I couldn’t help but feel like Things Heard & Seen would have been a much better film if they stripped away its ghostly elements in favor of everyday horrors that Pulcini and Berman nailed so effectively in its second act.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a ridiculous, riotous, and relevant adventure fill with great humor and winning sentiment.

It may not be a flawless victory but the new Mortal Kombat movie is a fun time for fans of the game franchise.

Stowaway is shrewd in its decision-making and even better in its execution.

Synchronic isn't a home run, but a decent time travel triple is always welcome.

Ufotable’s jaw-dropping visuals alone make Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train well worth a watch, even if the film stumbles a bit at the climax.

Hayes and Papadimitropoulos' script is meticulous in its capturing of the internal contradictions that make up real people. Stan and Gough fearlessly embrace it all. Together, they give us such an honest and intimate exploration of an adult relationship that Monday feels almost like prying. Yet the most fascinating element of this rich drama is that there is no determination of judgment. No easy blame may be laid.

The Courier is a tense, well-executed spy drama that wisely focuses on character and performance more than thrills, knowing that if we actually care about these men it will drastically heighten every narrowed glance, near miss, and frightful chase. It's not always the freshest adventure, but that's when the acting carries the piece and breathes life into these unlikely heroes.

In the Earth is an oppressive, bizarre trip of sight, sound, and spore-induced psychedelia. Director Ben Wheatley sometimes sacrifices characterization for the loftier ideas about nature he wants to explore but given how innately the audience should understand how one would be affected by a pandemic, it’s a gambit that mostly pays off as the film’s third act roars toward an all-out sensory assault in the climax.

Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer have sparkling screen presence, but can’t thrive under Ben Falcone’s utter lack of vision. Thunder Force doesn’t work as a superhero movie or a buddy comedy, as it refuses to revel in the big moments of either.

While sci-fi is generally rife with allegories, a steadier hand was needed here in Voyagers. The messaging, though noble and necessary, feels obvious to the point that it takes you out of the film. The cast is talented and the premise is promising, but the story plays out in a predictable fashion, which also works, in a way, to undercut the meaning.

The Father is a devastating masterwork by first-time director Florian Zeller.

There are moments in The Unholy that strive for shocking, even sacrilegious. But Spiliotopoulos lacks either the imagination or the guts to create something truly soul-rattling.

Cosmic Sin is an excruciating watch, top to bottom, featuring an absolute mess of camera work, scenes where actors don't interact with one another, and bottom barrel sci-fi leftovers.

Despite the efforts of Idris Elba and the cast, Concrete Cowboy never explores its characters or premise in much depth.

The themes of hope and positivity introduced are a welcome change for the franchise, and help give a sense of closure for the characters we’ve come to know and love. A sometimes inscrutable final act overflowing with extremely busy visuals and a never-ending barrage of new in-universe terms is the only major gripe in an otherwise satisfying and life-affirming finale to this beloved series.

Godzilla vs. Kong knows exactly what it wants to be, and invests every minute of its two hours living up to that promise. Somewhat understandably the humans are overshadowed by their enormous co-stars, but it is a glorious love letter to these iconic characters’ collective histories, a satisfying culmination of the arc leading up to it, and, hopefully, a jumping-off point for more stories set in this universe. Let’s hope it’s not another half-century before these two crazy kids get together again.

André and company give a familiar premise fresh verve with an onslaught of outrageous pranks that would do Jackass proud. André and Howrey share crackling chemistry that weaves together the friendship at the film’s core, while heralded scene-stealer Haddish embodies a badass who can make us cackle. Remarkably, the unwitting witnesses to their mayhem are not regarded just as marks, but as co-stars, who pop with one-liners, memorable reactions, and shining humanity.

Yes, it’s gruesome and violent, but it’s also wickedly funny and surprisingly poignant. And while those Keanu comparisons are always going to be there, Nobody easily holds a candle to Wick.

Though it's hard to recommend this film to people without at least a passing interest in folk horror or folklore, those who stick with Woodlands Dark will find an expansive, practical, entertaining history lesson in a popular yet ill-defined subgenre of horror and come out the other side with a newfound appreciation for it.

Whether you're a theater lover, who aches for playhouses to reopen, a cosplayer who yearns for the return of Comic-Con, or a sci-fi fan who dreams of making an Alien of your own, Alien on Stage is a must-see.

Even as its ambitions are laudable in casting a wide net over a variety of societal ills, the film can’t quite muster the will to follow through on those ambitions and instead succumbs too often to cliche when complexity was required.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a surprise vindication for the director and the fans that believed in his vision. With a mature approach to its superhero drama, better-realized antagonists, and improved action, Snyder’s version of Justice League saves the movie from the dustbin of history.

