Flamin' Hot is a charming and funny rags-to-riches story with a strong cast, some clever editing, and good use of narration as comedy that make up for its superficial depth.

The Disney+ documentary Stan Lee is a bland work of corporate propaganda that glosses over or outright ignores Marvel’s controversies

If you like the Blaxploitation flicks of the 70s, this is your candy. If you liked Shaft, but thought it was a bit slow, this one has a little more action, and budget, and its logic matches Shaft in Africa (leads come out of nowhere and thugs appear at the unlikeliest of times).

Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's (sometimes very) fun anthology/love letter to Oakland, California doesn’t add enough of its own unique spirit to quite live up to its influences.

Partially filmed on location in Chicago, the movie benefits from a snowy, urban setting that gives it a very different feel from most films in its genre. Hicks and Chris Sarandon (as the cop who killed serial killer Charles Chucky Lee Ray in the first place) are solid actors and brought a nice adult presence to the story.

Baltasar Kormákur delivers a compelling survival thriller with both Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton throwing themselves into their adversarial roles. Theron crafts a relatable and grounded performance bolstered with emotional sensitivity and physical prowess, while Taron Egerton proves his worth as a weirdly menacing antagonist. Immersively conceived and nerve-rackingly realized, Apex is a visually-commanding action film bursting with impressively dynamic stunt sequences.

Eternity is a bizarre but heartfelt dramedy that balances a wacky vision of the afterlife with strong performances and direction.

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.

Fiercely intelligent and deeply suspenseful, Roman J. Israel, Esq. is an absorbing morality tale from writer/director Dan Gilroy, and boasts one of Denzel Washington’s finest performances.

Funny, gut-churning, playful, wicked, and warm, Tragedy Girls is one of the better horror-comedies in recent memory.

The subpar tech-horror film Come Play is as boring as it is painfully outdated.

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.

With a funny set of side characters and a lovably kindhearted lead, Ferdinand finds a way to promote being kind to others without becoming an afterschool special. Granted, it doesn’t ever go out of its way to be very unique or surprising, but for what it sets out to do, Ferdinand is altogether successful. Even if that means it doesn’t end up being much more that.

Strikes just the right balance between comedy, tragedy, and drama, the result being a very funny WWII film that nevertheless carries an incredibly important message about the here and now.

David Lowery’s latest is a visually fascinating chamber piece with great performances from Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel.

The‌ Deer King may feel familiar to fans of Studio Ghibli, but it’s made with such dedication to the craft and the story that it results in a brand-new experience full of heart and action.

You may argue whether it’s “good”, but damn it if Sleepaway Camp isn’t a super fun, crazy and, most importantly, an incredibly memorable movie

Does The Man Who Killed Don Quixote live up to the anticipation built by a nearly 30 year-long wait? Probably not. Is it still a film worth seeing, with something to say about following your dreams and being a filmmaker, with meta commentary about its own production? It’s hard not to say yes, if only to witness a man’s decades-long obsession finally bear fruit.

Cry Macho has spare moments of charm and tranquility, but mostly it's a dry and unfinished story that fails to hit even the most basic of Story 101 beats.

Sydney Sweeney blazes trails and pulls no punches in a choppy biopic that falters at the finish.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is gateway horror that puts storytelling above terror. It’s steady on its 1980s teenage-girl friendship drama, but other elements around the messaging stumble.

It's amusing and enjoyable at the same time, in a wholesome Pleasantville kind of way.

Olivia Colman is a diamond in the rough, but even she can’t rescue a movie this flat and uninteresting.

Jumanji: The Next Level is a blast. Instead of relying solely on its proven premise, we get to know more about the kids and the adults playing the game. There are still moments of silliness, but there is also a whole lot of heart here.

This sequel doesn’t merit a sing-along and does little to expand on what we already knew about Moana and her friends.

Mean Girls is a winning, entertaining reworking of Tina Fey’s 2004 comedy. Featuring a collection of strong original songs and a successful updating of the story and messages, it's a musical reimagining worth watching.

