Now Playing: THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB Protests, THE HOUSEMAID Cleans Up, IS THIS THING ON? Tests Marriage
Our guide to new movies opening this week, only in theaters, updated to include our latest reviews. Enjoy!
Pick of the Week: The Voice of Hind Rajab
The film opens Wednesday, December 17, only in movie theaters, via WILLA. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Our site has not been offered an official screener for the film, though my local critics group received a FYC (For Your Consideration) screener, which I watched and found quite extraordinary: instantly gripping, intensely chaotic, and deeply touching.
Official synopsis: "January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab."
The Housemaid
The film opens Friday, December 19, only in movie theaters, via Lionsgate. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Official synopsis: "A wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems.
"Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous -- a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters' closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end."
Our review by Kyle Logan: "A wily movie full to the brim with twists, and built on two perfectly calibrated performances for this kind of airport trash (affectionate if not entirely complimentary). ...
"The Housemaid is a crowdpleaser through and through. Every aspect of it exists to elicit the kind of smiling 'fucked up, right?' Millie gets from another member of the help after a gossip session. While not every aspect is entirely successful, The Housemaid's big swings at fucked-up fun land far more than they miss."
Is This Thing On?
The film opens Friday, December 19, only in movie theaters, via Searchlight Pictures. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Official synopsis: "As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family--forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form. Directed by Bradley Cooper."
Our review Olga Artemyeva: "Is This Thing On? has obvious signs of being a crowd-pleaser that chooses to pretend that it isn't a rather conventional dramedy about a man in the throes of a midlife crisis and a couple who are obviously up for a stab at a second chance. In reality, the story, co-written by Cooper, Arnett, and Mark Chappell, as well as Cooper's already trademark broad-strokes directorial style, feature most of the recognizable clues pointing to this very thing."
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via 20th Century Studios. Visit Fandango for locations and showtimes.
Official synopsis: "This world is much deeper than you imagine. ... James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na'vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na'vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family."
Our review by Mel Valentin: "Unfortunately, Avatar: Fire and Ash never matches the level of invention, imagination, or immersion of that set piece again. Instead, the third film devolves into a painfully familiar series of escalating complications, many lifted with minimal variation from the first or second film."
Now Playing celebrates the theatrical experience.
