NEW THIS WEEK
Opening dates are subject to change.
(A-) THE BIKERIDERS In this crime drama that spans a period from the mid-1960s to the early ‘70s, a woman (Jodie Comer) falls for a new member (Austin Butler) of a Chicago-area motorcycle gang, and he must choose between her and his loyalty to the increasingly violent club. While it could be accused of romanticizing some pretty damaged characters, The Bikeriders doesn’t pretend that motorcycle gangs can’t be dangerous. Still, it goes a long way toward humanizing these figures while giving audiences privileged access to their inner world. Also starring Tom Hardy, Boyd Holbrook and Michael Shannon. R (for language throughout, violence, some drug use and brief sexuality). 116 mins. In wide release.
BLACK ICE: THE RHYTHM This drama follows a group of Black roller skaters in Detroit who learn to play ice hockey at a high level. Not rated. 98 mins. At Galaxy Theatres Grandscape in The Colony.
BLACKWATER LANE After witnessing a tragedy on a country road, a woman (Minka Kelly) is visited by a ghostly presence and fears she will be the next to die. Also starring Dermot Mulroney and Maggie Grace. PG-13 (for violent content, thematic elements involving suicide, sexuality and terror). 108 mins. At Studio Movie Grill in Plano.
(B) CORA BORA In this millennial dramedy, an aimless 30-something musician (Meg Stalter) returns to her hometown when she begins to suspect that her long-distance girlfriend (Jojo T. Gibbs) is in love with someone else. Stalter shines in her first feature lead performance, but the characters around her are paid little attention, making the film feel flimsier than it should. Not rated. 92 mins. At AMC Grapevine Mills.
THE EXORCISM When a troubled actor (Russell Crowe) begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film, his estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s falling back into his past addictions or if something more sinister is at play. R (for language, some violent content, sexual references and brief drug use). 93 mins. In wide release.
(A) FANCY DANCE An American Indian woman (Lily Gladstone) searches for her missing sister while caring for her niece (Isabel Deroy-Olson) in this Oklahoma-set drama that features authentic performances, sensitive scripting and a genuine sense of place. It’s an authentically observant slice of reservation life that cloaks a family drama in crime-film conventions. Also starring Shea Whigham. R (for language, some drug content and sexual material). 92 mins. At Galaxy Theatres Grandscape in The Colony.
(A-) GHOSTLIGHT A construction worker (Keith Kupferer) finds community and purpose in a local theater production of Romeo and Juliet in this beautifully life-affirming fable about the power of art to heal. R (for language). 110 mins. In wide release.
I AM: CELINE DION This documentary examines the superstar singer’s music and her struggle with the life-altering illness known as stiff person syndrome. PG (for thematic material and brief smoking images). 102 mins. In wide release.
(A) ROBOT DREAMS This sweetly sorrowful animated buddy flick follows the adventures of a dog who builds and befriends a robot in New York City during the 1980s. The dialogue-free approach pairs nicely with a series of nifty visual gags in this sweet, slender story that delights in the eccentric. Not rated. 102 mins. At the Angelika Dallas.
THE SPEEDWAY MURDERS This documentary looks into the unsolved 1978 Burger Chef murders, which claimed the lives of four teens working at a restaurant in Speedway, Indiana. Not rated. 101 mins. At the Angelika Dallas.
(A) THELMA June Squibb stars in this spirited action-comedy flick about a 93-year-old widow who becomes an unlikely action hero after being duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson. The film reflects on issues of aging and autonomy with a mostly light touch, its protagonist making a strong case for the enduring spirit of elderly folks too often infantilized by both society and their loved ones. Also starring Parker Posey, Fred Hechinger and Clark Gregg. PG-13 (for strong language). 97 mins. In wide release.
COMING NEXT WEEK
BLUE LOCK: EPISODE NAGI A high-schooler is invited to an elite soccer training facility in this animated film from Japan.
DADDIO Dakota Johnson plays a woman who gets into deep conversations with her cab driver (Sean Penn) in this drama.
HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA — CHAPTER ONE Directing for the first time since 2003′s Open Range, Kevin Costner also co-wrote and stars in this Western that he’s been trying to bring to the big screen for just over a quarter of a century. The former Yellowstone star has said he plans to make a four-part saga of this fictional story set amid the expansion of the American West before the Civil War. Also starring Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller and Giovanni Ribisi.
I USED TO BE FUNNY In this dark dramedy, an aspiring stand-up comedian (Rachel Sennott) weighs whether to join the search for a missing teenage girl (Olga Petsa) she used to nanny.
JANET PLANET In this 1991-set drama, an 11-year-old girl’s clingy relationship to her single mom evolves over the course of a summer. Starring Zoe Ziegler and Julianne Nicholson.
KINDS OF KINDNESS After last year’s award-winning Poor Things, filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and actor Emma Stone team up again for this triptych fable about a man seeking to take control of his life, a police officer who is alarmed that his wife has changed after going missing at sea, and a woman searching for a prophesied spiritual guide. Also starring Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe.
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE Experience the day the world went quiet in this prequel to John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place Part II (2020). Starring Djimon Hounsou, Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn and Alex Wolff.
A SACRIFICE An American social psychologist (Eric Bana) relocates to Berlin to study cult mentality, and his rebellious teen daughter (Sadie Sink) gets mixed up with a mysterious local boy (Jonas Dassler).
CURRENT RELEASES
(C) BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return for the fourth installment in the buddy-cop action-comedy franchise. And this time, they’re working outside the law as fugitives on the run. The film never quite finds its tone, but then again, the franchise has always walked the strange line of goofy and hard. This installment, which feels flimsy and disposable, favors the goofy. R (for strong violence, language throughout and some sexual references). 110 mins.
(A) CHALLENGERS Zendaya stars as a former tennis prodigy turned coach who’s trying to break her tennis champion husband (Mike Faist) out of a slump as he takes on an old friend — and her former lover (Josh O’Connor) — on the court. Smart, seductive and bristling with sexual tension, Challengers is arguably director Luca Guadagnino’s most purely pleasurable film to date; it’s certainly his lightest and most playful. R (for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity). 131 mins.
CHANDU CHAMPION This Indian sports drama is based on the real-life story of Murlikant Petkar, a brilliant athlete who was wounded in the 1965 war against Pakistan and overcame his injuries to win a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Paralympics. In Hindi, with subtitles. Not rated. 150 mins.
FACE OFF 7: ONE WISH In this Vietnamese drama, a 73-year-old widow is forced to depend on her five busy adult children to care for her after an injury. In Vietnamese, with subtitles. Not rated. 138 mins.
(B-) THE FALL GUY Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) must track down a missing movie star and win back the love of his life (Emily Blunt) in this action-comedy film loosely based on the 1980s TV series. The moments with Gosling and Blunt are fun to watch, a testament to their pure star power. Too bad the filmmakers had to muck it up with an overwrought murder mystery. Also starring Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham and Stephanie Hsu. PG-13 (for action and violence, drug content and some strong language). 126 mins.
(C-) FIREBRAND Alicia Vikander brings intelligence and poise but also a subversive edge to this portrait of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII (Jude Law). Even so, she looks out of place in Karim Aïnouz’s grungy view of Tudor England, which plays fast and loose with the historical record. R (for some violent content, brief gore and sexuality/nudity). 120 mins.
(B-) FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA The fifth installment in writer-director George Miller’s Mad Max franchise sees Anya Taylor-Joy portraying a younger version of the titular character, portrayed in 2015′s Mad Max: Fury Road by Charlize Theron. The film adds operatic heft and seriousness to what started in 1979 as a fun, rip-roaring explosion of post-apocalyptic action. But is that really what moviegoers wanted? They certainly wanted more of Furiosa, who is overshadowed in her own film by everybody else, including Chris Hemsworth as an over-the-top villain. R (for sequences of strong violence and grisly images). 148 mins.
