A romance wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a tale of redemption or something like that. To be honest, I'm not sure what the film really is as far as a genre goes. One thing is for sure, it's a damn fine film.

It works because of Anderson's ability to challenge viewer expectations. Instead of making his principal actors change, he manipulates the story and dialogue to match their characters. His exquisite art-house camera shots and sense of pacing set Sandler up to do his usual thing in an almost poetic manner.

If you don’t like musical theater, you’re not going to like Merrily We Roll Along. If you’re a musical theater fan, Merrily is a must-see.

An effective comedy, an interesting bedtime tale, and one of the greatest date rentals of all time.

Cinema has come a long way since the 1920s, so there’s no way to compare a product from that time to a similar one from the modern-day with any equitability. Wings, however, stands the test of time and remains a masterpiece.

This is essential viewing for anyone with a modicum of interest in WWII history. For the odd individuals that don’t have any interest, this is still well worth a watch because of the powerful character study at play.

The film is most remarkable when it exposes the ease with which the press and a self-obsessed judge can pervert the country's justice system.

Anyone seeking motivation, or just looking for inspiration, will marvel at the life story of Valerie Taylor, her sharks, and her love of the sea. She is a treasure, as is Sally Aitken for bringing her story to the screen.

Marvel has clearly saved the best for last and I cannot stress how much those fan service moments will have you cheering. I highly recommend that you see Endgame in a packed theater of fans so that you can experience the climactic ending with the energy of the crowd.

You’re definitely going to laugh and laugh out loud. Young has several hilarious moments with his subjects, and the absurdity of these musicals and songs create an endless stream of silly giggles.

The movie is funny, but for me, the fun is watching this well-controlled mess unfold.

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.

By turns horrific and hilarious, touching and repulsive, it showcases West Africa as an emerging force in contemporary cinema.

It is a violent, funny, well-acted pulpy delight.

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.

The director walks the delicate tightrope of emotions so that every new development makes previous scenes all the more intense

Due to outstanding writing, stylish, dazzling direction, and a breathtaking, radiant performance from Kelly McCormack, the drama never lets the audience go and proves to be a searing examination of its young protagonist and the society she lives in.

Are You Lonesome Tonight? is a masterclass of cinematic storytelling. Every element works together to enhance and build up each other. This might be Wen’s first feature film, but it heralds a top-notch director with a lot of swagger and much to say.

The main actors infuse A Love Song with a sanguine authenticity that keeps things simple narratively. However, it speaks volumes about love, loss, and the desire for connection, however fleeting, and whatever stage of life one is in.

Crow and her crew accurately capture everyone’s emotions throughout and refuse to pull any punches along the way. At the Ready is honest, even in the moments when it becomes frustrating.

Non-Fiction is incredibly witty, fast-paced, and unmistakably French.

Take Me To The River: New Orleans is edited together in a way more organic to music than traditional documentaries, which works wonders.

Onscreen, A Huey P. Newton Story is memorable, but it must have been something to see on stage. Roger Guenver Smith gives a striking, extremely physical, performance.

The Earth Is Blue As An Orange is probably one of the most unique documentaries about filmmaking.

No one portrays and skewers really intelligent morons the way Albert Brooks does. Oddly enough Lost in America has a lot of similarities to everybody’s favorite TV show Green Acres. They are both about men who have dropped out of society and their inability to convince all the insane people in their world about the usefulness of common sense and rationality in an insane world.

Here Breillat directs one of the most thrilling actresses working today, and the latter makes this calculated study into a tale brimming with passion and sorrow.

Insanely inventive and brimming with exceptional performances, The Saddest Music in the World is as audacious as it is entertaining.

Cane Fire is a fascinating documentary, and I would recommend it to any American to watch. We should see what is wrought by claiming an archipelago from the people who actually owned it.

Until they get that epic version of The Big Bopper’s life and career off the table, this is still the best Rock and Roll biography ever filmed.

Anchored by an iconic turn from Cobb, in her first lead role, and consistently daring choices from both star and director, We Are All Going to the World’s Fair is one hell of a trip.

Although Byrne always brings a great performance in whatever she’s cast in, I would almost say just go watch her in Platonic. There she, too, plays a mom who deals with the issues of being married and life’s trials and tribulations.

Unlike other productions, Del Toro finds the visual balance between creature and man. Elordi then runs with it, giving us the balance between a menace and a kind and thoughtful soul.

The funniest buddy movie ever and a generally daffy one at that. It features some of the most genuinely stupid and amusing tough guys in the history of cinema, and a tantalizing slow burn by Deniro.

