Ted Lasso: The Complete Series
Kansas college football coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is hired by an English professional soccer team in this comedy from Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence.
rated tv-ma. contains strong language throughout, brief nudity, sexual content, mild violence, thematic content, drug use, and smoking.
“There are plenty of words explaining why to come, but I’m not sure there’s any better endorsement than the plain fact that I couldn’t stop watching, and I didn’t want to.” – Shane Ryan, Paste
“Ted Lasso is one of those shows where every ingredient comes together but, like the performances by Sudeikis and so many of the other actors, seems so effortless that you don’t notice at first how many instruments are playing in harmony… Ted Lasso pulls off that kind of magic in scene after scene, and in episode after episode.” – Jen Chaney, Vulture
“The cast all continue to put in stellar work… If this is to be the last time we see them (and even if this iteration of the show does end, that seems unlikely), then based on the assured strength of these opening episodes, the finest series to have come from Apple TV+ thus far will end with a clean sheet.” – James Hibbs, Radio Times
Civil War
From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
rated r for strong violent content, bloody / disturbing images, and language throughout.
“Rarely have I seen a movie that made me so acutely uncomfortable or watched an actor’s face that, like Dunst’s, expressed a nation’s soul-sickness so vividly that it felt like an X-ray.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“Civil War is hands-down one of the best movies of the year so far, will leave audiences with a lot to discuss and ponder afterwards, and will hopefully give them a greater appreciation for those who put their lives at risk to keep us informed about the world around us.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“The film does not have easy answers, but rather than making it seem shallow, its lack of clear moral coding instead offers us something more primal and more powerful. It’s a film about the open-ended question of how much humanity we as a species have left in us, and that makes it a provocative, thrilling monster of a movie that will sear itself into your eyeballs.” – Matthew Jackson, AV Club
Challengers
Tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi (Zendaya) has taken her husband, Art (Mike Faist), and transformed him into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a “Challenger” event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend (Josh O’Connor).
rated r for language throughout, some sexual content, and graphic nudity.
“It’s a collective simmer of sight, sound, sweat, and sensation about fascinating, complex people pushed through their paces on and off the court.” – Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
“No sports movie has ever really brought the viewer into the action like this one does, using some truly bravura camera work to float, weave, and soar through, over, and around the game… In a year that has already had quite a few truly great movies, Challengers is another winner.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“Challengers is a sharp and snappy movie, full of big emotions expressed through fast-paced dialogue in some scenes and through silent, sensual physicality in others, all shot with creative verve and aggressively in-your-face energy. Everyone in this movie is chasing sex and success, and conflating those things with each other in unashamedly provocative ways.” – Tasha Robinson, Polygon
The Boy and the Heron
A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning.
rated pg-13 for some violent content / bloody images, and smoking.
“No one needed further proof that he’s a master. This meditation on grief and growing up does solidify the position, however, that Miyazaki remains the greatest living animator today, period.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone
“The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki’s strong-willed encouragement for us to persevere. If this is, in fact, a swan song, then it’s a ravishing one because no one has the ability to distill elemental truths into vividly rendered moving paintings like Miyazaki.” – Carlos Aguilar, The Playlist
“The Boy and the Heron is unquestionably a personal vision, with its own internal logic. It has a direct conduit with the mind of its creator, who happens to be a genius and one of the best to ever do it. If this is it for Miyazaki, well, what a finish.” – G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Abigail
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.
rated r for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, pervasive language, and brief drug use.
“Once intended as a remake of Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail evolved into its own thing, and fans of original horror ought to applaud. The former, honestly, isn’t all that great; the latter, figuratively and literally, dances rings around it.” – Luke Y. Thompson, AV Club
“The film balances scares and laughs with pitch-perfect timing, creating one of the smartest, most inventive vampire movies in decades.” – Jordan Williams, Screen Rant
“Traditionally, films that are this delightfully raucous, bloody (and I mean BLOODY), and silly are relegated to B-movie schlock (not a bad thing, for the record), but Abigail still embraces the excessive and ornate gothic aesthetics of classic horror movies. The result is an old-school vampire movie with modern frisk and flair and an absolute blast of a movie to watch with a crowd.” – BJ Colangelo, /Film
The First Omen
When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
rated r for violent content, grisly / disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity.
“It’s the Damien origin story we never knew we needed.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“The whole thing is so provocative, beautifully cinematic and in touch with its head-decapitating roots.” – Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com
“The film revels in mashing up familiar genres: the monster movie, body horror and the Gothic church thriller. But it injects a revitalizing juice into the franchise — smartly edited and well paced, with a good cinematic eye.” – Brandon Yu, New York Times
Boy Kills World
Boy (Bill Skarsgård) vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.
rated r for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use, and sexual references.
