It’s a film that doesn’t feel the pressure of reminding the audience that it’s a comedy, which makes the story and the dysfunctional—but very loving—family that much more endearing and authentic to real life.

The two leads are so charming, the jokes are genuinely funny, and the kills are delightfully gorey.

Babylon is often pure mayhem, but it’s the beauty of life and film itself underneath that makes this one of the best movies about movies this year, and one of the best films of 2022.

The characters somehow behave both flatly and erratically, driving a cliché plot that manages to be both overly simplistic and confusing. Take care of your skin — and sanity — by sitting this one out.

Though Suncoast features wonderful performances, its clichés dim its impact.

With Peter Pan & Wendy, Lowery shows there’s nothing wrong with sticking close to the text, as long as you bring some new identity to the story and give the audience a reason to care about seeing this story once more. With both Pete’s Dragon and Peter Pan & Wendy, Lowery has shown the correct way to tell a time-honored story once more.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is a nice effort in extending the legacy of a far better TV series, but it fails to comprehend that in order to tell a “serious” and “epic” story, it lets go of all the elements that made us fall in love with the series in the first place.

Director Chloé Robichaud's fourth feature film is a fun and sexy romp that discusses infidelity, marriage, and being a mother in our modern age.

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

Demon Slayer To the Hashira Training makes excellent use of the cinematic experience and shows that this series is best seen on the big screen.

As a documentary, Sorry/Not Sorry isn’t groundbreaking in terms of form or information, but it does feel important in the larger conversations that Suh and Montes are exploring, as C.K. isn’t the first nor will he be the last celebrity to have the pain they've caused unveiled to the world.

As a live-action film, The Peasants would’ve been a grand achievement, but by taking the time to animate these frames and add that extra texture to this story, the Welchmans have made one of the most impressive animated films of the year by far.

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

With the options of taking the audience on a fully-fledged bang-bang Western adventure or commenting on the genre’s issues in past decades, Dead For a Dollar chooses to do neither and wastes its stellar cast with drowsy performances which never make you root or fear for any character.

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

To watch This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is to admit Lopez’s ambitions as an artist stretches well beyond what people say about her. But even though the film acts as a manifesto of her creativity, not all of it works.

Riz Ahmed's fiery turn and a bold South Asian lens make this Hamlet compelling, even if uneven.

Elton John: Never Too Late feels like the definitive authorized film biography, and plugs a very important hole in telling his story in honest yet compelling ways.

Quite frankly, it never hurts for a film to preach the dangers of Nazis and how they can be anywhere and everywhere, but it is a bit of a shame Nuremberg isn’t finding a more compelling, enticing way to tell this inherently fascinating true story.

It may not reinvent the proverbial wheel on the proverbial boat, but Plankton: The Movie is one of the better things to come from the SpongeBob SquarePants IP in recent years that fans should have an easy time falling heads over squeaky boots for.

Blue Beetle brings a breath of fresh air to DC with its focus on smaller stakes and family dynamics, standing out just enough from other superhero films.

The Persian Version isn't quite the quirky family comedy the trailers make it out to be. It's funny, but it's also raw. It's emotional and heartwarming in its truths. It will also leave you wanting to call your mother.

Brides is an original and bold coming-of-age story that features two star-making performances from its young talent.

Beyond the clichés and the added elements to try and boost the drama, Tetris at its core works because the true story is inherently an interesting one, and when the film sticks to these details, it's at its best. Like a difficult game of Tetris, this film might fumble some of its pieces, but in the end, it's ultimately a satisfying experience.

More often than not, Ejiofor bullet points the unfolding events rather than coalescing them into a dramatic arc.

When You Finish Saving the World is often acidic to a point that might scare away some, but at its core, Eisenberg’s film is an endearing story of mother and son who were once so close, and now struggle to get what they need from each other anymore.

It finds just the right combination of nostalgia and fresh blood, telling a story that manages to feel familiar in its winks at the past, but breaking with tradition in ways that are exciting and new for this series. Scream VI might be a sequel to a requel, but this franchise still finds new ways to feel original in its approach to this world.

It is one worth putting on your radar even as it magnificently goes all over the map into the cosmos the longer you get lost in it.

Fennell’s direction outdoes her writing here, and the cinematography from Linus Sandgren is exquisite (no surprise).

The Thursday Murder Club is a delightfully charming movie that hits all the highs of the cozy murder mystery genre without any of the negatives.

The Pod Generation ends with a thud, leaving the audience to question what the purpose of this endeavor even was.

It’s more than just a failure of a remake — it’s disappointing on its own standalone merits, too.

Saturday Night is a loving celebration of SNL that captures the spirit of trying to put on a live comedy show every week.

