Nadir Samara

Palm Trees and Power Lines is eerie, provocative, and thought-provoking.

The writing, direction, and acting are spectacular. The score by Robert Ouyang Rusli is stirring and never ceases to amaze. Among 2023's film entries, Bruiser stands among the year's best so far.

The film's events feel natural, so the audience doesn’t have to dig deep to understand and relate to the characters. Combined with a hilarious cast who are all on the same page, The Drop delivers an entertaining enough viewing experience.

The cast is not the problem, but the script certainly is. The actors are given too much to do and no time to do it. Golden has the right idea, but the execution fails the film's aspirations.

To say Leonor Will Never Die is making bold choices would be an understatement. One never sees the comedy coming, the film is gorgeous, and the script is easily one of the year's best.

No part of Utama feels fabricated. The costumes are a part of the environment; the camera work is as simple as it could be, but what is in front of the camera is elevated by a lovely stillness. Alvarez turns Bolivia into a series of portraits and Grisi is the perfect conduit to tell such a specific tale of love and life.

The underlying story is about dealing with grief, but I’m Totally Fine is neither nuanced nor funny enough to comment on that topic meaningfully.

Something in The Dirt is a wild ride that will take one to the limits of reality and test one's patience.

All Quiet On The Western Front does not live and die by each round of ammunition, it thrives through personal connections and incredible shots of stunned faces covered in soot.

Spirit Halloween: The Movie is a missed opportunity at best and totally unnecessary at worst.

The film's tone and performances are in lockstep, creating a familiar but effective vibe, making MK Ultra a no-frills thriller reminiscent of classic 70s paranoia.

Mona Lisa and The Blood Moon is a tightrope of horror, revenge, and feminism set to awesome music.

Moonage Daydream doesn't really concern itself with David Bowie’s effect on the world; it lives and dies inside his own mind, and the decisions he made that impacted his art.

Sadly, Dig has little to offer audiences other than its magnificent soundtrack.

By the end of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, fans will feel both nostalgia and elation for the direction the franchise is going.

The story is very high concept and the tone is completely aware of itself, leading to a truly enjoyable experience

Summering is a slow and ultimately boring mystery that does little to portray youth in a meaningful way.

Though the performances are all very enjoyable, the dialogue pulls down the script. Despite this, however, Karmalink is unique, introspective, and beautifully imperfect.

Most of all, the movie reaffirms the fact that we still don’t have the iconic, big-budget Hart movie his career has been working towards.

The film's comedy is the cherry on top of a disgusting meal one has to hear to believe.

Hustle succeeds in being exactly the movie it sets out to be: A glimpse inside what it takes to get into, and stay in, the very competitive NBA.

Deep in the Forest certainly has a point of view, but it is ultimately a meandering slog.

There is nothing flashy about Davies' style and the found footage doesn’t feel obtuse; it feels imminent. The film sets out to execute a plan and does so without missing a beat. It is rare to extract so much emotion from a mostly technical achievement, but Benediction does just that.

Explorations of sex are a dime a dozen in Hollywood but Thyberg isn’t interested in sex, she is interested in people who are interested in sex. There is no judgment and no fetishizing. (The film even has time for a boner joke.) What more could one ask for in a film such as this?

There is a very entertaining movie somewhere in The Ravine, but it seems to have been left on the editing room floor.

The Tale Of King Crab doesn’t keep one's attention at first, but if the audience can make it past the period piece there is a thought-provoking western on the other end.

Black Crab is a little long, but the movie is too cool to notice.

The script is far from perfect but if one squints, there is occasional fun to be had.