“Boy Kills World is a two-hour roller coaster. You’ll leave exhausted and beaten, and yet feeling like maybe you too can defeat the fascist dictators in your life.” – Alan Ng, Film Threat
“A high-octane action extravaganza sure to satiate genre fans’ delirious bloodlust.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
“Skarsgård and Benjamin make for an odd pair that work well together at every turn. The vision of Mohr is clear and realized, and the resulting work of art will excite audiences around the world.” – Nadir Samara, Screen Rant
Unsung Hero
When David Smallbone’s successful music company collapses, he moves his family from Down Under to the States, searching for a brighter future. With nothing more than their seven children, suitcases, and their love of music, David (Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. Based on a remarkable true story, Helen’s faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs. With their own dreams on hold, David and Helen begin to realize the musical prowess in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in Inspirational Music history: five-time Grammy Award-winning artists for KING + COUNTRY and Rebecca St. James.
rated pg for thematic elements.
“The co-directors re-contextualize character-building circumstances, crafting a soul-stirring testament to the power of family and faith in the process.” – Courtney Howard, Variety
“Engaging and compelling, this is a heartfelt tribute to the power of family and faith. The film’s emotional depth and honest depiction of real-life struggles make it a must watch, especially for those crying out for more believable faith based dramas.” – Linda Marric, HeyUGuys
“Unsung Hero takes place in the early 1990s, but this reliably inspirational biopic about the Smallbone showbiz dynasty has timeless themes about the power of family love and loyalty. It’s a faith-based drama that isn’t preachy about religion.” – Carla Hay, Culture Mix
The Sixth
The Sixth is a portrayal of a city and nation under siege as well as a testament to the importance of truth, told through the eyes of 6 unique individuals whose lives will be forever changed by the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
not rated. contains strong violence, disturbing images, and strong language throughout.
“Civics lessons rarely come this disturbing or this convincing.” – Ty Burr, Washington Post
“A graphic yet strikingly humane narrative.” – Bill Newcott, Saturday Evening Post
“This is the power of the documentary form. Never again must we forget our own nightmares. Especially when they come true.” – Noah Gittell, Washington City Paper
Titanic: The Musical
Based on real people aboard the most legendary ship in the world, Titanic: The Musical is “breathtaking” (The Guardian) and “magnificent” (The Telegraph), a stunning and stirring production focusing on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of her passengers who each boarded with stories and personal ambitions of their own. All innocently unaware of the fate awaiting them, the Third-Class immigrants dream of a better life in America, the Second Class imagine they too can join the lifestyles of the rich and famous, whilst the millionaire Barons of the First Class anticipate legacies lasting forever.
not rated. contains language, peril, mild sexual references, and thematic material.
Perfect Days
Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho) is content with his simple life cleaning toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Unexpected encounters reveal more of his story in a deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the world around us.
rated pg for some language, partial nudity, and smoking.
“Perfect Days is another masterwork from Wenders, a recognition of life’s curiosities, the small details that make it all worthwhile, and finding beauty in the overlooked things in life.” – Ross Bonaime, Collider
“This film beams and buzzes inside its closed loop with the hard-won wisdom of acceptance. And it does so while staying in awe of what can never be understood, only appreciated — and if we’re lucky, enjoyed.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
“The fact that writer-director Wim Wenders has called a movie about cleaning toilets Perfect Days might strike some viewers as the height of absurdity, even perverse humor. But once they get a glimpse of Hirayama in action, the dreams (literal and figurative) behind the drudgery reveal themselves in a series of revelatory moments.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Arcadian
In a near future, normal life on Earth has been decimated. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night. Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil. One day, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive.
rated r for bloody images.
“Not only is director Benjamin Brewer’s Arcadian a good Nicolas Cage movie, but it’s one of the most fun cinematic experiences that he has been a part of in recent memory. It’s a work of horror worth taking seriously even as things go gloriously off the rails.” – Chase Hutchinson, Collider
“It’s not trying to make a grand statement about the world, at least not any more than movies like this do… But it is trying to scare you, and it does.” – Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
“Arcadian is more than a mere horror film; it’s a haunting meditation on the fragility of humanity and the enduring power of hope in the face of despair. It turns out that mixing heart with horror still works.” – Mike DeAngelo, The Playlist
Sting
After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet—and fight for her family’s survival—when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.
rated r for violent content, bloody images, and language.
