Monument is an engaging and dramatic look at an unknown true story. The cast is wonderful, led by an outstanding Mazzello, whose turn here shows why he’s been steadily working since he was a child. His co-stars are equally splendid.

For a movie like this, good is not good enough; it has to be well above average for a recommendation. Unfortunately, I found myself bored through most of Mortal Kombat II.

Steal This Story, Please! is not just an important film but a great one. It will entertain, inform, and might even change your views about the world and the kind of person you can become.

There are many flaws in Animal Farm, but its message is what I’m recommending the film for. Look, it will make great dinner conversation with your toddlers.

Kudos to Andrea Werhun for laying out her sex work story for all to see, to Sean Baker for continuing to highlight such under-reported stories, and to director Nicole Bazuin for doing such a masterful job of making the subject both relatable and entertaining. Werhun is a true star in every sense, shining a light on philosophical issues while being extremely charismatic in the process.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 succeeds because David Frankel trusts his cast and Aline Brosh McKenna’s script to handle both nostalgia and modern complications without preaching to the audience.

Touch Me is worthy of the same regard as the great hard drug classics like Trainspotting and Requiem For A Dream. In fact, Touch Me is the new heroin beacon shining high on the arthouse hill.

Unfortunately, Ballistic ultimately falls short in terms of direction.

This movie cements The Lunachicks as New York’s best-kept secret, one that is too juicy to keep to yourself. It will hit you harder than ten bags of Alphabet City’s finest product, as it will knock the wind right out of you.

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.

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.

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.

Managing expectations is key to enjoying what, at its core, is a heartfelt journey of finding real connection in a fake world. Relax and enjoy how Maureen gets her groove back.

The cheerful tone and wacky comedy may seem over-the-top for some, but for those who want something that embodies pure escapism, Panda Plan 2: The Magical Tribe is perfect.

If you enjoy history, especially English history, or are into theological cinema, check out Revelations of Divine Love when it finds its way to you. This is heady and passionate work. Truly, Revelations of Divine Love is one for the ages.

Mother Mary is an art film at its core, and will not suit everyone’s palette, but for the audience it connects with, there’s a beautiful journey from sorrow to confession and possible absolution.

The ride has plenty of ups and downs, but it’s definitely one worth sticking around for.

The endless loop, the anomalies, the reset — all of it connects back to who the man is and what his fundamental flaw as a person is. When the ending hits, it doesn’t explain itself. You just sit there and work backward, and then it clicks.

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.

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.

I think what McKenzie innocently started out as a way to educate himself and the audience about cryptocurrency ends up playing out very much like a scripted movie. The film reaches a point that echoes the old saying, “You couldn’t even write this if you wanted to,” which holds true here and is what makes it so watchable.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy may not fully cohere, but it certainly doesn’t play it safe. The extent to which you enjoy the film will depend on your tolerance for excess.

A wonderful film, and one the entire family would enjoy.

At its core, the film is a possession romance, a story with a familiar structure of enticing evil that transcends the particulars of sexuality or subcultural framing. Full view here demonstrates, perhaps more clearly, that this is obsession, desire, and corruption in a world that some people can relate to as a newcomer in a new life and clubs scene.

If you’re in the market for a handsome acting biopic, Mr. Burton is a fantastic selection. The travails of a lower-class Welsh kid aspiring to become a classical actor is great and heady drama. This is the sort of thing the British excel at.

Grabsinski doesn’t waste the audience’s time with all the nuances of how the time machine works. He just gets to the story, the purpose of why Nick uses it, and the fun, crazy antics that come from it.

If you’re going in hoping for something the whole family can genuinely connect with on a deeper level, you’ll be disappointed. It’s a kids’ movie, plain and simple, and there’d be no way I’d see this if I didn’t have kids.

Anyone with an interest in horror can appreciate it; its primary audience is unmistakable: women who love the genre, who see themselves reflected in it, and who continue to push it forward.

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.

Despite the flaws in the script, Pattinson and Zendaya deliver their roles beautifully.

With a deep respect for community and history, Unkovski weaves a sense of time and place throughout, capturing the harmony and imbalance of living through dialogue, people, music, and work.

Mother of Flies is family-made entertainment at its finest, though it is best suited for families that have Xs carved into their shaved heads.

It carries a smattering of scares and a helping of lore, rendering this underground romp an enjoyable one.

After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home is both heart-warming and wrenching in equal measure.

The whole thing is perfectly cast.

