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: Nov. 20, 2020
Limited (United States)
Collective
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: This artfully unfolding documentary is part political thriller, part paean to investigative free press, the whole haunted by Tedy Ursuleanu…who has turned her severe burning and disfigurement into something like national conscience performance art
Embattled
Jared Mobarak @ The Film Stage
- Excerpt: [The climactic fight is] where the fireworks are, but the true worth to Embattled is the path Jett takes to get there and the reasons for why he does.
Jiu Jitsu
Brent McKnight @ The Last Thing I See
- Excerpt: A movie starring Nicolas Cage, Alain Moussi, Tony Jaa, Frank Grillo, JuJu Chan, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Rick Yune, about a group of elite fighters who must use martial arts to defeat an alien invader, directed by one of the masterminds behind the recent Kickboxer films. That’s probably enough information for viewers to decide whether or not to see Jiu Jitsu, a film that delivers precisely what one might expect.
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Ahmed doesn’t engage in histrionics, instead giving a quiet, internal performance…The man we are left with (in a knockout of a final scene) is very changed from the one we first met.
Karl Delossantos @ Smash Cut Reviews
- Excerpt: Sound of Metal is one of the best portrayals of deafness in film using smart sound design and a stellar performance by Riz Ahmed to communicate the experience. And while it loses steam as it makes its way to the finale the core message is powerful and poignant.
Sound of Metal
Josh Taylor @ The Forgetful Film Critic
- Excerpt: It’s a simple setup – almost high-concept: the elevator pitch might be, “Metal drummer loses his hearing overnight and must face radically changing his life in order to adjust.” But the careful attention to detail and emotional complexity that first-time director Darius Marder and his co-screenwriter Abraham Marder put into the picture make Sound of Metal a deeply moving experience.
The Twentieth Century
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: …what happens in Winnipeg doesn’t stay in Winnipeg, here depicted…as a red light district of fetishism where King indulges his used boot fetish by buying one of Ruby’s to huff back at home as his oversized cactus ejaculates.
Charlie Juhl @ Citizen Charlie
- Excerpt: A fever dream of German Expressionism propelling forth Canadian political chicanery. For the adventurous cinephile, this may be the most fun you have all year.
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: Rankin is upping the “Canadian-ness” of the piece with each aspect of his production, placing what’s already a very niche topic into very singular packaging.
Zappa
Jared Mobarak @ The Film Stage
- Excerpt: An in-depth look at the man behind the mustache through his own words, those of his collaborators, and the art itself.
2020 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
Ammonite
Sarah Gopaul @ Digital Journal
- Excerpt: The camera captures their need for each other, while not being intrusive or trying to overly romanticize their visceral passion.
Belushi
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: Cutler therefore uses this look into Belushi’s life to expose the casualty of American success.
Chick Fight
Mike McGranaghan @ The Aisle Seat
- Excerpt: Filled with jokes that are cheap, obvious, and/or unfunny.
The Climb
Charlie Juhl @ Citizen Charlie
- Excerpt: An out-of-nowhere comedic gem with some of the funniest scenes you will see all year. The whip smart script makes The Climb one of the better buddy comedies to land in a while.
The Columnist
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: [It] would be a very different piece [if Femke was careful]. It would be about a serial killer giving into her darkness rather than a woman restoring confidence and autonomy.
Dead Reckoning
Divinely Evil
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
Dois Homens ao Mar
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
Fatman
Mike McGranaghan @ The Aisle Seat
- Excerpt: Fatman is about six different types of crazy, and I kind of like that about the movie.
Fatman
Five Years North
Jared Mobarak @ The Film Stage
- Excerpt: Five Years North’s big takeaway [is] privilege. That’s what separates Luis and Judy.
Friendsgiving
Dennis Schwartz @ Dennis Schwartz Reviews
- Excerpt: An overcooked turkey.
God of the Piano
Hillbilly Elegy
Mike McGranaghan @ The Aisle Seat
- Excerpt: A nice, safe movie about subjects that are not nice and should never feel safe.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: JINGLE JANGLE – a lot to see: songs and dances, so Christmassy! Toys and gadgets float through the air designed for fun and with great flair.
Laxmii
Kathy Gibson @ Access Bollywood
The Legend of Baron To’a
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: So expect ample drama with the action. Fritz is a big man who needs to learn a lesson before teaching one on this tough road towards clarity. The [film] is also pretty funny.
Mank
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: David Fincher (“The Social Network,” Gone Girl”), a notorious perfectionist known for his grueling number of takes, has meticulously reconstructed Hollywood of the 1930’s and 40’s to deconstruct the rot behind a studio system feeding lies to the American public.
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
Jared Mobarak @ The Film Stage
- Excerpt: So rather than be a forensic dissection of D.B. Cooper’s crime, Dower’s film is more akin to something like Room 237—a collection of [possible] interpretations.
Pink Men
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
Sleep
Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.com
- Excerpt: Venus does a wonderful job keeping us off-balance. What was an easily discernible line between reality and dream blurs until not even Mona can tell for certain which is which.
