Now Playing: EVIL DEAD BURN, WESTHAMPTON, THE ISOLATE THIEF

As this week has developed, it's been interesting to see how the initial word-of-mouth screening reactions to the widest releases lowered as more reviews were published (Evil Dead Burn) and downright plummeted (Moana).

The latter is the widest release, which doesn't guarantee anything; I saw the movie at an afternoon screening -- before reading our review that is linked below -- and was quite surprised to see only three other people in attendance.

In addition to the new releases below, I also want to point out that, after playing in limited engagements for the past couple weeks, Olivia Wilde's adult comedy The Invite is expanding. Our review by Mel Valentin was quite positive.

Read onward for more options at your local theaters.

Evil Dead Burn
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Warner Bros. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.

Our review by J Hurtado: "The Deadites are back - kind of - in director Sébastien Vaniček's Evil Dead Burn, the sixth feature film entry in the long running horror franchise. A direct follow-up to 2013's Evil Dead and 2023's Evil Dead Rise, Evil Dead Burn follows a grieving family to their doomed home in the woods following the untimely death of restauranteur, Will. But family tension will soon take a back seat to gritty survival horror when undead demons crash this family reunion in typically gory Evil Dead fashion. ...

"If experience has taught us anything, it's that there is more than one correct way to make an Evil Dead movie. It's not a franchise like the slashers of old where plots and tones were rehashed and reused in the name of turning a quick buck. Sadly, what Evil Dead Burn has taught us is that there is a wrong way to make an Evil Dead movie, and sadly this is it.

Westhampton
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Obscured Releasing. Visit their official site for locations and showtimes.

Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "In Westhampton, directed by Christian Nilsson, the hero, Tom Bell (Finn Wittrock), has to grapple with the viewers and the moderator who care perhaps too much and come on too strong in asking to explain the autobiographical connection he has to his latest film. ...

"Another great thing about Westhampton: it never attempts to simplify things that are so inherently messy, they don't really have neat solutions. And as the film's elegant finale states, that's okay -- sometimes, realizing that certain things will never be resolved is as much a happy ending as we can get."

The Isolate Thief
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Shout! Studios. Presented by Radial Entertainment.

The cast -- Mackenzie Foy, Odeya Rush, Jack Kesy, Ty Simpkins, Martin Sensmeier with Joe Pantoliano and Sean Bean -- looks quite good, and the trailer has a hushed quality about it that is quite appealing.

Official synopsis: "One bitter-cold winter during the Civil War, a young woman becomes the lone caretaker of a remote Union Army outpost. When a stash of stolen gold falls into her lap, a gang of vicious outlaws comes looking for it. As they turn her home into a battleground, she must stay one step ahead of them in order to survive."

Moana
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Disney. Visit the official site for more information, including locations and showtimes.

Our review by Mel Valentin: "Unnecessary. Redundant. Superfluous. Three English-language words that describe the same or similar experience in life or fiction.

"Any one of those words, alone or collectively, can also describe Moana, the less-than-anticipated live-action remake of the 10-year-old animated hit that enthralled audiences in theaters and has done likewise at home since its release. ...

"Life lessons are learned, initially by Moana ("believe in yourself," "follow your dreams," "take risks"), Maui (less egocentrism, fewer worshippers, but more friends), and Moana's parents ("sometimes you have to let the people you love go, let them make mistakes, and support them without judgment") before the live-action remake hits one final listless, lifeless song-and-dance sequence, a celebration of unity and community that, like everything else in the live-action remake, was done far better and with more genuine feeling a decade ago."

Mockbuster
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Giant Pictures. Visit the official site for more information.

This looks very endearing. And quite independent.

Official synopsis: "Once-promising Australian filmmaker Anthony Frith lands a final shot at glory with Hollywood's kings of B-movie schlock, the Asylum, the studio behind Sharknado. Tasked with directing a lost-world dinosaur film in suburban Adelaide on a six-day shoot and a shoestring budget, he also turns the camera on himself, filming a behind-the-scenes documentary as the chaos unfolds.

"Between demanding LA execs, a bewildered cast, and his own creeping self-doubt, both productions push their first-time director to the brink. Mockbuster is a hilarious and unexpectedly tender documentary about chasing the dream through the absurd hustle of genre filmmaking, but finding a different kind of success behind the scenes."

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures Classics. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.

On the title alone, I was disinclined toward the comedy. Then I watched the trailer.

Official synopsis: "Small town hairdresser Gail Daughtry is engaged to her devoted high school sweetheart, Tom. Her life takes a turn when a trip to a book signing leads to Tom meeting - and sleeping - with his 'celebrity pass'.

"Reeling from the betrayal, Gail impulsively joins her friend Otto on a trip to Los Angeles, where a psychic convinces Gail that the only way to save her marriage is to 'even the scales' with her own celebrity pass: Jon Hamm.

"Thus begins an epic journey through Tinseltown as Gail and Otto join forces with a talent agency assistant, a paparazzo, and actor John Slattery, all in the search for Hamm. Along the way, they collide with celebrities and are hunted by a group of Italian assassins as they get ever closer to finding the elusive star."

Reading Lolita in Tehran
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Greenwich Entertainment and Kanopy. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.

This sounds somewhat didactic, until you watch the trailer.

Official synopsis: "A professor (Golshifteh Farahani) in revolutionary Iran secretly gathers her most dedicated students to read forbidden classics of Western literature."

Black Chariot (1971)
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Kino Lorber. Visit their official site for more information, including locations and showtimes.

Check out the trailer for its eye-opening opening scene, then keep watching to get a glimpse of a "landmark in Black cinema."

Official synopsis: "Robert Goodwin wrote, produced, and directed this lost gem of American independent cinema. Opening during a tense meeting between members of an underground Black Power group that leads to a stunning foot chase, Goodwin's film weaves past and present to tell the story of the social awakening of a character only referred to as 'the drifter' (screen legend Bernie Casey in his first starring role!).

"Shot on both 35mm and video and boasting a fierce, early performance from L.A. Rebellion icon Barbara O. Jones, Black Chariot is a fascinatingly iconoclastic revelation. Though world-premiered at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1971, Black Chariot has remained under-screened for decades -- until now."

Crossing
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Well Go USA. Visit their official site for more information, including locations and showtimes.

War!

Official synopsis: "After the bloody Xiang River battle during the Long March in 1934, the Red Army faces a massive force of 400,000 enemy troops. Shifting tactics, the leadership guides the cornered men through the legendary four river crossings at Chishui in an effort to outmaneuver the enemy. Amidst the chaos, a veteran clinging to a sacred vow and a homeless orphan fighting just to survive forge an unbreakable bond on the frontlines."

Now Playing celebrates the cinematic experience, in movie theaters and at home.