The World's End (2013)

Five friends reunite after 20 years to relive an epic night of drinking. But their nostalgic pub crawl is interrupted by Stepford-like androids on a mission from an alien overlord determined to raise the standards of the human race, whether it wants it or not. That’s the spoiler for The World’s End, the latest collaboration between Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). But, honestly, there’s not much there to spoil. Read the full review here.

The Spectacular Now (2013)

There must be something about alcoholism that haunts director James Ponsoldt (Off the Black, Smashed). His third feature film features an alcoholic teen and his codependent girlfriend in a sort of “Days of Wine and Roses of the Gen Y” era. But don’t mistake this for an “issues” movie or even narrow the expectations for audience. It’s the best kind of film — beautiful, understated, heartbreaking. Read the full review here.

Elysium (2013)

In Elysium, writer/director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) takes another dim view of human behavior. In his second feature film, the South African filmmaker presents a future in which the wealthy elite have abandoned a dystopian Earth for a suburban satellite. And the only hope for the mixed-race masses left in the dusty, graffiti-covered super ghetto that Los Angeles has become is Max (Matt Damon), a car thief turned anti-hero. Read the rest of the review on KCActive.com.

The Smurfs 2 (2013)

Still, the script makes no attempts at updating Smurfette’s personality (or, to quibble here, her wardrobe). The Smurfs are voiced by an incredible cast of comedic actors, including Jonathan Winters, Paul Reubens, John Oliver, Fred Armisen, J.B. Smoove and Alan Cumming, and live-action stars, such as Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria and Brendan Gleeson, but Gosnell (Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Scooby Doo) seems less interested in crafting a story than he does in taking other easy route to box office earnings. If there is another one, and there probably will be, it should star Greedy Smurf. Read the full review on KCActive.com.

I'm So Excited (2013)

With his latest film, I’m So Excited! (Los amantes pasajero), Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar marks his return to comedy with his signature stylized candy-colored camp. But the film’s preoccupation with sex, death and scandal offer more meaning to the screwball antics than mere entertainment. Read the full review on KCActive.com.

The To Do List (2013)

There isn’t much subtlety in writer/director Maggie Carey's debut feature The To Do List. Its gross-out comedy and blunt moral message are awkward and unfulfilling. But the film’s commitment to burlesque reveals something smart and possibly even subversive. Read the full review here.

The Way, Way Back (2013)

In their directorial debut The Way, Way Back, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash heed the siren song of the amusement park. In their original screenplay, the Oscar-winning writers of the adapted screenplay for 2011's The Descendants infuse a modern setting with this distinct Gen X nostalgia. At times, this creates an uneven tone, particularly when references are made to songs or movies released before the lead character was born. But this disconnection between time and place is only a slight glitch in this sharp yet wistful character-driven comedy. Read my review here.

The Heat (2013)

The opening title sequence of director Paul Feig’s latest comedy works a bait-and-switch. It promises a slick, feminized parody of the buddy cop movie. But Katie Dippold’s (MADtv, Parks and Recreation) formulaic script doggedly, non-ironically follows its tired plot to the end. Starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, The Heat trades in on the gender of its leads while failing to fulfill its promise. Read the rest of the review here.

Much Ado About Nothing (2013)

On the 12-day break between shooting and postproduction for last summer’s superhero spectacle The Avengers, writer/director Joss Whedon invited some of the actors from his unofficial stock company to his Santa Monica, CA, house to film a black-and-white version of Much Ado About Nothing. Sparked by informal readings at the director’s house for brunch, the project passes for organic rather than pretentious. But many of Whedon’s artistic choices, including photography and production design, seem slapdash and even ill conceived. Read the rest of the review here.

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Funny or Die regulars director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer Chris Galletta’s first feature film offers a slightly overdone but passionate overture to the coming-of-age story. Yet, a surprisingly expressive and dynamic performance by Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) shifts the focus of The Kings of Summer from the sons to the fathers and could, as a result, find favor with a more mature audience. Read the rest of the review here.

Before Midnight (2013)

The latest installment of director Richard Linklater’s “Before” series, which includes 1995’s Before Sunrise and 2004’s Before Sunset, strives toward a middle-aged realism. But Before Midnight, co-written by Linklater and co-stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, reveals an arrested development by wallowing in broad and pretentious arguments rather than the details of a couple's life together. Read the rest of the review here.

This Is the End (2013)

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's meta apocalypse movie This Is the End counts on both an audience's affinity for and annoyance with the roster of Hollywood's young slackers. Any indifference toward the cast, which includes Rogen, James Franco, and Jonah Hill among others playing hyped-up versions of their already ridiculously exaggerated public personas, precludes a connection with the material, turning an A-lister-filled film into a lousy B-movie. Read the rest of the review here.