The School Duel is, at its core, a savage satire about a society so obsessed with its right to bear arms that it sacrifices its own children on the altar of nationalism. It dares to ask if patriotism has a limit and what happens when you blow past it. In doing so, Wiseman Jr. doesn’t just twist the narrative. He detonates it.

The film’s message is less about the remarkably bright creatures themselves, and more about the power of finding healing and solace in community. It’s a forgettable yet instantly re-watchable, feel-good story that tugs on your heartstrings and knows how to do it.

Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D is the result of two very innovative artists joining forces to combine their artistry and create one of the greatest concert movies to date. It is the magic of music and film.

The story still isn’t the most captivating and has another bit of frustrating sequel bait that muddies some arcs towards the finale, but it has a clearer sense of focus, at least putting the exciting sequences to the forefront. The filmmaking still has a bit of a stiltedness to it, but it leans further into an energizing tone that is far more engrossing.

With a smart script that reclaims stigmatized narratives, they’ve made a thoughtful documentary that explores sex work through an imaginative and humanistic lens.

Swapped is a perfectly serviceable animated film that younger viewers will connect with. Unfortunately, despite flashes of inspiration, it suffers from dreaded forgettability; it’s too reminiscent of recent, better films with similar plots, tropes, and themes, and never quite finds the spark it needs to stand out.

The potential for a much more engrossing venture is sadly bypassed for a merely passable showcase.

It may not always be easy to thoroughly enjoy a work like “Blue Film” because of its tough subject matter. Nobody wants to see an entirely sympathetic perspective of a person who has committed some of the most horrible deeds imaginable. But the strength of the film is not in seeking to answer those pure moral questions. It thrives in that gray area, contemplating the pain that leads people to the lives they end up creating for themselves.

While The Devil Wears Prada 2 isn’t too sweet, it could certainly use more sour notes. The callbacks to the first film get the balance mostly right, but outside of those nicely judged moments, the film can sometimes feel like Miranda struggling with the new HR guidelines: Trying to be biting, but turning out toothless.

It’s a tale as old as time, but the filmmaking basks in its luxurious style as the performances do their best to create captivating portraits of their own. There may not be too much distinctiveness from what’s on the page outside of the lack of talking, but sometimes words fail. Action is needed, and this has more than enough to satisfy.

Two Pianos is at once a story about identity, aging musicians, memory (and the loss of it), the dangers of pragmatism, the treatment of young music prodigies and how it affects them as they age, overcoming addiction, and the lies we tell ourselves and others to justify our choices. All of these ideas are connected, but none of them rise to the top to become an overarching theme that unites them all.

Even in a flawed film like this, the action remains inventive.

There are very dark chapters in Michael Jackson’s life that one would not expect a film with the full endorsement of his estate to approve. It’s understandable, even expected, for these kinds of works. But what makes “Michael“ come underneath that generously low bar is that it refuses to paint its subject as anything less than saintly. It truly feels like this version of Jackson has been deified, shown to be consumed by his talent but without any dramatic stakes to accompany his triumphs.

Ultimately, Pizza Movie’s title not only reveals a major plot point but also captures the film’s overall energy and weight. It’s generally enjoyable while being consumed, but afterward, it may not feel like a fully satisfying or nourishing cinematic meal.

When a sports drama fails to generate any real sense of exhilaration, whether in its protagonist’s climb back to the top or in the stakes surrounding his personal life, it ultimately falls short of its intentions. There is some fleeting satisfaction in watching a punch connect, aided by sound mixing that gives each blow a sense of weight, but beyond that, there is little here that truly lands.

Mermaid, despite its flaws, is enjoyable enough for its unique depiction of mermaids and its portrayal of a “Florida man” come to life. Sure, the title is unoriginal, but its presentation is not. Of course, it’s nowhere near as good as “Splash,” but it doesn’t need to be.

Anyone seeking something with more depth will not find it here, but there are still worthy stories to tell.

