Of the six new genre films that we're highlighting today, I've seen three, and of those, Dave Boyle's Never After Dark stands out.
Our critic J Hurtado goes into much more detail in his review, linked below, but I'll add only that it was a pleasant surprise that quickly becomes an entirely gripping horror thriller. Don't miss the opportunity to see it in a movie theater.
I enjoyed Lance Oppenheimer's sizzling drama Primetime more than our critic, Kyle Logan. His review, also linked below, capably explains his reservations. Thirdly, I also enjoyed David Ayer's wilderness survival adventure Heart of the Beast, though to a much lesser degree than the films listed above; still, see Mel Valentin's review below to see why he thinks it's an "emotionally impactful" film.
It's a good weekend for genre movies. I'm looking forward to seeing Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, both with review links below. New York readers can see Ryuichi Sakamoto: Diaries at the Metrograph; more information is linked below.
Never After Dark
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing.
Our review by J Hurtado: "There is no doubting the fact that what Boyle and his team have created here is easily one of the early frontrunners for the year's most accomplished horror films. Stunningly realized, fastidiously scripted and executed on every level, and genuinely frightening, Never After Dark is a beautiful nightmare from which I never wanted to wake up.
"Just when you think you've seen everything, it is so satisfying to stumble into a film and realize that there is so much more than horror can do in the right hands. It may be his first foray into the genre, but Boyle proves here that he is a student of cinema, and I really hope he sticks around to play some more in this sandbox, because he's got the goods."
Official synopsis: "A wandering medium, Airi (Moeka Hoshi, Shogun), spends her life guiding restless spirits out of the world of the living accompanied by her constant companion: her dead sister Miku (Kurumi Inagaki).
"Summoned to exorcise a spirit from an isolated country house by the new owner, Teiko (Tae Kimura), she comes face to face with a grotesque apparition with powers that defy Airi's experience. Faced with skepticism from Teiko's son, Gunji (Kento Kako), she digs deeper into the house's past until a secret comes to light -- and Airi finds herself hunted by a far more unpredictable force. For the first time, her greatest adversary is not the supernatural, but the living.
"Director Dave Boyle spins a uniquely terrifying and hauntingly atmospheric ghost story."
Primetime
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via A24 Films.
Our review by Kyle Logan: "While it works as a portrait of its three lead characters, that's a bar most biopics clear before being forgotten. Many of those biopics include phenomenal performances that weren't enough to save them from the dustbin of cultural history, so there's no reason to think Pattinson, Weaver, and Gisondo's work here would set Primetime apart.
"What undeniably sets it apart, and marks it as one of the most singular 'based on a true story' films, is its bold visual style."
Official synopsis: "From director Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine. Primetime - Inspired by true events. In 2006, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history."
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Amazon MGM Pictures and Orion Pictures.
Our review by Mel Valentin: "The kind of filmmaking that demands to be seen, heard, and experienced."
Official synopsis: "A devoutly religious hitman, who embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children after his wife dies, confronting forces closing in and beliefs threatening to unravel."
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures Classics.
Our review by George Bate: "A stirring meditation on grief with more than enough humor, romance, style, and eccentricity to dance its way into your heart and stay there for a while."
Official synopsis: "Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo's ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly."
Heart of the Beast
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Paramount Pictures. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Our review by Mel Valentin: "Throughout, though, it's the credibly developed, unshakeable bond between Belmont and Odin, essayed magnificently by Pitt and Uber, respectively, stunningly grand vistas of Alaska (actually New Zealand) courtesy of on-location shooting and Oscar-winner Mauro Fiore's cinematography, and Ayer's generally tight, taut direction that elevate an otherwise seemingly rote survival thriller into an emotionally impactful drama centered on Belmont and Odin."
Official synopsis: "After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements. From acclaimed filmmaker David Ayer, Heart of the Beast is an intense adventure thriller that explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet."
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Diaries
The film is now playing at New York City's Metrograph as part of its Sakamoto on Screen, Portraits of an Artist series.
This is a case where the official synopsis says it all.
Official synopsis: "An extension of Omori's short Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days, made in close collaboration with Sakamoto's family, Diaries is an intimate portrait of the subject over the three and a half years following his diagnosis with terminal cancer, shown in archival footage and original material at his New York home, receiving regular chemotherapy treatments in hospital, and continuing through all trials and tribulations his creative work, with longtime friend Min Tanaka heard reading passages from Sakamoto's journal.
"A film about living with a finite number of hours ahead that, remarkably, is something other than a doleful threnody; its credits roll to a 1981 song that Sakamoto wrote and performed with Yellow Magic Orchestra: 'Happy End.'"
Now Playing celebrates the cinematic experience, in movie theaters and at home.