The Wild (and Extremely Unequal) West.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1”
The first film in a cycle of four films screened by Kevin Costner brings together various representations of the Wild West from the Civil War onwards.
According to our opinion:
“Horizon” is wildly uneven, exasperating at times and filled with awkward details that eat away at its period realism. Among other things, no one seems to know how to spit tobacco, and judging by the women’s perfect buns and tidy eyebrows, everyone on this border has a stylist with them. It’s easy to smirk at these and other mistakes; Costner also has a weakness for speeches, like many filmmakers. But he has a sense of the western and the landscapes of the West.
In theaters. Read the full review.
With Lupita Nyong’o but also a VIP chat.
“A quiet place: first day”
In Michael Sarnoski’s prequel to the “A Quiet Place” franchise, Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) fights to survive an alien invasion in New York City alongside her cat, Frodo.
In our opinion:
Indeed, the action’s set pieces are fine but also superficial, as if they were a non-negotiable item that Sarnoski had to cross off a checklist. “Day One” is on much safer ground when it comes to the calm that ends the storms. And it’s at its best whenever Nyong’o’s face fills the screen, like the post-apocalyptic heroine of a silent film. What she can do with relatively little is nothing short of astonishing, and you absolutely believe in Samira’s desperation and determination.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Great performances, average drama.
‘Dad’
This drama captures the conversations between a taxi driver, Clark (Sean Penn), and the passenger he calls Girlie (Dakota Johnson).
In our opinion:
Handicapped by more than just a terrible title, Christy Hall’s “Daddio,” which takes place almost entirely in a New York taxi cab, does too much and goes on too long. A synthetic encounter between a chatty taxi driver and his confident passenger, the film is a claustrophobic duet oxygenated in part by Phedon Papamichael’s magnificent and elegant cinematography. The star power of its leads, Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson, doesn’t spoil anything either.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Two’s a company, three’s a crowded romantic comedy.
‘A family matter’
Joey King stars as Zara, a personal assistant who tries to sabotage a budding new relationship between her boss (Zac Efron) and her mother (Nicole Kidman).
In our opinion:
King’s character has three moods: irritated, indignant and disgusted. You could almost call the film “The Longest Eye Roll Up”. But every now and then one wonders whether “A Family Affair,” directed by Richard LaGravenese in a style vaguely reminiscent of the work of Nancy Meyers, might not have been more compelling as a romantic comedy, but rather as a drama about a conceited and manipulative girl who almost ruins the lives of those around her.
Watch on Netflix. Read the full review.
Critics’ Picks
A slow (in a good way) car crash.
‘Last summer’
After her husband leaves on a business trip, Anne (Léa Drucker) begins an affair with her stepson, Théo (Samuel Kircher), in this sticky drama from Catherine Breillat.
In our opinion:
“Last Summer” is complex, delicate, at times very uncomfortable and completely captivating. Part of what makes the film thrilling, at least in its eventful first half, is the spectacle of watching a character hurtle into a morally abject, entirely questionable and seemingly obvious disaster; it’s like watching a slow-moving car crash.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Gothic vampires never age.
“The Vourdalak”
In this vampire film directed by Adrien Beau, a French nobleman finds himself stranded in the Eastern European countryside with a strange family and their even stranger leader, Gorcha.
In our opinion:
Bathed in an atmosphere of misery and unease, this bizarre debut benefits from David Chizallet’s often charming cinematography and a sound design that prioritizes sucking and chewing. The actors are impeccable; but the star of the film is undoubtedly the cadaverous puppet, voiced by Beau, who plays Gorcha. His creepy, insinuating presence—and his hilarious involvement in a cringe-inducing sex scene—cements “The Vourdalak” as an endearing oddity. Surrender to its vintage vibe, and its emotional punch might surprise you.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Oedipus without complexes.
‘Music’
Directed by Angela Schanele, this experimental drama is a loose reinterpretation of the Oedipus myth with a young man named Jon (Alyosh Schneider) in the role of Sophocles’ hero.
According to our opinion:
“Music” follows “I Was at Home, but…” (2020), an equally mysterious version of Schanelec’s “Hamlet,” but one crucial difference separates this new film not only from the previous one, but perhaps from all of them Schanelec’s previous work. We eventually find out who Jon’s parents are, but the film’s most significant revision of the original story takes Jon pity. He’s never told the truth, and this blissful, productive ignorance permeates the film’s radiant second half, set in Berlin, where Jon’s musical gifts come to the fore.
In theaters. Read the full review.
The execution of a Nazi.
“June Zero”
This historical drama weaves together three stories that preceded and followed the execution of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who was smuggled by Israeli agents from Buenos Aires to Jerusalem.
In our opinion:
Jake Paltrow’s film, which premieres at festivals in 2022, could seem like an exercise in hagiography: Drawing on real-life accounts, it is framed by the story of David, a courageous Israeli teenager who finds himself implicated in Eichmann’s fate. But the shifting story, written by Paltrow and Tom Shoval, complicates the act of commemoration and dwells on the moral dilemmas and uncomfortable resonances that result from the events.
In theaters. Read the full review.
The miracle is false; the magic of the film is real.
“Chronicles of a Wandering Saint”
Set in rural Argentina, this film follows Rita (Mónica Villa), a devout Catholic, as she attempts to stage a miracle.
According to our opinion:
Directed by Tomás Gómez Bustillo, “Chronicles of a Wandering Saint” begins as a slow-burning con comedy. Halfway through, the film gets a jolt, and Rita’s drab setting takes on an enchanted quality that places the film in the solid tradition of Latin American magical realism. … That miracles happen in the most mundane circumstances is a bit of a cliché, but the film approaches this conceit with the kind of originality and intelligence that makes you forget there’s a plan in the first place.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Highlighted by real tragedies.
“Fancy Dance”
After Tawi disappears from a reservation, her sister Jax (Lily Gladstone) and daughter Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) search for her and struggle with her absence in this feature debut from Erica Tremblay.
In our opinion:
The ghost of Tawi is therefore present from the start and hovers over the film. The empty space that surrounds it – we only see it in photos and on flyers – is intentional: this story of the search for a missing woman in the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma is not a mystery thriller, and the film doesn’t aim to derive dramatic tension from his disappearance. Tawi’s case is rather too common. … Tremblay’s film is not always graceful – the dialogue and actors can be stilted, and one hopes for a little more formal rigor – but it is a good first film.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.