The Boss gets a solid biopic.
‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’
Jeremy Allen White stars as Bruce Springsteen battling some of his darkest moments in this biopic directed by Scott Cooper.
From our review:
There are frustrating moments in “Deliver Me From Nowhere” — that lyric appears to great effect in “Nebraska” — and some unfortunate self-conscious arty flourishes, but there’s much to like here, too. As a director, Cooper’s strength is both his sincerity (he believes, so you try to as well) and in his work with actors.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Alien conspiracies but deeply human.
‘Bugonia’
In the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, a conspiracy theorist (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin kidnap a powerful chief executive (Emma Stone) who he believes is an evil alien.
From our review:
This is not really Lanthimos’s weirdest film, and it’s not his funniest or his most fun either. It’s mostly kind of sad. … But even minor Lanthimos has its pleasures, if you’re into his whole thing. There’s an erratic absurdism to his style: Just when you think you know what this movie is about, he jerks you sideways for a second, so you can’t get too comfortable.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Conventional and unintentionally funny.
‘Regretting You’
Still reeling from the consequences of a tragic car accident, a mother and daughter bond and butt heads as their romantic relationships blossom in this drama adapted from the Colleen Hoover best seller and directed by Josh Boone.
From our review:
As the parallel mom-and-daughter love stories play out to their inevitable conclusions, even the movie’s unintentionally comedic moments can’t freshen the stale core.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Love, death and chain saws.
‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc’
Denji, a demon hunter who can sprout chain saws from his head and arms, falls in love with one of his foes in this animated film directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara.
From our review:
Denji’s life comes back down to earth with a gentle conclusion about his feelings of romantic betrayal, but it’s hard not to feel limited by the character’s somewhat stunted psychology. After the film’s thunderous adventures, the character that some of us might identify with most is the apparent civilian seen cowering and whimpering on a ruined street.
In theaters. Read the full review.
This remake already feels dated.
‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’
In this remake of the 1992 thriller, Caitlin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) hires Polly (Maika Monroe) as a nanny, not realizing she has sinister intentions. Michelle Garza Cervera directed.
From our review:
Unfortunately, this version treats queerness like it’s 1992 all over again. The film suggests that until Caitlin met Polly, her lesbian desires were sidelined in favor of a heteronormative life, making Polly’s flirtation impossible to resist. When a used tampon cracks the case, it’s clear this cradle has been rocked so hard that subtlety, taste and the potential for good camp have fallen out.
Watch it on Hulu. Read the full review.
Found footage that looks awfully familiar.
‘Shelby Oaks’
Twelve years after her sister went missing while filming a paranormal investigation, a woman renews the search for her in this horror movie directed by Chris Stuckmann.
From our review:
A witchy crone, a possible incubus and an abandoned amusement park add up to not very much in “Shelby Oaks,” a derivative and dogged horror movie that reverts to rote with wearying regularity.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Even more familiar found footage.
‘Dream Eater’
In an attempt to deal with his disturbing bouts of sleepwalking, a man and his girlfriend retreat to a remote cabin in this found footage movie directed by Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm and Alex Lee Williams.
From our review:
There’s a deeper layer about relationships — the pains we go through to fix our loved ones; the great unknowns that remain between us and the people with whom we share our beds — that’s obscured by this rote turn to more obviously sinister territory. Less, here, would have really frightened more.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Sympathy for the missionary.
‘Last Days’
Inspired by a true story, this drama directed by Justin Lin follows a young Christian missionary who dies after trying to proselytize on a remote island.
From our review:
It’s a globe-trotting narrative that takes in landscapes both lush and foreboding. … “Last Days” manages to be thoroughly disquieting without overtly judging its subject.
In theaters. Read the full review.
These drag queens really slay.
‘Queens of the Dead’
Tina Romero, the daughter of George A. Romero, directs this colorful romp about feuding drag queens stuck in a bar while zombies rage outside.
From our review:
Though you’ll get a few laughs out of its cast, which includes Jaquel Spivey as a legendary drag queen brought out of retirement and Margaret Cho as a butch enforcer — they’re the kind of ensemble you’d imagine would be fun to watch something like this with on a rowdy themed bar night.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
The post 9 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week appeared first on New York Times.
