One Battle After Another
Washed-up revolutionary Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his evil nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
“One Battle After Another is the work of a master filmmaker. [Paul Thomas Anderson] has lots to say and does it in style, gifting us the audience with one of the year’s richest and most entertaining experiences…” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“In years to come, when this appears on TV late at night, it’ll be impossible to switch off. It’s just one of those films. A stone-cold, instant classic.” – Alex Godfrey, Empire
“The surprise of One Battle After Another is that while it speaks with a big vision to the danger and anxiety of our moment, it’s also a drama that’s totally grounded and relatable. There’s a thematic heft to it, and the movie is often quite funny in a sidelong way, but it’s not some in-your-face didactic absurdist thing. One Battle After Another is a vision of a society in captivity, but it’s a movie that never loses the pulse of its humanity.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
rated r for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, and drug use.
TRON: Ares
Ares, a highly sophisticated Program, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.
“TRON: Ares is spectacularly designed, swiftly paced, thoughtfully written, and directed within an inch of its neon-hued life.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“In an age of bland, unimaginative cookie-cutter blockbusters, there’s something refreshing about a movie that puts a premium on looking and sounding badass.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
“How do you go back and yet forward at the same time? The filmmakers have rather cleverly done that by incorporating plot points from the first two movies and building out with new characters and blurring the divide between flesh and digital worlds.” – Mark Kennedy, AP
rated pg-13 for violence / action.
The Smashing Machine
The story of mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr.
“Like Johnson’s Kerr, The Smashing Machine is a surprisingly gentle giant.” – Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
“The Smashing Machine isn’t a sports movie that wants to jerk a Pavolvian response of triumph out of us. It’s after something subtler and more moving. By the end of the film, Mark, who had grown so used to winning, has won in the most transformative way.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“Johnson’s performance is out-and-out wonderful, a beady-eyed fusion of body and spirit that osmoses Safdie’s sensibility to deliver what can’t be disputed as the most layered work of the actor’s career. A vividly contradictory Blunt, funny and sad especially in articulating Dawn’s conflicted response to Mark’s post-rehab emotional about-face during a tense argument, is equally sensational.” – Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
rated r for language and some drug abuse.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska when he was a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past. Recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works—a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching for a reason to believe.
“In many ways, this movie is, then, a mirror of Nebraska itself — unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.” – Mark Kennedy, AP
“A tender, thoughtful film that finally brings the legendary singer-songwriter’s story, or at least a snatch of it, to the big screen.” – James Mottram, NME
“Cooper doesn’t try to tie neat bows either. He allows this superstar to be flawed and damaged, but not in a cheap melodramatic way, in a relatable way that actually gives you strength to find a reason to believe in seeking help. Springsteen becomes as raw and as frank as the characters in his songs.” – Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
rated pg-13 for thematic material, some sexuality, strong language, and smoking.
Roofman
Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.
“With a career-best Tatum at the center and an ensemble that fills in every corner with warmth and wit, Roofman is one of this year’s most pleasant surprises.” – Tania Hussain, Collider
“Roofman has heart, energy and personality fit to burst. If the cinema gods decided that it was finally time for Channing Tatum to have a chance at an Oscar nomination, they could hardly have equipped him better than with this role.” – Tim Robey, The Telegraph
“This is the kind of disarming crowd-pleaser for which cringe-inducing clichés like ‘it will sneak up and steal your heart’ were invented. What’s refreshing about Roofman is that it’s never too aggressive about it. It’s sentimental but sincere.” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
rated r for language, nudity, and brief sexuality.
Shelby Oaks
A woman’s obsessive search for her missing sister leads her into a terrifying mystery at the hands of an unknown evil.
“With Sullivan’s phenomenal performance and Stuckmann’s keen eye, Shelby Oaks allows us to witness the start of one of the most promising new voices in horror.” – BJ Colangelo, /Film
“Shelby Oaks is a promising debut from Chris Stuckmann that’s equal parts eerie and soulful despite some third act shakiness.” – Matt Donato, Collider
“Lean as a hellhound, Shelby Oaks doesn’t rely on jump scares, although there are plenty of those. Instead, its true terror is found in writer/director Chris Stuckmann’s ability to move effortlessly from adrenaline shocks to creeping psychological strain.” – Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
rated r for violent content / gore, suicide, and language.
