The Contractor
Special Forces Sergeant James Harper (Chris Pine) is involuntarily discharged from the Army and cut-off from his pension. In debt, out of options and desperate to provide for his family, Harper contracts with a private underground military force. When the very first assignment goes awry, the elite soldier finds himself hunted and on the run, caught in a dangerous conspiracy and fighting to stay alive long enough to get home and uncover the true motives of those who betrayed him.
RATED R FOR VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The core cast, Pine and Foster especially, are superb, while the screenplay gives them plenty to chew on. At a quickly moving 105 minutes, the film is worth the time investment.” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat
“Director Tarik Saleh, whose previous feature was the excellent Cairo-set neo-noir The Nile Hilton Incident, stages the shoot-’em-ups and explosions effectively, but it’s the film’s quiet exchanges that carry the most visceral punch.” – Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
“Being a solid cut above average is good enough, given so much formulaic mediocrity among thrillers cluttering the streaming market.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
Compartment No. 6
A young Finnish woman escapes an enigmatic love affair in Moscow by boarding a train to the arctic port of Murmansk. Forced to share the long ride and a tiny sleeping car with a larger than life Russian miner, the unexpected encounter leads the occupants of Compartment No. 6 to face major truths about human connection.
RATED R FOR LANGUAGE AND SOME SEXUAL REFERENCES.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Kuosmanen has given us another affair to remember, this time about love as something for which you’d not just go to the ends of the Earth, but to the beginning of time.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“In stripping genre ornamentation away to get to what brings people together in stark, lonely, and in this case, mighty cold circumstances, Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen has achieved something genuinely unlikely, and quietly renewing about what a love story can be.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
“An observation that when you’re running away, it doesn’t matter where you’re running to as much as it matters where you’re running from. Compartment No. 6 has an always energetic sense of place even when it’s keeping to the confined space of its title room. Combined with the committed acting, it makes for a worthwhile journey.” – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
Morbius
Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
RATED PG-13 FOR INTENSE SEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE, SOME FRIGHTENING IMAGES, AND BRIEF STRONG LANGUAGE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Swedish-Chilean director Daniel Espinosa gives it all a dark sheen, and shoots the pair’s inevitable confrontations less like traditional comic-book clashes than something from The Matrix.” – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
“Freed from the shackles of elaborate world-building or jokey, family-friendly tentpole-dom, this is a tight, brisk little over-the-top thriller, with plenty of atmosphere, effective jump scares, and a couple of genuinely moving performances at its heart.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
“Morbius is a ghoulish, suitably downbeat tale of madness, hubris, suffering and weird science set in a world that offers little solace. And while most of it is as predictably familiar as expected, it does something unusual for a movie like this: It entertains you, rather than bludgeons you into submission.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times
Ambulance
Decorated veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t—his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no. But when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop clinging to life and ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González) onboard. In a high-speed pursuit that never stops, Will and Danny must evade a massive, city-wide law enforcement response, keep their hostages alive, and somehow try not to kill each other, all while executing the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen.
RATED R FOR INTENSE VIOLENCE, BLOODY IMAGES, AND LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“At the risk of damning with the faintest praise, this is easily Bay’s best film in more than 25 years.” – Donald Clarke, The Irish Times
“Ambulance is just delightfully unhinged in its experiment to see how much carnage can be caused by just one car chase.” – Kambole Campbell, Little White Lies
“Speeding vehicles are clunked and donked into one another with xylophonic zeal, while the camera snakes and tears between them faster than seems physically possible. I mean it as a compliment when I say there are entire sequences here which look as if they might have been shot by a monkey in a jetpack.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
The Witches
Reimagining Roald Dahl’s 1983 children’s novel for a modern audience, The Witches tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma (Octavia Spencer) in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe to carry out her nefarious plans.
