Director James Ponsoldt — who did the very good "The Spectacular Now" and "Smashed" — is great at visuals, peppering the screen with glowing tweets and comments. He overplays the comedy, though, and underplays the mystery — there's never a feeling that Mae is in real danger.

The second "volume" of the open-ended franchise is simply not as charming as the original.

Free Fire is more of an exercise in how to stretch-out a single scene than a typical movie.

Unforgettable isn't.

The awkward love triangle feels forced and unnecessary and distracts from and dilutes the power of the historic drama.

Sure, a lot of the dialogue is dopey, and the eternally stiff leads once again compete for blankest delivery. But Lin distracts us well, packing deftly-shot races, explosions, and getaways into every corner.

Aside from the captivating cinematography, the narrative is adventurous and existential. Not only does it examine the ethos of the early 20th century — including wartime — it also surveys humanity as a whole. It aims to dispel a superiority complex but manages to stay bold and progressive throughout.

Is it so much to ask for dialogue that doesn’t make you roll your eyes throughout “F8”? Or, you know, a story that adds up?

They blue it. The brains behind the eye-popping but soul-sapping Smurfs: The Lost Village missed an opportunity to celebrate girl power.

Going in Style has gone a little soft. The geezers-go-gangsta story is back, but in a remake that lacks the edge that made the 1979 original memorable. It’s cuddly when it should be cranky, nice when it needs to be a little nasty.

The Assignment is a movie about a heartless assassin, a mad doctor and a forced surgery. But it’s the movie that should be sued for malpractice.

Comparisons to the classic 1979 Oscar winner "Kramer vs. Kramer" are inevitable. But Gifted stands on its own because it feels more like reality than a Hollywood take on family crisis.

Director Daniel Espinosa whips up some nail-biting sequences. But the suspense is all by-the-numbers.

Antonina is often seen and cradling animals — a lion, a monkey, a rabbit. Fitting, since Chastain elevates and handily carries The Zookeeper’s Wife.

While it offers some new ideas, the movie also suffers from the same pacing problems of the original.

Everything is perfectly entertaining. Too perfectly.

It’s a convoluted mess that zig-zags all over the map. On the plus side, there are enough jokes that connect to keep you along for the ride.

In the movie version of Wilson, starring Woody Harrelson, no one flies or turns into a centaur. But quiet magic happens nonetheless.

Sequels are tricky things, and decades-late followups are the trickiest. T2 Trainspotting almost pulls it off, too, bringing back the original’s hallucinatory style, jolting musical choices and charismatic cast.

The new Kong: Skull Island really gets it right — the exotic adventure, the spectacular special effects, the towering terrors. It’s a big hunk of nostalgic fun, reminding us of the 1933 original even as it monkeys around with the classic story.

In a nice bit of sorcery, Disney’s taken their 1991 animated classic — and their 1993 Broadway hit — and combined them into a groundbreaking delight, anchored by a breakthrough performance by Emma Watson.

A collision of sci-fi, drama and horror, Before I Fall earns points for ambition.

It takes its sweet time to achieve anything beyond being a grueling snoozefest.

A stand-alone adventure, it’s also a salute to a series, a character and a quietly committed actor.

Unlike animated family favorites spiked with jokes for adults that go over youngsters’ heads — like “Finding Nemo” or “Up” — Rock Dog is strictly for kids.

It's very funny at times, but it isn't a comedy. It is that very rare of beasts: a new and original motion picture.

It’s rare that a movie with so many F-bombs and drawings of male reproductive organs has such a witty Ken Burns gag. Fist Fight is a knockout.

The story submerges and drowns in preposterous gothic nonsense.

Since Dornan is as dull as a catalog model anyway — he wanders through the movie like an Abercrombie searching for his Fitch — the shopping-list look of the movie makes sense. But Dakota Johnson deserves better.

If you loved the original movie, you might not care so much about being given warmed-over seconds. Otherwise, this Wick has burned itself out.

This version feels a lot less like a long advertisement for Lego products than the original, which featured multiple "here's how to build something cool" segments. And "LEGO Batman" uses pop culture better than the original.

Filmmaker F. Javier Gutiérrez really doesn't have a lot to work with beyond a flimsy story, weak script and characters you'll have a hard time caring about.

At a certain point, the film gains atmosphere and is rescued by the sincerity and sweetness of the young actors. Better, the plot finally hits a groove in the final quarter, and a soaring soundtrack twangs the right emotional notes.

Robert De Niro is back doing standup in The Comedian, and it's a movie made to be heckled. Full of gross jokes (and an even grosser love story), it deserves the hook — and fast.

True, the movie's intense, and Jovovich is certainly in fighting shape. But after 15 years of this franchise, it's getting hard to tell Alice from the things she's fighting. It's all squint and grunt, slash and groan.

