In DJ Ahmet, 15-year-old Ahmet (Arif Jakup) lives with his younger brother (Agush Agushev) and father (Aksel Mehmet) in a rural village in North Macedonia where he aspires to become a DJ and falls in love with a girl named Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova) whose family expects her to marry a man she doesn't love. Writer/director Georgi M. Unkovski has made a captivating, funny and genuinely heartfelt coming-of-age story with a breakthrough performance by Arif Jakup. The film manages to be sweet without being cloying while including just the right amount of comic relief. There's also some symbolism which adds some poetry, i.e. a pink sheep that Ahmet finds and tries to sell. The romantic connection between him and Aya feels organic and palpable, so you want them to end up together despite the obstacles. Aya clearly doesn't truly want to marry that man that her family has been pressuring her to wed as part of an arranged marriage. She and Ahmet both yearn to break free from traditions and to carve their own path in life. They're kindred spirits.

       Fortunately, DJ Ahmet doesn't dwell on its tragic elements, i.e. Ahmet's dead mother and his struggles with grief, but, concurrently, it doesn't sugarcoat them either. It's great to observe a character like Ahmet because he's so decent, especially because of how he shows compassion toward his younger brother who's been mute ever since their mother died. Writer/director  Georgi M. Unkovski has a great command of exposition and knows how and when to trust the audience's emotions, intelligence and imagination without overexplaining anything or relying on flashbacks. There are no villains here; just ordinary, flawed human beings. While the plot itself doesn't have any surprises and charts familiar territory, the way that it goes about its plot feels refreshing because it's thoroughly grounded in humanism, a truly special effect. Unlike many films these days, it actually earns its uplift. DJ Ahmet is reminiscent of the kind of crowd-pleasing foreign films that Miramax used to release back in the 1980s, 90s and early 00s.  At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, DJ Ahmet opens at IFC Center via Ink Films.  

 

