While the free-flowing structure of Spin Me Round works in bits and pieces, there’s very little overall purpose to the narrative Baena and Brie have crafted here.

This Much I Know to Be True might not dig as deep into the lives of Cave and Ellis as one might hope for a film billed as a documentary, but the performances captured here more than make up for that.

West has made an extraordinary tale of the personal universes we all inhabit, the strange messiness of life, and the beauty of how everything all shakes out in the end.

Until the Wheels Fall Off could’ve maybe explored Hawk’s personal life with a bit more focus, but Jones still creates a captivating, edge-of-your-seat documentary that manages to make the idea of landing a trick a genuinely moving scenario.

Plemons, Collins, and Segel elevate this basic story beyond more than just a generic noir homage, but it’ll likely leave the audience like Nobody: willing to accept less when they should be asking for more.

In the end, The Cow ends up a collection of tonal blunders and performances that are too big for this smaller-scale thriller.

For some, this film could miss the mark; for others, it could be exactly the comfort viewing that's needed, but overall, Marry Me merits more of a "sure, okay" in response rather than a resounding yes.

By cutting back and simply sticking to the thrills and the madness of this situation and little else, Bay has made one of his best films in decades.

The Bubble feels like the least personal film Apatow has directed so far, a film that seems like more of an excuse to just do something during the pandemic, instead of Apatow having something to say.

Apollo 10½ can at times feel like the greatest hits of Linklater and what made him who he is, but that’s a welcome change, and a reminder of his strengths as a filmmaker.

Although it may not necessarily invent the wheel of filmmaking, it accomplishes just about everything else it sets out to do in the vein of simply being a fun popcorn flick, as well as treating all the genre spheres it falls into with an encouraging level of respect, albeit with the occasional gentle tongue-in-cheek joke.

Daniels explores the hopelessness of depression, the little miracles that truly make life worthwhile, how acts of kindness can be an extraordinary asset, and—most fitting to this film—how it’s OK to be a mess.

Even as it eventually loses steam on the way towards a rushed conclusion, the film’s prevailing charm and characters shine through such struggles.

The central problem of Morbius is a lazy and uninspiring script. No weight or depth is given to any character. There’s little humor and when it tries to make a tongue-in-cheek joke, it fails miserably.

There is never a moment when you're swept away by the romance of Walt and Sophie and that should be the point of all of this.

Beyond some decent performances that aren’t done justice by this script, and some fairly wild leaps into horror, Forbidden Fruits isn’t ripe, it’s just rotten.

It doesn’t coast on its set-up, Skarsgård’s presence, or the taboos it approaches. It handles all these and then some, combining a compelling coming-of-age story, an endearing comedy, and a sex-positive odd romance into one of the best films of the year.

Nice Days doesn't execute its emotional or comedic beats with the same enthusiasm, but the pulverizations are still bountiful — there's plenty of bruised and bloody aggression to save the day.

Theater of Thought could've easily become a straightforward documentary about the evolution of thought and the fascinating science behind our brains, yet in the hands of Herzog, this topic becomes far more entertaining, as he approaches the topic with a wide-eyed wonder that lets this subject go down smooth.

Like so many of Frears’ films, The Lost King works because of the compelling cast on hand.

Alienoid is a movie that wants to be everything and satisfy everyone, and when you try to satisfy everyone, you invariably end up satisfying no one.

Dunham's latest has a particularly game cast, and a solid concept, but Dunham makes this feel like a collection of mismatched ideas and inconsistent characters.

Cameron’s epic can still thrill the audience with breathtaking set pieces, bring them to tears with moving moments, and amaze people willing to explore a fantasy land like no other. Every frame is developed with such care that the movie remains one of the most beautiful works of art ever created by Hollywood. [2022 re-release]

The Strangers might not be the kind of horror movie I’ll revisit time and time again, but it will stick with me, finding ways to freak me out with minimal resources.

Guadagino’s second film as a director isn’t unwatchable by any stretch of the imagination but lacks the clarity of vision that would dominate his later work. While it certainly features impressive performances from young stars Maria Valverde and Primo Reggiani, there’s not much that distinguishes Melissa P. from other coming-of-age dramas.

Every scene of Holes is risky since it avoids easy answers and exposes some uncomfortable truths about the justice system.

Fans of the Italian director have probably not seen it, and it’s surely the strangest film he’s made, with signs of his favorite cinematic elements he would bring into later, more well-known films.

What the cast and crew of Run Lola Run achieves is pure innovation in film.

Contrary to the film's critical reception, Fallen stands out as one of the most interesting portrayals of demonic possession ever put to film (not to mention managing to be a compelling detective thriller).

