Atlanta‘s Hometown News Site

Franchises like THE DIVERGENT SERIES always live or die on how well they balance concept with execution, and this one is a clear case of strong ideas gradually losing their footing the further they go. What begins as a genuinely engaging dystopian setup slowly unravels into something more generic, even as it tries to expand its world and raise the stakes. That trajectory is what ultimately defines the trilogy; it had a promising start, a louder middle, and a finale that never quite justifies the journey. With all of that said, I would never say this is a bad trilogy!

There’s a kind of late-80s thriller that operates on pure confidence, even when the material itself feels like it’s one step away from falling apart, and SPELLBINDER is without question a perfect example of that. It’s slick, a little ridiculous, occasionally clunky, and somehow still compelling enough to keep you locked in, even when you can see the cracks forming. That balance between intrigue and uneven execution becomes the film’s defining trait, for better and worse.

Some coming-of-age stories don’t rely on big moments or forced turning points, and RACING WITH THE MOON fits perfectly into that space. It doesn’t rush to define its characters or push them toward the conclusions that genre fans would expect. Instead, it lingers in the in-between, in those last spans of youth when everything feels temporary yet incredibly important. While that version of coming-of-age won’t live up to everyone's expectations, especially if you’re looking for something more structured, it gives the film a sense of uniqueness that’s hard to ignore.

There’s a version of MR. JONES that could’ve easily fallen apart within the first twenty minutes. It’s built around a character who lives in extremes, someone whose energy pulls people in just as quickly as it pushes them away. That kind of role either works entirely or not at all, and the difference usually comes down to the performance. In this case, that’s exactly what keeps the film afloat. Even when the story starts to sway, there’s always something compelling at the center holding your attention.

THE ACCOUNTANT moves with a confidence that never needs to call attention to itself. It keeps its scope tight, relying on character and conversation to build tension rather than expanding into an unnecessary exploration. There’s a precision to how each scene is constructed, with nothing feeling wasted or overstated. That level of control is what gives the film its staying power.

There’s a deep honesty buried within the grime of mid-century exploitation cinema, but finding it usually requires digging through a lot of repetition, rough craftsmanship, and moments that feel more pieced together than intentionally directed. THE SEXPLOITERS / RAW LOVE, presented here as part of Kino Cult’s ongoing excavation of grindhouse history, offers exactly that kind of experience. It’s less about storytelling and more about capturing a very specific moment in underground filmmaking, where content drove production and structure was often an afterthought.

There’s no illusion of comfort here, no entry point that gently guides you into the story. I think that was the moment that I realized how much I was going to appreciate this film. THE DANCING HAWK throws you into its world with a kind of controlled chaos that feels intentional, even when it borders on overwhelming. It’s a film that demands patience because it refuses to communicate in ways most audiences are conditioned to expect. That will divide people almost immediately.

Coming home isn’t framed as a warm return here; it feels more like walking straight into an unresolved past. THE BUSINESS OF FANCYDANCING builds the emotional foundation of the film around that unease, following a man who has technically “made it,” only to realize that success doesn’t erase where he came from or the burden that comes with leaving it behind.

Somehow WE BURY THE DEAD feels like it’s actively avoiding being the movie it was marketed as, and whether that works for you depends entirely on what you came in expecting (that’s not a negative). On the surface, it's a zombie film? (military disaster, mass casualties, the dead rising) But almost immediately, it starts pulling away from those moments, as soon as they appear. What you get instead is something quieter, more introspective, and definitely more interested in grief than survival. That’s the film's personality, but it will also push some people away and pull others in.

There’s a version of THE HISTORY OF SOUND that feels like it should hit you a lot harder than it actually does, and that gap between intention and impact ends up defining the entire experience. On paper, this is exactly the kind of film that should knock you over, a story about two men, a shared love of music, a fleeting connection shaped by time, distance, and repression, all set against the backdrop of a changing world. It has all the ingredients of something devastating. But what you actually get is something far more restrained, almost to a fault, where the emotion never quite breaks through the surface.

There’s some deep discomfort that comes from watching someone try too hard to belong, and LURKER understands and explores that with an almost surgical precision. It doesn’t rely on twists or shocking reveals to get under your skin. Instead, it builds tension through awkward silences, calculated interactions, and the realization that the person at the center of it all is always one step ahead, even when he pretends not to be.

There’s a very specific blueprint that UNCOMMON VALOR follows, and it would go on to define an entire subgenre of 1980s action cinema. A group of misfit soldiers, a dangerous rescue mission (sound familiar?) A ticking emotional core is driving the whole thing forward. It’s familiar, sometimes to a fault, but there’s enough sincerity underneath the surface to keep it from feeling disposable. (to be fair, this wasn’t the first, but it was before many of the copycats that followed.)

