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: DATE
Wide (United States)
The Nun
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
2018 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
Alpha
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Avengers: Infinity War
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Crazy Rich Asians
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Operation Finale
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Searching
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Slender Man
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Aos Teus Olhos
Joao Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
Black ’47
Darren Mooney @ the m0vie blog
- Excerpt: A feast of a famine western.
The Bookshop
Jared Mobarak @ The Film Stage
- Excerpt: What appears to be a run-of-the-mill drama that will surely fall into the usual clichés of perseverance and eventual victory about a woman standing up to a small town of bullies that sees her as an outsider is actually much more complex. Instead of fantasizing about an old-fashioned conservative community’s wholesale ideological change, Fitzgerald and Coixet reveal how success happens one person at a time.
Fake Blood
Paulo Peralta @ CinEuphoria [Portuguese]
Gavagai
Bev Questad @ It’s Just Movies
- Excerpt: Rob Tregenza, a phenomenal American director/cinematographer, handles the camera himself, imposing little background sound. In the quiet, observing the widower’s pain, ironically the guide is shown the way.
Hearts Beat Loud
- Excerpt: The healing power of music—and Nick Offerman’s giddy laugh—save the day in likable cheeseball drama Hearts Beat Loud.
Joy
- Excerpt: At the start of Sudadeh Mortezai’s downbeat trafficking tragedy “Joy” there’s some reason to think that one is about to see a story of power and independence. But there is no battle and no heroism.
Kin
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: Kin doesn’t work, at least, whenever it strays away from the central story about brotherhood. It’s a poorly thought out attempt at genrebending that fails to provide the emotional resonance it needs to make an impact.
Kin
Dan Lybarger @ Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- Excerpt: Labor Day is usually when studios drop movies that have no chance of finding an audience in the summer or award season. Kin sadly follows in that long, predictable tradition.
Kusama: Infinity
David Bax @ Battleship Pretension
- Excerpt: You’ll come away from it having learned something but probably not having been moved by it.
Kusama: Infinity
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality and Practice [German]
- Excerpt: http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/arts/reviews/view/27778/kusama-infinity
The Little Stranger
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: Rather than be a mood piece that redundantly prolongs an inevitable confrontation, Waters has infused her horror into the underlying dread and uncertainty of the period.
Memoir of War
Bev Questad @ It’s Just Movies
- Excerpt: Marguerite Duras’s life and success as a writer and intellectual is sharply illuminated in her self-revelation as a woman conflicted by love, trauma, loyalty, and courage.
The Merger
- Excerpt: It’s one thing to mean well. Damian Callinan actually does well with his good-hearted and genuine footy comedy The Merger.
Mile 22
Darren Mooney @ the m0vie blog
- Excerpt: Flawed, frustrating… and strangely fascinating.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
Vadim Grigoriev @ kinoblog.com [Ukrainian]
Papillon
Joao Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
Rampage
Vadim Grigoriev @ kinoblog.com [Ukrainian]
Ready Player One
Vadim Grigoriev @ kinoblog.com [Ukrainian]
Support the Girls
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: Support The Girls is a simple slice of life comedy on the surface, but underneath all the workplace tangents is layers of commentary about being a woman working a thankless, low paying job that leaves them at the mercy of entitled men. However, it avoids cheap impulses, keeping its messaging understated and coming from a place of empathy and compassion.
Terminal
Vadim Grigoriev @ kinoblog.com [Ukrainian]
Tully
Joao Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
A Wizard’s Tale
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: This colorful animated film might not work for many adults, but most youngsters should be entertained by all the action, whimsical creatures, and fantasy/reality jumps.
Wyeth: American Masters
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality and Practice
- Excerpt: An engrossing documentary on the life and legacy of the very popular American painter.
2017 Films
Ana, Mon Amour
Joao Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
Brave New Jersey
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Director/writer Jody Lambert uses the impact of the infamous Orson Welles radio broadcast as the backdrop for his amusing movie. He deserves kudos for putting together a wonderful, diverse cast and crew to create a film that looks as real as possible.
Breakheart Pass
James Wegg @ www.jamesweggreview.org
- Excerpt: 1975 classic re-released on Blue-ray
Brimstone
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: A more disturbing movie than “Brimstone” would be hard to find. It’s kind of like “Night of the Hunter “– if directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Brimstone & Glory
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: The film itself is a sensory experience that takes us through the preparations of explosives and architecture. Jakovleski is keen to relinquish his title of director and truly speak about the project as a collaboration of people who understand what it is to be so close to destruction and acknowledge its unparalleled majesty.
Call Me by Your Name
Dave Brent: On the Road
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: In the title role, Gervais makes us feel sorry for the pathetic David Brent and even evokes a few laughs over his social inadequacies, but the movie uses the same situation too many times.
Doubtful
Eight Films by Jean Rouch
- Excerpt: Eight films newly restored
Wheeler
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Stephen Dorff makes “Wheeler” quite real. His great performance as a country singer seals the deal.
2016 Films
20th Century Women
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: A wonderful character-driven offering with first-rate acting by a very strong cast. Annette Bening brings her “A game” to the lead role, and she’s ably supported by Lucas Jade Zumann, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, and Billy Crudup. Written and directed by Mike Mills, this motion picture demonstrates how skillful writing and outstanding performances can transform a simple bittersweet story into something very special indeed
Goldstone
Peter Nellhaus @ Coffee, Coffee and more Coffee
- Excerpt: Goldstone could easily be described as a contemporary Chinatown, set in Australia’s outback. What begins as the story of a detective looking for a missing woman, constantly reminded that he is an unwanted outsider, is also the story of exploitation – land deals, shady financial schemes, displacement of the local population, and environmental ruin.
Jackie
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: So many nonlinear flashbacks made me feel like I was lost in a crazy time machine. And Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jackie ends up being too mechanical and mannered.
A Monster Calls
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: A Monster Calls impressed me with the remarkable way it combines the sad reality of a young boy’s life and the fantasy world he creates to deal with his problems.
My Dead Boyfriend
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Although many amusing as well as poignant scenes are included here, something important seems missing — a likable main character.
Trolls
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Everything about this animated movie musical delighted me, but especially the song and dance numbers. The look of the film also charmed me completely.