RATED PG FOR SCARY IMAGES / MOMENTS, LANGUAGE, AND THEMATIC ELEMENTS.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“There are just enough goodies here for parents and well-prepared kiddies alike. The nifty VFX, performances, and modern updates are what make this remake an easy-enough treat.” – Blake Goble, Consequence
“With a grand score by Alan Silvestri that kicks up at every possible turn and extravagantly over-the-top Hathaway performance, this update on The Witches is a family-friendly Halloween treat that still boasts Zemeckis’ brand of the bizarre and a clear-eyed vision that seems all the more rare in today’s Hollywood.” – Jordan Raup, The Film Stage
“Anne Hathaway’s performance provides the film with a sick-joke center of gravity, and Zemeckis, sticking to Dahl’s elemental storyline, stages it all with a prankish flair that leaves you buzzed.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Father Stu
When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) moves to L.A. dreaming of stardom. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), a Catholic Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. But surviving a terrible motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others find their way, leading to the surprising realization that he is meant to be a Catholic priest. Despite a devastating health crisis and the skepticism of Church officials and his estranged parents (Mel Gibson and Jacki Weaver), Stu pursues his vocation with courage and compassion, inspiring not only those closest to him but countless others along the way. Based on a true story.
RATED R FOR LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Father Stu breaks no new ground in the biopic game, but it’s a solid and worthy tribute to the real-life Father Stu, who continued to do the Lord’s work until his death in 2014 at the age of 50.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“Distilled, it is a fairly well-sketched portrait of self-care — spiritual, yes, but also psychological and physical — and the outwardly rippling effects of healing that can flow from that single choice.” – Brent Simon, AV Club
“Ultimately, Father Stu is unlike any other faith-based film I’ve seen. It’s raw, honest, and uplifting without tapping into preachy territory, which ultimately makes it effortlessly uplifting.” – Brittany Witherspoon, Film Threat
Fatherhood
A widower (Kevin Hart) takes on one of the toughest jobs in the world: fatherhood.
RATED PG-13 FOR SOME STRONG LANGUAGE, AND SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s both an effective star vehicle and a tender tearjerker.” – Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter
“Almost as generic as its title, Fatherhood is made real enough to matter by the strength of its performances and the sincerity of its makers.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe
“The appeal of Fatherhood really boils down to its title, the resilience of the human spirit, and Hart being bold enough — like his alter ego — to think that he can do this. And like Matt, by the time it’s over, he’s demonstrated that he pretty well can.” – Brian Lowry, CNN
Infinite Storm
As an experienced climber (Naomi Watts) ascends Mt. Washington, she turns back before she reaches the summit as a huge blizzard approaches. But on her way down, she encounters a lone, stranded man, and takes it upon herself to get them both down the mountain before nightfall arrives and they succumb to the storm. Based on a true story.
RATED R FOR SOME LANGUAGE, AND BRIEF NUDITY.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“With this role, Watts is reminding us that she can hold the screen by herself and without saying a word tell you everything you need to know about a character — and all the while looking fantastic.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“This is a daring and memorable depiction of trauma, compassion and resilience.” – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
“Enhanced by an all-in performance from Watts and impressive behind-the-camera work, Infinite Storm is a ride that’s both engrossing and emotional.” – Rachel LaBonte, Screen Rant
Benedetta
In the late 17th century, with plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany, as a novice. Capable from an early age of performing miracles, Benedetta’s impact on life in the community is immediate and momentous.
NOT RATED. CONTAINS GRAPHIC NUDITY, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT INCLUDING SEXUAL ASSAULT, GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, BLOODY IMAGES, AND THEMATIC MATERIAL.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Far from being a steamy nun-sploitation thriller about women with bad habits – well, it’s partly that, to be honest – Benedetta is a substantial, sophisticated, yet briskly paced and always highly entertaining drama, which balances quiet scenes of shrewd backroom politicking with lurid scenes of wild religious madness.” – Nicholas Barber, BBC
“Benedetta is the rare, almost miraculous, really, two-hour-plus movie (131 minutes, to be precise) that only seems to get better in its second hour. The momentum builds and builds until the action comes to a glorious crescendo.” – Vince Mancini, Uproxx
“The carnal Catholicism which permeates the film is at this point to be expected from the 83-year-old Dutch filmmaker—but equally so is the film’s ability to utilize eroticism as a vehicle to examine pain, paranoia and power.” – Natalia Keogan, Paste
Billions: Season 6
Mike Prince takes over at Axe Capital and Chuck Rhoades has him in his sights in the sixth season of the drama.
