Lauren (Amy Landecker) divorces her husband, Chase (Paul Adelstein), and takes an acting class where she befriends a classmate, Maria (Kiersey Clemons), and has a fling with another classmate, Sean (Nico Hiraga), who's much younger than her, in For Worse. Writer/director Amy Landecker has made a mildly engaging and intermittently funny, but tonally uneven, sugar-coated and uncooked romantic comedy. After her divorce, Lauren seems like a hot mess. She seems insecure and emotionally immature. Does she truly feel better about herself by dating a younger guy? It doesn't seem that way because they don't seem compatible. There's a scene where she accidentally pees on his bed while they're about to have sex which is played for laughs when Sean's roommate walks in on them and assumes it's cum. Then it's played for laughs again when Lauren tells her friend about the incident. What does she see in him other than a physical attraction? She's hesitant at first to kiss him, but then she caves into her desire even though she knows that it's wrong. In a cringe-inducing scene, she shows him off to her ex-husband and his new girlfriend, Sara (Angelique Cabra). who's jealous of her. If they were teenagers, that scene would make more sense, but these people are adults. If only they behaved more like grown ups.

      The third act has a new character introduced too late: Dave (Bradley Whitford), Maria's father who becomes Lauren's new love interest. Their relationship feels underdeveloped, though, and even a bit cheesy. The best scenes are the brief ones with Gabby Hoffmann playing an caricature of an acting teacher. Ultimately, For Worse, which feels more like a sitcom, doesn't have enough heartfelt moments nor enough to say about love, marriage, loneliness, self worth or self discovery. It would be the inferior B-movie in a double feature with An Unmarried Woman. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes  For Worse opens at Quad Cinema via Brainstorm Media.

 

