Oppenheimer is a well-acted and directed biopic that makes some interesting decisions that cause the already insanely long runtime to feel even longer and even clunkier than it already did.
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Barbie is a miracle movie because there is no universe where this should have been approved, let alone given the budget it got, and the fact that it all works so well is why this movie will live on for years.
Gran Turismo would be a decent racing movie on its own, but the connection to video games, it being based on a true story, and how they integrate video game mechanics elevates the entire production.
Blue Beetle hits all of the familiar notes of the superhero genre and is a solid origin story for a new young hero. However, it doesn't bring anything particularly new to the genre either, aside from the family dynamic.
Strays is trying to be an R-rated Homeward Bound, but no amount of swear words can make animal neglect or abuse funny. It's 93 minutes about why we don't deserve dogs and why humans suck.
Haunted Mansion is just as tonally disjointed as the infamous ride it is based on, trying to walk the line between horror and comedy while hiding the best parts of the film from prospective audiences.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One would always be compared to the two previous films, and a near-impossible bar for any franchise to try and clear. However, the step back here feels much more pronounced, and the final film being mediocre instead of great or even good is a shame.
Even though Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken misses more than it hits, it still isn't bad. It's not as good as Dreamworks can be, and it's a massive step back from the last two movies (The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) they have released both in terms of story and animation.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is another entry into the 2023 movie season of being way too long, which kills the pacing, screws up the structure, and thus drags the entire thing down to mediocre.
Elemental is a mid-tier Pixar movie that is releasing at the wrong time. A few years ago, a mid-tier film wouldn't have impacted the studio's fate.
After an initial slow burn, Secret Invasion shows some promise but it's unclear if the Skrull tension can be maintained for the entire run.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts isn't the worst of this franchise, but that is a bar so low that you could stub your toe on it, and it is also a step back from the potential that we saw with Bumblebee.
The Flash might feature some of these good moments, but they don't add up to anything, and at the end of the day, the film as a whole is an overly long mess with a few bright spots and a massive missed opportunity when it comes to Supergirl.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has the flaws that come with being half of a movie, but the half of the movie that is presented is nothing short of art.
The Little Mermaid doesn't have the confidence to be much more than yet another shot-for-shot Disney remake, but when it tries to do its own thing, you can see the good movie that could have been.
Crater covers some seriously heavy topics, but it often feels like it is fighting against itself to maintain a sense of whimsey despite how bad everything happening is.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn't perfect, but it works more than it doesn't, and it hits the emotional beats. It also provides the rare sense of closure that is so rarely gifted to this genre.
Renfield is pretty much exactly what it presents itself as in the marketing, for good and for ill, and while it is amusing, it doesn't take the time to really dig into the interesting concepts and topics it presents.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a mess of a film that fails to capture the things that made the first two films great.
Avatar: The Way of Water struggles under the weight of thirteen years of expectations and fails to be anything other than mediocre when it comes to
While Luke using The Force is powerful, Andor proves that nothing is more powerful than the spirit of those unwilling to be broken.
The Fabelmans is an overly long love letter to the concept of filmmaking and how creatives tend to put so much of themselves into the works that they end
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery starts out a little rough, but as each new layer of the mystery gets peeled back like an onion, the film recovers from
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a lovely little hour of holiday cheer that gets you right in the feels, thanks to James Gunn.
The Menu is simultaneously as understated as a pinch of salt and as subtle as a ghost pepper. This is a black comedy wearing the guise of a horror movie
Strange World isn't anything special, and while it is more clever than you think it will be by the end, it is destined to be forgotten as it will likely
Bones and All is a fascinating exploration of the juxtaposition between a rather familiar story of people looking for love and acceptance with the bloody
Andor Episode 10 successfully explores the sacrifices and burdens that various characters in leadership positions in this series must carry.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is another phase four entry that is a bit of a mess in the story and pacing department, but it is bookended by gut-punch memorial scenes.
In Andor S01E09 "Nobody's Listening!", the Empire learns how hope breeds obedience & a story decision makes the universe feel much smaller.