Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley" is an effective exercise in the art of storytelling through the use of exquisite character development and execution.

Fans of filmmaker Paul Schrader will find plenty to enjoy in "The Card Counter," his latest exercise in having his characters exorcise their personal demons.

Right off the bat, The Florida Project is a curious juxtaposition. As the film begins, viewers are blinded by alarmingly bright pastel scenery—lilac is simply not a color picked as the primary pigment for a film. Welcome to the...