In what is a two-hour movie, Ballerina feels like most of the runtime is some sort of action sequence. It’s what the people want, and Ballerina is giving it to them.

Sunny is a dreamy rumination on the power our ambitions have over us and the people, long gone or by our sides, who add fuel to our fires.

The Hicks Happy Hour is a wonderful, albeit stressful, world to live in for fifteen minutes. A reminder of a golden era whose sheen has dulled a little.

Lemonade Blessing asks you to put your faith in its journey, to take a deep breath and learn something about yourself.

Birthright is a skewering of two generations, utterly at odds with each other, yet unbreakably connected through blood.

A Bright Future is a well-crafted piece of speculative fiction that’s deeply personal. It’s a film about the grand smallness of our lives.

The Scout is about knowing people intimately, artificially, and wholly.

The Chambermaid is a technically sound, well-acted addition to the world of the lesbian period piece, but the love story at its core is missing the passion, the stakes, and the tenderness that a movie like this one should have in spades.

Re-Animator is a delightfully weird blast from the past.

In French Lessons, it’s the endless fight to “make it” in this industry. The two work as an excellent double feature, and that only makes what lies ahead all the more intriguing.

Hi! You Are Currently Being Recorded is a fascinating social experiment, both in its subject matter and release format, that proves new technological horrors are always right around the corner.

Dear Aloha is a strikingly earnest, beautifully captured story of identity.

The Phoenician Scheme proves that Anderson is still a mastermind behind the camera, but could benefit from letting his heart out onto his sleeve.

The Choctaw Nation were forced to this land, but now that they’re here, they will fight for its right to grow on its own.

Shudderbugs is about the things we leave behind. The memories, the trauma, and the profound absence of a loved one whose full story we may never know. 

The Gullspång Miracle begins as quirky Scandinavian absurdism, then morphs into something much deeper. Truth doesn’t matter. What shapes us is what we want to believe. 

Perhaps this sequel was growing pains and the expanded world introduced in this film will ease itself into something truly grand. Only time will tell, but for now, Another Simple Favor proves to be another example of sequel fatigue.

Where in the Hell is an ode to fleeting relationships that burn brightly for a few days before disappearing forever. 

Sinners is all passion all the time, a kiss on the neck followed by a vicious bite.

Art for Everybody is instead a reflection on what art can bring to a person and a life, its power to connect people and provide a reprieve from the woes of the world.