With Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos meets every challenge with aplomb. Nearly every single second feels perfectly calibrated in tone, theme, character, and scope.

Godzilla Minus One is one of the rare Godzilla pictures about the indomitability of the human spirit.

For all the storylines it juggles — part love story, part franchise extension, and part treatise on how mind-numbingly awful group projects in class can be (seriously, this early section might actually be the highlight of the movie) — The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes feels caught between its humbler, more character-driven aims and the blockbuster expectations of reinvigorating a brand.

Taken on its own merits, The Marvels is little more than another mediocre, easily-forgotten effort in a never-ending stream of products.

This may not be the film fans expected, but it is still a worthy addition to the Digimon franchise.

American Fiction fully understands that you don't have to sacrifice art or politics for entertainment, satisfying those who want a rich thematic experience or to just have a laugh in a crowded theater.

The film seems like it should be this deeply personal exploration of one's own struggle to connect with others because of an inability to fully accept themself, but in practice, "All of Us Strangers" plays more like a sentimental novel you'd find at an airport newsstand. It's made with far more skill and care than those typically are, but at its core, they contain about the same amount of emotional insight.

There are a few talking heads, including some sincerely powerful stuff from Sly's brother Frank, but Zimny wisely lets Sly be the focus. His control of the narrative might mean the film is narrow in its scope, but by the time the credits roll, like a "Rocky" movie, you'll be begging for a sequel.

Ultimately, Pay or Die is an infuriating documentary that will make you hate the capitalistic approach to healthcare in America, especially since this is only one disease and one medicine out of many that are being exploited by pharmaceutical companies every day.

Where the 2023 film succeeds is a visceral emotional and textural experience.

Perhaps The Killer doesn't need to be anything more than what it is: a showcase for Fincher to do his thing, and do it well, just like the assassin at the center of the story. This is a lesser work from the filmmaker, but even his lesser entries are better than most of what we get these days. Sometimes it's okay to let an artist play the hits.

What Five Nights at Freddy's lacks in a robust story — an unexpected plot turn about halfway through feels like a genuinely bold curveball, though it's tempered somewhat by a slightly too neat-and-tidy ending — it more than makes up for with a penchant for oddball theatrics and flair.

Although there's sometimes a disconnect between parts of the story that deal with Enzo's personal life and the frenetic racing scenes, they somehow work together in tandem, combining to create one of Michael Mann's most emotionally satisfying films in years.

Dark Harvest is ultimately a film of style over substance, but hell, that style sure is grand.

By the time The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial comes to its somewhat startling conclusion, I was saddened by Friedkin's passing all over again. What a loss. But at least he left us one final stunner.

At first, you might not detect the tonal deception seeded into Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Evil Does Not Exist. Yet, seemingly innocuous nature shots unfold into a thriller.

It's A Wonderful Knife might make its points with steel blades, but that doesn't negate the saccharine earnestness that assures this one as a new Christmas horror favorite with a heart three sizes bigger than you'd expect.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour may not be a great film, but it is a hell of a good time at the movies.

Maestro may present exhilarating moments of musical performances, but unlike the story's subject, it is a rather forgettable experience. Still, Cooper continues to show promise as a director, even if the script he co-wrote with Josh Singer is not up to par.

Wake Up makes its impression like a candy bar with a razor blade at its core. It's a sweet little treat for action-horror fans that hurts so good, as long as you're in the mood for visually traumatic, hopeless vibes.

Concrete Utopia is not subtle about its allegories, particularly when it comes to immigration. Thankfully, the focus on character and the fast pace of the story that moves us from one crisis to the other keep the message from becoming overwhelming. Likewise, the script and visuals tease a larger world with stories just outside of what is on screen, adding to the film's worldbuilding.

"Believer" is not the worst "Exorcist" film by any stretch, but it's certainly the least intriguing. It's a rote, choppy thriller that forgets to scare us.

Totally Killer tries to skirt responsibilities by having you laugh at its self-awareness, which works as much as it doesn't. Kiernan Shipka will be the reason people talk about Totally Killer, even if the film's foundation of paper cards is one strong gust away from collapsing at any second.

Dogman is one of those curios that you don't understand how it got made and just kinda marvel while it's happening, but once you try to put all the pieces together, nothing fits, and you're left wondering what the hell you just watched.

Dream Scenario is a sprawling dissection of subconscious desires and how marketable popularity spells doom for its subjects, showcasing Borgli's flexible originality without sacrificing emotional investment.

The beauty of the "V/H/S" series is that it continues to showcase the infinite flexibility of found footage horror, giving thrilling collections of genre filmmakers a chance to strut their stuff and test the boundaries. And with "V/H/S 85," everyone means business.

