While the filmmaker conjures beautiful imagery and a subtle exploration of fathers and their children, the good stuff is too often caught up in a muddle of well-tread crime clichés.

Monster offers a cathartic study in overcoming loss and traversing the fine line between childhood and adulthood under tragic circumstances.

The film's big breakout is Monáe, the Grammy-winning musician who impressed in a small role in Moonlight but showcases a wealth of talent as the youngest and most opinionated of the three main women.

In a year full of talking-animal hits, Sing isn't quite as strong a number. It's a tale that might not be particularly thought-provoking but sure is toe-tapping.

One of the deeper and most thoughtful projects in Scorsese’s career. It feels as though his entire Hollywood career has culminated in this grand quest, which while excessively long, effectively explores the brutal costs of unbending faith.

An unseasonably cynical assault on the holiday spirit.

Washington has put together a troupe that crafts a retro story that’s still completely relatable, no matter one’s race, and brilliantly plays a protagonist that finds the sweetest spot between lovable and loathsome.

Rogue One is often undermined by its close ties to George Lucas’ original trilogy, and more emphasis is put on its central mission than its fresh-faced characters.

La La Land is both delightful confection and life-affirming food for the soul.

The iconic first lady is given emotional complexity and rich understanding through a stirring and ambitious performance by Natalie Portman.

The intelligent, timely and twisty thriller Miss Sloane introduces an antiheroine feared by both Republicans and Democrats. Jessica Chastain is all hellfire and high heels as powerful Washington lobbyist Elizabeth Sloane.

Unsurprisingly, the finale is manipulative in every way, squeezing out the emotions of the audience. But Lion’s well-plotted narrative and thoughtful characters suck you in so much that the journey there is totally worth it.

Ridiculously attractive spies fall hard for each other in Allied, but don’t expect "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" with Nazis.

Tthe writer/producer/director/star’s first film in 15 years struggles with its tone and is a solid if unspectacular effort, though Beatty smartly takes a supporting role to the youngsters by playing the kookily eccentric Hughes.

From the bizarre opening (featuring a plethora of naked obese women) to the film’s parallel narratives conceit, there's no shortage of style, though incoherence butts in from time to time.

Manchester finds a way to weave together truly wrenching sequences with a clever sense of humor, and Lonergan pulls extraordinary performances from his entire cast, especially Casey Affleck.

Director David Yates’ entertaining introduction of awkward hero and magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is a confident and surprisingly funny adventure that’s more charming than most of the eight Harry Potter films.

A disappointing effort from a master filmmaker, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk trips in all the wrong places.

The "Hamilton" creator and the island personalities of Moana make beautiful music together in this charming seafaring epic.

Arrival is such a beautiful and thought-provoking film that it almost singlehandedly makes up for every bad aliens-coming-to-Earth film you’ve ever seen. Yes, even Independence Day: Resurgence.

For the most part a no-frills, almost sedate affair, the drama finds its real power in two strong lead performances.

Like a bag of Skittles come to life, there’s more sugar and style to Trolls than substance — with the exception of a “Find your own happiness” theme — but you’d be hard-pressed to keep from smiling throughout the trippy dance sequences and clever banter in this feel-good confection.

Brutally intense and elegantly crafted, the film showcases the stellar acting chops of Andrew Garfield and Vince Vaughn, and it’s director Mel Gibson’s best work behind the scenes since 1995’s Oscar best-picture winner Braveheart.

Even with a wealth of talent involved, Inferno is missing some serious heat.

Derrickson (Sinister) crafts a trippy phantasmagoria for Strange to fly screaming through as he begins his path to sorcerer supreme. The only thing missing is a Doors jam as the sequence unfolds a dizzying blend of psychedelia, geometric oddities and nightmarish dreamscapes.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a major step backward with an A-list actor in a C-grade military thriller.

Ben Affleck brings needed nuance to old-fashioned brains and brawn as an action hero with high-functioning autism in The Accountant.

Parker creates a fascinating portrait of Nat Turner as neither hero nor villain. In the end, he’s portrayed as a man faced with tough decisions.

The major whodunit here is who made a best-selling thriller so darn boring.

This is pretty much Burton doing an "X-Men" movie, with a plucky yesteryear vibe and evil Samuel L. Jackson thrown in for extra fun.

While Deepwater Horizon effectively shows its mettle as a proper action film, it goes the extra mile and drills a little deeper to unearth a lot of heart as well.

Good news, parents: Storks is bound to entertain you and your little ones. Bad news: Get ready to answer a lot more awkward questions about where babies come from.

The Magnificent Seven is like a long-fused stick of dynamite: It takes forever to get interesting but does at least unleash an explosive finale.

There is no lack of Disney-fied melodrama, for sure, yet Queen fights through all that with outstanding acting, deft filmmaking choices and the introduction of a new talent in Madina Nalwanga.

