Toy Story 5

The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad, a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?

Rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor.

“Five movies in and these films remain nearly as good as they’ve ever been. The voice cast is charming, the animation is striking, and the script is witty and touching.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal

“Toy Story 5 is a movie for everyone. But if you’re feeling down, if the world seems overwhelmingly bleak, or if you just need a reminder that your heart can still be touched, then forget the chores and see it.” – Karen Gordon, Original Cin

“Toy Story 5 is the must-have item of the summer: a poignant, beautiful, imaginative and massively entertaining adventure for anyone who either has children or retains a semblance of memories from their own youth.” – Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail

Minions & Monsters

Follows the Minions in 1920s Hollywood as they search for frightening creatures for their monster movie, partner with a green creature, and must save the planet after unleashing monsters.

Rated PG for violence / action, language, and rude / macabre humor.

“Gently touching, genuinely funny, and even thrilling at times… This isn’t just the best entry in the entire series, it’s one of the best movies of the year so far.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal

“Improbably, this fantastic animated kids movie, sure to be a highlight of the summer, is an adult cinephile’s dream.” – Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post

“It’s a genuine triumph, not just in its construction as a kid’s movie comedy sequence but also as a distillation of all the cinematic pioneers who paved the way for something like the Minions to exist, let alone succeed.” – Clint Worthington, RogerEbert.com

Supergirl

Follows Kara Zor-El’s story and her darker origin before she finally made her way to Earth.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking.

“Ultimately, Supergirl is a story of dealing with loss and managing grief. It’s a movie that reminds us to celebrate what we have instead of wasting energy mourning what we’ve lost. Loss is emotional kryptonite we all share, and it’s clear that Supergirl, despite all her incredible power, also feels it.” – John Kirk, Original Cin

“…Supergirl is a fantastic film and one that solidifies the newly rebooted DCU’s strength as a franchise. It also signals that Gunn can be a bit more hands-off with a project without any drop in quality.” – Therese Lacson, Collider

“Alcock, tasked with playing a character that might strike some as ‘unlikable,’ instead finds both the very human dimension and the out-of-this-world charisma necessary to make Kara worth rooting for.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire

Scary Movie

Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe. Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite in Scary Movie alongside returning favorites and fresh faces to slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t final. Nothing is sacred. No trope survives. ​Every line gets crossed. The Wayans are back to cancel the Cancel Culture.

Rated R for crude sexual content, graphic nudity, strong violence, and drug content and language throughout.

“You can see it’s clearly a film made with passion, for the horror genre, for a certain generation and for the franchise that the brothers believe was stolen from them around 25 years ago.” – James Croot, The Post

“The rise of horror, along with the strange reality we live in, allows this film to land more comedic successes than misses.” – Agustín Pérez, Emol

“This is exactly what we watch a Scary Movie for, and to expect otherwise is simply obtuse.” – Rachel Ho, Exclaim!

Young Washington

A young George Washington faces war, betrayal, and impossible choices that will forge a leader.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong war violence and some bloody images.

“It’s good—not a knockout by any means, but a modern example of the sort of movie that used to be a permanent asset in Hollywood’s studio portfolio: a well-crafted but accessible biopic about the maturation of a person who helped shape the nation’s image of itself.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

“This earnest historical biopic doesn’t set the world on fire, but it has enough of a patriotic spark to potentially ignite new respect for the original ‘Father of His Country.'” – Christie Cronan, Common Sense Media

“Stirring and inspirational without being preachy, Young Washington dramatizes the lesson that a brave man’s mistakes, when faced, can lead to his greatest triumphs.” – Thelma Adams, AARP

Evil Dead Burn

After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life… live on even in death.

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language.

“Finds the funny in the fantastically nasty—and, in doing so, proves a stomach-churningly amusing nightmare.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

“The characters have depth, the action, scares, and comedy are all in line with of Sam Raimi’s signature style, and it has a third act that is nothing short of unforgettable. In truth, there is one word and one word only that can accurately describe Evil Dead Burn: Groovy.” – Aidan Kelley, Collider

“Vaniček doesn’t reinvent Evil Dead, but he does reinvent how an Evil Dead movie can feel. Whether or not that ultimately works for you, it’s the rare legacy sequel that expands the possibilities of its own franchise — and leaves you genuinely excited to see who will push themselves to the point of exhaustion next.” – Alison Foreman, IndieWire

Stop! That! Train!

Best friends Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee) are train stewardesses who trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. When a catastrophic “Stormaganza” threatens to derail the high-speed train and crash it into Los Angeles, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first class attendants (Symone, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Marcia Marcia Marcia) and President Gagwell (RuPaul) to save the day in this wild ride of camp and comedy.