“It’s pure horror movie fun. Yet the relationships consistently raise the stakes and elevate the film from the ‘creature feature’ label to the kind of thriller that becomes a fan favorite.” – Josiah Teal, Film Threat
“[A] better movie than it needs to be. A dramatic family backstory sets Sting apart from myriad other creature features.” – Thom Ernst, Original Cin
“…Roache-Turner ultimately knows what audiences are coming to see and delivers that in droves, offering horrific deaths, a tense atmosphere and stylish direction to entertaining effect.” – Grant Hermanns, Screen Rant
Housekeeping for Beginners
Dita, despite never aspiring to be a mother, finds herself compelled to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters—Mia, a tiny troublemaker, and Vanesa, a rebellious teenager. As their individual wills clash, a heartwarming story unfolds about an unlikely family’s struggle to stay together.
rated r for sexual content, language throughout, and some teen drinking.
“Stolevski’s handling of the balance between jostling high spirits and the creeping dread of loss is supremely confident; his storytelling is fresh, authentic and genuinely exciting.” – Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
“Writer and director Goran Stolevski gives us an atypical family portrait that’s brilliantly political without being preachy, loving without being maudlin and epic by being specifically tiny.” – Mark Kennedy, Associated Press
“Stolevski’s lively, garrulous script may be plot-heavy, but the film isn’t propelled as much by grand narrative turns as it is by the powderkeg reactivity of its characters. Each scrap and squabble and occasional flash of understanding between them activates the film anew, so no interpersonal dynamic here ever feels comfortably settled.” – Guy Lodge, Variety
The Mattachine Family
Thomas and Oscar are a couple at a crossroads. When their foster son is reunited with his birth mother, the couple find themselves on diverging paths as they grapple with life after fatherhood. While Oscar immerses himself in a newfound acting opportunity across the country, Thomas embarks on a personal journey that helps him discover the many meanings of family.
not rated. contains language, sexual content, and brief nudity.
“Bring tissues, because Andy Vallentine’s The Mattachine Family packs plenty of feels.” – Andrea Thompson, Chicago Reader
“Mattachine is infused with a lot of emotional intelligence and its cast brings a wonderful naturalism to the material.” – Joey Moser, Awards Daily
“Tortorella is such a natural that it is easy to forget that Thomas is fictional. Whether he struggles from holding back tears to just putting his head on his hand, his performance feels organic and lived in as if it were indulgent, warm comfort food.” – Sarah Vincent, Boston Movie News
The Breaking Ice
In cold wintry Yanji, a city on China’s northern border, young urbanite Haofeng, visiting from Shanghai, feels lost and adrift. By chance, he goes on a tour led by Nana, a charming tour guide who instantly fascinates him. She introduces him to Xiao, a personable but frustrated restaurant worker. The three bond quickly over a drunken weekend. Confronting their individual traumas, their frozen desires slowly thaw as they seek to liberate themselves from an icy world.
not rated. contains sexual content and mild language.
“Its interweaving of powerful performances and spiritual complexity, eventually melded with local folklore, is nothing short of beautiful.” – Jeffrey Zhang, The Playlist
“Rich in feeling yet never emotionally emphatic, The Breaking Ice has an uncluttered narrative simplicity that’s mirrored in the shooting style and nicely offset by the nuanced complexity of the relationships. The closing notes of hope and renewal are lovely.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
“It’s bracing to watch a movie whose very flow communicates how to experience it, which can also be said of Zhou’s captivating turn as a young woman committed to being elusive as a ward against what being still and reflective might bring up.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Apocalypse Clown
The sudden death of international clown master Jean DuCoque brings together our motley trio: Bobo a hobo clown who has hit rock bottom… Pepe a talentless mime… and Funzo an inadvertently terrifying “street clown”. After a mass brawl at the funeral with some vengeful human statues earns them a night in jail, the group emerges to find a country suddenly plunged into overnight anarchy by major solar flare.
not rated. contains bloody violence, language, sexual references, and drug use.
“It’s hard to refuse this comedy caper penned by members of madcap theatre troupe Dead Cat Bounce, such is its gung-ho vim and uniquely silly premise.” – Hilary A. White, Irish Independent
“The quickfire gags of the delightfully mad Apocalypse Clown are performed by an ensemble of well-cast actors playing engagingly wacky characters. It is impossible not to be drawn in by all the fun they’re having.” – Sebastian Scotney, The Arts Desk
“You’ll end Apocalypse Clown knowing that you’ve seen something you haven’t before – or likely will again. It’s a singular and brilliant watch that turns the apocalypse into the best clown show in town.” – Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
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Cover image created with Midjourney prompt: “Ted Lasso” in the style of a Hayao Miyazaki film.
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