This movie wants to get in, get the job done without complication, and get out before it overstays its welcome. On that front, The Rip is solid enough to earn a mild recommendation.

It will make you cry, it will make you uncomfortable, but at the end of the film's runtime, it will leave you with a feeling of profound satisfaction that even the most heartfelt movies struggle to replicate.

A stunning movie that continues to solidify the franchise's legacy as one of the best zombie stories to ever hit theaters.

Although the concept of making a thriller that examines somnambulism seems quite captivating, Sleepwalker doesn't effectively incorporate this complex disorder into its premise, resulting in a puzzling story about a woman going on a spiral without any healing prospect.

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.

Dead Man's Wire is a successful throwback to the classic crime stories that once dominated cinema.

Bader and Blyth are an irresistibly charming duo, and the decision to move the story's present-day scenes from Palm Springs to Barcelona results in some of the film's most stunning locations. Not only will you be rooting for Poppy and Alex to make things work, but you'll also probably end up with a little wanderlust yourself.

There's a clear command of how to set up a cool/scary/funny scene, execute, and move on before it's stale, and that's a testament to Roberts' skill as director and co-writer alongside scribe Ernest Riera.

With how prevalent the film's themes are in the world today, it's hard to imagine that someone won't find something to relate to in its many branching story arcs.

The performances of Holland and Mara mask the weaknesses of a slightly unfulfilled adaptation, which has charm in its flaws. The ending attempts to set the themes right, but needing to think about it afterward means it's not a film you'll forget about so soon. Seek out The Dutchman. It's well worth the challenge.

Like the songs it’s built around, it’s simple and familiar, and sometimes that’s enough to make a movie feel so good, so good.

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.

Anaconda had the premise and bones to be something really special when it comes to meta remakes. It had a great cast and a surprising amount of heart, but that's simply not enough to save the movie's rough pacing and pointless subplots from the jaws of a giant snake who barely appears on the call sheet.

When it's sexy, violent, or bonkers, it's a wildly enjoyable romp, and lead Sydney Sweeney kills it any time she's allowed to dial emotions up to 10 (as fans of Euphoria or Immaculate can attest to). Was it great? For the majority of its runtime, no. Would I watch the sequel it teases? Yes. Inside you are two wolves, and if they're watching The Housemaid in different parts, the one watching the ending is the happier wolf by far.

This third Avatar film might not have the groundbreaking impact of the first film, or the vast improvement that The Way of Water had over what came before it, but Fire and Ash is still an exceptional moviegoing experience that proves there’s still plenty of gas in this tank.

It settles into a steady rhythm by the halfway point, and goes against the grain of your average survival thriller by emphasizing just how brutal and unfeeling nature is, regardless of how big and strong you are.

At the center of this mess sits a set of performances that are, beyond some writing oddities, pretty good.

Overall, Goodbye June proves Winslet is just as talented onscreen as she is calling the shots, bringing a raw approach to this already emotionally-driven story. Through her thoughtful direction, the ensemble is able to deliver a convincing portrayal of a dysfunctional yet loving family dealing with potential loss and precocious grief.

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.

It's well-acted and not schlocky, but it's one of those presents you open on Christmas, excited to receive it, only to forget about it the next day.

Rosemead is an absorbing and thoroughly heartbreaking movie that deals blow after grievous blow to its audience, and Lucy Liu is just astounding.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair might not be Tarantino’s masterpiece, but it’s a brilliant example of a filmmaker with a deep-seated love of movies fully embracing his inspirations and passions in grand fashion.

This version of Merrily We Roll Along doesn’t fix every flaw in the material, but it doesn’t need to. What it does instead is honor how difficult, tender, and painfully human this story has always been, giving it the kind of intimacy that a lot of pro-shots never quite reach. For a musical that was once called a massive flop, it’s got a pretty satisfying second life — and one that’s very easy to roll along with.

Ultimately, My Secret Santa feels like one of the more forgettable Christmas movies of the year. It is not funny or wacky enough to appeal to kids the way Doubtfire does, and it isn't charming or thoughtful enough to appeal to adults.

Fackham Hall holds its own as the first of its kind — and carves out a brand-new niche in the satire landscape.

