Tara Bennett

Official Competition is a sharp black comedy that skewers grandiose wealth, egocentric artists, and how quickly art is swallowed by money and celebrity.

The Twin wastes its desolate location, talented cast, and strong opening in a meandering story that hinges on a last act reveal that doesn’t pay off.

Hit the Road is a quietly powerful yet very funny film about the sacrifices we make for family.

Windfall is a tight, smartly constructed thriller that succeeds on the strength of its performances.

Deep Water aspires to be a boundary-pushing erotic thriller but is stuck treading water in the kiddie pool.

Power does get points for keeping No Exit’s runtime to a brisk and lean 90 minutes, but he doesn’t have as deft a handle on all the other various working parts of the story.

Book of Love ends up being a surprising mix of sweet and salty, silly and sincere, that earns those coveted rom-com sighs.

Only Kaya Scodelario rises above the mess, working hard to try and craft an earnest and accomplished heroine that is by far too interesting for the rest of the boring dolts in the story.

Swan Song is a beautifully acted near-future exploration of self, technology, and the soul.

As a musical, only a few songs really stand out, which is always problematic. There’s also a staginess to the whole endeavor that feels awkward and ham-handed when transposed onto the big screen. But director Joe Wright does get excellent performances from his whole cast, and creates a lush and beautiful period piece playground for the characters to exist within.

The Tender Bar is a coming-of-age dramedy that sails on the backs of the exceptional ensemble cast.

The Lost Daughter is a stunning and unflinching portrait of a woman swimming against the tides of social expectation.

The Humans is a thoughtful and brilliantly acted meditation on family and humanity.

The Summit of the Gods is a standout tale in both story and animation technique.

What Anderson doesn’t give us is the inner lives of anyone in the film.

House of Gucci starts with such promise as Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, and Al Pacino give performances that bring out the emotional complexity of the historically dysfunctional Gucci family. But then Ridley Scott becomes infatuated with tracking the fall of the corporation and its familial machinations instead of zeroing in on the more compelling personal implosion of Patrizia and Maurizio. Too much of the narrative is given over to side characters and scenes that are overindulgent, which lessens the potency of the tragic story and our investment in where they all end up.

I can’t remember another movie throwing such a competent cast under a bus so badly. How they turn out and how they could continue in the mythology is just iced in service of a reunion that doesn’t land, coupled with a ghoulish use of technology that is downright uncomfortable to watch.

Experiencing Branagh come full circle with Belfast is like getting an invitation to observe an artist come to terms with his roots. There’s the expected nostalgia, but also the graceful observation of the wisdom and clarity acquired with the power of hindsight.

Three A-listers globetrot and double-cross each other in Red Notice, a derivative action film that should be much smarter and sexier than it ends up being.

Despite a great cast, Needle in a Timestack lets the fuzzy logic time travel tropes trample the characters and our care for them and their plights.

LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales gives the dark side its time to shine in a clever and funny mash-up of horror classics and Star Wars mythology.

Director Karen Cinorre has assembled a cast and production crew who work hard trying to bring life to her frustratingly abstract sketch of an idea that never coalesces into a satisfying narrative, or characters worth caring about.

German director Maria Schrader almost achieves that sweet spot with I’m Your Man, but gets a little muddled in her storytelling in the last minutes. That doesn’t take away from her subtle and mature study of loneliness and intimacy via technology.

With all the elements on hand to achieve something of note, The Starling disappointingly reduces the complexity of loss, grief and forgiveness into a birdbrained fairy tale that is more than happy to bypass reality in order to make a featherlight point.

By story’s end, I was happy to spend time in this original story that treats younger audiences, and the horror genre, with respect.