Kevin Smith avoids threequel curse in the delightful Clerks III
Kevin Smith makes a return to the world of convenience stores in Clerks III from Lionsgate. After suffering a massive heart attack, Randal (Jeff Anderson) enlists friends and fellow clerks Dante (Brian O’Halloran), Elias (Trevor Fehrman), Jay (Jason Mewes), and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) to help him make a movie about life at the Quick Stop.
Pearl is a bloody good prequel
Mia Goth and Ti West reunite for another twisted film in Pearl from A24. Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl (Goth) must tend to her ailing father (Matthew Sunderland) under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright). Making matters worse, Pearl’s husband Howard (Alistair Swell) is serving in World War I.
The Woman King Is a crowning achievement of female empowerment
Gina Prince-Bythewood teams up with the iconic Viola Davis for her latest female lead action flick in The Woman King from Tri Star Pictures. Dana Stevens pens the screenplay for the film, which takes inspiration from actual events.
Idris Elba toplines the enjoyable popcorn flick Beast
Fresh off producing this year’s Oscars, Will Packer returns to theaters with the enjoyable thriller Beast from Universal Pictures. Idris Elba portrays a father who, with his two teenage daughters, find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion intent on proving that the savannah has but one apex predator. Baltasar Kormákur directs the film from a script by Ryan Egle.
Mindless action thrills in Bulletproof
James Clayton taps Vinnie Jones to headline his directorial debut, the action thriller Bullet Proof from Lionsgate. After stealing millions in cash from sadistic mob boss Temple’s (Jones) drug-dealing hideout, a thief (Clayton) finds a stowaway in his getaway car: Temple’s pregnant wife, Mia (Lina Lecompte). Desperate to reclaim his cash and his unborn son, Temple sends out a squad of hitmen and bounty hunters to bring in Mia and the thief.
Fall is a tense time waster
For his fifth directorial effort, Scott Mann explores a critical situation in Fall from Lionsgate. In addition to helming the film, Mann co-writes the script with Johnathan Frank. For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is about conquering fears and pushing limits.
Mack & Rita is a quick time waster for Diane Keaton fans
Actress Katie Aselton returns to feature directing after nearly a decade away in Mack & Rita from Gravitas Premiere. When 30-year-old self-proclaimed homebody Mack Martin (Elizabeth Lail) reluctantly joins a Palm Springs bachelorette trip for her best friend Carla (Taylour Paige), her inner 70-year-old is released literally.
Bullet Train is a high-octane mix of violence and comedy
In Sony Pictures’ Bullet Train, Brad Pitt leads an eccentric cast of characters for director David Leitch. Zak Olkewicz pens the screenplay for the film, an adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka’s same-titled novel, which introduces us to Ladybug, a trained assassin who wants to give up the killing life.
Paws of Fury is a decent enough Blazing Saddles update
Iconic seventies comedy Blazing Saddles gets somewhat of an animated update in Paramount Pictures, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Chris Bailey, Mark Koetsier, and Rob Minoff share directing duties. At the same time, Ed Stone and Nate Hopper pen the screenplay.
Last Seen Alive is an enjoyable but by the numbers thriller
With the help of director Brian Goodman, Gerard Butler tones down his action hero heroics in Voltage Pictures Last Seen Alive. Lisa Spann (Jamie Alexander) and Will Spann (Butler) are on the brink of ending their marriage.
Gone in The Night is a decent Winona Ryder project
Following a successful television adaptation of his same-titled podcast series, Homecoming, Eli Horowitz makes his feature directing debut with Gone in the Night from Vertical Entertainment.
Thor: Love and Thunder is a safe cinematic lighting strike
Stylistic director Taika Waiti makes a return to the Marvel Cinematic with Thor: Love and Thunder from Walt Disney Pictures. The Asgardian’s fourth led film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced, a quest for inner peace. However, a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods, interrupts his retirement.