       George Whitefield (Jonathan Blair), act actor turned preacher, befriends Benjamin Franklin (John Paul Sneed), during the 17th Century's First Great Awakening in A Great Awakening. Writer/director Joshua Enck and his co-writers, Jonathan Blair and Jeff Bender, have made a by-the-numbers, often stodgy drama with great cinematography, but lacking emotional resonance. Based on a true story, the premise sounds like it could be a powerful and insightful portrait of a friendship between two people with different ideologies who find common ground. Unfortunately, the shallow screenplay fails to bring George, Benjamin or any of the other characters to life. You can hear the wheels of the screenplay turning nearly every step of the way.  The performances are decent, but nothing exceptional that invigorates the film enough. A Great Awakening also lacks comic relief or any form of levity to make it less dry and stuffy. The filmmakers cover a lot of ground and provide the audience with plenty of backstory about George and Benjamin's lives while biting off more than they could chew. The moments of genuine poignancy are ephemeral and understated, so at least there's no schmaltz. That said, it's never a good sign when you can feel the weight of a lengthy running time. At a running time of 2 hours and 9 minutes, A Great Awakening opens nationwide via Roadside Attractions.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      In Living the Land, Chuang (Wang Shang), a 10-year-old boy, witnesses socioeconomic changes while living in a rural Chinese village with his grandma (Zhang Chuwen) during the 1990s. Writer/director Huo Meng has made a slow-burning drama with exquisite cinematography and stunning scenery, but it suffers from tedium, underdeveloped character and a sluggish pace. The films moves with very little narrative momentum which would've been forgivable if the screenplay were to allow the audience to get to know Chuang better instead of keeping him at a cold distance from the audience. There's a lot going on inside of him that the shallow screenplay fails to explore with much-needed emotional depth. Unfortunately, Living the Land, which is just as dull as its title, is a slice-of-life that's only fleetingly engrossing. Meng doesn't succeed in finding the Spectacle within the film's Truths---films like Muddy Water and Found Memories are much more emotionally resonating and compelling slices-of-life with just as much picturesque scenery. While it's great the he trusts the audience's patience, he trusts it too much and doesn't make that patience rewarding enough ultimately. At an overlong running time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, which feels more like 3 hours, Living the Land opens at Film Forum via Film Movement.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      In $POSITIONS, Mike (Michael Kunicki) has a lot on his plate. He has to take care of his developmentally disabled brother, Vinny (Vinny Kress), fix his rocky relationship with his girlfriend, Charlene (Kaylyn Carter), and deal with his cousin, Travis (Trevor Dawkins), who's a drug addict. Oh, and his father suffers from alcoholism. To top it all off, he quit his job after realizing that he's rich from the value of the money that he invested in cryptocurrency, but the value soon decreases significantly and loses his savings. Writer/director Brandon Daley has made a wildly entertaining and gripping dark comedy that also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of investing in cryptocurrency. A lot happens through the film, so it often feels chaotic, but that's part of the point. Mike's life changes drastically through a cascade of misfortunes after losing his savings in crypto. He also might lose his girlfriend with whom he wants an open relationship. He suggests opening their relationship right when she assumes he's going to propose to her instead. Daley isn't afraid to make Mike unlikable more often than not, although he's not a total trainwreck. He just doesn't have any good role models in his life and comes from a dysfunctional family. Prepare to feel his frustrations and stress from start to finish. $POSITIONS isn't always a pleasant film to watch and it's often anxiety-inducing, but if you like Uncut Gems, you'll probably like this film, too, because it's just as intense and outrageously funny.  At 1 hour and 37 minutes $POSITIONS opens at Alamo Drafthouse in Manhattan via Dark Star Pictures.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       Stewart (Jim O'Heir), a pastor, tries to convert Alan (Mark Hapka), the fiancé of his daughter, Sophie (Kelley Jakle), to Christianity one week before their wedding in Premarital. Writer/director Robert Ingraham and co-writer Margaret Bienert have made a mildly engaging, lighthearted romantic comedy that's also forgettable and feels like an undercooked and clunky TV sitcom without delivering enough laughs. Why would Alan even want to get married to Sophie after meeting her controlling father who can't handle his own daughter marrying someone who's not Christian? Premarital's systemic issues come from its silly premise which isn't very funny to begin with. It's even somewhat disturbing and makes Stewart a very unlikable character that's hard to root for. If only the film focused more on the relationship between Sophie and Alan, escalated the outrageous humo  or at least made Stewart's character arc more believable, Premarital could've at least risen above mediocrity . Very few scenes ring true, and the dialogue often sounds stilted and witless. Jim O'Heir, who's reminiscent of the late George Wendt and exudes just as much charisma, does his best to rise above the shallow screenplay, but doesn't quite manage to. In a double feature with the superior Father of the Bride, Meet the Parents or My Big Fat Greek Weeding, Premarital would be the inferior B-movie. It's less cringe-inducing and dull than My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, but that film doesn't set the bar very high. At a running time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, Premarital opens at AMC Empire 25 via Level 33 Entertainment.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       Jack (Michael Jai White) struggles to hold his family together when Torrance (Tre Ryan), a son he didn't know that he had, shows up at his doorstep out-of-the-blue in The Secret Between Us. Torrance's mother is the woman that Jack slept with when he cheated on his wife (Lisa Arrindell) years ago. Meanwhile, Jack's daughter, Jalisa (Destinee Monét) expects to marry her boyfriend, Shaun (Denzell Dandridge), and Torrance learns that he's been diagnosed with brain cancer. Oh, and he recently married his girlfriend, Dominique (Dominique Wilson), without telling Jack. Writer/director Tamera Hill has made a warm, wise and heartfelt portrait of a dysfunctional family that's also somewhat clunky and overstuffed with on-the-nose dialogue. The film's poignancy comes from the performances, not from the screenplay.  They elevate the film enough to make it feel less like a soap opera which it occasionally feels like. Lisa Arrindell is the movie's MVP because she shines in a bravura performance that breathes life into her role. Karen Abercrombie adds some levity as a Torrance's nurse who's often snarky and doesn't take any bullshit from anyone. There are too many subplots, i.e. Torrance's battle with cancer, that adds too much unnecessary tension when there's already enough tension within the relationship between him and Jack as well as Jack and his wife. Despite the screenplay's shortcomings, The Secrets Between Us has enough aphorisms about love, family, adversity and forgiveness to make it a drama that's nourishing for the heart, mind and soul. At a running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, The Secret Between Us opens at AMC Empire 25 and other select theaters nationwide via AMC Theatres Distribution.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       Meursault (Benjamin Voisin) goes on trial for murdering an Arab man in The Stranger. He has a romance with Marie (Rebecca Marder) and deals with his violent neighbor, Raymond (Pierre Lottin). The man who Meursalt shot on the beach in Algeria happens to be the brother of Raymond's lover, Djemila (Hajar Bouzaouit). Writer/director François Ozon has made a spellbinding, engrossing and provocative adaptation of the novel by Albert Camus. The screenplay covers a lot of ground within the life of Meursault, but it never feels overstuffed or undercooked. Meursault had recently attended the funeral of his estranged mother, but showed no emotion there---a fact that's used against him by the prosecutor during the trial. The Stranger isn't a whodunit because the audience already knows that Meursault had shot the Arab man. Did he do it in self defense? Can he prove it? Those are intriguing questions, but what's far more interesting is the character study of Meursault during the days leading up to the murder that he's on trial for. He's complex and mysterious which makes him all the more compelling as a character.

