When the game-show contestant is a serial killer.
‘Woman of the Hour’
Based on the time the serial killer Rodney Alcala appeared on “The Dating Game” in the midst of his crime spree, Anna Kendrick directs herself as the woman Alcala is competing for.
From our review:
As a drama, “Woman of the Hour” is effective and infuriating. But about midway through, it starts to feel a bit too self-consciously illustrative. This is a story with a lesson to teach the audience: Women are uncomfortable far more than they let on, and that means a predator like Alcala can move through the world undetected for years. It’s a truth worth illustrating.
Watch on Netflix. Read the full review.
Critic’s pick
It’s the G7 summit but bonkers.
‘Rumours’
A group of world leaders (including Cate Blanchett as the German chancellor) gathers for the annual G7 summit but end up abandoned in the woods in this dark comedy directed by Guy Maddin and his longtime collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson.
From our review:
[“Rumours” is] sporadically ingenious, occasionally chilling and entirely bonkers. … This film’s utter contempt for our leaders’ ineptitude, expressed in the hilarious sight of a circle of bog men frantically masturbating over a campfire, is strangely bracing.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Critic’s pick
Smiling through the terror.
‘Smile 2’
Directed by Parker Finn, Naomi Scott is Skye Riley, a pop star experiencing violent hallucinations that eventually take place in front of an audience.
From our review:
Scott (who has a real background in music) beautifully anchors the film’s twists and shocks. … Skye’s not a vengeful figure, but under the smiling curse, it’s not hard to see how her brutal manifestations of unhappiness and trauma are also retaliations against the people — and yes, even the fans — who don’t treat her like a real human.
In theaters. Read the full review.
critic’s pick
A delicate reunion.
‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’
Tarrell (André Holland) is a rising artist forced to contemplate the concept of forgiveness when he is confronted by his recovering-addict father in this autobiographical drama written and directed by the artist Titus Kaphar.
From our review:
Forgiveness may not be about making nice. Filling in a painful gap may not lead to tidy reconciliation. Still, something true will appear. Kaphar may be new to feature filmmaking, but that’s some grown wisdom.
In theaters. Read the full review.
critic’s pick
If Mr. Mom was older and more serious.
‘Goodrich’
When his younger wife leaves for a rehab program, Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton) seeks out his pregnant adult daughter (Mila Kunis) for support while he raises his 9-year-old twins in this family drama directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer.
From our review:
Meyers-Shyer is a realist, so don’t expect Andy to turn his life around after delivering a big, wet-eyed speech. But Kunis’s Grace gets a great one about loving him despite his shortcomings that’s so honest and raw she made me giggle, tear up and giggle again.
In theaters. Read the full review.
critic’s pick
A Brazilian in Provincetown.
‘High Tide’
Written and directed by Marco Calvani, this romantic drama follows Lourenço (Marco Pigossi), a gay Brazilian seeking a sense of belonging while working in Provincetown, Mass.
From our review:
With his exceptionally lived-in performance, Pigossi brings Lourenço’s heartbreaking emotions to life, making even the script’s contrivances feel natural.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Dramatic sisterhood.
‘Allswell in New York’
Liza Colón-Zayas, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Daphne Rubin-Vega star as sisters navigating their careers, families and relationships with one another in this dramedy from Ben Snyder.
From our review:
A series of unfortunate domestic events befalls three adult siblings in Ben Snyder’s “Allswell in New York,” which plays like a family sitcom that forgot the comedy. … If few of the melodramatic plot lines wrap up by the end, at least the members of the ensemble cast commit to their roles with naturalistic gusto.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Mildly funny brotherhood.
‘Brothers’
Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play criminal twins committing one last heist together in this buddy comedy directed by Max Barbakow.
From our review:
Brolin and Dinklage might seem like a magnetic pair of bickering twins — and they are what is keeping this ship from sinking — but mostly it’s dismaying to see such strong dramatic actors stifled in such a sedate comedy.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video. Read the full review.
Toxic brotherhood.
‘The Line’
A dedicated fraternity brother (Alex Wolff) finds his loyalty faltering and his clashes with a peer (Austin Abrams) growing after a hazing event goes wrong in this dark drama by Ethan Berger.
From our review:
Berger takes a keen anthropological approach to the rites and rituals of the fictitious Kappa Nu Alpha house, and he makes it so that you can almost smell the stale beer and crumpled Ralph Lauren. The details are believable, and therefore more disturbing.
In theaters. Read the full review.
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