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: Feb. 3, 2023
Wide (United States)
Knock at the Cabin
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Limited (United States)
The Amazing Maurice
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Maurice, resembling one of Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things crossed with Alice in Wonderland’s Cheshire Cat, isn’t the most honorable creature and Laurie breathes just the right mix of self involvement and reluctant hero into him
Baby Ruby
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: a psychological thriller about postpartum depression swaddled in the horror genre… Merlant effectively conveys a woman losing her identity in a maelstrom of infantile demands while trying to project the expected societal maternal image.
Let It Be Morning
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: The film features many striking moments, a standout watching Mira dance to The Dead Weather’s ‘I Cut Like a Buffalo’… may not enjoy the success of the crowd pleasing “Band’s Visit,” but it is the more thought-provoking film.
2023 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
M3GAN
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Blood
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: It’s an effective spin on usual genre tropes with Monaghan constantly pushing herself beyond the limits of morality to keep her boy alive. Stick with surface and you should enjoy the ride.
Cairo Conspiracy
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: And as Saleh explains in his director statement, that truth doesn’t inherently pick a side. Adam ultimately learns [that] the system is rigged. No “authority” is beyond reproach.
Cat Person
Chris Barsanti @ Slant Magazine
- Excerpt: Cat Person only succeeds when it stays in a space of mystery and unknowing.
The Civil Dead
Shelagh Rowan-Legg @ ScreenAnarchy
Infinity Pool
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: “Infinity Pool” is a nasty swim in evil, noxious waters but one wishes it were deeper.…Mia Goth is now officially freaking me out, the actress all too convincing giving herself over to wild displays of anti-social depravity.
- Excerpt: The 2nd Annual JanuScary Special continues with Infinity Pool! A unique horror film that examines the connection between hedonism and affluence with a dash of cloning thrown in for flavor.
Life Upside Down
- Excerpt: Even with a very strong cast, “Life Upside Down” is a lesser entry in this category due to a weak screenplay from director Cecilia Miniucchi that relies on tepid dialogue and awkward and distracting workarounds. Even with a very strong cast, “Life Upside Down” is a lesser entry in this category due to a weak screenplay from director Cecilia Miniucchi that relies on tepid dialogue and awkward and distracting workarounds.
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: There’s a greater chance of experiencing PTSD from reliving that sense of isolation than finding any real emotional value.
Magazine Dreams
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Elijah Bynum’s MAGAZINE DREAMS is a case where there are so many great things happening that are ultimately let down by execution.
The Picture Taker
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Bertelsen constructs his film as a resource for context without passing any judgment. [We] absorb what’s said, weigh the scales between good and evil, and bask in the artistry that stands up to both. Hero or villain, no one can deny [Withers’] talent.
Plane
MaryAnn Johanson @ FlickFilosopher.com
- Excerpt: Entertainingly ridiculous? Or ridiculously entertaining? The slick of wild nonsense slapped over an uninspired undercoat is enjoyable enough while you’re onboard, and then it’s instantly forgettable.
Plane
- Excerpt: Gerard Butler cements his status as king of the Big Dumb Action Movie
Run Rabbit Run
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Director Daina Reid does a great job visualizing this lifting of the veil with figures hiding in shadows while young LaTorre steals scenes opposite an unraveling Snook with uncanny ease.
Rye Lane
Allen Almachar @ The MacGuffin
- Excerpt: A 21st century love story, brimming with a youthful energy that is nothing short of enthralling.
- Excerpt: Director Raine Allen-Miller’s triumphant debut, Rye Lane, adheres to the formula fairly well, but there’s a vibrancy and verve that make this film an instant hit.
Shortcomings
Chris Barsanti @ Slant Magazine
- Excerpt: The film is an insightful examination of a character type familiar to indie cinema.
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: So, while SHORTCOMINGS is objectively funny, it’s also quite heartbreaking in the ways in which it depicts just how willing the Bens of the world are to stubbornly sabotage their own happiness than admit they’re to blame.
Shotgun Wedding
Allen Almachar @ The MacGuffin
- Excerpt: The film knows it’s pure fluff and embraces that fact with full conviction.
The Starling Girl
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Credit Scanlen and Pullman for portraying the nuance inherent to this dynamic and Parmet’s deft handling of the material to ensure these three-dimensional circumstances aren’t flattened to accommodate any one agenda.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children
- Excerpt: The 2nd Annual JanuScary Special continues with There’s Something Wrong with the Children! A horror film that is not only bad, but also not scary.
Waking Karma
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Alexander and Shetler get a few really strong moments together to allow the grounded nature of the whole to resonate, but it’s not enough to mask the superficiality of the vessel.
You Hurt My Feelings
Chris Barsanti @ Slant Magazine
- Excerpt: The film deals forthrightly with the question of purpose and whether it can be found in a career.
2022 Films
Avatar: The Way of Water
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Bones and All
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Fabelmans
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Fire of Love
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
A Man Called Otto
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Nope
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Pearl
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
RRR
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
She Said
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Bad Axe
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: [It] proves an unforgettable indictment on the US political machine fanning flames of hate and a personal, inspirational story of fighting back—with words, actions, and a refusal to let anyone pretend the Sievs don’t deserve to call this flawed town home.
Body Parts
- Excerpt: My body no longer belongs to me.
Inu-Oh
- Excerpt: Inu-Oh is a fun rock ‘n’ roll-inspired anime film beautifully produced by Science SARU.
Nanny
- Excerpt: To add cinematic spice, there are copious amounts of magic and visions. Viewers are left to sort out the truth from the deliberate alchemy.
One Fine Morning
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Hansen-Løve’s warm and wonderful film…finds the beacon of light that guides us through life’s painful passages. Seydoux personifies it.
Soft & Quiet
Gregory Carlson @ southpawfilmworks.net
To Leslie
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Andrea Riseborough gives a transformative performance.
Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
MaryAnn Johanson @ FlickFilosopher.com
- Excerpt: The crisp, congenial charms of this intimate exploration of a decades-long working partnership overlay an unsentimental elegy for an era in journalism and publishing that has all but disappeared.
