Last month's big-budget blockbusters The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are still playing at multiplexes nationwide, but for those in search of something new and different, we have a few recommendations for you.
First is a mind-bender that starts routinely and then steadily becomes extraordinary. You won't want to miss It Ends. I saw the film at SXSW last year and agree completely with our critic J Hurtado, whose review is linked below.
I have not yet seen the sci-fi thriller Hot Spot, nor the ghost story Insidious: Out of the Further, nor the Jason Statham action picture Mutiny nor the fevered Kafka bio-pic Franz nor the Anthony Bourdain slice-of-life bio-pic Tony nor the horror pic Blood Shine nor the drama How to Divorce During the War nor the coming-of-age pic The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo, but out critics have seen most of them, and their reviews are linked below.
I have seen The Magic Faraway Tree, however, and agree with the review by our critics. Other than that, I have a lot of catching up to do! Enjoy your weekend with a new movie, in a theater if you can.
It Ends
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Neon Releasing.
See this movie.
Our review by J Hurtado: "A quartet of twenty-something friends out for a drive find themselves on a road to nowhere in first time feature director Alexander Ullom's meditative sci-fi thriller. ...
"Relying entirely on the performances of our four lead characters, It Ends is a hangout horror that turns into a nihilistic metaphysical thriller that can run with the best of them on a fraction of the budget that one might expect for a film with such grand ideas."
Official synopsis: "A group of recent grads head out on a late night drive for grub, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two lane hellscape surrounded by untold horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding."
Hot Spot
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Focus Features. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes..
Andrzej Konopka, Noomi Rapace, and Reika Kirishima star in director Agnieszka Smoczyńska's sci-fi thriller.
Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "On the other hand, you can't help but wish the authors would choose one vein to tap into and stick to it. The back half of the film seems to be less interested in societal anxieties or losing your autonomy to AI, and more in a troubled marriage and the invisible dysfunctions inside it. There are some interesting psychosexual undertones buried underneath stylistic flourishes, but they never get fully explored because there is always other cool stuff to show.
"Here is a thought no film critic ever thinks they'd get to type out: Watching a dystopian version of Scenes from a Marriage, with mutant worms and an epic masturbation session, is not as entertaining as you may be imagining."
Official synopsis: "In Hot Spot, set in a near future society ruled by sentient A.I., a private eye investigates a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord. As the detective's identity slowly unravels, his world enters a state of hypnotic meltdown."
Insidious: Out of the Further
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Blumhouse.
The Insidious horror franchise expands.
Our review by Mel Valentin: "Insidious: Out of the Further runs out of ideas well before Gemma enters the Further one last time, limping along to a preordained conclusion. By then, patience with the series will surely wear thin, raising a relevant question: If this is the best the Insidious team can do in the three years between entries, why not stop now, take a break, and regroup instead of greenlighting another sequel? The obvious answer, potential box-office returns for a seventh entry, shouldn't be acceptable anymore."
Official synopsis: "A trio of stalkers infiltrate a quiet suburb and force a new family into the astral plane, where they uncover a terrifying truth: the Further is bleeding into the real world."
Mutiny
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Lionsgate. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Our review by Daniel Eagan: "After years mired in aging franchises, Jason Statham has returned to the solid B-movies that established his career. Almost interchangeable, his recent films have tended to rework themes from his earlier hits.
"Mutiny falls on a serious side of his filmography. A long, leisurely opening looks at what could have happened to Transporter's Frank Martin a couple of decades on. Once the film gets underway, it boasts a good cast and a premise that's a few twists away from Under Siege. ...
"Statham just keeps pounding away, better than just about all his contemporaries."
Official synopsis: "In Mutiny, after witnessing his billionaire boss's murder and being framed for the crime, Cole Reed (Jason Statham) boards a cargo ship on a one-man crusade to avenge his boss' death only to discover an international conspiracy."
Franz
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Cohen Media Group.
Our review by Martin Kudlac: "By balancing elements of irony, vulnerability, and inevitability, Franz addresses the multiple dimensions of a figure who has long been absorbed into myth."
Official synopsis: "Her most ambitious work to date, acclaimed writer-director Agnieszka Holland's fevered and funny biopic gets thrillingly close to understanding Franz Kafka by refusing to pin him down to any one interpretation."
Tony
The film is now playing nationwide, only in movie theaters, via A24 Films.
Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, and Antonio Banderas star.
Our review by Simon Ramshaw: "With its shifting, complicated thoughts on how the harm caused by reckless youth breaks and heals its characters, Tony is both biographical and autobiographical, organically fitting in with Johnson's own affection for and frustration with man-children finding their way in the world, and also doing justice to Bourdain's own rich and complex life."
Official synopsis: "A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life."
The Magic Faraway Tree
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Vertical Entertainment.
Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, and Nicola Coughlan star in the family-friendly fantasy.
Our review by George and Josh Bate: "The Magic Faraway Tree overwhelmingly succeeds in bringing a nearly 100-year-old book series to modern audiences with relevant themes and colorful visuals. For children, the film packs a valuable message about all the wonderful outcomes of looking beyond one's devices and into the real world, in addition to all sorts of fantastical worlds and quirky characters.
"For adults, it taps into a disturbingly relevant reality about the digital age, yet ultimately offers hope that rebuilding family and reforging connections are never truly out of reach."
Official synopsis: "Based on the worldwide best-selling novel, The Magic Faraway Tree follows Polly, Tim, and their three children as they begin a new life in the remote countryside. When the kids discover a magical tree hidden near their home, they are welcomed by its extraordinary residents and swept into spectacular, fantastical lands beyond their wildest imagination. With every adventure, the family discovers the magic that helps them reconnect with what matters most - each other."
Blood Shine
The film is now playing, in movie theaters and on Video On Demand platforms, via Dark Sky Films.
Directed by Emily Bennett & Justin Brooks, the horror film stars Emily Bennett, Bendan Sexton III, David Call, and Larry Fessenden.
Official synopsis: "In upstate New York, Clara is a religious zealot who worships light in lonely, sacred rituals. Brighton West is a horror filmmaker trying to work on his script when a chance encounter with Clara leads him into an hallucinatory web of faith, flesh, and the sublime."
How to Divorce During the War
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Zeitgeist Films.
Official synopsis: "Vilnius, 2022. High-flying executive Marija (Zygimante Elena Jakstaite) chooses the worst possible moment to inform her husband Vytas (Marius Repsys) she wants a divorce: just one day before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Suddenly the couple must navigate the process of separation as it collides with a refugee and mid-life crisis.
"A struggling film director, Vytas is put into a tight spot by having to move in with his Russophile parents, while Marija struggles to find her footing as the war affects both her business and home life. As the reason for the divorce gradually becomes clear, the dissolution of Marija and Vytas' marriage creates conflicts and opportunities for both of them, while also affecting their ever-observant young daughter Dovile.
"Packed with surprises along with much heartache and soul searching, Andrius Blaževičius' nuanced and timely family drama skillfully depicts the fallout of a marriage against the backdrop of extraordinary events with humor and compassion."
The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo
The film is now playing, on various digital platforms, via Persimmon.
Official synopsis: "You're either born with it or you're not. The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo is coming soon. Starring Alexandro Byrd (Descendants), Anna Mirodin (Priscilla) and Hannah Kepple (Cobra Kai).
"Set in suburban NY in 1984. Julie Gornick hosts a charismatic, larger than life Spanish exchange student. As he starts hooking up with the girls in her class, Julie falls in love with him. Or what she thinks is love."
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