       Ghost Elephants is a captivating, illuminating and well-shot documentary about  the quest of Dr. Steve Boyes, a conservationist and National Geographic explorer, to find a herd of Ghost Elephants, an endangered species, in the highlands of Angola. Director Werner Herzog combines his voice-over narration with footage of Dr. Steve Boyes and the breathtaking scenes of Angola, and voice-over narration. What follows is a competitive documentary that's profound without resorting to talking heads and lots of on-screen text or statistics. Herzog knows how to engage the audience without trying too hard or going the conventional route of generating nail-biting suspense from the search for the elusive Ghost Elephant herd. Don't expect backstory about Dr. Boyes because this isn't a biographical documentary about him. However, it does capture his wisdom and critical thinking skills. Just as expected, Herzog's voice-over narration adds even  more depth to the film as it explores philosophical and existential themes pertaining to Dr. Boyes' quest. Ghost Elephants manages to be much more than about Ghost Elephants, so its larger scope makes it transcendent, fascinating, universal and, above all, profoundly human. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes,  Ghost Elephants opens at IFC Center.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       In Gunfighter Paradise, Stoner (Braz Cubas), returns to his home in North Carolina after the death of his mother (voice of Jessica Hecht) and experiences strange hallucinations. Writer/director Jethro Waters has made a surreal, experimental, poetic and provocative psychological journey with shades of Lynch and Buñuel. The stone, who remains nameless, reads riddles that his late mother left behind. He also hallucinates strange visitors like Civil War reenactors, a cable guy and a killer. What does it all mean? What's the film trying to say? Waters doesn't spoon-feed the audience the answers to those questions nor does he provide much exposition. There are no flashbacks either. He trusts the audience's imagination, intelligence and emotions to guide them through Stoner's psychological and emotional breakdown without asking them to judge him.  Yes, it's confusing at times, but what's wrong with being confused? Stoner also feels confused and a bit lost, so you'll be able to easily relate to him in that sense. The cinematography gets pretty trippy with poetic visuals that compliment the film's tone very effectively while adding some substance concurrently. Poetry is often a form of protest for or against something. So, what is this film a protest for or against? That's up to you to decide and to debate. If you're open to unconventional, un-Hollywood psychological mindfucks that leave a lot of room for interpretation, Gunfighter Paradise will be just your cup of tea. Everyone else will most likely feel frustrated and exhausted. At a running time of 1 hour and 33 minutes  Gunfighter Paradise opens at AMC Lincoln Square.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      Margarita (Anna Baryshnikov), an aspiring fashion designer living in LA, tries to save her family from eviction by competing in a reality show produced by Nicol (Camila Mendes) in  Idiotka. Writer/director Nastasya Popov has made an offbeat and mildly amusing satire that's not biting or funny enough and bites off more than it could chew. She grasps the concept that comedy often derives from tragedy because, at its core, the film is about a family that's desperately struggling to stay financially afloat in the land of opportunity. Margarita's father, Samuel (Mark Ivanir), whom she lives with along with her brother Nerses (Nerses Stamos), served time in prison for Medicaid fraud. Idiotka is also about authenticity or lack thereof because Nicol wants Margarita to fabricate stories from her life instead of telling the truth for the reality show. Unfortunately, it doesn't explore any of its themes with much depth or razor-sharp wit. There are a few somewhat funny scenes, but they're far and few between. That said, there's a great ensemble cast, which also includes Julia Fox as a judge on the reality show. Their lively performances help to keep the audience moderately engaged even when the attempts at humor fall flat. At a brief running time of 1 hour and 22 minutes  Idiotka opens in select theaters via Utopia before expanding to more theaters including Regal Times Square on March 6th, 2026.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       BJ (Anderson .Paak), a struggling musician, travels to South Korea to join a K-pop band and to compete in a talent show  in K-Pops!. Little does he know until he arrives that Tae (Soul Rasheed), one of the contestants, happens to be his long-lost son. He chooses to bond with him while reconnecting with his ex-girlfriend, Yeji (Jee Young Han). Writer/director Anderson .Paak and co-writer Khaila Amazan have made a mildly engaging, uplifting and heartwarming dramedy that's also by-the-numbers, contrived, and sugar-coated. After BJ meets Yeji and his son, the plot goes through familiar beats that don't offer any surprises, insights or imagination. This is one of those movies that you can take a bathroom break during any scene and feel like you didn't miss anything essential that you couldn't predict on your own while you were away. Like For Worse that also opens this weekend, K-Pops! feels like the pilot for a sitcom and aims for comedy while forgetting to flesh out its characters more organically, especially BJ and Tae because they're going through a lot of complex emotions after meeting for the first time as father and son. It's hard to truly get a sense what kind of father BJ will be for him or if he's actually ready to become a father which takes a lot of time and skills. The third act manages to be sweet, though, without being cloying and leaves the audience feeling great. K-Pops! is a crowd-pleaser albeit one that doesn't quite rise above mediocrity or become emotionally resonating. At a running time of 1 hour and 54 minutes  K-Pops! opens in select theaters nationwide via Aura Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Charlie (Myles Erlick), a video game designer, finds a special ring that pause time which he uses to finish his new video game before his deadline in Matter of Time. The ring belongs to his friend, Gibbs (Sean Astin), the owner of a toy shop. Writer/director Jeremy Snead  and his co-writers, Zach Smith, Sean Wilkie and Jason Baumgardner, have made a harmless and breezy, but by-the-numbers, shallow and forgettable sci-fi movie. The plot has no surprises nor does it take its concept far enough. There's very little exposition when it comes to the origins of the magical ring. All that the audience knows is that it belongs to Gibbs and his family, and he has been using it for quite some time without anyone being suspicious. Anyone who uses the ring will lose time if they stop time for more than 24 hours. What has Gibbs been doing with the ring other than for work? How has no one  figured out his secret all this time? And why isn't he angry instead of just frustrated when he learns that Charlie stole the ring from him? That makes Charlie a pretty bad friend and he doesn't seem particularly remorseful because doesn't give it back right away. The ending can be seen from a mile away and feels rushed as well as somewhat cheesy, especially a subplot involving Charlie's love interest and a flashback that repeats the same scene from the beginning of the film with Charlie and his mom when he was a kid.  Matter of Time is better than Clockstoppers and Click, but doesn't hold a candle to the other three sci-films from this year that are also about controlling time: Nirvanna: The Band - The Show - The Movie, Redux Redux and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. At a running time of 1 hour and 44 minutes, Matter of Time opens in select theaters.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Miles Jr. (Armen Weitzman), Jack Jr. (Corirossi) and Puck (Sarah Ramos) have a series of adventures as they journey through California's wine country and participate in a wine competition in The Napa Boys. Writer/director Nick Corirossi and co-writer Armen Weitzman have made an unfunny and witless satire that mostly aims for low brow humor. That would've been fine if the jokes and sight gags landed or if any of the actors and actresses on screen had good comedic timing. No one gets the chance to shine their comedic talent here, though, and the cameos by David Wain, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, among others, aren't funny either. The humor often feels forced and falls flat. Beyond that, there's not enough bite to the film's satire while the plot remains very dull with little to no narrative momentum. It's no help that all of the characters are either annoying or bland. If The Napa Boys were campier, funnier, more witty and audacious, it would've become a mindlessly entertaining guilty pleasure rather than such a painfully unfunny bore. It makes Netflix's mediocre satire, Wine Country, look like a masterpiece. At a running time of 1 hour and 32 minutes, which feels more like 3 hours, The Napa Boys opens at Landmark Sunset and AMC The Americana at Brand 18 in LA before expanding to Angelika Film Center in NYC on March 6th, 2026 via Magnolia Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      Luke (Dustin Mulligan) drives his brother, Danny (Simon Rex), across the country to move to a new place where he found a new job in  Operation Taco Gary's. They stop for a detour at Taco Gary's, a fast food restaurant where aliens hide. Writer/director Michael Kvamme has made a sci-fi comedy that's consistently zany, but unimaginative, witless, meandering and unfunny. It has a concept that makes it sounds like could be a hilarious, bold and fun adventure. Unfortunately, Luke and Danny are both annoying characters who are like nails on a chalkboard. They don't have even remotely the same rapport as Cheech & Chong or Harold & Kumar. On top of that, the  plot takes too long to get to the meat of the story: alien society living under Taco Gary's. By then, there's not enough world-building or exposition. Too many scenes, like those involving Jason Biggs playing himself, feel like vignettes in a dark comedy sketch that fall flat. For a funnier, smarter, more witty and imaginative sci-fi adventure, see Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. Everything that that film gets right, Operation Taco Gary's gets wrong. It's just as much of a comedic misfire as the upcoming satire The Napa Boys. At a running time of 1 hour and 27 minutes  Operation Taco Gary's opens in select theaters via Chroma.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      The Ghostface killer reemerges to terrorize the town of Woodsboro, California where Sidney (Neve Campbell) lives with her husband, Mark (Joel McHale), and teenage daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), in Scream 7. Mckenna Grace plays Tatum's best friend, Hannah. Writer/director Kevin Williamson and co-writer Guy Busick have made a dull, paint-by-numbers and unimaginative sequel that barely delivers any laughs or scares. The dialogue often sounds stilted with clunky exposition and awkward use of profanity. Plausibility and logic get thrown out of the window which would've been acceptable if Scream 7 were to offer something fresh, fun, bold, exciting or campy that could've turned it into a mindless entertaining guilty pleasure.