RATED TV-MA FOR STRONG LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, SEXUAL CONTENT, THEMATIC MATERIAL, NUDITY, AND DRUG USE.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“Even with this refresh, all the familiar Billions trappings are still here… Having a deep bench of actors who understand the show’s cadences and interests, in whatever season the show happens to be in, always helps.” – Steve Greene, IndieWire
“The Rhoades campaign against a city run by a ‘cabal of billionaires,’ and his railing against ‘plutocrats,’ provides the sort of hook that, through five episodes anyway, has moved Billions from ‘hold’ back into the ‘strong buy’ column.” – Brian Lowry, CNN
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 11
Larry David’s Emmy-winning comedy series returns for its 11th season.
RATED TV-MA FOR STRONG LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, SEXUAL MATERIAL, COMIC VIOLENCE, DRUG USE, AND SMOKING.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s fitting that the most acute way COVID would hit Larry’s life is through an opportunity to yell at an old friend for bulking up on hand sanitizer — the smaller the issue, the bigger the laugh.” – Clint Worthington, Consequence
“It’s reassuring to know that no amount of paradigm-shifting, reality-altering events can stop the fictional Larry David from being a smug, screamy, narcissistic loon, and the real Larry David from being the funniest comedian on television.” – Nick Schager, Daily Beast
“[A] season that is still surprising, engaging, and hysterical after all these years. At this point, Curb Your Enthusiasm isn’t just prettay prettay good, it’s prettay prettay damn near flawless.” – Ross Bonaime, Collider
Hacks: Season 1
Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a Las Vegas comedian, mentors Ava (Hannah Einbinder), a 25-year-old writer in this dark comedy from Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The pacing is exquisite, with every episode revealing just enough of Deb and Ava’s backstory to cast them repeatedly in a new light. So there it is: Hacks is every bit as great as you’ve been told.” – Benji Wilson, The Telegraph
“There are plenty of laughs along the way, but it’s the unforced emotional truths that make Hacks a right and proper vehicle for Smart.” – Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
“It’s clear this series has legs, as a much-deserved showcase for Smart, as a thoughtful story about the evolution of comedy, and as an original series that’s very much its own thing.” – Ben Travers, IndieWire
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Nicolas Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage.
RATED R FOR LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, SOME SEXUAL REFERENCES, DRUG USE, AND VIOLENCE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent offers something for hardcore Cage fans, cinephiles, or anyone looking for something refreshing and unique. It’s original, funny, dramatic, and action-packed without the tonal whiplash one might expect from such an ambitious narrative.” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat
“Though movie references and Cage quotes abound, there’s something for everyone in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It’s one of the funniest movies of the year.” – Jude Dry, IndieWire
“It might sound like a gimmick, but it’s as good as any action-comedy you’re likely to see. Cage heightens his already big personality just the right amount to ensure that the film rises above a skit. We care a great deal about fictional Nicolas Cage.” – Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
After Yang
When his young daughter’s beloved companion — an android named Yang — malfunctions, Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for a way to repair him. In the process, Jake discovers the life that has been passing in front of him, reconnecting with his wife (Jodie Turner-Smith) and daughter across a distance he didn’t know was there.
RATED PG FOR SOME THEMATIC ELEMENTS, AND LANGUAGE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s hard not to find yourself feeling moved while watching this beautiful little film, especially during the last third, when it really starts to pile on moments of profundity, sadness, or both. After Yang is a mini-masterpiece.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“After Yang is a beautiful film, both in how it looks and in what it evokes.” – Emily Zemler, Observer
“So many visions of the future seem distant, but After Yang hits home in how it centers connection and experience to which we can all relate. It’s a powerful, moving drama about what it means to be alive.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Cinderella
Cinderella is a musically-driven bold new take on the traditional story you grew up with. Our heroine (Camila Cabello) is an ambitious young woman whose dreams are bigger than the world will allow, but with the help of her Fab G (Billy Porter), she is able to persevere and make her dreams come true.