If Licence to Kill added more than just scenes with Q to lighten the load, if it provided a love interest as compelling as Vesper and more engaging than Lowell's whiny Pam Bouvier, this Bond could have been one of the instant greats, instead of one that is better appreciated with age. The movie is not perfect, but a lot of what works now in the series got its start in Dalton's last mission as James Bond.

The Equalizer 3 ends the trilogy strong with a style, energy, and cohesiveness that most sequels aren’t capable of. Fuqua and Washington’s circle feels complete and delivers a showstopping dessert at the end of a solid three-course meal they’ve been preparing for almost a decade.

Riddle of Fire is a charming, fantastical debut just begging for a cult audience to ride its uniquely silly wavelength. It’s familiar, and yet like nothing else you’ve seen.

It’s a stylish and amusing thriller, but a hollow one, with mostly broad-stroke characters populating an otherwise ultra-detailed fictional criminal underworld. Fans of crime movies like John Wick will be entertained by the big ideas and backstories, but they probably won’t form the kind of connection they have to other, better films of its ilk.

Blue Bayou works as both an emotionally insightful character piece about a man looking for where he belongs, and as a brutal exposé of the lesser-known broken parts of our immigration system.

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.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny fails to recapture Spielberg’s magic. With uninspired action and conflicting themes and character motivations, it’s proof that some things should just be allowed to end.

Wicked: For Good brings Jon M. Chu’s movie-musical duology to a climactic conclusion that’s dark in every sense of the word. With harrowing action scenes, heart-wrenching musical numbers, and excessively dimly-lit scenery, this sequel compounds all of the problems of the first movie while introducing some wholly new ones of its own. Dual leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are as luminous as ever, electric whenever they’re sharing the screen together, but there’s a lot of movie to slog through to get there.

Visually, Pixar is in absolutely top form with the creation of Element City and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, the story is way too thin and none of it makes any sense.

As a genre picture, and as a nugget of pure unadulterated cult entertainment, Death Race 2000 is one of the best around.

Amazon’s Heads of State is a near-humorless buddy comedy film, saved by its compelling leads and elaborate action sequences.

Even when The Gorge disappears into generic run-and-shoot action, it benefits from the colorful confidence of Derrickson’s staging and a ’50s-inflected sci-fi score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. At its worst, this solid genre exercise still looks worthy of the theatrical release Apple didn’t grant it.

While some purists may balk at the changes and omissions made here, those simply looking for a horror movie as compelling as it is wicked should enjoy this new Pet Sematary.

While it picks up threads from the original, like the mysterious curse of their dying drummers or stage props misbehaving, nothing gets anywhere close to the original.

I Came By elevates a pulpy serial killer premise with fun casting and surprising story beats.

For all the fun that the cast seems to be having with Dicks, it’s never as creative in execution as it needs to be. There are chuckles to be had, but the overall experience is defined by narrowness rather than naughtiness.

Antlers is a satisfying, unsettling, and rather bleak horror movie when it focuses on its main creature. It’s also a thought-provoking character drama when it deals with parental neglect, but the two never properly mix, keeping it from being as great as it could’ve been.

If you can look past Road House’s horrendous cinematography, CGI fights, and poor lighting, there's a fun movie to be found.

And on this particular trek, the 70's duo find themselves in comedic situations which hit and miss in relatively equal measure.

Encounter is a tense, and stylish thriller with some excellent performances, but it’s dragged down by a lack of focus and pointless tangents.

While it does some fascinating things with the zombie genre that we haven't seen since George A. Romero, Army of the Dead ends up bogged down by its own self-importance and forgets how fun it's supposed to be. Its promising opening credits sequence is so much better than the rest of the film.

Arcadian is an effective creature-feature B-movie that gets the job done in under 90 minutes.

