James Wan’s foray into the DC Extended Universe is a poorly paced and corny cheese-fest, but it never pretends to be anything other than fun. What Aquaman lacks in finesse, it makes up for in Jason Momoa’s attitude and charming commitment to the role. Leaps and bounds better than Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, the film is a flawed spectacle whose sole purpose is to entertain - an old-fashioned fantasy yarn with likable characters and frenetic underseas action. Mild spoilers ahead…

Sony Animation Studios and directors Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti go buck wild with the fantastic Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Ditching continuity altogether while still keeping things layman-friendly, Into the Spider-Verse is a rollicking adventure that is equal parts thrilling, funny, and moving. Fast-paced with a lot of heart, the film is refreshingly quirky with a bombastic aesthetic and a charming sense of humor. In addition, the introduction of the Afro-Latino Miles Morales onto the big screen scores another home run for diversity this year. Minor spoilers ahead...

A novel premise, chilling atmosphere, and some of the gnarliest and creepiest practical effects in recent memory give rise to...one of the most disappointing horror films of the year. The Possession of Hannah Grace is a colorless, charm-less slog that is content in its laziness, a crime much worse than being a bad movie. Minor spoilers ahead...

The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos’ uproarious and acerbic followup to The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, is a biting portrait of palace intrigue and feminine wile. Anchored by a trio of powerhouse performances by Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colman, The Favourite is a welcome departure from Lanthimos’ past absurdist filmography, but also a fine continuation of the director’s will to challenge and entertain. Minor spoilers ahead…

Halloween may be long over, but there’s no bad time to put on a good old-fashioned horror flick. Many have said that horror is a dying genre, and that modern horror can’t hold a candle to the terrors of the past. To those people, I say: you’re not looking hard enough. Not only is the genre thriving, but many of its underseen standouts are just a click away. Today, in no particular order, we’re bypassing the genre mainstays with some under-appreciated gems from the modern era you can stream right now. Although this post is not sponsored in any way, many of the films on this list can be found on the relatively new horror streaming service, Shudder. If you’re a horror fan, Shudder gives the most bang for your buck with a diverse library of frights and thrills at a fraction of the cost of Netflix or Hulu. Onto our list…

Un-American. Treasonous. Racist. Sexist. Instead of describing the next embarrassing farce of the current American political landscape, this incendiary hyperbole is being used to characterize an innocuous Neil Armstrong biopic as one of the worst things to ever happen in Hollywood. Immune from neither the right nor the left, Damien Chazelle’s First Man is a strange casualty of today’s outrage culture, an ugly trend that is slowly suffocating productive discourse in favor of holier-than-thou fist-waving. Empathy and meaningful dialogue are dying, and the current zeitgeist has spoken in the voice of an absurd motto: if you’re not mad about everything, then you don’t care about anything.

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s new documentary Free Solo is a thrilling look at the most dangerous form of climbing through the eyes of Alex Honnold, one of the most accomplished free climbers of all time. The film follows Honnold as he attempts to scale the daunting El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park without the use of ropes or protective gear. Glib psychoanalysis periodically threatens to sap the film’s energy, but every second focused on Honnold’s daredevil ascent is breathtaking and gut-wrenching, transforming it into one of the best documentaries of the year. Minor spoilers ahead…

When is a gimmick not a gimmick? Aneesh Chaganty answers this question with his slick and thrilling directing debut Searching, the second film of the summer with Asians in lead roles. A straightforward mystery of a father in search of his missing daughter, Searching is a nimble and sharp story told through the lens of modern technology - the entire film is conveyed through screens, UIs, and cameras. A concept that easily could have come across as cheap and tacky instead elevates the film in ways that are exciting and surprisingly moving. Buoyed by a magnetic John Cho, the film is deeper and more thoughtful than your average cyber-thriller. Mild spoilers ahead…

Crazy Rich Asians, the long-awaited film based on the 2013 novel of the same name by author Kevin Kwan, is a milestone in Asian-American filmmaking and representation. The film works best not as a romantic comedy, but as an exploration Asian and Asian-American identity in ways not often seen in mainstream media. Despite a sometimes uneven script and a reliance on genre tropes, Crazy Rich Asians is a vital stepping stone for Asians in Hollywood, elevated by a sprawling cast led by a charming Constance Wu. Mild spoilers ahead...

