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.

Though Farewell Amor is not a “dance movie", it’s primarily about that moment when we dance - when everything else falls away, Amor takes over, and we bid our troubles farewell.

It’s a Christmas movie that makes you laugh. There are a couple of cheesy scenes, though, so don’t worry if that’s what you’re looking for in your holiday viewing.

Like the inferno it depicts, Laxe’s film casts an entrancing spell.

Halloween Party is not scary, and as a horror movie, that is a problem. But, the characters are engaging and fun, brought to life by a wonderful cast. And the directing and writing are excellent, so there’s a lot for eager audiences to take in. Just go in expecting an engaging mystery, not scares, and you’ll be fine.

It’s an easy target that’s been cinematically dissected many times, with the recent Nocturnal Animals and Velvet Buzzsaw coming to mind... Yet Grant manages to explore the subject from some enticing angles. The resulting painting may be a bit too busy to qualify as genius but contains brushstrokes so vivid it’s certainly worth scrutinizing.

Morris utilizes psychedelic neon colors, bold titles, and a hallucinatory score to emphasize the craziness of her life. He has devilish fun piecing together Joanna’s fractured past. It just feels like, in his search for Truth, he’s lost his way a little this time.

Although Penn is the focal point of Citizen Penn, the real citizens of this story are the Haitians. They are resilient, optimistic, and refuse to be labeled as victims. I do wish that we got to meet some of them a bit more intimately, that Hardy delved a little deeper into Haiti’s sociopolitical history. As it stands, it functions as a perfectly serviceable call to action, an extended, heartfelt PSA that neither glamorizes nor demonizes the actor.

A bit more pragmatic, rambling, less lyrical, and not as laser-focused as Herzog's previous documentaries.

Just know that Sacha Baron Cohen is up to his old tricks, but he’s got some new ones, too.

The Father is about the suffering of old age, the importance of connection, the sick encroaching of an affliction, and ultimately, death. It doesn’t sugarcoat things, despite its sugarcoated exterior. Like its French counterpart, Michael Haneke’s Amour, it’s not an easy watch, but it’s a necessary one, a film that examines the very essence of our humanity.

The filmmaker performs an astounding feat of maintaining the perfect balance between self-awareness, alienation, warmth, comedy, and pathos. Apples is a singular experience.

Wolfwalkers is a beautiful movie for fans of animation and families with young children. If you want to ween the little ones off Disney’s overproduced glitz and turn them on to alternative forms of animation and storytelling, Wolfwalkers is a great place to start.

One Night in Miami will surely inspire much-needed discussions that move us closer to true equality, justice, respect, and understanding for all.

The idea of a fusion of these two prodigious talents, the mere notion of Wood’s multi-instrumentalist skills and love of art complemented by Figgis’ distinct visual style and jazzy vibes, is exhilarating. So it’s that much more disheartening that Figgis’ documentary, Ronnie Wood: Somebody Up There Likes Me, somehow ended up so damn perfunctory.

Here’s a film so quietly visceral it can sear through metal, “quietly” being the keyword. Don’t come in expecting a no-holds-barred assault on the senses. Nor is this a metal music extravaganza. The bulk of the film is silent, deliberate. We are thrust inside Ruben’s mind to hear what he hears, a pulsating, muted nothing, which is then jarringly contrasted with everyday sounds when we’re yanked back out of his head. The sound mixing and editing are nothing short of phenomenal in Sound of Metal.

Really Love subtly explores and juxtaposes the numerous obstacles Black people face when it comes to discovering their identity, transcending stereotypes, overcoming familial influence, being in charge – and it studies those issues through the colorful and forlorn and often lovely prism of Art.

In surer hands, Shadow in the Cloud could have been a demented allegory about female empowerment; instead, it’s just demented, albeit damn entertaining. Here’s hoping Landis gets his head out of the clouds and writes something that casts lingering shadows next time.

There’s just enough in Black Box to make for a mild goosebump or two this Halloween.

Edson Oda’s script is incredible. It asks so many philosophical questions without being preachy or pedantic. It successfully reminds us how precious all of our lives are, which is no small feat.

It’s how Harry Chapin, the artist, and advocate described by so many and presented by Korn that makes Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something an important film. As a troubadour, Harry’s folk roots and his ability to visualize a story through his music—stories so many of us have lived and continued to do so—is personal and universal, all at the same time.

No one would rationally expect the man behind Disneynature fare such as Penguins, Elephant, and Diving with Dolphins to make his directorial debut with a demonic horror feature.Yet here we are, witnessing David Fowler perform a 180° swivel, from anthropomorphizing animals to slaughtering human beings in Welcome to the Circle. The results clearly demonstrate that he should’ve stuck to voicing chimpanzees.

Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World is a highly engaging and fascinating documentary that questions the validity of the “truth” being presented to us on television, in news stories, and through social media. The facts presented are convincing, and the investigation of MH17 plays out like a crime thriller.

A good-natured comedy that, while not always funny, remains as sincere as The Book of Mormon. No, really, that is a massive compliment.

Braga’s direction is so bland and tension-free it could not make a cat jump into a tree. The cast all try their best, but only Robertson comes out unscathed. There is not a single reason to ever watch this movie.

Aggie is a film every art center in the country should show to its supporters and community as its positive message is inspiring, aspiring, and beautiful. Aggie is a film about someone with imagination, and art requires imagination.

Vampires Vs. The Bronx is a great way to introduce your kids or pre-teens to the vampire genre, and a fun look at how Gen Z plans to deal with armies of the undead.

Learning about the old points of view can help us build better ones. Hopper/Welles is important for that reason. It’s also hilarious to hear Welles, who is never onscreen, browbeat Hopper to answer questions he doesn’t want to answer. Seriously, this film is a treat.