The basic story structure is still intact, but with a significant portion of the blood and gore removed.

World War I was a new kind of war, because of its use of planes, tanks, and artillery for the first time. Add in the impossible conditions of trench warfare, where men lived in their own filth and alongside piles of decomposing dead comrades—all brought to you in glorious 3D. Even more haunting is the fact that this is real.

Pelted with tragicomic scenes, Thunder Road, an acceptably funny slice of drama, depicts anxious times by carrying a furious tone and bitter pathos. However, not everything shines here.

All is True does justice to the Bard, and devout fans of Shakespeare are sure to find a place for it, if not on the shelf alongside his classics, but in a small place in their hearts.

American Hangman makes a mystery out of a few things that are too easy to guess, so it takes a while to get going. However, thanks to sharp direction, an original take on the dramatic police procedural, and a truly excellent, very game cast, the movie is a worthwhile 100-minute watch.

Rich with talent, this flick is missing that fundamental thing that sets one rom-com apart from the rest; a lasting feeling that what you’re watching matters, or means something.

The Quake hits a handful of the cliches one expects from a disaster film, as well as having one character’s death not mean as much as it should. However, thanks to strong characterizations and good acting the plot is still engaging. However, the reason to watch the film is the excellent cinematography and awe-inspiring effects.

All in all, Avicii: True Stories is a both an inspiring and pretty harrowing ride.

This film barely gets a recommendation only because it finally gets interesting at the end.

Ashes in the Snow is a good, yet unsatisfying movie with the potential to have been so much better. The pace is too slow, and the characters’ arcs are predictable.

The most critical element of Winter’s documentary is not the scandal itself, but the fact that hundreds of journalists from around the world were able to work together to expose this corruption, despite the consequences, and their egos.

Every now and then, a line or a subtle moment in someone’s performance has some truth in it, but little is sustained in Bullitt County.

In Stay Human, Michael Franti examines the idea of staying human in these times when we’ve all embraced cynicism and fear over the optimism and potential of the human spirit.

Goodnight, Charlene is decently directed, beautifully lit, and most of the cast do well all things considered. However, two of the leads are quite dull, the script is trying too hard to be duplicitous, and winds up going nowhere all that compelling.

In the end, what we have with In Like Flynn is an homage to the action-adventure tales of old Hollywood, appealing to the fans of the adventure films of old.

Documentaries by nature are utilitarian, telling a story from real events as they happen with little expectation of aesthetic value. Once again, Smith ups the ante, delivering a film that is not only intellectually stimulating but visually as well.

Taylor’s mission with this film—to answer the unanswerable—is brave. Where it shines most is in how concise, clear and comprehensive each main idea is relayed.

A lot was left behind in this depthless account of a disaffected ghostwriter who wanted to affirm her artistic gift, freely and publicly. She actually did it with bravery and conviction, but this film doesn’t do her justice. Hence, my suggestion is: save your ticket money and read Colette’s biography instead.

Bruce Thierry Cheung adapted this story from a novel by Dean Bakopoulos, brilliantly changing the setting from Michigan to the California desert. The film is light on dialog and heavy on brutally beautiful cinematography painting the mood.

Ghostbox Cowboy is a wonderful mishmash of mockumentary that lends comparisons to Ulrich Seidl’s work or Harmony Korine’s earlier films such as Julien Donkey Boy and Gummo, with the weirdness of Terry Gilliam and the idiosyncratic brutality of Werner Herzog, while also being a completely unique animal apart from these influences.

Rockaway takes on, and a large part successfully addresses some very serious, very adult themes: abuse and its legacy for future generations, familial protection, and preservation, loss and redemption — all with a strong measure of grace and empathy.

I found myself just not engaging with the lead characters and storyline as much as I like. In the end, I was just observing people dealing with a problem, while never able to be in the story as it played out.

It helps immensely that Hart and Cranston play off each other well; or at least when the script is not getting in their way.

Rohrwacher’s work is brilliant and very much recommended.

I especially enjoyed that it was more than just a straight-up boxing film.

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.

What could have explored the real complexities behind a serious issue instead became a self-congratulatory pat on the back for holding a specific viewpoint, and a boring one at that.

There is no emotional manipulation, and there are no ideological hand-outs. You almost feel like you’re watching the events unfold through a keyhole, which gives every hushed exchange and passive-aggressive examination a voyeuristic thrill.

As a violent, supernatural adventure, the film should attract both action and horror enthusiasts alike, yet Evans ends up slightly short of thrills and ambiguity, which are always valuable aspects of the genre.

More inanimate than haunting, The Little Stranger is Abrahamson’s least interesting feature.

Beautifully shot, this character study fascinates in an almost perverse way, building up adequate levels of tension throughout and bursting with disturbing scenes of violence. It is also a tale of solitude, equally tragic and funny, heavy and whimsical.

Beyond The Night is a solid film with a solid story, good acting, and beautifully shot.

Glass is not a perfect movie, but it is a consistently entertaining one.

