Filled with non-sequiturs, abrupt cuts, and nightmarish interludes, The Carnivores is not without its moments of humor.

There's no doubt that sheer mechanism propels Happenstance, but the numerous characters and storylines flow and converge in a gracefully unpredictable and witty manner.

Homegrown is not a film that takes a stance one way or the other on the extreme political divide Donald Trump has created in the nation. It instead gives you a glimpse into the mind of men who fought for and ultimately went to prison for him.

Perhaps that's what makes thus such a compelling documentary; it will grip even viewers who aren't interested in rap, as it cuts to the heart of American society in an unnerving way.

Well Groomed serves more to alert you that creative grooming is a thing, but most likely will find it hard to win over those uninterested in the subject.

Daniela Forever is interesting and provokes discussion, but it stays just on the dream side of greatness.

It looks like Williamson threw five old scripts in the air and Rodriguez shot the first 90 pages he picked up. I'd like a little more meat on my burger because all I can taste is the cheese.

The biggest, weirdest, ugliest cartoon in Inglourious Basterds is Aldo Raine, the Nazi-killing American Lieutenant played by Brad Pitt.

A warm and curiously engaging film despite many flaws and the sloppiness of its construction.

This classically styled thriller plays on universal themes of alienation to deliver a punchy diversion with macabre tints and a love of the genre.

Though Liyana often feels more like an exercise in storytelling than a complete narrative, it is heartwarming to see the kids light up as they work together to create art out of their hardship.

It is a straightforward narrative of racism where one man’s courage and refusal to give up provides an outlet for success and reform.

Not since the heyday of Fellini, I dare say, has there been such a merrygoround of a movie.

The Fight is a fantastic documentary highlighting the real heroes out there: the overworked attornies of the ACLU.

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

Kitano treated us to a similarly complex crime drama, Fireworks, but Sonatine (which was made in 1994) is a darker, deeper, more polished work.

So suspend your disbelief, get a little intoxicated if you’re of age (if that’s your thing), and you’ll most certainly enjoy this wildly entertaining piece of trash.

The massive amount of information Echoes of the Empire: Beyond Genghis Khan has to offer is split between several subjects. While all these facts are bound to pique curiosity, it sometimes forgets to satisfy its audience by not focusing on more of each element.

A visually exhilarating trip through the darker regions of the subconscious.

The best cure for a bland movie is quality ingredients, and in this case, it’s Manville and Neeson’s performances.

Bobbing and weaving between the metaphysical and physical, the past and the present, the film is a challenging narrative that rewards the patient viewer with insight into the creative, improvisational process of its visionary protagonist who is regarded as one of the fathers of form.

While the film missteps in a few small places, it's charm, wit, and heart make Kissing Jessica Stein one of the few "must see" films of the year; quite an accomplishment for novice filmmakers.

The energy of the performances and John Kander and Fred Ebb's enduring score push the musical scenes and the entire film over any hurdle--yes, even including that misbegotten casting of Gere.

I think its quirky charm and sense of humor will turn off a lot of people, but if you’re into the weird and unusual you might want to give Dead Pigs a look. It’s far from great, but it’s an entertaining and pleasant enough watch.

As family movies aimed at the tween demographic go, Dolphin Island is entertaining enough. The beautiful vistas could be a balm to anyone who’s thinking about the islands but can’t get there.

You’ll never look at life—through a camera lens, that is—the same way again.

I like Mr. Jimmy solely because of its fascinating character study of an obsessed fan, Akio Surakai.

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is a wonderful visitation of the famed critic’s life. It’s also a great place to start if you know nothing about her.

This film shows us that it is okay. We can survive. We can even thrive, and certainly, we can get by with a little help from our friends.

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.

Documentarian Patrick Gramm manages to weave a fascinating tale.

As genre hybrids go, After Midnight displays enough nuance and filmmaking savvy to qualify as a success.

The performances of young Sampi, Monaghan and Sansbury are amazing. They’re immersing and compelling.

Every once in a while, the story of an individual slips through the cracks. Memoir of War is one of those stories and, as such, provides an unseen perspective to a plotline that we all know well.

I'd like to recognize Russell Gewirtz for a screenplay that boasts humor, an impressive plot twist, and for setting up plenty of room for De Niro and Pacino to get their grooves back in order.

If distinctly uneven CGI, minimal originality and overly convenient plot devices turn you off, this may not be your film.

If you’re hoping Fatman is an explosive, hog wild bullet storm of Christmas camp, dial back your expectations. There’s always next year. If you’re good, that is.