They just don't make them like this anymore. In the age of superheroes and large-scale sci-fi epics, Mission: Impossible - Fallout is a refreshing throwback to balls-to-the-wall stuntwork that manages to thrill and amaze just as adeptly as its shinier CGI brethren. The first true sequel in a six-film franchise, Tom Cruise's iron will to entertain with insane physical setpieces, along with Christopher McQuarrie's sharp script and direction, mark this Mission as one of the best. Mild spoilers ahead...

We're only half way through 2018, and we've already seen our fair share of great films. From sweeping blockbusters to quiet indies, this year has produced a diverse pool of cinematic gems, and it isn't even awards season yet. Consider this the first installment of our semi-annual best of list. Our favorite films of 2018 so far are...

Much more than just a horror movie, Hereditary is an emotional experience designed to upset and traumatize. Brutal and beautiful, first-time feature director Ari Aster crafts a harrowing tale that is as engrossing as it is difficult to watch. Aided by haunting direction and cinematography, along with a bravura performances from Toni Collette and Alex Wolff, Hereditary is a pitch black exploration of family dynamics and the fallout of dark supernatural secrets. Mild spoilers ahead...

The home stretch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three is finally here, and the Russo brothers deliver an epic, brutal, and oftentimes scattered showdown with the Mad Titan Thanos. Buckling, even if never caving, under the weight of the preceding 18(!) films, Avengers: Infinity War can't quite live up to the high-water mark year the MCU has had, but it damn well tries and it's a minor miracle that the film works as well as it does. Mild spoilers ahead...

One of the most decorated directors of the past few decades, Steven Soderbergh has made a name for himself with his daring forays into experimental filmmaking. In some ways, Soderbergh challenges the very concept of the auteur filmmaker: with no trademark look or style, his diverse filmography ranges from mainstream blockbusters like the Ocean's films, to micro-scale stunt-casted indies like The Girlfriend Experience and Haywire, to prestige period television like The Knick. Soderbergh's latest film, Unsane, is a thrilling master class in suspense that works in tandem with Soderbergh's eye for experimentation, but it's not for everyone. Mild spoilers ahead...

Thoroughbreds, which started its life as an unproduced stage play by Cory Finley, is a fresh and confident debut for the first-time director. Dark, humorous, and sharp, the film is aided by two magnetic performances from Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke, and a special assist from some of the best sound editing in a film this year. Mild spoilers ahead...

An uplifting celebration of blackness, Black Panther represents a momentous turning point in black cinema. Ryan Coogler has crafted one of the most poignant explorations of African culture and what it means to be black. The main character just happens to kick ass and wear a cat costume. Mild spoilers ahead...

Netflix, in an unprecedented move, dropped an entire feature-length film onto unsuspecting audiences right after the Super Bowl last night. The third film in the Cloverfield franchise developed by J.J. Abrams, The Cloverfield Paradox is a new sci-fi film that attempts to tackle parallel universes, space adventure, and giant monsters...and fails miserably. Uninspired, lazy, and mostly just nonsensical, The Cloverfield Paradox is a waste of a perfectly executed marketing stunt. Mild spoilers ahead...

Don't let its grindhouse and exploitation trappings fool you, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a fantastic film that puts Vince Vaughn to great use in a way you'd least expect: as a take-no-prisoners asskicker. A film that depicts a slow unraveling of a man's life that suddenly explodes into bone-crunching madness and gruesome violence in its third act, Brawl in Cell Block 99 will change the way you look at Vince Vaughn forever. Minor spoilers ahead...