June and Jennifer Gibbons from a young age famously took a vow of semi-silence, speaking only to one another. The twins—who were ostracized in their Welsh community due to race (their family had emigrated from Barbados, and they were the only Black family in the area)—found refuge in an outré fantasy world, writing stories and plays that came to life via a bevy of handmade figures. The vastness of their combined imaginations is what Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska (The Lure) captures best in this film about their unusual lives, based on the eponymous book by Marjorie Wallace, a journalist who took an interest in the womens’ stories when they were in their 20s. The film, written by Andrea Seigel, charts their childhood, during which psychologists raised concerns about their behavior; their unruly teenage years, when they rebelled in an attempt to add substance to their lives, about which they hoped to write; and finally their 11-year institutionalization after an incident of arson. Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance portray June and Jennifer, respectively, as teenagers and adults; their performances are incredible, bolstered by the insane sequences translating the folly of the sisters’ profound maladaptive daydreaming wherein bizarre puppets à la the Brothers Quay are animated in a stop-motion fashion to bewitching effect. These parts, as well as several original songs written for the film, derive from the twins’ writing. Smoczyńska’s idiosyncratic vision distinguishes what otherwise might have been an overly literal telling of their story, and of their own stories; her dedication to their craft honors their unique circumstances. R, 113 min.

Wide release in theaters

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A boorish American film producer (Adrien Brody) visits a London theater in the midst of a record-breaking sold-out run of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap with the idea of turning the hit play into a movie, offends and outrages everyone he comes into contact with, and is, quite justifiably, murdered. Instead of letting sleeping dogs lie, an alcoholic veteran detective (Sam Rockwell) and chipper rookie policewoman (Saoirse Ronan) stumble through what is intended to be a rollicking, blunder-filled investigation to unmask the killer. 

As someone who’s had the misfortune of sitting through a production of Christie’s venerable whodunit, the idea of staging a comic murder-mystery in, around, and atop that play is truly inexplicable. I have no idea how an A-list cast like this was hoodwinked into participating in this wink-wink nudge-nudge snooze fest. Staying home and playing a rousing game of Clue with a warm cup of cocoa would’ve been higher stakes for all concerned. This is some very weak tea indeed. PG-13, 98 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Barbarian writer/director Zach Cregger takes a simple premise and spins it into a series of unexpected permutations. Some tropes work better than others, but we’ll give him credit for inventiveness.

In town for a job interview, Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives late at night in the pouring rain to find her Airbnb occupied by a surprise guest, Keith (Bill Skarsgård). After some tense feelings, they discover some common interests and decide to spend the evening as short-term roommates. The tension shifts from Keith’s intentions to the house itself, as bumps in the night lead to startling discoveries.

Without spoiling too much of the fun, Cregger uses several historical horror flick callbacks to decent effect and is clearly an enthusiast of the genre. Narratively, Barbarian uses the location itself as a primary character, delving deep into the dark history of the house and shifting focus between multiple characters. There’s a grab bag of current-day societal issues ranging from #MeToo to gentrification and the decline of American cities. It’s not all trauma here, as the film drops in some truly comedic moments, deftly pacing out the scares. And while several of the scenarios stretch credulity, when Barbarian works, it achieves some entertainingly ghastly heights. R, 102 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Viola Davis has ascended to the next level of her craft in the exquisitely crafted historical action-epic The Woman King, which delivers what the Wonder Woman franchise should have—bloody Amazons kicking men’s asses without airbrushing. Based on the real-life African kingdom of Dahomey and its all-female warrior regiment (which inspired Black Panther’s Dora Milaje), an awesomely shredded Davis plays General Nanisca, a warrior who immediately recognizes the danger and scope of the growing transatlantic slave trade. Nanisca struggles to convince King Ghezo (a wonderfully cast John Boyega) to act before it’s too late. 

Thuso Mbedu plays a spirited Nawi, a young recruit that struggles under the discipline and sacrifice that the life of a true fighter requires. Luckily for her, she finds a kindly big sister in the fearless Izogie, played by Lashana Lynch (MI6 in No Time to Die). As Nanisca’s tough facade begins to crack, she leans on her spiritual advisor and confidant Amenza, played by Sheila Atim, who channels both the immaculate bone structure and acting chops of the late Cicely Tyson. 

