Carlos Morales

Exit 8 can feel inspired, but only in fits and starts.

The Strangers - Chapter 3 is the weakest entry in a flat and tedious trilogy.

No Other Choice is another great film from Park Chan-wook, featuring excellent performances and the auteur’s signature directorial acumen.

Hamnet is not without a few flaws, but it ultimately comes together as a strong dramatic showing for director Chloé Zhao. Anchored by a fantastic performance from Jessie Buckley, Hamnet simultaneously works as a family drama and as an exploration of how personal experience manifests in artistic expression.

Train Dreams is a gentle but poignant pastoral Western chronicling a life lived over many years. Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones are excellent, Adolpho Veloso’s cinematography is gorgeous, and Clint Bentley’s direction is far more careful and considered than you might expect for a filmmaker with so few features under their belt.

Nuremberg doesn’t quite stand up with the best films centered on World War II, but it does a respectable job dramatizing the aftermath of the conflict. The film is anchored by a strong cast, led by another great turn by Russell Crowe, and a consistent thematic throughline, but the first act’s use of ill-timed humor doesn’t do the film any favors.

Swiped is constructed well-enough for the movie it’s trying to be, but its lack of ambition and nuance keep it from being its best self. It can still be a worthwhile enough watch for Lily James’ admirable performance as Whitney Wolfe, but the movie never affords its subject the same level of depth as what James tries to imbue her with.

The Strangers – Chapter 2 makes a couple of minor improvements on the first film, but it’s ultimately just as slapdash as its predecessor.

Wake Up Dead Man is a solid third entry for Benoit Blanc, finally delivering the classic-style mystery the series has sorely needed.

Eternity is a bizarre but heartfelt dramedy that balances a wacky vision of the afterlife with strong performances and direction.