A tough watch.
‘Queen at Sea’
This harrowing drama directed by Lance Hammer centers on a woman with dementia and her family members’ clashing views on how to deal with it.
From our review:
At times the pace of the film feels a little too unhurried; clearly the idea is to invite us to sit in the grief with the family, but it’s an overwhelming place to sit. … Yet the moral and ethical quandaries raised in “Queen at Sea” are undoubtedly handled with sensitivity, and with clarity; there’s no attempt to soften the heartbreak, and the film insists you contend with its questions.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Glorifying the battlefield and the football field.
‘The Mosquito Bowl’
Based on a real event from World War II, this drama directed by Peter Berg follows four Marines who stage a football game while preparing for a battle.
From our review:
The movie positions itself as a reckoning with the horrors of war, a melancholic portrait of innocence lost. Set against slaughter, what was once sacrosanct — pride in one’s game and team — looks quaint, naïve. But this critical distance dissipates later on. … If, as François Truffaut once argued, war movies cannot escape their glorification of the battlefield, then celebrating the vigor and valor of the football field sure doesn’t help.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Critic’s Pick
A truckload of tenderness.
‘On the Road’
When Veneno (Victor Prieto Simental) hitches a ride with an older trucker, Muñeco (Osvaldo Sánchez), across northern Mexico, there’s tension but also fondness.
From our review:
Written and directed by David Pablos (“Dance of the 41”), “On the Road” is atmospherically charged, its haunting flashbacks illuminating Veneno’s growing trust in Muñeco. Each revelation intensifies our emotional investment in these characters; a scene showing the simple act of washing together reveals a tenderness neither man can easily express.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Liam Neeson uses his particular set of skills.
‘The Mongoose’
In this action flick directed by Mark Vanselow, Liam Neeson stars as a traumatized war veteran on the run.
From our review:
A big dumb movie with a big soft heart, “The Mongoose” serves warmed-over popcorn slathered in a butter of brothers-in-arms sentiment. The film ought to be a snooze; yet its cast is so practiced — by this point, Liam Neeson has played so many lawmen and military types he must qualify for a service pension — and its action beats so fondly familiar, that you can’t help rooting for its star anyway.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Holiday of horrors.
‘Christmas at the Kringles’
A couple (Ron Livingston and Rachel Bilson) discovers that their new neighbors are bloody serious about celebrating Christmas year-round in this horror movie directed by Kevin Lewis.
From our review:
Livingston’s performance here has a similar vibe to his exasperated Everyman from “Office Space.” But the ostensibly edgy mayhem drowns out any potential comedic grace notes.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Standard zombie fare.
‘Apocalypse Z: New World’
In this sequel directed by Carles Torrens, zombies continue to proliferate as a civilian joins a military operation.
From our review:
A showdown at a bullfighting ring makes for a taut finale, but there’s a difference between being lean (which “New World” is) and being inspired (which it isn’t).
Watch on Prime Video. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
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