Turning McConaughey into a wreck through makeup and lighting is not an adequate substitute for character development. But it underscores something that the film gets right — the fact that underneath many pretty surfaces is ugliness.

The film is both heartwarming and soul-shattering. Its theme of an unbreakable bond between man and his best friend is reminiscent of "My Dog Skip," "Homeward Bound" and "Old Yeller."

The animated feature The Red Turtle is about as far as you can get from a typical cartoon movie musical. Except for a few tsunami crashes and howls, this lovely but tortoise-paced work from the celebrated Japanimation house Studio Ghibli is basically a silent film.

Diesel is the star (as well as a producer), in every scene. And he drags the film down with him.

Split smacks of the director’s past fare, and its suspenseful, scary tone recalls "The Sixth Sense." When Shyamalan embraces his identity as a horror director with a knack for surprises, more fun is had by all.

The details of how the McDonalds literally invented the fast-food concept are fascinating. The period details feel right. All in all, the film's a slick, good-looking package. But it still feels empty. Where's the message? Where's the meaning? Where's the beef?

The young cast is generally okay. The real pleasure is the rare appearance by Oscar winner Faye Dunaway, who plays as a woman who may know how to defeat this spirit.

Blood Wars concludes with the threat of further sequels, but this is clearly one franchise that's been fully drained of its blood.

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Loach is a master at capturing the day-to-day of British life, and this film, which won the coveted Palm D'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, is no exception. That said, it may be easier for some to decipher the heavy British accents than others.

Kind of like all the other characters Annette Bening plays, year after year - never to nearly enough applause.

Although Affleck's been a decent director - capturing real local color in "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town," building tension nicely in "Argo" - his work here is dim and dull. Live by Night may be about rum, but the pacing is like molasses.

Paterson is poetic.

It works so hard to evoke a sense of teary patriotism it leaves behind a grimy feeling.

The acting offers little relief. Fassbender gives a super serious performance in a movie that needed his natural sense of humor. Playing his Abstergo doctor, Cotillard's accent is so bizarre and disconcerting, it's impossible to believe she’s the same actress who’s been so amazing in everything else she's done. As for Jeremy Irons, who plays her scientist father, it's hard to imagine this is anything more than a payday.

It loses some of its warmth, and most of its charm. And it ends up as nearly as cold and creepy as the space it takes us through.

The FBI once again calls upon Anthony Hopkins to help them find a serial killer in Solace. Even though he isn't playing Hannibal Lecter this time, he's still the best thing going for this mostly dull film.

This is the kind of movie "Trolls" set out to be and with this kind of innovation in animation, it succeeds on far more levels as well. There are just so many laughs to be had but there's also plenty of warmth with a lot of focus put on each contestant's family.

Washington isn't a visionary director, something he's proved before in "The Great Debaters" and "Antwone Fisher." But he is a fine actor, and if nothing else Fences preserves his career-best performance, as a loving, bullying, wounded, roaring bull of a man.

A lovely film and another impressive calling card for Bayona, who can mix genres in an innovative way like his former producer, Guillermo del Toro. He's created a deeply emotional film about loss that will probably have you crying by film's end.

It stands alone as the best "Star Wars" entry since 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back." Yes, it's that good.

Hidden Figures is an earnest movie, but not a very exciting one. The screenplay feels as engineered as a Gemini rocket launch, with every scene and line carefully calculated.

Silence is a slowly unfolding, deeply thoughtful film about questioning yourself. About questioning authority. About taking stock of where you've failed as a human being, and wondering how you can make amends — to yourself, to others, and to God.

For a movie that was advertised as the wildest bash of the year, Office Christmas Party has a few too many plotlines and not enough actual debauchery.

Stone, who wowed on Broadway in “Cabaret,” again shows off some beautiful pipes. She captivates completely from her first frame. Then again, so does La La Land — a singing love letter to musicals, romance and the City of Angels that feels almost like a gift from above.

In some ways, Pesce's film is often more disturbing for what it doesn't show than what it does, with the last act probably the hardest to watch.

It would have served the film well if more time and focus was devoted to Michelle's life today and how she's managing.

Whenever the movie begins to falter — it cuts, sometimes confusingly, among at least three different timelines — Portman pulls it back together, and sets it back on course.

This amazing true story with remarkable performances by Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and newcomer Sunny Pawar has, like the title would suggest, a blend of brute force and elegance.

Jessica Chastain plays Sloane, and she's the kind of Washington power-player who'd scare off half the cast of "Scandal" — towering heels, pulled-back hair and a taste for the kill.

Like Cohen's output, Rules Don't Apply as a whole is strangely hypnotizing. It has not been edited as so many other recent movies have, down to the nub, removing everything but the highlights you can produce movie trailers from. This thing breathes and creaks. It works. Maybe the cracks are what let the light in.