      The kills aren't particularly innovative and some of them suffer from laughably bad visual effects. Moreover, the performances are mediocre at best, and the music score feels overbearing because it tries too hard to do most of the emotional heavy lifting---emotions that often fall flat. The third act suffers from lazy and stilted exposition with a character giving a long speech explaining their motive. It's an insult to the audience's intelligence. On a positive note, there's one effectively creepy scene where Ghostface terrorizes someone in a room filled with plastic curtains hanging from the ceiling. With Scream 7, the Scream franchise has officially lost steam and ran out of ideas. Please be sure to stay through the credits for mid-credit scenes; there's no stinger, though. At a lengthy running time of 1 hour and 54 minutes, it opens nationwide via Paramount Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      Cheryl 'No Mercy' Stewart (Wanda Sykes), a boxing coach and recovering alcoholic, convinces her estranged son, Keith (Bentley Green), to train him for a boxing match against Kordell (Xavier Mills), a boxer she used to train in Undercard. Writer/director Tamika Miller and co-writer Anita M. Cal have made a gripping, tender and engrossing sports drama with heartfelt, career-best performance by Wanda Sykes. Cheryl has been a bad role model for her estranged son until she sobered up. She's aware of her mistakes and shows signs of introspection through her remorse without denying the pain that she caused Keith. Fortunately, she's not a malignant narcissist because she demonstrates her capability of changing and becoming a better role model who's emotionally mature. The scenes with her and Keith feel true-to-life without any contrivances, clunkiness or schmaltz. Kudos to the filmmakers for treating both of them as complex human beings, warts-and-all. It's inspirational and moving to watch them heal, grow and learn to love themselves in the process.

      Keith forgives her, but does Cheryl forgive herself? That's a more complicated question with an answer that's open to interpretation, but the possibility for that forgiveness is there. It's fundamentally about two broken people who try to fix their relationship and to heal their emotional pain. Bravo to Wanda Sykes for choosing a role that's against type. She's the film's MVP. Like many great boxing films, it's not really about boxing. You don't have to be a fan of boxing to enjoy it. At a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, Undercard is a triumph. It opens in select theaters via Seismic Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1