Patrice Witherspoon

The most interesting and beautiful piece to this puzzle is the fact that Dillane's performance can steer the audience in any direction emotionally and at any given moment.

This is merely an example of misalignment when it comes to direction and script. Because while Kane’s vision is mostly clear, the execution of this particular script stumbles.

With certainty, Cumberbatch put his all into this role. So, if for nothing else, it’s worth it to see him.

Last Days is as frustrating to watch as it is to try to understand this avoidable tragedy.

Not everything works and the humor tends to run its course, but Gates puts a solid effort together given the limitations.

This story and these women deserve better.

With the exceptional performances from the cast and several laugh-out-loud moments, this creative film is wildly entertaining.

Even though it doesn’t take its own storyline seriously enough, Smile 2 is entertaining. Don’t expect the horror film to have the best commentary on mental health issues, but be ready for some jump-scare fun.

There’s no denying this is a film capable of winning audiences of all types with its inherent charm, humor, and nostalgia. For me, however, this was 91 minutes of unfocused, chaotic energy that I did not enjoy. Tonally, the movie is all over the place, while its themes are explored with timid execution.

For a story centered on childhood trauma, domestic violence, and the cycle of abuse, these themes feel like afterthoughts when they could have been its strength. It’s certainly lacking, but hearts were in the right place.

Despite being flawed, though, Trap is thrilling at times and a ridiculous display of human behavior at others.

It’s quite familiar, yet impressively sweet. Kilris clearly understands the appeal of Cyprus, her home, and offers us the chance to witness flawed humans go through the intricacies of everyday life.

An intriguing blend of genres and themes, The A-Frame fulfills its promise to excite and entertain even with its mishaps.

A harrowing narrative that contemplates the transition from girlhood to womanhood, Arnold uses magical realism to capture preteen angst with a strong desire for existential freedom.

With sincerity and style, Schrader offers a thoughtful film about life and legacy.

A highly restrained examination of multiple topics, The Second Act is a film about everything and nothing all at once. Perhaps in line with Dupieux’s style, the surreal, dark humor and commentary produce a messy end product that overstays its welcome.

Where the film lacks realism and sense, it is made up entirely by Hathaway and Galitzine’s sensational chemistry.

A decent feature debut, The Absence of Eden is a film that means well. Restrictions in the script hinder the film emotionally, which often show up in the actors' performances as well.

The standouts are certainly more on the technical side, with Elisha Christian’s cinematography, Will Bates’ score, and Mohan’s close-ups. Then, there’s Sweeney, who, without a shadow of a doubt, convinced me of her acting skills thanks to what she was able to accomplish through her emotional and physical performance.

It leans into unrealistic territory, and we’re unfortunately left with a trashy story that very few will like. Not even the ever-charming Gina Rodriguez and confident Damon Wayans Jr. could save this film.

The film gives good insight into the confusion and fear we may face when exploring our sense of self.

Whatever the intent, the execution isn’t all the way there, and that’s the biggest disappointment of all.

Packed with great action sequences and a cast that is committed to each other and the script, Gray's latest is creative and fun enough to hold attention.

Evans and Porter deliver heartbreaking performances with the right amount of intensity, leaving a lasting impact.

It isn’t the worst directorial debut by any means of the phrase, but Burr’s raunchy comedy fails to say something meaningful. Instead, it underwhelms.

It may not be the best biopic ever told, but people will certainly walk away from Rustin more educated, inspired to be the change they want to see in the world, and grateful that movies like this are willing to tell the truth about buried history.

It’s goofy and relies heavily on common tropes, failing to offer insight into the players as people outside their team.

It isn’t the best in its genre, of course, but the commitment from Keaton, as actor and director, is more than enough for me to rally behind this film for another watch.

Ultimately, Pain Hustlers is a mixed bag of entertainment that opts for flashiness instead of focusing on the important elements of the story at hand — the people affected by the carelessness of others.

While showing good potential overall, Kendrick’s directorial debut is hindered by tonal imbalances and poor editing.

Though The Good Mother contains great talent like Hilary Swank and Olivia Cooke, the predictable formula holds it back from saying something meaningful.

Birth/Rebirth contains wonderful performances from Ireland and Reyes. But Moss’s directorial debut needs quite a bit more than stunning performances to leave a lasting impression.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter fails to deliver on its early promise of being a compelling horror experience. The focus on jump scares and a skeptic character detracts from the potential scares and fails to bring authenticity to the storytelling.

What’s ultimately missing from Til Death Do Us Part is proper execution and a script that the actors can build upon.

Though The Perfect Find struggles with the romance aspects, its commentary on finding love late in life is a pure delight.

Rodriguez as a filmmaker has a history of implementing creativity and inspiration in his works. But with Hypnotic, the end result is a dull feature that doesn’t come close to its potential.

If nothing else, it's best to walk into Sean Price Williams’ feature debut, The Sweet East, as a satire decorated with light political and human commentary and wild excitement that never lets up.

Woodley and Mendelsohn do everything they can to convert the weak story to something worth watching.

