‘I’m Still Here’
This political drama directed by Walter Salles centers on a family in 1970s Brazil whose lives are disrupted by a series of disappearances during the military dictatorship.
From our review:
“I’m Still Here” does not present as a simple polemic about a historical and political situation, and that’s the secret to its global appeal. It’s also a moving portrait of how politics disrupts and reshapes the domestic sphere, and how solidarity, community and love are the only viable path toward living in tragedy. And it warns us to mistrust anyone who tries to erase or rewrite the past.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A romance that leaves something to be desired.
‘Wish You Were Here’
This romance directed by Julia Stiles follows Charlotte (Isabelle Fuhrman) as she falls for Adam (Mena Massoud), a nice guy with some baggage.
From our review:
Early on, Charlotte insists that “finding some dude on a dating app isn’t going to give me direction in my life.” If you’re well-versed in the rules of the genre, you know this is meant to be dramatic irony. Yet by the end of “Wish You Were Here,” I still wasn’t convinced she’d actually found direction and purpose. I hadn’t been convinced that either she or Adam were as remarkable as they insist the other is.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Relationships can get hairy.
‘Wolf Man’
When Blake (Christopher Abbott) and Charlotte (Julia Garner) retreat to the woods in hopes of repairing their marriage, he undergoes a monstrous transformation in this thriller directed by Leigh Whannell.
From our review:
In one sense, “Wolf Man” is a generic, and not especially scary, cabin-in-the-woods frightener that leans too often on tenebrous lighting and ear-shredding sound effects. Despite some gnarly moments, the movie lacks the gangbuster pacing and psychological perversity that made “The Invisible Man” such a rush. … Yet the extreme pathos of Blake’s plight is palpable, and Whannell is determined to make us feel it.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Critic’s Pick
Broke characters, rich comedy.
‘One of Them Days’
Keke Palmer and SZA star as roommates on a madcap quest to get enough cash to pay their rent.
From our review:
Borrowing from slacker and stoner comedies, “One of Them Days” becomes a ticking-clock quest for cash, complete with periodic freeze frames announcing how many hours remain before the women’s eviction. But the movie’s big achievement lies in how rarely it lapses into gross-out or injury-inflicting gags. … The director Lawrence Lamont and the screenwriter Syreeta Singleton find their best humor on the character level, in clever dialogue and sharp line deliveries from the entire ensemble.
In theaters. Read the full review.
The (all too) usual suspects.
‘Back in Action’
In this action comedy directed by Seth Gordon, former spies (Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx) have to come out of retirement to protect their children.
From our review:
With characters who seem designed as placeholders for a future franchise rather than necessities in this one … “Back in Action” has a better cast than its (often mawkish) writing earns. Mostly, the sense of familiarity takes its toll.
Watch on Netflix. Read the full review.
A snappy thriller from Belgium.
‘Night Call’
Mady (Jonathan Feltre), a locksmith working in Belgium during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, gets caught up in a dangerous conflict in this thriller directed by Michiel Blanchart.
From our review:
The film may be sticking to a familiar template, in which a regular Joe gets sucked into an underworld, but Blanchard’s snappy direction and the great mileage he gets out of the city’s nooks and crannies bumps it up the crime-action totem pole. If the finer details are forgettable, you’re sure to remember that it was at least a fun ride.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Consider this review a mercy killing.
‘Alarum’
Directed by Michael Polish, this bland action flick follows Joe (Scott Eastwood) a rogue agent on the run from Chester (Sylvester Stallone), the assassin tasked with eliminating him.
From our review:
“Chester is messy,” a grumpy superior opines. Maybe, but he’s not as disordered as a script whose author common decency precludes me from naming. Traversing bleakly undifferentiated East European locations (the less said about the cinematography, the better), the bullet-riddled plot is a flavorless tossed salad of code names and cleaning crews, drone strikes and shootouts.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.