Successfully walking the line between sharp comedy and thoughtful dramedy, Instant Family delivers, warming the heart and generating plenty of belly laughs. When it’s funny, as it often is, it’s damn funny. One of the superior comedies of the year, it’s not a classic, but it’s rich, smart and emotionally satisfying and an accomplished step forward for director Sean Anders.

With a steely reserve and killer instinct, Extraction 2 thrives as a buffet of brutality that plays back the mercenary thriller hits with a fresh coat of camouflage paint.

The level of risk-taking is refreshing, even when it's not completely successful at every single turn.

Thor: Love and Thunder is held back by a cookie-cutter plot and a mishandling of supporting characters, but succeeds as the MCU's first romantic comedy thanks to Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman's chemistry.

The movie has a much more open feel than Argento's other films and offers an interesting counter point to his work. The film also exercises Argento's effects work. There are several great scenes where a swarm of flies comes to Jennifer's rescue.

Cold Pursuit is partly a great action thriller, and Liam Neeson is still kicking plenty of butt, but the film is mostly an intriguing, relaxing, totally tuckered-out character study of old men running out of the energy required to run a criminal enterprise. As thrillers go, this one is more adult than your average.

An exciting and scary final act makes up for a middling kid horror fantasy that is marked by a slow start and an inappropriately comedic tone.

Towards the end of the ride you are ready to get off... but if ride films are your thing, you'll be surprised at how much you enjoy this, even if you don't remember much about it afterwards.

With a blistering score and a darkly comic undercurrent, Tornado is a timeless revenge thriller filled with hurt and heart.

The Munsters is a wholesome labor of love that’s probably for the most diehard sitcom fans because for better and worse, Rob Zombie makes the Munsters reboot he wants to see.

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

Sting is a creature feature that tinkers too much with familiar horror/sci-fi concepts but has plenty of heart to make it memorable.

Wrath of Man has plenty of anger and action, and it's at its intriguing best when the entire story gets sorted out and all the players are on the board, but it stumbles at being a time-release mystery.

While not exactly transcending the familiarity of its very predictable genre, The Ritual is a spooky, shadowy horror film with good character work, an excellent mood, some provocative themes, excellent lighting, and a scary... thing... that horror fans will love.

The movie leaps to life whenever the bullets start flying. It's the generic gangland stuff in between that's not up to snuff, even with Hardy lending his trusty gruffness to the haunted-cop boilerplate.

It’s beautifully shot, and very loud. But much of the film is simply too mild and reliant on jump scares, and Syndey Sweeney’s performance doesn’t achieve the hysterical heights a movie like this needs until it’s too late.

Bad acting, awful script, glaring continuuity errors-- it's night! It's day! It's night again!-- nightmarish special effects, and the worst sets you've ever seen. It's a chucklefest all the way through.

Extraction works because its simple, yet sufficient, story allows the film's action to take center stage. If the stunt work were mediocre, the entire thing would be an utter waste of time. Thankfully though, Extraction boasts an exhaustingly awesome showcase of expertly choreographed fists, knives, guns, and explosions.

Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa is a strong, uncomplicated effort that should charm kids. The Moonlight directors involvement in a CGI-heavey Disney prequel caused serious film lovers to wring their hands, but the results speak for themselves: This is simply a lovely movie.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is more Minion compilation than Gru prequel. It wastes its fun ideas and comedic setups in favor of disconnected slapstick gags, which may delight the diaper-wearing crowd, but will end up a chore to anyone forced to comprehend its inert dramatic scenes and ’70s pop culture references.

Liam Neeson is back with The Commuter, though viewers may wind up wishing they bought a ticket to a different train.

Those looking for a straight Hamlet adaptation or an action-oriented animé should look elsewhere; those looking for a fantastical, visually glorious story that reflects on the potential and pitfalls of humanity are in for a good time.

Despite all the cinematic thievery and homage, The Funhouse manages to stand on its own as an eerie, slow-brewing slasher that builds quite a bit of effective tension and dread leading into the more generic final act.

