Ultimately, Hille Norden’s Easy Girl does everything it takes to humanize and empathize with the “easy girl.” Between Dana Herfuth’s devastating performance and Norden’s refusal to look away from the hard stuff, the film leaves you with more moral questions than answers — and that feels exactly right.

I’ve seen Radha Mitchell wasted in supporting roles in other films, such as playing the wife in the Olympus Has Fallen franchise, where her character didn’t do much and was eventually replaced in the third movie by another actress. In her debut action role, with Sandra Sciberras at the helm, the two make a great duo, and Mitchell really shines.

Masters of the Universe is a thrilling ride featuring high-octane action sequences and performances fueled by an infectious, heroic heart that make the audience root for the “good guys” to emerge victorious. Travis Knight and team have successfully captured the magic of 80’s cinema with explosive energy, creating a film that will make you feel like a kid again, ready to shout, “I have the power.”

Murthy cobbles that footage together into a heartfelt, personal portrait of her relationship with her father. She chronicles his journey to America from India and his turbulent quest for a successful, stable life.

As the film builds to its sentimental resolution, it becomes clear that the differences between mother and daughter aren’t issues to be solved, but quirks to be embraced.

If you were tuning in for Maron and his solo journey, watch the duo and see Ryder steal their scenes and shine.

Disclosure Day is a fun, adventurous summer thriller about extra-terrestrials, but it’s also an allegory for our violent response when faced with new truths.

The Easy Kind is a beautifully made film. Cook is a talented songwriter, musician, and singer. Chevigny makes a strong effort with quality production values, cinematography, and unassailable editing, artfully stitching together reality and fiction. This is where the film shines.

I mentioned that the narrative is predictable. It is — and it’s a good thing, a warm, cozy blanket of familiarity that’s expertly stitched together.

If any viewer can get through those initial 25 minutes, the rest of the 93-minute runtime offers up a fun, twisted time with solid effects and good acting.

Speed Demon doesn’t ask a lot from you except that you come along for the ride, and that’s an offer that’s hard to turn down.

A tad overlong, a bit too highfalutin, Heel still grips, enthralls, and amuses.

The Breadwinner is a faith-based comedy without the faith. The comedy is safe and slapsticky, which means it’s pretty dull. It’s a family comedy for all ages, but for me, I wish this film would punch down once in a while.

Set to a pulsing soundtrack, Fuze may not offer much novelty, despite all its rug pulls. But even when the plotting veers into preposterous territory, the pace is so breathless, the actors so committed, that one almost welcomes the familiarity.

Lina is one of the most compelling characters in cinema this year. In González-Sola’s raw, grounded portrayal, we find a woman doing everything she can to mask her struggle.

Driver’s Ed is a film about learning to let your own experiences shape you. Real life doesn’t always play out like the movies, and the only way to figure that out is by going on the journey yourself. But Farrelly and Moffett fail to heed their own message, as this feels more like a rehash of the films that came before than its own unique quest.

Ozpetek juggles the many story lines with ease, all the while crafting the form of the environment in which they take place.

My assessment is that this is a kid’s movie. If you think Grogu and the other tiny creatures are cute, you’re going to love and adore this movie. Pay special attention to the new breakout character, Trapper Wolf. But honestly, I wanted more, and Trapper Wolf is not enough. The stakes are not that high. The story continues the character development of both the Mandalorian and Grogu. If they failed their mission…whelp, off to another. This is essentially four episodes of the television series padded to feature length.

The film has a disarmingly analog tone, from the almost 4:3 aspect ratio and deeply textured visual style, to the often dizzying retro-inspired synthy score. Obsession feels handmade in the best sense.

If you crossed The Vow with Dark City, we would get the sci-fi horror thriller Affection.

I thought director Arnaud Desplechin did just enough here to tell that story without betraying the nature of Mathias’s character, as audiences will see.

The film works so well because of the development and portrayal of Nanning. He’s such a compelling character, slowly uncovering his family’s moral failings as the film progresses. He displays an inherent empathy for the world around him.

Meditations on the toll of waiting, the damage of estrangement and the fickleness of trust echo in a well-acted, assuredly directed, sometimes brutal, watch.

Monument is an engaging and dramatic look at an unknown true story. The cast is wonderful, led by an outstanding Mazzello, whose turn here shows why he’s been steadily working since he was a child. His co-stars are equally splendid.

For a movie like this, good is not good enough; it has to be well above average for a recommendation. Unfortunately, I found myself bored through most of Mortal Kombat II.

Steal This Story, Please! is not just an important film but a great one. It will entertain, inform, and might even change your views about the world and the kind of person you can become.

There are many flaws in Animal Farm, but its message is what I’m recommending the film for. Look, it will make great dinner conversation with your toddlers.

Kudos to Andrea Werhun for laying out her sex work story for all to see, to Sean Baker for continuing to highlight such under-reported stories, and to director Nicole Bazuin for doing such a masterful job of making the subject both relatable and entertaining. Werhun is a true star in every sense, shining a light on philosophical issues while being extremely charismatic in the process.