The framing, editing, and overall rhythm of the story brim with intelligence. When coupled with a star-making performance from McEwen, we have what should be a new LGBTQIA+ classic drama.

Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story entertainingly gives you everything you need to know about the actor and his life. Ironically, his story has ended up as an almost fairytale-like dream despite the nightmare that Freddy gives so many others.

For those following the career trajectory of Pietro Marcello, the feature works as another example of a nuanced filmmaker delivering a surprisingly different kind of cinematic experience. At its core, this is a memorable portrait of a father-daughter relationship and the power of dreams above all.

Montreal Girls is as much a visual and sonic poem as it is narrative storytelling.

In the end, Past Lives plays with your brain and heart. It’s one of those films that leaves you thinking about and yearning for what might have been.

Ultimately, the story is the film’s star, and director Andrew Muschietti knows how to tell a comic book story. As much as there is excessive fan-baiting and nostalgia, it earned it at the end by holding most of it off until the end. I’m sold.

With Candy Land, Swab has delivered a historic flashpoint in the darker side of the film universe. It is a supernova of seediness. The flick is the true bastion of this under-utilized subgenre.

The director succeeds in telling the story of his sister in an unfiltered, brutally honest, and respectful way. But the audience isn’t always there alongside them.

Gringa is an unusual hybrid of dysfunctional family drama and an escapist sports movie.

Could this version of The Little Mermaid stand alone if the original didn’t exist? Possibly. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s songs and story structure remain intact and are its only salvation. But, again, why watch the live-action remake when the original is so much better and suited more for kids?

Move Me No Mountain is an emotional ride that exhilarates as much as it moves. The performances are perfect, and the story is heartbreaking.

Fast X is an entertainer. You need to leave the brains out and have fun.

If you love all things space, It’s Quieter in the Twilight is must-see viewing. A lot of technical information is unloaded upon the audience, but Miossi lays it out in digestible chunks.

I’m not sure where Schrader’s career will take him after Master Gardener, but here’s hoping the next decade is as impressive as the current one.

The Night Of The 12th will emotionally exhaust audiences and get under their skin with its haunting ending.

Knights of the Zodiac is a good production in terms of its action and cast. But when one focuses so much on the fantasy-action set-pieces, having a soulless story makes all efforts fall flat.

Slow pacing and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details abound, placing the film in the tradition of foreign arthouse films.

If you’re a fan of crime documentaries or are fascinated by the grey areas of law, Michael Neelsen’s Beyond Human Nature is a sobering look at American justice at its best and worst.

Rally Road Racers may not change the world or elevate the art form of animated features. Instead, it’s one of those films my kid would watch over and over again. It is good, wholesome fun, with some classic actors to help appease the parents looking for things to do with their kids.

BlackBerry is another movie where we all know the ending, but the fun is in finding out how we got there.

Bhagwan Bharose fully envelopes everyone watching into its character lives.

For a drama about family dysfunction, Dealing with Dad is surprisingly funny and optimistic.

Employee Of The Month ratchets up the zany antics into a thrilling and hilarious conclusion. By the end, the point the filmmakers are driving home is well made and never feels didactic. The cast is great, and the ending is pitch-perfect. So get ready to laugh until your sides hurt.

Thanks to Jacquelyn Mills’ direction, Geographies of Solitude is a visually remarkable documentary that explores the natural world through the eyes of someone who sees the connectivity of all living things. If only the rest of the world cared as much as Lucas and Mills to preserve the natural world.

Writer Jemima Khan and director Shekhar Kapur not only bring the Pakistani perspective on romance but incorporates it into modern English culture.

Caviar is an audacious first feature. But King’s confident direction and bold storytelling give way to a thrilling experience. While the deepfake technology ranges from good to not, the cast more than makes up for it.

The rise of anxiety is a serious problem with no real end in sight. Films like Anxious Nation are important for spreading the message. However, the only realistic way to change attitudes on mental health is to normalize seeking care and to make more people aware of the solutions.

Kitchen Brigade tells us to take risks, be brave, and cook like hell along the way. That is if you can cook. If not, just get someone to do it for you and focus on the life stuff instead.