Bunnylovr is another attempt to examine the melancholy that is especially prevalent among the young. What it gleams is an intriguing portrait, but it is also inconsistently engaging.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable mixture of period drama, romance, and a coming-of-age story that’s extremely rewarding in its thoughtful central theme of the connection between past and future.

What’s most frustrating about Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is how tonally inconsistent it becomes. Yes, it finds a way to inject some delightful horror imagery that’s captivating, at least in the way that repulsive acts of over-the-top carnage can appease those sickos out there. However, this story does not come across as if that tone was top of mind.

Perhaps “Lorne” entertains more than it informs, but somehow, that feels exactly right.

Lowery, clearly fascinated by the plight of the modern pop star, has made “Mother Mary” with both the fervor of a fan and the insight of a fellow artist. The questions the film asks about the identity of pop stars as well as the ownership of their music, their image, and their very souls don’t all have answers, and Lowery doesn’t provide them. He does, however, provide plenty of food for thought as he asks these questions, interrogating the relationship between artists and their audience and what each owes the other.

It provides the thrills, but leaves the audience hungry for a story with actual depth to its waters.

Outcome has good intentions, aiming to show the real side of Hollywood, but odd choices muddle its results. It wants to have all these emotional moments and still be a funny take on Hollywood, but often one is frustratingly sacrificed for the other. It’s a shame considering all the comedy and showbiz experience Hill can bring to this project.

You, Me & Tuscany has all the right ingredients; the recipe’s just a little off. Throw in a little more spice and add some depth to the central romance, and the next time Page and Bailey do this together, they might just make a classic.

Despite being well shot and slickly constructed, “Faces of Death” doesn’t successfully bring the decidedly not-good but undeniably captivating spirit of the original film into the 21st century.

With a film called Fantasy Life, one might expect it to contain a romanticized version of reality, where the characters’ conflicts are magically solved, and their journeys are wrapped in a neat bow. Endearingly, Shear’s version is messier and far more grounded. While the characters live extremely privileged lifestyles and aren’t quite operating in the real world, the film simultaneously touches on the compelling subject matter of personal disillusionment and its impact on mental health struggles.

With a movie like The Serpent’s Skin, the accomplishments of the whole outweigh the nitpicks of its parts. The vibe is so, so right. Anyone looking for an empowering, forward-thinking, and trippy watch will feel right at home slipping into this movie’s, well, skin. It’s quite literally spellbinding.

Although the story only gets more and more unsatisfyingly perplexing as it goes on, the filmmaking tools used to tell it are exceptional.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is inarguably fun, built for fans of the long-running franchise. For lifelong fans of this universe and young kids experiencing it for the first or second time, this is a Mario fan’s dream. There’s enough here to leave a mass audience satisfied, even if anticipation grows for the next film to level up. For now, good enough is simply enough.

Can we, as a society, radically accept someone for who they are today, despite who they were? This is a fascinating question, a ripe one to ask in a narrative, and, for the most part, Borgli succeeds in addressing the multiple sides of the query that will entice many heated post-movie conversations.

Anya Taylor-Joy brings a dynamic playfulness and personality to her character. While Miles Teller doesn’t quite match Taylor-Joy’s level of screen presence, the two manage to create fun chemistry and make the most out of an unfocused concept.

Picture This may not be the most unique story, nor does it reach the pinnacle of the rom-com genre. But the film finds enough moments of freshness and earnestness in the protagonist’s journey to stand out in a sea of generic rom-coms. Ashley’s incredibly charming performance is the most compelling highlight of the film.

While director Stephen Chbosky and writer Liz Maccie have the heart in the right place with Nonnas, honoring generations of family tradition, a formulaic approach limits how far this inspiring story can go creatively.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life feels destined to become a quintessential Austen-adjacent classic. The film lives up to its playful title with a thoughtful blend of the author’s sense and sensibility.