Hard Boiled escalates perfectly, with the action starting out spectacular, and then getting increasingly grand in scale and ambition as things march along. The whole final act is particularly great, and largely responsible for making the movie an all-timer among action/crime flicks.

The passion that was brought to creating the perilous and dark world is just so spectacular to take in. If modern superhero films had even one iota of the creativity of this one, they wouldn’t grow so tiresome.

It is Williams’ portrayal of Keating and his earnest passion that effectively conveys the film’s message as the excitable and unique teacher leaves the audience longing to be inspired.

Miracle Mile could've easily coasted on the virtuosity of its stark tonal pivot, but Steve De Jarnatt expands upon these contrasting emotional modes by examining our relationship towards love and death.

This insanely fun sequel takes the franchise in a musically supernatural direction. It's a bizarrely entertaining film full of disturbing imagery, amazingly memorable kills, and one of the best finales in horror history.

The film tackles an age-old theme of man versus monster, but does so in a way that creates a strangely perfect balance between action, science fiction, and even a dash of horror.

It's certainly not Francis Ford Coppola's most well-known war movie, but Gardens of Stone is a pretty decent one, and does feel somewhat underrated.

Cameron taking the most thrilling aspects of what worked in Alien and punching them up into an action film fits the xenomorphs (and their queen) much better.

It would have been easy to phone in generic songs and performances, but the creative team surprisingly put in a good deal of care for a movie about colorful bears.

With Chivalry, John Woo scored an early hit that’s too often overlooked and under-appreciated. It’s a film of tremendous skill and promise, and a masterpiece in its own right.

Despite its flaws, Something Wicked is the great standout from Disney’s experimental phase under Miller.

The Watcher in the Woods is a great movie for seventy minutes, but the subpar ending really does stain an otherwise solid watch.

The problem with He Knows You're Alone is that it's, well, boring. The characters are likable enough but dull, the subplots go on too long, there are more jump scares than suspense, the killer isn't all that scary, and his kills are mostly bloodless.

It's both biting and prescient in its satirical message that details the contrast of the desires of selfish individual player taking precedence over the team mentality that the coaches encourage in the locker room.

Not only is it a stunning piece of filmmaking that is as rich in detail as it is patient in its exploration, but it also makes the most of absolutely every single element of its slice-of-life portrait.

If you aren’t charmed by Tentacles’ impressive cast or fascinated by the film’s clever use of octopus skills, surely you will be won over by the film’s campiness that culminates in an underwater orca versus octopus showdown.

In addition to just being side-splittingly funny, Young Frankenstein is an aesthetic triumph.

Given its troubled production history, Messiah of Evil is far from perfect. Mood can only get you so far when not much happens for a good hour of the film. But it flows with the blood of New Hollywood in its veins, defining the wave as more than just gritty dramas and excessive blockbusters.

By boldly balancing historical responsibility with modern social critique, Poitier establishes his Western masterpiece as both a time capsule and timeless adventure, flowing effortlessly between the genre’s entertaining shootouts and robberies and the prescient commentary of subverting racist systems by all means necessary.

Tokyo Story, Ozu’s 1953 magnum opus, has frequently been acclaimed by filmmakers and critics alike as the greatest film ever made, and it very arguably could be. Regardless of where you’d place it on the hierarchy of the “best ever’s", Tokyo Story is certainly the ultimate family film—that is, the ultimate film about family and what family actually means.

Minnie and Moskowitz could easily be retitled as “Men Who Yell at Gena Rowlands About Why They Should Be an Item”. But with John Cassavetes script, the yelling is fun.

A film so quirky that it’s ready-made for a Wes Anderson remake.

Despite these positive attributes in terms of the production and style, the actual plot is ultimately convoluted, confusing and quite dull.

Veronica Carlson and Barry Andrews made the strongest couple to fall victim to Christopher Lee’s Dracula. All the supporting cast are excellent. It’s easy to get invested in their lives and wish them a happy ending after enduring Dracula’s horror.

It's a strange and very busy movie, but it has a chaotic kind of charm to it that'll appeal to those who like bold and oftentimes ridiculous comedy movies from this era.

Offbeat and painfully real, Rachel, Rachel fits firmly in with films of the era like Five Easy Pieces and I Never Sang For My Father…not bad company to be in.

Sure, it might not be The Searchers or Rio Bravo, but The War Wagon deserves a share of the praise The Duke’s more well-renowned movies regularly get.

You're a Big Boy Now fits in with the sort of rebellious, youthful films that were popular during the final years of the rebellious decade in which it was released, but probably isn't an essential watch for anyone other than the filmmaker's most devoted fans.

It's a fun movie to watch just to see how Presley even keeps up with the constant changes in this young girl. His reactions are funny, and it's a very playful movie that many people don't really talk about.

