Let's start with spoilers: two new, wide-release genre films proved to be disappointments, as the reviews linked below reveal. Bummer!
So, let's first focus on two new releases of festival films that we truly enjoyed, as well as a Hong Kong classic that is opening on Sunday for a limited engagement.
Dooba Dooba
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Dark Sky Films. Visit the official site for more information.
Official synopsis: "In-home security cameras watch as an awkward 16-year-old girl terrorizes her well-meaning babysitter."
Our review by Kyle Logan: "Dooba Dooba is something truly special: an inventive and thrilling found footage movie that proves the sub-genre still has room for formal growth and one of the most deeply troubling horror movies of the last decade."
The Well
The film is now playing, in Toronto and Montreal movie theaters, via Vortex Media. Visit Tribute for locations and showtimes, as well as upcoming openings in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Hamilton.
Official synopsis: "In a world where environmental collapse has left survivors to fight over the precious remaining resources, a young woman's loyalties are tested by the arrival of a wounded man who discovers her family has a secret supply of freshwater.
"Canadian Connection : A Canadian production filmed in and around Hamilton, Ontario with a Canadian cast and crew."
Our review by J Hurtado: "There was a time where a film like The Well, in spite of its deadly serious tone, could be enjoyed as science fiction fantasy. Sadly, it feels more like a window into a future toward which we are accelerating by the day. "
Hard Boiled
The film screens in a new 4K restoration on Sunday, January 25; Monday, January 26; and Wednesday, January 28, only in movie theaters, via GKids. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo, Philip Chan, amd Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok star in John Woo's Hong Kong action classic. This is a phenomenal film that deserves to be seen on a proper cinema screen.
Official synopsis: "Mobsters are smuggling guns into Hong Kong. The police orchestrate a raid at a teahouse where an ace detective loses his partner. Meanwhile, the two main gun smugglers are having a war over territory, and a young new gun is enlisted to wipe out informants and overcome barriers to growth. The detective, acting from inside sources, gets closer to the ring leaders and eventually must work with the inside man directly."
Additional notes from GKids Films: "Newly restored and remastered, each film in this highly anticipated retrospective will screen on approximately 800 screens nationwide in all major markets, the widest North American theatrical release all three titles have ever received. Screenings of each film will be followed by a pre-recorded interview with John Woo."
Mercy
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Amazon MGM Studios. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Official synopsis: "AI is the future of criminal justice, and it's closer than you think. Mercy is only in theaters January 23. Filmed for IMAX. Experience it in 3D.
"In the near future, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determines his fate."
Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "As for the underlying message, it all comes down to an actually pretty mild stance on AI, concluding that both artificial and human intelligence can be wrong. Which is accurate and fair; I'm just not convinced anyone must endure 90-plus minutes of being stuck in a chair to get this point. This includes Chris Pratt, and it definitely includes the viewers."
Return to Silent Hill
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Iconic Events Releasing. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Official synopsis: "Return to Silent Hill brings the iconic horror franchise back to the screen. When James receives a mysterious letter from his lost love Mary, he is drawn to Silent Hill--a once-familiar town now consumed by darkness. As he searches for her, James faces monstrous creatures and unravels a terrifying truth that will push him to the edge of his sanity."
Our review by Kyle Logan: "As an adaptation of one of the best video games ever made from a filmmaker who successfully translated the games' world to film before, it's a major disappointment.
"As a movie, it's just bad."
In Cold Light
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Saban Films.
Official synopsis: "Fresh out of prison, Ava (Maika Monroe) fights to reclaim her drug empire but is framed for murder, hunted by cops and a ruthless crime boss (Helen Hunt). Forced to face her estranged father (Troy Kotsur), she battles betrayal and bloodshed to survive."
Our review by Olga Artemyeva out of Tribeca 2025: "The camerawork helmed by Sara Mishara (who has previously worked with Maxime Giroux on his feature debut, Demain, and Felix and Meira) is one of the best and most creative aspects of the film, doing its best to create the chaotic images of the hostile world around Ava and to breathe life into something that looks more like an exercise in style. "
Now Playing celebrates the theatrical experience.