited about the next chapter that it undercuts the emotional weight of its ending. So, while the film surpasses the original in every sense, it still gets dragged down by the needs of a franchise.

Even if Smiling Georgia could trim some minutes from its already short 62-minute runtime, the documentary is still fun and poignant enough to get us smiling in the end.

While The Hypnosis doesn't always handle the character of Vera as well as it could, the movie is still a great piece of social satire. Above everything else, it deserves praise for standing in favor of a life that's less performative and more attentive to one's desires.

While The Animal Kingdom is far from perfect, it still delivers a crowd-pleasing story that can move and thrill in equal measure.

If She Came at Night is so capable of going from well-timed comedy to dramatic moments, the movie has Peková to thank above anyone else.

Director David Jařab fails to capture the same enthralling energy of Conrad's original story, resulting in an experimental film that too often misses the mark.

It’s rare to feel the tension built inside a theater to the point where everyone is holding their breath, but Red Room is a unique movie that defies expectations and keeps pulling the audience deeper into the dark abysm of human nature.

Citizen Saint treats the sensitive subject with the subtlety it deserves. While some of the answers the movie proposes might be uncomfortable, it still shines for never falling prey to oversimplifications.

While fans of Cox and Beckinsale‘s work might still enjoy some moments of Prisoner’s Daughter, the overall lack of polish in the script makes for a dull experience that’s filled with inconsistencies.

With eye-popping animation, a fresh story that challenges tropes, and an energetic voice performance by Chloë Grace Moretz as the titular character, Nimona is nothing less than a triumph.

Jeanne du Barry’s straightforward script might not convince the average moviegoer to spend two hours in the French court. However, fans of period romances will be well-served with a love story that puts a sex worker in the spotlight. And while Maïwenn and Depp are not the steamiest couple in period biopics, Jeanne du Barry is still entertaining enough to be worth your time

Crater's stakes are low for its characters and the audience. It abuses clichés, never deviates from its formulaic script, and fails to surprise the viewer.

Evil Dead Rise's scares and gore are so effective, and its cast so committed to the story, that it's easy to be completely enthralled by Cronin's movie.

There’s no way to hide the lack of substance in We Bought a Zoo, making it hard to justify returning to this decade-old film.

Of course, Gardner’s documentary will please horror fans above anyone else. Still, Living with Chucky is a thoughtful study of how filmmaking, especially independent filmmaking, brings people together.

While Unicorn Wars' rhythm can be uneven, the movie is still a brilliant anti-war story elevated by Vazquez’s mesmerizing art direction.

Those willing to overcome its lack of coherence will be rewarded with a wacky story that only genre cinema can offer.

If viewers manage to sync with this specific wavelength, they will definitely enjoy Sen’s methodical noir deconstruction. Still, it might be asking too much from the audience, especially where there’s so little payoff to be found in this corner of the Australian outback.

Shinkai uses magnificent landscapes as the background of a story about love, trauma, and finding out who you are. There's much to love about Suzume, and more than enough for us to be excited about whatever the filmmaker comes up with next.

Hello Dankness uses a specific language that might alienate part of the public. But any attempt to make the movie more accessible would diminish the mesmerizing effect of watching a feature-length meme.

As well-intentioned as the new Children of the Corn might be, it misses the mark by mixing a confusing ecological message with bland scares, forgetting what makes King’s story so enticing in the first place.

The shocking images of Superpower can move us, but the movie ends up being nothing more than a piece of propaganda. Even worse, the documentary is a wasted opportunity to give a proper voice to the people who still live and fight in Ukraine. Instead, Superpower seems more concerned about contributing to the mystification of Zelensky and the image of Penn as a lonesome and brave hero.

Sure, Afire's message of the inevitability of death and the absolute need to embrace life can be a little on the nose. Still, Petzold puts his own spin on the old message, by inviting the audience to laugh and cry as four lives get intertwined in a very honest and human way.

The main characters of Femme are more than one-dimensional representations of the part they play in society. They are complex human beings, filled with contradictions and trying to get by despite past traumas.

Director Margarethe von Trotta delivers a thoughtful exploration of love in a patriarchal society, which ends up being surprisingly hopeful considering how cruel reality can be.

While Disco Boy is gorgeous to look at, a more coherent script would have done wonders to hold the movie together.

The Survival of Kindness might be too abstract for its own good, a creative decision that will alienate a good part of its potential audience. Still, this is a remarkable return for de Heer, as The Survival of Kindness lingers with you long after the credits roll, forcing the viewer to reflect on the tough questions of race and power it explores.

Everything is glued together by another Dafoe performance that proves he’s one of the greatest actors of all time, especially when given enough room to tap into the lunacy of his characters. In short, Katsoupis managed to craft a crowd pleaser that still has something interesting to say.

Sweeney's take on Winner reflects the emotional whirlwind the young woman went through after FBI agents showed up in her footsteps. Thanks to her, Reality is a mesmerizing experience that doesn’t hold any punches and will shake any viewer to their core.

While Manodrome doesn't always manage to keep steady pacing, it still serves as a unique character study for Jesse Eisenberg's angry and destructive young man.

With BlackBerry, Johnson manages to craft a thrilling and moving story about friendship, pride, and the brutality of the free market.

By appealing to the more casual moviegoer without losing the best things she brings to the table, Miller has birthed her best film yet.

Smith is still a competent director, and Consecration can boast some moments of brilliance sprinkled all over it. However, the messy script drags Consecration down, and fans still expecting a new Triangle will have to wait a little longer.

