Clemente is a mildly engaging, by-the-numbers and somewhat hagiographic, but well-edited documentary biopic about legendary Latino baseball player Roberto Celemente. Director David M. Altrogge charts Celement's rise to fame, his love life and what makes him an integral part of baseball history. As a reader's digest version of Clemente's work and life, this documentary is moderately satisfying. However, audience already familiar with Clemente or who aren't interested in baseball who want something more revealing, profound or moving, will be disappointed. Unfortunately, Clemente doesn't end up transcending as a documentary like great documentaries should; it feels safe, conventional and pedestrian without being illuminating or emotionally resonating enough. At 1 hour and 41 minutes, Clemente opens at AMC Empire.

 

      Randy (Rainn Wilson), a paramedic, has 24 hours left on his shift before plans to resign, but first he has to train his replacement,  Jessica (Aimee Carrero), in Code 3. Lil Rel Howery plays Mike, his work partner.  Writer/director Christopher Leone and co-writer Patrick Pianezza  have made a wickedly funny, witty and surprisingly moving dark comedy. If Bringing Out the Dead were directed by Martin McDonagh or the Coen brothers, it would look something like Code 3. Randy comes across as someone who's bitter, snarky and often very blunt which makes him an interesting character. He's also at a crossroads in his life and isn't happy with his job. The filmmakers grasp the concept that comedy is often rooted in tragedy because there's plenty of humor that comes from Randy's struggles as well as his tense relationship with his coworkers. They also have a great command of tone which is no easy task in a dark comedy that also tries to humanize its protagonist without resulting in tonal unevenness or clunkiness. Yes, it's sometimes zany, bold, irreverent and unflinching, but it also has a warm, beating heart beneath the surface. Rainn Wilson has impeccable comedic timing and concurrently effectively tackling the emotional complexities of his role during the more serious scenes. At 1 hour and 40 minutes, Code 3 opens in theaters nationwide via Aura Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      Tanjiro Kamado (voice of Natsuki Hanae),  Giyu Tomioka (voice of Takahiro Sakurai), and other members of the Demon Slayer Corp, battle demons in the Infinity Castle while searching for the nemesis, Muzan, in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle. There are many more characters including Kasugai crows that are essential to the story, and even some backstories with flashbacks that make the plot slightly more complex. The screenplay by Ufotable suffers from on-the-nose dialogue and over-explaining, i.e. when Tanjiro beheads a demon, he says out loud that the demon is being beheaded even though you can clearly see the head falling off. Expect to see some blood which adds some grittiness. Even if you haven't watched the  previous entries, you won't be too confused because the basic plot is simple: Tajiro has to go through a series of battles until he finds Muzan. It's essentially like Kill Bill with a sprinkle of The Matrix, and gets pretty trippy at times. The animation looks breathtaking with lots of attention to detail which turns the film into an exhilarating, eye-popping and dazzling spectacle. It's a rush of pure adrenaline. At 2 hours and 35 minutes, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, directed by Haruo Sotozaki, opens in theaters nationwide via Crunchyroll.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      The Crawley family deals with the fallout of Lady Mary's (Michelle Dockery) divorce and financial struggles in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Director Simon Curtis and screenwriter Julian Fellowes have made a breezy, witty and sparkling drama with a terrific ensemble cast. There are new characters like Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti), Lady Grantham's brother who arrives all the way from America. There isn't a lot of dramatic tension and there's an overload of subplots that might make newcomers feel a little lost without much exposition. However, those are forgivable flaws because everything from the warmth and charisma of the cast to the exquisite set and costume design makes for a delightful and charming cinematic experience that remains light and sweet without any schmaltz or melodrama. Yes, charisma in itself can be a pretty big spectacle, even more palpable than explosions and action scenes. There's even some comic relief and a laugh-out-loud scene where the characters talk about and refer to sex without saying the word.

      Fortunately, despite so many characters, everyone gets a chance to shine, especially Michelle Dockery who gives a moving, nuanced and Oscar-worthy performance. It's refreshing to watch a film with mostly pleasant characters who you actually want to be around for a change. At 2 hours and 4 minutes, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale opens in theaters nationwide via Focus Features.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      17-year-old Johanne (Ella Øverbye) writes a memoir about the encounters between her and her teacher, Johanna (Selome Emnetu), whom she had a crush on and gave her private knitting lessons in Dreams. To publish the memoir or not to publish it? What if something inappropriate happened between Johanne and her teacher? Did the teacher cross a line? Would Johanne be crossing a line if she published it even if part of it is fictional? How accurate and reliable are her memories of her time with Johanna? Those are among the questions that the screenplay by writer/director Dag Johan Haugerud asks the audience to ponder. The plot could've easily turned into a psychological thriller and, at times, it toys with those elements and with the audience's expectations, especially when Johanne comes over to Johanna's home for their knitting session. It's more interested in getting inside the mindset of Johanne who seeks advice from her grandmother, Karin (Anne Marit Jacobsen), and doesn't want her mother, Kristin (Ane Dahl Torp), to read it.

