Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
rated pg-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material, and brief drug use.
“Everyone in the cast is clearly having a blast inhabiting or re-inhabiting this world and their enthusiasm for the material is infectious.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“The zippy pacing, buoyant energy and steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments hint at the joy Burton appears to have found in revisiting this world, and for anyone who loved the first movie, it’s contagious. That applies also to the actors, all of whom warm to the dizzying lunacy.” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
“Burton has just allowed himself to be silly and have fun; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is filled with low-stakes wisecracks and kindergarten-style one-liners, but the effect works. The movie carries you along on its wriggling magic carpet of mayhem—and features one sequence of creepy-elegant-funny cracked poetry that’s classic, old-school Burton.” – Stephanie Zacharek, Time
It Ends With Us
Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) is a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future. Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel.
rated pg-13 for domestic violence, sexual content, and some strong language.
“…It Ends With Us is undeniably an entertaining movie with a story that’s hard not to get wrapped up in…” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“Anchored by a mighty Blake Lively, It Ends with Us brings Colleen Hoover’s story to smartly cinematic and tremendously touching life.” – Charlotte Simmons, We Got This Covered
“When I say it’s a soap opera, I mean that as praise. Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel (the script is by Christy Hall) and directed by Justin Baldoni (who is one of the film’s costars), it’s an avid and emotional movie that pulls you right along.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Godzilla Minus One
In postwar Japan, a new terror rises; Godzilla. Will the devastated people be able to survive… let alone fight back?
rated pg-13 for creature violence and action.
“…one of the best entries the series has ever seen… Superbly melding together two seemingly disparate stories, Godzilla Minus One is a darkly thrilling example of just how good a kaiju movie can really be.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“Come for the skyline-destroying radioactive dino, stay for the delicately etched portrait of recovery and self-forgiveness. Or vice versa. Just don’t miss the chance to remind yourself why the world fell for Godzilla in the first place.” – Dana Stevens, Slate
“Godzilla Minus One is a monster movie of singular power, using horror-infused kaiju spectacle to deliver an emotionally compelling story of grief, wartime trauma, and hope. Most importantly, its genre-leading visual effects scenes are complemented by richly soulful performances and humane themes of reconciliation and redemption.” – Alex Adams, CineVue
House of the Dragon: Season 2
Two separate monarchs have been crowned in the wake of the passing of King Viserys the Peaceful. At King’s Landing, Aegon II Targaryen has been crowned and assumed King by the Green’s. Meanwhile, on the island of Dragonstone, the origin place of House Targaryen, Rhaenyra Targaryen has been crowned Queen by the Blacks. These opposing factions come to a head in the Dance of the Dragons as civil war looms.
rated tv-ma. contains graphic violence, strong sexual content, nudity, strong language, and thematic content.
“If that first series was merely the warm-up, then this second feels like the whistle has just blown on the main event.” – Emily Baker, i
“Even when it too closely resembles its legendary predecessor, Condal’s series is a gripping portrait of the eternal hunger for wealth, pleasure, power, and supremacy.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
“For fans of Westeros — its incestuous soap opera, lavish world-building, and theatrical tragedy — House of the Dragon Season 2 delivers everything you love and then some. It’s I, Claudius with movie monsters, medieval history sprinkled with magic… House of the Dragon Season 2 is spectacular to behold, even if what’s unfolding is absolutely terrible.” – Meghan O’Keefe, Decider
Speak No Evil
When an American family (Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Alix West Lefler) is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family (James McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, Daniel Hough) they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.
rated r for some strong violence, language, some sexual content, and brief drug use.
“Even though McAvoy is the brightly shining star, it takes a large, cohesive team to make it all come together, and when it works like Speak No Evil does, pure nail-biting magic happens.” – Jason Delgado, Film Threat
“Speak No Evil is the rowdiest horror flick in ages, a hilarious and venomous little nasty that cattle-prods the audience to scream everything its lead characters choke down.” – Amy Nicholson, Washington Post
“While this might be a flashy, American production (courtesy of Blumhouse, behind the Insidious movies and Get Out), it’s also the distinctly observational work of a British writer-director. And then there’s McAvoy, delivering one of the most impressively repugnant performances of the year.” – Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent
Trap
A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.
rated pg-13 for some violent content and brief strong language.
“Doesn’t have the depth of Shyamalan’s most important films or the theatricality of his most memorably weird experiments. But it’s one of his best thrillers.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Shyamalan crafts a deceptively simple experience. The plot is rather ingeniously straightforward, at first, but the fraught journey of a father and killer trying not to upend and upset the carefully constructed delusional fabrication of his life—and how the two identities crash into each other on one fateful day— is exhilaratingly multifaceted.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
“On one level, Shyamalan feels more comfortable than ever; Trap may cook more purely and entertainingly than anything in his last decade of self-styled pop hits. But it also suggests that there are discordant notes that he can’t, and probably shouldn’t, ever get out of his system.” – Jesse Hassenger, AV Club
Blink Twice
When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It’s paradise. Wild nights blend into sun soaked days and everyone’s having a great time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. There is something wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.
rated r for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references.
