Ultimately, The Laureate pushes past the tone and format of a typical biopic to make something fresh, though it holds weak spots in an otherwise compelling story.

It sits somewhere at the intersection of Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi, though without the former's control of form and the latter's splatstick comedic timing, it can't quite live up to the potential of that mashup. Still, it's plenty of fun. Zazie Beetz is the ideal badass heroine to carry this movie, and there are more than enough moments of stylish violence (and violent style) to get the whole theater cackling.

With a single set repurposed multiple times, Share? makes the most out of a little — metaphorically and literally.

The Tomorrow War is a fun entry into the sci-fi/time travel genre, though the pieces never add up to something all that memorable.

Ultimately, Jay Kelly is a very moving, sentimental film that succeeds effortlessly at telling a great story, but whose attempts to go thematically deeper often feel repetitive.

Munich: The Edge of War is a well-made period piece able to stage necessary tension despite its real-life story being so well-known.

The Gutter is ultimately an enjoyable throwback to the broad-skewing sports comedies of the '90s.

The Life List doesn't offer too many surprises or dwell in any unpleasantness for too long, making for a simple and relaxing viewing experience that hits right in the heart.

With energetic and thrilling action, Snake Eyes is a fun summer blockbuster, even if the movie's haphazard franchise setup leaves much to be desired.

It may not do anything particularly innovative from either a storytelling or filmmaking perspective, but Spiderhead is proof there's still material to be mined from well-known ground when talented people are bringing the narrative to life.

Despite being all over the place, Antlers can be gripping and potently disconcerting, with good character development making up for its pitfalls.

Fortunately, Brave the Dark does deliver an engaging and enjoyable narrative, with excellent performances, an intriguing and compelling plot, and an important message worth listening to.

The filmmaking is very strong, but it's Copley’s performance that sells it.

Face the Music is clearly a passion project for the minds behind Bill & Ted, and it results in a sequel that coasts by on its goofy humor and heart.

I imagine that Sound of Falling will reward repeat viewings. There's almost too much to take in upon first glance, decades of life condensed into two and a half hours. Schilinski's vision is so confident and so bracing that it's hard not to be arrested by what's happening onscreen, even if you're not sure what's going on.

It doesn't quite have the courage to be the best version of itself. Still, it works. War Machine is an action movie you feel in your body, and it mixes in the right dose of sci-fi VFX without losing sight of the character that keeps you caring.

What Lies Below offers a twist on two underrated sub-genres, but its identity crisis causes this aquatic horror creature feature to sink, not swim.

Director Gren Wells crafts a tender, yet narratively unbalanced film that accentuates the gift that is Sadie Sink’s talent.

While the point of the film is excellent, The Cut has a bit too much trauma. It’s like the writers wanted to throw everything at Boxer and see if he could survive it, but it’s a lot.

Visceral and uncompromising in its vision, PVT Chat etches a gritty portrait of eroticism in the digital age with great nuance and authenticity.

While the film meanders for a bit and is longer than need be, it maintains a good balance between character dynamics and the thrill of the chase. And with a fantastic cast at its center, audiences will surely be entertained overall.

Cummings and McCabe don’t quite balance the purple envelope mystery with the character study of a self-involved man, and the ending takes a sharp left towards confusion, but it is surely something worth watching.

The film is a combination of great ideas that could have gone a bit further.

Thankfully, both Platt and Massoud shine in their respective roles. They take the characters that Tollman wrote and make them layered, complex, and enthralling to the viewer.

Mimang is exactly the film it sets out to be: Gentle, indirect but never apologetic.

Saunders’ feature-length directorial debut is a confident one. With humor and heart, he writes and directs relevant themes and experiences that the world has come to understand well at this point in society. Dotty & Soul is genuine without being preachy, and humorous without leaning into offensive territory.

Though not Guy Ritchie's best film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has enough slick style and exhilarating action to be a helluva fun ride.

Every performance has something to offer and though the filmmaking is not very ambitious, it is well suited for the plot and tone. The Beanie Bubble isn’t fan service for lovers of the classic toy, but it is a refreshing take on the biopic.

2021 was an excellent year for slasher fans, and the Fear Street trilogy was one of the big reasons why. Four years later, Fear Street: Prom Queen, which exists in the same town and timeline but functions as a standalone, continues the fun.

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals is pure family-friendly fun, combining princesses and superheroes for a delightful, if unoriginal, adventure.

Occasionally intense and always interesting, Sri Asih is certainly worth a watch.

The ending feels way too cookie-cutter perfect. Scrambled is a worthwhile experience, though, as it is a personal tale that aims to empower through laughter.

Part revisionist history, part unconventional character study, Corsage is carried by Vicky Krieps' brilliant performance and its willingness to buck genre conventions in favor of a dark and dreamy fairy tale.

Buoyed by a strong, effective performance by Boyega, and even despite its pitfalls, Corbin’s film is a solid debut feature.