Where the first movie left fans satisfied with the bare minimum, and non-fans bewildered with boredom, the second installment will likely leave fans even happier and non-fans satisfied with a solidly entertaining robot slasher.

Michelle Pfeiffer is reason alone to watch 'Oh. What. Fun.' even if the film never fully reaches its potential.

It'll get your heart pumping from the very beginning, rarely giving you time to breathe, and boasts a lead performance from an actor who's truly in command of his greatness.

The thoroughly entertaining villains should have played more of a role, as should the store, and the material should have been more comedy-focused and delivered by actors with more of a knack for it. Once this heist was over, they could have spun it out into sequels, where each year a new operation got underway. It's a shame that this one falls so flat.

Sutherland truly is the star here, and he holds the movie in the palm of his hand. Between the self-deprecating humor and the 110% effort he puts into a silly British Christmas movie, he creates a really friendly and inviting vibe that just radiates off the screen.

Kotevska isn’t just telling a story of a farmer in a foreign land; she’s constructing a story that we can all relate to in our current world, in one of the finest documentaries you’ll see all year.

It's a colorful and delightful movie that delivers both thrills and heart. A fantastic follow-up to the original, Zootopia 2 swoops in right at the perfect time for the holidays as a perfect family movie to enjoy.

Riveting without ever feeling sensationalized and moving without being saccharine, Middletown is a captivating tale that combines elements of true crime and coming-of-age stories and proves, once again, that Moss and McBaine are two of the most talented documentarians working today.

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.

As Hallmark-esque as this Netflix rom-com might be, it offers the perfect combo for what you anticipate from a seasonal title. It delivers on a low-stakes love story between two people from different cultural backgrounds, allows for its main character to grow into her own and understand her worth, and gives viewers the opportunity to escape to Paris without leaving their couch.

Come See Me in the Good Light is a shattering, yet lovely documentary that’s easily one of the best of the year.

Wicked: For Good is not only a loyal adaptation, but it builds on what works from the first film while leaning into its lead performances. The characters are more mature and nuanced, making it a worthy successor to the first film. It doesn't surpass Wicked, but as a double feature, these two movies do justice to one of the best musicals ever, and that's not an easy feat to accomplish.

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is utterly enjoyable, giving fans a handful of new tracks to set the tone for the end-of-year festivities.

Maslany can effectively react to shadows and reflections, and Perkins can navigate this cabin to maximize its horror potential, but without the screenplay to back them up, this just becomes a curious experiment without much focus.

You won't forget Alan Ritchson. If he can make crap entertaining, imagine him in a comedic role with a much better script

Trap House is a fun enough time worth watching, but it traps its star and doesn't let him out.

The movie is full of trees, lights, snow, and all the aesthetic trimmings of a Christmas movie, but there's a coziness behind all the seasonal artifice that radiates from the screen, and that, surely, can only be down to the right combination of people having a whale of a time together.

The direction that The Carpenter's Son is charting is the right one, as there are some moments of genuine intrigue, and it's not always clear if the titular character is going to fall into the path of the dark side or take on a more noble path. However, Cage's supporting role and the rest of the movie's more meandering moments and subplots, including a rushed ending, prevent it from being heralded as the enduring cult classic that a lot of Cage's other recent hits have become.

All of Wright's movies only get better and better on every rewatch, given the immense attention to detail, and revisits of The Running Man will undoubtedly garner more appreciation for a movie that's already one of the most crowd-pleasing pictures of the year.

Altogether, a lot works about Now You See Me: Now You Don't. It's a lot of fun, with a dangerous new foe and big, great-looking tricks. The new cast members are all stellar, have an engaging dynamic with the original team, and everyone gets a stand-out hero moment (a must for an ensemble this size). On the other hand, the script feels perpetually rushed.

It's flat characters on an unfinished stage, rehearsing a bad script, with no weight behind any of the odd choices and filming techniques. It wants to be a movie, but it doesn't know how. Just stay on your horse and ride past this one.

Miroirs No. 3 is enthralling from beginning to end, a smart, often heartbreaking story that thrives in its simplicity.

I Wish You All The Best is a triumph on everybody's part.

