The film never takes itself too seriously, considering there are some serious actors in it. In the end, it’s all good fun and a great movie to turn on when you want to hand out with friends and see something truly insane.

Although, like its main character, Hive is more on the low-key and pensive side, it is nonetheless a gut-punching and measured film. It is about the consequences of warfare and the many wounds those who survive have to tend to in order to create a new normal after years of utter tragedy, such as the genocide and massacres that happened in many villages like Krusha during the Kosovo War.

Quiz Lady works because as wacky as Annie and Jennie’s adventure gets, it’s a grounded story of sisters and siblings, thanks to writer Jen D’Angelo. Director Jessica Yu brilliantly manages the overall tone of the film, shifting effortlessly between comedy and drama. Lastly, it has a cast that’s more than up for the challenge.

Ultimately, The Naked Gun reboot delivers enough laughs to make it worth the ride, even if it never quite escapes the shadow of its predecessors.

Even at 81-minutes long, Poppy Field drags a bit in the middle. But, the story is important, the lead actor is stunning, and the direction is excellent. Overall, this is a revealing and riveting look at how countries are dealing with the LGBTQIA+ in the worst possible ways.

Changing the Game makes important arguments that need to be heard.

The Secrets of Dumbledore is hands down the best of the series.

Schadt’s story is solid in choosing the three paths for his characters to go down. He then takes the consequences of their inaction to its logical conclusions and a decidedly thriller-esque conclusion.

In Created Equal, Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Virginia tell his life story using over 30 hours of interview time, personal photos, and archival news footage and does not shy away from the big moments of his life.

Unbridled tells a conventional story, but it adds enough new twists to prove engaging. The acting is strong and the direction assured, so even when the script drops the ball, there is still a reason to remain invested. Plus, the ending is genuinely heartwarming and cathartic. Not all dramas achieve that.

While this is skillfully made in all of its technical aspects, it stands as a missed opportunity for someone of Eom Tae-haw’s talent.

Chambermaid is an engaging, languid look at the romance between two women who are both stuck in prescribed roles, and how the force of will and a sharp mind can make the most of the moment.

Yes, God, Yes is a good movie overall. The narrative is strong and takes a more serious tone than Saved!.

Even though this is just a blood-stained shadow of Argento’s previous masterworks, the fact that he has produced something worthwhile again is a cause for celebration.

The cast is solid and matches the high drama of the story nicely. But the reason for checking this film out is the racing. The races are elegantly shot, tense, and breathtaking. Blatz’s love of motorcycles and racing is on full display and proves fun to watch.

It promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, delivering a powerful mix of thrills, empathy, and realism that cements its place in the crime thriller genre.

Steered by Nicolas Baby’s plangent score and the calm, defiant presence of Harris, Being Thunder is a wonderfully candid and serene documentary about addressing gender and history.

The King’s Man doesn’t pick up in any truly incredible way until the second half, where a fantastic narrative twist happens.

Painkiller hammers its message home, which might frustrate some viewers. But, the direction is good, the action exciting, the story interesting, and the score is beyond stellar.

Although Passion concludes with hasty acts of passion and emotion, it does connect to a more significant issue of how love is fleeting and that commitment is the foundation for moving forward in a life worth living with someone.

In the end, I’m not sure if thriller, drama, or action would be best suited to describe Lakewood. Maybe it is not quite the edge-of-the-seat movie one might expect, but it is entertaining enough to keep one fully engaged.

The film moves deliberately as we visit, in turn, the struggles of each character and then zoom back out to see the results impacting the family as a whole. The performances are flawless, each actor holding back their character’s inner turmoil tightly, to be revealed gradually as slight tell on the surface.

Anyone familiar with the global gender-gap problem will find nothing surprising about the themes presented in Platform. However, where Mossayebi’s documentary sets itself apart from other similar stories is how he captures the drive and determination of the three sisters and their good luck and misfortune along the way.

The film itself acts as a diary-scrapbook of sorts, an abbreviated anthology of Beaton’s greatest artistic hits and the romantic vision that conceived them.

A dark, thrilling drama unfolds with these two spinning their own world on top of the grim reality of Gotham and Arkham.

In the end, while I did struggle to follow its central narrative, Bi Gan has my admiration as a filmmaker, though I was hoping it would be a little more profound as it was artful in the end. He connects with you from an emotional standpoint

It is the show-stealing performance of Alicia Vikander that brings everything together.

Because of Little Women‘s grandeur, opulence, and density, it is impossible to deny that the cast was not greatly directed.

Summoning Sylvia summons plenty of laughs and will hold your interest in its bony grip.

It is fascinating how Elordi takes something so deadly and still manages to maintain a shimmering vulnerability.

578 Magnum does not tell a fresh tale, and the editing leaves a lot to be desired. But Dinh delivers where it counts: the action. The action scenes are stellar and will take the audience’s breath away. The cast is also great and delivers their martial arts with intensity.

Subtle, neurotic and multi-layered, every scene in The Stunt Man is about multiple things at once. Paranoia, obviously, but also the stress of filmmaking and simply living.

