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.

It is moody and creepy, though perhaps not brave enough to wander into true melodrama or bizarre fantasy. In the end, its performances and the way it incorporates Gothic elements, along with a strong visual aesthetic, make the film a worthwhile watch.

Mothers' Instinct is an entertaining, well-acted drama that falters under the weight of its shocking ending.

What ultimately weighs it down is the lack of a core narrative to ground the chaos and madness around it. Still, come for the views, the insanity, and Cage giving away a priceless watch for a flat white.

If you're a hardcore Hellboy fan, The Crooked Man has enough to keep you engaged. If you're looking for something a little bit more in your dose of Big Red, you might be better off waiting for the next inevitable reboot.

While The Last Front struggles with its stylistic choices and lack of substance, it is still an entirely watchable and almost enjoyable war drama.

It's a film with several strong elements, though some issues in the scripting and execution limit its ultimate impact.

There's an excellent film somewhere in The Woman in the Yard, but it would take another draft to uncover it from beneath that jet-black burial shroud. Suffice it to say, it's a horror outing that works rather well until it falls apart at the end.

Even though the romantic elements aren't as rewarding as the familial ties at the heart of The Life List, the project still has its merits. From Carson's captivating depiction of Alex to Britton's warm and motherly presence, there are parts of this film that will be enjoyable for a viewer looking for something sweet and emotional to tune into for an hour and a half.

Iron Lung is far from a perfect movie, and the pacing ultimately makes the conclusion feel exhausting rather than exhilarating or shocking. You'll be ready to leave once the credits roll. Yet, the craftsmanship is there; with his directorial debut, Fischbach shows that he's more than just a YouTuber, and he can conjure up the same kinds of scares that make him scream as he's playing games.

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.

While her first outing as a writer-director is a mixed bag, Kravitz shows undeniable potential to join the ranks of performers who are equally exciting behind the camera as in front of it.

When we get to the end of its hefty runtime, we get the sensation that La Cocina tried to be several things — an investigative thriller, a fish-out-of-water drama, a delirious trip of a man who’s starting to get burnt out — and didn’t manage to take any of them all the way.

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.