Nate Richard

Tow isn't a movie that anyone will outright hate, but it squanders so much of its potential that it fails to deliver the important message that it wants to share.

It's got the heart, humor, and wonderful animation to keep you entertained this holiday weekend.

Cold Storage is a far better movie than you'd expect, thanks to its clever script, committed cast, and energetic direction. If you are hankering to watch more of Joe Keery battling monsters in the wake of the Stranger Things finale, this is just what the doctor ordered.

Iron Lung is far from a perfect movie, and the pacing ultimately makes the conclusion feel exhausting rather than exhilarating or shocking. You'll be ready to leave once the credits roll. Yet, the craftsmanship is there; with his directorial debut, Fischbach shows that he's more than just a YouTuber, and he can conjure up the same kinds of scares that make him scream as he's playing games.

It's another perfect excuse to shove popcorn in your face as you cheer watching Statham beat some people up.

For all of its dourness, there is still a bit of entertainment to be found. It's just too bad the film is taking itself far too seriously.

The Plague, at times, can be too grueling a watch, especially in its graphic depiction of self-harm. It's also one of the most vital movies in recent memory in capturing what it's like to be 12 or 13 years old.

You know every single beat of how their relationship is going to turn out, but because of how cute the dog is and how cute Deschanel and Cox are together, you can't help but buy into it. They're great together, and their charm elevates a script that could have easily been translated into yet another streaming Christmas romantic comedy.

There's nothing about The Family Plan 2 that particularly stands out aside from the European Christmas setting. Despite having a slightly different premise from the original, much of the film plays out like a sitcom. Yes, it's an improvement over the first movie, that's not saying much when your predecessor was already lackluster.

Once Arnett's Alex takes the stage, it transforms into one of the most memorable and heartfelt films you'll see all year.

It features terrific performances from Roberts and Garfield, but even they are not enough to save the film from being too muddled and morally ambiguous for its own good.

The latest action-comedy from Black proves that he's still capable of delivering an equal parts funny and action-heavy comedy with all the trademarks that make us love him as a filmmaker.

The Lost Bus may not reach the heights of some of Greengrass' finest work, but that's a high bar to reach. Thanks to some immersive setpieces, grounded performances, and stellar direction, the latest film from Apple TV+ rises above its shortcomings, resulting in a gripping docudrama that is worthy of your time.

So while the familiarity is felt throughout, it's hard not to cheer, chuckle, and cringe at all the chaotic mayhem that unfolds in Nobody 2. It's not trying to be anything other than an ultra-violent late summer action flick, and if you go in expecting to watch some gnarly kills, brutal fist-fights, and gun-fu, you'd have to think pretty hard to feel disappointed.

Eddie Murphy's The Pickup is a dull and lifeless action-comedy that provides neither laughs nor thrills.

If you need a big, dumb action movie with two buff guys to kick back and down some beers while watching, you are in luck.

It might not be a future genre classic, but thanks to Courtney's utmost commitment to his villainous role, you'll be glad you dipped your toes in the water by the time the credits roll.

It's a perfectly watchable movie that feels designed to keep you entertained for two hours on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Its talented cast and tender heart do a lot of the heavy lifting, but it's the kind of movie the mothers in your family will absolutely love.

Sneaks is borderline unwatchable.

I do believe that there was a scenario where A Minecraft Movie could have been the next Lego Movie. That's clearly what Warner Bros. likely wanted out of this, but instead, we're left with a mostly disposable live-action family movie that will certainly please the young ones in the audience and will be tolerated by the parents.

With two movies under their belt, Statham and Ayer have proved to be the perfect match for delivering entertaining and simple action flicks to the big screen.

Summer of 69 is one of the best movies that American High has put out and is the first teen movie in a while that successfully harkens back to the high school-set movies of yesteryear.

Ash feels too familiar, which is disappointing coming from such an idiosyncratic filmmaker like Flying Lotus. This material feels like it's too derivative to be effective, but the video game-like atmosphere, bonkers direction, and reliable cast make it far more watchable.

It's a joyous, heartfelt, hilarious, and emotional dramedy that won't leave your mind.

After proving herself as a director on TV shows like Stranger Things and Severance, Briesewitz has delivered a promising directorial debut, with fascinating characters and takes us on a journey to a world that we don't often see in American films.

It's evident Cave tried her best to steer the ship, but the story feels aimless, and moments after things get interesting, Holland cuts to credits, leaving you equally puzzled and burned out.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is not only the funniest movie I’ve seen at SXSW, it’s one of the funniest I’ve seen in years.