While the narrative features magical realism, it lacks levity, which will probably make it less appealing to a select few. Nonetheless, this is something uniquely special and a perfect, alluring example of all that is wrong with the world we’re living in.

Overall, Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub is a feel good movie. The ending is happy and it’s wonderful because all of these people deserve a place to showcase their art. Music is very important. Community is as well.

King Car is chock full of beautiful and crazy sequences; all brought to life by a fantastic cast.

What Superman felt like was that someone had taken my childhood box of action figures and found a way to tell an exciting story with it.

It’s a good thriller with excellent performances.

Life and love are like a song, and Música will have you falling in love with your toes tappin’ and knees slappin’.

Good old-fashioned slashers never get old for horror fans as long as they’re done right, and Clown in the Cornfield is like a fresh splatter to the head, with a smile.

The ensemble cast of Werewolves Within is what makes it.

Hanging by a Wire emphasizes the self-reliance of the people of Battagram, who are accustomed to solving problems on their own. Naqvi brings us along to witness their strength and determination on display.

Yes, it is still the frenzy over the shoes that has stood the test of time and will be what will draw a wide audience to this movie. However, I think many will be just as impressed if not more so with the man himself.

If there’s an overriding idea that Broker leaves you with after the tears roll down your cheeks, it is the sense that family transcends familial bloodlines. Family does not have to be something you are born into. Family can be something you can patch together and create.

Call Her Ganda is not a bad documentary, but it is one with entirely too much to say in one 93 minute piece. Brevity is the soul of wit, but in this case, focus would be the soul of the debate.

Stripping the glory from gangsterism like chrome from a tailpipe is the pulse-pounding documentary Man On The Run, written and directed by Cassius Michael Kim.

Camp Cold Brook accomplishes a seemingly Herculean task. It manages to make both slasher flicks and movies centered on paranormal investigations feel fresh without being a deconstructionist take.

Ihara and Aw’s love story feels real and plays well as represented through fine cuisine.

Pet Sematary balances humor, drama, and horror believably while exploring the inner turmoil of a seemingly ordinary couple; though the script does not go far enough in establishing their new life and dodgy special effects hurt some scenes. Happily, the cast makes up for these flaws with great turns, lead by Jeté Laurence, whose performance is reason enough to watch the film.

Reza Emamiyeh and Tokiko Kitagawa deliver fantastic performances.

Hellsgård and writer Olivia Vieweg have crafted a morbidly beautiful, uniquely character-focused, and decidedly feminine take on familiar apocalyptic tropes, and while it doesn’t always entirely deliver on a narrative or visceral level, Endzeit – Ever After emotional resonance – and the singularity of its worldview – is undeniable.

Bye Bye Tiberias is a powerful portrait of how broken things come back together over and over.

Words of War is a solid drama about a remarkable woman.

If anything, this documentary stands as a warning to us all. The warning tells us to pay attention to these groups, no matter how small or innocent they seem, for it is all merely window-dressing, from something that only takes and never gives—the winning of hearts, minds, and money at the expense of people’s lives.

The drama is relevant, touching, and ultimately meaningful, as it aims to educate and enlighten its viewers. As such, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, insert yourself in the narrative, actively ponder the questions being asked, and admire the nuances of what Jonas Bak creates, you are likely to find something to enjoy.

Bertelli successfully builds tension throughout each athlete’s journey, but there is no payoff or final moment of catharsis. It’s an intentional choice that leaves you wondering why someone would subject themselves to the agony required to compete. And while Agon may leave you with more questions than answers, Bertelli’s ambitious, thought-provoking, and unnerving portrait of three athletes will haunt you long after the end credits roll.

Director Peter Segal knows what strings to pull to elevate the cuteness factor, and he pulls them hard. It’s all good, actiony fun, when you need a moment to unplug your brain. Even though you’ve seen this all before in other cop buddy movies, it works.

What works is the relationship between Mahilo and Chisato. The characters are so well defined and contrasts one another perfectly. The depiction of their friendship is just as good as the fight scenes. Action-wise, it really does take a while to warm up, but getting to the final battle is worth the wait.

While The Last Tree is not a happy story nor a political one, it is a real account of immigration with no easy answers. Watch it because it is an honest tale, and Amoo’s masterfully handling of it puts you directly into the shoes of Femi himself.

Overall, experimental cinema is, as always, an acquired taste. Eremita (Anthologies) may not be the perfect starting point in the genre, but it is still a good point to visit.

There are plenty of grisly and fun murders, and the effects are stellar. The cast, led by a terrific Holloway and an over-the-top Combs, is genuinely fantastic.

This is an inspiring and emotional watch with one’s mom, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Quezon’s Game adds something that is missed in war films as well as history books.

What makes See You Yesterday work for me is its fresh take on the overtold, worn-out, time-travel trope and the pitfalls of time travel. A fun and solid story that score big points with its originality and good lead performances. All this to say, See You Yesterday is good science fiction.

Monster stands as middle-tier Kore-eda. It’s a touching tale about childhood and emotional development in a relatively rigid society. Still, it’s never anything more, nor does it push the boundaries of what we should expect from the seasoned filmmaker.

