Some of the best game movies have adventure, heart, humor & good characters. I wish I could say A Minecraft Movie had these things besides adventure.

Joker: Folie à Deux is not always fully thought through. This is why the original was often misread in the first place. This film is full of quality craftwork, performances, and images. There's much here to appreciate, especially visually, and I enjoyed my time with it. But I'd recommend not asking much more of it than that.

From a horror perspective, the film is lacking, but it more than makes up for it with well developed characters and a killer who preys on secrets.

The film is bolstered by the strength of Cooke's magnetic performance and is energetically entertaining, heartbreakingly sad, and darkly humorous.

When a film is trying to tell three stories at once, it’s bound to get tied up in its own narrative misgivings, and Hold Your Breath is certainly culpable of that.

The Rhythm Section is wonderfully acted by Blake Lively and immersively directed by Reed Morano, creating a tense and mostly engaging thriller.

In the end, Goodnight Mommy contains a great balance of intrigue, shock, and entertainment. The film also captures the need for a mother’s love and truly thrives when it settles into the more intricate and intimate part of its storytelling. The cast does an incredible job conveying these underlying themes in addition to leaving enough open for audiences to interpret and figure out on their own.

Paint could’ve been funny; it could’ve had more heart; it could have even been more fun and ridiculous, with something interesting to say. But it's a mess from start to finish.

While a few of the actors give decent performances, it is not enough to overcome the stilted writing.

The Mother is a lean, mean actioner, but one that could have benefited from better editing and a tighter script. That’s not to say that the film is terrible or unbearable by any means, it's just that it is a straightforward narrative that does not require a nearly two-hour run time to tell it right.

Though The Good Mother contains great talent like Hilary Swank and Olivia Cooke, the predictable formula holds it back from saying something meaningful.

It is better at comedy than it is at horror, but it makes even the mystical scenes laugh-out-loud funny in this thoroughly enjoyable ride.

It wants to celebrate the American Dream and the entrepreneurial spirit — while making a statement about consumerism and corporate greed. In the end, Queenpins doesn't really say anything, which would have been fine if it was at least funny.

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

There are great moments in the quiet of Treasure, the scenes where director Julia von Heinz's camera lingers on a look, an item, or a landscape. But Treasure finds itself stuck in the middle of these tender moments and a heavy-handed way with emotion that has good intentions but doesn't land the same.

It doesn't quite rise to the level of "good" often enough for me to heartily recommend it. However, those who have a morbid fascination with this new crop of public domain horror could do much, much, much worse.

Any one of the stories in A Sacrifice would be worthwhile to follow, but as it were, we only get a taste of each, and it's just not enough to make the ending satisfying. What is portrayed as horrific and tragic becomes melodramatic and arbitrary.

Despite their best efforts, though, Wahlberg and Berry's chemistry is never quite enough to fully lift The Union from being another mediocre Netflix action offering. The story is both far too simple and predictable, the worldbuilding isn't thought out enough to be believable, and the action isn't so exciting as to fully turn one's brain off and enjoy the decently paced journey.

As a longtime fan of the franchise, it is disappointing that we still can’t get a good Hellboy movie from start to finish, and even in comparison to Harbour’s reboot, this one lacks any major style or energy to have it linger in my mind.

It's an entertaining movie that also serves as a great showcase for Gadot's action chops, but it might not linger long in the memories of viewers.

If one is wanting something substantive, with big laughs and surprising twists, Murder Mystery 2 should be avoided at all costs.

Ultimately, Pain Hustlers is a mixed bag of entertainment that opts for flashiness instead of focusing on the important elements of the story at hand — the people affected by the carelessness of others.

The King's Man is a joyless prequel to Kingsman, devoid of the charming offbeat comedy and pulse-pounding action scenes that made this franchise fun.

Despite Foe’s shortcomings, it has plenty of heart and something to say. Its visuals are magnetic and Ronan and Mescal give their all in gripping, emotional performances.

Stanicky is a character to cheer for, and Cena's energy in the role makes Ricky Stanicky an entertaining watch with some surprising depth to it.

Driver's Ed hardly reinvents the wheel when it comes to the YA world, and it's far from perfect. Still, with its string of solid laughs and a very game cast, it makes for an entertaining adventure that goes down easy.

It’s goofy and relies heavily on common tropes, failing to offer insight into the players as people outside their team.

Praise This is wildly uneven but not entirely unenjoyable. There is enough here that makes the film perfectly fine. It is formulaic, but its earnestness and impactful narrative will touch many.

The film is heavy-handed in its attempt to be subtle and even Brody’s score can’t save the day, but Clean has its moments.

