As the film becomes about the conflict between a handful of key characters, it takes on the machinations and trappings of a psychological thriller surrounding a mystery of sorts that we already know the answer to.

I Saw the TV Glow is bold, unhinged, extremely unusual, and also kind of magnificent—a daring step forward for Schoenbrun as a filmmaker, and a film that will certainly divide audiences not sure what the hell to make of it.

LifeHack is a captivating, exhilarating, and full-speed heist thriller that marks one hell of a feature debut.

There's something to be missed from the first due to the predictability of his path in this iteration, but there are enough surprises and novelties (usually violent) to provoke delight and get adrenaline pumping.

Deadpool & Wolverine is a shot in the arm that the MCU needed, and finally shows the full potential of Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool.

Through Wang's astute direction, some moving performances, and well-rounded vision, it is just as provocative as it needs to be, while making for a very entertaining watch.

The Drama is a film that will stick in your mind long after you’ve left the theater.

Torres' humor might be too niche for some, but Problemista shows that it can be used to tell a compelling and heartfelt story for the masses.

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.

Jack Quaid and Jeffrey Dean Morgan give heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious performances as two men who need to prove to themselves and everyone around them that they can save the day.

While there may be one or two too many callbacks to the first film and a couple of unnecessary subplots, the sequel doesn’t rely entirely on nostalgia, nor does it strip away everything that made the original great. Maybe it’s not a perfect balance, but it’s pretty close to it. I don’t think I’ll be quoting this one as frequently as the first, but I certainly see myself grabbing some popcorn and peanut M&M’s for a pretty epic double-feature in the future.

Compared to his other recent work, Carney’s latest pulls back a bit on the music and leans more into the comedy side of things, yet Power Ballad maintains the heart and optimism that is brimming from all his films, and hopefully, it will get the attention it deserves.

It’s a gory, bonkers action-comedy premise anchored by a set of strong performances and a surprisingly poignant meet-cute, making for a wildly memorable action outing.

Skin Deep is the type of quietly ambitious film that never forgets about the personal while immersing us in vast ideas about the underpinnings of identity itself. It is a poetic and profound gem of an experience you wouldn't dare swap for anything else.

Those seeking more from their horror experience will discover a hauntingly cerebral and remarkably mature, confident debut.

Chain Reactions finds the beauty in the despair, and how fine cinematic storytelling isn’t confined to tales of good winning over evil. It’s a love letter to horror, art, influence, and how Tobe Hooper and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre changed cinema forever, whether you can stomach it or not.

Bong has some cache to make whatever he wants, and he uses this freedom to build a wild and intriguing world that is both humorous and politically charged.

This is a movie made perfectly for those viewers who are somewhere between childhood and adulthood, and it understands them. It throws just enough of life's nastiness at them without making it too overwhelming or hopeless, and it has a real comprehension of how teens often feel: misunderstood and unsupported by those around them, but not in that stereotypical "get outta my room, Mom!" way.

Morrisa Maltz’s Jazzy is a gentle, impressionistic wonder that authentically captures growing up.

The film is indeed reminiscent of other satirical comedy horror flicks of times past, but it still has its own unique soul. And thank goodness it exists in our realm!

Landon has proven himself to be one of the best studio filmmakers in delivering enjoyable genre-forward movies, and Drop may just be his best movie yet.

While the more extreme moments of the film may capture the most attention on first watch and are remarkably well-executed, Potrykus deserves praise for how precisely he captures the depths of pain that come pouring out of people like the ash out of a firework.

Blue’s Big City Adventure is a movie aimed at preschoolers that’s also enjoyable for adults, with exciting musical numbers that help break the simple story and explore the street art history of New York City. Add to that nods to the franchise’s past and the return of the original hosts, and you get a movie you won’t mind your children watching over and over again.

The Offering won’t get any points for originality, but people looking for well-crafted horror can’t go wrong with Park’s latest film.

Weird might not be the best biopic parody (Walk Hard still holds that crown), but it is an absolutely charming and often hilarious look at the world’s greatest parody musician, packed with an excellent cast that wants to pay tribute to this weird man. Weird dares to be stupid and succeeds because of it.

Bullet Train is knowingly absurd and has plenty of fun with the wild lengths it can go, and for the most part, that keeps Bullet Train on the rails.

When all the pieces come together, it is a work that proves to be one of the more well-rounded experiences from Rodriguez in quite some time.

Theater Camp isn’t without its weaknesses, but the hilarious cast—like their characters—are game for anything, and the jokes are flying fast and mostly landing.

While Unicorn Wars' rhythm can be uneven, the movie is still a brilliant anti-war story elevated by Vazquez’s mesmerizing art direction.

Williams’ story of coming out and acceptance is both riveting and often touching, and Bernal gives quite possibly his best performance in this beautiful story of finding yourself and becoming who you were always supposed to be.

Sachs’ story comes to life thanks to these three excellent performances that aren't afraid to explore the selfishness and desires of passion, in a story that finds the power of shared pain and love.

It is in its willingness to peer directly through the looking glass that most other science fiction works would blink in the face of where Animalia taps into something that remains as spectacular as it is elusive.