On paper, You’re Dating a Narcissist! may have looked like a breezy, relatable comedy. In execution, however, a film about narcissism turns out to be almost terminally self-absorbed.

The drawback here is that, although it doesn’t need a deep story, it feels like only two and a half acts, with an abrupt third act.

While Shelby Oaks doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the horror genre, it does just fine with what it has to work with. If you look past the fact that it’s created completely out of pre-existing tropes, you can enjoy the story. It’s made well, the actors are all good, and the cinematography and audio are all done at a high level, especially for a new director’s first film.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come may not be as sharp as the first film. But what it lacks in precision it makes up for with enthusiasm. The kills are inventive, the pacing rarely slackens, and most importantly, it remains tremendous fun.

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.

For those who enjoy worldbuilding and sci-fi sagas, Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead will scratch the itch of Dune, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings fans. Don’t forget to watch the credits for a teaser of future installments. After all, the Hydroverse is just beginning.

Bushido is an epic story, but instead of warring samurai factions fighting it out on the open plain, the battle takes place on a 19-by-19 lined gameboard. Don’t get me wrong, there is swordplay, but here, even a game of Go has never felt more dangerous.

One does not require cinematic genius to have fun, and this movie is indeed fun.

In the end, the film and its storytelling is meh.

The Bride is a delightfully insane romp that falls short of landing its message in mayhem. But what glorious mayhem it is.

There’s a lot of heavy stuff to deal with in Avenue of the Giants, but it still provides a majestic and hopeful feeling by the end. It feels as if one’s walking through the redwoods in Marin County that the title references — daunting but impressive.

Visually sumptuous and brilliantly filled with black humour, Influencers doesn’t pretend to be a healthy genre film. It’s cinematic satiric fun on the level of a Punch and Judy show.

Great movies to me are stories that engage from start to finish and ask important questions at the end. The Dutchman does that from start to finish. Moral tales point out how flawed we are, and suggest a better way forward. And for Clay, that journey is far from over. Enjoy.

While the material is right out of one of Herzog’s indigenous rainforest epics, it is lit like an Italian horror movie, with candy colored Bava-like blues and reds sprucing up that bush.

While maybe not top-tier Jarmusch, the film certainly marks his most mature effort to date.

It shows just how much can be done by a single actor on a single set with a filmmaker full of determination.

I Swear is not looking for pity. It’s looking for empathy and understanding, as if to say there is no such thing as good or bad disabilities.

While The Bluff isn’t perfect, it is fun, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas excels at the action, so for an entertaining streaming option, this will do nicely.

I dare you to find Aita and press play, especially if you are resistant to giving it a try. You will be caught in an excitement flood from which there is no escape.

Overall, this is a strong feature debut for Alexander and Ford, but perhaps next time they can let a third set of eyes glance at the script.

The performances are understated and quiet, presented in dark cinematography, where most of the action happens in shadow. There are too many characters to keep track of, which dilutes the story, and it’s not always clear what is happening, but in the finale, it all comes down to one key idea about not breaking the rules.

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

A New Love In Tokyo does for sex workers what The Sopranos does for the mafia: it shows what the people behind the jobs are like. I wished I hadn’t missed it the first time and relished this opportunity to finally see it.

Much like the rides at the carnival, Whistle delivers heady highs and some disconcerting lows, sometimes within the same scene. It’s a film with flashes of imagination and nostalgia that suggest something brighter lurking beneath the surface. Much like the whistle itself, it delivers on what it promises, and the noise it makes is hard to ignore.

Even if this doesn’t wind up being your favorite version of the film, it’s worth seeing Fennell’s updated take.

Crime 101 will get your pulse pounding on a wild ride.

Sebastian grabs ahold of your attention and pulls it down to the floor.

Besson’s film is a magnificent achievement. More romance than terror and more faith than devilry, this film is sure to pull the heartstrings.

The Friend’s House is Here provides an instructive window into the challenges of life in Tehran, as well as an opportunity for Westerners to share these moments and empathize with the people there.

Solo Mio is good, sappy fun, and the perfect date movie for all the craziness going on in the world at the moment.

American Doctor is a horrifying film to watch, but that’s the point.

Scarlet is at its best when it is simply moving and letting the visuals, the fights, and the bond between Scarlet and Hijiri do the heavy lifting. Even when the destination feels obvious, the ride is so gorgeously constructed that it’s hard not to admire how confidently Hosoda brings it home.

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.

