Jirga is not going for subtlety. Its heavy-handed message about guilt, responsibility, and forgiveness is outright stated to the audience. It’s very idealistic, and you might not buy it. But you will remember the experience of having your eyes opened to a new part of the world.

Designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator, in equal parts juvenile and offensive, Purge of Kingdom is the worst film I’ve seen so far in 2019. If a fart gag makes your sides split with laughter, go right ahead – otherwise, avoid at all costs.

It’s a good film…a better version of the Coen Brother’s Hail Caesar! A film that kept popping up in my head.

It may tread familiar territory, but Skin does so with relentless energy, confidence, and passion. I can’t wait to see what Nattiv has in store for us next – and for Bell to get under another character’s skin.

The Outsider puts a spin on the western drama but quickly falls back into the conventional tropes of the genre. It best to approach The Outsider knowing that its primary focus is on the story and not action.

One of the many things that makes Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam’s drama The Sweet Requiem so special and refreshing is that it doesn’t resort to easy political speechifying. The filmmakers deliver a taut, lyrical story that leaves a shadow, that of sadness in which a tiny spark of hope determinedly lingers.

Only a little over an hour-long, yet manages to be one of the most compelling subversions of the possession genre I’ve ever seen.

This is a low-key, indie take on a well-worn genre; one that frequently resorts to scatological humor and easy targets, making for an odd mix of the sophisticated and crass.

If you did not enjoy Iron Sky, then its sequel will not sway your opinion of the franchise. Iron Sky: The Coming Race doubles down on the ridiculous antics and significant action setpieces. The spectacle of it all is even grander than the first; just remember that the characters are not. For fans, it is precisely the follow up they have been waiting for.

At almost 100 minutes, Lieber’s ode to surfing and overcoming obstacles stretches itself thin. Like the wildest waves Bethany seeks, Unstoppable needed to be more unpredictable, dangerous and, well, gnarly, dude.

The Lion King is, for the most part, a shot-for-shot remake of the original from 1994, but unlike the Beauty and the Beast remake, this photo-realistic Lion King leaps ahead of the original as the better picture.

There’s a darkly unique spin to it that makes the old and tired feel fresh and new. ... This film is straight up magical.

Nihilistic and offensive, it leaves you with more than a sour taste – nausea, perhaps, or a need to bathe in Listerine.

Everything culminates in strained dramatics and forced tension as the audience is sure to be scratching their heads in confusion.

While there are flaws in some of the segments, it is overall a fantastic production that manages to be creepy as hell. For fans of anthologies, these directors, and horror in general, this is a great ride.

It is a compelling, powerful, and engaging drama that demands to be seen.

Unfortunately, Stuber never rises to the point of being remarkable in any way. You’ll love it, if you are a fan of either lead, otherwise, it’s a standard buddy movie.

The last 20-minutes of the entire one hour and twenty-seven minute run time really work and successfully make the case that as much as the humans rescue the cats, it is also vice versa. It is just too bad that the first hour does not reach those same heights.

Scodelario carries the film with an energetic, no-holds-barred performance. She’s in almost every shot, planning out escapes and outwitting the reptiles, and she gives it her all.

Sword Of Trust is one of the most well-written and acted comedies I’ve seen in quite some time and definitely the best I’ve seen so far this year. It has a high absurdity factor but simultaneously the set, costume, and production design is so life-like, you willing go along for this truly weird adventure that really only could happen in the south.

It should be memorable for fans of thrillers, especially for those of the home invasion variety.

Taking on the melancholy, rain-tapping-a-window tone of Leonard’s music, Broomfield doesn’t try to draw a line through the story artificially but embraces the natural disorder of real life.

Overall, Cold Blood just falls flat. Secrets should be shocking, unpredictable, and strongly impact the story. Here they’re predictable and lacks cleverness in discovering everyone’s true identities and motives.

Foul-mouthed, unapologetic, visceral, and authentic, Firecrackers also happens to be sharply edited, its narrative complemented by Casey MQ’s gorgeous electronic ambient/drone score.

This deep-thoughts comedy is a must-watch for fans of Greg’s, but also for anyone who wants something beyond frat boy comedy or the typical Apatovian-adjacent improv stuff that has become de rigueur at this point. It’s a special movie that I hope people enjoy as much as I did.

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.

The film vacillates so wildly, it spins out of control. As for the love story sub-plot – the less said about the poor, vacuous hole of a character that is Marie, the better.

What I can say is Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic in this movie. I was skeptical about bringing in Mysterio as the potential antagonist (villain), and he exceeded my expectations. The FX-team transferred Mysterio’s powers from comic book page to the big screen beautifully.