(D-) THE GARFIELD MOVIE Chris Pratt voices everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving cat in this lazy and cynical animated romp that sacrifices the character’s subversive humor in favor of routine animated high jinks. None of the film’s meta references will be entertaining for the very young target audience, nor are they amusing for their adult chaperones. Also featuring the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult and Cecily Strong. PG (for action/peril and mild thematic elements). 101 mins.
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE The creatures clash and take on a new threat in the latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise. Starring Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens. PG-13 (for creature violence and action). 115 mins.
HAIKYUU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE This Japanese anime film follows a boy who joins his high school volleyball club to be like his idol. But he soon finds that he must team up with his middle school rival to help the team win a highly anticipated matchup. In Japanese, with subtitles. PG-13 (for language). 85 mins.
(C) IF After learning that she can see other people’s imaginary friends, a girl (Cailey Fleming) embarks on an adventure to reconnect the magical creatures with their humans in this family film that’s largely a bust. Because there’s little internal logic in IF, you may find yourself constantly asking why the characters are doing what they do, or how the whole imaginary-friend thing works within the context of the movie. Plus, the character-design choices are just plain odd: What child has a soap bubble or an sentient ice cube for as an imaginary friend? Also starring Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds and featuring the voices of writer-director John Krasinski, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. PG (for thematic elements and mild language). 104 mins.
(B+) IN A VIOLENT NATURE A vengeful spirit emerges from its longtime resting place in this gory horror flick that puts a fresh spin on slasher conventions by focusing almost wholly on the point of view of an unstoppable killing machine. Starring Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Reece Presley and Cameron Love. Not rated. 94 mins.
(B-) INSIDE OUT 2 Riley, the young girl from 2015 Pixar Animation Studios hit Inside Out, is now a teen, which means (gasp!) new emotions. Returning emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Anger (Lewis Black) are joined by newcomers Envy (Ayo Edibiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and, most important, Anxiety (Maya Hawke). The new characters steal the show in a movie that’s rather entertaining. But the film’s internal logic doesn’t always make sense and fails to impart anything profoundly insightful. PG (for some thematic elements). 96 mins.
(A-) KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Several generations after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a harrowing journey that will affect the future of apes and humans alike in this action-adventure flick that manages to encompass everything we love about the Planet of the Apes franchise into one sprawling story. The sheer scope of the storytelling and the sophisticated world-building are awe-inspiring on the big screen. PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence/action). 145 mins.
SIGHT Greg Kinnear and Terry Chen star in this drama based on the real-life story of Ming Wang, an impoverished prodigy who fled Communist China to become a pioneering eye surgeon in America. PG-13 (for violence and thematic material). 100 mins.
THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 After their car breaks down, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin, where they are terrorized by masked strangers. R (for horror violence, language and brief drug use). 91 mins.
TAROT In this horror flick, a group of friends violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings, unleashing an evil force trapped within the cursed cards. Starring Avantika, Humberly González and Olwen Fouéré. PG-13 (for horror violence, terror, bloody images, some strong language and drug content). 92 mins.
(D-) TREASURE An American journalist (Lena Dunham) and her father (Stephen Fry) trace their family history in Poland in this muddled and misbegotten misfire of a Holocaust dramedy. R (for some language). 112 mins.
(A-) TUESDAY In this fairy tale, a mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her dying teen daughter (Lola Petticrew) encounter Death in the form of a talking bird. Louis-Dreyfus takes a rewarding art-house plunge, delving into a sphere of emotion that she’s never before explored on screen. It’s nice to see this gifted actor channel her brilliant knack for comic neurosis into dark, weird territory that’s steeped in grief and its seven stages. R (for language). 111 mins.
THE WATCHERS A young artist (Dakota Fanning) finds herself stranded with three strangers in an Irish forest and stalked by mysterious creatures. Also starring Georgina Campbell and Olwen Fouéré. PG-13 (for violence, terror and some thematic elements). 102 mins.
YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA Daisy Ridley stars in this biographical drama as Trudy Ederle, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. PG (for thematic elements, some language and partial nudity). 100 mins.
Compiled from staff and wire reports