Campanella’s suspenseful direction makes for an emotionally resonant (and at times very upsetting) watch about enduring love, pain, and the evasiveness of true justice.

In a heightened depiction of the hyper-privileged, “Succession” drew parallels to the real world. The balance between absurdity and glimmers of sympathy in such morally corrupt characters made the show an irresistible watch. A feature-length doom scroll from the perspective of out-of-touch, not-so-sympathetic billionaires is a little harder to digest.

KPop Demon Hunters slays as a mystical, action-packed musical full of surprises, and it deserves to be played in theaters.

While the structure can be a little too unfocused, Coixet’s subtle depiction of love and loss goes a long way, building to a memorable conclusion.

At times, the roundabout structure of “Couture” can make for a plodding watch, and leaves some character development to be desired. But there’s a spellbinding quality to Winocour’s direction; she glides from one woman’s perspective to the next somewhat obliquely. In doing so, she unearths gems of inner conflict in characters who are withholding so much about their personal lives just to do their jobs and get through the day.

You don’t watch a movie like this for character or dialogue, you watch it to see fierce, strong young women twirl, kick, and stab their way through a pack of mobsters to the sound of Tchaikovsky. On that front, Pretty Lethal delivers. Brava, ladies!

Given how well “Brian” works, it’s tempting to call it a miracle of a movie, simply because this humor shouldn’t play this well. But that’s not a miracle, that’s just everyone working on a film being perfectly aligned on how to tell the story they’re telling.

While the film’s messaging isn’t always perfectly nailed down, it remains a powerful exploration of the terrifying fact that we are the architects of our own reality. It is a strong debut that proves Jessica Rothe should be in more things, anchoring a film that is gripping and unsettling.

It’s nowhere near the reflective dissection of the complications of modern love it wants to be. However, it’s still a solid entry into a consistent filmography from a filmmaker like Swanberg.

For the most part, Family Movie glides along on the geniality of its cast and Kevin Bacon’s light touch as a director. There’s not a whole lot of style to speak of, but the film looks good, and it moves along at a solid pace.

While it may be indebted to more modern storytelling methods than his previous features, Hokum still possesses enough of McCarthy’s dark magic that it will hold you in a vice grip all the way through. Considering how played-out many horror films feel nowadays, McCarthy’s mastery at scaring the audience is cause for celebration.

Carney does dig into something interesting about inspiration: how, in music, it’s an amalgam of origins that’s harder to define than in other art forms. Still, the rest of the film settles for being a feel-good dramedy, with any depth merely trailing behind the tear-inducing monologues these characters deliver.

Instead of the sharp satire of modern-day relationships it starts out as, “Over Your Dead Body” becomes a gross-out comedy in its second half. While it’s very good in both of those modes, it can’t help but feel a bit disappointing that it takes such a sharp turn from something that’s both fun and perceptive to something that’s just fun.

The whole film has a surfeit of personality, thanks in large part to the multi-hyphenate Russo’s distinct voice permeating every aspect. In addition to writing and directing, Russo also edited and scored the film. That level of control may seem like a lot, especially for a first-time filmmaker, but when you have a vision as specific as Russo does here, it makes sense.

At least Sokolov gives Beetz a moment to shine and become the action hero she deserves, but the film’s more inventive set pieces, such as the air-duct crawl, don’t outweigh how underwhelming “They Will Kill You” is at the end of the day.

Grabinski’s joke-a-minute approach is instantly injected with the melding of genres that Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice embraces throughout its gut-busting runtime, reminding audiences why comedies of this vein are becoming a dying breed and that Vince Vaughn, when he wants to be, remains one of the more reliable comedic presences working today.

Sure, at its core, it’s essentially the same film all over again. Yet Radio Silence’s direction is more elaborate, taking their years of work to come up with far more inventive set pieces, using way more gallons of blood, and, overall, a sequel that is everything we could’ve wanted and possibly a little bit more.

