\n<\/p>\n
The latest entry in Ti West\u2019s horror franchise follows Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), a porn actress who survived a massacre on a farm in Texas, as she tries to forge a new life and career in 1980s Hollywood.<\/p>\n
From our review:<\/p>\n
\nA psychosexual thriller imagined in blood red and cocaine white, \u201cMaXXXine,\u201d the third installment in Ti West\u2019s nostalgia-soaked slasher saga, is part grungy homage to 1980s Hollywood and part sleazy feminist manifesto. Darker, moodier and altogether nastier than its predecessors \u2014 \u201cX\u201d (2022)<\/a> and, later that same year, \u201cPearl\u201d<\/a> \u2014 this hyperconfident feature is also funny, occasionally wistful and deeply empathetic toward its damaged, driven heroine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In theaters. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Good cop, bad movie.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
Eddie Murphy reprises his role as the detective Axel Foley, who first appeared in the 1984 blockbuster \u201cBeverly Hills Cop.\u201d Here he reunites with his estranged daughter and tries to extricate her from a dirty-cop conspiracy in this action-comedy directed by Mark Molloy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nFrom our review:<\/p>\n
\nMurphy returns with the same Detroit Lions jacket, his familiar chuckle and his movie star grin. But there\u2019s little to smile about in this painfully lackluster retread desperately trying to justify its own existence \u2026 Molloy\u2019s film is a slog: The dirty cop mystery is half-baked; the visual effects are half-rendered; the action lacks any sense of physical space.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Watch on Netflix<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
It has Minions, and that may be enough.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018Despicable Me 4\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
After a rival villain (Will Ferrell) vows revenge on Gru (Steve Carell), he and his family must go into witness protection in the latest film in this lucrative children’s franchise, this one directed by Chris Renaud.<\/p>\n
From our review:<\/p>\n
\nAs the movie noisily stretches itself out in too many directions, it largely sheds any meaningful charm or heart and struggles to cohere around a central story with actual stakes. \u2026 There\u2019s still occasional fun to be had and a budget that\u2019s clearly put to use, but we\u2019re mostly here, it seems, to keep the Minion cash cow chugging along.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In theaters. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Full of empty space.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018Space Cadet\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
This comedy by Liz W. Garcia bears more than a passing resemblance to \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d and stars Emma Roberts as a Florida bartender who wants to become an astronaut despite her lack of qualifications.<\/p>\n
From our review:<\/p>\n
\nMost of the characters feel more like familiar types than actual people \u2014 not uncommon in a fast-paced, lighthearted comedy. But that means there\u2019s nothing surprising enough in the movie to prompt laughter. The jokes feel tired. The actors are mostly doing their best, but the screenplay too often leaves them mimicking comedy rather than performing it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Watch on Prime Video<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
All aboard the crazy train.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018Kill\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
When a group of thieves attack the passengers of an express train, army commando Amrit (Lakshya) teams up with his military buddy (Abhishek Chauhan) to take down the horde in this brutal action-thriller from Nikhil Nagesh Bha.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nFrom our review:<\/p>\n
\nWe are almost halfway through the Indian action extravaganza \u201cKill\u201d before the title card slams onscreen, by which point its simple imperative \u2014 and the film\u2019s entire raison d\u2019\u00eatre \u2014 has been obeyed so many times it\u2019s essentially redundant. Much like the movie\u2019s English subtitles: The dialogue might be in Hindi, but the language of blood and bones is universal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In theaters. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
It won\u2019t have you glued to your couch.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018Mother, Couch\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
A cruel matriarch (Ellen Burstyn) refuses to get up from a couch in a furniture store, forcing her adult children to confront her in this dramedy from Niclas Larsson.<\/p>\n
From our review:<\/p>\n
\nWhile the film\u2019s premise may suggest black comedy (and the sometimes fake-jaunty, fake-portentous score by Christopher Bear underscores that idea), Burstyn\u2019s character, which the actor plays with her customary expertise, is so utterly disagreeable that viewing the picture is a mostly anxious experience with not much of a reward at the end, which shifts to magic realist mode for lack of anywhere better to go.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In theaters. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Imaginary friends, imaginative saga.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018The Imaginary\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
In this animated charmer directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, an imaginary friend, Rudger (voiced by Kokoro Terada) goes on a magical quest to rescue the girl who dreamed him up.<\/p>\n
From our review:<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s a visually splendid film with a restless inventiveness \u2014 too restless, at times. The movie falters periodically under the weight of its own dream logic, which can be hard to follow or flimsily constructed as the story gains momentum. But it\u2019s mostly easy to move past those flaws in a work of such rich magical realism and heart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Watch on Netflix<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Connects even as the characters grow apart.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u2018This Closeness\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
When a couple in a rocky relationship rents a shared-space Airbnb, they clash with each other and their reclusive host in this indie directed by and starring Kit Zauhar.<\/p>\n
From our review:<\/p>\n
\nThe film\u2019s stripped-down aesthetic is mirrored in the actors\u2019 performances; they deliver straightforward lines with a hint of self-consciousness and discomfort, even between friends and lovers. It\u2019s as if the closeness is projected through a scrim, which creates a kind of purposeful clumsiness the audience can feel, too. When actual physical contact occurs, it\u2019s almost jarring.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Watch on Mubi<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>Read the full review<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Compiled by Kellina Moore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n