Coming 2 America retreads a lot of familiar material, relying on the charm of its cast and pure nostalgia to save it.

This contest of wicked wills is a vibrant, penetrating Pandora's Box of predicaments and likeable yet evil central characters, played with satirical skill by Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage.

While it has an interesting hook, Chaos Walking never capitalizes on its premise or the promise offered by its cast.

Intense and atmospheric, Keith Thomas’ The Vigil invigorates demonic horror by centering on Jewish traditions, especially those concerning death. Part haunted house, part tech thriller, and entirely grounded by Dave Davis’ harrowing performance, the film never loses sight of questions of cultural identity, and the ways it intersects with personal and collective trauma.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautifully animated, action-packed hero’s journey, and a great next evolution of Disney’s modern-day princess films.

While it's not as wonderfully weird as it could have been, the latest SpongeBob movie still delivers silly, family fun.

Tom and Jerry hit the big screen for a hybrid live-action romp that too often feels like it's not even their movie.

Cherry is big on style and features a bouncy, pricey soundtrack but its examination of the grim reality behind the veteran/addiction cycle feels rather routine. Holland breaks down many barriers here, performance-wise, and delivers the goods as a fantastic surrogate for societal ills, but the movie is plodding and, overall, an underwhelming patchwork of previous projects.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is extraordinary because – like its fluffy-haired heroines – it makes no apologies for what it is. Mumolo and Wiig have created a story that is proudly deranged, setups that are savagely silly, and centered all that around two delightfully daffy caricatures of middle-aged women that feel fresh yet familiar.

A great first feature from Cathy Yan, Dead Pigs paints a vivid backdrop of globalization, wealth inequality, and the anxieties of a dual Eastern and Western existence. With these complexities in mind, it forces its idiosyncratic characters into personal and financial battles which often feel unwinnable.

Willy's Wonderland is a no-frills splatterfest that, while straining to fill its runtime, finds mid-level chills and thrills thanks to Nic Cage bashing the hell out of weaponized pizza parlor characters. It's a shoestring slasher that gets the job done while also not fully rounding a few of the corners it teases.

Space Sweepers is low-risk, low-reward entertainment. It’s a breezy bit of escapism with some social commentary baked in, but it’s the spectacle and whiz-bang that’s on the front burner. Even as he gleefully reshuffles familiar elements from a variety of sources, director Jo has created a fascinating science fiction tableau that feels both original and inviting.

Malcolm & Marie is a well-acted but frustrating exploration of art and bad romance.

Driven by its performances, and smuggling revolutionary politics into “award season” prestige, Judas and the Black Messiah makes for a powerful (if at times dramatically rickety) retelling of a violent chapter of US history.

You know exactly what brand of “weird” to expect from Nicolas Cage and Sion Sono, but what you might not expect is how much the film feels like a death dream about movies.

A Glitch In The Matrix is a solid sibling to Room 237 and The Nightmare. Once more, Ascher offers an empathetic space to conspiracy theorists and dreamers, creating a superb setting for honesty, earnestness, and vulnerability. Employing keen editing, he illustrates their arguments with pop culture references and panache. However, he also offers the shadow of a doubt, allowing the viewer a safe space to question.

Derek DelGaudio's In and Of Itself is a beautiful, powerful performance that employs art, illusion, storytelling, and its own audience to explore aspects of identity, isolation, and our own desperate drive to figure out who we are as individuals. There's nothing quite like it, which, as goes the uniqueness of humanity, is the point.

All in all, Finding 'Ohana is a superb entry into the annals of kid-fronted adventure. The familiarity of concept and character welcomes you into the cozy romp of it all but provides surprises and spectacle unique to its Hawaiian environment. There are laughs and thrills aplenty, spiked with a bit of pathos, but not so much to derail the fun.

Wrong Turn delivers a handful of timely twists and coats the franchise with a new, and vastly more interesting, sheen. It stumbles at times to balance all the themes it's trying to handle with regards to societal ills, individual value, and self-determinism but the end result is still a warped ride that could set up more thrills to come.

PG: Psycho Goreman is campy, ridiculous, and low-budget, and it absolutely owns it.

It’s disappointing to see a triad of talented actors like Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto wasted in The Little Things, a straightforward and seldom surprising murder-mystery.

The Marksman is perfectly watchable old man reckoning cinema, held together by good performances by Liam Neeson and young Jacob Perez, but it's ultimately not much more than an assembly line of non-surprises.

Outside the Wire is too long, too impenetrable, and not fun enough to warrant its lofty man vs. machine gimmick. It's fun to watch Anthony Mackie assume the role of a smart, cordial killbot, but the film's occasionally exciting bits of action aren't enough to breathe life into this muddled mess of a story.