The film is certainly worth a watch simply for the music and the entertaining aspect of its storytelling.

Thanks to the special cast chemistry, 80 For Brady’s charm shines through despite being good for only a single watch.

Though it runs out of steam during its second act, Butler and company do everything they can to keep the energy going, closing out the film with a well-earned bang.

Donowho’s western tale follows a typical formula, but there are plenty of laughs and smiles to be had throughout this familiar story.

The incomparable Daniel Giménez Cacho stars as Silverio Gama, giving an unforgettable performance that captures the intensity of the film’s concepts. While everything doesn’t always work in Bardo, Iñárritu takes his time painting a visually scrumptious tale even though it’s overly saturated with style over substance.

None of the film's themes blend together appropriately, even when one may suspect a great film will break through.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody celebrates the star that captured the hearts of many fans around the world. And through a great performance by Ackie, this film has the ability to do the same, even if it sticks to genre rules.

While Emancipation contains beautiful cinematography amidst brutalities of oppression, it conveys very little about the man who should easily inspire the world.

The film exceeds expectations with respect to being a Netflix Christmas production, but it is thoughtful and sincere all the same.

It doesn’t break any genre barriers, nor does the film offer anything new to say about these respective topics. However, Tagliavini nicely crafts a Christmas rom-com that is funny and sincere — a feat with which many other holiday romantic comedies have struggled.

In hindsight, MVP is the kind of film that could definitely work for audiences. What it lacks in technical achievement, it undoubtedly makes up with heart. Though Boyer doesn’t necessarily hit the ball out of the park with his debut due to some odd choices that negatively impact the story structure, it’s easy to see why he chose this as his first project

Director Chuck Russell’s projects always bring a sense of vivacity and killer action sequences in ways his peers often struggle with. But this time around, the magic is missing from Paradise City. Sure, his film contains reliable and entertaining components like most action features do — including an underlying vengeance plot, an expert conman, and even a budding romance — but these elements tend to quickly run their courses thanks to a predictable script, wonky dialogue, and pacing issues.

Freedom’s Path has some hurdles that it just can’t overcome from a narrative standpoint. There’s quite a bit of rose-colored storytelling that goes on throughout this feature. There are also significant pacing issues that make it difficult to lean into the storytelling. With that being said, there’s no denying the underlying heartfelt attempt at sharing profound messages.

Saunders’ feature-length directorial debut is a confident one. With humor and heart, he writes and directs relevant themes and experiences that the world has come to understand well at this point in society. Dotty & Soul is genuine without being preachy, and humorous without leaning into offensive territory.

Director Gren Wells crafts a tender, yet narratively unbalanced film that accentuates the gift that is Sadie Sink’s talent.

Armageddon Time excels at capturing naiveté but under-commits to sharing the truths of racial disparity when it comes to the American dream.

Sissy sacrifices its themes for violence and surface-level explorations of psychological realism, making it as frustrating as it is compulsively fun.

There’s an enormous effort to entertain, but Bromates runs out of ideas faster than it can provide organic laughs.

The film is messy and gets tangled up in its protagonist’s folly, but in the process, Zac Efron delivers a heartfelt and killer performance.

Hatton offers an engaging approach towards his storytelling. By concentrating on the intrigue and horror elements within his feature, the end result isn’t perfect, but there’s plenty of fun to be had throughout to make the watching experience an enjoyable one.

Ungar’s Bandit entertains because of genre alone, but the ambiguous messaging leaves much to be desired.

Lou is a quiet thriller that takes a deep dive into the consequences of one’s actions. The film enables Janney and Jurnee Smollett to command every scrap of attention through physical and emotionally compelling performances.

The acting, from both Black Panther's Letitia Wright as June and Tamara Lawrance as Jennifer, is a particular standout. Their commitment to delivering intriguing performances as troubled twins elevates this weak script and enables viewers to become fixated on what was happening to them.

Tom George returns to directing, attempting to take on the genre with humor and flair. Relying heavily on whodunit tropes, See How They Run is a little too stale and unfunny for its own good.

Whether that be through exploring mental abolition versus determination or even activism versus an individual’s special needs, Hamm’s latest had the potential to say a lot more than what was accomplished. Instead, he doesn’t do much with either, and he relies a little too heavily on his actors to take this uninspiring script towards sincerity.

With thinly written characters and a narrative confined to moments only serving to push Mike and Kate to the height of insanity, this is about as disappointing as it gets for a film with such promise and potential.

Me Time may not be a groundbreaking entry into Netflix’s catalog, but it offers reliable laughs for anyone needing an escape from their own hectic reality.

Love in the Villa may be a silly rom-com at heart, but with Graham and Hopper’s compelling chemistry, leaning into the ridiculousness and unrealistic moments is worth it for these two alone.

Whitebloom struggles to bring the excitement into his heist film, Stowaway, his feature debut, like he’s done in past music videos.

Sharp Stick is charming thanks to great performances, but the lopsided script doesn’t reach its full potential.