For all the faults O'Dessa has, it's clearly a film made with an abundance of passion and creativity. It's a gender-swapped, punk rock, post-apocalyptic reinvention of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It's also a movie that largely doesn't work and trips over its own ambition.

Leonberg shows so much promise, ultimately delivering a horror movie that not only has the scares but also a massive heart. However, it does also help that the movie is centered around a cute dog.

Dan Farah's directorial debut is the kind of movie that is bound to stir up conversation, especially if it ends up being bought up by a streaming service (this feels tailor-made for Netflix). Unfortunately, it's executed in the most bland way possible.

Landon has proven himself to be one of the best studio filmmakers in delivering enjoyable genre-forward movies, and Drop may just be his best movie yet.

The strange thing about The Accountant 2 is it's not the same gritty action movie that the original was. O'Connor still delivers some top-notch fight scenes, but this sequel, at its very core, is a hang-out movie, complete with a scene of Affleck awkwardly line-dancing at a bar. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it's as great as it sounds.

Death of a Unicorn is a delight; a clever, sharp-horned, and violent horror-comedy that demands to be seen on the big screen with an audience.

Similar to the original, Another Simple Favor manages to defy your expectations. It's a sequel that never feels hellbent on just repeating the same plot beats as the first. While it does get too cocky in delivering dozens of plot twists, the sexiness and soapiness are still there.

Unfortunately, Love Hurts never does its stars justice as a lazily slapped-together action-comedy with a script that feels like it never had a second draft.

It's a silly movie, make no mistake, but it's an endearingly one nonetheless.

Carry-On is pure escapist fare that you can turn on while sitting next to your Christmas tree, and it has enough energy that you won’t feel the need to check your phone every 10 minutes.

As your run-of-the-mill newsroom thriller, September 5 proves to be a riveting watch with two stand-out performances from Sarsgaard and Magaro and compelling direction from Fehlbaum.

It’s constantly trying to build its own strange mythology to set up sequels that might never come, cracking jokes that rarely hit, and struggling to decide whether it wants to take itself seriously or be more self-aware about its general absurdity.

Elliot’s stop-motion work feels authentic and unglamorized in ways that we don’t often see in many mainstream animated movies.

Young Werther isn't a terrible movie by any stretch, but it also feels like it relies far too heavily on your typical romantic-comedy clichés for it to stick out. It's a shame, as Booth and Pill are insanely sweet together, but the execution ultimately feels too unremarkable to be memorable.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel ' perfectly recaptures the joy of the original two films and is powered by a joyful Eddie Murphy.

Kill is every bit as insanely violent as you could hope for. It mixes melodrama, romance, and an aggressive amount of violence in ways that few filmmakers are capable of doing.

Brats serves as not only an enjoyable walk down memory lane but also something deeper and more self-reflective.

While hardcore fans won't learn anything they didn't already know, 'The Beach Boys' documentary is a perfectly entertaining love-letter to the SoCal band.

Crowder’s documentary could have just felt like another puff piece and, in some ways, it can be. However, the movie always feels completely genuine and told from the heart.

John Magaro, Steve Zahn, and Dylan Baker lead a cast of stellar character actors in a film that winds up being one of the better Fargo-adjacent movies we’ve gotten in some time.

Arthur the King plays out like both your typical sports movie and your average dog flick. It's sometimes emotionally manipulative and full of melodrama, yet that doesn't stop it from being a perfectly fine way to spend 90 minutes at the movie theater, especially for dog lovers.

Ricky Stanicky could have easily been a disaster, but thanks to the cast, some effective laughs, and a big heart, it ends up making for an entertaining two hours.

Watching the movie is like seeing a concert from a seat in the back corner. You're still there for the music, but you have the view furthest away from the artist himself.

It's an action movie with plot beats that might make certain audience members raise their eyebrows and scoff, but it will have Statham devotees smiling, laughing, and cheering in their seats.

There's a sweetness buried deep inside The Family Plan, but it gets completely smothered beneath all the jarring and poorly cut action and weird subplots that lead nowhere. Outside a few chuckles and a likable cast, there's nothing that makes it stand out.

If you are looking for a light and fluffy holiday movie that you can stream with the whole family while sipping on some spiked eggnog, you can do a whole lot worse than Candy Cane Lane.