Jason Yu knows how to stage a tense thriller and gives Sleep a sense of claustrophobia, using the small size of the apartment and some inventive camera movements to slightly change the apartment throughout the film, showing how the characters are losing their grip by making them unfamiliar with the place they know best in the world.

This is a movie that is both familiar and fresh. Scary, yes, but mostly disturbing, gory, smart, quite expansive, and all around created in the bowels of hell itself. 

Emerald Fennell remains a filmmaker to watch, a provocateur who's downright giddy to sit in the muck with you, teeth flashing in a deadly grin. And in Barry Keoghan, she's found a collaborator who understands her nasty sensibilities and digs in up to the hilt.

If you're looking for the gothic thrills and chills that make "Pet Sematary" so special, stick to the novel, or the '89 film, or even the 2019 remake, and leave "Bloodlines" dead and buried where it belongs. 

The blood is good. The traps are good. The series' nastiness is intact, even as it all looks a bit bigger and a bit slicker. The important thing is that "Saw X" continues to be unafraid of its own continuity, so infatuated with its own delightful bulls***.

As the narrative unfolded in lickety-split fashion, I found myself totally charmed and a little dizzy. Anderson uses almost all of Dahl's prose here, and while that could've backfired, or even resulted in bloat, the filmmaker keeps the proceedings brisk and snappy, relying on Dahl's inherent dry humor to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

James Cameron's "Avatar" is often criticized for its derivative story, but it works because its simplicity makes it universal. The Creator forgets that second part and just goes for simple and derivative. Still, watching Edwards pull his "A New Hope" is entertaining, and proof that we can still have stunning-looking works of original sci-fi.

While I would've liked the layout of the house to be better established, No One Will Save You makes the most of its limited locations, proving you can have big thrills and chills in restricted spaces.

Expend4bles may be the best of the series. This is not a compliment to Waugh's film, but a mere note on how badly this series of films has fared over the last 13 years. These are useless, badly written gimmick films whose gimmicks never bore fruit. As the title implies, the flick is expendable. Or perhaps expend4ble. Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1399641/expendables-4-review/

As the horrors of The Royal Hotel unfold, the film shifts from a terse thriller into a full-on horror, assisted by appropriately and effectively eerie cinematography from Michael Latham.

It does wind up playing things too safe, and too conventionally, but Rustin still remains a valuable portrait of how an everyday person can do extraordinary things in the face of staggering adversity.

Next Goal Wins feels like it's made by a director out of ideas — it's a film made up of lazy, visually vacant, and soulless filmmaking.

The razor-thin premise can't quite sustain itself. Taken as a whole, the film is a bit like a vampire draining an older victim of their blood: cold, thick, and unnourishing.

Kendrick's directorial debut shows both confidence and great promise, crafting a disturbing tale, and a chilling examination of casual misogyny and violence towards women.

In the end, watching Pain Hustlers is about as numbing an experience as being prescribed the drug Liza spent her career selling.

The mystery is a convoluted mess, clearly attempting to marry the intrigue of "Chinatown" with the escalating chaos of a Coen Brothers movie while failing to make things compelling, all while the wacky humor falls flat.

The Holdovers is proof that we need more thoughtful, studied, loving, and irresistible human stories on screen. It certainly helps, however, when Alexander Payne is at the helm.

A Haunting in Venice does try to spice things up, but all the skewed angles in the world can't hide the fact that this mystery is half as eerie as it wants to be, and roughly as entertaining.

For a story as surprising and unpredictable as the true GameStop story was, it's frustrating to see Dumb Money follow such a familiar structure. What it does do especially well is its exploration of the community aspect of the situation.

One can't help but wonder how both "The Nun" movies might've played out as original scripts without any shackles to pre-established lore ... but, at the same time, one would have to assume that neither film would even exist without those connections in the first place.

The canon of "The Equalizer" has never taken the world by storm, usually percolating in the background of popular culture as a piece of intense ephemera. Robert McCall is a former Marine and DIA officer, but that is entirely ignored in part 3. He's a superhero played by Denzel Washington, and the filmmakers assume that is enough. For many audience members, it will be.

Scrapper is just the kind of scrappy triumph its title indicates. It's not the newness of the materials that matters here — it's how they are assembled with such care and consideration.

Once upon a time, a movie of this ilk could be unremarkable but fun; sturdy and dependable; solid, even. Not this time, though. 