The film is technically superior, and its look and the strength of its performances (Blanchett, Barraza, and Kikuchi especially) carry it above similar fare.

If you want to discover (or get to know more about) a unique man who is as wildly talented as much as he tries to say otherwise, please watch The Times Of Bill Cunningham.

It’s missing a nice, tidy resolution that would greenlight this in Hollywood. I’ll say there’s a sweetness and sadness to the film’s final moments.

Hero Mode might make some adult viewers roll their eyes or just groan with its misunderstanding of technology. But the screenplay offers up some genuine laughs along with a general sweetness making it great for viewers of all ages.

Very unusual that a film focusing on characters this miserable can be so uplifting, but here it is, and it's damn fine.

Daughter is not scary, but I don’t think it was intended to be. I wanted to see what was going to happen next while enjoying the slow-paced ride all the way to the finish line.

On one hand, it is a good but seemingly typical genre film that has moments of uncanny intelligence. On the other, it is an uncannily intelligent work that eventually settles for simply being a good genre film.

A warm hug of a film, The Outside Story may occasionally stumble and resemble an extended TV pilot, but – largely thanks to its charming protagonist – is bound to (however briefly) reaffirm your faith in humanity.

There are enough twists and turns in the plot, with an underlying “Trust No One” theme to keep the audience guessing. Maybe not all the way to the end, but pretty darn close.

There’s something for everyone in Amazing Grace. I would definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of concert docs, or of the queen of soul. Even if you’re none of those things, it’s an interesting historical document, so give it a go!

This is a small-scale, small-budget movie, but it’s got swagger.

The writing is crisp and deeply layered, and the filmmakers gave themselves a rich array of actors to work with.

If the first two "Batman" movies (1989/1992) were the storm, then Batman Forever (1995) is the rainbow at the end of it. After seeing so much dark and doom, it’s also refreshing to see some beaming color.

Klein’s decision to pull a Kramer vs. Kramer and provide his heroine with next-to-no discernible rationale for bailing on her family both pays off and becomes a minor hindrance.

Overall, That They May Face the Rising Sun is solid and worth your time. The acting is top-notch, and the story is compelling, but its verisimilitude is truly off the charts. This is the closest you can get to a time machine to take you to a bygone time and place that is little celebrated but worth remembering.

If you’re not familiar with Indian classical music and dance, the film offers a remarkable showcase of both, and you’ll come away wanting to learn more about them.

What really grabs your attention about Undead, however, are the effects. For a movie budgeted under $1 million, the Spierigs have done an amazing job putting together believable visuals.

It is worth seeking out for a brutally honest, achingly realistic, and emotionally compelling look at the other side of petty crime – the slow, painful path to legitimacy.

It’s hard to watch StarDog and TurboCat and not think that Disney and Pixar can do this better. The animation is pretty good with standard cartoon movement and character design. It only lacks the photorealistic details and textures associated with Pixar.

The 1978 film musical Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is a mess…but it is a wonderfully fascinating mess, a mother lode of undiluted insanity.

If you’re in the mood for a dark revenge thriller with terrific acting, then Line of Fire has got you covered.

Beast Beast captures the high school experience like lightning in a bottle.

A low-key, warm-without-being-schmaltzy childhood adventure story that will engage younger viewers without driving their parents too crazy.

Doesn’t so much immerse itself in the movies from that period as it submerges, and does so with pure adulation.

The film’s rapid speed and its surplus of memorable supporting players helped to make sense of the absurd story. And if Benny was not ideally suited for the Bob Hope-level of bumbling misadventures or the Harold Lloyd-worthy climax involving a drop from a hotel rooftop, he gamely pushed ahead to keep the comedy at its patently ridiculous level.

Kevin Bacon's witty and effective, yet squirm-inducing, directorial debut.

This is a film that shouldn’t work. It should collapse under its own weight, but somehow, in the end, it all comes together after a fashion, and that’s the magic of Coppola.

Boasting impressive production values — especially given its budget limitations — it harks back to a more innocent era: a cozy, stylish, and mildly thrilling feature from a promising filmmaker.

Mortimer delivers as a mentally disintegrating wife, but it's Harrelson who provides the most fun, playing against type as the down-home Roy.

Although Soderbergh complicates his cinematic dish with too many flavors, No Sudden Move still offers plenty of bites to savor.

For those who have read any of the McDonald adventures with the reporter (there are nine, not including the “Son of Fletch” novels), Confess, Fletch feels much more authentic. Hamm is given one of the biggest sandboxes yet for his talent and he pulls it off. Here’s hoping for future chapters.

