The Master is competently made and beautifully acted, but there’s a larger sense that the parts do not add up to a whole.

Forget what you’ve heard or read about Samsara. Non-narrative, dialogue-free, whatever. It is a completely immersive film experience—fascinating from the moment its first images appear on screen until the credits roll.

In 2072, it’s impossible to kill a person. Living people can be tracked and, when they’re no longer living, the authorities are alerted. Pity the mafia, which faces the prospect of not killing any

It’s hard to find a movie that’s more thoughtful, better acted or more unique than Robot and Frank. Simply put, it’s one of the best movies of the year, and one of the best science fiction films of all time.

With a sixth place debut and only six million dollars against a 50-million dollar budget (pretty low for a 3D actioner), it’s safe to say that this film has officially bombed. Which is incredibly depressing. So, in the few days this film has left, I implore you: go see Dredd 3D.

In independent filmmaking there’s a comforting near-truth: Good independent films are more likely to see release than bad independent films. Indie pictures don’t have gargantuan marketing budgets to cover a movie’s mediocrity—or outright badness—with advertising blitzes, marketing campaigns and viral videos.

The one thing worse than a movie that’s so totally rah-rah about its subject is to put the audience in a position to care about its subject and then to, rather ruthlessly, kill its subject. Or in the case of End of Watch, half its subjects.

Director William Friedkin has returned once again, however, this time, he’s dressed in Tracy Letts’ stage gown. Based on Letts’ eponymous play, Friedkin and his recent collaborator (Bug, 2006), deliver another whirlwind of big and bold characters clashing within a small environment.

Mike Birbiglia has made something of a miracle. Sleepwalk with Me is hysterically funny, filled with good stand-up, sympathetic performances and characters we care about.

Imagine if Richard Gere’s character in Pretty Woman, Edward Lewis, didn’t have a moral compass. That’s Robert Miller, the character he plays in Nicholas Jarecki’s sharp new thriller, Arbitrage.