La Dolce Villa is a feel-good film that forgoes proper tension-building for a more headache-free delivery. The result is a mixed bag that I enjoyed occasionally, though its inability to spark a greater emotional reaction is the film’s greatest weakness.

The Old Guard 2 is a film that feels longer than it should be and not long enough. It strikes an odd balance, but there’s luckily more here that works than doesn’t, even if the plot is thin.

In End of the Road, Shelton transforms an already compelling script into one about family, motherhood, and survival. And it is nothing short of entertaining and refreshing.

With its molasses pacing and bland direction, this film is an absolutely forgettable dud.

Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is a fun and faithful adaptation of the games it is based on, but is lacking in character substance.

When one thinks The Long Night is walking in circles, it breaks off from the beaten path just in time to give viewers exactly the movie that was sold.

Bloodshot puts a surprisingly clever spin on the superhero origin story that's fun and funny, but Diesel's performance ultimately leaves it lacking.

It's entertaining, and there are a few chuckles to be had. One can appreciate the referential and situational humor as they are timely and apt for the characters. Lester and Gentry are a winning combo.

The best action sequence comes at the end, which bolsters the film's best use of camera movement and editing to highlight the fight choreography.

The film isn’t trying to hit us over the head with what it’s trying to say, but its themes have depth. When exploring career and glory vs. family, regret and the lengths one will go to return to a life that’s no longer tenable, McGuire gets in a few good swings. If only the horror lived up to these aspects of the film.

This story isn't the flashiest werewolf tale, but it is worth seeing thanks to a fresh perspective. As flawed as the story may be, the story from a child's eyes offers a new and unique entry point for the subgenre.

Those who may be new to the genre or merely want to disengage for a little bit will find merit in Choose or Die. But for bona fide horror fans, the derivativeness and the flatness of the execution is too much to tolerate.

Bob Marley: One Love won't knock your socks off, but there is enough care put into crafting the narrative that turns it into a lovely viewing experience overall.

Stuck somewhere between puzzle film and quirky comedy, between imitating David Lynch and parodying him, it draws its audience in with the overtures of a compelling mystery only to leave them stranded in what is fundamentally a failure of tone.

While it has its weak spots, A Family Affair holds together well enough to entertain.

Madres is extremely fragmented and painfully subpar, wasting a chance to tell an intriguing, nuanced story that is still an issue in the present.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 ends with a cliffhanger that paves the way for Chapter 2 , and that, I feel, is where this new trilogy will really get the chance to take off.

Where the Crawdads Sing stumbles a bit in its transition from page to screen, though it is aided by a great lead performance.

Donowho’s western tale follows a typical formula, but there are plenty of laughs and smiles to be had throughout this familiar story.

A rousing story about finding someone and falling in love this is not — nor does it truly contend with the need for human connection very well.

Retribution is comically familiar, yet that familiarity breeds a sense of comfort for the average movie watcher who wants something not too complicated or tedious.

With the documentary Amy painting a more detailed and intimate portrait of the singer’s life, it’s hard to recommend such a stilted, unimaginative biopic that doesn’t do Winehouse any justice.

It does not reinvent the wheel, but it engages viewers on a visual and cerebral level. There is a precarious balance between the heavy themes of the script and the upbeat nature of this Bad Boys-esque action film, but somehow it sticks the landing.

The New Mutants tries to offer a compelling blend of teen drama, horror and X-Men mythos, but ultimately fails to deliver a good entry in any genre.

Last Days is as frustrating to watch as it is to try to understand this avoidable tragedy.

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.

Woodley and Mendelsohn do everything they can to convert the weak story to something worth watching.

It is a pretty average "day at camp goes horribly wrong" story. It stands a little higher, however, because it deals with an underrated bug that horror films should honestly put to work more.

The surface-level script and refusal to commit to any character's development make the story and characters shadows of what they could have been.

Anaconda aims to be Bowfinger for a new generation but ends up feeling as insipid as the film it is loosely based on. Its target audience is people nostalgic for the salad days of studio blockbusters, who are righteously frustrated with executives for cashing in on material they don't understand.

Those looking for classic Scooby-Doo or anything more than superficial entertainment can skip Scoob! - even with the dearth of new movies.

It isn’t the worst directorial debut by any means of the phrase, but Burr’s raunchy comedy fails to say something meaningful. Instead, it underwhelms.

While Needle in a Timestack aims to be profound, it loses itself within the sci-fi premise rather than exploring the central romance in any detail.

I Know What You Did Last Summer isn't the worst long-awaited horror sequel ever put to screen, but it doesn't try to be anything but a shallow reflection of its predecessor.

Locked Down is an average drama that relies on the strengths of its two lead actors to help elevate it above its various shortcomings.