A modern-day Apocalypse Now, a visual and aural trip that’s as abstract and surreal as it is stark and realistic, Sirat urges us to embrace each other, as the world swells and throbs around us.

This is an important historical documentary that needs to be seen.

Bonilla has directing chops, but she needs to refine them. She does show real potential and is a director to watch as her career proceeds.

Let’s be real: the only reason to see a Jason Statham movie is for all that juicy action. Fist fights, knife fights, gunplay, machine-gun mayhem, explosions… all in this game of cat-and-mouse.

Paying for It is a tremendous effort that honors Brown’s source novel while digging deeper into its subtext. By further developing these characters and emphasizing the female gaze, Lee provides a compelling narrative that neither glamorizes nor denigrates the women Chester encounters. I highly recommend this film.

If you’re hunting for a fresh animated quest for the under-ten crowd, Tafiti: Across the Desert delivers a simple, sweet ride with Tafiti and Bristles proving that the best adventures come with an unexpected (yet familiar) partner.

Send Help is a brilliant, startlingly gory dark comedy. Sam Raimi still has that old magic.

In a world where there is no shortage of cop thrillers, The Rip is sheer popcorn entertainment from start to finish.

It strives as hard for authenticity as its protagonist does to remain relevant; the strain shows.

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

The cast is great, especially Vegha and Sligh, who craft realistic, believable characters. The editing is precise, though it interrupts the plot if the audience isn’t properly prepared for it on first viewing. Overall, the director proves he has what it takes to scare cinephiles, and he got a cast just as creepy as his plot.

Every frame will blow your baby dome to smithereens, as I can guarantee you have seen nothing like this.

Featuring fascinating archival footage, timeless music, and a plethora of compelling subjects, Viva Verdi may have a rather narrow target audience. But boy, will it please them.

Signing Tony Raymond is as feel-good as Moneyball.

Greenland 2: Migration is all mind-numbing action with nothing to say. If you’re a fan of Gerard Butler or Morena Baccarin, you will probably have fun with this one. Otherwise, it’s a skip.

At the risk of being hyperbolic, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is a great movie. It offers laughs, thrills, and it’s a thinker; you will not be disappointed.

With Garland crafting the script and DeCosta at the wheel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a winner on all fronts. It is wildly entertaining, never predictable, and explores the clash between superstition and tradition versus hard science.

The world of Calle Málaga is small. It takes place on a simple street in a simple town where everyone knows everyone else. Everyone is cordial and competitive at the same time, as the film focuses on the place we call home and how leaving can be a bitter pill to take. In the end, this family drama hits you in the feels like a warm cup of cocoa before turning in for the night.

The Mother And The Bear is a very different spin on the romantic comedy and self-actualization tale. By combining the two, Johnny Ma creates a distinct and engaging story. It is led by the brilliant Kim Ho-Jung, who is aided by a wonderful supporting cast. The music also does a lot of heavy-lifting, emotionally speaking, and everything just comes together in a truly sweet and life-affirming way.

OBEX is an earnest, strange, and delightful adventure.

At its core, Come Closer is an unexpected reality check in a coming-of-age story about handling loss. Israeli writer-director Tom Nesher’s debut feature pushes emotions and reveals the underside of life, delivering a universal snapshot set in Tel Aviv, Israel.

You feel the horrors of those 12 hours. Abeckaser tells the right stories, from innocent festivalgoers to military-trained fathers, and to the mothers and children who perish. Before you utter the words, “Yeah, but…,” 12 Hours in October is pretty one-sided, and I’m not blind to the protests that have occurred in the streets and on university campuses in the U.S.

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.

Adult Children is funny and dramatic in equal measure.

Ultimately, David is a strong, solid film for kids. But I can’t help feeling the filmmakers were holding back on the true glory of God in this story.

The picture is a wonderful example of social horror, fear of strangers who are not what they seem, worth a look for the production values well used, and the committed actors.

Between Black’s signature enthusiasm and Rudd’s insecure actor persona, there is fun to be had. Plus, Selton Mello walks off with every scene, leaving the audience at his mercy. Overall, this is good, not great.

The story entertains from start to finish, and the filmmaker absolutely delivers another home run.

With all the talk of how wonderful Christmas pantomimes are in the script, the whole movie seems to shrink away from any tradition that may have made this pitiful excuse of a Santa sneeze enjoyable.

Little Trouble Girls succeeds as a combination of poetic visual compositions and vibrant, dynamic performances from the female leads.