“Zoë Kravitz makes a phenomenal debut as director with this heightened, gripping thriller.” – Leila Latif, Total Film
“You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, you’ll have, yes, a very good time. You’ll also marvel at the introduction of a newly-minted filmmaker with a crystal-clear vision of both what the world is and what it could be, at least if the women were in charge.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire
“[Kravitz] composes the movie out of vibrant close-ups, using each shot (a cocktail, a glance, a social-media cutaway) to tell a story, drawing us into the center of an encounter, so that we’re staring at it and experiencing it at the same time. Her technique is riveting; this is the work of a born filmmaker.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
The Killer’s Game
When top hitman Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.
rated r for strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual material, brief drug use, and nudity.
“The Killer’s Game is a classic action comedy, full of suspense, kicks, impalements, and motorcycle gunfire.” – Ruben Peralta Rigaud, Cocalecas
“A mix between the action-packed world that Bautista is known for and a beautiful love story, the movie shines in letting both Bautista and Boutella show audiences a different side to their work.” – Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
“What really makes the movie is Bautista, who projects a comforting sweetness even while he’s snapping some guy’s leg in half, and an intimidating brutality even when he’s struggling to flirt by text.” – Noah Berlatsky, Chicago Reader
The Crow
A modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
rated r for strong bloody violence, gore, language, sexuality / nudity, and drug use.
“Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs sizzle, and the the soundtrack smoulders, creating a haunting tale of tragedy ready to bewitch all that enter into The Crow with an open mind and heart.” – Kat Hughes, Film Disclosure
“[I]t has a low-key confidence about its identity and methods, including an entire metaphysical system supporting the plot, that’s unexpectedly persuasive by the end.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“The Crow is an astonishing movie about an unloved young man learning just how deep a capacity for love he actually has, based around a disturbingly good central performance from Bill Skarsgård.” – Sarah Manvel, Battle Royale with Cheese
AfrAId
Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns the family’s behaviors and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in her family’s way.
rated pg-13 for sexual material, some strong violence, some strong language, and thematic material.
“Overall, Afraid delivers an unsettling ride with standout performances.” – Alan Ng, Film Threat
“A thrilling, timely and eye-opening cautionary tale about the dangers of AI.” – Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
“Crucially, Weitz grasps that the most unsettling thing about AIA’s real-world equivalents isn’t their alien novelty but the way they mirror human nature, revealing qualities in their designers and users that were present all along.” – Jake Wilson, The Age
Someone Like You
Shocking news hits after young architect Dawson Gage loses his best friend, London Quinn. Now in his heartbreak, Dawson is compelled to launch an impossible search for London’s secret twin sister, twins separated as embryos. But along the way, Dawson never planned to fall in love. Based on the novel by Karen Kingsbury.
rated pg for thematic material.
“…watching the film is like having somebody wrap you up in a great big bear hug.” – Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat
“If you are Christian and like these type of narratives, give it a try.” – Rachel Wagner, Rachel’s Reviews
“Warm and sudsy from the start, this picturesque faith-based romance focusses on longing glances and inner yearning… there’s charming chemistry between the characters.” – Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Strange Darling
Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.
rated r for strong / bloody violent content, sexual material, drug use, and language.
“Playing out in six, ingeniously scrambled chapters, this headlong thriller transforms a simple cat-and-mouse premise — and maybe even a toxic love story — into an impertinent rebuke to genre clichés and our own preprogrammed assumptions.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
“All in all, in a time when so many movies evaporate from memory as soon as the credits roll, Strange Darling — love it or loathe it — is the kind of film that engenders conversation.” – Cary Darling, San Francisco Chronicle
“An excruciating chase film, a terrifying puzzle-box whodunit, and a testament to romanticizing even the darkest cinema in glowing 35mm, Strange Darling is an outright triumph.” – Alison Foreman, IndieWire
The Critic
A powerful London theater critic (Sir Ian McKellen) lures a struggling actress into a blackmail scheme with deadly consequences.
Rated r for some language and sexual content.
