HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: An Honest & Engaging Look At Relationships
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: An Honest & Engaging Look At Relationships

Happy Anniversary blends comedy and drama well, creating a film which never feels like one genre is more prominent than the other.

BLOCKERS: Laughter Breaks Through
BLOCKERS: Laughter Breaks Through

Kay Cannon’s directorial debut Blockers is an unabashedly raunchy comedy with its heart in all the right places, giving the teen sex comedy a nice sprucing up through big laughs, a game cast and a lean script.

WILDLING: Move Over, Vampires

“Do you want to hear a story? Do you want me to tell you about…

MIDNIGHT SUN: For Those Intent On A Sob

Based on a real-life and serious disease, Midnight Sun, though with initial potential, is ultimately too heavy-handed and clichéd to be an effective romantic drama.

PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING: Falls Short Of Rising Up To The Original

Failing to bring anything new the second time around, Pacific Rim: Uprising suffers from an identity crisis with little chance to rise up from its cinematic shortfalls to save itself.

SUBMISSION: The Personal Becomes Political

Though with timely themes of inappropriate romance and sexuality, Submission sadly lacks the insight and perspective to become a movie that represents “now.”

FAMILY: Taylor Schilling Gets Her Freak On In Charming Comedy
SXSW Review: FAMILY: Laura Steinel’s Debut Clowns Around With Stereotypes

It was absolutely inspiring to see so much strong female content at SXSW Conference and Festivals, and Family, the debut feature by Laura Steinel, was no exception.

AN ORDINARY MAN: Silberling At The Top Of His Game
AN ORDINARY MAN: Silberling At The Top Of His Game

Despite An Ordinary Man’s ultra slow pace, it contains a superb score, Silberings’s minimalistic story and grand direction, and Kingsley and Hilmar’s respective tour-de-forces, sharpening in tuning slowly towards a gripping climax.

Miss Kiet's Children: Meet Your New Favorite Class
MISS KIET’S CHILDREN: Meet Your New Favorite Class

Prepare to be charmed by Peter Lataster and Petra Lataster-Czisch’s documentary Miss Kiet’s Children, a heartwarming ode to the power of education, and the reality of the refugee crisis on European shores.

FLOWER: Zoey Deutch Blossoms as a Teen Vigilante
FLOWER: Zoey Deutch Blossoms As A Teen Vigilante

While tiptoeing on the line of empowering and exploitative, Flower is an unconventional teen film for a new generation that finds its true strength in in its leading lady Zoey Deutch.

KEEP THE CHANGE: A Breakthrough For Disability Films

Using almost an entirely autistic cast, Keep the Change is a groundbreaking, intimate portrait that humanizes and explores a vast array of people living with Autism.

JOURNEYMAN: A Treacly And Unengaging Disability Drama
JOURNEYMAN: A Treacly & Unengaging Disability Drama

Paddy Considine’s long-awaited second film in the director’s chair is an emotionally manipulative disappointment, that has replaced the grit of his debut with a stale, maudlin predictability.

ALL I WISH: A Strong Stone Can't Save This Film From Mediocrity
ALL I WISH: A Strong Stone Can’t Save This Film From Mediocrity

Susan Walters’ All I wish offers a minimally interesting story, but serves up some fine performances from Sharon Stone, Ellen Burstyn, Liza Lapira, Tony Goldwyn, and Gilles Marini.

FATHER FIGURES: Drags On Despite An All-Star Cast
FATHER FIGURES: Drags On Despite An All-Star Cast

Father Figures is a swing and a miss, lacking enough entertaining or cogent material to sell this half-hearted comedy.

BEYOND SKYLINE: When A Guilty Pleasure Isn’t That Fun
BEYOND SKYLINE: When A Guilty Pleasure Isn’t That Fun

While better than its predecessor, Beyond Skyline is still a sequel to a thinly conceived film, and even the freshest coat doesn’t work to hide the issues underneath.