RogerEbert.com

It’s somehow too clever for its own good but not clever enough.

Maybe the reality of our post-truth world makes “NAZA” a necessity, a byproduct of news that the public at large refuses to consume unless it’s told in an all-too-familiar voice. In that way, “NAZA” is an imperative picture in its own right.

It’s sizzling stuff, especially in the final minutes. But it’s hard not to feel frustrated that it’s truly taken this long to get here, and that its final thought on the matter is an ambivalent shrug.

Digger chokes on its own ambitions, and very few of the picture’s participants emerge still breathing.

“Minus Zero” doesn’t quite reach the miraculous highs of its predecessor, but the old boy still has plenty of bite.

Rinko Kikuchi is radiant in the film, playing Haru, a young widow in Tokyo with a mop of curls and a discreet nose ring.

Forgotten Island, a fantasy adventure built around the friendship between two teenage girls, is another winner from the team that oversaw “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” It does an equally honorable job of tackling issues you might not expect a family-friendly animated feature to address.

Ultimately, this film is fun because it offers a glimpse of its era. But more importantly, it is an inspiring story of Twiggy’s extraordinary resilience through difficult times, personal and professional, without ever losing her sense of purpose or her sense of humor.

Never After Dark isn’t simply a well-polished exercise. It’s also a welcome reminder that a genuinely savvy genre filmmaker knows that, while formulas can make us prematurely jaded, working a well-worn routine can be meaningful and satisfying, too.

At the end of the day, the film forces us to observe an observer. In doing so, we’re left with more curiosities than takeaways, yet that doesn’t devalue its meaning.