“A film filled with intensity, this is a worthwhile, deliciously vile watch.” – Isabella Soares, Collider
“McKellen – now in his mid-Eighties, still sporting – hasn’t brought this kind of twinkling malevolence to the screen since his starring role in 1995’s Richard III, which coincidentally transposed its story of power grabbing and backstabbing to 1930s, fascists-rising England, the very same milieu of this acidic drama.” – Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle
“This period drama may be a bit slow during some scenes, but the devious dark plot is such a pleasant surprise the payoff is worth it. On top of that, The Critic has a beautiful score, excellent set design, and great cinematography.” – Simone Cromer, Film Threat
Apartment 7A
Ambitious young dancer Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner) dreams of fame and fortune in New York City, but after suffering a devastating injury, an older, wealthy couple (Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally) welcomes her into their home in the luxury apartment building the Bramford. When a fellow resident and influential Broadway producer (Jim Sturgess) offers her another chance at fame, it seems that all her dreams are finally coming true. However, after an evening she can’t fully remember, disturbing circumstances soon have her second-guessing the sacrifices she’s willing to make for her career as she realizes that something evil is living not only in Apartment 7A, but in the Bramford itself.
rated r for some violent content and drug use.
“The movie is largely entertaining, despite being pulled constantly in two directions: as a predecessor to an iconic work and as a distinct beast, with its own gripes against patriarchal norms.” – Siddhant Adlakha, Variety
“It’s not so much a prequel as it is a parallel story that continues underscoring the limited autonomy of women. Restrictive social mores trap both Rosemary and Terry, albeit in different ways.” – Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter
“I imagine Rosemary’s Baby purists will be upset with the various references and connections Apartment 7A makes to the first film, a few of which are clumsy, but nothing was egregious enough to trip me up—including the final sequence, once again involving dance, which I found to be rather brilliant.” – Josh Larsen, Larsen On Film
The 4:30 Movie
In the summer of 1986, three sixteen-year-old friends spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local cineplex. When one of the guys invites the girl of his dreams to see an R-rated film, all hilarity breaks loose, as a self-important theater manager (Ken Jeong) and teen rivalries interfere with his best-laid plans.
rated r for sexual content.
“At its core, it’s simply a sweet personal story — made by a guy who, as we see here, started off wanting to do exactly that.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“The 4:30 Movie owes far more to John Hughes than the Richard Linklater movies that inspired Smith to make Clerks, but it contains its own versions of many of the elements that made that film great.” – Christian Zilko, IndieWire
“By far the best thing in the film is Ken Jeong as the theatre manager, preening and ridiculous, dispensing putdowns with surgically precise comic timing.” – Leslie Felperin, The Guardian
Genie
The film is a fairy-tale comedy about a workaholic man who enlists the help of a magical genie to help win his family back before Christmas.
rated pg for some language and suggestive references.
“If you’re in the mood, Genie is a slight but sweet festive watch — and, sometimes, that’s all you need from a Christmas movie.” – Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
“Genie‘s messages of valuing your loved ones and being unselfish are on point for the holiday season, and this film should have no trouble finding an audience year-round.” – Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media
“Alan Cumming brings the right touch as Bernard’s awful and vain boss, but this is Essiedu’s opportunity to shine, and does he ever take full advantage of it.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
Skincare
Famed aesthetician Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is about to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skincare line, but her personal and work lives are challenged when rival facialist Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens a new skincare boutique directly across from her store. She starts to suspect that someone is trying to sabotage her reputation and business, and together with her friend Jordan (Lewis Pullman) she embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of who is trying to destroy her life.
rated r for sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, some violence, and brief drug use.
“The tone is dry farce that never strays into camp, with a mildly sardonic appreciation of oddballs recalling such Robert Altman films as The Long Goodbye. A creepily discordant musical score by Fatima Al Qadiri adds immensely to the feeling that everyone is hiding something and no good will come of it.” – Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal
“Austin Peters’ Skincare knows exactly what it’s doing, balancing a sense of total desperation with just enough camp to convey its nightmarish situations without ruining your day.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“The genius of Skincare is how it uses Los Angeles and its image- and celebrity-driven culture as a metaphor for empty lives.” – G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
A Sudden Case of Christmas
An American couple bring their 10 year old daughter, Claire, to her grandfather Lawrence’s hotel in The Dolomites, Italy. They usually come for Christmas but this year it’s August. The fact is they are breaking up, and once Claire realizes there’s not going to be a family Christmas this year, she insists on everyone making it out for Christmas in August. Claire, in collusion with her grandfather, plans activities that are designed to re-unite her parents.
not rated.
The Marlow Murder Club
Judith Potts (Judith Potts), Suzie Harris (Jo Martin) and Becks Starling (Cara Horgan) investigate murders in an English town where they live in the British adaptation of Robert Thorogood’s novel of the same name.
not rated. contains some violent content.