There are a few bright spots in Rise of the Beasts, but these are largely overshadowed by a lot of generic parts that would not be out of place in any of the previous six Transformers movies.

While it might've been nice for Mafia Mamma to reveal more details about Kristin's ascension as a mob boss, its humor and Collette's performance make it a solid ride anyway.

The problem is that the film wants to be too many things. It wants to be an action/adventure that takes its characters to exciting locales, a heart-warming story of family, an incisive commentary on global warming, and a cautionary tale of how vengeance can consume a person.

All told, Swiped is a conventional, even hopeful biopic. Lily James is great in the lead role.

Captain America: Brave New World lacks the entertainment of an MCU movie, despite compelling performances from Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford.

Cave's assured direction creates a sickly sweet, dreamy world, and though its story sometimes lacks the dynamism it needs to fully connect, Kidman, unsurprisingly, carries the film over the finish line.

With thinly written characters and a narrative confined to moments only serving to push Mike and Kate to the height of insanity, this is about as disappointing as it gets for a film with such promise and potential.

The film is certainly worth a watch simply for the music and the entertaining aspect of its storytelling.

Brothers by Blood is an incomprehensible, frustrating mess that barely touches on its narrative themes and completely wastes the talents of its actors.

Endings, Beginnings favors style over substance, rarely igniting the spark its meant to and anchored only by a compelling Shailene Woodley.

Unfortunately, Dating & New York can't find anything new to say about the world of casual dating, so its love story never fully gets off the ground.

There are bound to be viewers less familiar with the source material who are enchanted by Persuasion. However, the modern touches are just too persistent to ignore, and they take away something that the movie urgently needed — genuine depth.

With dazzling lead performances from Jimmy O. Yang and Nina Dobrev, Love Hard will surely be a Christmas romantic comedy worth revisiting every year.

It is great that this blended family is so diverse, but if there is no thoughtful integration of their stories, they remain merely set dressing.

Shot frenetically with delightful gore sequences, Halloween Kills adds no real path for Myers' saga and crumples beneath its own misdirection.

Those looking for a heartfelt tale of family and love might find this one misses the mark, but other viewers willing to go along for the ride could find themselves grinning by the credits. The People We Hate at the Wedding will likely be somewhat divisive, and that makes it a rather intriguing movie in the end.

Guadagnino is, unfortunately, unable to find a consistent tone that leaves the narrative feeling disjointed and lacking in coherence.

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.

The synopsis sounds straightforward, but there is a lack of balance from the start, and the film has an ill-mannered approach to telling a sensitive or impactful story about sex trafficking.

Though it's an often beautiful showcase for the Arabian desert landscape, Desert Warrior is a slow, awkward jumble, trying so hard to be cool and lacking any of the style or charisma to pull it off. The climactic battle has some redeeming qualities, but after waiting 90 minutes to see it and finding it so choppily edited as to be distracting, the prevailing feeling I carried with me after it ended was still disappointment.

While it may still pale in comparison to its predecessor, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh deserves more acclaim.

Though suffering from repetitive plot beats and thin characters, Black Adam is powered by Johnson's performance and its promise of an exciting future.

Unfortunately, Cinderella lacks the specificity of Ever After and doesn’t commit to the full fantasy of Brandy’s Cinderella, either, nor does it have the charisma of Ella Enchanted.

Ritchie is a prolific action director, and he leans action here, which is fine. When it's not being distractingly stylized, the action is good. But treasure hunt movies have a nerdy side that sometimes feels undervalued by this film.

While Our Little Secret passes the time just fine when Chenoweth and Lohan are butting heads, it has nothing to offer that hasn't been done better by even the most insipid of Netflix Christmas rom-coms.

Venom: The Last Dance shows what happens when you let a perfectly cast actor and a director with a lot of affection for the character run wild in a world of Marvel superheroes. You get a movie that's a little weird, a lot silly, and full of fun.

Despite a stellar cast, Marlowe doesn’t rise to the occasion, stumbling along without ever finding its footing.

While Longing was aiming for poignancy, it unfortunately landed on preposterous.

The script may be the film's rotten foundation, but no one element can take all the blame for its emptiness.

Love Wedding Repeat is too cringey to be any fun and fails to deliver on its premise of multiple alternate timelines.

Crisis tries its hardest to be like Traffic, but fails in creating a satisfyingly thorough world with enough high stakes or tension.

Reliant on specific political clichés and a twist the audience will see coming from a mile away, Without Remorse is utterly bland and devoid of moxie.

While it has a mix of fresh and familiar concepts, Protector ultimately still feels too routine to stand out from the crowd.

If nothing else, Emmerich certainly knows how to create catastrophe while providing a sense of hope despite everything. Does that save Moonfall from being messy? No, but surely some will find it enjoyable regardless.