The Becomers is a movie that’s interesting even in its misfires, as there’s always something quirky and curious happening on the screen.

Dever takes Duffield's clever, anxiety-inducing script and levels it up with her complex performance. Together the duo are a one-two punch, delivering a thought-provoking sci-fi thriller that promises to become a favorite among genre lovers.

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.

For all the charm and innovation that That Christmas is going for, it ends up being a predictable and rather deflated movie that is playing to a much younger audience than it lets on.

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 a film that highlights Raimi’s talents as both a director of distinct superhero stories, and idiosyncratic horror tales, Doctor Strange works. Yet as a larger piece in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Multiverse of Madness starts to show the cracks in trying to continually attempt to build and one-up what came before.

Everyone you'd hoped to see is here, the chemistry between Lohan and Curtis is still spot on, and the new additions to the ensemble don't detract from the narrative that won us over two decades ago.

All in all, See How They Run is a derivative amalgamation of too much tribute and too little originality. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun and the perfect film to bring your Nana to, but it's ultimately pretty forgettable.

It's not the Sandra Hüller movie you might have hoped for, and Sisi & I never communicates any particular reason for us to perceive Sisi through this boring outsider's perspective. But even if the movie doesn't come to a clean point, it maintains a certain grandeur.

As a film that thrives on its leads’ undeniable chemistry, Wolfs draws most of its strength from Clooney and Pitt’s effortless interplay, despite its narrative shortcomings. But for fans of light-hearted action comedies, Wolfs is a howling good time — even if it doesn’t quite sink its teeth in for a lasting bite.

Some well-timed edits maximize the impact of the jokes and help leave necessary horror elements up to the imagination. Even when we don’t see everything, our minds fill in the gaps to make the gore and gags that befall Wes land.

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.

Lightyear is still an extremely fun action sci-fi film that is better than most animated films released in a given year, and will bring a smile to fans of this character.

It's got the heart, humor, and wonderful animation to keep you entertained this holiday weekend.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a thoughtful crime drama that features good performances from Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds, as well as another standout turn from Kerry Condon.

With energetic dance sequences and a heartwarming bond between a father and a son, K-Pops! is a bundle of joy that rarely misses a beat.

It is inorganic, gimmicky, manipulative, and its lessons are simplistic.

While the narrative is rooted in the use of a sci-fi device, the film is rather light on traditional elements from the genre, relying almost entirely on the personal relationships of the characters and their shared memories to tell a story about the ripple effect one life can have on even the tiniest details of the world around them.

The Choral offers a unique look at WWI, while struggling to maintain balance between its compelling lead and somewhat lackluster storytelling with its other subplots.

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.

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.

Is it a bit baggy and less amusingly chaotic than past entries? Absolutely. However, Bell's return as this character is still grimly fun when he's given room to let loose. Even as time isn't always on his side, he makes the most of nearly every moment.

Magic Farm starts out promising, and there’s a lot to like when it comes to its performances and visuals, but the underbaked plot keeps it from being fully satisfying.

Gudegast's film feels almost artificially programmed in its adherence to criminal caper tropes, unable to steal our hearts with the bromantic charms of cops and robbers with boundary issues.

Moving On is yet another tour de force for Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who once again prove that they are a force to be reckoned with.

With more time and focus, Aum could have been the next hit series bought by a streamer, but as it is now, it doesn't dig deep enough and leaves an incomplete narrative about this deadly cult.

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.

It is just as chaotic, caught between peril and hope, as our reality. The ugliness and the potential of humanity are rarely this captivating.

Samuel Van Grinsven’s ambient and meandering ghost story is undoubtedly a haunting concept with committed performances and effective elements, but the film just can’t help but overstay its welcome.

Finally Dawn can be commended as a homage to Italian cinema and its effort to cater to an international stage, but it stumbles on its ability to follow through on its promises, leaving us a mesmerizing world that ultimately rings hollow.

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.

As we’ve seen from Arrested Development and Succession, rich people belittling each other over their petty grievances as they lust for real power is incredibly entertaining, but House of Gucci never seems entirely sure how seriously it should take its characters. It should have just followed Leto’s lead and been a blast.

Metal Lords ends just when it feels like it’s finding its footing, with its characters taking too much time to address their flaws, leaving the music and the bonds that have been formed via the music, on the back burner for too long.

With Pugh and Garfield leading this tremendous love story, We Live in Time becomes one of the best movie romances in years, and proves that few filmmakers can present the power of love quite like Crowley can.

The Immortal Man, while obvious at times, also gives you everything you could want in a Peaky Blinders movie. There's angst, there's violence, there's sex, explosions, and swagger.