When Jones and McNairy are playing off each other, Fairyland really finds the beauty of this story. Especially in the third act, as this relationship becomes more difficult and uncertain, both present themselves as people who struggle with the balance of doing what's right for themselves and doing what's right for each other.

Attachment explores the joys and tribulations of new love, splicing a delicate love story with truly horrifying elements.

In this David vs. Goliath battle, the film gives hope that change on a large scale could be possible and does this in a charming, entertaining narrative with a great cast from top to bottom.

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.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie can be a bit standard as far as biographical documentaries go, but when the subject is someone as much to watch as Fox is, it’s hard to care too much about the form when the content is so captivating.

Magazine Dreams is a difficult and challenging watch, bolstered by an incredible performance by Majors that could easily end up being one of the year's best.

While the narrative has its cracks, the visual aesthetic and appearance of Asteroid City are completely flawless.

While The Leech starts out sturdy yet simple, feeling more like a psychological thriller than anything, when it takes a leap into the full-fledged spectacle of horror, it is worth getting lost in along with the characters.

There’s a lot to like about The Listener, with Thompson’s performance easily being the highlight. It’s a simple yet powerful story of finding connection and hope through the dark times.

The Ring is a silent melodrama that remains surprisingly watchable, and like all 1920s Hitchcock movies, it's certainly a historical curiosity for those interested.

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.

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.

Oppy’s origin story and her adorable, human-like qualities will surely attract a wide audience, but the vulnerability and passion of the engineers are what makes this documentary special.

I Love You Dad has its heart in the right place with its cringey narrative and story of how much forgiveness those who love us truly deserve.

While Manodrome doesn't always manage to keep steady pacing, it still serves as a unique character study for Jesse Eisenberg's angry and destructive young man.

Despite using genre conventions both for its thriller and the mysterious horror story layers, New Life feels fresh and innovative, presenting a mix that works so well that it’s a wonder no one ever tried to do something similar before.

Wonka is a bit shaggy, with too many moving parts, but its spirit and its optimism—and a fantastic performance by Chalamet—make up for the film’s weaknesses.

Even if you’re not a fan of the music of Tucker or Carlile, The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile will have you hoping for the best for both of these incredible musicians.

While there is certainly still much that you feel like you want to know about Stallone at the end when it all neatly wraps up, Sly manages to be a documentary befitting of its subject with unexpected poignancy and just enough revelations to land some key punches before dancing away with a one-of-a-kind smile.

Instead of having to explain this universe, The Secrets of Dumbledore can let us sit with these characters reckoning with the loves they’ve lost in quiet and gentle ways, create a captivating and often hilarious action sequence with a multitude of beasts, or explore the history of Dumbledore’s family with subtlety.

Structurally, Missing can often feel a bit too much like Searching at times, but by the end, it finds its own path in this intriguing way to tell a mystery.

That we remain invested is a testament to Boyega as he proves once more he is capable of making good films that are greater than the sum of their parts. It cements his status as one of those actors who makes any project he is attached to one worth seeking out with They Cloned Tyrone being on the better end of a career with so much promise ahead

Without much footage of the war itself, the firsthand accounts from the passengers in the car are enough to paint a picture of the terrors that they've endured and their need to find a better place to stay.

McGann weaves together an emotional and tragic tale in the third act, one that hits hard after following the story of these two lovers throughout the film. Mixing this with the magnificent footage of an alien underwater world, one that few of us will ever see with our own eyes, and there is a lot to like.

With neat, concise storytelling, and a skilled cast, Rogue Agent is a compelling film that will appeal to thriller and true crime lovers alike.

In a career full of great performances, Swinton continues to do some of her finest work with Hogg, and Hogg once more proves that she’s one of the most remarkable personal storytellers in cinema today.

Woman of the Hour is a tight, smartly handled thriller that may stumble at times with its thematic ideas, but wins you over with its deft handling behind the camera.

The Little Mermaid might not match the greatness of the original, but it’s the rare remake that feels worthy of being part of our world.

Despite the harrowing predicament Jane and Adam find themselves in, If You Were the Last is a rom-com. Not only that, it's a good one -- a 90-minute charmer that eschews realistic FX work (the space shuttle itself and the planets outside its windows look to be made out of cardboard and papier-mâché) in favor of putting two actors with fantastic chemistry together in a tight space and letting the sparks fly.

Thurman’s scenes only get better when she’s paired with Jackson. The duo handles their dialogue like a walk in the park, and you can tell that The Kill Room tries to make the most of it.

The biggest drawback to making this story a sequel film rather than a revival season is the part where The Fallen Sun doesn't seem to have enough time to develop all of its elements, leaving many plot components either half-baked or barely established before the story demands its characters move on.

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.

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.

Citizen Saint treats the sensitive subject with the subtlety it deserves. While some of the answers the movie proposes might be uncomfortable, it still shines for never falling prey to oversimplifications.

Strays aims to be as raunchy and dirty as a talking dog movie can get, taking full advantage of its premise, although never really going anywhere beyond that. Not all the jokes land perfectly, but those that do illicit some of the biggest and best laughs you'll have at the theater all summer.