Thankfully, Boon, Graham, and Riseborough do enough to anchor the film and bring it home as it lands on a strangely poignant note both chilling and endearing.

As strong as the movie can be when committed to the specificity of its characters and setting, it asks too many of the big, unanswerable questions at the heart of the human condition, and the further You Won't Be Alone reaches for the universal, the more chafing its grip on the viewer becomes.

Writer and director Chris Nash's In A Violent Nature may be the first slasher in a long time to truly deconstruct the genre in a way that feels surprising, even if the results of its experiment are mixed.

Love and Monsters may not be a wholly fresh concept, but a clever script and Dylan O'Brien's charm make for a super fun adventure comedy.

The performances elevate a story that could have gone deeper, but is fine for what it’s trying to be.

Those willing to go along with Billy's patchy journey just might find themselves entertained by what this DC sequel has to offer.

The Spanish director's fingerprint is there, undoubtedly. But the movie feels strangely incomplete, as if made with one hand tied behind his back.

For all The Phoenician Scheme's eccentric thrills, sardonic performances, and globe-trotting adventure, the film still feels limited in the grand scheme of things.

A Man Called Otto aims to be a crowd-pleasing, heartwarming film, and, despite its many flaws and speed bumps, is a success on that front.

While it does succeed in creating a bizarre atmosphere that captures plenty of simmering tension, it's trapped between being a proof-of-concept short film and a feature-length effort.

While The Northman has a lot to offer and is quite beautiful and masterful in its execution, there is something missing. The film begins to meander a bit in the middle before getting back on track and the lack of additional character development — anything that would have given the film more depth — prevents The Northman from reaching its full potential.

Though it risks a slip into fully formulaic territory at times, the new movie is building to a far more interesting endgame than it appears to be, in which all the fleshing out of Cenobite lore and mechanics actually amounts to something quite profound.

Words on Bathroom Walls deftly balances being part romcom and part mental illness drama, offering a uniquely compelling coming-of-age story.

Though it runs out of steam during its second act, Butler and company do everything they can to keep the energy going, closing out the film with a well-earned bang.

Everything in American Star hinges on McShane's intuitive performance that rejects the obvious and embraces ambiguity.

Had its story structure been stronger, Worth could have an Oscar contender. As it is, Worth is an interesting testament to a particularly harrowing period of time — one that, for many, still feels a little too raw.

Jeanne du Barry is a beautiful story, but lacks emphasis or innovation, which is essential in a period drama's success.

Black Phone 2 is still a solid horror film, with gory kills and exciting set pieces. But the question of why still lingers over the film, even as it delivers on its many promises.

The Moogai uses the monster and horror as tactics, but it's at its best when the story shows that it's bigger than these two elements.

The setting and the drama of Bonjour Tristesse complement each other, but the finale is incongruous when the premise and the presentation seem to be on different terms. While the movie has a rich personality, it is moderately aimless and should have better established how it wanted to be different from the original.

While the film has an excellent concept, its overuse of traumatic medical conditions, disorders, botched surgeries, and motherhood makes for a confusing plot that has too many moving parts to retain a cohesive story.

Nuanced yet ambiguous, and imbued with raw emotion and care, Campbell-Hughes crafts a worthwhile story that digs into the aftermath of a near-death experience.

Luck may not reinvent the wheel — at this point, what can? — but it does what films like this do best, bringing forth a message about family and perseverance with humor, heart, and a lot of magic.

While Old is certainly a different kind of thriller, with plenty of elements that work to create a sense of tranquility and desperation in equal measure, it grows wearisome as it evades its deeper themes for the thrill of that final discovery.

It's unclear if Stress Positions has arrived "too soon" but its proximity to the pandemic doesn't make it any less hysterical, even if it's hollow in other areas.

Mixtape feels familiar and new all at once thanks to its earnest story and central messages of family and grief that will touch viewers of all ages.

Equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, My Best Part is a sweet exploration of the absurdities of life and a celebration of what's worth living for.

A stumble in the third act derails the whole adventure, bringing the enjoyment to a screeching halt. However, with some foresight, Windfall could have been a sure-fire hit.

Achoura is by no means a bad film — quite the opposite in fact. There is potential for Selhami’s career as a horror writer-director as his vision and ambition shine bright through his film.

A Tourist's Guide to Love is not remarkable, but its simplicity and familiarity are comfortable and, most importantly, entertaining.

8-Bit Christmas has a lot of heart, but the comedy struggles to stand out in a marketplace full of similar, established, holiday feature classics. Regardless, it offers enough of a unique spin on the genre to satisfy audiences — especially millennials.

While it's heavily nostalgic, The Matrix Resurrections does have something to say about living in the past and the difficulties of moving forward.

The film has two major things going for it: Goldstein and Poots' casting and their characters' chemistry. The only thing that fully captures our attention from beginning to end is Laura and Simons’ undeniable spark and charming banter.

