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: Apr. 17, 2020
2020 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
Butt Boy
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Sorry We Missed You
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Vivarium
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Why Don’t You Just Die!
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Behind You
Brent McKnight @ The Last Thing I See
- Excerpt: Even stuck in quarantine, there’s still been a steady stream of horror movies to check out. ‘Behind You’ is also a movie.
Behind You
- Excerpt: Please note: we are switching site hosts. Sorry for the technical difficulties.
Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint
MaryAnn Johanson @ FlickFilosopher.com
- Excerpt: Wonder and mystery dwells in the work of forgotten abstract pioneer Hilma af Klint. Sarcasm and side-eye for the male- and money-dominated fine-art establishment dwells in this superb doc about her.
Circus of Books
Karl Delossantos @ Smash Cut Reviews
- Excerpt: Where the Circus of Books lacks focus, it makes up for in pure heart and a touching personal story that gives hope to a community.
The Dalai Lama: Scientist
Dennis Schwartz @ Dennis Schwartz Reviews
- Excerpt: Gets into interesting subject matter.
Endings, Beginnings
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: The filmmaking is elegant and gorgeous, but it still can’t help but feel stock and standard. However, Shailene Woodley still manages to shine through.
Endings, Beginnings
MaryAnn Johanson @ FlickFilosopher.com
- Excerpt: Love this cast, but, my god, I hate these characters. I hate this miserable take on romance, which mistakes wallowing in self-pity for introspection, and people being awful for philosophical depth.
Extra Ordinary
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: Forte and O’Doherty are obvious highlights, but the rapport between Ward’s comedic straight man and Higgins as the relatable punch line is where Extra Ordinary excels.
Miracle in Cell No. 7
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: A heretofore unknown subtitled movie from Turkey became a Top 10 hit on Netflix. Will wonders never cease?
Porno
Brent McKnight @ The Last Thing I See
- Excerpt: If you lament the lack of sex demons and genital torture in current horror cinema, have I got something for you…
The Quarry
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: I’m not convinced it’s quite as profound as the filmmakers may have intended, but it a satisfying enough experience that was more than worth it just to see Shea Whigham give a terrific performance.
The Roads Not Taken
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: Our interest is kept by the stunning wealth of melancholic beauty behind every decision made.
Selah and the Spades
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Poe’s film exhibits far more originality than we normally see in the genre … But it is Lovie Simone’s cool intensity and Celeste O’Connor’s initial smitten bewilderment that turns into her own brand of confidence that ignite “Selah and the Spades.”
Selah and the Spades
Josh Taylor @ www.forgetfulfilmcritic.com
- Excerpt: The issues I had with Selah and the Spades were with the writing. The film wants to say too much about the modern high school experience, and as a result, it lands on an issue for no more than a scene before moving on to the next one.
Stray Dolls
- Excerpt: Sinha, in addition to emphasizing the harried bond of her feminine tag team drenched in decadent turmoil, shines a revealing spotlight on blue-collar working class drudgery in all its puddles of purgatory.
System Crasher
- Excerpt: …startling and grippingly raw portrait of childhood monstrosity. Zengel’s furious face is resourcefully inspired as her walking wounded minor is a major firecracker with atom bomb-like capabilities.
Tigertail
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: The film leaves so many blanks and loose threads for its audience to mentally fill in, but Alan Yang still showcases an empathetic eye and a knack for lush visual storytelling that, over time, can really flourish into something special.
Trolls World Tour
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: It’s like eating Pixy Stix laced with Pop Rocks paired with a shot of Mountain Dew.
Trolls World Tour
Trolls World Tour
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Marvelous singing and dancing take over the screen in this creative sequel, which makes me very happy because I’m the world’s most avid movie musical fan.
Uncorked
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Did you know that Jay-Z = chardonnay, Kanye West = pinot grigio, and Drake = riesling. That info alone is enough for me to recommend this film.
We Summon the Darkness
Jared Mobarak @ The Film Stage
- Excerpt: We Summon the Darkness reveals itself to be a fun ride when all is said and done because [no character] on-screen knows what he/she is doing.
We Summon the Darkness
- Excerpt: Please note: we’re switching hosts. Sorry for the technical difficulties.
The Whistlers
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Ten years later [after “Police, Adjective”], Porumboiu’s subverting language with music, both with a cheeky soundtrack featuring Iggy Pop and opera and the whistling that allows our protagonist to communicate while escaping detection.
2019 Films
Honeyland
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Little Women
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
