Reviews

There’s drama and sadness in the subject matter, of course, but that’s not a free pass to manipulate and bore. At worst, that’s offensive; at best, it’s precious time poorly spent.

This affecting 81-minute effort is about the lights dimming on a creative life, pitting internal satisfaction against external validation and then, when the room has nearly emptied, asking, “How did I think I was going to feel?”

The way the central couple’s relationship unfolds is uncomfortably close to Apatowian for a movie supposedly edgy enough to be called “Nightbitch.”

Anyone who’s seen one “Law and Order” episode or spent eight seconds considering the limitations of the legal system will sometimes find “Juror #2” accidentally funny and often find it only slightly less painful than a gavel to the knuckles.

Intros for these lists are pretty unnecessary. So let’s just say that it turned out to be a solid year for movies. Fun!

The filmmaking is electric, and the story is almost entirely unplugged.

Instead of thinking about it, “The Substance” just bloody goes for it, which will frustrate/horrify some and drive cackles in others.

It’s that thing you want and think we can’t have: entertainment with brains, a comedy with surprise, a love story with guts.

A bunch of fun to experience in a giddy daze or perhaps with pen and paper in hand, mapping shifting identities and how current motivations are driven by past feelings and lingering curiosities.

Makes a drag look like a party.

The premise is clever, and also thin, and also manipulative.

It’s a problem when you rule at ideas and stink at stories, and yet again “Trap” finds M. Night Shyamalan demonstrating his skills while falling into self-made holes of nonsense.

Without a doubt, Kendrick succeeds at capturing menace.

Has less feeling and insight about escape and feeling found than one listen to Taylor Swift’s “Getaway Car.”

If your idea of a good time is squeezing your eyes closed and moaning “No no no no no” on repeat, you could do a lot worse.

All buildup and no release, posing hypotheticals and cheering for matches that never feel finished.

Hit the road in search of something that it ultimately doesn’t find.

That McKendrick identifies this in one of the year’s funniest movies, and without falling into political landmines or predictable obstacles is nothing short of astounding.

A quintessential example of too much and not enough.

Violet is always near-implosion, and “Violet” excels at making us feel the isolation and confusion of her unease.