The film is well written enough to capture the pain of everyone involved and to understand their perspectives. The film also features great camerawork, with close-ups that make the entire experience feel claustrophobic, especially when people make Jimmy doubt himself.

Bodycam is an efficient little scary movie that has its share of scares, even if they’re nothing that horror fans haven’t seen before.

Boots Riley is a genuine original, and in I Love Boosters, he makes a statement as wildly entertaining as possible.

Ultimately, Blackhurst’s new film is an unmissable horror gem that heralds the arrival of both a fresh new horror voice and an electrifying new villain for the ages.

Slanted has many interesting elements at play, not only in its own story but also in the films it draws inspiration from. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t go far enough in the end.

Amazingly, Coppola’s intimate portrait manages to have mass appeal, thanks to both her entertaining approach and Jacobs’ down-to-earth, relatable personality. It turns out the pair work well together, leading to a film that both label chasers and thrift store fanatics will love.

Yes, Reminders of Him is very much an ordeal, but not so much because it’s bad. It’s an ordeal because of all the emotional muck these characters have to drag themselves through to get to the other side.

Cookie Queens excels at balancing a light-hearted energy with thought-provoking musings on entrepreneurial sacrifice and ambition.

Marczak’s film is a testament to a parent’s unwavering love and their willingness to do whatever it takes to bring their child home.

Pulling from personal and vulnerable archives, Birds of War gives voice to the people and gives us a grounded perspective on international conflict.

A near-perfect crowd-pleaser. Thanks to clear, confident direction from Phil Lord & Chris Miller, this soaring adaptation is bursting with creativity. Impressively crafted across the board. Ryan Gosling’s flawless turn is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Both an epic journey to save humanity and an intimate story of friendship.

The story, while unique enough in its presentation of Tourette’s, follows the same patterns as any number of other feel-good disability dramas, but all the actors are so believably in touch with their humanity, in all its messiness, that they make the material sing.

Just when things begin to feel like they’re leading somewhere, it dissipates in such an inorganic manner.

A deserving conclusion to this era of the Peaky Blinders as Cillian Murphy remains in top form alongside Barry Keoghan who fits right into the world.

This film may be more memorable because of its filmmaking, but it’s all sound and fury, amounting to very little. The momentum is lethargic, the characters shallow, and the narrative lacking any sense of intrigue from the romance that is supposed to anchor it.

Our Hero, Balthazar, is a riotous dark comedy that manages to push all the right buttons in its curiosity about an isolation that is currently plaguing young male zoomers.

It’s exactly the kind of solid entertainment, with the right mix of laughs and tears, that reminds us of the genius-level storytelling the good folks over there are capable of. It’s precisely what the animation studio needed at this time and fits comfortably alongside some of their upper-tier offerings.

With her feature debut, Popov establishes a bold and playful visual identity that will leave audiences eager for her next project. True to fashion, Idiotka does, indeed, slay, serve, and survive.

The film’s refusal to engage with its own material and its franchise’s legacy may not be the only problem with “Scream 7,“but it’s certainly the biggest. For every good element, there’s an equally bad one. The performances are either good (Campbell has always been great as Sidney, but this may be her best performance in the franchise to date) or barely functional (Courtney Cox looks and sounds like she’s sleepwalking through playing Gale Weathers despite getting an all-timer entrance).

Many audiences may shy away from projects like “Late Shift” because its realism is too unsettling, but that’s exactly why it’s necessary in the first place.

Markus Schleinzer’s Rose is always engaging and has something thoughtful to say about gender norms.

Yellow Letters is shockingly low-energy, despite the urgency of the situation the characters find themselves in.

As someone who absolutely loves any kind of a crime film, “How To Make A Killing” can be entertaining at times as a morality play wrapped in designer suits and generational spite. It’s juggling a lot more than it needs to, and it never fully synthesizes its most perceptive ideas, but it’s powered by another star performance from Powell, keeping it barely afloat.

