Here are some reviews of films coming out at the theater this week as well as others that may be in theaters or newly on home video.
Opening: Dec. 29, 2023
2023 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
Air
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
American Fiction
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Anatomy of a Fall
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Boys in the Boat
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Champions
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Color Purple
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Godzilla Minus One
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Gran Turismo
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Inventor
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Iron Claw
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Maestro
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Migration
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Napoleon
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Oppenheimer
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Poor Things
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The Taste of Things
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Wish
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Wonka
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AirHostess-73
Bavner Donaldo @ Cinejour [Indonesian]
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A documentary guaranteed to make you laugh about one of the greatest comedians of our time.
All of Us Strangers
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: “All of Us Strangers” is, in a way, a culmination of Haigh’s prior three movies, featuring, as it does, a burgeoning gay relationship (“Weekend”), a heterosexual marriage (“45 Years”) and a child’s yearning for a family ripped away from him (“Lean on Pete”).
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Haigh beautifully handles the narrative progressions to ensure he doesn’t have to jump through hoops distracting us from a truth hidden in plain sight. He knows how to use his script to prevent us from asking questions, but it never feels manipulative.
Shelagh Rowan-Legg @ ScreenAnarchy
Anselm
Shelagh Rowan-Legg @ ScreenAnarchy
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Andrea Chase @ KillerMovieReviews.com
- Excerpt: A tired pastiche of the super-hero/sci-fi genre most notable for being a perfect distillation of the phenomenon known as “super-hero fatigue”.
Matt Oakes @ Silver Screen Riot
- Excerpt: Jason Momoa’s tenure as the titular Aquaman comes to a close as the DCEU reaches its end amidst waning interest. I can’t say that I’ll miss this wildly inconsistent franchise though ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ does serve as an apt reminder of its oppressive tonal inconsistency. Despite these shortcomings, Momoa and Wilson manage to deliver a few funny moments, and the film does boast its share of visually enchanting sequences.
Diego Salgado @ SoFilm [Spanish]
Beyond Utopia
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A documentary that embeds viewers with defectors from North Korea on their harrowing journey to freedom.
Blueback
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: A brilliantly-crafted story with magically gorgeous cinematography, “Blueback” deals in the essential: what gives us life, gives us meaning and gives us love.
The Caine Mutiny Court Martial
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A courtroom drama about proper and improper conduct that has contemporary relevance.
Candy Cane Lane
- Excerpt: Candy Cane Lane is a silly yet surprisingly funny movie!
Chile ’76
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/29248/chile-76
A Confucian Confusion
- Excerpt: As the film unfolds, it becomes quite clear that A Confucian Confusion is quintessentially Yang, from the keenly sensitive glance he directs toward fading romances to the way he portrays the rapidly evolving city of Taipei—a place that can bring people together just as easily as it can tear them apart.
Earth Mama
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: Touching story of a single mother who is trying to reshape her life to regain custody of her small children.
Ferrari
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A depiction of sports car racing as a metaphor for life’s journey with all its joys and stresses
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: We love our entertainment and vicarious fantasies way too much to hold anyone in power accountable. We’d rather give them glacially-paced Oscar-bait biopics that pretend cold callousness is a trait of greatness rather than evil.
In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A pilgrimage with Pope Francis to visit the people and express his concerns for the world.
It Ain’t Over
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A wide-ranging portrait of the extraordinary baseball player and coach, cultural icon, and family man.
Jacob the Baker
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: First published in 1989 by Random House, the “Jacob” books carry messages of wisdom and caring as does this remarkable film.
Journey to Bethlehem
Rick Aragon @ Rick’s Texan Reviews
Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A wide-ranging documentary on the life and work of the prolific writer, outspoken political activist, and dedicated educator.
Memory
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Its value is less about plot than the characters and how their respective brokenness has positioned them to be exactly who the other needs to break free from the psychological and/or physical prisons in which they find themselves.
The Miracle Club
Bavner Donaldo @ Cinejour [Indonesian]
My Sailor, My Love
Bavner Donaldo @ Cinejour [Indonesian]
Never Too Late for Love
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: This is Italy’s version of man versus all that makes the establishment: the government and the church.
Radical
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: Radical is an inspiring film to watch and reiterates the educational importance of self-image and belief in the human potential.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
Allen Almachar @ The MacGuffin
- Excerpt: Despite a wide scope and plenty of spectacle, the weaknesses in story and character make the narrative feel thin.
Rose
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A road trip during which we meet a schizophrenic character and learn to see beyond stigma.
A Still Small Voice
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: A portrait of radical empathy practiced by chaplains in the pastoral care department of a New York hospital.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ SpiritualityandPractice.com
- Excerpt: An extraordinarily intimate portrait of the actor who used a diagnosis of Parkinson’s to discover he is really was and what he could do for the world.
The Teachers’ Lounge
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: At rock bottom, “The Teachers’ Lounge” is a scintillating microcosm of modern Western life. Promoted as “a study in power dynamics, with themes of truth, justice, racism, respect, and children’s rights,” it’s a raw picture of life with its ironic recent erosion of truth and demand for protective rights.
To Kill a Tiger
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: We know that rape and violence towards women is not just an issue in India. It is a world issue that has occurred through time in all societies and social strata. Whether in war or peace, women and girls are vulnerable. Nisha Pahuja’s delicate but powerful film brings it back to men, showing what a father can do with support from an activist group.