Tejano is one of those films that can be described as a hidden gem as it sneaks under the radar and will have you talking, telling your friends about it, and wanting to watch it again.

The reason to see The Last Movie Star is its performances from both Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter. It’s a sweet, solid film and a suitable bookend to Reynolds’ career as a leading actor.

Filled with situations that mirror the social and racial preconception of the time, this hypnotic tale of punishment and atrocious colonialism is an engrossing experience.

Ophelia is an amazing movie that puts a positive feminist spin on a very familiar story. I’d love to see more classic stories retold from a female perspective like this one, written by women and directed by women.

While nothing horrifying happens within the first half hour, what comes after is enough to give you some anxiety for at least the rest of the day after watching it.

The surprise is the remarkable script from screenwriter (Zack Weiner) and the sharp-eyed direction from Daniel Robbins who work to take an idea we have seen a million times before and turn out something new and fiercely entertaining.

What We Started achieves the directors stated goal of being an impressively comprehensive history of EDM. So much so that the film drags: unless one is a truly deep aficionado, 90 densely packed minutes of info about EDM is too much. It would work better with more music and less detail.

Destroyer is a good film, but it is Kidman’s nuanced performance that takes it to the next level.

The Marriage shows us this problematic side of love with no judgment, which is incredibly refreshing.

As Sawyer, Hermione Corfield is probably the most famous of the film’s cast. She is the film’s solid foundation and carries it to the finale. She’s believable, strong, and sympathetic.

As with all dramatized stories of real lives, artistic license hammers messy reality into a watchable film. Dramas are not documentaries. The essential emotions of Freddie’s life and the history of the band are here. There’s nothing unexpected in the structure of the movie. It’s a visit with some old mates you’ve not seen in a long time.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is probably the best-animated superhero tale to do justice to the pulp comic book fan both in style and content. It upholds the spirit of Marvel Comics by juxtaposing the humanity of each hero and villain against the prerequisite kick-ass action sequences. At let’s face facts, the art direction is the true star of the film.

Wrapped in deepest melancholy, Cold War has no idle or frivolous scenes since everything fits and flows under Pawlikowski’s masterful direction.

The only reason to watch The Kindergarten Teacher is Ms. Gyllenhaal’s performance, whose quality makes us resist until it’s possible.

Vice, written and directed by Adam McKay, plays straight to the cable-news generation of political enthusiasts. It’s depthless, has the attention span of a gopher, and is more concerned with appearances than getting to the root of anything.

The American Meme works best when it reveals the subtle pain behind much of the manufactured fantasy.

If they had gotten the music right, it could have stood by the original classic.

Aquaman is worth seeing if only for its original visuals and the grand vision from director James Wan. As a whole, it is a bit of a mess and ends up being an exhausting experience that would’ve benefited from some judicious editing.

If Beale Street Could Talk is an immersive experience. Viewers will get wrapped up in Baldwin’s timely tale of love, perseverance, and prejudice.

You will laugh, cry, and be left breathless by Hedges’ heart-pounding adventure and intimate portrait of family love. This film will hurt and capture your heart in the best way. It is without a doubt an unmissable cinematic achievement.

The film’s events are easy to follow enough, but the grand ideas layered beneath this world are just too out of reach for us and them.

There are scenes of utter brilliance and honesty, then clunky scenes of melodrama the next.

In all, Somm 3 is an absorbing 90 minutes that will likely whet your appetite for a glass of burgundy, and if nothing else, you’ll get a few tips on wines to check out.

A finely gradated study of race and masculinity in the age of Trump, Tyrel is also an engrossing portrait of the revealing power of language.

The People’s Republic of Desire is a psychological treatise on self-worth, and the lab rats are the citizens of China.

The strength of the film comes from the symbolic devices that decorate the strikingly illustrated social ladder.

Topical resonance is all that the movie musters, as it changes subject matter on a whim and doesn’t give the audience enough background information on the issues or the interviewees to make a whole lot of sense.

It’s a beautiful visual and spiritual journey through the glorious highs and devastating lows of a brilliant artist who was ahead of his time.

I found the entire emotional journey on which Weightless takes viewers to be rewarding as well as heartbreaking.

While a few flaws are present, the directors and screenwriter deliver a high energy bloodbath with several creepy scenes, excellent puppetry work, and a cast that shines brightly. It is well worth a watch, and I greatly look forward to a sequel.

The Clovehitch Killer is one of the best horror films to come out this year. It’s intelligent and subversive, and it captures the banality of small-town life perfectly.

Films like this are few and far between, but the sooner we realize it’s okay not to be okay, the better.

It is Foy’s performance and presence that makes you want to stay to the end. She is the girl thrust into leadership with the vulnerabilities of her young age and with youthful curiosity. She’s not a child pretending to be an adult, but a child forced to act like one.

Saving Brinton loses focus a few times, but its noble heart will keep the viewer engaged. Zahs is an affable chap, and his love of history is remarkable. His quest to save Brinton’s collection is an enjoyable one that will leave the audience happy and with a deeper affection for the way these films were shown back in the day.