In Your Dreams deserves to be held up with the best of what other animation studios have done, and as one of the most visually stunning, funniest, and beautifully touching films of the year

Measures for a Funeral is brimming with style and painstakingly researched, but the fact Bohdanowicz seems to insist on showcasing every tiny detail she discovered at the sacrifice of making a leaner, more focused, and riveting story causes a dissonance that makes it feel dead on arrival.

Predator: Badlands might not be the shock to the system that Prey was, but it is continued proof that putting Predator in Trachtenberg's was one of the smartest moves this franchise has ever made. The writer and director continues to find brilliant, fascinating ways to explore and expand the Predator movies to an exhilarating level, making this series better than it ever has been.

It's a winner, with a surprisingly breezy pace for such a long action spectacle. Interested audiences should catch it on the largest screen they can.

From its narrative that blends so many ideas exquisitely, to the gratifying characters and narrative arcs, to the absolutely stunning animation style, Arco is quite possibly the best animated film of the year.

Train Dreams is without a doubt one of the most extraordinary films of this year, the type that will stick with you, deep in your mind and heart, long after the credits roll.

It may not necessarily reinvent the wheel as far as modern-day technological thrillers go, and only time will tell how the movie will age. But Influencers is still a slick and stylish sequel that exemplifies everything that made the first movie such a fun watch and then some.

After all these years, Left-Handed Girl is a terrific return to directing for Shih-Ching Tsou, who crafts a wonderful, often moving, and splendidly told story of three characters coming into their own.

For a studio renowned for the time and attention it gives both the technical and storytelling sides of its production, the finished product is remarkably uneven. Yes, it’s great that there’s a new Studio Ghibli movie, but that doesn’t mean that the new Studio Ghibli movie is great.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain is, without a doubt, one of the best and most touching animated films to come out this year, a remarkable example of what this style of storytelling can do.

As those familiar with Chomet's work would expect, A Magnificent Life is an exquisitely animated film to watch, even if the narrative is a bit rote. But it also makes one think that maybe the original concept for this as a documentary of Pagnol’s life could’ve been more effective and illuminating of what made him such a great artist.

Stitch Head has the vibe of a teenager trying to reach the minimum word count on an essay: as long as it gets done on time, then that's the main thing.

As Ibsen’s play has shown, even a century after its writing, this is still a story with life in it, and DaCosta’s take modernizes it in deft ways. However, the questionable way DaCosta's film goes about it doesn’t do the story justice, making this a party that fizzles out long before the last guest has left.

Despite Lane and Chandler elevating Anniversary with their respective performances, the film doesn't reward its stacked cast with the memorable onscreen moments they each deserve.

There is a lot that the movie does so right, which is why its various faux pas feel that much more disappointing, but this is far from an overall failure. It's a sign of great things to come from Williams and from The Horror Section.

Although the cast does what they can with a script that never cuts deeper than the surface, their performances aren't enough to give Regretting You the emotional resonance expected from a story like this.

Pitfall doesn't reinvent the wheel or drastically change the game, but it deserves credit for being a crowd-pleasing slasher.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere can’t shake what we know about the biopic, but it does at least create some moments and provide some decent performances that make the audience forget about those clichés, at least temporarily.

With Bugonia, Lanthimos elevates an already fantastic concept, making an essential film about the world we live in and just how insane and hopeless it can feel at times.

Instead of glorifying men at the top of their game (well, at least Keane), it’s a fascinating, funny, and smart breakdown of how one argument served as a microcosm for centuries of conflict, cultural values, and men’s egos.

Like the title character himself, Jay Kelly is a film that has good intentions, but doesn’t have the follow-through to make good on those promises.

It's funny, it's zany, it looks good, and has some really great character work going for it, but it probably would have turned out better as a product of the 20th century.

The Secret Agent is a remarkable work from Mendonça Filho; a beautifully composed film that features some of the best directing, editing, and writing of the year, as well as an enthralling performance by Moura that deserves its accolades.

There is fun to be had here, but it's spread too thin in a movie where even 90 minutes is too long.

Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost isn’t just a loving tribute to the great comedy duo of Stiller & Meara; it’s also a beautiful look at how much our closest ones impact us both during their lives and after they're gone.

