Norman Gidney

Directors Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch have created a heartwarming testament to a man whose singular message was one of love and inclusion.

Newnham and LeBrecht weave a narrative from multiple archival sources that capture the innocence, the subtle awakening, and ultimate determination of a small group of disenfranchised who suddenly realized that there was something to fight for.

It is quite a frothy mix of childish innocence and magical realism. It’s just nothing of major consequence.

Hardly any of The Painted Bird is what you would call pleasant. It is often a difficult watch at times but is a consistently engaging one.

Alexandre O. Philippe is a fine filmmaker and documentarian. Memory – The Origins of Alien, however, is a bit of a class on story structure and theory.

Holbrook is talented. There is no question about that. The guy wrote, directed, produced and cut Beloved Beast together. It’s just a shame that this strange yarn couldn’t be reduced to the essentials and given real power. Had we been offered less movie with more meaning, the impact would have been far greater.

Samantha Buck, Marie Schlingmann bring a light touch and a wonderful comedic tone to a story of one hell of a woman. This is a lighthearted comedy about resourceful females far ahead of their time.

Ms. Purple was an honest love note to the flawed amalgamation of dreams and nightmares that Angelenos call home. It is also another promising piece from Chon that has us on notice.

Before You Know It comes off as pharmaceutical-grade Hallmark Channel, which means that Utt and Tullock take the same familiar elements and end up finding some absolutely hilarious scenes that remind us why we love the movies, to begin with, just not consistently.

In the end, Raise Hell is the true celebration of the Texas spirit or rather, America on steroids as one commentator words it.

Everything culminates in strained dramatics and forced tension as the audience is sure to be scratching their heads in confusion.

I did not like MidSommar as much as I appreciated its audacity and the skill that clearly went into making it. This was a stunning work of art that embraced excess with only mostly positive results.

Somehow, we get a new Annabelle movie that develops its own personality and takes on the lore without rewriting or undoing anything that has already been shown in the other films.

This is innocuous, pop entertainment and, taken on those grounds, it does the job just fine.

St. Agatha is a fine thriller that is much better than you will expect it to be. Bousman guides a coherent and nimble narrative to shocking and satisfying builds.

Darkly comic, disturbing, and fun, Piercing is a vulgar little thriller that is one you watch without the one you love.

In the end, what’s left is yet another bad Amityville movie that fails to entertain or scare. Still, the house does look scary. Maybe if they try one more time…

The Nightingale is another triumph for Kent. Not one to aim for more crowd-pleasing material and palatable choices, she directs this visceral and moving revenge picture with a very sure hand.

Clemency is a staggering achievement in its portrayal of a story that we often ignore out of simple spite or ignorance that humanizes all angles with compassion.

The Hole In the Ground surprised me, took me on a fun ride, and returned me, almost unshaken. This was a brilliantly satisfying monster movie.

Wounds is a visceral, disturbing descent into the destruction of a man that hits all of the conventional horror notes with sadistic joy taking viewers on a ride straight to hell.

Not since Shaun of the Dead has there been such a consistently uproarious zombie movie.

As a bitter commentary on family, truth, trust, and above all, the religion, The Lodge is a serviceable mood piece that ends up leaving you feeling cold, and not in a good way.

Hala is a breath of fresh air that reminds us that as long as we live authentically, with compassion and understanding, the world around us is far easier to deal with.