RATED PG FOR SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL, AND LANGUAGE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“In her debut theatrical performance, Cabello is charming and handles the script, particularly the throwaway lines that lovingly mock the genre, with aplomb.” – Amy Amatangelo, Paste
“The popular singer-songwriter Camila Cabello makes her acting debut as the titular character, and she’s a revelation, as the camera loves her and she displays not only the expected vocal chops but a real knack for comedy, as this version of Cinderella is particularly charming when she’s floundering about and getting into embarrassing situations of her own making.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“While this version of Cinderella likely won’t top anyone’s list of all-time best adaptations, it’s a winking, glittering family comedy that’s cohesive in tone and confident in what it wants to be. And mostly it just wants to be flashy, toe-tapping karaoke.” – Caroline Siede, AV Club
Gold
In the not too distant future, two drifters (Zac Efron, Anthony Hayes) traveling through the desert stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found and the dream of immense wealth and greed takes hold. They hatch a plan to excavate their bounty with one man leaving to secure the necessary tools. The other man remains and must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs, and mysterious intruders, while battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his own fate.
RATED R FOR LANGUAGE, AND SOME VIOLENT CONTENT.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Efron’s dystopian fable is something of a treasure: Its message is delivered with such visual impact that you’ll never be able to scrub it from your memory.” – Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media
“Efron delivers an engaging performance and rises to the occasion of being in every scene, and alone for about half of the film… This Gold is worth discovering.” – Gary M. Kramer, Salon
“Stretches [Efron’s] range and physical endurance far beyond anything his fans ever dreamed of.” – Rex Reed, Observer
The Cellar
Keira Woods’ (Elisha Cuthbert) daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house. She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family’s souls forever.
NOT RATED. CONTAINS LANGUAGE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“If you stick with it, The Cellar performs a kind of alchemy on screen: turning from a staid haunted house movie into a haunted house movie with a real sense of ambition and fun.” – Alejandra Martinez, We Got This Covered
“It’s good without being elevated or necessarily great. But it has enough scares to qualify as a decent ‘dark place’ movie without breaking the mold.” – R. Colin Tait, The Playlist
“It’s a solid Friday night spookshow with solid bones and a divisive finisher — harmless horror entertainment that at least strives to be better than ordinary.” – Matt Donato, /Film
The Last Victim
The Last Victim is a Neo Western thriller set in the American southwest, following Sheriff Hickey trying to solve the worst case he has seen in his small town, likely caused by a violent local gang led by a fearsome criminal.
NOT RATED. CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, SEXUAL REFERENCES, DRUG USE, AND SMOKING.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A neo-Western with a bit of a bite, this crime drama gives its fascinating characters — and, amazingly, the audience — credit for being smart enough to follow its twisty checkerboard jumps.” – Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media
“The film teeters on a fine line between soulful triumph and B-movie cheese.” – Alex Saveliev, Film Threat
The Umbrella Academy: Season 2
The Umbrella Academy tries to save one of their own and prevent the apocalypse in the second season of the series based on the comics and graphic novels by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way.
RATED TV-14 FOR GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL MATERIAL, LANGUAGE, DRUG USE, AND SMOKING.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A season of television even more must-see than its predecessor.” – Allie Gemmill, Collider
“All that time spent on extreme exposition pays off in a flashier, more entertaining, tighter second chapter. Season one of Umbrella Academy set the board, and season two plays the game. There’s a lot more zapping and superpower-ing in season two, which should appease comic book fans who want to see superheroes do that kind of thing. But it also swings for something way more emotionally resonant.” – Alex Abad-Santos, Vox
“Employing dry Wes Anderson-style humour and end-of-the-world exploits worthy of Heroes, the second season of The Umbrella Academy is just as – if not more – wacky than the first.” – Sabrina Barr, The Independent
You Are Not My Mother
It’s the week before Halloween. Char’s bedridden mother, Angela, has mysteriously gone missing. All that remains is her abandoned car parked in the middle of a field. When Angela returns home to their North Dublin estate the following evening without explanation, it becomes clear to Char and her grandmother, Rita, that something is amiss. She might look and sound the same, but Angela’s behavior has become increasingly erratic and frightening, as if she has been replaced by a malevolent force. As Halloween approaches, a night steeped in ancient Irish myth and legend, Char must unearth the dark secrets of her family in order to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance and save her, even if it means potentially losing her forever.