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

So long as you aren’t expecting a masterpiece, Spy Kids: Armageddon proves itself as a fun, spy romp, where kids are king and parents are simply along for the ride. It’s childhood wish-fulfillment to the extreme, straight down to getting to live out video game fantasies and one-hit wonders.

Hardiman’s feature debut is ambitious, even if the overall structure doesn’t always work, and the mystery isn’t as engrossing as it maybe should be. Yet, for all its flaws, it makes up for it in style and its wild cast of characters.

If She Came at Night is so capable of going from well-timed comedy to dramatic moments, the movie has Peková to thank above anyone else.

Overall, in spite of its stumbles, Red, White & Royal Blue is a charming and diverting rom-com that introduces a welcome new viewpoint to the long-running genre — and Alex and Henry's journey to love is sure to please both longtime fans of McQuiston's novel as well as newer arrivals who are looking for a mostly solid entry point into romance itself.

At its very core, Knock at the Cabin works because it reminds of the early days of Shyamalan, when he felt like the next coming of Alfred Hitchcock, and his films would leave the audience talking for days after.

It’s funny, bizarre, uncomfortable, and an absolute cringe-fest for all the best reasons.

By focusing on the gray between the good and the bad, and with a scale and scope that the other films never quite had, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes might just be the most engrossing film in this series—and almost makes one wish there were more stories here to be told.

Shinkai uses magnificent landscapes as the background of a story about love, trauma, and finding out who you are. There's much to love about Suzume, and more than enough for us to be excited about whatever the filmmaker comes up with next.

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.

What makes this latest documentary from director Peter Nicks different is how it takes time to sit with the failures and go just a bit deeper.

Miller’s modern fairly tale is full of beauty, love, and care, even if the film often focuses on the grand instead of the modest moments.

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.

Cora Bora is a bit of a surprise first leading role for Stalter as it's a comedy that’s soaked in heartache, trauma, and self-discovery. It’s a vehicle that proves she can not only make us laugh, but make us feel some feelings, too.

Dream Scenario is like a strange dream that doesn’t quite go in the direction you would’ve hoped, but still, you’re glad you got to experience that vision.

While The Animal Kingdom is far from perfect, it still delivers a crowd-pleasing story that can move and thrill in equal measure.

Director Frances O’Connor effortlessly immerses the audience into Emily’s heart, soul, and mind in this refreshing, storybook-like origin story for a reclusive, misunderstood, and underappreciated author.

While The Hypnosis doesn't always handle the character of Vera as well as it could, the movie is still a great piece of social satire. Above everything else, it deserves praise for standing in favor of a life that's less performative and more attentive to one's desires.

Simply put, Cocaine Bear is exactly what you want. It's a film that knows that it's ludicrous and relishes in the wildness of watching a cocaine-fueled bear go nuts on Blood Mountain.

The Marvels is the shortest film in the MCU so far, and it’s great that DaCosta has made a movie that is short, sweet, and yet, ends up being more impactful and playful than most Marvel films. In a universe that often feels suffocated by the amount of history, dense storytelling, and character awareness needed to enjoy these films, DaCosta figures out how to handle all of that in one of the most fun Marvel films in years. It’s kind of a marvel.

Like the relationship between Lynsey and James, Causeway is a film that slowly grows on you, a film that puts on a tough front—with its devastated characters and desire for escape—yet at its center is a tremendous about of heart, love, with its found families and shared pain.

Despite feeling overcrowded and at times unevenly paced, Wildflower is a warm coming-of-age tale that amplifies the stories of underrepresented groups in the media. In addition to highlighting the complications that come with growing up, it reminds you to appreciate the people who appreciate you back.

Even when you then think it may have all settled down, the film twists the knife even further.

As the name suggests, when you watch The People We Hate at the Wedding, you're going to be watching messy characters doing things that would make someone hate them. The film successfully toes the line of making that kind of cringe comedy without completely sacrificing these characters, despite their many flaws, you do still root for these people, and you want them to resolve their issues and live happily ever after.

The Inspection proves to be a rich work of personal introspection crossed with a wiser slice of life portrait of an era that can only come when looking back.

Sarandon, Keaton, Gere, Macy, Roberts, and Bracey, elevate the script with a charm that feels entirely natural, and they make these characters shine.

With verve and style, Heart of Stone does a great job of creating a new character in the espionage thriller genre.

Okuno is certainly not showing us anything we haven't seen before, indeed these stories are all too familiar, unfortunately. But the skill is not making the horror indulgent. Julia's dread is something we feel distinctly. Monroe, someone familiar with the horror genre, is perfect as our hero who is equal parts determined and terrified.

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 pacing is brisk without once overstaying its welcome, it has an ultra-charismatic lead, plus boasts all the violence, chaos, and melodrama one could want out of this particular movie.

Bolstered by a strong cast and a luscious color palette and landscape, Killers of the Flower Moon is worthy of a watch for those who can look past its romanticization. For those looking for a film that puts Native American voices and characters on center stage or a more comprehensive story, continue moving on, even with three-and-a-half hours, this is not that film.