While it unabashedly leans into its chick-flick nature, returning director Sharon Maguire — who helmed 2001’s franchise-starter "Bridget Jones’s Diary" — manages to craft the strongest and funniest film of the series.

Snowden’s a polarizing whistleblower portrayed as an American hero here but in too pedestrian a fashion for such a hot-button topic, and the movie seems at times as awkward as its brainiac subject.

Hanks invokes gravitas, deep introspection and even sly wit as Sullenberger, yet the one thing he can’t make up for is the distinct lack of onscreen danger in what could be considered a decently tame disaster film.

Well-acted but often painfully melodramatic.

Even though the film can’t focus on one subject, Hands of Stone does boast notable performances from its leads, especially Ramirez.

It is definitely the summer for talking animals taking over the cinema, but Kubo manages to rise above the rest of its peers with a wondrous coming-of-age tale full of ancient soul.

The film is loaded with a gripping plot and enjoyably sketchy characters but hobbled by an uneven tone that ricochets between zany comedy and serious crime thriller.

Packed with surprising depth as it utilizes complete lunacy and clever bites to cobble together something wholly different in the cartoon space, even though at times the wacky film does itself a disservice by aiming for shocks rather than smarts.

All one needs to grasp is the hope and inherent magic of a kid and a dragon being BFFs, then let the feels flow from there.

Compared to its ilk, Suicide Squad is an excellently quirky, proudly raised middle finger to the staid superhero-movie establishment.

The movie is a by-the-numbers action film that's not nearly as strong as its Damon-led predecessors.

The galactic adventure might be an uneven one, but the combination of gravitas, a little mirth and old-school Trek themes makes Beyond a decently entertaining trip to the final frontier.

McCarthy and Wiig are solid as the two pals who have to mend fences amid paranormal goings-on, but Jones is great as the quartet’s boisterous voice of reason and McKinnon is the film’s biggest and quirkiest standout.

Secret Life anchors itself on an oh-so-familiar concept but sparkles most when imagining some of its crazier shenanigans.

While it looks great with its gorgeous computer-generated foliage and realistic animals, the story focuses too much on its stiff hero and a one-note villain rather than the big-picture ideas it raises in passing.

John Williams composes a sprawling, effervescent score that, while not his best, certainly captures the musical magic that makes his partnership with Spielberg so special.

Ridiculousness needs to abound somewhat in a film like this — reality takes a seat early and often here — but Resurgence pushes everything to an egregiously over-the-top and often infuriating degree.

Characters only exist as empty archetypal vessels and some of the wackier elements are laughably campy, but Refn’s sumptuous visuals and disco-synth score help give Neon Demon undeniably sinister style.

While the animation is still top-notch and a slew of new waterlogged personalities buoy the story, it doesn’t have nearly the same sense of heart, wonder and awe as Nemo.

Warcraft wins by not trying to be the second coming of a 10-hour cinematic trip through Mordor with Hobbits and jewelry. Rather, it’s a simpler, yet still wholly entertaining tale of magic and larger-than-life soldiers in a battle for survival.

Wan leans into the real history of the 1977 Enfield poltergeist legend, too, though it’s not like he needs any extra inspiration for his fright fest — when it comes to horror, the man pulls no punches or screams.

Among the many things it does well — from hilariously quotable lines to catchy, albeit obscene, songs — the mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has found the best use for the poop emoji yet.

Jojo Moyes adapted her own best-selling book, which helps give Me Before You a singular inviting vibe instead of feeling like "The Fault in Our Stars 2."

Looking Glass is instead a competition to see how goofy Johnny Depp can be as the Mad Hatter and how many scenes (and hearts) Helena Bonham Carter can steal as the ragingly high-maintenance Red Queen.

Brews up an enticing murder mystery and gives Shane Black — who directed and co-wrote the script — another hit on-screen pairing.

With Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the raunchy college comedy is graduating to smart feminist commentary.

A hostage thriller, a campy satire of the 24/7 media culture and a takedown of Wall Street, though it never fully succeeds on any of those tracks.

Director Bryan Singer made more hay with Marvel’s mighty mutant menagerie in the early 2000s, but the new film comes undone with too many characters and not enough nuance or freshness.

What A Bigger Splash does have in its favor is standout acting by Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton, who gets to channel her inner Ziggy Stardust.

May boast a star-studded cast but it’s a spectacular dud on every other level with tonal whiplash, a little casual racism played for jokes and a script seemingly pulled from Hallmark cards rejected for being too hokey.

It’s a sketch-type conceit stretched to movie length that wears thin at times. When the stars are on their game, though, they keep the laughs coming.

It’s a dunderheaded follow-up, for sure, but it’s at least buoyed by Chris Hemsworth’s charisma and the few times where Winter’s War embraces complete camp.

Sing Street is a wholly appealing genesis of teenage romance and music-group therapy for one Irish boy and a instant retro classic for those still hungry like the wolf.

