Abraham Van Helsing (Titus Welliver), a vampire hunter, settles down with his wife, (Jocelin Donahue), and two son, Max (Brady Hepner) and Rudy (Judah Mackey), in a rural area of California nearly two decades after killing Dracula in Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story. Writer/director Natasha Kermani has made an atmospheric, but lethargic, tedious, uninspired and lackluster horror thriller. It has some creepy images, but doesn't really push the envelope when it comes to gore. Unfortunately, the dialogue often sounds stilted with very lazy exposition and "world building." Moreover, Titus Welliver gives a very bland and awkwardly monotonous performance as though Abraham were a robot. It doesn't help that the screenplay barely fleshes out his character or anyone else for that matter. There's little to no palpable suspense or scares, even on a psychological level, and too few surprises. At a lengthy running time of 1 hour and 29 minutes, Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story opens in select theaters nationwide via RLJE and Shudder.

 

      Matias (Juan Pablo Di Pace), a filmmaker making an autobiographical movie, reminisces about his college days when he (now played by Santiago Madrussan), fellow student, Alexander (Oscar Morgan), whom he fell in love with before they lost touch with each other in Before We Forget. Writer/director Juan Pablo Di Pace and co-director Andrés Pepe Estrada have made a mildly engaging and tender, but tedious, clunky and schmaltzy love story without anything profound to say about love, memories or filmmaking. Matias has a lot of emotional baggage that he has to sort through as he's making his film entitled Duino, the name of the village in Italy where he studied at and met Alexander. Showing flashbacks of Matias' memories of his time with Alexander are sweet, but don't really allow the audience to explore enough of how Matias processes the feelings of those memories in the present day. The moments when he shows signs of true introspection are far and few between. So, the flashbacks scenes feel more engrossing than the rather dull present day scenes, including an ephemeral reunion with Matias and Alexander (now played by August Wittgenstein) at a wedding when they're much older. For a much more poignant, poetic and profound love story, see Paul Cox's film Innocence, the French film An Affair of Love or the 1973 romance Jeremy. At a running time of 1 hour and 48 minutes, Before We Forget opens at Cinema Village via The Film Collaborative.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      Nick (Henry Golding), a DJ, takes an experimental drug that could makes him have lucid dreams where he reunites with his recently deceased girlfriend, Daniela (Beatrice Grannò), in Daniela Forever. The screenplay by writer/director Nacho Vigalondo takes an intriguing, inspired premise and turns it into a thought-provoking, imaginative and poignant emotional journey that explores love, grief and memory.  Will the drug that Nick takes turn out to be a Faustian bargain? To be fair, Daniela Forever could've gone darker and been more cerebral like a Michel Gondry/Charlie Kaufman movie, but it nonetheless has an engaging plot that gets trippy at times and has a few clever surprises up its sleeve which won't be spoiled here. Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò have chemistry together and give emotionally convincing performances that breathe life into their roles.  At a lengthy running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, Daniela Forever opens at Angelika Film Center via Well Go USA.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      8-year-old Bobo (Lexi Venter) lives on a farm in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe, with her father (Tim (Rob Van Vuuren), her alcoholic mother, Nicola (Embeth Davidtz), and older sister, Vanessa (Anina Reed), during the Rhodesian Bush War in Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. Her nanny, Sarah (Zikhona Bali), becomes like her surrogate mother and best friend. Writer/director Embeth Davidtz has made an engrossing, unflinching and poetic coming-of-age story. Based on the novel by Alexandra Fuller, the screenplay covers a lot of ground as it tackles different issues taking place within Bobo's family and in the political unrest within Rhodesia. It's no easy feat to get inside a character's head through watching a film vs reading a book, but Davidtz should be commended for accomplishing that feat very effectively. She manages to create enough of a window into Bobo's heart, mind and soul so that the audience can understand and empathize with what she's observing, some of which is quite traumatic, i.e. someone sexually abusing her older sister.

