Once the tone grows serious, the moment characters begin to reveal who they are and openly state what lengths they’re willing to go to in order to achieve their desires, Vigalondo does not pull his punches. Because of this, Colossal is uniquely fascinating, this kaiju comedy secretly an emotionally crushing monster of a relationship melodrama that’s as intimately human as it is cathartically humane.

I tend to be an easy sell as far as these Underworld films are concerned, and as long as Kate Beckinsale keeps returning to them, I’ll likely remain moderately curious to see how each sequel is going to turn out. Underworld: Blood Wars might not reinvent the wheel as far as this franchise is concerned, but that doesn’t make it any less fun for fans, this latest entry in the vampires versus werewolves franchise well worthy of a look.

Tank 432 is weird and esoteric, but that’s pretty much all it is. Even on second glance, Nick Gillespie’s debut is just too strange and disconnected from any concrete narrative strands the film ends up almost impossible to invest in emotionally. It’s an idea looking for a reason to exist as a feature, and as such even a slew of impressive visuals aren’t nearly enough to make sitting through this one start to finish close to worthwhile.

Featuring what might be Evans’ best performance as well as a breakout turn by pint-sized starlet Grace, this little gem had me wrapped around its finger right from the start, and to say I loved Gifted wouldn’t be stretching the truth one iota.

The Fate of the Furious will appease longtime fans of the series, the sequel just well made enough that the fact this franchise’s tank is starting to get perilously close to empty doesn’t feel as big a problem as it honestly should. Personally, I am getting a little tired of it all, and while I appreciated and thrilled to a number of moments, and while I’d honestly love to see a spin-off adventure featuring Johnson and Statham and no one else, I just as genuinely am not so certain I’m up for two more of these films.

Queen of the Desert is a picturesque travelogue that never reveals anything about Bell that isn’t readily apparent right there on the surface, the script never digging deep enough to reveal the myriad of nuances that drove this woman to such spectacular, world-shaping heights.

“[In] our gender fluid time this is a piece of entertainment that could possibly contain more for audiences to ponder than initially meets the eye.”

Despite a fantastic opening act, even with Schwarzenegger delivering one of the best performances of his career, Aftermath proves to be a massive letdown, never crafting an atmosphere that felt authentic and pure. I just don’t think the film is any good, the potential it hints at in its early sequences going to waste, and as such I found the finished product almost impossible not to be disappointed in.

While I’m happy Hill has such progressive beliefs as they pertain to gender identity, I’d have been even happier had he and Hamill written a thriller worthy of such open-mindedness, The Assignment nothing more than a maddening grindhouse disappointment.