      Fortunately, Ozon provides enough of a glimpse into the heart, mind and soul of Meursault for the audience to care about him and feel empathy toward him. Benjamin Voisin gives a charismatic and heartfelt performance which, every now and then, opens that window into Meursault's heart, mind and soul. The supporting cast including Rebecca Marder and Pierre Lottin aloso get a chance to shine. Moreover, the black-and-white cinematography adds some visual style with many breathtaking shots that make the film feel even more cinematic. At a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes, The Stranger opens at Angelika Film Center and at Film at Lincoln Center via Music Box Films.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      Mario (voice of Chris Pratt) and Luigi (voice of Charlie Day) team up with Princess Peach (voice of Anya Taylor-Joy), Toad (voice of Keegan-Michael Key), Yoshi (voice of Yoshi) and Fox McCloud (voice of Glen Powell) to rescue Princess Rosalina (voice of Brie Larson) from Bowser (voice of Jack Black)) and his son, Bowser, Jr. (voice of Benny Safdie), who want to take over the world in  The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic along with their screenwriter, Matthew Fogel, have made an exhausting, witless and lackluster animated adventure that's not nearly as funny or exciting as the 2023 original. The plot is silly and uninspired, the action is forgettable and the CGI animation adds nothing but bright colors to provide eye candy. What about soul candy? Or heart candy? Or brain candy? There's very little here to keep adults entertained while children will only be mildly engaged at most. Bowser was  outrageously funny in the original, but here he barely elicits a chuckle. The pace moves quickly, though, so at least it's not a sluggish bore. There are Saturday morning cartoons that are more fun and exciting than this. It would be more entertaining to watch your money flush down the toilet than to watch this unimaginative, vapid and soulless cash grab. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, The Super Mario Galaxy Movieopens nationwide via Universal Pictures. Please be sure to stay through the credits for a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other is a profound, unflinching and tender documentary portrait of the marriage between 84-year old photographer Joel Meyerowitz and his 75-year old wife, Maggie Barrett, who works as an artist, writer and therapist. Co-directors Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter film Joel and Maggie at their NYC apartment and at their home in the Tuscany countryside. Even without talking-head interviews, archival footage or scenes with their family members, the audience still manages to learn the basic exposition of how they met, what kind of work they do and their past relationships before the film gets deeper and also a bit heavier in terms of the topics that they couple raise.

      Maggie seems more emotionally mature than Joel at times, especially because of how she articulates her emotions better than he does and shows more signs of introspection, but he's not a bad person. It's empowering to watch her stand up for herself when she feels like Joel is neglecting her emotionally and not truly listening to her, i.e. when she asks him to move to another room to have a phone conversation, and he snaps at her that his call is more important. He claims that he misunderstood what she was saying, though, but she still feels hurt and expresses that to him afterward. In one of the film's most heavy scenes, Maggie shares her thoughts and feelings about the aftermath of her dying first vs him dying first. She has been through a lot and overcomes many adversities throughout the years. She recently suffered a fall and broke her femur before getting diagnosed with osteoporosis. The camera doesn't shy away from showing her physical and emotional struggles as well as her arguments with Joel and their conversations in bed. Don't be surprised if you feel like a voyeur who's prying into the private lives of these two strangers who, by the end of the film, feel less like strangers and more like good friends who aren't afraid to be candid, vulnerable and introspective right in front of you. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other opens at Quad Cinema via Juno Films. It would be an interesting double feature with The Eternal Memory, Ordinary Love, Shirley Valentine and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1