100 Nights of Hero is a profound and folkloric tale that evangelizes the beauty and importance of female solidarity, creative power, and defiance against oppression. It is political though playful, satirical yet thought-provoking, and radically challenges modern societal norms.

A first-hand retelling of how easily racism can become deadly, The Perfect Neighbor is one of the most compelling documents of how inherently dangerous it is for Black people to exist in America today.

Good Fortune is about love, redemption, and privilege, but it's also an indictment of exploitative labor and the forces that enable it, even if it takes many clumsy steps to get there. Its greatest strength is a reminder that being a good person doesn't get you a reward — being a good person is the reward.

In an environment where meta horror is all the rage, Big Baby doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does check all the basic requirements. It's got a strong hook and premise, a character and a villain who are easy to connect with, and some pretty gnarly kills and effects to boot.

Appofeniacs may not be packed to the brim with wacky action scenes and tense horror sequences, but when those moments do come along, they're executed with great finesse from behind the cameras.

If you're looking for a narrative and humor that matches the heights of the first movie, you'll likely walk away disappointed in how it takes such a hard pivot towards mean-spirited and juvenile attempts at shock value, leaving the heart and relatable stakes of the original completely in the dust.

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

The end result is a film that truly feels like it has something to say and goes about saying it in the strangest way possible.

Smart, stylish, and suspenseful, The Woman in Cabin 10 works in large part because of Knightley’s performance.

The sci-fi thriller certainly has some bumps along the road, but a dedicated performance from Jessica Rothe helps amplify it into an intriguing ride that cleverly showcases the actor's impressive range.

It's a maddening and heart-pounding portrait of bureaucracy amid war and the mental torture of being helpless in the face of terror.

Father Mother Sister Brother does have little pockets of Jarmusch's genius scattered throughout, but not enough to make up for how unfulfilling the entire experience is.

There are more misses than connections in the third act, and for its title, it's never really vicious enough despite the blood and gore to come. Still, it'll keep you on your toes as it's cutting off someone else's.

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.

Altogether, Black Phone 2 is a mixed bag that still has some clear winning attributes.

A House of Dynamite begins explosively, but unfortunately, it ends up fizzling out.

Tron: Ares isn’t likely to turn Tron into the major franchise Disney has clearly wanted it to be for decades, but it is a sign that the company has a smarter understanding of what these movies need to be: exciting to look at, with a great soundtrack, and with a story that’s dumb fun. Tron: Ares not only achieves that, but finds fun ways to fit in the other installments that make you actually want to see more installments in this world, as opposed to having them forced upon us. Tron: Ares isn’t a killer app, but it is a solid upgrade.

If you've already tested yourself with other beautiful, albeit lengthy, works of art, don't miss the opportunity of witnessing Hadzihalilovic's imperfect masterpiece. Allow yourself to be mesmerized by its beauty and consumed by the paranoia that surrounds it, much like Jeanne in the realm of the Snow Queen.

It’s entirely possible you won’t see a scarier movie this year than Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5.

Bone Lake isn't heavy or particularly meditative with its themes of sexual repression, mismatched couplings, and people's absolute failure to efficiently communicate with each other, but it gives us just enough to pad out an amusing framework and make us wonder where it's all headed.

Some moments could benefit from lessened narration, a longer cut in an individual scene, or the maintenance of a less dreamlike tone, but it's a fine film that provides one of the most unique cinematic experiences in biopic history.

While it’s certainly great that Daniel Day-Lewis is back in his element, and Ronan Day-Lewis can craft impressive, imposing imagery, Anemone is just too much empty space, waiting to be filled with something.

It takes a tale as old as time, adorns it with the accoutrements of soft body horror, and ultimately tells the audience members to keep their chins up; that they have the power to break through these societally-inflicted ideas about self-worth.

V/H/S/Halloween is dark and demented, and is the funniest movie of this franchise. But if the V/H/S series just turned it down a notch and tried some different storytelling formats, the next one could be even better.

Killer coyotes aren't all that scary, and the comedy of the supporting characters feels forced and overly written. Kudos to the crew for coming up with a premise and refusing to send it off the rails into fantastical absurdism. Still, just because you keep the plot grounded doesn't mean that there is enough to keep up the tension.