I did not like MidSommar as much as I appreciated its audacity and the skill that clearly went into making it. This was a stunning work of art that embraced excess with only mostly positive results.

A reminder of the importance and intimacy of literature, a meta-study of art vs. fabrication, an indictment of cultural appropriation/racial stereotypes, our increasingly digitized world and entitled generation, The Plagiarists is also an ode to how much can be done with very little. Parlow and his crew knock it out of the park.

What Richard Curtis brilliantly does with this well-worn storyline is bring in elements to make it feel fresh.

Hampstead is a perfectly good romantic dramedy.

Somehow, we get a new Annabelle movie that develops its own personality and takes on the lore without rewriting or undoing anything that has already been shown in the other films.

Benjamin Naishtat directs with a steady hand and a strong vision. Pedro Sotero’s cinematography reveals the place and time in a respectful style that captures the period without satirizing it. This is a film that satisfies on every level and bears repeated viewings.

It’s rarely clever enough to be funny nor frightening enough to be suspenseful; leaving it to sag like Sandler’s cargo shorts.

It’s a darkly funny allegory about technology with awesome practical gore.

The film is good and will appeal to fans of the genre, but doesn’t do enough to transcend it, which is what you hope when you watch dozens of Rom-Coms every year and when you want to broaden the appeal of your film altogether.

What Swinging Safari lacks in the story is made up in originality and a satisfying art direction.

The cool thing about this film is that instead of the normal talking heads and formulaic path of the typical biographical documentary, we are shown photos and films from Wyman’s personal archive, which is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.

Into the Mirror is, as the kids say, a “#mood” but in all honesty, that is a great way to describe the film. It’s based on feelings and the subconscious seen through Daniel’s eyes, rather than being objective.

Beauty aside, Toy Story 4 captures the heart of the entire saga in its own way.

Lost Angelas is neo-noir romance filled with engaging characters, intense action, a thrilling mystery, and a lovely romance to top it all off. The directing, acting, and especially the cinematography synch up perfectly for a pulse-pounding film, that works wondrously.

Slight but likable, Changeland deals with moving on and the healing powers of travel and friendship. Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s low-budget cousin, it’ll hopefully finally establish Green as more than just the “Zip It!” guy.

As a cinematic experience, Yomeddine is near flawless, with a skillful direction, an engaging story, a fitting score and a captivating visual, but it particularly has to be praised for its actors.

The great thing about this documentary, other than seeing some very provocative dancing, is that it goes beyond the superficial and talks about the socioeconomic situations that most black people in America face.

Nearly all of the footage in the film is incredible, both in terms of content and restoration. The performances are like nothing else in Dylan’s career or anybody’s career.

I recommend this film more for fans of Jarmusch than for hardcore fans of the zombie genre. Although I hope that it does serve as an introduction to Jarmusch to people who haven’t seen his other films. Hopefully, most audiences can take away the message from the movie and don’t get too thrown off by the jokes or the star power involved.

Shaft attempts to hide its own prejudices by simply acknowledging those issues, without so much as a trace of depth or substance.

There’s a great story buried somewhere deep within the desert that is Head Count – about a brotherly bond, about jealousies that assume anthropomorphic shapes, about a demon that literally reflects our insecurities. Ellen Callahan hints at those stories but ends up telling the most basic version.

Maya Erskine is hilarious, which is no surprise, given how funny she is on Hulu’s Pen15.

Do has created a tense, heartbreaking ode to a tragic time; a deeply personal story, superbly visualized.

There have been a lot of documentaries about the historic Woodstock festival, but many have not discussed much other than the performance aspect of it. This documentary lets the ones who were there discuss what it took to put the festival together, the challenges the festival faced, the unity of everyone involved, and what it meant to the country during a critical time.

The Lavender Scare is essential to watch and an excellently produced documentary about a time the communist threat overshadowed the so-called “gay threat” from our history books.

It won’t necessarily blow your mind, but it’s refreshing to have a gentle, hopeful ode to our oceans, in contrast to all the “doom and gloom” environmental docs that come out these days.

Unlike the films it aspires to – Heathers, Election, American Psycho or even The Voices – Lowi’s feature’s all sizzle, no steak.

Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patiño, who play the two leads, have a chemistry that brings to mind Tom McCarthy’s superior studies of seemingly disparate characters bonding against all odds, The Station Agent and The Visitor. That unlikely companionship – the heart of Butler’s film – goes a long way to make up for other lags: underdeveloped secondary characters and a few misjudged sequences that unwittingly titter on the brink of “racist.”

Aside from the poorly considered inclusion of staged drama, Framing John DeLorean competently breezes through the rise and fall of the legendary car mogul.