      Just like with Sex and Love, writer/director Dag Johan Haugerud grounds the film in realism with tender and natural performances. No one overacts. Nothing feels heavy-handed or over-explained. There are no villains--even though, in a less sensitively written screenplay, Johanna could've been written as a villain. Everything feels true-to-life including the interactions between Johanne and a therapist she sees later on. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, Dreams is a genuinely heartfelt, thought-provoking and engrossing coming-of-age drama. It opens at Film Forum via Strand Releasing.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      Two best friends, Kou (Yukito Hidaka) and Yuta (Hayato Kurihara), rebel against their high school after the principal (Shiro Sano) has installed a surveillance system in Happyend. Writer/director Neo Sora has woven a mildly engaging, but provocative, timely and occasionally funny dramatic thriller. The surveillance system gets installed after someone pulls a prank on the principal by somehow causing his car to end up crashing on its front-end right onto the pavement. Students who misbehave receive points that could lead to suspension or expulsion. Happyend isn't very subtle or deep when it comes to how it explores its themes of protest, invasion of privacy and democracy. The principal remains a one-dimensional character who almost seems like a villain. His character arc is rushed, though, and the ending feels too pat, rushed and contrived. There are also pacing issues with some scenes lasting too long and a few moments during the third act suffer from false endings. Just when the film wraps up its main narrative, it goes on and on and drags while overstaying its welcome. Fortunately, Yukito Hidaka gives a charismatic performance and Hayato Kurihara has great comedic timing which makes his Yuta a lot of fun to watch. At 1 hour and 53 minutes, which feels more like 2 hours and 30 minutes, Happyend, opens in select theaters via Metrograph Pictures. It would be an interesting double feature with the more bold, trippy and darker 70s film The Strawberry Statement or the wildly entertaining sci-fi cult classic The Faculty.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      In The History of Sound, Lionel (Paul Mescal) meets and falls in love with David (Josh O'Connor) in Kentucky during the 1920s. They travel together to Maine to collect folk songs. Years later, Lionel searches for David at the Boston conservatory where he had taught.  Director Oliver Hermanus and screenwriter Ben Shattuck have made a quietly moving, slow-burning and melancholic romantic drama. They both trust the audience's patience, imagination and intelligence without overexplaining anything. Patience will be rewarded with a richly textured love story that avoids contrivance, schmaltz and melodrama. Small details like the collection of folk song recordings becomes an integral part of the plot later on as the older version of Lionel (Chris Cooper) looks back on his life with David while still pining for him. Everything remains understated and nuanced, even the romantic feelings that they have for each other at the beginning.

      The cinematography and use of washed out colors provide some visual style while the natural landscape adds some layers of poetry. Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor both give raw, convincingly moving performances and have palpable chemistry when they're together, so the beats land during the genuinely poignant third act. The History of Sound is one of the most powerful and engrossing love stories since Brokeback Mountain. At 2 hours and 7 minutes, it opens at AMC Lincoln Square and Angelika Film Center via MUBI.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       In The Long Walk, a group of young men must walk at least 3mph or else they're shot on the spot after three warnings. The winner gets his wish granted by the Major (Mark Hamill).  Director Francis Lawrence and screenwriter JT Mollner have made a gritty and intense, but tedious, unimaginative and occasionally maudlin psychological horror thriller set in a dystopian version of the US. Based on the novel by Stephen King, the screenplay gets exposition out of the way early as the audience learns the rules of the contest and who some of the young men are before establishing their different personalities and friendships. They include Raymond (Cooper Hoffman), Peter (David Jonsson), Collie (Joshua Odjick), Arther (Tut Nyuot), Hank (Ben Wang) and Thomas (Roman Griffin Davis), among others. The concept is pretty simple and straightforward without any big surprises except for some pretty graphic gore. When it tries to be poignant, i.e. by exploring the friendship between Raymond and Peter or by showing a brief flashback a traumatic event from his childhood with his mother (Judy Greer) and father (Josh Hamilton), that's when it loses a bit of its dramatic momentum because those scenes feel contrived. There's some comic relief, but not enough.