      Kudos to Davidtz for being unafraid to go into dark territory at times while avoiding schmaltz, heavy-handedness and preachiness. It's sweet without being cloying, poignant without being maudlin, honest and unflinching without being emotionally devastating, and provocative without being preachy. She should also be commended for finding the Spectacle within the film's many Truths, and for trusting the audience's intelligence, emotions and, at times, their imagination. The exquisite cinematography and use of music also help to enrich the film while adding both style and substance. Above all, Lexi Venter gives a breakthrough performance that anchors the film with genuine emotional depth. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight opens at Angelika Film Center via Sony Pictures Classics.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       Little, Big and Far is about Karl (Franz Schwartz), a 70-year-old Austrian astronomer who contemplates about the cosmos and corresponds in writing with his wife, Eleanor (Lesle Thornton), who works as a cosmologist.  Director Jem Cohen has made a poetic and visually breathtaking, but dry, overlong and lethargic experimental documentary/fiction hybrid. The shots of the sky are the highlights of the film and feel mesmerizing to behold because they're very cinematic and speak louder than words. Unfortunately, the narration doesn't add anything truly revealing or illuminating while the story of Karl and his wife isn't compelling enough to be cinematic. Documentary/fiction hybrids rarely work nor does the combination of the two very different forms of filmmaking seem necessary; the combo usually becomes distracting, especially if the line between the two blurs like it does here. Patient audience members will be rewarded the most because the film moves at a very slow pace which at least allows for some contemplation. At a lengthy running time of 2 hours and 1 minute, Little, Big and Far opens at IFC Center via Grasshopper Film.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      A mysterious masked killer lures ten influencers, Sebasitian (Jacob Skidmore), Finn (Kaitlyn Squires), Keo (Ivan Leung), Kirsten (Dan Oliveros), Amanda (Emily Mei), Josiah (McCarrie McCausland), Rumer (Leah Pipes), Maureen (Caitlin Carmichael), Peyton (Paige VanZant) and Asher (Gunner Burkhardt), to a mansion where their lives depend on how many "likes" they get on social media in Skillhouse. They each wear a necklace that the killer can use to slice their heads off if they dare to escape. Co-writers/directors Josh Stolberg and Ryan Kavanaugh have made a witty, campy and wickedly funny horror satire with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek. The plot throws logic out of the window, so if you try to make logical sense of it, especially during all of the twists and turns in the third act, it won't be as much fun. Suspension of disbelief is essential here. Yes, the plot is derivative, but so what? At least it cites its sources in a scene where Josiah names similar horror films like Saw, Cube and Escape Room. Fortunately, Skillhouse doesn't take itself too seriously and even has some provocative social commentary.

      Some of the kills are pretty inventive, and horror fans will be pleased to know that there's plenty of blood and guts that will induce some squirming, although it's not nearly as over-the-top and disgusting as the gore in the Terrifier series. Bryce Hall, an influencer in real life, plays an influencer Carter, 50 Cent plays himself in a small, but important role, and Neal McDonaugh shows up in a role that won't be spoiled here. Please briefly stay through the end credits for a mid-credits scene. At an ideal running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes, Skillhouse opens in select theaters nationwide via Fathom Entertainment and GenTV. It would be a great double feature with Oh, Hi and Heart Eyes.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       Jerry (Nick Offerman), a self-proclaimed "sovereign citizen" who's anti-government, lives with his 15-year-old son, Joe (Jacob Tremblay), whom he's indoctrinated into his radical movement that gets them into trouble with the law in Sovereign. They clash with a police chief, John (Dennis Quaid), who has a rocky relationship with his son, Adam (Thomas Mann). Writer/director Christian Swegal has made a provocative, gripping and genuinely heartfelt thriller. The screenplay wisely doesn't ask the audience to judge Jerry and Joe; just to experience them as they travel around preaching about their right-wing extremist movement. Jerry comes across as a selfish, unhinged and rebellious man who's got psychological issues. He's a bad role model and a terrible father. It's only a matter of time before his son, Joe, comes to his senses and begins to stand up to his father while trying to distance himself from the sovereign citizen movement. Kudos to Swegal for not sugar-coating anything and for having the guts to include a very bleak, un-Hollywood ending that won't be spoiled here. Sovereign can also be seen as psychological horror, especially because it's based on a true story. Jacob Tremblay shines in one of the best performances of his career. You might not even recognize him because he disappears into his role while effectively finding its emotional truth, so this is a truly transformative role for him. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Sovereign opens in select theaters nationwide via Briarcliff Entertainment.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      In Superman, Superman (David Corenswet) returns to Metropolis after one of his enemies, the Hammer of Borovia, defeats him. He now faces another enemy, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who also wants to smear his positive image as a superhero and to kill him. Meanwhile, he leads a double life as reporter at the Daily Planet where he romances his colleague, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Writer/director James Gunn has made an exhilarating, funny and action-packed thrill ride. Sure, the plot feels overstuffed with too many characters and subplots without charting new territory, but so what? It's just pure, escapist fun that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't exhaust the audience like too many blockbusters do these days. The exposition arrives early on and briefly which doesn't diminish the narrative momentum or lead to any dullness. In terms of visual effects, the CGI is impressive and often dazzling, especially on the big screen.

