Antlers
A small-town Oregon teacher (Keri Russell) and her brother (Jesse Plemons), the local sheriff, become entwined with a young student (Jeremy T. Thomas) harboring a dangerous secret with frightening consequences.
Rated R for violence including gruesome images, and for language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Visually, Antlers is stunning as a portrait of a town dying. And there are plenty of gruesome, hide-behind-your-eyes scenes to satisfy most genre fans. But it’s Cooper’s commitment to his characters and the performance of the film’s two youngest leads that make Antlers more than just a movie about killer—well, you’ll have to see for yourself.” – Thom Ernst, Original Cin
“Thoroughly successful both as icky art house horror and as an allegory of generational trauma, Scott Cooper’s Antlers continues the director’s hot streak while bearing the unmistakable mark of one of its producers, Guillermo del Toro.” – John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
“Antlers is a slippery, troubling film whose ambiguities, despite one heavy-handed piece of exposition, remain intact even as the film’s identity keeps metamorphosing and body-swapping. Here, the beast within has always been there, lurking and latent as part of America’s constitution, and just waiting to bite back.” – Anton Bitel, Little White Lies
Black Friday
On Thanksgiving night, a group of disgruntled toy store employees begrudgingly arrive for work to open the store at midnight for the busiest shopping day of the year. Meanwhile, an alien parasite crashes to Earth in a meteor. This group of misfits led by store manager Jonathan (Bruce Campbell) and longtime employee Ken (Devon Sawa) soon find them themselves battling against hordes of holiday shoppers who have been turned into monstrous creatures hellbent on a murderous rampage on Black Friday.
Not Rated. Contains strong language throughout, strong bloody violence, and smoking.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Black Friday proves to be a winning combination of gloppy scares, well-crafted characters, and wise commentary.” – Matt Fowler, IGN
“Black Friday is a gory, fun and humorous ride, exploring and satirizing a holiday that usually doesn’t get the movie treatment while chock-full of pleasing performances and compelling practical effects.” – Amanda Mazzillo, Film Inquiry
“All the tension, frustration, and entitlement retail workers experience is the perfect basis for science-fiction horror tale Black Friday… Black Friday is always about survival, they just give it a spin that makes it more literal.” – Douglas Davidson, Elements of Madness
The Djinn
A mute boy is trapped in his apartment with a sinister monster when he makes a wish to fulfill his heart’s greatest desire.
Rated R for some disturbing violence.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The Djinn is scary and harrowing with a shocking and impactful ending. The acting is perfect, and the visuals are a masterclass in creating tension.” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat
“Suspenseful, sinister and bittersweet, The Djinn is a cut-throat example of how effective horror can be with succinct decisions around dialogue and theatrics.” – Marisa Mirabal, /Film
“As effective as it is, The Djinn won’t conjure up nearly as many eyeballs as Spiral, but those who watch it won’t be disappointed — although they might never look at I Dream of Jeannie the same way ever again.” – Mike Scott, New Orleans Times-Picayune
Zeros and Ones
Jericho (Ethan Hawke) is an American soldier stationed in post-apocalyptic Rome under a pandemic and war-torn lockdown. After witnessing the Vatican blown up into the night sky, he sets out on a mission to uncover and document the truth for the world to see and stop the true terrorists responsible.
Rated R for language, some violence, bloody images, sexual material, and drug content.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This is a movie at which some will shrug and some will love. It’s a spiritually probing, deeply personal, stubbornly idiosyncratic work of art. It’s an Abel Ferrara film.” – Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times
“Ferrara’s filmmaking always has a blunt elemental force and conviction. It doesn’t quite transcend the commonplace aspect of what he’s trying to ‘say.’ And yet transcending isn’t the point—doing is. This is not just guerrilla filmmaking, it’s a kind of action painting. A literal journey to the end of the night.” – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
“At barely feature-length it’s somewhat a wisp of a film, but to good ends, as if the crazed artist at its helm isn’t even totally stopping to think, and like one of his greatest works, New Rose Hotel, channeling the fury of his early art into a different form of aggression.” – Ethan Vestby, The Film Stage
Dune
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images, and suggestive material.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It may be both prettier and deeper than most blockbuster fare, but it’s still made to entertain the viewer, and at least for me it did that in spades.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“Villeneuve is superb at juxtaposing the colossal spectacle with the intimate encroachment of danger and a mysterious dramatic language that exalts the alienness of every texture and surface.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“To my amazement, and to Villeneuve’s credit, this new Dune is totally clear in its premise, politics, and operatic sci-fi story. It’s also filled with the sort of epic grandeur of vision that Dune fans always insist makes the original text special.” – Matt Singer, Screen Crush
Halloween Kills
Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael’s first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all. Evil dies tonight.
Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, grisly images, language, and some drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Green delivers a smart, sturdy second chapter. Low consequence, perhaps, but still highly entertaining.” – Leila Latif, Total Film
“Halloween Kills is one of the better sequels (put it alongside Halloween 4 and H20 and a shade below the 2018 production) and contains all the elements to make it popular among horror film lovers regardless of their ages.” – James Berardinelli, ReelViews
“Green seems less interested in rewriting the Halloween playbook than in giving audiences what they came for, from ghastly scares to a ghoulish score. It’s a strategy that promises to make the series as immortal as Michael Myers himself.” – Asher Luberto, The Wrap
Spencer
December, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.
Rated R for some language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Kristen Stewart is inspired casting as a woman on the brink of escape from a superficially comfortable prison. Who better to play a person remembered for her perceived shyness than the current maestro of hooded introspection?” – Donald Clarke, The Irish Times
“It’s a ghost story but also an underdog’s story, a fighter’s story, a mother’s story and, thanks to an Oscar-ready Stewart at the absolute top of her game, one of the very best movies you’ll see this year.” – Brian Truitt, USA Today
“The 31-year-old Stewart – who will be instantly and justifiably awards-tipped for this – navigates this perilous terrain with total mastery, getting the voice and mannerisms just right but vamping everything up just a notch, in order to better lean into the film’s melodramatic, paranoiac and absurdist swerves.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
Mass
Years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart, two sets of parents (Reed Birney and Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton), agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward.
Rated PG-13 for thematic content and brief strong language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“At its core, Mass exerts the power of ritual at its most reflective and galvanizing, reveling in human connection at its most arduous, persistent and sublime.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“It sounds strange to say of a film about such impossible sorrow, but Mass is thoroughly entertaining. Or maybe engrossing is a better word. Its incisive dialogue and nuanced performances demand our attention, inviting us into a roiling weather system of guilt and sadness. The experience proves oddly nourishing, clarifying.” – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
“What fascinates the director, and clearly also fascinates his four outstanding lead actors, is the possibility of grace in a seemingly impossible, inconsolable situation. With considerable intelligence and disarming moral seriousness, they confront the question of whether forgiveness and understanding can be honestly extended or received, and whether healing can ever be more than an abstract concept.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
Billions: Season 5
Bobby and Chuck are at odds again with the arrival of new adversaries including businessman Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) and a new district attorney.
Rated TV-MA. Contains strong language throughout, sexual content, nudity, and drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The bottom line is that Showtime’s high-stakes drama remains enormously entertaining, making its return more than welcome.” – Brian Lowry, CNN
“Billions remains one of the most stylish series on television, filled with first-class production values… One can get dizzy keeping up with all the back- and front-stabbing, but it’s entertaining as hell because they all deserve what’s coming to them.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“It’s still a wild ride through high society spheres and exclusive nooks, fetchingly sold by Lewis’ and Giamatti’s performative swagger. Billions also is the rare premium cable series that mixes prestige production slickness with broad cultural appeal.” – Melanie McFarland, Salon
Cobra Kai: Season 3
The Karate Kid spin-off series moves to Netflix for its third season.