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) films through the lens of Blackness, highlighting the beauty, strength, and fierceness of Black people, unlike most stories about the slave trade that wallow in Black trauma and are filmed as education for white audiences. A well-crafted script (story by Maria Bello and Dana Stevens) delivers action, heart, and great storytelling set against the expansive vistas of the West African countryside, making The Woman King an instant classic. PG-13, 135 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Pearl is director Ti West’s technicolor nightmare, an origin-myth prequel for his previous slasher film, X. The film focuses on the eponymously named Pearl (Mia Goth), a young girl stuck on her family’s farm with dreams of seeing herself on the big screen. But Pearl is sick of feeling alone. Her husband left her to fight overseas in World War I, so she finds herself at her parents’ mercy. Her father (Matthew Sunderland) suffered a terrible stroke, rendering him paralyzed, and her mother (Tandi Wright) rules the farm with a cold, iron fist, squashing Pearl’s dreams and refusing to let her mingle with others because of the Spanish Flu. 

This gruesome fantasy-esque film introduces Pearl among her best friends: her farm animals. Similar to Snow White, Pearl voices her dreams to her farm animals before performing a joyful dance routine. However, it becomes abundantly clear that this is no fairy tale. Interrupted by an unnamed goose, Pearl slips into a horrifyingly stern gaze, gripping the pitchfork firmly before killing the farm animal—the first instance (but definitely not the last) where Pearl’s simmering rage boils over into feverish violence. From this point onward, Pearl slowly succumbs to her brutal delirium, transfixed by her dancing aspirations. 

Without Goth’s stunning performance, Pearl would likely fall into horror obscurity. Goth’s reprisal is unparalleled, personifying a terrifying angle of Hollywood escapism and fleshing out the character of Pearl depicted in the movie’s predecessor. Her impressive performance arrives at its climax during the final monologue, when Pearl divulges her murderous tale to her sister-in-law, in lieu of her absent husband. Goth’s chilling delivery is simultaneously comical and tearful, providing depth to Pearl. Together, West and Goth created an inventive, unique slasher genre, and a movie worth rewatching several times. R, 102 min.

Music Box Theatre, wide release in theaters

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June and Jennifer Gibbons from a young age famously took a vow of semi-silence, speaking only to one another. The twins—who were ostracized in their Welsh community due to race (their family had emigrated from Barbados, and they were the only Black family in the area)—found refuge in an outré fantasy world, writing stories and plays that came to life via a bevy of handmade figures. The vastness of their combined imaginations is what Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska (The Lure) captures best in this film about their unusual lives, based on the eponymous book by Marjorie Wallace, a journalist who took an interest in the womens’ stories when they were in their 20s. The film, written by Andrea Seigel, charts their childhood, during which psychologists raised concerns about their behavior; their unruly teenage years, when they rebelled in an attempt to add substance to their lives, about which they hoped to write; and finally their 11-year institutionalization after an incident of arson. Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance portray June and Jennifer, respectively, as teenagers and adults; their performances are incredible, bolstered by the insane sequences translating the folly of the sisters’ profound maladaptive daydreaming wherein bizarre puppets à la the Brothers Quay are animated in a stop-motion fashion to bewitching effect. These parts, as well as several original songs written for the film, derive from the twins’ writing. Smoczyńska’s idiosyncratic vision distinguishes what otherwise might have been an overly literal telling of their story, and of their own stories; her dedication to their craft honors their unique circumstances. R, 113 min.

Wide release in theaters

Read More

A boorish American film producer (Adrien Brody) visits a London theater in the midst of a record-breaking sold-out run of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap with the idea of turning the hit play into a movie, offends and outrages everyone he comes into contact with, and is, quite justifiably, murdered. Instead of letting sleeping dogs lie, an alcoholic veteran detective (Sam Rockwell) and chipper rookie policewoman (Saoirse Ronan) stumble through what is intended to be a rollicking, blunder-filled investigation to unmask the killer. 

As someone who’s had the misfortune of sitting through a production of Christie’s venerable whodunit, the idea of staging a comic murder-mystery in, around, and atop that play is truly inexplicable. I have no idea how an A-list cast like this was hoodwinked into participating in this wink-wink nudge-nudge snooze fest. Staying home and playing a rousing game of Clue with a warm cup of cocoa would’ve been higher stakes for all concerned. This is some very weak tea indeed. PG-13, 98 min.

