Matt Donato

Guardians Of The Galaxy is everything we go to the movies for, as Gunn is able to build an intricate intergalactic world full of multiple races, lush scenery, and maximum escapism through action, romance, comedy, and interstellar drama.

Area 51 is everything that's wrong with not only found footage films, but also weak-minded sci-fi thrillers that think crazed talking heads and fuzzy shadows are scary enough.

A Monster Calls gets off to a rocky start, but once Neeson's talking tree starts spouting tales of wisdom, everything tightens as the tears start flowing.

Wonder Woman is a gorgeous, powerful display of epic storytelling that makes me wish this was Gadot’s first chance to play Diana Prince. It’s the roaring introduction she deserves, and a hopeful shift in DC culture that hints at what’s about to come.

Sisu: Road to Revenge offers a ludicrous and punishing take on the same fantastic action-forward indulgence as the original, resulting in a sublime outcome. Writer-director Jalmari Helander's brand of excitement is loud, resilient, and pushes breakneck intensity to the maximum.

While West’s sleazy ‘70s slasher remains one of my champion horror titles of 2022, Pearl is more like giddily deranged add-on downloadable content that makes for an unexpected bite-sized treat. Kudos to the accomplishment, and it’s an ax-swinging slice of bad-vibes hoedown kookiness, but there’s a particular substance missing that X oozes.

My Dead Friend Zoe opens wounds and douses them in peroxide — the immediate sensation stings, but eventually cleanses and soothes.

I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore is a winning combination of anger, frustration and stinging social satire.

A Wounded Fawn is an artfully chaotic descent into bloodlust, monstrous misogyny, and euphoric comeuppances of the most punishing pleasures.

Beauty And The Beast lacks some of the astonishing visual prowess of previous Disney live-action remakes, but still sings and dances with enjoyable style.

John Wick: Chapter 2 tempts fate with a 122-minute running time, but the "Gun Fu" is back and it's just as deathly awesome as it was in the first film.

Garland may have just delivered one of the most vicious and unrelenting watches of the year, one that I’ll keep debating and untangling both in my head and with others for a good long while.

Blindspotting is a force to be reckoned with in terms of experience, anger and boiled frustrations that beg anyone watching to lead the charge for change.

Where Josh Ruben’s Scare Me soars thanks to tension delivered through imaginative monologues, LaBute’s latest is mostly benign chatter that rambles its way to an unimpressively expected conclusion.

Debuts shouldn’t be this tense or composed, yet Super Dark Times is an instantaneous must-see.

When Evil Lurks is a capital “H” horror film that risks it all and hits the jackpot, pummeling its audience into submissions and still leaving us asking for more.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a family recipe that warms the heart, griddle and soul.

When it counts, The LEGO Batman Movie delivers everything you’d want from such a farcical superhero creation.

Okja is a wild, tender tale of wonderment and friendship, delightful but still with smacks of vile consumerism darkness.

Thelma doesn't exactly tell a unique story, but Joachim Trier's vision is so strong you'll barely even notice.

Little Sister is a spunky family drama that does "indie" right.

Kurt Wimmer’s newfangled Children of the Corn is a rotten husk of a Stephen King adaptation.

The problem is that 40 Acres simply sprinkles its few unique ideas atop a shambling post-apocalyptic template.

Dream Scenario is a sprawling dissection of subconscious desires and how marketable popularity spells doom for its subjects, showcasing Borgli's flexible originality without sacrificing emotional investment.

Kill is a near-perfect action thriller that's stuck in overdrive.

This is a very funny, perfectly scored...exciting, albeit overlong exercise in pushing MCU boundaries to their franchise breaking point.

Most Beautiful Island summons viewers into its seductive web, lashing out with teeth-grinding tension when you least expect it.

Queen Of Katwe is pretty typical Disney magic, but dynamic performances add a little more oomph to Phiona Mutesi's amazing true story.