The haunted object formula actually has some proper stakes, while the imagery proves memorable enough. Yet its clumsy story, bizarre character choices, and awful dubbing turn it into a truly messy affai

Hill is willing to look critically at some of his industry's darkness, but he's also far too inclined to let his lead off the hook, and his film is weaker for it. As dark comedy, Outcome feels underbaked; as drama, it lacks sufficient introspection to have earned its emotional catharsis. Part of that is length: At under 90 minutes, the film is sometimes choppy and out of breath, and more time to flesh out its ideas might have helped it feel more tonally balanced. But no one change could fix a problem that's rooted in the vision for this material.

There were enough pieces here to create something interesting, but it never fully came together.

For all of its missteps, calling Dolly an outright bad movie still doesn't quite prove an accurate descriptor for Blackhurst's slasher thriller. It's got a solid cast of performers, occasionally stylish direction, and some shocking brutality, but can never quite find the right rhythm to bring it all together.

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.

The script is far from perfect but if one squints, there is occasional fun to be had.

Simulant offers little in the way of great storytelling and is ultimately a visual pleaser, but nothing else.

Unfortunately, Run Rabbit Run is less than the sum of its parts, and even an excellent turn from Sarah Snook can't elevate the movie beyond its basest instincts.

Memorable? Hardly. Entertaining? Somewhat. Ultimately, the film will resonate with the people eager to devour more Stephen King-inspired projects; sadly, there is nothing genuinely inspired to enjoy.

The characters have a myriad of flaws and plights that would have made them compelling, but the film fails to explore them beyond the surface.

Sadly, this adaptation fails to stand out from all the other sci-fi horrors about people being used for experiments. It doesn't even compare to the original 1984 film nor does it stand tall alongside great recent Stephen King adaptations like 2017's IT and 2019's Doctor Sleep. Firestarter is more like Pet Sematary and Carrie, a dull, exhausting remake that doesn't do anything new.

This low-budget sci-fi film is actually doing something quite clever, but by keeping it hidden until the final minutes, it leaves viewers with a character drama that just isn't compelling enough to merit revisiting, even after learning how all its pieces fit together.

Watching Echo Valley isn't long at a little over an hour and a half. However, even in that amount of time, I had hoped to witness more of the story and fewer hollow twists.

It leans into unrealistic territory, and we’re unfortunately left with a trashy story that very few will like. Not even the ever-charming Gina Rodriguez and confident Damon Wayans Jr. could save this film.

Hitpig seems to have gone all in on the goofy humor and left the movie with an unappealing and unenthusiastic story that, despite the novelty of a bounty hunter pig, can't make up for a movie with no stakes.

Clifford will entertain the youngest viewers, and is destined to be the kind of film preschoolers want to watch again and again, but most audiences will be bored by its stale jokes, two-dimensional characters, and lazy writing.

What enjoyment there is to draw from the action, which has its ups and downs, is tainted by the skepticism of this whole endeavor that's baked into the filmmaking. Even knowing better which direction they should go in, McQuoid & Co. remain frustratingly unwilling to commit to it. What they've made is tellingly at its best when making fun of itself.

Whatever the intent, the execution isn’t all the way there, and that’s the biggest disappointment of all.

The feature doesn’t dig any deeper than it has to, leaving us drifting along with Jacqueline without anything to latch onto to keep us afloat.

I can't deny Krawchuk has absolutely improved on some of his missteps from the first film, but in his apparent effort to pull from the success of Terrifier 2, he learned the wrong lessons regarding mythology pacing and crafting a compelling final girl, making this slasher sequel another learning experience rather than a celebration.

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

Where’s the passion and the drama, the heart and the tension? Clooney’s lackluster film strips all that away, leaving behind a muted sports film that barely engages with its characters in any meaningful way.

While there are a few jumpscares during the family's stay in the farmhouse, the film is more geared towards evoking a feeling of uneasiness than truly frightening us.

The movie possesses reams of intriguing ideas, but instead reheats much of Legacy's plot and then busies itself with semi-incomprehensible set pieces.

No Man’s Land is largely uninterested in exploring the Mexican characters’ stories, which transforms the film into an unbalanced drama that lacks nuance.

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.

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.

Its best moments aren't in the octagon — they're in the quiet moments when Johnson's Kerr is talking to an interviewer backstage or when Dawn and Mark are exchanging barbs in between affections in their cozy Arizona home.

Capone has lofty ambitions of being the next great crime drama, but falls short of finding a compelling story about its subject's final days.

The Kindred is overrun with clichés despite providing some solid concepts, marred completely by a sluggish pace and unconvincing writing.