NOT RATED. CONTAINS VIOLENCE, DISTURBING BLOODY IMAGES, LANGUAGE, AND DRUG USE.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Imaginative and spooky, You Are Not My Mother shows just how frightening — and stigmatizing — a parent’s mental illness can be to a child.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
“You Are Not My Mother burrows underneath the nerves and stays there. It accomplishes this thanks to the amazing cast and strong visuals, which are ideally suited to the intense material.” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat
“You Are Not My Mother effectively mixes folk horror, family drama, and slow-burn scares to deliver an unsettling story elevated by some fantastically nuanced performances.” – Matt Cabral, IGN
The Worst Person in the World
Director Joachim Trier returns with another modern twist on a classically constructed character portrait of contemporary life in Oslo. Chronicling four years in the life of Julie, The Worst Person in the World examines one woman’s quest for love and meaning in the modern world. Fluidly told in twelve chapters, the film features a breakout performance by Cannes Best Actress winner Renate Reinsve as she explores new professional avenues and embarks on relationships with two very different men (Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum) in her search for happiness and identity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The movie is a perfect encapsulation of what it feels like to find oneself in an era of social-media induced self-examination and comparison to our peers, that ultimately reminds us that questioning our lives or wanting a change can be okay even if we’re otherwise happy, and that it doesn’t make you the worst person in the world.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“A truthful, tender masterpiece about how coming of age has no age-limit — love, for others and for ourselves, is what makes every risk and loss worthwhile. Rarely has a story like this been told as beautifully.” – Ella Kemp, Empire
“Occasionally you see a movie that just satisfies on all fronts — the performances, the direction, the whole package. Even less occasionally you see one that does all that and moves you, too. The Worst Person in the World is one of those.” – Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
“I find myself at a bit of a loss when trying to explain exactly what about it had me so engaged, probably for the same reasons Julie can’t seem to decide on a career. The Worst Person In The World feels like life. And how do you sum up a life?” – Vince Mancini, Uproxx
The Artist’s Wife
Claire (Lena Olin) lives a quiet domestic life in the Hamptons as the wife of celebrated artist Richard Smythson (Bruce Dern). Once a promising painter herself, Claire now lives in the shadow of her husband’s illustrious career. While preparing work for his final show, Richard’s moods become increasingly erratic, and he is diagnosed with dementia. As his memory and behavior deteriorate, she shields his condition from the art community while trying to reconnect him with his estranged daughter and grandson from a previous marriage. Challenged by the loss of her world as she knew it, Claire must now decide whether to stand with Richard on the sidelines or step into the spotlight herself.
RATED R FOR LANGUAGE, SOME GRAPHIC NUDITY, AND BRIEF SEXUALITY.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Dolby provides Dern with a chance to be cranky and vicious, but what else is new? The revelation here is Lena Olin, who gets her best role in years as the artist’s second wife, Claire, an artist in her own right who gave it all up to make a home with and for a demanding husband.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
“It’s entirely possible that The Artist’s Wife would have hit the same pitch-perfect notes had it been set during a long hot summer. But the wintery ambiance enhanced by Ryan Earl Parker’s evocative cinematography feels altogether appropriate for a story about one life winding down, and another on the verge of a restorative spring.” – Joe Leydon, Variety
“This is more worth seeing for Olin and Dern’s tetchy and touching interactions, portraying a marriage of devotion and decay. Every filmmaker who preaches that ‘Casting is everything,’ or 90 percent of everything, isn’t exaggerating. The Artist’s Wife proves it.” – Roger Moore, Movie Nation