Rated R for sexual material, language, some drug material, and brief nudity.

“Whatever the secret ingredient is, the result is a movie that is non-stop hilarious and unapologetically goofy. It may not be deep, it may not be compelling, but it is silly enough to be great.” – Brandon Zachary, Screen Rant

“With the same kind of sweetness and heightened stylization that he brought to Hairspray, the director Adam Shankman balances jokes for an in-crowd with the pleasures of spoofs like Airplane! and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, plus the appeal of seeing Joel McHale in a harness (one of the better star cameos, which also include Sarah Michelle Gellar and Charo).” – Chris Azzopardi, New York Times

“More than their civilian counterparts, viewers familiar with Drag Race, its superstars and its lore will likely get much out of watching the cast trade on or tweak the personae for which they’re known on stage. But notwithstanding its queer-friendly lexicon (much of which has infiltrated social media anyway), Shankman’s film is an easily accessible, unexpectedly ingratiating experience.” – Todd Gilchrist, Variety

I Love Boosters

A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use.

“Boots Riley is a genuine original, and in I Love Boosters, he makes a statement as wildly entertaining as possible.” – Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

“Buffeted by both an incredible cast and crew, I Love Boosters is an unexpected celebration of friendship, community, and solidarity.” – Monica Castillo, The Playlist

“For such heavy political themes and rallying cries to action, Riley makes it wildly entertaining, with eye-popping visuals, and a circus-inspired score by Tune-Yards. What’s most important is that among all the mishaps and misadventures, his message never loses its clarity: Liberation is for everyone, and, most importantly, it should be fun.” – Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune

The Secret Agent

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.

Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content, language, and some full nudity.

“It’s a major achievement, and for my money, sure to be one of the best films of the year.” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“This movie, visually and dramatically superb in every way, moves with unhurried confidence across the screen, pausing to savour every bizarre bit of comedy or erotic byway, or note of pathos, on its circuitous path to the violent finale.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“The movie’s writer and director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, crafts a tight story with startling freedom, leaping between characters in order to conjure their fateful interconnections, while giving them all, persecuted and persecutors alike, an identity and a voice. In the process, he brings history to life with bracing immediacy—a feat all the rarer for the audacious twists of cinematic form with which he renders the movie an act of archival reclamation.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

Faces of Death

In Faces of Death, the exploration of the original film’s infamous “is it real or not?” conceit continues as a woman working as a content moderator for a major video platform discovers what appears to be re-enactments of murders from the original film. In an online world where nothing can be trusted, she must determine whether the violence is fiction, or unfolding in real time.

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use.

“Faces of Death gives the people what they want while constantly probing the viewer as to why they want it, all the way through to an ending as bleak as the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” – Devan Suber, The Film Stage

“Here is a smart, fun, and deeply unsettling post-modern slasher that knows it can’t manufacture anything scarier than what people scroll past on their phones every day, and leverages that awareness into a multiplex-ready meditation on the terror of living in a world where even the worst atrocities have been flattened into digital wallpaper.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

“The uncommonly entertaining horror film, the third from the Cam and How to Blow Up a Pipeline team of Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei, is a clever, nastily contemporary riff on what the original represents — not just the blurring of what’s real and what’s not, but the urge to rubberneck at gore and treat the ability to be unshaken by it as a point of pride.” – Alison Willmore, Vulture

Passenger

After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger that won’t stop until it claims them both turns their van life adventure into a nightmare.

Rated R for strong violent content, some gore, and language.

“Frontloaded with memorable scares, this precision-tooled shocker is fast-paced, fun and, at times, genuinely frightening. ” – Matt Glasby, Empire

“Passenger may lack the interpersonal and mythological complexities required of a proper, obsession-worthy classic. But Øvredal is nevertheless skilled at trapping his audience inside a disorienting, semi-liminal space where anything can happen… and it probably will. Like the best late-night drives, it’s an outing without a meaningful destination that lets you have fun in total darkness.” – Alison Foreman, IndieWire

“André Øvredal, created a little corner for himself in the American horror film scene with successful modest budget projects over the years. And his latest, Passenger, is a tight, surprisingly good horror film that has plenty of scares.” – Dustin Chang, Floating World

Girls Like Girls

Girls Like Girls is a heartfelt coming-of-age story set over the course of one sun-drenched summer, where new-girl-in-town Coley falls in love for the first time while learning to accept herself along the way. Based on writer/director Hayley Kiyoko’s hit single and best-selling novel of the same name and featuring all-new music from Kiyoko.