If you enjoy slightly awkward romance during wartime, Allied is worth a fling.

The film’s second act packs a bittersweet punch, along with the fact that the failed show is now much-respected. But all of that could have been tied up in a quicker epilogue. The chorus, so to speak, lacks a hook. Too bad, considering that, to quote a Sondheim song from the show, they “had a good thing going.”

Director David Hackl’s Life on the Line is supposed to be a moving story about men working electrical lines. Viewers, however, might require a high-voltage shock just to endure it.

Yes, The Rock can carry a tune and his big song-and-dance number "You're Welcome" is a hoot.

The movie's no knockout, but at least it gives us one good performance, and one great one.

It sounds a little too clever, but it's not. It's just clever enough.

Despite his draw to tragic subjects, Lonergan holds onto a sharp, dark, Irish sense of humor, and a feel for the absurd that comes out at the most unexpected times. A playwright's sense of what actors do, too. Affleck gives a career-best performance here.

Billy Bob Thornton's grouchy Santa is finally back, but his sequel is pretty ho-ho-horrible.

Steinfeld is brilliantly able to weave together a character who's both typical and yet surprising in her multidimensional emotions that Nadine slowly works through. She's not a cookie-cutter character.

Director David Yates, who helmed the last four "Harry Potter" films, is in his element with this mix of wand-waving and rollicking adventure. He keeps the overstuffed story zipping along for the most part. And he's thrown in all the eye-popping wonders that $180 million can buy.

Bertino is just concerned with making you feel for his characters — and that he manages to do competently, despite their deep flaws. Well, that and spill some popcorn along the way.

Almost Christmas is frustrating in its failure to not surpass what's expected of it. It's shallow in its emotions and misses opportunities to develop more realistic characters with more relatable feelings.

Real films breathe, alive with imperfections, accidents, with everything that Lee's worked so carefully to guard against. Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk is long, all right, but only half-alive — as careful as a diagram, as chilly as a statue.

Arrival is a science fiction confection that wants to be smart. But the truly fascinating material that would have made this a very good movie rather than a pretty decent one likely ended up on what they used to call the cutting-room floor.

Movie fans might be better off watching a dog actually munch on another dog. Paul Schrader's latest action drama is downright awful.

The Eagle Huntress is all at once an inspiring story for children of all ages to believe that they can do anything, a reflection of the unfairness of gender roles and a rare and unique look at a remote part of the world.

Whether or not the movie turns you into X-philes, Yoshiki is hard to shake.

It's a tough, understated part to play, and Edgerton does a terrific job.

Trolls just feels very formulaic, and having a pop superstar like Timberlake in your voice cast, and deliberately not having him sing until near the end just seems like a waste of that talent.

It’s gripping, eye-opening and when it comes to heroics, thought-provoking. But it also suffers from grisliness, sentiment and self-indulgence.

It's fun to have new version of an old Marvel favorite, and a storyline which adds some genuine mysticism to this ever-expanding franchise. But "Strange" is too often only odd when it needs to be truly magical, and Hollywood-safe when it needs to be brave.

By Sidney Lumet is less a true documentary and more a long, previously unseen interview given by the director three years before his death in 2011.

It's fair to say that Inferno won't be for everyone, but those who have stuck through Howard and Hanks' previous Dan Brown adaptations should find enough thrills to keep them interested in solving the mystery.

Where Whitecross succeeds is in the packaging of the whole story. With a running time of just over two hours, he manages to effectively compress the rather interesting story of the band’s inception and couple that with the explosive yet turbulent times of the band out on the road.

The film will stay with its audience long after the closing credits — and inspire a deep hope that a film of its kind never has to be made again.

The nearly three-hour runtime, though, may be one of the film's biggest hurdles. But the time seems necessary for a story that adds more layers the further we're taken down the rabbit hole.

While it does fall victim to a number of genre tropes, it is fronted by a believable Keanu Reeves and a pleasantly deceitful Renee Zellweger. Plus, an agreeable performance from the defendant character, played by Gabriel Basso, keeps the story pulsating.

The film is better when Moore is joking about America’s problems, presenting fake Trump ads or offering a parody news broadcast from the day of Trump’s inauguration, but he doesn’t do enough of that in TrumpLand.

In Keeping up with the Joneses, I was unable to focus on Hamm's comedic efforts, so interested was I in the ever-changing cinematography of his slick black hairstyle.

Alightly boring, but slightly moving film.

A film that's simultaneously heart-wrenching, hilarious and horrific.

With all the action movies that have come before, it's tough to make car chases and fist fights seem original and exciting, but fortunately, there's enough of a story to keep things interesting even when you might feel a sense of déjà vu.

Ouija: Origin of Evil offers some easy scares and cheesy fun, but if nothing else, it gets points for not losing sight of its characters amidst those scares.