This party is a dud.

The best that can be said for this film is that it’s short.

With Manchester by the Sea writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (“You Can Count on Me”) confirms his status as a major American filmmaker.

Nocturnal Animals is far less imaginative than even your most banal nightmare.

An old-fashioned film that slyly nods to contemporary sensibilities, Allied is an engaging showcase for Pitt and Cotillard.

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker use the island setting to create an authentic, vibrant world. They also make earnest efforts to be culturally sensitive to Pacific Islanders’ heritage, incorporating Maui’s storytelling tattoos and his wayfaring skills

This halftime walk is more like a long slog.

Far from being preachy, Loving is a beautiful film about daring to love, without fear or compromise.

One of the pleasures of Edge of Seventeen is it makes you nostalgic for high school yet so relieved it’s over.

Shares the magical appeal of the “Harry Potter” movies, which should come as no surprise.

The performances are spot-on. Ali brings depths of feeling to Juan, giving us a drug dealer we haven’t seen before. Harris (Miss Moneypenny in the recent Bond films) is uncomfortably authentic as an ultimately repentant junkie.

Arrival is science fiction in the classic sense and a film of otherworldly ambition.

Far from being just another crime story, Sicario is cinema at its most ambitious.

Doctor Strange doesn’t always make sense — but so what? It’s a mind-blowing special-effects extravaganza, and the most exciting comic-book flick since “Deadpool.”

Certain Women requires patience from the viewer and isn’t for anyone, but it’s a film of quiet and lingering beauty.

Don’t get burned by Inferno.

Timed for the Halloween season, Ouija: Origin of Evil should have horror fans clutching their seats.

Keeping Up With the Joneses is hardly worth the effort.

In an Arnold film, plot is pretty much beside the point. Instead, she focuses on the subtleties of character — and her insights can be both enlightening and terrifying.

Fresh and delightfully offbeat, The Accountant proves that a thriller can be complex and nuanced while fulfilling its mission to entertain.

The fact-based Denial is a well-crafted and skillfully acted drama about standing up for the truth, regardless of how challenging that might be.

Placed under the microscope, The Birth of a Nation lacks some originality of thought, but it nonetheless offers the opportunity for necessary discussion as we continue to wrestle with the racist history of this nation and its continuing effects.

A taut psychological thriller, just as tense for those who already know its conclusion.

This is very much an ensemble film, with Wahlberg, Hudson and Russell turning in performances that get the job done without begging for attention.

Burton delivers his most ambitious and engaging film since “Sweeney Todd” (2007). Although the story becomes increasingly complex as it goes along, the emotional payoff is more than worth it.

An inspiring but formulaic film about triumph over adversity.

Only when there’s an opportunity to blow things up does Fuqua seem fully engaged. Another Western bites the dust.

Don’t be put off by the need to read subtitles. Rarely has a film more eloquently captured the universality of human experience.