Matt Fowler

Sydney Sweeney blazes trails and pulls no punches in a choppy biopic that falters at the finish.

Good Fortune is a witty, warm, celestial comedy of errors that splendidly blends the wry world of the Frat Pack with the dopiness of Bill & Ted. It's got great performances -- including a devilishly angelic one from Keanu Reeves -- and offers a fresh, funny look at modern hardships.

Confess, Fletch is a clever soft-baked cookie of a mystery, never getting too intense or presenting massive stakes, which is the perfect sandbox for a wise-cracking investigator like Fletch to play around in as he relies on a mix of charm, smarts, and luck to make it through to the other side.

I Came By elevates a pulpy serial killer premise with fun casting and surprising story beats.

Hustle may be a conventional sports drama, but it still offers Adam Sandler another dramatic role to shine in.

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers isn't the first movie to do what it's doing -- with live-action and animation sharing the screen, helping nurture a meta-comedy adventure -- but it's damn fun and one of the cleverest uses of elder pop culture properties in a while.

Cole Sprouse and Lana Condor are a fun duo, capable of feeling human and endearing in the midst of cosmic turmoil. The movie's not a full home run, but it's surprisingly silly and shrewd.

Black Friday proves to be a winning combination of gloppy scares, well-crafted characters, and wise commentary.

Addison Rae and Tanner Buchanan are magnetic leads in this reboot that pays homage to the first film, but fully stands on its own. It manages to cut through modern high school b.s. while transforming two posers into presentable, likable people.

Vacation Friends may be a touch predictable, but John Cena and Meredith Hagner will make you wish you had friends like them on your next trip.

Jungle Cruise is a rollicking adventure full of humor and heart anchored by Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt's winning heroes.

Blood Red Sky could lose a few minutes, but overall, it's a ferocious and fun merging of vampires and hijackers.

The dystopian fantasy elements of the saga are now at their thinnest, painting a cinematic world that may hit too close to home for some. Ultimately, it's a solid entry that can either act as an ending or a new beginning.

America: The Motion Picture is like Drunk History if the history were not only drunk but also on nitrous. Channing Tatum once again proves he's a comedy force to be reckoned with, backed by a stellar cast of capable and cunning joke spitters.

Werewolves Within easily separates itself from the pack by delivering a quirky monster mystery filled with gentle laughs and massive maulings. Not every joke lands, and not every character fits, but overall it's an entertaining alternative to the season's more ghoulish and grim offerings.

A pleasant surprise that both undermines and elevates typical revenge sagas, Riders of Justice is a unique blend that charms and captivates.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a ridiculous, riotous, and relevant adventure fill with great humor and winning sentiment.

Synchronic isn't a home run, but a decent time travel triple is always welcome.

The Courier is a tense, well-executed spy drama that wisely focuses on character and performance more than thrills, knowing that if we actually care about these men it will drastically heighten every narrowed glance, near miss, and frightful chase. It's not always the freshest adventure, but that's when the acting carries the piece and breathes life into these unlikely heroes.

This contest of wicked wills is a vibrant, penetrating Pandora's Box of predicaments and likeable yet evil central characters, played with satirical skill by Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage.

Derek DelGaudio's In and Of Itself is a beautiful, powerful performance that employs art, illusion, storytelling, and its own audience to explore aspects of identity, isolation, and our own desperate drive to figure out who we are as individuals. There's nothing quite like it, which, as goes the uniqueness of humanity, is the point.

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, directed and co-written by Chris Columbus, once again takes full advantage of Kurt Russell's exuberance as Santa -- and the full addition of Goldie Hawn's Mrs. Claus -- for a rewarding romp about young Kate Pierce's need to rediscover the holiday spirit.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey already feels like a timeless treat. Though it's a little longer than it needs to be, Jingle Jangle is still filled with enticing visuals, holiday heart, and seasonal cheer. It instantly feels like a snug, fabled world ready to be explored.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm may not contain all of the shock and awe of the original, since exposing racists has sadly sort of become commonplace, but it still contains an avalanche of awkward, anxiety-cranking moments that'll have you laughing while watching through your fingers like you would a horror movie.

The Outpost is a cleverly, and respectfully, crafted war film that uses a segmented, episodic approach to help you invest in the characters while building up to a very impressive battle sequence.

Peninsula feels fairly derivative when compared to the tighter and more terrifying Train to Busan, but on its own, as an expansion of this universe, it's a rollicking ride through a hollowed-out hellscape. It's almost a complete genre shift, but not an unrewarding one.

The Rental boats a strong cast, an intriguing set up, and a compelling mystery. It's a fun and feisty web of lies and deception with the added bonus of having a shadowy, stalking presence surrounding everything and everyone like a God-hand. It's a small film, but it's tense, dense, and delivers a harrowing final act.