While it’s not the greatest Marvel effort — that honor goes to the previous Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Civil War does pull outstanding performances from its two franchise faces, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.

The raucous comedy fails to keep up with its charismatic star.

Though Linklater isn’t subtle when it comes to his lesson plan — the theme of the movie is, in fact, written on a chalkboard — he gives you a squad of guys whose good times and fun personalities will leave you wanting some more.

BvS will please those either waiting for the two main players to lock horns on a movie screen, or those who've just been pining for Wonder Woman forever. And for the nerdier crowds, a fleeting glimpse at other superheroes hints this is the Dawn of something potentially sensational.

Pee-wee Herman may still look good in his ill-fitting suit, but more than 30 years after first hitting the big screen, his antics haven’t aged well.

If E.T. was human, wore swim goggles and read Superman comics by flashlight, he’d be the 8-year-old boy at the center of the heartfelt, lo-fi sci-fi spectacular Midnight Special.

Isn’t nearly as funny as it thinks it is spoofing spy tropes and buddy films and making a mockery of AIDS, politicians, movie stars and working-class Brits.

A well-crafted affair by debuting director Dan Trachtenberg that mixes elements of an intimate stage play with the white-knuckled tension of a cracking good Twilight Zone episode.

Its colorful residents make Zootopia a wondrous place to visit for two hours until you have to go back to real life, where Shakira isn’t a gazelle and law enforcement is a lot less furry.

Even with the occasional misfire in the plot, Fey’s strong performance throughout the film lets Whiskey go down in smooth and satisfying fashion.

It winds up working as a ominous climax, however, and you’re left wanting to avoid any and all farm animals for a while — which for this excellent piece of filmmaking is high praise.

Race makes its title's double meaning all too clear, and at a time when the Oscars and movies, in general, struggle with finding racial balance, two guys of different skin colors coming together for some sports-movie magic is a fitting and truly welcoming lapping of the competition.

For grown-ups, however, Deadpool avoids enough pitfalls to both embrace and flambé the superhero genre while also finding time for romance, doling out equal handfuls of bullets, barbs and warm fuzzies.

Moviegoers may wish that Will Ferrell's megalomaniacal supervillain Mugatu had won in the first Zoolander and saved us from another film with these boneheads.

Some bits fall flat, yet when the Coens hit, there’s nothing better, especially with their usual ridiculously sublime banter.

The rescue drama The Finest Hours rocks the boat in terms of blizzard-blitzed sea thrills but leaves you cold with its side love story.

The movie's story and cute characters are geared toward the younger crowd, per usual. But while it lacks the wonder and nuance of earlier Pandas, there are enough new faces and wowing, Asian-influenced style to also keep parents amused for an hour and a half.

While not as cinematically game-changing as Pulp Fiction or as gore-spattered as the Kill Bill films, The Hateful Eight doles out all of Tarantino’s favorite things.

The 5th Wave finds a way to make the most of Moretz’s talents, with the emotionality she showed in If I Stay and the utter physical chutzpah of her Kick-Ass films.

After a string of iffy Transformers movies, Bay reminds that he can do a much better action movie with humans than alien robots: 13 Hours is his best work in the genre since his 1990s hits Bad Boys and The Rock.

Much more concerned with the emotional ties between twin sisters — both played by Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer — than scaring the pants off audiences.

An artsy display put on by Kaufman and fellow co-director Duke Johnson that raises the level of the genre, though it sometimes tries to enjoy its individual oddity too much chronicling one night in a bored businessman’s life.

The cast is a stellar one, especially Smith. Not only does he capture Omalu’s Nigerian accent and mannerisms but also the character's idiosyncrasies.

It all comes down to men behaving badly and greed rules all, though at least you’ll laugh and seethe along the way.

There’s a Miracle Mop at the heart of Joy, though the movie is such a mess that even it would have a hard time cleaning up.

The Revenant is the most intense thing you’ll enjoy over the holidays this side of family dinners.

The humor, mainly of the raunchy and older-parents-having-sex variety, lands in hilarious fashion only some of the time.

The Force Awakens reveals surprising connections, begins a few bromances, solves mysteries while digging up others, and sets a strong tone for what comes next in Star Wars lore. Best of all? It’ll make you feel like a kid being introduced to something truly special once again.

In the Heart of the Sea really gives Hemsworth a chance to shine. He’s not just the hammer-slinging Thor: The Aussie continues to make the most of his dramatic work — as in Howard’s 2013 Formula 1 film "Rush" — and showcases a considerable amount of gravitas.

The film’s greatest strength is its major team-up. Caine and Keitel have an electric chemistry when they’re onscreen together.

Spike Lee has been trying to get people to do the right thing for years, but with Chi-Raq, he solidifies a peaceful movie message in lyrical as well as powerful fashion.