Chicago Tribune

Of the Colleen Hoover adaptations so far, Verity is easily the best and most stylish of them all. It plays with more sophisticated themes of writing, truth and trust, the complicated nature of the versions of ourselves we put on the page. The unmoored truth is never resolved here, leaving us with the lesson that the only thing certain is uncertainty, and the only person we can’t trust is ourselves. Verity? Hardly.

Cruise is digging for that Oscar win with a performance well outside of his wheelhouse, but in terms of sheer cinematic entertainment, “Digger” is one dry well.

Last year, David Osit’s documentary “Predators” incisively unpacked the “To Catch a Predator” phenomenon, and the carceral mindset that makes us want to see abject individuals humiliated and punished, for justice or revenge. Pattinson might deliver a terrific, and chilling performance as Hansen — which has garnered the ire of the real-life subject. But after “Predators,” “Primetime” has no real bite.

Heart of the Beast has its highs and lows, but cinematically, it’s a mixed bag — entirely predictable and just not great. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the star of the movie is indeed Odin, and he’s a very, very good boy.

When The Weight leans into its nasty, mean and grim moments, it gets at something that seems closer to truth than the saccharine sweet resolution we hope, or fear, is coming. It seems like McKinley wants to deliver a crushing blow, but then feints at the last minute, opting for a more optimistic kind of fantasy.

While the unwieldy ending might get away from him, the tightly controlled and efficient 90 minutes that precede it all are the work of a new master of a horror — one who delivers imaginative, terrifying and hilarious thrills and chills, whether he’s reanimating a dead franchise or dreaming up his own uncanny worlds. It’s just fun to watch him work, and “Resident Evil” might be his most playful — and gooey — film yet.

The murkiness of it all clarifies by the end of the film, not just in terms of its heroes, villains and message, but Greengrass also situates this story within a recognizable cinematic and storytelling history. There’s a thrill as it all comes together. Greengrass might be making a big swing (of the scythe), but his blade finds its target nevertheless.

Is it a bit cheesy? Yes, of course, it wouldn’t be Practical Magic 2 if it wasn’t. But the midnight margaritas are still flowing, and Bullock and Kidman haven’t lost their touch yet. It may be more of the same, but for fans of the first movie, a double might be just right.

The film is signature Swanberg, but it’s also operating at another level of nuance and sophistication.

Onslaught might be bloody, but it’s brainless.