“Alien: Romulus” tries deftly to walk the line but has the odds stacked against it. Its greatest attributes are its two would-be leads in Cailee Spaeney and David Jonnson as Rain and Andy respectively who each have their own approach but in their own relationship work against the ideal of what we expect.

The intention of a "Planet Of The Apes" film is to give the notion of perspective pertaining to the notion of the greater good...and the contemplation of conscience. With the newest installment, "Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes", it is about going beyond the ideal of what Caesar was, and his connection to the human race. What the new film does is remind that the aspects of history and memory fade over time and become jumbled by those living it.

The aspect of a horror film needs to create dread while also being acary psychologically and not just in a gore context. "The First Omen", despite treading some of the same ground as "Immaculate", accomplishes this admirably creating a sense of old school with its shooting style and tone (while being set in the early 70s in Rome) while also not pulling back and making the characters unbelievable.

The revelation of "No One Will Save You" comes in its ability to show both old school paranoia within the context of a creature feature not trying to make an overt statement about the state of the world. It is simply one woman's journey with the world against her in a way though she is simply in a cage of her own circumstance. In that way, the film is undeniable.

The adventures of Hercules Poirot play on the texture of perception, location and deduction while still creating both a sense of time and tension. While the last two films directed and starring Kenneth Branagh understood their task, the style applied to "A Haunting In Venice' (enhanced for IMAX) really uses the approach as an exercise but also a classical progression of how such a film is done.

Making an original film with a period backing with unusual if not eccentric characters can either work gloriously or become hit-or-miss scenario depending on the beats the story takes. "Amsterdam", a new faux comedy from writer/director David O. Russell, is particular in many ways that always populate his films. However it depends on certain edge points.

The context of horror depends on expectation and what one thinks of the path going in. With "Barbarian", even with the influx of how the trailers built the film up, it is about the misdirect and perspective of the audience. But the idea revolves in how it plays out. This usually has to do with structure and the intensity of what the reveal is.

“Prey" in a way strips it down and takes away everything except the Predator itself. And what is its purpose? To hunt. And with its technology and interstellar capability, the creatures have probably been doing it for many millennia. That is actually a great starting point. Have this apex predator hunt in certain eras. "Prey" chooses the Comanche Nation in the early 1700s.

Making an action film that is accessible both to young women and cool enough to appeal to the young male demographic is few and far between. "The Princess" does it admirably while still sticking to its mid-range budget guns and almost despite a high body count keeping it relatively bloodless