Wide release in theaters

Read More

Barbarian writer/director Zach Cregger takes a simple premise and spins it into a series of unexpected permutations. Some tropes work better than others, but we’ll give him credit for inventiveness.

In town for a job interview, Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives late at night in the pouring rain to find her Airbnb occupied by a surprise guest, Keith (Bill Skarsgård). After some tense feelings, they discover some common interests and decide to spend the evening as short-term roommates. The tension shifts from Keith’s intentions to the house itself, as bumps in the night lead to startling discoveries.

Without spoiling too much of the fun, Cregger uses several historical horror flick callbacks to decent effect and is clearly an enthusiast of the genre. Narratively, Barbarian uses the location itself as a primary character, delving deep into the dark history of the house and shifting focus between multiple characters. There’s a grab bag of current-day societal issues ranging from #MeToo to gentrification and the decline of American cities. It’s not all trauma here, as the film drops in some truly comedic moments, deftly pacing out the scares. And while several of the scenarios stretch credulity, when Barbarian works, it achieves some entertainingly ghastly heights. R, 102 min.

Wide release in theaters

Read More

Viola Davis has ascended to the next level of her craft in the exquisitely crafted historical action-epic The Woman King, which delivers what the Wonder Woman franchise should have—bloody Amazons kicking men’s asses without airbrushing. Based on the real-life African kingdom of Dahomey and its all-female warrior regiment (which inspired Black Panther’s Dora Milaje), an awesomely shredded Davis plays General Nanisca, a warrior who immediately recognizes the danger and scope of the growing transatlantic slave trade. Nanisca struggles to convince King Ghezo (a wonderfully cast John Boyega) to act before it’s too late. 

Thuso Mbedu plays a spirited Nawi, a young recruit that struggles under the discipline and sacrifice that the life of a true fighter requires. Luckily for her, she finds a kindly big sister in the fearless Izogie, played by Lashana Lynch (MI6 in No Time to Die). As Nanisca’s tough facade begins to crack, she leans on her spiritual advisor and confidant Amenza, played by Sheila Atim, who channels both the immaculate bone structure and acting chops of the late Cicely Tyson. 

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) films through the lens of Blackness, highlighting the beauty, strength, and fierceness of Black people, unlike most stories about the slave trade that wallow in Black trauma and are filmed as education for white audiences. A well-crafted script (story by Maria Bello and Dana Stevens) delivers action, heart, and great storytelling set against the expansive vistas of the West African countryside, making The Woman King an instant classic. PG-13, 135 min.

Wide release in theaters

Read More

Pearl is director Ti West’s technicolor nightmare, an origin-myth prequel for his previous slasher film, X. The film focuses on the eponymously named Pearl (Mia Goth), a young girl stuck on her family’s farm with dreams of seeing herself on the big screen. But Pearl is sick of feeling alone. Her husband left her to fight overseas in World War I, so she finds herself at her parents’ mercy. Her father (Matthew Sunderland) suffered a terrible stroke, rendering him paralyzed, and her mother (Tandi Wright) rules the farm with a cold, iron fist, squashing Pearl’s dreams and refusing to let her mingle with others because of the Spanish Flu. 

This gruesome fantasy-esque film introduces Pearl among her best friends: her farm animals. Similar to Snow White, Pearl voices her dreams to her farm animals before performing a joyful dance routine. However, it becomes abundantly clear that this is no fairy tale. Interrupted by an unnamed goose, Pearl slips into a horrifyingly stern gaze, gripping the pitchfork firmly before killing the farm animal—the first instance (but definitely not the last) where Pearl’s simmering rage boils over into feverish violence. From this point onward, Pearl slowly succumbs to her brutal delirium, transfixed by her dancing aspirations. 

Without Goth’s stunning performance, Pearl would likely fall into horror obscurity. Goth’s reprisal is unparalleled, personifying a terrifying angle of Hollywood escapism and fleshing out the character of Pearl depicted in the movie’s predecessor. Her impressive performance arrives at its climax during the final monologue, when Pearl divulges her murderous tale to her sister-in-law, in lieu of her absent husband. Goth’s chilling delivery is simultaneously comical and tearful, providing depth to Pearl. Together, West and Goth created an inventive, unique slasher genre, and a movie worth rewatching several times. R, 102 min.

Music Box Theatre, wide release in theaters

Read More