Rated TV-14. Contains strong language, violence, sexual content, smoking, teen drinking, and thematic material.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Three seasons in, creators Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg preside over a scorching hot sandbox that’s as complex as it is cluttered. Characters keep emerging from the shadows, beats zig and zag at a rapid clip, and the action gets more and more ludicrous. But, clutter can be good for a series, particularly when it’s maintained, and the three showrunners happen to keep a clean dojo.” – Michael Roffman, Consequence
“This object lesson on how to make a TV spin-off from an old movie franchise is even more fun the third time round, and you don’t even need to be a Karate Kid fan to enjoy it.” – Boyd Hilton, Empire
“Enter season 3, which kicks up the nostalgia factor into an even higher gear while remaining every bit as soapy, playful and disarmingly funny. The Karate Kid might be 36 years old, but this series offers a battle plan for other revivals to study.” – Brian Lowry, CNN
The Addams Family 2
The Addams get tangled up in more wacky adventures and find themselves involved in hilarious run-ins with all sorts of unsuspecting characters.
Rated PG for macabre and rude humor, violence, and language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This sequel makes up for some of the problems with the 2019 Addams Family animated family film, which suffered from an uneven tone and a meandering storyline.” – Nell Minnow, RogerEbert.com
“In the case of The Addams Family 2, Tiernan and Vernon have used the sequel as an opportunity for an upgrade. The script is by an entirely new team (Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, and Susanna Fogel), and in some ineffable bats-in-the-belfry way the jokes now land with a more inspired and spontaneous creepy kookiness.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“This animated sequel plucks enough of the right buttons to qualify as a reasonable addition to family movie time.” – Brian Lowry, CNN
Last Night in Soho
Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.
Rated R for bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material, and brief graphic nudity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“As clever as the plot is, how it comes to life is something to behold — a command to witness awesome splendor is really the only word that fits here.” – Andy Howell, Film Threat
“Last Night in Soho is an immensely pleasurable film that delights in playing with genre, morphing from time-travel fantasy to dark fairy tale, from mystery to nightmarish horror in a climax that owes as much to ’60s Brit fright fare as to more contemporary mind-benders.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
“It’s a crazy kaleidoscope of bright colors, dark corners, David Lynch-style set pieces and shock moments designed to keep you up at night — and it features a quintet of memorable performances from two of the best young actors around and three iconic Brits.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
The Dry
Based on the global bestseller by Jane Harper, a federal agent’s (Eric Bana) homecoming leads to a deeply personal murder investigation that reopens old wounds and threatens to unravel the tight-knit small town.
Rated R for violence, and language throughout.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s consistently absorbing as well as evocative to the harsh finish, with mordant plot surprises Connolly keeps smartly tucked away.” – Tim Robey, The Telegraph
“Expertly directed and co-written by respected filmmaker Robert Connolly (Balibo, Paper Planes), The Dry has all the character intrigue, clever plot twists and red herrings to keep viewers guessing.” – Richard Kuipers, Variety
“Bana is rock-solid throughout, able to convey sensitivity and moral probity through a not quite impassive facade — never overdoing it, never underdoing it — and yet fulfilling his duties as the movie’s locus of feeling and meaning.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Titane
TITANE: A metal, highly resistant to heat and corrosion, its high tensile strength alloys often used in medical prostheses due to pronounced biocompatibility.
Rated R for strong violence and disturbing material, graphic nudity, sexual content, and language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“…one of the year’s more memorable movies, that also happens to be surprisingly sweet.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“Strange, frequently haunting, occasionally hilarious and ultimately masterful, Titane is a journey whose head-spinning complications are a vital part of its emotional impact.” – Siddhant Adlakha, Observer
“Whatever you’re willing to take from it, there’s no denying that Titane is the work of a demented visionary in full command of her wild mind; a shimmering aria of fire and metal that introduces itself as the psychopathic lovechild of David Cronenberg’s Crash and Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man before shapeshifting into a modern fable about how badly people just need someone to take care of them and vice-versa.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Moffie
The year is 1981 and South Africa’s white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the apartheid regime. The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” (the so-called black danger) is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army – something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.
Not rated. Contains strong language, sexual content, nudity, violence, and drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.