Eve (Ana de Armas), a ballet dancer/assassin at Ruska Roma, seeks to avenge the death of her father whom she witnessed getting murdered by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) during her childhood in Ballerina. Director Len Wiseman and screenwriter Shay Hatten have made a mildly exhilarating action thriller that's well-produced and visually stylish, but tedious, dull and uninspired. Audiences looking for fun action set pieces like in the previous films in the John Wick series will be mostly disappointed with the exception of a lengthy scene in a gunshop and a kitchen that stands out. Those scenes manage to find the tongue-on-cheek, over-the-top and dark humor sorely missing from the rest of the film. Tonal unevenness becomes a systemic issue here. Moreover, the screenplay has Eve explaining her thirst for revenge over and over---by the second time, the audience has already figured it out and understands her motivation, so why have her repeating it so often as though the audience has memory problems?

      Ana de Armas is decent as Eve, but nothing exceptional. Anjelica Huston and Ian McShane exude charisma in their supporting roles as the Director of Ruska Roma and the owner of the New York Continental Hotel, respectively. Keanu Reeves has two brief scenes that bookend the film, but he's poorly introduced and shows up just when the plot needs him as though he were a plot device. Unsurprisingly, the set design, lighting and cinematography provide the eye candy and pizzazz expected from the franchise; if only the film itself were as imaginative and didn't take itself too seriously. At a running time of 2 hours and 5 minutes, Ballerina opens nationwide via Lionsgate.

 

      A deranged man, Tucker (Jai Courtney), abducts a surfer, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), and holds her hostage on his boat while hoping to feed her to sharks like he had done to his previous victims in Dangerous Animals. Moses (Josh Heuston) tries to rescue her. Director Sean Byrne and screenwriter Nick Lepard have made a lean, mean and often gripping, but increasingly preposterous horror thriller that's like a cross between Hostel and Jaws. It's so lean that the villain, Tucker, doesn't even have a backstory. He's introduced briefly in the prologue when he takes a woman hostage after killing her boyfriend. He enjoys watching video recordings of his past victims getting fed to sharks in the ocean. Why? How did he become a psychopathic serial killer? Why women? Again, Dangerous Animals doesn't even try to provide much in terms of exposition which is fine because it's a shallow B-movie.  For the first hour or so, it maintains suspense, but that dissipates when Zephyr stabs Tucker on a part of his body that would make it very hard for him to survive or to function normally, yet he walks around afterward as though he wasn't stabbed. That's around the time that the plot becomes less plausible and more tedious and inane while throwing internal logic out the window. A film that lacks logic should compensate for that with imagination, but that's not the case here. Some of the dialogue even results in bad laughs, i.e. when Zephyr sees a mangled corpse and explaims, "Who the fuck is that??" The kills are gory and gruesome, though, so at least there's that to please horror fans. Jaw Courtney does his best to breathe life into his underwritten role. What the film could've used a heavy dosage of is some campiness and outrageousness. If only the plot didn't try to take itself so seriously. At 1 hour and 38 minutes, Dangerous Animals, opens in select theaters nationwide via Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between, directed by Claire Jeffreys, is a mildly engaging, shallow and underwhelming documentary biopic about singer/songwriter Garland Jeffreys. As a reader's digest version of his work and life, it's fine, but nothing that elevates it beyond mediocrity. Perhaps listening to his music would be a more engaging, moving and illuminating experience. At a running time of only 1 hour and 10 minutes, Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between opens at IFC Center.