There's no question that it carries all the hallmarks of a low-budget Corman effort. That being said, there is the feeling in Dementia 13 that there's a filmmaker behind the camera that really cares about the story at hand.

It's a surprisingly funny movie at times, even though it deals with serious themes, deconstructing the samurai mythos while also having a solid amount of gritty sword-fighting action.

Despite some missed payoffs for rich storylines introduced early on, The Birds more than earns its legendary status, with its beautiful direction, sharp performances, and an inventive and metaphorical premise.

Every minute detail and artistic decision Hitchcock makes contributes to the film’s eeriness, though it’s Leigh and Perkins’ captivating performances that turn this into the terrifying tale so entrenched in Hollywood history.

It epitomizes and distills all of Hammer's hallmarks into a product that’s so damn good, it’s hard to find fault.

Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, and Jack Warden lead a cast that glues you to the screen and never lets you go till the final verdict.

Even with the dazzling camera work and notable cameos, the film's true marquee attraction is Bogart delivering another classic performance in the face of tragic personal circumstances.

Even though the musical aspect does make it at odds with darker cowboy movies, Calamity Jane is still a fitting showcase for one of the genre's best characters.

Limelight resonates today because of its awareness of the gravity surrounding Chaplin's legacy without favoring too far into self-indulgence. The film's endearing conclusion, that the humbling appreciation of humanity stands as the driving force behind art, is the thematic idea that Chaplin embodies.

The 1950 film Harvey, starring the legendary Jimmy Stewart, is a film ahead of its time. It's a film that speaks to mental illness. A film that places the value of one's quirks above societal expectations. It's a charming, funny film with an innocence that is seldom seen in theaters today.

Love triangles, secrets, murder, and wild courtroom drama make for a gripping Hitchcock classic.

Most importantly, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein doesn’t pretend to mask itself as something more than a cheap thrill, but it’s that tongue-in-cheek self-awareness that not only made it a box office smash, spawning several sequels, but the birth mother of an entirely new genre altogether.

Zinnemann is honest in his depiction of the raw, unfiltered emotions of displaced children, making The Search one of the most searing examinations of war’s impact ever put on screen.

Till the End of Time remains an extraordinary exploration of what happened when the boys came home...and when they didn't. In many ways, it's a landmark film.

Shot in three-strip Technicolor, it’s simply one of the most gorgeous films ever made, and in terms of composing a frame, Michael Powell was a master.

It's all a bit "been there, done that," and though it's not abysmal for its time, it doesn't feel particularly fresh or enjoyable.

Of the two classic Universal sequels, Son of Dracula has more to it, even with such bad miscasting as the all-American Lon Chaney Jr. as Dracula (and it is Dracula himself here, despite the title). He gives it the ol' college try, and he was the first to play Dracula in a moustache, but there's no getting around his voice or his blue-collar demeanor.

As an example of artistic propaganda, a film that drives home a message while maintaining creative credibility, it remains second to none.

What, on the surface, appears as a gothic tale of the occult with shocking visual mutation, is actually a tender tale of misunderstanding and tragedy.

Joan Fontaine is so fantastic in Suspicion that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the only Oscar-winning performance in a Hitchcock movie.

Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a chuckle-filled screwball comedy featuring one of Lombard's greatest comedic performances.

The attempt at something different is admirable, even if the execution leaves something to be desired, making this a worthwhile curiosity for fans of old-school science-fiction, even though it's not particularly amazing or anything.

Once conceived as a faithful adaptation, it morphed into something that not only made it stand out, but surpassed the original. From changing the character dynamics to challenging the first film's reputation, it proved to be a beloved screwball comedy that still has viewers laughing more than 80 years later.

Charles Laughton hams it up wonderfully in a villainous role, and Jamaica Inn is enough of an oddity to make it strangely engaging throughout much of its runtime.

It is a deft mix of comedy, romance, and suspense typical of Hitchcock’s formative British years.

The film masterfully balances comedy and crime-solving, showcasing the chemistry and wit of its lead characters.

With a plot reminiscent of James Bond, Secret Agent is an entertaining blend of espionage, adventure and love with touches of comedy thrown in.

At least its status as something of an outlier within Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography makes it a little interesting, but actually sitting through it proves to be an inconsistent sort of affair at best.

For a film that's little more than an hour long, Number 17 manages to weave a complex plot of who's who and whodunit.

If there's one Hitchcock silent films fans should see, it's this suspense-filled thriller, which provides an early indication of why and how he earned his 'Master of Suspense' title.

The 2008 remake of Easy Virtue starring Jessica Biel and Colin Firth, is a lot livelier and more entertaining, but the original is worth watching, particularly to note the difference in the portrayal of the female lead character.