Though Chuck Chuck Baby treads familiar plot beats and offers little surprise, it's something of a feat to turn such familiar British film territory into something prominently LGBT+. Its innate understanding of queerness and female bonds allows the lesbian relationship to never feel like window dressing.

There's plenty of slow creeping dread on display here, matched with that dark humor and two fantastic leads. It all comes together to make "Birth/Rebirth" one of 2023's more interesting horror entries.

Though I had a feeling Strays could be special, I'm still pretty floored by just how hilarious it is. Perrault's script finds an excellent balance of wince-worthy humor and genuine heart, and the voice acting is more than spirited enough to make up for the inevitable issues with trying to make animals emote like humans.

Overall, the details of Blue Beetle are fun, and the characters may inspire a few warm familial smiles, but the whole is frustratingly shabby and rushed.

This movie isn't even worth glancing at when you scroll through your Netflix profile.

I don't know if I'd call this a memorable take on Dracula, but as a simple little monster movie with plenty of atmospherre, it does the trick.

In the end, Gran Turismo can't escape the feeling of being actively held back at every turn — by the confines of video game conventions, by a painfully trope-laden script, or simply by the fact that everything this video game movie wants to achieve has already been done better before.

I don't fault Meg 2: The Trench for being silly. I do fault it for being boring. 

The Sacrifice Game is cool, calm, and collected despite bringing so many subgenres to the party, achieving tonal unity that should please crowds and leave them craving whatever comes next for Wexler and company.

This is a tight, snappy, simple little thriller that never overstays its welcome and doesn't skimp on the horror, with two strong performances guiding us through all the bloodshed.

There's something to be said about the way Sakamoto depicts how the newer Japanese generation is left to fight for success amongst themselves — misled by older handlers and governing bodies — but you're ultimately here for ha-has and beatdowns, and neither disappoints. If there was ever an action movie that'd slay at a teen girl sleepover, it's Baby Assassins 2.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is not only a great introduction to the iconic franchise, but a fantastic film in its own right, and one of the best-looking movies of the year.

The quirky ensemble, anchored by a solid starring performance from LaKeith Stanfield, is aided by Justin Simien's effective direction. Though this film is perhaps not as surefooted a theme-park adaptation as the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" was, it washes away any memory of the more family-friendly take from two decades ago. This "Haunted Mansion" has a lot more bite than you might think.

While Pretty Red Dress might be a bit too ambitious and it spends too much time delivering its message, this is a thoughtful, charming study of masculinity and gender expression, anchored by some brilliant performances. Its great musical energy keeps the pacing strong, and it's an exciting new take on the family drama.

You can drop Nic Cage in your dull movie all you want, but when you do, you're only getting a memorable Cage performance in an otherwise unmemorable story. I love to watch Cage work. I just wish I didn't have to watch him work under these conditions.

Like all classic underdog stories, director Peter Nicks' Stephen Curry: Underrated is about determination. But it's also about second chances, and how believing in and supporting someone in their lowest moments can have life-changing consequences.

In what might be his magnum opus, Nolan has meticulously crafted a biopic that feels like a thriller.

Barbie is an absolute marvel hiding within the plastic pink confines of Barbie, making it a phenomenal reflection of the iconic doll that serves as source material. Gerwig clearly knew the preconceived notions folks would have about the film going into it because they're the same ones lobbied against the doll. Fortunately, she put her best pointed foot forward and delivered one of the best films of the year.

The sum of its parts, including realistic performances and solid writing, makes it more than a great trans film – it's an overall great movie, regardless of the subject matter. Still, in a time where trans people's humanity is cruelly questioned and threatened, trans artists making art celebrating their own existence are more welcome than ever.

Mars Express works because even its most outlandish and complex sci-fi concept is grounded in human drama.

It's a classical fable or a postmodern story within a story. Triumphant or deeply nihilistic — or both. The second in his planned "elements" trilogy, "Afire" will be difficult to top.

For all the areas where it doesn't quite work, however, there's no argument that They Cloned Tyrone digs into important topics and inequities, and sheds light on people who deserve to get more attention. It's also a bold film that takes big swings.

Nothing takes flight here. Bird Box Barcelona might be the first of its kind, but it certainly will not be the last Netflix sequel or spinoff whose primary audience is a boardroom rather than a living room.

Mánver is astonishing as Cruz. The film gives the accomplished actress plenty of opportunities to shine. It's such a committed and warm performance, and a willingness to really dive deep into the psyche of her character means you won't be able to get her out of your head.

Insidious: The Red Door closes the book on the Lambert family and delivers more than a few thrills and chills. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and it doesn't really add a whole lot to the series as a whole.