There’s a charm that rises naturally from a film that knows exactly where it’s from, even if it doesn’t always know exactly where it’s going, and RANDY & THE MOB leans into that identity. This is a deeply Southern story, not just in its setting but in its attitude, humor, and character. While it doesn’t always connect, it carries enough personality to keep things engaging.

High-concept thrillers live and die by how well they commit to their own rules, and MERCY wastes no time locking itself into a very specific construct. A man sits in a chair, accused of murder, with a ticking clock counting down to his execution. That setup could feel restrictive, but the film leans into it, building tension through confinement rather than trying to escape it. This isn’t a new story, but it’s handled here in a way that creates something more than the sum of its parts.

I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE rides a thin edge throughout, keeping things engaging even when the payoff falls short. Built around a writer whose work starts bleeding into reality, the concept does much of the heavy lifting. Execution is what determines how much of it actually lands.

Some films age into relevance; others feel like they were born into it. CUTTER’S WAY is a bleak, cynical, and deeply character-driven neo-noir that feels just as sharp now as it did in the early 1980s. It’s less interested in solving a mystery than it is in dissecting the people caught inside it, and that distinction is what gives the film its lasting power.

Sometimes, a family film will lean on a magical premise to explore something surprisingly grounded, and PAPA BEAR fits squarely into that lane. It doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel, but it does commit to the formula in a way that makes its intentions clear from the start. This is a story about connection, patience, and understanding, wrapped in a premise that’s just strange enough to keep younger audiences engaged. Shockingly, there’s something in here, even with some of the struggles; there’s a heart here that’s undeniable.

Trying to translate a stage production into something that works at the same level on screen has always been a challenge that’s often hit or miss, and MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG leans hard into that challenge rather than avoiding it. This isn’t a traditional film adaptation, and it doesn’t pretend to be one. Instead, it’s more somewhere between a recorded theatrical experience and a cinematic reinterpretation, and whether that works for you depends almost entirely on what you expect going in.

MERMAID wastes absolutely no time making it clear that this isn’t going to be a whimsical fantasy or some offbeat romantic creature feature. It drops you into the life of a man who’s already falling apart, then pushes him even further when the impossible enters that chaos. What follows isn’t a story about wonder or discovery, but about desperation, obsession, and the fragile line between purpose and self-destruction. Whatever your expectations, this will meet you on a different level.

There are war films that focus on the individual, and then there are war films that attempt to capture the machinery of war itself. A BRIDGE TOO FAR belongs to that second category, and it embraces that identity from the very beginning. This isn’t a story built around a single hero or a simple story. It’s a sprawling, deliberate reconstruction of a failed operation, and it leans into the idea that scale can be just as powerful as intimacy.

There’s a noticeable shift happening in documentaries about climate change, and WE HAVE TO SURVIVE leans into it. Instead of asking what might happen, it focuses on what has and continues to happen. That distinction shapes everything about how the film operates, grounding it in lived experience rather than distant warnings or abstract data.

Some bands chase success. Others redefine what success means. BORN INNOCENT: THE REDD KROSS STORY makes it clear early on that this isn’t going to be a documentary about chart-topping hits or industry dominance. Instead, it’s about longevity, identity, and the kind of stubbornness that keeps a band going long after the spotlight moves on.

WHAT WE DREAMED OF THEN is the kind of film that quietly sneaks up on you. It builds through small moments, quiet conversations, and the uncomfortable reality of a life slowly unraveling. Empathy, heartbreak, desperation, and longing drive Taylor Olson’s drama, which focuses on realities that rarely receive this level of attention, blending family dynamics with those of someone experiencing homelessness. Through a deeply personal narrative, the film explores how easily someone can fall through the cracks while still trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for the people they love.

SURRENDER TO IT sees a group of old friends reunite for a weekend retreat in the Welsh countryside, hoping to reconnect after years of distance and personal growth. But beneath that setup lies a far darker story about grief, regret, and the emotional baggage people carry long after life has moved forward. Tim Bryn Smith’s thriller uses the isolation of the British countryside to create a tense atmosphere in which unresolved trauma slowly creeps to the surface.

PIZZA MOVIE never pretends to be smarter than it is, and that ends up being the best thing about it. Built on a premise so ridiculous it almost sounds like a parody of college comedies, the film sets out on a basic mission. It spins into a chaotic night of hallucinations, misunderstandings, and absurd encounters. What could have easily collapsed under the weight of its own nonsense instead turns into a surprisingly effective comedy that understands exactly how far it can push its premise without losing the audience.