NEW
SCAPEGOAT
New in Swedish Theaters: Tobias Hjelm’s character remains a quiet, passive and empty lead, who isn’t exactly helped by plot holes, slow pace and a ponderous attitude
HUNTERS ON A WHITE FIELD
New in Swedish Theaters: Not entirely convincing, but it’s a good cast and the cinematography makes dark poetry out of the game
REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER
New on Netflix: A silly, unimaginative and repetitive sequel that finds it very hard to separate itself from the first film, even as it tries to build on the characters
RECENT
THE SETTLERS
A gruesome tale, somewhat episodic, with absurd moments and characterizations, but the locations, intense music score and authentic ambition help
RETRIBUTION
The identity of the bad guy is obvious from the start, but there’s a decent amount of tension as Liam Neeson tries to get out of his hot seat
WONKA
A fun, playful film with a superb cast and lovely technical details
OLDER
TEEN WOLF (1985)
Michael J. Fox’s charm isn’t enough to compensate; this one needed a better sense of humor, or a dark streak
A SIMPLE FAVOR (2018)
The two leads match each other nicely, one timid and the other totally unhinged; they make the dialogue wicked and fun
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974)
A star-studded, old-fashioned whodunit, with classy cinematography and music, where Sidney Lumet and his crew create a tense, isolated atmosphere on the train
LONGER REVIEWS
FITZCARRALDO (1982)
We can smell the jungle, the sweat and the wood, and feel the tension in the air
CIVIL WAR
New in Global Theaters: When Alex Garland, who’s British, wrote the script for this film, he intended it as a warning to the United States. It’s a horrifyingly effective one.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (2000-2011, 2017-2024)
May have repeated itself too much over the years, but it had a way of getting at the truth of things that we might hesitate to bring up in polite society