Mission: Improbable (but highly enjoyable).
‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’
Tom Cruise yet again reprises his role as Ethan Hunt, a spy with skills that are nearly supernatural, in this franchise entry directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
From our review:
“Final Reckoning” is flat-out ridiculous, but it’s a model example of blockbuster entertainment at its most highly polished, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, despite its clichés, extravagant violence and gung-ho militarism. Among other things, there is something reassuring in the sight of a diverse group of male and female employees from both the government and military ready to sacrifice all for the greater good.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Adorable alien, serviceable remake.
‘Lilo & Stitch’
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, this live-action remake remains mostly faithful to the original story of a young girl’s bond with an adorable alien.
From our review:
Things move at warp speed, even as the movie constantly trips over itself trying to pluck at the next heart string. But there’s just enough to make for a moderately fun, mostly serviceable and often adorable revamp that will probably satisfy fans of the original.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Critic’s Pick
A bookworm crawls out of her nook.
‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’
This romantic comedy directed by Laura Piani follows Agathe (Camille Rutherford) as she learns about love and life during a writing residency.
From our review:
In the end, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” is both pleasantly diverting and sneakily wise. Following in the footsteps of her beloved literary heroines, Agathe discovers a bit about real life outside of books — and not just romance, either. It is a universal truth: Sometimes to unwreck your own life, you’ve got to start acting like you’re the protagonist.
In theaters. Read the full review.
It’s not a national treasure.
‘Fountain of Youth’
John Krasinski stars as an adventurer who teams up with his sister (Natalie Portman) to search for the mythical healing waters in this action flick from Guy Ritchie.
From our review:
Having made his career playing perhaps the ultimate beta male on the television series “The Office,” Krasinski has since ardently pursued alpha roles, playing the reluctant C.I.A. man of action Jack Ryan on the Amazon series of the same name. Still, his ready smile tends to make him instantaneously agreeable, a quality you don’t get from other Ritchie leading men. … Here, the quality doesn’t provide much credibility or added value.
Watch on Apple TV+. Read the full review.
An easy ride lassoed by convention.
‘The Last Rodeo’
After his grandson gets a brain tumor diagnosis, a retired rodeo star bucks up for one last ride to win money for the young boy’s treatment in this drama directed by Jon Avnet.
From our review:
“The Last Rodeo” — the latest Christian-themed film from Angel Studios — proceeds with easeful predictability. The story’s conventional beats (the get-back-in-shape montage, the bad news delivered at a critical moment) cohere into a wholesome journey of long-delayed healing.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A mysterious boy in an oblique film.
‘The New Boy’
This magical-realist drama directed by Warwick Thornton centers on a young boy with mystical powers who is forced to live in a Christian orphanage.
From our review:
Thornton, who briefly attended a Christian boarding school when he was a child, brings a textured perspective to this story of cultural violence and white guilt. He opts for a dreamy, lugubrious atmosphere and oblique imagery that might alienate some hoping for a more straightforward narrative — and mesmerize others captivated by its slow-burn vision.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Shabbat shenanigans.
‘Bad Shabbos’
A newly engaged couple introduce their parents at a Shabbat dinner that goes amusingly awry in this comedy directed by Daniel Robbins.
From our review:
As the jokes continue to land and the wine continues to flow, you grow used to the tone. This is, after all, a situational comedy, in which the laughs spring from reaction shots and line deliveries. Luckily, the actors prove up to the task.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
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