Carter may remain quite lousy, but with Krumholtz at the helm, this film is anything but.

Sometimes, Deshon’s obsessive attention to detail drains some of the fun from Daughter, and the movie might burn too slowly to please every horror fan. Still, the movie is a rare achievement, turning a small budget and a simple story into a cinematic experience we can unravel to find new things over multiple viewings.

Fuze has the bones of a great idea, and one that does seem like a great fit for Mackenzie, given his past work. But Hopkins’ script is too generic an action exercise, from its bland plot to its nothing characters, that it’s hard to find anything to truly care about.

All you need to do is open your mind to its wonders and you may too discover something about yourself along the way.

Even with its many narrative flaws, The Silent Twins gives us an insight into not just the lives of the two sisters but the way they made sense of it through stories of their own.

Through its dynamic direction, clever script, and stellar, largely Canadian cast, Humane has earned a place in the longstanding genre of ecological thrillers. It's a fun, bloody reminder not only of how far people will go to save themselves, but to always bring pepper spray to an unexpected family dinner.

Everybody who worked on Green and Gold brought their A-game and made what could have been your run-of-the-mill drama into a truly sublime movie.

Terrifier 2 is best when it does what we are here to see: big, bloody murder. But the attempt at a story is just atrocious. Terrifier 2 tries to be bigger and better than its predecessor when really, we just wanted more of the same.

Lawrence flexes her comedy muscles in both her dialogue and physical comedy, taking some bold swings with some of the things she does on screen, and it pays off extremely well.

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.

It may not reinvent the wheel for tightly-knit actioners, but Fight or Flight still sticks the landing for a crowd-pleasing and chaotic thrill ride.

The Gutter demands that you’re on its wavelength, but once you’re there, it’s like continual machine gun fire the way jokes and sight gags fly off the screen.

The Napa Boys, written by Corirossi and Armen Weitzman, is a ludicrous concept that quickly throws you into its style of comedy and doesn’t hold your hand.

The film is funny but also manages to be a smart comedy that feeds off its dramatic moments for a story that shines thanks to the depth of sisterly love.

While it’s a cozy and enjoyable enough watch with decent performances, Good Grief is too middling to be memorable, sticking to an overly sentimental tone despite its best moments having more edge and bite to them.

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

Even with Fiennes and Chastain giving it their all in a manner that makes the story far more engaging than you would expect, they can’t carry it all on their own. The most ambitious and audacious performances in the world can’t overcome storytelling that is otherwise safe to the point of being timid.

So while the familiarity is felt throughout, it's hard not to cheer, chuckle, and cringe at all the chaotic mayhem that unfolds in Nobody 2. It's not trying to be anything other than an ultra-violent late summer action flick, and if you go in expecting to watch some gnarly kills, brutal fist-fights, and gun-fu, you'd have to think pretty hard to feel disappointed.

I hope that someone else decides to tell the story of Kim's Video again one day, because Kim's Video by Redmon and Sabin is incomplete, and a little too self-obsessed to do such an interesting story justice.

Despite how transgressive and inventive Dalí was as an acclaimed artist, Dalíland is content to create a story that plays it all too safe.

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.

Upgraded is still worth the watch for the couture, the comedy, and the Devil Wears Prada-esque journey of self-discovery.

Ballerina gets off to a shaky start that almost feels like it misunderstands what has made the John Wick series so much fun for so long. Yet once the absurdity of the action takes hold, and Ana de Armas gets to prove herself as a fitting potential heir to this franchise, Ballerina captures the blunt, chaotic action that this series thrives on.

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.

Mali Elfman’s directorial debut Next Exit, sets out on a journey towards death, but along the way, it is filled to the brim with life and questioning about what it is to really live. What’s fascinating is that Elfman penned the script over a ten-year period, yet it so perfectly encapsulates the here-and-now.

While there are many promising pieces being assembled, with arresting visuals bolstered by the performances of Mescal and Barrera, any awe to be had in Carmen becomes dashed by its own emptiness.

The film's central thesis, that everyone needs somewhere to belong, seems simple on paper. However, it winds up being much more nuanced in practice.

You will not walk away from What Happens Later as a changed individual, but if you have a soft spot for light-hearted comedies (specifically romantic comedies, which I usually don't), you'll be sure to find a movie that does its job way better than it needed to. Let's be honest, you'd have to have a cold heart to hate this movie.

V/H/S/99 still echoes some of the issues most anthologies face, as the rhythm of the movie depends on the pacing of each story. And at a 108 minutes runtime, V/H/S/99 might test the patience of some viewers. Still, this is the best the franchise ever gave us.

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.