Runt
Adapted from Craig Silvey’s best-selling novel, Runt is a heartfelt and hilarious contemporary Australian family feature film set in the country town of Upson Downs. It tells the story of ten-year-old Annie Shearer and her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt, as they attempt to win the Agility Course Championship at the Krumpets Dog Show in London in order to save their family’s farm from drought and misery.
“This is a wonderful, uplifting film based on a big-hearted novel by one of Australia’s most gifted writers. It’s about love, friendship, kindness, pride and hope.” – Stephen Romei, The Australian
“A delightful tale of dogged determination, dastardly behaviour and the odd minor disaster, Runt‘s girl-and-her-canine-companion not only win the hearts of two nations, but also cinema-going audiences of all ages.” – James Croot, Stuff
“A delightfully funny yet also warm and endearing Aussie family film. Certainly in the vein of films like Babe and Oddball. One for the whole family.” – David Griffiths, Subculture Entertainment
not rated. contains brief language.
Diciannove
The highs and lows of a restless youth collide headlong into the concrete realities of adulthood when Leonardo, a teenager from Palermo leaves home for the first time. His studies land him in Siena, by way of London, where he clashes with his instructor, the curriculum, and most chaotically, with himself. Produced by Luca Guadagnino, Diciannove (nineteen), marks the feature filmmaking debut of writer-director Giovanni Tortorici, a bold, brash and bemusing filmmaking talent.
“The debut film by Giovanni Tortorici, a spry filmmaker, has moxie. Tortorici takes risks.” – Kent Turner, Film-Forward
“Tortorici’s filmmaking is stylish enough to make even the slipperiest sequences pop.” – Natalia Winkelman, New York Times
“Diciannove is unflinchingly honest about what it’s like to be 19… Tortorici’s insistence on capturing that feeling while avoiding the usual narrative tropes is what makes his film both fascinating and somewhat impenetrable.” – Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
not rated. contains strong language, sexual content, mild violence, drug use, and smoking.
Sleep
The domestic bliss of newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) is disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “Someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can barely sleep because of this irrational fear. Despite treatment, Hyun-su’s sleepwalking only intensifies, and Soo-jin begins to feel that her unborn child may be in danger.
“It’s the sly way that the film starts off lodged in one character’s perspective, and makes its way to the other’s, that enables its rollicking final act to work as well as it does. Sleep is a wild ride, but it refuses to lose sight of the emotional state of the people it puts onscreen, even as they fall apart.” – Alison Willmore, Vulture
“Sleep feels like a major debut by a filmmaker who is ready to defy conventions and entertain audiences. It belongs alongside those great Korean horror films, even while standing apart.” – Matt Patches, Polygon
“Jason Yu knows how to stage a tense thriller and gives Sleep a sense of claustrophobia, using the small size of the apartment and some inventive camera movements to slightly change the apartment throughout the film, showing how the characters are losing their grip by making them unfamiliar with the place they know best in the world.” – Rafael Motomayor, /Film
not rated. contains violence, bloody images, strong language, peril, brief nudity, a sexual reference, and thematic content.
From Darkness
Park ranger Angelica enlists the help of her ex, Viktor, a dog handler, to search for a missing woman in a dangerous nature reserve in Sweden.
“From Darkness feels like a missing episode of The X-Files in all the best ways. A great air of distrust overwhelms the more monstrous elements, but still provides an intense viewing experience.” – Kat Hughes, THN
not rated. contains strong bloody violence, language, and thematic material.
Afterburn
After a massive solar flare destroys the Earth’s eastern hemisphere, an emboldened treasure hunter for hire adventures to Europe to uncover the coveted Mona Lisa, only to learn the world needs a hero more than it needs a painting.
rated r for strong bloody violence, and language.
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Cover image from Internet Movie Firearms Database.
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