The movie's attempts to expand The Grudge's mythology generally don't work, and its stabs at being grittier and more realistic than the films before it are undone by its over-reliance on bloodshed and just plain unpleasant details for shock value.

All in all, The Legend of La Llorona is a kooky movie with more laughs than scares, and is best watched after midnight alongside like-minded friends.

Although there is much to love in the picture, and the subject matter is a topic that needs to be part of the public discourse, the film's many faults distract from the compelling people and events that Joe Bell is trying to honor.

Marks’ sophomore outing can be quite charismatic and fun, but it’s a misfire when it comes to exploring the couple and their attempts at polyamory.

It reaches for the spiritual vastness of Cloud Atlas and the hushed introspection of Ad Astra, yet ultimately struggles to stir even the faintest flicker of emotion or hope.

Annette is extravagant and ambitious, but it’s also frustrating, pompous and emotionally flat.

Director Chuck Russell’s projects always bring a sense of vivacity and killer action sequences in ways his peers often struggle with. But this time around, the magic is missing from Paradise City. Sure, his film contains reliable and entertaining components like most action features do — including an underlying vengeance plot, an expert conman, and even a budding romance — but these elements tend to quickly run their courses thanks to a predictable script, wonky dialogue, and pacing issues.

This story and these women deserve better.

Olympic Dreams' backstage look at the 2018 Olympics is much more compelling than the movie's bland and contrived romantic comedy storyline.

Arkansas struggles to find an internal rhythm - resulting in a laid-back crime film that suffers from flat execution, in spite of some bright spots.

The underlying story is about dealing with grief, but I’m Totally Fine is neither nuanced nor funny enough to comment on that topic meaningfully.

At the heart of this plausible political thriller is a need for more insightful and incisive writing. The Independent often shows audiences what they already know about American politics, but it doesn’t tell one more.

Winslet’s got plenty of fire as the titular photographer, but the biopic’s spark quickly fades.

Though leading lady Lili Reinhart does her best, Look Both Ways struggles to make a lasting impact with either of its dueling timelines.

This Is Not a Test suggests a filmmaker content to operate within the familiar confines of the horror genre rather than push beyond them.

In hindsight, MVP is the kind of film that could definitely work for audiences. What it lacks in technical achievement, it undoubtedly makes up with heart. Though Boyer doesn’t necessarily hit the ball out of the park with his debut due to some odd choices that negatively impact the story structure, it’s easy to see why he chose this as his first project

Thompson and Greer really are extraordinary, however, and their tête-à-tête nearly saves Kirk's enterprise from the doldrums.

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

The script plays out like a mystery that keeps you guessing, but it also works against the film at points. Perpetrator has something important to say but just doesn’t know how to say it.

Kindred is packed with significant talent, but the slow pace and tedious script leaves the audience looking for the exit before the movie gets going.

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

None of the film's themes blend together appropriately, even when one may suspect a great film will break through.

At times, it feels as though The Garfield Movie is going through the motions, and it fails to offer anything particularly noteworthy about its main character.

Its leading ladies are in fine form, as always, and they're backed by some lively performers. It's the story that struggles to come through, along with a reluctance to just let loose in every way possible.

The gorgeous cinematography and costumes can’t make up for its emptiness — both in what it’s trying to say and in the way it’s trying to say it.

Lord of Misrule feels like it was made with a lack of understanding of what actually works about its premise, and the result is a constant ebb-and-flow of being drawn in by the imagery and pushed back out by the storytelling.

Even with a forgiving attitude, I could not help but get bored by the film in the first third (or more), as the characters take forever to get from point A to B. The lack of promised humor and David’s passivity also did not help things.

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

Fully engaging with the film, as one might be forced to do in a theatrical setting, will prove unrewarding — both intellectually and emotionally. But it's the kind of movie that's perfect for streaming while doing chores, or to turn on after a long day of work with the intention of putting one's brain on standby.

In the end, Samaritan commits a cardinal sin of the superhero genre: It thinks a high-profile actor with vaguely defined superpowers is enough to make the film interesting when it clearly needs something more.

Rosario stretches the material of a really good short film into an underwhelming feature.

After We Fell is the pulpy, melodramatic and messy continuation of Tessa and Hardin's story that may appeal to diehard fans, but no one else.

Palmer is fantastic in a film that needed more depth and time for Alice to acclimate to her surroundings. Without that, it leaves Alice’s realism and emotional core lacking as it veers wildly into one-note chaos.

Despite a series of beautiful gowns worn by Chastain, the film doesn't offer much intrigue nor sociopolitical interest, instead reducing itself to the lowest common denominator by the time it reaches its exceedingly cruel ending.

