In Freaky Tales, four stories interconnect in 1987 Oakland, California: punks battle neo-Nazis, aspiring rappers struggle to find success, Clint (Pedro Pascal), a debt collector, plans to retire, and Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis), an NBA star, battles robbers who break into his home. Unfortunately, the screenplay co-writers/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck don't quite live up to its title because it doesn't go bonkers enough. Only the final chapter goes some over-the-top. By then, it's too little, too late. None of the short stories are interesting enough nor are they connected in a way that's clever although they're loosely connected thematically. Tom Hanks has an amusing cameo as a video store clerk and Ben Mendelsohn is wasted in a small role. Short Cuts, Pulp Fiction and 2 Days in the Valley are better examples of interconnected stories that are also set in California. Why do many of them happen to take place there out of all places? Anyway, what ensues is a mildly engaging, but ultimately underwhelming and unimaginative experience that's not funny, bold or freaky enough. For a better taste of 80s nostalgia, see Kevin Smith's The 4:30 Movie. At 1 hour and 47 minutes, Freaky Tales opens in select theaters nationwide via Lionsgate.

 

       Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni), a young mother struggling to make ends meet, accepts a job to help Claire (Renee Gagner) escape her physically abusive brother, Henry (Jack Alberts), but it doesn't go as planned in Gazer. Writer/director Ryan J. Sloan and co-writer Ariella Mastroianni have woven a spellbinding, taut and unpredictable psychological thriller with shades of Pakula, De Palma and Hitchcock. Frankie suffers from a condition called dyschronometria which means that she's unable to accurately perceive the passage of time. She's not quite sure what's real and what's not, so she keeps an audio tape recording of herself. In turn, the audience knows as much as she does and feels just as uncertain about what's going on as well. The less you know about the plot beforehand, the better because it has more than a few twists and a few surprises. Nothing is what it seems, especially as the film gets into darker territory. It's tough to fit the film in one particular genre because, aside from being a psychological thriller, it has elements of horror, surrealism and drama, yet it's ultimately much more than the sum of its parts.

      On a purely aesthetic level, the cinematography is superb with some stylish, atmospheric visuals that compliment the grittiness and add visual poetry. The pace moves slow, but not too slow, which allows for many scenes to breathe and for Ariella Mastroianni's breakthrough performance to shine. Kudos to the filmmakers for knowing when to trust their emotions, imagination, intelligence and patience without being afraid to confuse them at times. At 1 hour and 56 minutes, Gazer is one of the best films of the year. It opens in select theaters via Metrograph Films. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       Henry Fonda for President is an insightful, well-edited and refreshingly unconventional documentary biopic on Henry Fonda. What makes it unconventional, you ask? Director Alexander Horwath eschews talking-heads and a straightforward structure. Through his voice-over narration, he guides the audience on the family. He shoots at iconic locations, i.e. a New York town called Fonda named after him or the town where a shootout takes place in one of his films. There are clips from those films, such as Young Mr.Lincoln, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Lady EveThe Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts, My Darling Clementine, The Wrong Man, Fail Safe, On Golden Pond, and the sitcom Maude where Maude tried to convince Fonda to run for president. You're not merely watching those clips, though, because Horwarth provides his own interpretation of them and what makes them so revealing about Fonda. In turn, you learn not just about Henry Fonda as an actor, but also as a introspective human being, especially during audio recordings of him where he admits that he doesn't think that he's good enough as a person and as a father. Don't be surprised if you'll be tempted to re-watch his films afterward in a whole new light. At 3 hours and 4 minutes which doesn't feel that long, Henry Fonda for President opens at Anthology Film Archives.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

        The Hermit of Treig is a spellbinding, provocative and heartfelt documentary about Ken Smith, a hermit who has lived alone in a cabin in the woods located by Loch Treig within Scottish Highlands. Director Lizzie MacKenzie does an impeccable job of humanizing Ken, warts and all. Gradually, you learn more about his traumatic past and how he ended up living in the wilderness. You'll also learn how to survive by fishing, cleaning his clothes, drinking freshwater, and getting a shipment of supplies and groceries every now and then. He loves to take photographs and keeps an organized list of whom he had met and when he had met them. Oh, and he makes his own beer and wine. Clearly, he has many skills that are essential for living in the wilderness. There are people who care for his well being and are concerned about him, especially after he suffers a stroke. His cabin, which he built himself, had burned down, but luckily he wasn't there when it happened.