Once Upon a Time in Uganda is the perfect representation of the enduring spirit of independent cinema, our love for movies, and how they bring the world together.

A fast-paced thrill ride that never lets up.

No Hard Feelings is enjoyable because Jennifer Lawrence is still one of the most delightful actresses of her generation. (At one point, another character dryly dubs her "America's sweetheart," but the moniker does kind of fit in a sincere way.) She's well matched by Andrew Barth Feldman here; their performances are what make this film work.

There is such a thing as a propulsive, intelligently crafted, no-holds-barred, violent action masterpiece centered around a seemingly unkillable man whose mastery of weapons is endless. That, of course, is the "John Wick" series. This cannot hope to compete.

Nimona lives and dies by its main character, and it greatly succeeds in adding to the canon of great animated protagonists. Despite some rocky visual choices, this is a film worth the wait.

The Blackening is content to make a couple of easy observations and move on from the idea. It cuts itself off from actually maximizing what a great idea it is. If a meta-horror comedy can't nail its commentary, horror, or comedy, then it sadly isn't doing much.

While I have a few complaints and there are a couple of head-scratching loose ends, The Flash is still a funny, emotional, action-heavy crowd-pleaser that ranks among the best DC movies ever made.

There are bursts of inspiration here and there, such as when the plot shifts to Peru and suddenly takes on an "Indiana Jones" flavor (which, annoyingly, the characters can't help but comment upon) or when an early horror-tinged sequence puts a new spin on the famous "Raptors in the kitchen" scene from "Jurassic Park." But such joys don't arrive consistently enough to make this venture worthwhile.

The Wrath of Becky is still a fun-filled slaughter-fest, even considering the lulls before Becky unleashes her fury.

Filmmakers: give us more of this, please. Just remember to give us an actual ending while you're at it.

May December is an intricate patchwork quilt of melodrama and stark reality woven into one big blanket of suppression.

The Little Mermaid is a live-action remake done well. The casting (with one notable exception) is phenomenal, led by Halle Bailey's breathtaking performance as Ariel; the original songs are portrayed in vivid displays that will make children's eyes sparkle; and the story has been adjusted to correct the first film's less-than-modern relationships.

By focusing on the shifting dynamics between our two characters and nothing else, viewers are treated to a cat-and-mouse game where its players refuse to let up. With the infectious energy of Qualley and Abbott, along with set-altering cinematography and a tight script, there is a lot to love about this new, sick take on the sex comedy.

The Boogeyman doesn't set out to reinvent the wheel, but thankfully, it doesn't need to. Savage knows exactly how to push all the right buttons and pull all the right levers to engineer maximum potency, utilizing classical set-ups and pay-offs in entertaining, satisfying ways.

Asteroid City is a top-tier Wes Anderson original that brings back the carefree fun and charm of some of his best works while also turning his own personal conventions on their ear in an attempt to try new things.

The film, with its pulsating score and club-scape visuals, is only interested in showing its audience the truth about situations like the one that unfolds throughout the story — and Molly Manning Walker's first film feels like an expert, surefire debut as a result of the skill with which she (and the brilliant collaborators she surrounds herself with on and off-camera) elicits every subtle gut punch the movie has to offer. 

Overall, the film is on point with its incredibly smart casting, and that victory aids in fully shaping the world Price Williams and Pinkerton concocted in their zany witch's cauldron.

Reality is an immensely nerve-wracking film that grips you from the get-go and never lets up. Like Reality Winner, we're all stuck in that dirty, empty room, wondering when we'll get out, and worrying about what will happen next. 

Glazer's first feature film in ten years is a sick, bleak, and absolutely vital reimagining of the Holocaust drama, one that finds a new way — and possibly a more effective way — to put an important spotlight on the face of atrocities.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a fast, fierce, and unapologetic gut punch that centers the horrific abuse suffered by the Osage nation at the hands of those who were entitled to nothing and thought themselves worthy of everything.

All in all, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is an action-packed, high-octane super soaker of a film, while at the same time amounting to a beautiful final conquest and farewell to the world's most famous adventurer.

Though it stumbles in parts, Jason Momoa is there to keep the car in drive before he hits the nitro and blows everything to hell. It's over-the-top, outrageous entertainment that is worthy of seeing on the silver screen with the biggest tub of popcorn you can find. BOOM!

While there's enough action (murky action, but action all the same) to keep you at least half-engaged with the material, you might want to spend Mother's Day weekend doing something else instead.

This may not be the epic "Power Rangers" reunion some fans may have hoped for, but Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always is very much the love letter to the last 30 years of this franchise, where it all began, and where it is going.