The cast is not the problem, but the script certainly is. The actors are given too much to do and no time to do it. Golden has the right idea, but the execution fails the film's aspirations.

Sympathy for the Devil is a missed opportunity with a collection of engaging moments, none sustained enough to really satisfy.

The process of searching through all manner of cloud-based applications and information in a video-game-like manner is a tantalizing prospect, one just wishes it wasn't done for something so harebrained.

The dynamics needed to be defined better, and despite some compelling filmmaking, the flagrant disregard for characterization reduces Fear The Night to a mildly tolerable home invasion horror.

Tom George returns to directing, attempting to take on the genre with humor and flair. Relying heavily on whodunit tropes, See How They Run is a little too stale and unfunny for its own good.

The Kissing Booth 2 has some fun moments, especially for fans, but is ultimately an overwrought, overstuffed and overlong teen romcom sequel.

There are inklings of something more interesting and rich beneath the surface, but Dual never brings the pieces together.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is a superficial spy mission that is joyless and charmless.

All in all, Maboroshi is a complete and utter mess of a film. The art, animation, and music are all great, but the story has nothing interesting to say after its first half, and constantly switches between moving too fast and too slow.

Tipping and his co-writers have a lot of great ideas and thought-provoking commentary about the way we treat athletes, but the lead-up to an admittedly explosive conclusion doesn’t land. Wayans and the score seem to be doing most of the tension-building. It’s a shame the rest of the film couldn’t rise to the same level.

It grows tedious because it feels like we’re holding our breath waiting for something more significant to happen for the lead’s character development, and yet it remains largely stagnant. Exit 8 has so much squandered potential. It might have made for a better short film than a full feature, but as a psychological horror, the film falls flat.

Accidental Texan forces us to sympathize with the characters rather than letting compassion form naturally. The result is a failed attempt to weave successful pathos throughout the movie.

V/H/S/94 is a solid entry that provides the telltale thrills of gritty found-footage horror mired in '90s nostalgia, though it is flawed and uneven.

Messy, strange, and somewhat baffling, Gavras’ film is chaos personified. For this sometimes funny film, I wish that were a good thing.

The Watchers is a strange film. It has disconcerting moments, but it never rises above its premise. The story itself is half-formed at best, and the ending is so outlandish that I was stunned by how badly it’s executed. Somewhere in the supernatural horror is a film that’s worth its salt. Sadly, The Watchers is not even worth the price of a theater ticket.

There's nothing worse in horror than predictability and while Unhuman tries to throw some curveballs, it misses the mark more than it hits its target.

Overall, The Hill is lacking many of the hallmarks one would expect from a sports movie, pushing aside major events in favor of returning to its religious messaging. This leads to some baffling choices in its character development and storytelling, and those in turn erase much of the tension and emotion from the movie.

Army of the Dead is by no means a must-watch zombie or heist movie, and folks uninterested in this film would be fine to skip it.

While O’Dessa has a lot of style, it doesn’t have much else. Its substance is sorely lacking, with a lot of jumbled ideas and themes that don’t come together.

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.

Albeit a good-looking movie with a fascinating premise, The Seed is constantly being held hostage by its poorly written script.

Overall, Puppy Love is very dull. The movie has all the clichés at its disposal but can't make much of it. The writing is witless and dry, and the directing — by Nick Fabiano and Richard Alan Reid — equally so.

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.

It’s a passion project that, while evoking emotion in the wake of grief, could have used some more editing and fine-tuning for a better and smoother journey.

No disrespect to Foy, who showed with The Crown just how capable she is of revealing entire histories through her open visage, but watching her go through the extremely repetitious (and, one supposes, accurate) steps of training a Eurasian Goshawk is exceptionally tiresome. H is for Hawk induces the same effect as taking a sedative.

Easter Sunday starts off well enough before getting off track completely, too preoccupied with aspects of the story that aren't good and don’t matter, sacrificing its characters and their relationships with each other as a result.

While stellar performances balance out its disappointing attributes, they're not enough to save the movie from being a dull, sometimes plodding story about a mysterious disappearance.

While the film has its moments of genuine humor, it never lives up to the energy or intrigue of the opening scene. The rest of the film is an empty, exhausting watch that never truly builds towards anything.

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

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.

There’s an enormous effort to entertain, but Bromates runs out of ideas faster than it can provide organic laughs.

The Craft: Legacy excels when reveling in its girl power witchcraft, but falls apart in the third act without a well-developed villain.

Blood for Dust is meant to evoke Fargo vibes, but it fails to live up to the 1996 Academy Award-winning movie and will likely be forgotten by most.

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