      When given a choice of either living in civilization where life is easier materialistically or staying in the woods where he's happier spiritually, there's no doubt that Ken go back to living in nature. It wouldn't be surprising if he were to get along with Chris McCandless or Henry David Thoreau who he's kindred spirits with. Kudos to MacKenzie for not judging him or for asking the audience to judge him either. She also captures the majestic beauty as well as the serenity of nature thanks to the breathtaking cinematography. At its core, The Hermit of Treig is about resilience, true happiness and the importance of following your feet to the beat of your heart and soul. At 1 hour and 20 minutes, it opens at Quad Cinemas via Monkey Wrench Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser), an ice cream truck driver, consistently wins on the game show "Press Your Luck", but the game show host, Peter (Walton Goggins) and producer, Bill (David Strathairn), soon discover that he's cheating in The Luckiest Man in America. The screenplay by writer/director Samir Oliveros and co-writer Maggie Briggs is breezy, lighthearted and outrageously funny, but ultimately shallow and lacking both suspense and surprises, even if you're unfamiliar with the true story that it's based on. That's a shame because Michael comes across as an interesting character, warts and all. He's a narcissist and a con artist whose wife has understandably left him, but he's also cunning. The Luckiest Man in America isn't interested in getting to know him beyond the events taking place at the game show. The audience already knows from the beginning that he's cheating, so it comes as no surprise when Peter and Bill finally realize it. What happens afterward is somewhat funny and absurd as Michael does everything to stay on the show despite getting caught. Paul Walter Hauser, Walton Goggins, and David Strathairn's decent performances and charisma help to keep the film afloat, but they're undermined by a screenplay that doesn't breathe enough life into their roles. In a double feature with spellbinding and taut Quiz Show, The Luckiest Man in America would be the inferior, forgettable B-movie.   At 1 hour and 30 minutes, The Luckiest Man in America opens in select theaters nationwide via IFC Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Ibby Bakran (Shaz Khan) trains to become a professional MMA fighter, but he becomes his own worst enemy as he battles his inner demons in The Martial Artist. Writer/director Shaz Khan and co-writer Michael Ross Albert have made a shallow, clunky and choppily edited sports drama. The MMA fight sequences are the only invigorating scenes. Unfortunately, The Martial Artist barely gets inside the heart, mind and soul of Ibby. Stilted dialogue and mediocre performances, along with Shaz Khan's lack of charisma, make it hard for the audience to be emotionally invested in the story. At a lengthy running time of 1 hour and 58 minutes, The Martial Artist opens in select theaters in select theaters via Odysseus Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

        Henry (Sebastian Hansen), his older sister, Natalie (Emma Meyers), their realtor, Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and Garrett (Jason Momoa), a gaming champion, travel through portal the sends them to the Overworld where they meet Steve (Jack Black) in A Minecraft Movie. They have to save Overworld from the nefarious Malgosha (voice Rachel House). The screenplay by co-writers Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James and Chris Galletta, has a great command of tone as it combines action adventure with sci-fi and silliness. The plot doesn't chart new territory nor take any risks nor offer any surprises per se, but at least it's easy-to-follow for kids and doesn't take itself too seriously. There's not much world-building which isn't that big of a deal because it doesn't confuse the audience nor does it take away from the entertainment value either. Of course, there's a MacGuffin, in this case, an special orb.

      The lively ensemble cast help to invigorate the film tremendously, especially Jack Black who seems to be having a great time in his role as Steve---he has the same comedic energy that he also brings to Jumanji, Hi Fidelity, and School of Rock. Jennifer Coolidge also provides some laughs as Henry's vice principal who seems cut from the same cloth as the characters that she plays in Best in Show and Legally Blonde.  The pace moves briskly enough and the film doesn't overstay its welcome. At 1 hour and 40 minutes, A Minecraft Movie, directed by Jared Hess, is a fun, exhilarating and delightful adventure. Kids will love it! It opens nationwide via Warner Bros. Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

        Naveen (Karan Soni) introduces his fiancé Jay (Jonathan Groff) to his traditional family, Megha (Zarna Garg) and Archit (Harish Patel) and sister, Arundhathi (Sunita Mani), in A Nice Indian Boy. Director  Roshan Seth and screenwriter Eric Randall have made a heartwarming, captivating and uplifting love story. Fortunately, the screenplay avoids becoming melodramatic, clunky or dull. It's sweet and, at times, a little cheesy, but that's not a systemic issue.  This isn't the kind of film that's interesting in being an unflinching look at relationships, though, so don't expect anything that's very profound. That said, the screenplay had just the right balance of comic relief without turning into a comedy along the lines of Meet the Parents, especially when it comes to Naveen's father who could have easily been a caricature with a less sensitive screenplay. Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff have palpable chemistry together which helps the audience to want them to end up together. So, the beats land even when Naveen and Jay encounter some obstacles in their relationship. Every now and then, it's refreshing to watch a warm, pleasant and breezy film with likeable characters who aren't annoying or over-the-top. At 1 hour and 36 minutes, A Nice Indian Boy opens in select theaters nationwide via Blue Harbor Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       Three brothers,  Benjamin (Mateo Ortega Casillas), Salvador (Farid Escalante Correa) and Oliver (Leonardo Cervantes), live alone in the middle of the woods during a post-apocalypse and keep zombies chained in their cellar in  Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse. The screenplay writer/director Isaac Ezban and co-writer Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes, begins as an unconventional apocalypse film with a blend of coming-of-age drama before morphing into a shallow and grotesque zombie film. The filmmakers know where to take ideas from, but not quite where to take them to. What ensues is atmospheric, mildly engrossing and gritty with exquisite cinematography, but ultimately tedious and undercooked. The performances are fine, but the pacing feels uneven with some scenes that drag, so the film overstays its welcome. So, with tighter editing, this would've been more captivating. At an overlong running time of 1 hour and 59 minutes, Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse opens in select theaters nationwide via Firebrook Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3