This is war as a First Person Shooter, and it’s incredibly effective at putting the viewer in the moment.

Limbo is a cinematic monument for the shadows of the doomed.

The Substance is flawed but only because it is so ambitious. Fargaet takes the entertainment industry down a peg while still being very entertaining.

A friend called Fred Schepisi's ensemble drama "a crusty old white man's 'Joy Luck Club'" -- an assessment that isn't without some kernel of truth.

An inspiring, fun documentary.

While an enjoyable twist on the noir genre, a little more character development would have been nice.

Nosferatu is a failure on almost every level.

The Blue Trail is an examination of not only what it means to be free, but what it feels like to earn that freedom yourself.

The fascinating visuals and performances by Leung and the assortment of actresses like Gong, Zhang Ziyi and Maggie Cheung ensure that the film is still worth watching.

This is a long-overdue must-see that sets the record straight for a woman whose whole life was glossed over in favor of a more camera-ready tabloid romance.

If your first exposure to Rasoulof was There is No Evil, you may feel a bit let down by A Man of Integrity. That is not to say that this is a subpar film, as it is definitely a satisfying drama.

Kung Fu Hustle is something you rarely encounter in theaters: a genuinely original comedy.

I think what sets Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It apart from other end-of-life docs is that this one is just so honest, so forthcoming, and so remarkably detailed. Mariem Pérez Riera has perfectly captured an American icon at the moment we need her the most.

Clemency is a staggering achievement in its portrayal of a story that we often ignore out of simple spite or ignorance that humanizes all angles with compassion.

This is Scorsese’s "Schindler's List", for better and for worse (mostly the better).

I love a nice, quiet film. It’s so relaxing and such a nice break from the flashy multiplex fare. I love watching films that you can let just wash over you. The Hungarian film Hukkle provides that comfort, while at the same time coming up with an inventive way to tell a story.

To be perfectly honest, as a movie Ernie And Joe is a somewhat routine affair. Follow subjects, interview subjects, point, shoot, move on. And most of the time that would be a problem, creating a lack of engagement or energy. However, McShane is intelligent enough to realize that trying to add pizazz to what is being portrayed here, especially in this particular climate of police relations with citizens, would ring hollow. ... Ernie And Joe struck a deeply personal core with me, as I am sure it will with most audience members.

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.

In Bale, Herzog has found a talent who transcends the challenges of a brutal shoot. "Rescue" reveals new capabilities for an actor who's already proven himself in other intense and ever-focused performances.

Overall, however, for a children's film, it hits all the major notes. Keep it musical, keep it lively, keep it cute and, you know, if you can, slip in a moral.

This one takes you on a fulfilling and haunting ride that will last long after in your nightmares.

Islands is as effective, familiar, and quiet as a microwave.

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

The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs contains many such moments of scintillating, mysterious splendor yet doesn’t entirely fulfill its lofty ambitions.

Levack’s screenplay is sharp, deeply human, painful, but genuinely hilarious. You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, you may even shed a tear. And while it’s formulaic at times, it resists the grand, third-act romantic gesture for a quieter, more resonant finale.

While it could have easily been a dark comedy, and almost is, instead, it’s perfectly sincere.

Patrick Sheane Duncan's script deftly weaves together the stories of Serling and Walden, and Zwick remarkably sidesteps the trap of sticky sentiment--an idea further carried forth by Ryan's admirably against-type (and shamefully unsung) performance.

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.

Polley attempts to tackle the issue from multiple angles – how male toxicity is passed down to helpless youth by their elders, for example – but ends up running in circles.

The film is an important one, but above all, it is an exceptionally pleasing and easy one to watch despite its density. This is partly due to Bartosz’s fantastic performance showing great acting range by going through a whole spectrum of emotions very convincingly and subtly.

A grueling affair, purposefully so, bringing to mind Steve McQueen’s similarly relentless 12 Years a Slave. There’s not much respite to be found in those bloodied waters, nary a buoy to grasp.

A lack of flash or energy does nothing to detract from the sheer depth of film exploration present in The Story of Film: A New Generation.

Guzzoni, at times, drowns the film in its messaging by not mixing it up, but we’re never bored. We can thank López’ performance for that and our creeping sense of alarm at the abuses that the less fortunate are forced to suffer through.

The film has brief flashes of believability and humor. By and large, though, the script is uninspired, the picture's characters are stick figures, its dialogue is lackluster and the star's performance seldom rises above the adequate.

