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. 30, 2022
Limited (United States)
Broker
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: This one meanders a bit, but its characters linger. Kore-eda’s artful mix of melancholy and humor is on full display…
A Man Called Otto
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: while it is better than it has any right to be, the loss of that particular brand of Scandinavian humor that made the original seem fresh leaves this one feeling warmed over and off key…Cast against type, Hanks delivers
Christopher Reed @ Film Festival Today
- Excerpt: Though often corny and sometimes facile, “A Man Called Otto” manages to gel, time and again. And with a conclusion that pulls no punches, the film earns the bittersweet joy it throws at us.
2022 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
Avatar: The Way of Water
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Babylon
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Banshees of Inisherin
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Bones and All
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Bros
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Crimes of the Future
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Dog
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Emergency
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Fabelmans
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Good Nurse
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Master
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Menu
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Moonage Daydream
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish
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RRR
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She Said
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Tár
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Till
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Triangle of Sadness
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Violent Night
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The Whale
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Where the Crawdads Sing
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Ali and Ava
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
- Excerpt: Sweet story about two quite different people who connect through music.
Carmen
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
- Excerpt: Jubilant movie about a middle-aged woman who has spent her life serving the church and finds a new more fulfilling way forward.
Catherine Called Birdy
Mark Leeper @ Mark Leeper’s Reviews
- Excerpt: The whole idea is that the screenwriter uses the film to draw a connection between our modern life and the medieval life in the castle. Still, it’s amusing enough for its comedic elements.
The Conductor
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
- Excerpt: A portrait of a truly inspiring woman who has changed the classical music scene and empowered other women musicians.
Corsage
- Excerpt: The sumptuous settings, elegiac tone, and Krieps’ layered performance bring us into the world of this woman caught between the expectations of her culture and her own desires.
Escape from Kabul
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
- Excerpt: A hard-hitting documentary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghan citizens.
The Eternal Daughter
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: The messaging and metaphor resonate. I simply posit that they still would if pared down to a thirty-minute short since I couldn’t stop checking my watch.
Four Samosas
Mark Leeper @ Mark Leeper’s Reviews
- Excerpt: It is as funny as many action comedies which have much larger budgets, and definitely worth watching.
God’s Creatures
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: It’s a fantastic piece of storytelling with an authentic air of emotion that never feels unearned or embellished. A somber, heart-crushing affair where dreams must forever remain unfulfilled fantasy.
Hidden Letters
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: At about an hour and a half long, there are slow times in the film and some difficulty reading the white (outlined thinly in black) captions when on pale backgrounds. But still, “Hidden Letters” has received Oscar buzz and has won the Bergen International Film Festival Award for Best Documentary.
Holy Spider
Joao Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
Little Nicholas – Happy As Can Be
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: entertains with the subject’s exploits while adding the complexity of his creators’ artistic inspiration, collaboration and friendship…It is an unusually moving tribute delivered in an unusually creative way.
Looking for Home
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
- Excerpt: A variety of accounts of the meaning of home around the world.
Matilda the Musical
- Excerpt: I applaud choreographer Ellen Kane for the fascinating dance numbers here. As a former dancer, I loved the precision and enthusiasm of the youngsters.
Nothing Compares
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: With a series of film festival awards and nominations for best documentary, “Nothing Compares,” featuring O’Connor’s hit written by Prince, is a masterpiece of character study and sensitive film-making.
The Pale Blue Eye
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: It gets much darker than I anticipated and excels at maintaining an air of sophisticated drama while also delving into some horror corners. A solid piece all-around.
Piggy
Joao Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
Saint Omer
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: Reading that much of the on-screen scenario was born from lived experience makes sense considering how meticulously rendered and performed the courtroom scenes are. But also because of the emotions Diop imbues.
Taming the Garden
Bev Questad @ itsjustmovies.com
- Excerpt: Taming the Garden” is a slow-moving documentary that motivates introspection and insight. It’s a grand cinematic study of uprooting as well as an expose of the inexplicable squandering of wealth.
Women Talking
Jared Mobarak @ Hey, have you seen …?
- Excerpt: It may just be eight women and their minutes-taker arguing in one room for the duration, but it’s the most dynamic and tense film I’ve seen all year. Foy is a force of nature.
2021 Films
8-Bit Christmas
- Excerpt: While nothing entirely new, 8-Bit Christmas is still a wonderful story and instant Christmas classic that can be enjoyed every year.
Julia
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
- Excerpt: A tribute to Julia Child’s enthusiasm and her inimitable love of cooking.