For some, its extremity will be alienating; for others, its audacity will be exhilarating. “Rosebush Pruning” is undeniably well crafted, but as an absurdist comedy, it ultimately feels more provocative than profound.

All the ingredients for a good movie, or at the very least a fun one, are present in Cold Storge: A charismatic and talented ensemble, a clever story, and an overall sense of playfulness that extends from the effects work to the production design of the 24-hour self-storage facility built over the old government bunker used to contain the fungus. However, that sense of playfulness doesn’t extend to the overall tone, leaving the movie feeling like a wasted opportunity.

Verbinski directs with a striking visual style that punctuates the film’s many sight gags while establishing a grunge-inflected aesthetic suggestive of impending urban decay.

Without a shred of embarrassment or irony in sight, The Napa Boys is a film made by people who believe in their sense of humor and hope to share it with audiences in a crowded room to laugh together.

Many films like this may exist, and many more will certainly follow. But Layton’s attempts to differentiate this particular crime film will leave audiences with enough worthy moments to linger on, even if the overall impact is modest.

For purists, this approach may be considered sacrilegious. For others, it will be exhilarating. There is no denying that Wuthering Heights will inspire fierce debate. But there is also no denying its craft, ambition, and emotional conviction.

It is a classic underdog story wrapped in bold animation, infectious energy, and real heart.

Exit 8 shows video game adaptations can still have a sense of originality, both narratively and technically.

With stellar stylization and a soundtrack full of female-driven punk rock, it hilariously skewers the blatant sexism in the chess world while dramatizing gripping matches. A crowd-pleasing documentary.

Volpe’s direction and the stoic pace keep Frank and Louis at arm’s length, never truly letting us engage with them on a deeper level.

While the film falls into the same pitfalls most celebrity documentaries are bound to repeat, Alvarado not only crafts a suitable tribute to one of the more underappreciated artists in American history but also shines a light on a subset of Latino culture that deserves its time in the limelight.

Alex Gibney’s documentary stands as a testament to the power of art in any form to push back against both abstract and real forms of oppression.

The subjects here are soulful in their recollections and captivating as they hold court. Even with missed opportunities for an even deeper understanding, what is present is still a worthwhile discovery.

Wicker is a sweet, gently moving love story at its core that reminds its audience that the most effective and necessary traits for a successful relationship of any kind are simple honesty and respect.

Led by a terrifically tender performance by John Turturro, it’s a classy, enjoyable, lovely film about a man out of time, coming to terms with the fact that the world he occupies is no longer the world he knows.

The writing is original, rich, and effective, ramping up tension until it reaches a graphic, brutal crescendo in the third act.

While the sprawling storytelling can be disjointed at times, and some topics fall short of intrigue, “The Oldest Person in the World” offers several impactful moments to reflect meaningfully on aging. Green follows through on his compulsion and explores a fascinating subject with curiosity, while introducing us to an equally fascinating group of individuals from around the world.

There’s a century worth of experiences packed into this room to glean from, and nearly all of it is an enthralling exercise.

One of the most impactful documentaries in recent years.

Like the titular woman herself, the film from co-directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley is equally hilarious and unafraid to be very, very real, beckoning viewers in like a close friend and rewarding them with laughs and profound insight.

The jokes are plentiful in quantity but certainly not in quality, and the shiny, cheap-looking filmmaking itself doesn’t make it any easier on the eyes than it is on the ears. And while it certainly has a heart, thanks in huge part to the talented ensemble of funny performers, it doesn’t have the brains or the nerve to be clever or daring in its comedy.

A handful of compelling sequences of physical action cannot save a narrative weighed down by a mundane plot, pedestrian characters, and an intolerably sluggish filmmaking style.

Stephanie Ahn offers an evocative portrait of the immigrant experience, moving beyond surface observation to investigate the visceral, internal world of children raised in the crosshairs of cultural expectation and personal identity.