For me, the relevance outweighs my enjoyment of Ailey, but this relevance bears a massive weight. Alvin Ailey has a fantastic story, but this might be a narrative that lends itself more to a bio-pic than a detail-oriented documentary.

Ronnie’s is bursting with vivacity and energy, and to weigh it down with staid interview footage would have been a fatal error stylistically.

An indictment of a regime but also a look at the strength that perseveres despite the most dire circumstances, this film, and its lead star, deserve all the upcoming love at the award circuit… if there’s any justice left in Hollywood, that is.

Wherever you may land on the ethical issues of gene manipulation, Human Nature, is a fascinating watch.

Jockey is a solid piece of work that reflects on who we are and what we leave behind, as well as the prices we pay to get there.

In the end, if you’re going to tell a story we’ve all heard before, do something unique. Better Man is unique, indeed. The chimp gimmick never gets tiresome; in the end, it plays out beautifully.

This is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party.

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

Rarely has a film been cast with so many gifted performers who are either wrong for their roles or are given nothing to do.

Arcel and Mikkelsen have struck a deeply human chord with The Promised Land. It is a tale of undoubted savagery but also one of hope in all its divine illumination.

The drama is a powerful examination of the many forms of grief. Without Exarchopoulos, though, this would have been a banal flight in coach, but thanks to her work, it is akin to a Business Class upgrade.

With this film, I believe that the strange and wonderful legend of Daniel Johnston will only continue to grow.

Marona’s Fantastic Tale gently and poetically deals with heavy themes like mortality, solitude, and loss, but manages to be suitable viewing for the entire family. It reiterates that the love our dogs have for us is unconditional and that we shouldn’t regard them as accessories or temporary means of respite. It’s also a phantasmagoric feast for the eyes. Seek it out.

The Nightingale is another triumph for Kent. Not one to aim for more crowd-pleasing material and palatable choices, she directs this visceral and moving revenge picture with a very sure hand.

Ultimately a complex meditation on this moral conundrum, a raw tale of survival against impossible odds, and a dashing adventure yarn all in one.

Presence’s great strength is not in the exquisiteness of its detail but in its quietness, its delicate vision.

The only criticism that seems to merit any real discussion is whether directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino actually did make real grindhouse-style fare. To whit, I can easily say: yes, they not only made two on-point grindhouse films, they did them to painful perfection.

The gravity and tragedy of each shooting examined are intensely felt. While the subject matter is heavy, by looking at the grassroots movements that have cropped up to fight against this injustice, the director offers a glimmer of hope that change is possible.

Aside from the over abundance of rather large glasses and sweaty actors, Body Heat succeeds fabulously, not only as an excellent example of a classic film noir but as a solidly executed production in its own right.

This simple film can be quite a great diversion from our every day grind. The camera style, characters, and visual look are all quite impressive, while maintaining an easy accessibility for the audience's eyes. It is only too bad that the film feels so sluggish.

As a biopic, Cooper elevates it to masterpiece level, worthy of the artistry of Leonard Bernstein. Maestro is a work of art.

In the end, Project Hail Mary works because it is thrilling, smart, and emotionally engaging, turning a giant cosmic problem into an exceptional adventure. It earns its emotional payoff by making every problem, every choice, and every human connection matter.

Despite minor misgivings, it is a thoroughly engaging horror film with more on its mind than simply building to a climax. This is a poignant observation on aging and death that is supported by a trio of knockout performances and a female-heavy production.

The directorial choices, from the minimal use of music for dramatic embellishment to the innovative split-screen technique used to blur the identities of individuals in courthouse footage, are spot-on throughout.

Long after the last image has flickered into your eye, you’ll be left with a deeper, overarching appreciation of what humans are capable of at their best. You can’t put a price on that. Gordon and Archambault deserve a lot of credit for adapting her life in an exciting and heartfelt way.

The drama still does make for an interesting exploration into a deeply troubled main character and has an authentic backbone to reel back the story from absurdity.

The film feels like a passing of the torch from some of Hong Kong’s veteran actors to the next generation. It’s sometimes brutal and gory, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

An on-the-scene documentary filled with interviews, action, and archival footage, We Feed People is inspiring to watch and understand how one man can activate so many.

2040 is a fantastic and informative documentary.

It is visually stimulating and exhaustively covers much of the record industry with keen interest. In regarding each piece as a story, it takes the macro to a personal level. That is quite a feat.

Thematically and artistically, Suzume is a gem. I was in awe of its animation and often found myself on both watches just looking at the vast backgrounds of each scene or relishing in the story’s emotional beats.