Author:   Justin Souther

The Story: An nonagenarian discovers that he's been duped into running drugs for a cartel. The Lowdown: A morally and intellectually flat effort from Clint Eastwood that seems rushed and pasted together.

The Story: Robin of Loxley returns from the Crusades to find his home destroyed and his wife gone, which sends him down the road of becoming the legendary thief Robin Hood. The Lowdown: An occasionally curious and ambitious take on Robin Hood that's unfortunately silly and overblown.

The Story: A young man is entered into gay conversion therapy by his religious parents. The Lowdown: A morally nuanced and gently humane film with an expert cast.

The Story: A father struggles with his son's unexpected addiction to drugs and a seemingly impossible recovery. The Lowdown: While there are some interesting stylistic flourishes here, a lack of an emotional linchpin, uneventful performances and a narrow view of addiction keep the movie from being something more impressive.

The Story: A young girl travels to a whimsical fantasy world in an attempt to solve a puzzle left behind for her by her late mother. The Lowdown: A pleasant, well-meaning family film that hits all the right notes for this type of film, yet never quite raises itself toward anything greater.

The Story: The early life and career of French writer Colette and her marriage to the author Willy. The Lowdown: What could've been a simple biopic instead becomes a tale of art, authorship, love, sexuality and gender, with a wonderful cast and a thoughtful approach.

The Story: A young yeti begins to question everything he's believed in when he meets a seemingly mythical human being. The Lowdown: A pleasant and frantic animated movie with a worthy message, but nothing really inspiring to set it apart.

The Story: A young boy navigates his rocky home life and burgeoning sexuality. The Lowdown: A beautiful and heartfelt film about family and growing up and all the confusion that brings.

The Story: A documentary about Scotty Bower, a procurer of sexual partners in postwar Hollywood. The Lowdown: A disjointed doc that wants to follow its oddball subject while also forcing an undeserved amount of profundity on top of the whole film.

The Story: A woman in a small town decides to open a bookshop despite pushback from more powerful people in her community. The Lowdown: An incredibly drawn-out and confoundingly pointless drama that really only has a nice Bill Nighy performance going for it.

The Story: After breaking up with her boyfriend, a woman enters a relationship with her ex's favorite (yet reclusive) musician. The Lowdown: Despite touches of intelligence and commentary on art and artists, the rest of the movie is awash in romantic comedy semantics that are light on the romance and uneven on the comedy.

The Story: A bored, frustrated housewife discovers that she has an unusual talent for jigsaw puzzles. The Lowdown: A quiet, human movie about desire and fulfillment, full of good performances and fully formed characters.

The Story: An exploration of parents with children who are vastly different from themselves. The Lowdown: An emotionally mature, complex and tender look at family.  

The Story: A number of people are brought together by their mutual love of dogs. The Lowdown: Well-meaning, yet fatally overlong, boundlessly cutesy and full of goofy humor that makes for a film that never meshes as a whole piece.

The Story: Two ordinary friends find themselves entangled in a plot of dangerous, violent international espionage. The Lowdown: While offering some good lead performances and an interesting examination of female friendship, the movie as a whole is simply too mired in cliches to be memorable.

The Story: A hybrid sequel/prequel that tells the story of what's happened to the characters of the original Mamma Mia! while filling in the gaps of that film's backstory, all with ABBA numbers. The Lowdown: A harmless and genteel musical that really relies on a love of ABBA that supersedes the film's lackluster plot and energy.

The Story: An emotionally damaged mother reluctantly agrees to a long road trip with her dysfunctional, drug-dealing father. The Lowdown: An overlong, needlessly sentimental and generally unfunny attempt at a quirky family comedy.

The Story: In early 20th-century Russia, an affluent family deals with desire and jealousy. The Lowdown: A beautifully shot and stylish film that suffers from a certain amount of unevenness in its acting.

The Story: An elderly street-ball legend comes out of obscurity to get his old team back together for a tournament. The Lowdown: A chintzy comedy with surprisingly assured performances and a kind center to it.

The Story: A single dad tries to reconnect with his daughter before she leaves for college by starting a band with her. The Lowdown: While the performances are solid, a lack of real, earned emotion and an airlessness in its musical side hurt a nice little film.

The Story: The life of legendary fashion editor Andre Leon Talley. The Lowdown: While focusing on a worthy and fascinating subject, the film as a whole lacks any real spark.