All three artists aim to reach an audience equally as dedicated to engendering change. Through the interlacing of perspectives, Mixtape Trilogy: Stories of the Power of Music unearths the everlasting influence of music and why listener and artist should forever cherish that influence alike.

If you persevere, Stargirl will grow on you and ultimately pays off.

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is a genuine social realist film and the fact that it is shot in real-time only heightens the sense of reality. Everything is authentic.

Easter Bloody Easter starts off rocky, and not every joke lands. However, due to the sheer number of punchlines, the hit-to-miss ratio is high. The leads thoroughly understand the material and deliver perfectly calibrated performances to match the intentional cheese of the plot. In the pantheon of Easter horror films, this is a good one to rewatch every spring.

As unique as the story is, Becoming Burlesque succeeds in large part to Shiva Negar’s performance as Fatima. She’s engaging and charismatic, and she guides Fatima character arc flawlessly. Your eyes are on her, and you’re with her all the way from caterpillar to butterfly.

In the end, Max Tzannes’ Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project delivers a smart, self-aware film that plays with the mockumentary format without getting lost in the gimmick. It’s funny and it’s creepy. It delivers where many have failed before.

Tiger Stripes is highly recommended for families looking for an off-the-beaten-path take on growing up. The body horror elements are never too terrifying, and I think even younger viewers can pick up on the feminist messaging.

I recommend Die In a Gunfight to any film fan that wants to see a different take on the mob love story. I think the romance takes a back seat to the violence when I think an equal footing would have made the film so much better.

Kulap’s life is on full display in Origin Story. I don’t think I could do it if I were in her shoes. The chamber of secrets has been opened, and she holds nothing back. Her story is fascinating, but also in a way, we become this voyeur into her life, like slowly passing a severe car accident on the freeway getting a good look at the damage.

What it lacks in plot and character development, is more than made up for with charm, cleverness and extensive bloodletting.

The film is a sci-fi/horror hybrid with lofty ambitions that allow it to rise above its budgetary limitations and well-tread genre trappings. I applaud this film for its unorthodox approach to the zombie genre.

The cameras keep it lively, surfing on the laser waves of music. How they kept from falling off the roof is a mystery.

The Fall Guy is a fun action flick with something for everyone.

Peaches Goes Bananas is one of the weirdest and most touching music documentaries I’ve seen.

Blood from Stone is a brazenly vicious, jolting, and oddly perceptive vampire thriller that alternates between genres.

The Good Traitor is still a solid movie for history buffs and does contain several moments of genuine style, making it well worth the watch.

Jaafar Jackson doesn’t sing a note (nor should he), but he’s got his uncle’s moves locked in cold, and there are moments where you genuinely forget you’re not watching the real thing. Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson is flat-out frightening — the man commands every scene, and the movie actually plays down how bad Joe was, which is saying something.

Homeroom is a fantastic piece of documentary storytelling

The film’s most tremendous success is its willingness to address difficult questions about Switzerland’s past.

Maldoror is a picture that evokes memories of great filmmakers and their contributions to the genre, whilst remaining culturally unique and period-perfect.

The 355 is good old action fun with a well-constructed story and better than all of the bad James Bond movies. That’s right, Octopussy! I’m talking about you. I’m hoping The 355 is the right direction for female-driven action movies.

Welsh’s intentions are clear and his passion is palpable.

Assassin is an engaging look at the pursuit of revenge despite its cost to one’s soul and mind. The cast is excellent, and the dialogue is clever. While the plot isn’t strikingly original, nor is its twist, there is still plenty of fun to be had. Plus, it is nice to see Willis giving it his all for one of the last times.

As someone who played too much pool in college, I’ve been starving for a good pool hustle movie. Break is just what the doctor ordered. Now I’ll have to pull the old cue out of storage and lose a grand or two in the process.

It makes me curious about what Noel David Taylor is going to do next. This weirdo indictment of Hollywood is just that interesting.

The narrative is mournful about a man who lived a long tragic life, a dark and depressing tale of young men having to hide their sexual orientation and its emotional and psychological toll in carrying their secret into their senior years.

Mayfair’s The Third Wife is a powerful reminder that the oppression of women is not strictly a Western problem and everyone—women or men—want to be free to choose their own path in life.

It’s all about the action. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare may be forgettable in the long run of Guy Ritchie movies, but it’s fun.

Who Will Write Our History does a good job telling this great but little known story from simple proofs of everyday life and death of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

While a bit disjointed, the film does offer hidden beauty in a world of seemingly discontent and boredom.

Colvin’s downward spiral not only sucked the positive energy from her friends and colleagues, but it will take it away from you as well. Quite frankly, this is a good thing. Films don’t always have to end with rainbows and lollipops to be powerful.

Normal is action-centric brain candy, with some pokes at timely social/political topics. It’s not that heavy, however, this film won’t change your life. It will allow you to relax into catharsis and put a smile on your face.

Time Trap is highly creative, populated with relatable characters, with a whip-smart script. Sadly, the very end of the movie undoes the tense atmosphere setup throughout. While it does not ruin the film, it does leave one a bit disappointed.