Eric Goldman

Giant snake movie Beware Boiúna has its moments and some appreciated twists on the usual formula, but it also suffers from feeling overlong and — like its title creature — isn’t actually on-screen nearly enough.

Forgotten Island is a terrific movie that delivers an effective, emotional story about the memories we make with our friends mixed with a big, funny, and sometimes dark adventure through a land of creatures culled from Filipino folklore.

When a movie works, it works, and much like the movie whose making it’s depicting, I Play Rocky is a genuine crowd-pleaser, even if its best portion is the stuff before the cameras roll on Rocky itself. The film has a ton of wit and charm, anchored by excellent central performances from Anthony Ippolito and AnnaSophia Robb.

Acclaimed indie director Gregg Araki has some interesting ideas about modern sexuality to explore, and stars Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman are both excellent. But I Want Your Sex misses the mark in its third act, failing to deliver a satisfying (ahem) climax.

Who would have thought it, but the seventh movie in the Despicable Me franchise may be the best one yet, as Minions & Monsters uses those little banana-loving dudes to make an ode to early Hollywood and to the power of cinema and storytelling.

Jackass: Best and Last functions more like a coda to the whole franchise than its own full-fledged movie, mixing in new material with a “Greatest Hits” look back at memorable stunts from the past. But if you love this franchise and these guys, it’s a fond farewell, complete with the requisite penises, poop and vomit along the way.

Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus is an involving, meaningful, and legitimately creepy horror movie. Chiarella’s story about gay youth being punished for simply being the way they are is emotional and thoughtful while also simply working well as a horror story, blending the real-life prejudices that inspired it with the supernatural curse laid upon its characters in a highly effective manner.

Do you like Scary Movie!?… Well, there’s a new one and it’s got some funny stuff in it, but just not enough in terms of how many jokes land and how many are duds.

The story of a small-town girl falling for a career criminal and going on a cross-country crime spree with him is one we’ve certainly seen before, but Carolina Caroline provides its own spin on the subject that makes it well worth checking out.

Filled with never-ending voice over and exposition, utterly vapid and personality-free characters, and dull action beats, In the Grey is a low point for director Guy Ritchie, who’s proven in the past he’s capable of delivering much more entertaining films.