      A killer mouse, Steamboat Willie (David Howard Thornton), terrorizes passengers and crew members on the Staten Island Ferry in Screamboat. Very loosely based on the animated short film Steamboat Willie by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, the screenplay by writer/director Steven LaMorte and co-writer Matthew Garcia-Dunn is a campy, gory and wickedly funny horror comedy that pokes jabs at Disney like Deadpool vs. Wolverine pokes fun 20th Century Fox. The plot isn't very complicated, which is fine, even during an animated scene that explains how Steamboat Willie became so evil. In terms of humor, expect a lot of gross-out visual gags that leave nothing to the imagination. The film does lose a little steam, no pun intended, around the hour mark because the action gets tedious as Steamboat Willie kills victim after victim. However, there are some surprisingly clever tongue-in-cheek lines like when an old man refers to the ferry's parts as recycled, like everything is, in order to cut costs---he might as well be referring to Disney's MCU multiverse and all of the unnecessary remakes of Disney classics. Out of the ensemble cast, Amy Schumacher shines the brightest in her role as an EMT worker. If you're willing to check your brain at the door and just enjoy a very bloody slice of mindless entertainment that doesn't take itself too seriously, you'll enjoy Screamboat. At 1 hour and 42 minutes, Screamboat opens nationwide via Iconic Events Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      Young activists, Ethan (Benny O. Arthur), Yasmin (Jacqueline More), Tyler (Kyle Scudder), Karim (Tom Gould), Grace (Alessia Yoko Fontana), and Emily (Charlotte Stoiber), andalize a home superstore in Wake Up. Little do they know that the security guards, Jack (Aidan O’Hare) and Kevin (Turlough Convery), will stop at nothing to kill them one by one. The screenplay by Alberto Marini is uninspired, tedious and unimaginative. Sometimes horror thrillers set in one location can work on a purely visceral level if the set design, lighting and camera work combine to create a sense of dread and claustrophobia. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. The villains are underwritten, the activists' messages and motives feel like an afterthought, and they, too, are underwritten characters. There's nothing wrong with a shallow B-movie as long as it's fun and suspenseful, but Wake Up doesn't offer nearly enough thrills, suspense or excitement, although it doesn't hold back on the gore. Screamboat and Hell of a Summer are much more entertaining horror thrillers opening this weekend among a total of 5 if you also include Wake Up, Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse and The Grove. At 1 hour and 23 minutes, Wake Up, co-directed by Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, opens in select theaters in select theaters via Blue Fox Entertainment. It would pair well with the recent action thriller about eco-terrorists, Cleaner.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       In When Fall is Coming, Michelle (Hélène Vincent) lives in an idyllic home in the French countryside. When her daughter, Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier), and grandson, Lucas (Garlan Erlos), visit her, an incident occurs that sends Valérie to the hospital for eating poisonous mushrooms that Michelle had picked with her friend,  Marie-Claude (Josian Bolakso).  Valérie believes that her mother poisoned her intentionally, so she leaves with Lucas back to her apartment in Paris. Meanwhile, Marie-Claude's son, Vincent (Pierre Lottin), gets released from prison. More happens that won't be revealed here so as not to spoil the twists. The screenplay by writer/director François Ozon sounds like it could've been a convoluted thriller, but it turns out to be an understated psychological crime drama and a poignant character study. Ozon has a fine grasp on exposition as he reveals layers of each character very slowly while leaving some room for the audience to interpret things on their own. There are no flashbacks nor any voice-over narration to get inside the characters' heads. The suspense is slow-burning and the pace moves slowly, so Ozon clearly trusts the audience's patience. Kudos to Ozon for not shying away from taking the narrative into very dark and disturbing territory without going too far.

      The entire ensemble cast is superb, especially Hélène Vincent who breathes life into her role with her radiant warmth and tenderness. As a comedy, though, When Fall is Coming isn't very funny per se, although one could imagine the Coen brothers or Martin McDonagh turning the premise into a macabre black comedy or Frank Capra turning it into something like Arsenic and Old Lace. Audiences searching for a funny and much lighter crime thriller that also takes place in the French countryside should check out Misericordia. At 1 hours and 42 minutes, When Fall is Coming opens at Film Forum via Music Box Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       William Tell (Claes Bang) joins the Swiss rebellion against their Austrian enemies led by Gessler (Connor Swindells)) and King Albert (Ben Kingsley) in William Tell. Writer/director Nick Hamm has made a well-shot, but anemic, exhausting and overlong medieval action thriller set during the early 14th Century. The talents of Ben Kingsley, Claes Bang, and Golshifteh Farahani, who portrays William Tell's wife, are all wasted because of the vapid, pedestrian screenplay. All of the characters seem more like plot devices rather than fully-fleshed human beings. What could've been a rousing and exhilarating experience quickly turns into a dull bore with great costume design and cinematography, but nothing else to hold the audience's attention or to capture their heart. At 2 hours and 13 minutes, William Tell, co-directed by Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, opens in select theaters via Samuel Goldwyn Films.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3