Critic’s Pick
A cleareyed look at 2020.
‘Eddington’
Tensions rise in a small town in New Mexico during the summer of 2020 in this contemporary western from Ari Aster.
From our review:
“Eddington” sets us not-so-gently adrift on a sea of very recent memories and the nausea they re-prompt, and waves merrily from the shore as we turn green. That’s not to say it’s a drag. Not in the least. Your mileage will vary according to your stomach for this stuff, but I found myself breathless with giggles at times, sometimes the therapeutic laugh of recognition and sometimes because Aster has a keen eye for what’s most absurd about human nature.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Fishing for nostalgia but we’re not biting.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
This reboot directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson features teens on the run from a masked killer and an appearance from Jennifer Love Hewitt, one of the stars of the original film.
From our review:
At one point, Love Hewitt’s Julie declares that “nostalgia is overrated,” which digs into the franchise’s core ideas about feeling trapped by the past. If only these intriguing elements were attached to a more exciting film: We may live among our ghosts, but it’s only fun if they’re actually scaring us.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Flipping merchandise and genres.
‘Cloud’
An online reseller descends into a world of disconnection and violence in the latest from Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
From our review:
It’s a surprisingly funny film … but also disturbing. For all of his genre-bending on display, Kurosawa is interested in something more real and more dark about humanity’s capacity for greed and bitterness, and the quiet ways that the internet can further mutate those diseases in us. But that subtext gets muddled in the director’s primary desire to construct playful surprises, even if some of which, particularly by the end, can be wonderfully, terrifyingly strange.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Tripping with the Smurfs.
‘Smurfs’
Rihanna stars as Smurfette, who leads her fellow Smurfs on a wacky journey to rescue their leader.
From our review:
The loopy plot allows the director Chris Miller to unleash visuals that get trippy to the extreme. There’s a clever sequence in which the characters traverse planes of reality that tell a short history of animation itself. It’s refreshing to see children’s animation makers use surrealism, instead of winking pop-culture references, to charm adults.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A star-filled night in Rome.
‘Finally Dawn’
Set in 1950s Italy, this drama written and directed by Saverio Costanzo centers on Mimosa (Rebecca Antonaci), a young woman swept into the world of movie stars.
From our review:
“Finally Dawn” is at its most intriguing as Costanzo entrusts his curly haired, wide-eyed naïf to maneuver the looking glass of Italian versus Hollywood cinema. Hint: Italy comes off more soulful.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A naturalistic take on a natural disaster.
‘No Sleep Till’
This naturalistic film from Alexandra Simpson follows four characters in Florida as they prepare (or not) for a hurricane.
From our review:
“No Sleep Till” is an understated — and somewhat sleepy — film. Its mood of boredom tinged with dread sometimes verges on outright listlessness. It helps that Simpson uses a cast of first-time actors almost entirely from the area.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A drag queen and a not-so-charming prince.
‘Unicorns’
When Luke (Ben Hardy), a straight man, falls for Aysha (Jason Patel), a drag queen, he is forced to re-evaluate his sexuality in this drama directed by Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd.
From our review:
Whether the later conflict involving queer infighting comes off as a thoughtless subversion of expectations depends on if you identify more with Luke or Aysha. More effective are the subtleties within their blossoming romance. … Hardy peels back the layers to reveal Luke’s sexual awakening so viscerally that it’s easier to overlook the film’s narrative shortcuts.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
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