The Child Remains strives to be a unique amalgamation of horror themes, however, it ultimately results in a confounded muddling through mismatched generic set pieces.

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.

Nary a moment rings true, nary a moment elicits anything close to chills or dread – or, at the very least, unintentional laughs.

The final fight at the end is fantastic. It is by far the best X-Men fight in its franchise history (not counting Deadpool).

UglyDolls is good for the kids and a great way to occupy their attention for almost 90 minutes. For the adults, it’s just another uninspired children’s film to hold us over until the next one comes along.

This film is filled with bursts of color. The high energy visuals counterbalance the tragic malaise of Goldie’s life perfectly.

Cash’s film is reflective and accomplished, showing the world through the eyes of a young woman challenged by a painful childhood and by the culture of her times, finding her own way through the chaos around her to a functional adult life.

This new interpretation of the beloved classic absolutely deserves to be seen in theaters.

Walking on Water is essential for any devotee of the arts, as this shows a project from fruition to dismantling, a full life cycle of an art installation if you will. I, for one, found it very fascinating.

Brutal and breathtaking.

Renegade Dreamers is a documentary that doesn’t ask it’s viewers to do anything beyond ask themselves, “When did you stop caring?”

Visually speaking, Fletcher’s film is wonderful to watch. The fantastical choices he occasionally makes is grounded and never pull you out of the film.

The dark comedy is subtle, but hilarious. Serious topics bubble up from masterful situational humor.

Rather than just sit in the background, nature performs opposite Huang, becoming a character of its own that interacts and responds to our protagonist as he experiences life for quite possibly the first time in his life. Much credit goes to cinematographer Kyle Crowell for making the scenery come to life.

The greatest pleasure the movie has to offer is a chance to watch Spencer perform completely unhinged and relish every moment doing so.

While not as insightful as his previous work, Halston doesn’t blemish Tcheng’s resume either, providing a perfectly enjoyable – if inconsequential – portrait of a larger-than-life public figure. Fashionistas will surely gulp this up, while the rest of us may ultimately dismiss it as yet another glamorized, facile look into a glamorized, facile industry.

Whether you’re a Godzilla fan or not, you’ll have fun, but you’re not going to walk away feeling like you saw something spectacular or memorable for that matter.

It’s the investigative portion of the movie that is most engaging.

The Proposal explores the ethics behind copywriting art, but it also sees its artist go to radical extremes that some may find equally questionable. It will provoke discussions and arguments aplenty. What’s hard to argue is that the documentary itself is nothing short of spectacular: a sublime and unforgettable work of art. Barragán would be proud.

Regardless of how someone might feel about what she’s done, XY Chelsea will definitely give you some insight into why she did it and maybe will help inform a better understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes in these long, awful wars that America keeps getting into.

The whole film plays like a hunk looking at himself in the mirror.

As a chapter in the Disney classic remakes, Jungle Book still stands at the top. Behind it is Aladdin and Cinderella fighting for second place with the rest as a distant whatever.

I have a feeling Echo in the Canyon will be watched for decades into the future as the essential document of a very specific time and place that changed music forever.

It offers a noteworthy reminder of the dangers of historical amnesia. And in so doing, it indirectly raises thought-provoking questions about the intimate, often fraught relationship between the past and present.

The movie is definitely worth checking out for its strong performances and surprising story.

There is a lot that Game Girls forces the viewer to grapple with. The lack of accessible health care, income inequality, race relations, lack of opportunity for self-improvement in the inner cities, and the line between exploration and exploitation.

Fun and chilling, this bed-and-breakfast gets an extra star for its committed hostess.

The performances are inspired.

This film could have been an excellent introduction to the world of Pokémon but alas it’s a squandered opportunity.

Kitarô Kôsaka’s light-hearted and contagiously joyful film contains just enough beautiful imagery, positive messages of acceptance and touching moments to warrant a look.

The Biggest Little Farm not only has by-the-minute drama and an ever-present tension between success and failure, but as an accomplished cinematographer, the film’s images of the farm is breathtaking.

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

If the directors scaled back on the needlessly-complex tale and tightened the reigns, and if screenwriter Michael Arkof sharpened his dialogue (“I’m a deputy, not a vigilante!” Norm yells shrilly, before absconding to his trailer), they may have had something truly special here.

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.

I like that Bull is shot beautifully in a slice-of-life style of storytelling. ... It’s a subtle tale about the bonds of friendship in times of hopelessness.

It checks all the boxes you want in a fun, summer action film while not insulting your intelligence.

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.

For a film that purports to endorses equality and female empowerment, its female characters are so uniformly idealistic they’re borderline interchangeable.