      The other men besides Raymond are underwritten, and the same goes for the villain, whose only name is the Major. The performances, especially by Cooper Hoffman, David Johnsson and Ben Wang, help to elevate the film and to keep the audience at least somewhat immersed on an emotional level, but not enough to make the beats land when some of the men die. Ultimately, The Long Walk is nothing more than a moderately entertaining and well-cast albeit undercooked B-movie.  At 1 hour and 48 minutes, it opens nationwide via Lionsgate.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       William (Michael Douglas) tells his grandson, Kyle (Walker Stobell), about a fishing competition in Belize with his estranged father (David Morse), and brother, Cole (Cameron Douglas), when he was a young man (now played by Michael Stahl-David) in Looking Through Water. The wrap-around story set in the present day with William and Kyle has interesting parallels to the flashbacks with the younger William and his father. Kyle has a bruise on his face and doesn't want to tell his grandpa the real cause yet. Similarly, younger William arrives with a bloody wound on his head and isn't ready to be honest about it yet, even with his romantic interest, Julia (Ximena Romo).

      There's a lot of backstory involving what led William to become estranged from his father, but, fortunately, the exposition is handled in a way that feels organic without being clunky or making the film feel overstuffed. Instead, it feels more complex, rich and layered while concurrently making the characters more true-to-life and relatable. It's refreshing to watch a film with characters who show that they're capable of being introspective and of healing from their emotional wounds. That takes emotional maturity. The performances by David Morse,  Michael Douglas, Cameron Douglas, Michael Stahl-David, Walker Stobell and Ximena Romo are all terrific. They each manage to find the emotional truth of their role while breathing life into it.

       Director Roberto Sneider and his co-writers, Zach Dean and Rowdy Herrington, have made an honest, wise and tender emotional journey well worth taking. There are some surprisingly unflinching moments that go into dark territory without being too emotionally devastating, but also without resorting to sugar-coating. Looking Through Water is as powerful, poetic and engrossing as On Golden Pond. At 1 hour and 46 minutes, it opens in select theaters nationwide via Good Deed Entertainment. It would be an interesting double feature with Diamonds, an underrated comedy starring Kirk Douglas, Dan Akyroyd and Lauren Bacall that's about a dysfunctional family.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      Charles (Corey Hawkins), an African American man, reluctantly agrees to rent the basement of his ancestral home to Anniston (Willem Dafoe), a mysterious businessman, for $65,000 for 65 day in The Man in My Basement. He desperately needs the money before the bank will foreclose on the house. It turns out that once Anniston enters the basement, he has a hidden motive which won't be spoiled here. Writer/director Nadia Latif and co-writer Walter Mosley have made an often gripping and provocative psychological thriller that bites off more than it could chew. As the plot progresses, it gets more complex and also a bit convoluted. It's not quite horror, but there are some creepy and atmospheric scenes. Anniston's dialogue includes a long monologue which provides some exposition that feels somewhat clunky, though.  The big twist occurs within the first 30 minutes, but then the mystery that remains is, "What's Anniston's true motive?" He doesn't seem like someone who's reliable or even sane, so why should Charles or the audience, for that matter, trust what he's saying?

    &nbs Fortunately, the strong performances by Willem Dafoe and Corey Hawkins help to breathe life into their roles while keeping the audience engaged. There are some poetic scenes that add some profound depth to the film, but they ultimately leave more questions than answers. At 1 hour and 55 minutes, The Man in My Basement opens in select theaters nationwide via Andscape. It would be an interesting double feature with Inside which also stars Willem Dafoe.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      The Midnight Ride of Jonathan Luna is a gripping, illuminating and provocative documentary about the unsolved murder of Jonathan Luna, a Federal prosecutor who was found dead in 2003 with over 30 stab wounds and slashes. Director Dan Cohen interiews Luna's friends, colleagues and legal experts to hear from their perspectives on the his death which couldn't have been a suicide. Who killed him? What was his/her or their motive? Could it have something to do with the drug trial that he was the prosecutor for? This intriguing documentary leaves a lot to think about and will make audiences angry that justice hasn't been served for Luna. It's a convincing argument that his case deserves to be re-opened, and also highlights the corruption and injustice of the so-called "justice" system in the U.S. At 1 hour and 37 minutes, The Midnight Ride of Jonathan Luna opens at Quad Cinema.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      At a brief 1 hour and 13 minutes, Naked Ambition, co-directed by Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch, opens at Quad Cinema via Music Box Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      Darcy (Dev Patel) and his wife, Daphne (Rosy McEwen), move from London to an isolated cabin in Wales to collect audio recordings and accidentally awaken an ancient folk magic while encountering a mysterious unnamed child (Jade Croot) in Rabbit Trap. Writer/director Bryn Chainey has made a dull, monotonous and undercooked sci-fi thriller with poetic scenery and great sound design. Unfortunately, everything else falls flat. The characters remain underdeveloped and hard to care about, and the plot lacks palpable suspense and thrills. There are some scenes where the cinematography and use of lighting adds some atmosphere, but that's not enough to engage the audience. Dev Patel, Rosy McEwen and Jade Croot give mediocre performances at best that fail to enliven the film. To be fair, though, they're all undermined by a shallow screenplay that doesn't design enough of a window into their characters' heart, mind and soul. Why leave the audience feeling so cold? Chainey has interesting ideas, but doesn't take them anywhere that's interesting or profound. At 1 hour and 37 minutes, Rabbit Trap opens at IFC Center via Magnolia Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

       Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is a "documentary" (a.k.a mockumentary) about the reunion of Spinal Tap, a rock band, who prepare for a concert in New Orleans. Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), a documentarian, films  the band members, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and their new member, Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman). Unfortunately, writer/director Rob Reiner and his co-writers, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, have made a lazy, tedious and dull sequel that's only intermittently funny. The jokes are more miss than hit with only a handful landing with laughs that aren't just giggles ---almost all of those laughs come from Christopher Guest who has the best and funniest lines in the film. The actors still have some chemistry together, but it's not as palpable as in the beloved cult classic. There's not enough wit, narrative momentum, memorable lines or zaniness. And don't get me started on the unfunny cameos with Paul McCartney and Elton John. If it were more bold, zany and funny, this could've been a satisfying sequel instead of one that doesn't even remotely live up to the original. At 1 hour and 24 minutes, which feels more like 2 hours, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues opens nationwide via Bleecker Street.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is a harmless, but underwhelming, lethargic and forgettable anthology of four loosely interconnected stories that take place on Green Lake. The stories involve a teenager (Maren Heary) who visits her grandmother (Marceline Hugot) and grandfather (Adam LeFevre) who live by the lake where she learns how to sail a sunfish sailboat, another teenager (Jim Kaplan) attends a local summer music camp where he competes to become a first chair violinist, two sisters (Emily Hall and Tenley Kellogg) run a bed-and-breakfast together, and fisherman (Domonic Bogart) tries to catch a legendary big fish. The only thing surprising about the screenplay by writer/director Sierra Falconer is that it doesn't veer into horror territory, although it does almost head towards there when someone mysteriously disappears albeit without much of a payoff. Very little happens that provokes the audience emotionally or intellectionally, and none of the stories stand out. At 1 hour and 27 minutes, Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is ultimately less than the sum of its parts. It opens at IFC Center via The Future of Film Is Female.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      At 1 hour and 58 minutes, Triumph of the Heart, written and directed by Anthony D'Ambrosioo, opens at AMC Empire 25 via Outsider Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      Mikey (Ranen Navat), a young boy suffering from nightmares and witnesses his mother, Abigail (Rebekah Kennedy) behaving as though she were demonically possessed in Traumatika. Writer/director Pierre Tsigaridis and co-writer Maxime Rancon have made a gritty, atmospheric and creepy psychological horror thriller with palpable scares. The plot spans many years and involves a cursed artifact that contains a demon. That artifact ends up with John (Sean O'Bryan), Abigail's father who rapes her during her teenage years. So, Traumatika bravely tackles dark themes like sexual abuse and doesn't hold back on the gore and violence. Be prepared for a relentlessly intense experience from start to finish. To be fair, some comic relief or any other form of levity would've helped to counterbalance the intensity, though, but that's a minor issue. At 1 hour and 21 minutes, Traumatika opens at Regal Union Square via Saban Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Ray (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), a professional cleaning woman, accepts the offer of working for wealthy clients and convinces them that she's clairvoyant to make more money from them in We Strangers. The screenplay by writer/director Anu Valia blends psychological thriller, satire and drama with mixed results. The audience already knows that Ray is lying about her psychic abilities, so there aren't any major surprises; it's just a matter of if and when her clients will figure out that she's a phony. Unfortunately, We Strangers is yet another genre-bending film that tries, but fails to rise above mediocrity while biting off more than it could chew. It's the same issue that plagues The Man in the Basement, for instance, and which prevents it from becoming an elevated B-movie. The plot just seems to be going through the motions until the ending that's briefly intriguing and lyrical, but without much emotional depth. How introspective is Ray? Does she have any remorse for the way she treats her clients? The answers aren't very clear, so she remains somewhat of an enigma and a stranger to the audience even when the end credits roll. At 1 hour and 20 minutes, We Strangers is mildly engaging and occasionally provocative, but tonally uneven and not biting enough with its satire. It opens at Quad Cinema and on VOD via Quiver Distribution. In a double feature with Get Out, We Strangers would be the inferior B-movie.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2