Director Chris Terrio confidently delivers a solid first feature, but sometimes doesn’t always engage in the characters’ inner demons, which could have made an even better film given the cast and material.

If The Return of the King was 2 1/2 hours long, it would have rocked. It would have been better than The Two Towers, which is the best film in the series.

The story takes some kooky turns and, at times, delves into the supernatural.

I found McColm’s film intriguing to watch and fascinated by her satirical take on her subject. If you open yourself to the movie just a little, you’ll find yourself identifying with them in times of great personal and emotional failure.

Just the Two of Us won’t win any points for originality (it seems that stories like this are the all the rage on streamers), but it works as a well-constructed drama that checks the boxes of what people watching it want — an intense tale of conflict with two hot people. In that regard, we can definitely count this as a success.

As to whether it all resolves into a satisfying horror movie, I wasn’t quite convinced. It is a terrific film on a number of fronts, but despite all the madness and carnage, at the end it really didn’t feel like much dramatic had occurred.

This drama is about a real war, actual people, and things that matter. While it probably won’t make a billion dollars at the box office, for my money, a true story well told in a heartfelt way is invaluable and important.

The film-craft is high quality, with the passion and care taken evident. Schwentke brings the brutal winter during wartime to realistic life. If you have historical interest in deep details of the war, or are fascinated by psychopathic war criminals, this might be a film for you.

Giving a boxing movie a philosophical back-alley brain transplant is just maniacal enough to work, especially when you consider the psychological discipline and physicality required to perform at a high level in any sport. In this way, In Full Bloom functions as a visually exciting tone poem and as a soulful reflection on battle.

More than "Rocky" on a horse track. It's a moving story about people and how their lives intersect at just the right time. It's also a simple story about second chances.

The film is creepy, I'll give it that, but it also has that smalltown, dramatic bend.

The odyssey that follows reminded me of the one Bill Murray’s character took in "Broken Flowers" - and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

While at times the film begins to feel like a laundry list of bad deeds, the first-person accounts pack a wallop.

And to all you sane folk out there, be prepared when seeing this film: you'll ponder the old adage about being what you eat. For those new to the truth about food, this is a great starting point.

It raises interesting questions about cults of personality, our inability to deal with aging, and how we can use the people around us to get what we want. That’s not exactly surrealism, nor is it realism. It’s just Hollywood.

I love the fact that they told a straightforward, insightful story that doesn’t feel the need to push the “message.” At the same time, Inside Out 2 misses that quest for excellence and instead goes for good enough.

At a time when our debt as individuals and as a nation is at an all-time high, Maxed Out offers a much needed look at this escalating dilemma.

Director Anthony Giacchino realizes what an engaging tale he’s uncovered, and stays back to let the members tell their story.

Breaking Surface boasts a verisimilitude lacking in its glossier Hollywood counterparts. Hedén doesn’t resort to gimmicks like sharks (ahem, except for that dog), rightfully trusting that Nature’s elements present a formidable enough foe to his two strong female leads.

A small but excellent cast supports McKellen in what is a beautiful and intelligent film.

A complete bloodbath.

Invaders from Proxima B is a family-friendly space adventure aimed at a younger crowd; think something along the lines of the fun SpaceCamp or Explorers. Kids will enjoy it, and parents who watch with them will also be amused. So, set your phasers for giggles and get ready to be hit by beams of good fun.

Highly entertaining film.

The director’s cut of The Current War moves at a faster pace than the original, the characters are better fleshed out, and the drama is more focused where it needs to be. The new cut has elevated the film from mediocre to interesting.

While this funny and humorous study of a post-apocalyptic change excels in exploring some of its more philosophical traits, the substance regarding its core story is not quite there. Yet, this deserves a watch for its comedic rendering of the complex storyline.

The biggest strength of Cradle 2 the Grave is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The film runs long. Director Rick Alverson could have wrapped up this disturbing meditation in less time and still been as effective at painting his precisely beautiful dark image.

The individual sequences, along with the confidence with which the two lead actors navigate the sometimes-turbulent currents, elevate the film into the realm of art. After all, sometimes it’s okay for the whole to be less than the sum of its parts.

Provides lethal evidence of what becomes of those who deposit their sincerity into the command of a religious lunatic.

Succubus is a parable for the tech-savvy. Its warnings on the perils of casual encounters create tension as, this time, the Devil is looking to destroy you. As the clever tagline says, “Swipe right, and she will take your soul.”