      The entire ensemble cast is well-chosen, even the support cast like Zlatko Burić who plays the President of Borovia. You might remember him as the shit salesman in Triangle of Sadness. David Corenswet and Rachael Brosnahan are terrific together and bring plenty of charisma to their roles---Brosnahan even physically resembles Margot Kidder. Nicholas Hoult is fine, but nothing exceptional. However, Krypto the Superdog steals the show and deserves a spin-off. He's much like Puffy, the dog that stole the show in There’s Something About Mary, so whenever he's on-screen, Superman is even more entertaining. At a running time of 2 hours and 9 minutes, Superman opens nationwide via Warner Bros. Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and his cousin, Reda (Aram Sabbah), Palestinian refugees stuck in Greece, desperately try to leave Greece to seek refuge in Germany in To a Land Unknown. Meanwhile, concoct a plan to help a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, Malik (Mohammad Alsurafa), to reach his aunt in Italy. Malik's smuggler refuses to smuggle him without a payment upfront.  Chatila seduces an older woman, Tatiana (Angelika Papoulia), to assist them with their plan. Writer/director Mahdi Fleifel and co-writers Fyzal Boulifa and Jason McColganl have made a quietly engrossing and gripping dramatic thriller that bites off more than it could chew. There are too many underdeveloped subplots and not enough exposition, i.e. the relationship between Chatila and his wife and kids who are all the way at a refugee camp in Lebanon. He and Reda steal from pedestrians to make ends meet. Reda suffers from a drug addiction. Oh, and they concoct a plan to smuggle themselves out of Greece in a way that won't be spoiled here. There's enough going on here for at least 4 different movies which is both a blessing and a curse because it makes the plot feel undercooked by the end.

      The performances are fine, the cinematography is decent while capturing the naturalism and authenticity. In other words, the filmmakers trust that the narrative has enough tension and emotional resonance to be cinematic, so it doesn't need excessive visual style or a pulse-pounding music score to drive it forward or to entertain the audience. If only the screenplay were more focused. At a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, To a Land Unknown opens at Quad Cinema via Watermelon Pictures.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      We Are Guardians is a powerful, heartfelt, enraging and captivating documentary about Marçal Guajajara, a forest guardian, and Puyr Tembé, an activist/politician/leader of the Indigenous people who fight to protect the sacred Amazon Rainforest in Brazil from deforestation. Co-directors Edivan Guajajara, Rob Grobman and Chelsea Greene capture the picturesque, majestic beauty of the Amazon Rainforest and the gripping struggles of Marçal an Pury to save and protect it. The filmmakers do a great job of showing those struggles within the context of a much larger picture that provides the audience with an unsugar-coated glimpse of what the guardians and activists are up against. Yes there are loggers and farmers who are responsible for cutting down the trees, but the issue goes much further than that to politics, namely, Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's president from 2019 to 2023.

      Puyr Tembé understands that bigger picture and the importance of her role as the Indigenous people's leader. Her courage, determination, compassion and intelligence are inspirational while making her a real-life superhero. Moreover, the cinematography is exquisite and helps the film to become more cinematic and truly transcendent. Kudos to the filmmakers for finding just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually as well as emotionally. . At a running time of 1 hour and 25 minutes, We Are Guardians opens at Village East by Angelika via Area23a. It would be an interesting double feature with the doc Bad River.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1