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells), a gay couple expecting to adopt a baby from Candice (Amanda Seyfried), embark on a trip to Italy where they get more than they bargained for in  I Don't Understand You . The screenplay by co-writers/directors David Joseph and Craig Brian Crano is a sporadically funny and zany, but tonally even and preposterous dark comedy that bites off more than it could chew as it veers into horror and crime thriller territory. It does provide a few laughs from the fish-out-of-water humor and miscommunications, but the dark humor gets repetitive and less and less funny as the plot progresses. At times, it seems like it's trying to imitate a Tarantino, Coen brothers or Martin McDonaugh movie, especially In Bruges, without enough wit or tonal fluidity. To be fair, it's no easy task to blend different genres, so it takes a smart and sensitive screenplay to accomplish that. Dom and Cole have very little backstories and it's hard to root for them or care about them. Moreover, the third act feels rushed and lazy with no internal logic and too many plot holes, even if you suspend your brain at the door. Yes, it's true that logic is dull, as Hitchcock once wisely observed, but he also said that imagination is more important, and that's something that this misfire sorely lacks. Perhaps it could've used some much-needed campiness and gone with a much more believable ending. At 1 hour and 35 minutes, I Don't Understand You  , opens in select theaters nationwide via Vertical.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       The Last Twins is a profoundly moving and engrossing documentary about Erno "Zvi" Spiegel, a Holocaust hero who deserves to be as well known as Oscar Schindler. He's a Holocaust prisoner who saved the lives of many twin boys in Auschwitz. Dr. Mengele had chosen him to oversee the twin boys who were medically experimented on. Two of them weren't even twins, but looked alike, so Spiegel kept that a secret to prevent them from being murdered. He also became like a father figure to the twin boys under his supervision.  Co-directors Perri Peltz and Matthew O'Neill deftly combined archival photos and interviews with the Holocaust survivors whom Spiegel had saved. Their testimonies are heartbreaking, candid and vital. They're very brave for sharing their painful memories of such a traumatic experience. Although, The Last Twins doesn't shy away from the horrors of the Holocaust, it doesn't dwell on them; it focuses on the resilience of the survivors who managed to rebuild their lives and create families of their own throughout the years. Within a dark tunnel, there can be a small light. Spiegel was that light and serves as an exemplar. The best way to protest against hatred, cruelty and death is through love and by living life to the fullest. Bravo to them for embracing the wisdom behind Pablo Neruda's poem, "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." The ending with the survivors and their families gathered together at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem speaks louder than words. At 1 hour and 20 minutes, The Last Twins, opens at Quad Cinema via Abramorama.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       In The Life of Chuck, Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and reconnects with ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), before the end of the world while billboards with Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) celebrating "39 Great Years" pop up around the city. The screenplay by writer/director Mike Flanagan, based on Stephen King's novella, unfolds backwards from Chapter Three, Chapter Two and Chapter One. Chapter Three introduces Chuck through the mysterious billboards; the next chapters flashback to show Chuck as an accountant and talented dancer. How did he learn how to dance? What inspired him to pursue a career in accounting? Those questions will be answered when the film flashes back to Chuck as a teenanger (Jacob Tremblay) and young boy (Cody Flanagan and Benjamin Pajak) living with his mother (Heather Langenkamp) and father, Albie (Mark Hamill).  To be fair, the voice-over narration by Nick Offerman does feel somewhat distracting and takes a while to get used to, but that's a forgivable flaw. Who is this narrator? Is he God? Either way, he's not in the film other than serving as the narrator.

