In It Ends with Us, Lily (Blake Lively) moves to Boston to open a flower shop and falls in love with a charming neurosurgeon, Ryle (Justin Baldoni). They date and, before you know it, get married, but soon enough, he becomes physically abusive toward her. He also happens to be the sister of Allysa (Jenny Slate), a woman she hires despite that she expresses how much she detests flowers. She and Allysa become close friends. On a night out with Ryle, Allyssa and Alyssa's husband, Lily happens to bump into her childhood love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), who happens to own the restaurant they're dining at. Based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, the screenplay by Christy Hall is contrived, shallow and so saccharine that it might give you a cavity. Only a handful of scenes ring true like when Lily must give a eulogy at her abusive father's funeral, but can't think of anything good to say about him before storming out. Ryle turns out to be just as abusive as her father, but why does she think that Atlas can control his anger better than him? He beats Ryle up his restaurant after assuming that a bruise on Lily's face was caused by her husband. Do two wrongs make a right? The relationship between her and her mother feels underexplored with a few awkward moments, i.e. when they go out to dinner and she announces to her mother that Ryle is the good looking man that she's having sex with. The very stylish albeit gaudy costume design stands out the most, especially when it comes to Allysa who often looks overdressed as though she walked right out of Breakfast at Tiffany's. If only as much attention were given to the screenplay that turns the film into a hackneyed and sugar-coated soap opera. For a much more intelligent movie about someone who's stuck in an abusive marriage, see Gaslight (1944) or Shirley Valentine. At a running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, It Ends with Us, directed by Justin Baldini, opens in theaters nationwide via Columbia Pictures.

 

      In The Last Front, Leonard (Iain Glen), a widowed farmer, protect his son, Adrien (James Downie) and daughter, Johanna (Emma Dupont), and his villagers from the German army, including Lieutenant Laurentz (Joe Anderson) and his superior, Maximilian (Philippe Brenninkmeyer), who's also his father. Meanwhile, Leonoard forbids Adrien from seeing a local girl, Louise (Sasha Luss), from a wealthier class. Set in Belgium during World War I, the screenplay by writer/director Julien Hayet-Kerknawi and co-writer Kate Wood suffers from stilted, on-the-nose dialogue and over-explaining. The narrative itself has plenty of dramatic tension and a few twists that take the film into dark territory. There's too much going on, though. The subplot involving Adrien romancing Louise despite his father's disapproval feels a bit schmaltzy and clunky. Once the plot turns into a revenge thriller after a tragic event that won't be spoiled here, that's when The Last Front becomes more palpably suspenseful and thrilling. What's missing from the screenplay, though, is some levity to counterbalance the very serious tone. Iain Glen gives a heartfelt performance and adds much-needed nuance. Philippe Brenninkmeyer and Joe Anderson give decent, albeit somewhat hammy performances. The cinematography is superb with many stunning scenes of nature with shades of Terrence Malick's visual poetry in The Thin Red Line. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, The Last Front is mesmerizing, suspenseful and thrilling, but somewhat heavy-handed and clunky. opens nationwide via Enigma Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      At a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, Running on Empty opens in select theaters nationwide via Lionsgate.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Sugarcane is an emotionally devastating, well-shot and unflinching exposé on the missing and abused children at an Indian residential school near Sugarcane Reserve located in British Columbia. Co-directors Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat focus on the survivors as they discuss their traumatic experience which included physical and sexual abuse. The school officially closed in 1981, so the abuse occurred decades ago, but the emotional scars and pains are still there. It's not easy to watch as the survivors speak candidly about their memories. Their courage, introspection, emotional generosity and emotional maturity shine brightly, though. The most powerful and revealing moment occurs when a survivor calls one of the priests from the school to confront him and ask him about the missing students. His nervous, defensive response speaks volumes. Despite that they've continually sought justice, they still haven't achieved it. What's most important is knowing the harsh truth about what happened back then and not allowing anyone to cover it up. By looking at the abuse head-on, Sugarcane bravely exposes that essential truth. The quest for truth and justice is fundamentally a quest for democracy. To be fair, Sugarcane does feel a bit repetitive and overstays its welcome by roughly 10 minutes, so tighter editing would've been helpful. At a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, Sugarcane opens at Film Forum via National Geographic Documentary Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      In Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, Chan (Raymond Lam), desperately wants to buy a fake Hong Kong ID after moving from China's mainland, but Mr. Big (Sammo Hung), a notorious gang leader, stands in his way. As a flees Mr. Big, he steals a bag filled with drugs and hides out in Kowloon Walled City, a district of Hong Kong that's rampant with gang violence. There, he befriends Cyclone (Louis Koo), an aging mobster who competes with Mr. Big along with yet another mobster, Chau (Richie Jen). Another week, another loud, action-packed movie that's essentially a very long video game. The screenplay has four writers, namely, Au Kin-yee, Shum Kwan-sin, Chan Taili and Lai Chun, but none of them manage to take the concept anywhere compelling or exciting. If you could imagine John Wick without the dark comedy or boldness, it would look something like this. The characters are underwritten and the "world building" of the dystopian Kowloon Walled City is very weak. Even Kill has more imaginative and wild action sequences that push the envelope. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In does have great production values, though, like the production design, lighting and cinematography that create a noirish atmosphere. Unfortunately, the plot becomes tedious and monotonous without nearly enough levity. At a running time of 2 hours and 6 minutes, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, directed by Soi Cheang, is visually stylish, but exhausting, overlong and uninspired action thriller. It opens in select theates nationwide via Well Go USA.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3