It’s the end of the world as we know it and he feels fine.
‘The Life of Chuck’
Directed by Mike Flanagan, this adaptation of a Stephen King novella follows a man who is remarkably laid-back about the apocalypse.
From our review:
“The Life of Chuck” is a curious movie, starting with its relatively relaxed, almost blasé attitude toward extinction of any kind. It uneasily mixes moods and tones, softens tragedies with smiles and foregrounds a title character — Chuck, an accountant with a tragic past, played as an adult by Tom Hiddleston — who has a tenuous hold on both the story and your interest.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Witless Without John Wick.
‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’
This spinoff sees Ana de Armas playing a murderous ballerina in the John Wick universe and Keanu Reeves popping in for a cameo as the assassin from the main series.
From our review:
Directed, with workmanlike efficiency, by Len Wiseman, “Ballerina” is at once insultingly facile and infuriatingly obtuse, its unmodulated tumult leaving little room for nuance or personality. By the time we see Reeves, who possibly died in “Chapter 4” (2023), his Wick feels like a revenant, a supernatural reminder of why we’re watching. His presence only highlights this film’s absences: of attitude, of winking self-awareness, of a playful, effortless cool.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Jumping the killer shark.
‘Dangerous Animals’
A boat captain with roguish charm feeds tourists to sharks in this gleefully brutal horror movie directed by Sean Byrne.
From our review:
This is a horror movie about horror movies made by people who seem to have spent more time observing horror movies than the real world. Making this work requires wit, the right tone and a ruthless sense of pace. Byrne manages all three with a sure hand. His main asset is an old-fashioned charmer of a villain.
In theaters. Read the full review.
The power of Pacino does not compel us.
‘The Ritual’
Based on the same events that inspired “The Exorcist,” this horror film directed by David Midell follows two priests who try to save a young girl from demonic possession.
From our review:
As Father Theophilus, a hunched Al Pacino speaks in an exaggerated accent that wavers between Crazy Guggenheim and “It’s-a me, Mario.” As the younger priest, Father Joseph, Dan Stevens doesn’t have much to do besides look extremely concerned. The movie doesn’t serve its actresses particularly well either. … Topping it all off is a deliberately shaky and agitated shooting and cutting style that heightens nothing. Just watch “The Exorcist” again.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A comedy of errors that fails to deliver.
‘I Don’t Understand You’
On a trip to rural Italy, dads-to-be make a series of disastrous choices in this dark comedy written and directed David Joseph Craig and Brian Crano.
From our review:
Lines like “What’s my hair doing?” and “I don’t want to break her stemware” — uttered after serious transgressions — land with snappy comedic timing. But this plays like a bloated “Saturday Night Live” sketch, the increasingly implausible plot getting out of step with a heartfelt story about queer parenthood. In trying to be both subversive and sincere, “I Don’t Understand You” ends up not quite pulling off either.
In theaters. Read the full review.
The lead holds up this bank robbery thriller.
‘Tyler Perry’s Straw’
Taraji P. Henson stars as Janiyah, a single mom who robs a bank, in the latest from Tyler Perry.
From our review:
Perry, an unapologetic purveyor of melodrama, mercilessly teases the tension. Will Janiyah hurt the hostages? Will the authorities make a sad situation worse? The ending is perhaps too twisting for its own good. But Henson — so deeply committed to her character’s emotional cratering — still makes us care.
Watch on Netflix. Read the full review.
Monkeying around in New Mexico.
‘Sunlight’
Directed by Nina Conti, this idiosyncratic comedy kicks off when a radio host (Shenoah Allen) wakes up in an RV driven by Jane (Conti), a stranger in a monkey suit.
From our review:
Conti bases Jane’s furry alter-ego on her monkey ventriloquist act, part of her career in British TV and theater. A little of “Sunlight,” which she directs and co-wrote with Allen, goes a long way. But there’s still something to seeing a performer go for broke, purging a character’s shame and despair through a screwy, confessional sense of humor.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
The post 7 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week appeared first on New York Times.