Mother of the Bride's success rests on the filmmakers' abilities to not oversell anything and trust that the collective charisma of the assembled cast will do what it needs to do — and it does, though a flimsy script and one major miscast can be distracting.

Synchronic is an interesting, if standard, drama that gets by on the strength of Anthony Mackie's performance and a strong third act.

The chemistry between Booth and Pill is a large part of what makes Young Werther work.

This is a sequel that doesn’t quite surpass its original, but is still a worthy follow-up all on its own. Anyone who enjoyed the original Enchanted should find plenty to love here.

While showing good potential overall, Kendrick’s directorial debut is hindered by tonal imbalances and poor editing.

At times, it can be bitterly hysterical, with Aster, who also wrote the film, further flexing his comedic muscles after his previous film with Phoenix. On the other hand, Eddington can be almost too on-the-nose, knicking the surface of complex issues but pulling the blade away before it can really draw blood.

It's a bold swing from the director and, despite it being tonally uneven and a bit messy, Napoleon can be still quite fun.

Arcadian may falter in its story details, building some character tension that is never fully fleshed out, but it succeeds in creating a gripping, tense experience that is elevated by its disturbing creatures.

For all its more serious moments, The Good House actually feels a lot like comfort food. It could be due to the vivid community the filmmakers have built, or because of Weaver's multifaceted performance. It also could be because, at its core, The Good House is about inner growth and the value in appreciating loved ones.

In spite of its shoddy sound design (Hooper, as he did with Les Mis, has his cast sing live, but their vocals are poorly blended with the instrumentation), Cats' actors are perfectly matched to their respective roles.

Structurally, Fitting In isn't perfect. It overuses the montage and features dialogue that leans more into preachy territory than Lindy's natural expression of their feelings. However, it's impossible to accuse the film of being anything less than emotionally truthful.

Despite its pitfalls, Wake Up Dead Man is still enjoyable. It has its charming moments, there’s a lot to think about in terms of the story, and the cast is good, if not great, overall. It’s just hard to watch the movie and realize the mystery and excitement have waned.

Despite being flawed, though, Trap is thrilling at times and a ridiculous display of human behavior at others.

The Assessment, directed by Fleur Fortuné, is conceptually sound and looks incredible, but while it’s psychologically involved and provoking, it doesn’t go beyond the surface of its ideas.

Cherry is a fairly standard drama that hits the expected beats, but is still elevated by Holland's strong lead performance.

Ultimately, The Kitchen is a film with its heart set on two stories and only succeeds in telling one.

Unpregnant delivers a fun and entertaining road trip comedy about female friendship and abortion, with compelling performances from its two leads.

Eternity isn’t a bad rom-com; it’s charming and wildly entertaining for the most part, but by skirting a conventional narrative to be more creative, the story loses some of its effectiveness in the process.

While the plot is suspenseful and unsettling because it’s something that could happen, the film underwhelms when it comes to its dynamics and individual arcs, each character lacking a depth that would have elevated an otherwise solid thriller.

Nobody 2's themes could’ve been better explored, but it’s easy to overlook that and enjoy the fun, action-packed ride.

As a celebration of love and music, Sylvie's Love is a comforting and sweet movie that, while not breaking ground, is noteworthy in its earnestness.

Linoleum is filled with nostalgia — brought to life by the dreamlike, vivid cinematography by Ed Wu — and the overlapping of memories, the mind losing itself, and the fulfillment of a fantasy that feels incredibly out of reach. Not everything comes together so smoothly or cohesively, but the film is a solid effort nonetheless.

The film is compelling and quietly thought-provoking as it peels back the layers of the relationships at the forefront, while also showcasing the discomfort that follows but isn’t always picked up on.

With personal and generational trauma at the forefront of the story, Eisenberg delivers a heartwarming film that strengthens family ties and underscores the difficulty in speaking about the pain between its members, no matter how close they used to be.

It’s still a serviceable film, and you’re in for a wild and weird ride. Even its message, while nihilistic, has merit. I only wish The Monkey had a more balanced story to counteract its weaker elements.

Shuffle is a solid primer for a massive subject, and Flaherty's approach is a maddening introduction to a world that needs massive reform.

Somewhere in Queens is ultimately a well-made family drama with laughs sparsely placed throughout. The cast is crushing it and the script is as gritty as it is sweet. Romano’s direction works well, and every department is on the same page.

Despite sturdy performances, Without Blood doesn’t fully come together.

The Valet is a charming twist on a classic trope led by two delightful leads, even if it sometimes struggles under the weight of all it has taken on.

The Quiet Ones isn't action-packed enough to be pure fun or interrogative enough to be thought-provoking.

With a powerful central performance and an occasionally chaotic but nonetheless captivating and moving narrative — helped along by fantastic editing and cinematography — The Outrun is a detailed film strengthened by its connection to nature’s beauty and belonging to it.