Rated R for teen alcohol and drug use, and some language.

“Alive to both the soul connection and the bodily itch of these intimate, unwieldy, personally uncharted feelings, Kiyoko’s uncommonly lovely teen movie matches the dizzy, obsessive ecstasy of the song that inspired it.” – Guy Lodge, Variety

“Beautifully shot and tenderly acted, placing all its faith in pure emotion rather than in overly convoluted twists and turns, this is the sort of gem that feels all the more special for appearing, at first, so ordinary.” – Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter

“Mostly, Girls Like Girls wins us over with a singular type of first-film assuredness: a familiar story presented as the most personal reveal ever. If you can’t remember what it was like to try to tiptoe while swooning, your heart barely able to stay in your chest, you were never a teenager.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

Pitfall

After a young man gets separated from his friends while in the woods, he falls into a 10-foot deep pit of spikes, impaling him through the leg, and leaving him trapped. He quickly learns that his fall was not an accident.

Not Rated. Contains strong bloody violence, gore, strong language throughout, sexual content, and thematic content.

“Pitfall is your new favorite outdoor slasher film!” – Matt Orozco, Macabre Daily

“Pitfall knows how to do one thing, and it does it well: letting you watch a psycho killer play whack-a-mole with hapless victims using an arsenal of sharp things”. You want a rowdy time and an opportunity to wince at the bloody mess it leaves behind – Kondelik and Pitfall provide.” – Mikkel Frederiksen, Film Threat

“Pitfall doesn’t reinvent the wheel or drastically change the game, but it deserves credit for being a crowd-pleasing slasher.” – Aidan Kelley, Collider

Peter Hujar’s Day

A recently discovered conversation between photographer Peter Hujar and his friend Linda Rosenkrantz in 1974 reveals a glimpse into New York City’s downtown art scene and the personal struggles and epiphanies that define an artist’s life.

Not Rated. Contains strong language, sexual references, and smoking.

“Peter Hujar’s Day captures something beautifully distilled about human experience and the comfort of others.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

“Poetic in its simplicity yet crafted with as meticulous attention to detail as Hujar’s reflections on his day, this is a singular meditation on the life of an influential artist for whom major recognition came only after his death. It has the feel of a rare find plucked from a dusty archive.” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“The film honors Hujar not by impersonating him, but by doing exactly what he did in a different medium: demanding we look long and hard at the world.” – Philip Kennicott, Washington Post

The People’s Joker

A painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city.

Not Rated. Contains violence, strong language including slurs, sexual content, thematic content, drug use, and smoking.

“The People’s Joker feels less like the work of someone who wants to watch the Batman burn and more like a refashioning of a modern myth for personal purposes. It’s the ultimate kill-the-author gesture, one that ironically gives birth to another author. No, even better: a community of authors, working together to create something wholly new and true.” – Josh Larsen, Larsen On Film

“It’s a film about outsiders, made by outsiders, that feels like outsider art, which is maybe the most exciting thing about it.” – Clint Worthington, RogerEbert.com

“Both a tough-love letter to the commodified IP it satirizes and a scathing takedown of mainstream comedy institutions, this defiantly personal low-budget marvel is also a genuinely affecting queer coming-of-age tale that packs a more poignant punch than most entries in the superpowered canon.” – Jen Yamato, Washington Post

Dead to Rights

During the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, postman A Chang posed as a photo developer, helping Japanese forces while secretly sheltering Chinese refugees. He later risked his life evacuating them and revealing evidence of the atrocities.

Not Rated. Contains strong bloody violence, sexual threat, thematic content, and some language.

“Shen pulls no punches in his direction, scale, or production design, throwing us in the middle of this massacre with a cast that perfectly captures the tortured reality of their fate via silent tears and haunted faces.” – Jared Mobarak, Hey, Have You Seen…?

“Performances are excellent across the board, but the standout is Harashima (the son of Chinese and Japanese parents) for his delicately understated portrayal of a non-combatant soldier documenting appalling crimes against humanity.” – Richard Kuipers, Variety

“The lavish production design, strong performances and inescapable weight of the subject matter are already more than enough to ensure Dead to Rights is a thunderously powerful account of one of history’s most egregious tragedies.” – James Marsh, South China Morning Post

SNEAK PEEK: Movies in Theaters in September!

Fall 2: Deadpoint [9/2]

Onslaught [9/4]

Hope [9/9]

Practical Magic 2 [9/11]

The Uprising [9/11]

Resident Evil [9/18]

Primetime [9/25]

Charlie Harper [9/25]

Forgotten Island [9/25]

Heart of the Beast [9/25]

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