      Flanagan has a great command of tone and exposition as it blends different genres with many supporting characters. A less talented filmmaker could've turned the film into a jumbled, disjointed, undercooked and meandering mess. Fortunately, The Life of Chuck manages to be a wise, tender and engrossing roller coaster ride of emotions that's unafraid to ask philosophical and existential questions. You'd think it were based on an Isaac Asimov novel, not a Stephen King novella. It's one of the best films of the year. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, The Life of Chuck, opens in select theaters before expanding nationwide on June 13th, 2025 via NEON. It would be an interesting double feature with Donnie Darko.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      Two priests, Theophilus (Al Pacino) and Joseph (Dan Stevens), try to save a woman, Emma (Abigail Cowen), who may or may not be possessed by a demon in The Ritual.  The screenplay by writer/director David Midell and co-writer Enrico Natale is based on a true story, but you wouldn't guess just from the bland and vapid plot, the underwritten characters and clunky dialogue. Theophilus and Joseph's personalities and views clash as they treat Emma. Joseph questions his faith and isn't sure that Emma is actually demonically possessed; he believes that she need psychiatric treatment instead on exorcism. This is the kind of movie where the characters are merely plot devices and caricatures no matter how hard Dan Stevens and Al Pacino try to breathe life into their roles. Ashley Greene plays Sister Rose and Patricia Heaton plays Mother Superior in forgettable and underdeveloped supporting roles. The lighting and use of washed out colors makes all of the scenes look gitty, dimly lit and sometimes even ugly. There's also too much use of shaky cam that leads to nasea. Why shake the camera so much to try to create tension when there's enough tension already within the narrative? Al Pacino gives a hammy performance and speaks with an accent that's not very believable. Moreover, the lack of levity makes the film become monotonous and more exhausting than exhilarating or scary. In a double feature with The Exorcist, The Ritual would be the inferior B-movie. At 1 hour and 38 minutes, The Ritual, opens in select theaters nationwide via XYZ Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       Slumlord Millionaire is an illuminating, enraging and heartfelt documentary about the housing crisis in NYC.  Co-directors Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez tackle many housing-related issues ranging from gentrification to unsafe housing to greedy landlords and developers who exploit the poor. The film show how those issues affect residents in NYC while also looking at the cause of the issues by examining the political policies that lead to them. So, this is a thorough and insightful documentary that doesn't just focus on the suffering and struggles of the residents; it provides some scope by stepping back to shed light on the larger picture. It bites off a little bit more than it could chew and, although it doesn't offer concrete solutions, it does unflinchingly raise awareness of vital, basic and universal human rights issues. At 1 hour and 26 minutes, Slumlord Millionaire opens at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      Just as he's about to commit suicide, Roy (Shenoah Allen), a radio host meets Jane (Nina Conti), a homeless woman dress in a monkey suit who takes him hostage as they embark on a road trip in Sunlight. He promises her that he'll give her half the $20,000 that he'll get for pawning his deceased father's watch. According to his mother, Gail (Melissa Chambers), he'll have to dig up his father's grave to find the real watch. The screenplay by writer/director Nina Conti and co-writer Shenoah Allen is an amusing, but tonally uneven blend of offbeat humor, dark comedy, drama and romance with a plot that's refreshingly bizarre. Sunlight leans heavily on the absurdity of a woman dressed as a monkey bonding and flirting with Roy. She's running away from her abusive ex and he just wants to end his life. Unfortunately, the film only offers intermittent laughs with its physical comedy and very little wit. Roy and Jane are both annoying characters who are hard to like or to root for. They're like nails on a chalkboard. Moreover, their character arcs don't feel organic or believable, so the more dramatic and serious beats don't quite land, especially in the rushed, cheesy and contrived third act. At 1 hour and 35 minutes, Sunlight opens at Quad Cinema via Sunrise Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Mattie Wilde (Cali Scolari) and her sister, Tinsley (Lydia Pearl Pentz), get banished to the wilderness of Oregon when their wealthy family loses their fortune during the Great Depression and their father dies The Wilde Girls. They believe that their conniving aunts, Beatrice (Susan Goforth) and Florence (Heidi Kravitz), hired an assassin, Button (Matt Silver), to hunt them down and kill them. Silas (Teddy Smith), a mountain man, befriends them and provides them with shelter. The screenplay by writer/director Timothy Hines is a funny, witty and razor-sharp satire with its tongue firmly in its cheek. From the very first frame, Hines manages to establish the film's outrageously comedic tone and to maintain it without any tonal unevenness. He also incorporates just the right amount of exposition within the few minutes to not waste any time with over-explaining.  What the plot lacks in logic, it makes up for it in spades with sheer inventiveness that never wanes. After all, Hitchcock once wisely observed that logic is dull and that imagination is more important than logic. Case in point: a scene that takes place at a police station that you'll have to see to believe. Yes, it's an absurd scene, but also hysterically funny, and it almost rivals the jailhouse scene at the end of Bringing Up Baby.

      The entire ensemble cast, even the supporting cast, is superb and has terrific comedic timing. Cali Scolari and Lydia Pearl Pentz have wonderful chemistry together as Mattie and Tinsley whobicker and banter like Romy and Michelle from Romy & Michele's High School Reunion and Betsy and Arlene from Dick. It's also worth mentioning the lively, well-chosen soundtrack. If you could imagine the refreshing zaniness of Hundreds of Beavers with the sparkling wit and hilarity of Bringing Up Baby with some of the campiness from Romy & Michele's High School Reunion and Dick, it would look something like The Wilde Girls. It deserves to become a sleeper hit and a cult classic like Hundreds of Beavers. At a running time of only 1 hour and 59 minutes, The Wilde Girls opens at Cinema Village via Pendragon Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1