Attachment explores the joys and tribulations of new love, splicing a delicate love story with truly horrifying elements.

Sometimes, Deshon’s obsessive attention to detail drains some of the fun from Daughter, and the movie might burn too slowly to please every horror fan. Still, the movie is a rare achievement, turning a small budget and a simple story into a cinematic experience we can unravel to find new things over multiple viewings.

The way Huesera favors metaphor above clarity will undoubtedly push some viewers away. Still, horror fans willing to approach Huesera with open hearts will be gifted a unique experience that exposes the violence of reducing women to their role as mothers.

What hurts Waking Karma more than anything else is the lack of polishing both the screenplay and direction got. And with a little more production time, the movie could have become something more memorable.

Director Brad Anderson’s Blood is one of the rare vampire movies to focus entirely on the subject of drug addiction, which could make it a refreshing entry to the subgenre. Unfortunately, Blood’s script leans too heavily on tropes. Besides that, Anderson’s competent direction cannot help with Blood’s mixed messages about drug addiction and an ultimately unlikable protagonist.

If only All Jacked Up and Full of Worms had a script capable of bridging the gaps between its most inspired moments, it could be praised as a refreshing experiment of shock cinema.

There's Something Wrong With the Children is fine as it is for a casual watch, but it’s painful to watch such a talented cast trying to salvage a bland horror film that had so much potential to be unforgettable.

The movie is as sloppy as a horror movie can be, but that also contributes to its charm. The only major downside of the experience is a drag of a first act, that’ll most certainly scare away impatient horror fans, and with good reason.

Despite all its flaws, Door Mouse remains an interesting cinematic experiment. And we must commend Jogia for his devotion to comic book language.

The Offering won’t get any points for originality, but people looking for well-crafted horror can’t go wrong with Park’s latest film.

Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge suffers from the same issue as superhero media in the last few years, as it demands some homework to be done so you can follow and maybe enjoy the story the movie is trying to tell. That won’t be an issue for hardcore fans, but Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge still didn’t find a way to make the franchise more widely accessible.

While being far from perfect, Violent Night is just too fun not to revisit, which means it can become a new holiday classic in the years to come.

Since a creature feature lives and dies by its monster, Troll has the clear advantage of conjuring a magnificent beast from Scandinavian folklore. Of course, that might not be enough for viewers looking for something fresh to watch. Even so, Uthaug ultimately succeeds in developing a movie that’ll most likely please fans of giant creatures.

Blue’s Big City Adventure is a movie aimed at preschoolers that’s also enjoyable for adults, with exciting musical numbers that help break the simple story and explore the street art history of New York City. Add to that nods to the franchise’s past and the return of the original hosts, and you get a movie you won’t mind your children watching over and over again.

Where Slumberland truly shines is with its cast. While Slumberland is one of Barkley’s first feature credits, along with Spirited, the young actress already shows she can deal with a huge range of emotions. And while Slumberland’s story can feel bloated, Barkley’s Nemo is the emotional anchor that holds everything together. The biggest surprise of Slumberland, though, is Momoa, who embraces a dad energy we didn’t know he had.

Benson and Moorhead have always been able to make the most of small budgets and confined spaces. Nevertheless, Something in the Dirt is the most minimalist project they ever created. Yet Something in the Dirt might be their most ambitious movie, as they dedicate two hours to an intimate study of meaning as the main motor of human life.

More often than not, we can ignore the message if we’d like and just enjoy a scary movie. Prey for the Devil, however, seems to have been developed as deliberate propaganda.

V/H/S/99 still echoes some of the issues most anthologies face, as the rhythm of the movie depends on the pacing of each story. And at a 108 minutes runtime, V/H/S/99 might test the patience of some viewers. Still, this is the best the franchise ever gave us.

Everything in Jeepers Creepers: Reborn is cringe-inducing to the point that even getting to the credits becomes a chore. And the fact the movie is taking itself seriously only makes everything more painful.

Deadstream is more than great found footage; it’s one of the best horror movies of the year, period.

Despite its flaws, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone remains a careful adaptation of one of King’s most touching stories to date. And while there are not many frights in this horror movie, it remains a solid entry of Netflix’s enviable collection of King’s adaptations.

The movie doesn’t stand out for its action scenes, has nothing new to say about the old good-versus-evil conflict at the center of any superhero story, and is incapable of giving its villains real purpose. Stallone is a strong man, but even he cannot carry the weight of an entire movie alone.

Contrary to modern fairy tales, Squeal doesn’t have a clear moral lesson, giving the viewer the hard work of reaching their own conclusions. That’s part of what makes Squeal so enticing, as the film allows multiple readings about vile work structures, the possibility of being happy in an abusive relationship, animal abuse, and even the meaning of freedom itself.

With weak leads and shallow characters, Fall fails the audience by its inability to present human beings we can care about.

Despite its obvious flaws, They/Them is still worth a watch, mainly because of the sensitivity with which the filmmaker presents the fears and joys of LGBTQIA+ people. It’s no easy feat to introduce a huge cast of characters in a short runtime and still make us care about all of them, but Logan does exactly that.

All in all, Incredible but True remains an unmissable movie for Dupieux fans. And for those worried about getting lost in the filmmaker’s passion for nonsense, the movie might be his most accessible work yet.

With a great voice cast, curious characters, and glimpses of an engaging art style, all the movie had to do to be great was rely more on the original things it brings to the DC universe. Instead, DC League of Super-Pets is satisfied being just another commonplace superhero tale.