Bubble is an effervescent piece of heartfelt sci-fi that’s as refreshing as its cast and concepts.

Migration is satisfactory but uninspiring.

Better jokes, better imagery, and two (!) inspired comic performances by Jim Carrey give this Sonic sequel an edge on its predecessors.

Despite its ferocious source material and lead Amy Adams, Nightbitch is a bloodless tale of maternal doldrums with little payoff.

Hulu’s Crush is a queer coming-of-age movie in which very little happens, and whose characters barely exist outside of their joking lines of dialogue. Its young actors are a delight, but even as a story of teenage crushes, it rarely captures what it feels like to be young and in love.

Deadpool & Wolverine is an outrageous, consistently funny superhero comedy that succeeds largely thanks to the contagious enthusiasm of leads Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, and a surprisingly classy perspective on superhero movie history. Wade and Logan’s profanity-laced adventure forces the MCU farther out of its comfort zone than it’s been in years, even though old and increasingly frustrating issues like forgettable villains and a barely there plot show that breaking the fourth wall isn’t always enough to solve a movie’s foundational problems.

Rough greenscreen work can’t keep the Sanderson Sisters down in a fun enough follow-up to a Halloween classic.

DC League of Super-Pets may have thoughtful filmmaking on its side, but what it doesn’t have is a voice cast that can lend life and personality to its characters.

Ethan Coen goes solo – sort of – with Drive-Away Dolls, a raunchy, dizzy road-trip comedy that’s a little too slick for its own good.

An entertaining, if a bit predictable, romantic comedy with a good cast. Expect anything more from it and you'll come away disappointed.

A wonderful slice of pulp alien-invasion sci-fi with a dash of conspiracy thriller tossed in for good measure. It plays as a clever X-Files knockoff and as a funny camp classic all at the same time. Low budget sci-fi pictures like these are rarely this entertaining, or good for that matter.

Satanic Hispanics attempts to bring authentic Latin folklore to modern horror audiences and boasts great doses of monsters and gore. Unfortunately it’s also held back by some uneven storytelling and humor that doesn’t always land.

After a while, rather than just being funny (in a dark way), it's questionable why one should sit through the whole thing.

One of the most forward looking science fiction tales of the 70's.

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.

An underwhelming lead-up to the series finale, Fast X's only real redeeming quality is Jason Momoa's bonkers performance as the villain.

It’s a very well put-together film, and more so than not, it’s full of charming performances, clever little details and some less-outlandish-than-I’d-like social commentary. Even though Edgar Wright’s stamp isn’t clearly on every sequence like some of his previous work, The Running Man sprints where it needs to, giving Glen Powell his first chance to be a full-fledged action hero.

While there's a lot to love in The Yellow Birds, this war film is ultimately a missed opportunity.

Live and Let Die isn't the best of the series by far, but it's not the worst either. The fun doesn't last due to the interference of the flimsy plot, centered around one of the least threatening Bond villains ever.

Despite thoughtful visual artistry, and a great dramatic performance from Adam Sandler, Johan Renck’s Spaceman ends up too scattered, and too literal, to make its tale of a lonely astronaut feel remotely important.

A woeful interpretation of the Brontë classic, the star power of which dims the truly violent nature of this tragic story of love and vengeance.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a solid Guy Ritchie take on World War II that tells an incredible, sort-of-true story that’s plucky, punchy, and quite entertaining.

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

Clifford the Big Red Dog is a sweet if shallow kids offering that sometimes soars higher than expected.

Old isn't M. Night Shyamalan’s best work, but it is one that shows maturity – a movie that tackles universal and intense themes over twists and puzzles.

Yesterday doesn’t take too many chances, but it does boast a well-told story with a cast that’s game for both its comedic and more dramatic moments.

Ambulance may often be nonsensical, but it’s also the biggest, boldest action movie of the past year and a spectacularly raucous return to form by director Michael Bay.