“The characters are charming, the performances are effective and the reveals are impressive.” – James Hibbs, Radio Times
“We are in the cosy ‘suspend your disbelief’ territory of Miss Marple or Death in Paradise.” – Carol Midgley, The Times
“If you like your whodunits slow-cooked then The Marlow Murder Club may be for you. Everyone needs comfort food from time to time and this was a bangers and mash of a detective show.” – Benji Wilson, The Telegraph
All Happy Families
An actor (Josh Radnor) in a slump is still waiting for his big break, while his hugely successful brother Will (Rob Huebel) stars in his own television series. On the weekend before new tenant Dana (Chandra Russell) is due to move into their childhood home, the siblings and their parents find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof again, where every corner reveals secrets and surprises, and the family airs out long-held resentments.
not rated. contains strong language.
“There’s not a single character in this film that doesn’t come across as authentic.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“…Haroula Rose’s All Happy Families is the kind of heartfelt indie that’s worth shouting from the rooftops about…a movie that leaves you feeling you’ve shared space and time with other people, not AI generated constructs approved by test marketers…” – Eddie Harrison, Film-Authority.com
“Haroula Rose gets such great performances out of her terrific cast that this becomes the rare story about a dysfunctional family that we wish we could follow further past its ending to see how things play out for them.” – Erik Childress, Movie Madness Podcast
The Vourdalak
When the Marquis d’Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is attacked and abandoned in the remote countryside, he finds refuge at an eerie, isolated manor. The resident family, reluctant to take him in, exhibits strange behavior as they await the imminent return of their father, Gorcha. But what begins simply as strange quickly devolves into a full-fledged nightmare when Gorcha returns, seemingly no longer himself.
not rated. contains strong violence, bloody images, sexual content, nudity, and thematic content.
“A delirious and oddly agreeable stopover.” – Phil Hoad, The Guardian
“Everything about the film manages to be forward-thinking and old-school at the same time, giving the genre a bite in the neck it might not have wanted but certainly needed.” – Michael Nordine, Variety
“The Vourdalak is an indication of where modern horror movies should be headed. I was moved not by the gruesome violence of the story but by the devastating tragedy akin to a Greek drama. The Vourdalak doesn’t need graphic cruelty to get its point across, as the movie and filmmaker understand that there is even more devastation to be found in the dark.” – Mary Kassel, Screen Rant
Lies We Tell
Ireland, 1864. Newly-orphaned heiress Maud Ruthyn becomes ward of her notorious uncle, Silas Ruthyn. Maud, grief-struck and proud, rejects support from her two trustees, Dr. Bryerly and Captain Ilbury, and welcomes Silas, his children Emily and Edward, and governess Madame to her isolated manor. But the arrival of Maud’s estranged family is in fact a malign home invasion. Silas plans to secure her inheritance for himself, and compel Maud to forfeit her position by marrying her cousin Edward—or dying. Threatened, betrayed, and outnumbered by Silas and his allies, teenaged Maud now has to fight for her birthright. Instead of breaking her, the escalating danger sparks gambit after gambit against her charming, dangerous uncle—and a final, murderous showdown.
not rated. contains rape, sexual content, violence, thematic content, and mild language.
“Don’t be fooled by the stuffy period setting, this is a gripping Irish thriller.” – Bren Murphy, RTÉ
“Lies We Tell masterfully stokes unease and tension before escalating into a harrowing journey of sexual and psychological abuse. Your skin will crawl as a leery protagonist realizes the dire severity of her situation.” – Julian Roman, MovieWeb
“It insightfully reworks some classic feminist literary notions, filtered through a very 21st-century approach to period material with its unsettling score, jittery editing and nods to horror tropes.” – Leslie Felperin, The Guardian
What Comes Around
A young love affair becomes a menacing game of cat and mouse.
not rated. contains some language and sexual references.
“A desperately sad exploration of the consequences of adults playing adult games with children.” – Sarah Manvel, In Their Own League
“The cast of characters with a complexly intriguing story make What Comes Around one of the best smaller films of 2023. Redford’s deft direction creates the unnerving atmosphere necessary for this story.” – Pamela Powell, Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam
“What Comes Around so easily could have sunk into Lifetime Original Movie territory. But with its incredible details, authentic dialogue and wonderfully committed performances, Amy Redford positions the film on a thoughtful, human ground.” – Preston Barta, Denton Record-Chronicle
Slava Ukraini
One year after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy takes us to the heart of the combat through this war diary made during the second half of 2022. From Kharkiv and Bakhmut to Kherson, in the aftermath of the city’s liberation, this documentary bears witness to the ravages of war through the testimonies of soldiers, chronicles of the front and portraits of civilians, and shares with us the struggle of the Ukrainian people.
not rated. contains violent content, bloody images, thematic material, and language.
“Whether you see Lévy, a spritely 74, as a hot spot gadfly or a dedicated war reporter, there’s no denying his dedication to the cause.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
“Lévy’s effort demands respect. Public intellectuals in the United States seldom travel through war zones with a camera running.” – Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times
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Summaries provided by the studios.
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