More than just a retrospective of himself (and his relationship with his sprightly grandmother), Minari feels like Chung gazing into the past to recognize and empathize with the kind of hardships and sacrifices his immigrant parents had to endure. In the process, he creates a riveting drama about hope, family, and the difficulties of change.

Robert Rodriguez delivers a family-friendly film that feels like his most personal project yet. We Can Be Heroes is a cheerful and colorful take on the superhero genre with a powerful message about empowering younger generations to take the reins and do better than their parents.

George Clooney's The Midnight Sky is a gorgeous, glossy doomsday odyssey that feels like too big a winter coat on a small, fragile frame.

Fennell's film is a reflection of its antiheroine, a live-wire, exciting, dazzling, and dangerous. Fennell coats this heady blend of humor and horror in candy-colored palette of pinks dusted with pop music perfection and enriched by performances from a crackling ensemble cast.

Monster Hunter runs just over an hour and a half but feels about twice that long thanks to its listless, meandering plot devoid of a central focus or any meaningful world-building.

While Soul offers food for thought and has heart, it’s never quite as funny, engrossing, or emotionally rewarding as Pixar’s best.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a bright and hopeful adventure that pays loving homage to the superhero movies of yesteryear.

Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks have given us something truly special with their latest collaboration: a film that is engaging and challenging but also just makes you feel good.

Grimy, "topical" pandemic adventure Songbird is pretty much D.O.A. It struggles to find life in its secluded settings while also, overall, just leaving a bad taste in your mouth. The love story never catches hold, the ensemble never gels, and the contrivances pile up beyond all repair.

Rebellious game developer Midway's rise and fall gets a surprisingly tame retelling in the doc Insert Coin.

Francis Ford Coppola has tightened up and retweaked his final Godfather film, but the original's inherent flaws remain.

A timely, powerful piece about the slow road to progress, and the nuances of fighting broken systems from within.

Glenn Close and Amy Adams shine in Ron Howard's new, rather unfocused film about abuse, poverty, and addiction.

Ultimately, it's bland, not bold, and achingly absent of enchantment.

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, directed and co-written by Chris Columbus, once again takes full advantage of Kurt Russell's exuberance as Santa -- and the full addition of Goldie Hawn's Mrs. Claus -- for a rewarding romp about young Kate Pierce's need to rediscover the holiday spirit.

The Croods: A New Age is a mightily medium follow-up to the 2013 original. The voice cast is great and the jokes are the perfect type of clever, where both kids and adults can get a good laugh. The story and emotional stakes are a touch thinner this time but that's to be expected, for the most part, from this type of animated sequel.

While the film boasts a strong ensemble, all of whom give fantastic performances, especially Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is Boseman’s movie from beginning to end. He shows his full range. All the tools, from his charm to piques of anger, that fated him for stardom.

The performances range from wooden Moussi to full-on Cage, so it's tonally all over the place. As a whole, it's an absolute mess, which makes it kind of perfect for 2020. Still, within this swamp of style, wildness, and TOO too much, there are some truly exhilarating treasures, chief among them Cage. In short, it's not good, but maybe being a lot just enough.

Deftly filmed and edited, Run is undoubtedly effective on the small screen, but few other films this year have built and held tension this expertly, so as to be immediately worthy of a room full of people reacting in unison.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey already feels like a timeless treat. Though it's a little longer than it needs to be, Jingle Jangle is still filled with enticing visuals, holiday heart, and seasonal cheer. It instantly feels like a snug, fabled world ready to be explored.

The reclamation project known as Mank falls short. Even with showy performances from Oldman and Seyfried, and its beautiful craft, the film lacks heart. Because underneath the wisecracks and drunken debauchery, in the face of a sweeping political narrative, there’s scarcely an impression of the man.

Freaky is a bloody good time. It’s smart, sharp and funny with some tasty kills and headline casting that is to die for.

Tightly wound on almost every front, His House packs an enormous emotional punch even once its scares grow stale.

The subpar tech-horror film Come Play is as boring as it is painfully outdated.

I absolutely love the first half of this film. Lister-Jones recaptures the magic of the original by welcoming the audience into a cool coven with warmth and radiant leads. It's a pleasure to tag along with this dynamic squad, whether they're dabbling in telekinesis, flirting with a crush, or taking on the forces of evil and misogyny. Slow-motion of moments awkward, lusty, and celebratory envelop us in the overwhelming emotions of the heady time that is teendom. Sadly, this spirited and powerful path is abandoned to lay the groundwork for a sequel that is -- as far we know -- not a certainty. Such plotting bogs down the rich and rewarding story of friendship, self-acceptance, and growth. Still, that franchise-forward choice aside, this sequel is wickedly fun and bewitching.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm may not contain all of the shock and awe of the original, since exposing racists has sadly sort of become commonplace, but it still contains an avalanche of awkward, anxiety-cranking moments that'll have you laughing while watching through your fingers like you would a horror movie.

