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.