You can tell that everybody on the set of Old Dads was having an absolute blast making this movie. It's just a shame that the end product feels so directionless and bland. The attempts to be offensive fail, the emotional beats are never effective, and despite a handful of good laughs and amusing cameos, it's never that funny.

The End We Start From leaves the audience with plenty to ponder and think about alongside reminiscing about Comer's incredible performance.

Ezra is irresistibly charming, full of so much passion and care, and finds strength where similar films fall flat.

There's an interesting story in here, and a far better Keaton performance within it too, but it is the kind of thriller that lacks the tension and excitement that it needed.

Unlike the real-life woman, Lee settles on being ordinary when it could have been extraordinary.

For as much care and passion that the Hawkes put into Wildcat, the film never knows what it wants to be or even what audience it wants to be speaking to.

Hell of A Summer might not have the most original premise, but Bryk and Wolfhard are fully aware of that, creating one of the most entertaining and crowd-pleasing slasher films of the 2020s.

Boy Kills World comes across as obnoxious, and the viewer already feels exhausted within the first 15 minutes of the film. It's as if the creative team wanted to make a cult movie but completely forgot cult movies have to be fun.

Foxx shines in every single moment that he's on-screen. He's able to hone in his comedic prowess and his dramatic chops delivering a performance that reminds us why he's a one-of-a-kind performer.

Timberlake's acting aside, Reptile is the perfect kind of digestible, mid-budget crime thriller that we just don’t get enough of.

The pacing is brisk without once overstaying its welcome, it has an ultra-charismatic lead, plus boasts all the violence, chaos, and melodrama one could want out of this particular movie.

While its predecessor proved to be a goofy and satisfying watch, the sequel is never able to fully recapture the charm. You're much better off rewatching the first film.

Strays aims to be as raunchy and dirty as a talking dog movie can get, taking full advantage of its premise, although never really going anywhere beyond that. Not all the jokes land perfectly, but those that do illicit some of the biggest and best laughs you'll have at the theater all summer.

Even with its faults, The Beanie Bubble isn't a bad way to kill some time. All four leads remain gleefully committed to their roles and bring the kind of energy that the screenplay is lacking, but it never fully justifies why this story needed to be told in this way.

Insidious: The Red Door might not be the scariest installment in the franchise, but it feels a lot more human than the others before it. The character moments end up feeling more effective than some of the film's big set-pieces and, while that may bug some genre purists, those who have stuck around since the first film released over 10 years ago will be pleased.

Lawrence flexes her comedy muscles in both her dialogue and physical comedy, taking some bold swings with some of the things she does on screen, and it pays off extremely well.

The Machine has enough going in its favor to warrant a recommendation to fans of Kreischer's stand-up comedy, but other audience members may walk out feeling empty.

Maniscalco has built himself a very large and dedicated following through his work in stand-up, and with About My Father, he's finally able to bring his jokes to the big screen in a way that will please his fans but also garner him some new loyal followers as well.

Ghosted is far from perfect, but there's still enough enjoyment to be had, especially if you're looking for something light to watch with the family on a Friday night. Evans and de Armas are charming as ever alongside a rock-solid supporting cast. There are enough laughs and fun action scenes to warrant a recommendation, just don't expect much more from it.

National Anthem may at times feel a bit too simple, but the craftsmanship and the core performances are enough to make it worth a watch.

80 for Brady is not the new golden standard of sports comedies, but it was clearly never trying to be. It's cute, silly, and light, all things that a comfort movie should be.

The humor ultimately feels lazy, and while the original film has had some mighty staying power, this new installment feels dead on arrival.

It is not only one of the best animated films of the year, but it's one of DreamWorks' best, and one that will strike a chord with moviegoers of all ages. It's equal parts exciting and hilarious as well as earnest, it never feels like it is talking down to anyone.

She Said doesn't rewrite the playbook of films about journalism, but it didn't need to. Maria Schrader's direction and Rebecca Lenkiewicz's writing hit every important beat just right, leaving us with an impactful film that's genuine and never fake.

Dear Zoe has its heart in the right place, but its reliance on creating one too many schmaltzy moments for the characters, and trying to be too many things at once, hold it back from being anything noteworthy.

Till will go down as one of the most powerful and important films to hit the screen in 2022, Danielle Deadwyler is unforgettable, and the film has a voice that needs to be heard more. A single movie is not going to stop hate, but that isn't the intent, this is a film that challenges its audience to open their eyes even more to racial injustice.