Martin Tsai

Though Kore-eda began his career as a documentarian, his positions on social issues are far from neutral. He reveres the resilience of those who have been dealt a bad hand in life, a sentiment that certainly shines through in Broker.

The secret longings the characters have been carrying for one another are eventually disclosed with almost offhand casualness. By the film’s end, we know them with unusual intimacy. In any case, the revelations feel nearly incidental. Fukada is less interested in what these people have done than in who they are when left alone with themselves.

Writer-director Jonas Carpignano glosses over much of the sociopolitical context in his depictions of the chain of events.

Though Mission Blue gets its title from Earle's nonprofit organization, the film rarely comes across as propaganda.

The slow-motion close-ups alone should convince you these magnificent creatures are well worth the effort.

Filmmaker J.P. Sniadecki withholds judgment and resists editorializing, but the result is frustratingly nebulous and devoid of context.

The film is enough to prompt soul-searching among parents, educators and the LGBT community on how to provide adequate guidance and support for LGBT youths.

Ghoul can't decide whether it should be about cannibals, serial killers, ghosts or demons.

The make-it-rain clichés are abundant and Jean-Claude La Marre's direction is pedestrian, but at least a few of the choreographed numbers here prove more magical than what Soderbergh mustered.

It's just as thrilling as it is edifying.

As far as documentaries go, the film is exhaustively researched, interviewed and documented.

On The Count Of Three is not didactic, and thank goodness the filmmakers at least have the good sense to recognize that preachiness helps no one and solves nothing. But the film dumbs down a complex and taboo topic by placing blame squarely on bogeymen like bullies and abusers.

Filmmaker Lloyd Handwerker treats the project as genealogy rather than corporate image-making. And with home movies and private interviews at his disposal, no one is better equipped to tell this story.

Above all, its gratuitous graphic gore and exploitative nudity are unmistakably giallo. What "The Strange Color" lacks is the heart that separates a good film from a great one.

Although its internal logic and messaging are at times muddled and not fully formed, Dream Scenario still proves immensely entertaining.

Mbatha-Raw looks, sounds and moves like an A-lister. If "Belle" put the actress on Hollywood's radar, Beyond the Lights heralds her superstardom.

Foley's family members, colleagues and prison cell mates vividly recount his 2011 imprisonment in Libya, his difficulty reacclimating to home life in sleepy New England after his release, before leaving again for Syria and enduring imprisonment by ISIS.

It's excusable for a sheltered novice filmmaker to be out of touch like this, but not for a veteran.

The director hits no false notes. He knows firsthand the feelings each scene should convey, but he also has the skills to render them accurately.

In spite of its fanciful tendencies, the film nails the growing pains that result from love and loss.

While fans can appreciate all the winks and nudges, the film is a wreck for the uninitiated.

Well-researched and polished, even if it’s essentially a feature-length episode of “Behind the Music.”

Its depiction of esoteric facets of immigrant life lends an air of credibility seldom seen in rom-coms.

Given the routineness of the chase itself, what jumps out here is the pervasive desperation shared by just about every character.

The Great Invisible gives voice to many of the previously nameless and faceless victims of the disaster. Some worked on the oil rig that fateful day; others have suffered its environmental and economic consequences.

The film couldn't be more timely and germane for the American audience. If it weren't a documentary, it would seem like a post-apocalyptic allegory of our own vaccination debate.

Since many of the themes from Illmatic have become mere clichés in contemporary rap, this film serves as a reminder of the potential and the promise that hip-hop truly holds.

Without passing judgment, Dickman illustrates how Hanna's way of life and personal convictions compelled his politics. He also allows Steve Hanna a fair shot at presenting his version of the events.