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.

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.

There are enough facts and inspiration to make Tiger worth watching. Mickey Rourke always gives a good performance, and he still fits in the boxing setting. The downside is the story’s structure is unoriginal insuring Tiger will never leap beyond being just a good film.

The ham-fisted approach undercuts the valuable information that makes up Fail State.

A Gentle Creature is an arduous watch indeed and will leave you a certain nausea that takes a while to go away. However, its mysterious ways, bolstered with a bit of psychedelic surrealism, makes it notable.

Interviewing prominent politic figures, business executives, teachers, and everyday citizens with big dreams, the documentary finds the humanity that unites all the globe.

Please see this film, if only to hear victims speak truth to power.

The story was painfully dull to me, and the entire thing (aside from the aforementioned storybook sequences) takes place in a dull looking school setting with hardly any change of scenery to break up the dreadful monotony. As far as the story goes, it’s a painfully basic story about two friends growing apart from one another. The drama here is as low-stakes as it gets.

Blue Night plods along for 96 Minutes, creating a surface-level exploration of its character’s life.

In a Relationship doesn’t break any new ground and Boyd understands that. Instead of attempting to reinvent the wheel, he focuses on his character’s flaws and insecurities offering biting one-liners and honest moments that elevate In a Relationship to a bit above the norm.

The most intriguing aspect of Chef Flynn is its honesty.

Dense in content but also delivered at an intense pace – much like the raps themselves – the script by Kahn and Alex Larsen (a prominent Toronto rapper under the moniker of Kid Twist) balances the harsh directness of rap lyricism with academic analysis, without alienating fans of either realm.

When a movie does so much right – it’s unique and visually arresting and, at times, legitimately moving and surprisingly scary – it’s hard not to wish for something more complete, something that fully and entirely connects.

Go see this movie. Take your pre-teen who’s going through an awkward phase to see it (if you let them watch stuff with bad language and underage drinking, I should say). Or if you were a kid who came of age in the actual mid 90’s, this will give you an aching nostalgia for your youth.

The art direction finds a new identity, the music by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke could easily be held up against the predecessor’s soundtrack by Goblin, the story makes sense, the performances are all on point, yet, without the glorious murder set pieces, we wonder why we are watching, to begin with.

Travel Ban: Make America Laugh Again is frustrating to watch. Not because it is poorly made; it is not, quite the opposite in fact. Instead, it is frustrating that in this day and age, a person still has to fight for their right to be considered a human being. As this film proves though, comedy can combat bigotry.

Bad Times At The El Royale is creepy and mysterious in all the right ways. The tension builds as the non-sequential story allows the pieces to fall into place in mesmerizing fashion.

At every turn, Marielle Heller provides nuanced, intimate framing and dialogue that is most interested in the little dramas that define who we are while never losing sight of its overarching narrative.

David Gordon Green’s Halloween is able to graze the brass ring that 9 other sequels and remakes have tried to touch, but it still doesn’t run home with the prize.

This phenomenal ensemble brilliantly and tactfully tells a story that our society desperately needs to hear during these trying times.

Camera style aside, the subject matter of Sagawa’s atrocious crimes are pretty fascinating. But it’s the pace and moments of complete dead silence that kills (no pun intended) the tension you would think would be obvious when making a documentary about a living cannibal.

At its core, Lots of Kids, A Monkey, and a Castle is an intimate, humorous, and heartfelt love letter to the filmmaker’s mother and her indomitable spirit and will to rise above the inevitable pitfalls of life.

One definitely has to have an appreciation of the absurd to enjoy Diamantino.

The crux of the story rests on the relationship between David and Nic, and Carell and Chalamet truly bring the characters to life with their raw, humanistic performances indicative of the open wounds displayed onscreen. The film nimbly captures the bitter animosity that only arises amongst those whom we love most.

This is a work of art that embraces and embellishes all the joys of cinema while offering a more enjoyable and progressive revisionist history.

Boy Erased is a poignant family drama that explores the importance of unconditional love and acceptance of oneself and each other. Edgerton solidifies his triple-threat status, artfully and intelligently crafting a film that resonates with viewers and facilitates much-needed conversation during these trying times.

The film is a brisk, engrossing narrative that weaves this story with engaging dialogue, incredible one-liners, and the kind of slow burn that any good neo-noir film should have. But what makes Widows so unbelievable is its trust in its players, the viewer’s intelligence and savviness, and a bevy of technical moments.

We’ve seen stories like Wildlife done many times before but rarely are they done with such grace and humanity.

This film moves in directions that make you scratch your head more than sympathize for the character.

Almost emblematic of the nonsense and insanity that pervades university campus life, Night Is Short, Walk On Girl is a fun and entertaining ride, though its dissatisfying conclusion and weak ability to transition between ideas may leave audiences feeling a little underwhelmed.

It’s yet another piece of Coen Brothers’ gold that just makes me curious about what kind of magic they’re going to make next.