The performances are all giving the necessary punch even when the writing is not. It may frequently get lost in its own narrative woods, but Bana manages once again to bring it all back to humanity.

Last Summer’s solid performances elevate it, but it never reaches the heights it could by digging more deeply into the themes and more firmly grounding us in the characters and their emotions.

Borderline is a prime example of how a really great cast can elevate rather frail material.

For a lower-budget actioner, Murder Company is absolutely worth its eighty-six-minute runtime.

It is about as standard a Western as you can imagine, one that hits all the narrative beats and clichés expected of the genre, but the technical quality of it is undeniable, bolstered by gorgeous cinematography, strong performances, and a really impressive turn from its child star, Patrick Scott McDermott.

The Soul Eater is by no means an offense to horror procedurals. Bustillo and Maury are clearly directing someone else’s script (derogatory), but they still smuggle their signature dread-shellacked brand in wherever possible.

Wardriver feels familiar. It's Dane DeHaan that makes it worth investing in. If only they had gone deeper, Wardriver could have lifted itself past expectations into something more compelling.

Given Almodóvar’s established penchant for melodrama and that the subject is euthanasia, the film is strangely aloof. It never reduces the proceedings to Lifetime territory or patronizes moviegoers in the process. It does, however, leave you to wonder a bit about the indifference you might ultimately come away with yourself.

Stream meanders, spending too much time saying so little. Quirks aren’t explained, we’re plopped into a scheme without much catchup, and the entire experience is bloated beyond reason. There’s a tighter edit of Stream somewhere, but it ain’t this version, much to my disappointment.

Out of Darkness is an often jaw-dropping horror debut that arrives at a more substantive conclusion that makes everything more interesting in retrospect.

It's a deliberately-paced drama with some decent performances and a gorgeously dark aesthetic, but lacks the time or effort to give these stories what they need.

It's a perfectly watchable movie that feels designed to keep you entertained for two hours on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Elric Kane's The Dead Thing packs an unsettling tone and real moments of insight into its lean runtime.

The Outlaws is a lean Western tale of paranoia and betrayal that mostly hits the target, but lacks greater all-around development.

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.

Smith has always been best when he wears his heart on his sleeve as he does with The 4:30 Movie, a film whose earnestness tries to iron out some of the usual problems with Smith’s films, but with mixed results.

Belktibia's feature debut comes with compelling sequences as a mother fights against what seems like the entire world, but murky motivations hold one back from getting fully emotionally invested.

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.

Tyler Spindel's latest directorial effort might falter when it comes to its approach to physical comedy, but it still deserves some appreciation for what it does well: make you laugh and feel.

An intriguing formal experiment from Steven Soderbergh, focused on two solid performances by Sir Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel.

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band is a straightforward yet enjoyable trip with one of the best live bands ever to exist. Yet considering the story that this tour has told so far, it's a bit of a shame that Zimny's documentary doesn't explore the entirety of what this road diary had to offer.

Puzzle Box is a middle-of-the-road found footage film; not great, and not horrible, but it's the characters that make it memorable.

Mr. Crocket is a bloody good time that takes all your favorite childhood television shows and gives them a hellish makeover.

How to Make a Killing is a fun, albeit flawed thriller drama with a mildly dark sense of humor.

Overall, Younus' directorial effort is engaging to an extent, displaying the lengths to which a vulnerable person longing to be understood can go to achieve a sense of belonging.

Ultimately, Kermani's film is not strong enough to be called a complete success. Its lackluster ending and uneven characters weigh it down from potentially becoming a cult hit.

After pushing up against the confines of a conventional musical biopic, it does end up mostly operating within them, hitting all the notes you’d expect it to hit, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t ring mostly true when it counts.