Contributor: Paul Asay

Inherent Vice is a whacked-out, confused, incoherent mess of a movie—and intentionally so.

Oh, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, wherefore art thou, Shakespeare? Art thou truly the writer we thinkest, creating works of majesty and grace from thine artful brow?

The Imitation Game is a well-made, well-acted, thought-provoking film. Certainly its subject matter makes it a difficult one, and its snide dismissals of God don’t help.

Despite the title, Katniss’ struggle now is no game. There is no arena, there are no tributes. What we’re left with is a bitter war and a dim vision of a better tomorrow.

Based on a true story about Olympic-level wrestling, Foxcatcher looks for love and affirmation but finds only anger and jealousy.

Earth is dying, and mankind throws a Hail Mary pass through a providential wormhole in this grandly scientific, often confusing Christopher Nolan space epic.

Self-made journalist Louis Bloom is a bad person doing bad things … to make a good point? Does that make for a good movie?

It’s not pinball that Travis Freeman plays a mean game of—it’s football. He plays it before he goes blind. And he plays it after, too.

We are all Precious in His sight, we’re told. But sometimes the most precious among us are shown their worth the least.

This overwrought romance gives us, of course, two likable lovers—and a really problematic love story.

A washed-up movie star tries to find a second life as a serious stage actor. But his superhero alter ego keeps getting in the way.

A rumination on race relations at a fictional Ivy League school, Dear White People wants to give us something important to study. So why does the syllabus have so many f-words in it?

Tyler Perry presents what may be his least comedic, least melodramatic movie to date. But don’t think for a second that the play on words in the title is an accident.

You just can’t keep a good monster down—not when he’s 350 feet tall. And now Japan’s favorite destroyer of cities has a little company. (We mean big company!)

Yet another typical Jack Black comedy? Not so much. This silly spoof of the movie industry teacheth more than it doth know.