Zemeckis turns this beloved, dark story into a campy, weird, yet still fairly entertaining kid-friendly story of accepting oneself. The problem is that it pales in comparison to what came before.

Saint Maud is an impeccably crafted, deeply unsettling, and wickedly engrossing religious horror film.

This journey from sun-soaked beaches to chilly English country, from heart-racing flirtation to soul-shattering stress, from new love to old regrets, feels dry and flaccid. Much like Mrs. de Winter, the long shadow of Hitchcock's Rebecca proves just too powerful to ignore.

Writer-director Aaron Sorkin's star-studded chronicle of The Trial of the Chicago 7 is timely and terrific.

The Outpost is a cleverly, and respectfully, crafted war film that uses a segmented, episodic approach to help you invest in the characters while building up to a very impressive battle sequence.

Even with some questions left dangling, The Show offers a supremely intoxicating adventure, ripe with imagination, rank with decadence, and rabid with more, more Moore.

Hubie Halloween is aggressively stupid, sure, but it's also occasionally endearing (with a guilty chuckle or two).

Vampire vs. the Bronx offers enough kid-friendly thrills and laughs to entertain and introduce newcomers to the horror genre, while also offering a socially conscious exploration of gentrification we haven't seen in the genre before.

As a piece of political filmmaking, Lovers Rock is deft and nuanced, a celebration of joy and community built in response to oppression.

Ultimately, Lupin III: The First plays it safe. While the film adds a new visual kick, there’s not a whole lot in the way of storytelling innovation. But maybe we don’t need it.

Nomadland is a radiant celebration of humanity and community.

The Devil All the Time is made purposely provocative by Antonio Campos imbuing an unrelenting gruesomeness into every frame.

Kemp Powers' thoughtful script gives us an insight into what might have been going on behind the sports and entertainment performances that awed us, and in doing so urges us to look at what's still going on now. Director Regina King's cast delivers some of the best performances of the year, unveiling the hidden pain of public figures. Through a keen focus and confident flow, she unfurls their struggles in a poignant display to show how they live on today.

Enola Holmes, starring Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill, is a toothless Fleabag with Sherlock coating.

The New Mutants didn’t deserve to be locked away for years. It’s not some unwatchable mess but rather a perfectly fine, entertaining, if at times formulaic small-scale genre movie.

The psychological thriller-horror film Antebellum mishandles its sensitive & painful subject matter on multiple levels.

Disney’s live-action Mulan is a confident blend of old and new, hiding a familiar heart under action-packed armor.

Bill & Ted Face the Music is a pleasant escape for the quarantine-stricken, a sweet and entertaining romp that defies expectations by largely recapturing what worked about the series so many years later.

Tenet is not Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, but it is another thrilling entry into his canon. In a world where blockbuster cinema is dominated by franchises and sequels, it serves as an accomplished demonstration of the pleasures of unconnected and non-serialised original storytelling. But while it does tread new ground, Tenet is the ‘safest’ film from Christopher Nolan in some years. Following two recent ambitious movies from the filmmaker, Tenet feels a little conservative, as if Nolan’s style is a franchise rather than a framework. Despite this, it remains more interesting than most other tentpole movies and acts as a beacon for the director’s strengths.

With any other actor as the menacing lead, Unhinged would have been a TV movie or straight-to-streaming release, but Crowe and a few well-executed scenes of action still manage to hold the viewer’s interest throughout what’s essentially 90 minutes of genre filler material.

Peninsula feels fairly derivative when compared to the tighter and more terrifying Train to Busan, but on its own, as an expansion of this universe, it's a rollicking ride through a hollowed-out hellscape. It's almost a complete genre shift, but not an unrewarding one.

Pretending I'm a Superman will inspire you to get back on your board whether in real life or in the game.

The pacing drags through action set-pieces left obscured by messy compositions and limp, over-stylized visual choices. New Orleans, as the film’s setting, is wasted while the film’s gritty concept fails to deliver the desired intensity.

Bolstered by a diverse and interesting cast of a kind we don’t see nearly enough, it paints a vivid portrait of the seedier side of the Los Angeles underworld.

All in all, An American Pickle is a solidly entertaining comedy. Its oddball conceit dares audiences to take the plunge, and Seth Rogen rewards them with Herschel, who is bold, thrilling, and a little bit bonkers.

The Rental boats a strong cast, an intriguing set up, and a compelling mystery. It's a fun and feisty web of lies and deception with the added bonus of having a shadowy, stalking presence surrounding everything and everyone like a God-hand. It's a small film, but it's tense, dense, and delivers a harrowing final act.