Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her roommate, Jess (Alia Shawkat), crash the party of Slater (Channing Tatum), a tech billionaire, and agree to join him for more parties at his private island in Blink Twice. They meet other women who've joined him too, Sarah (Adria Arjona), Camilla (Liz Caribel), and Heather (Trew Mullen). Little do they know that they've gotten more than they've bargained for. Writer/director Zoë Kravitz and her co-writer, E.T. Feigenbaum, do a great job of incorporating just the right amount of exposition without the audience being too far behind or too far ahead of Frida and Jess. They don't waste much time with a lengthy first act with any scenes that feel like filler. In other words, they cut right to the meat of the story within the first five minutes. A small detail like the image of a frog on a rock might seem pointless initially, but, by the end, it serves a purpose which won't be spoiled here. There are many surprises and twists, so it would be best to know as little as possible about the plot beforehand. Blink Twice effectively blurs the line between fantasy and reality while maintaining suspense. After the big twist gets revealed, it turns into more of a visceral suspense thriller, but up until that moment, the thrills and horror are more psychological. When the film relies on the audience's imagination, that's when it's at its most terrifying point. Kudos to the filmmakers, though, for not being afraid to show the dark side of human nature and for trying to add a little depth to make it a slightly elevated horror film like Midsommar. It's just as disturbing, but much more crowd-pleasing. The pace moves very briskly---even the title card appears for about the time it takes to blink twice rapidly. Naomi Ackie gives a convincingly moving performance and is very well-cast. Geena Davis makes the most out of her supporting role as Slater's assistant. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, Blink Twice is a suspenseful, exhilarating and provocative thriller. It opens nationwide via Amazon MGM Studios.

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      Eric (Bill Skarsgård) comes back from the dead to seek revenge against the men who murdered him and his girlfriend, Shelley (FKA Twigs) in The Crow. He must kill Vincent (Danny Huston) if he wants Shelley to return from the dead, too. Another month, another remake that hasn't been asked for. The screenplay by Zach Baylin and William Schneider suffers from many systemic issues, one of which is that the main revenge plot takes too long to get to after a series of many expositional scenes. Why does Vince send his men to murder Shelley? It has something to do with a tape that incriminates him. The disjointed plot isn't as engrossing as it thinks it is because the romance between Eric and Shelley falls flat. They meet at rehab, have sex and, soon enough, she's the love of his life. It's not quite clear who Vincent is exactly or how he got his mind-controlling superpowers. The editing feels choppy at times and the dialogue ranges from stilted to just bland without much-needed comic relief. The first act moves too slowly before the second act picks up the pace. That said, Bill Skarsgård oozes with charisma, though, which makes the film at least mildly engaging. The production design provides some atmosphere, but all of the visual style doesn't amount to much and comes with diminishing returns. The last thirty minutes or so are filled with over-the-top action scenes and lots of blood and guts similar to Kill and the recent Bill Skarsgard film, Boy Kills World. At a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, The Crow, directed by Rupert Sanders, is visually stylish, but forgettable, disjointed and undercooked. It opens nationwide via Lionsgate.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3


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      At a running time of 2 hours and 5 minutes, the preachy, schmaltzy and overlong drama The Forge, directed and co-written by Alex Kendrick, opens nationwide via Affirm Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      In Greedy People, Will (Himesh Patel) and Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) decide to steal a bag filled with 1 million dollars after Will gets into an altercation with a woman (Traci Lords) who ends up accidentally dead inside her home. Her wealthy husband, Wallace (Tim Blake Nelson), planned to give the money to a hitman (José María Yazpik) who was supposed to murder her. The screenplay by Mike Vukadinovich doesn't score any points for being original or offering anything new to the dark comedy genre, but that's okay. The plot becomes increasingly twisted, dark and overstuffed as it progresses, though, which makes it less fun and more frustrating. Lily James plays Will's wife who's under the impression that Terry is the one responsible for the woman's death. Then there's Wallace's mistress (Nina Arianda), a masseur (Simon Rex) and another hitman nicknamed Irishman (Jim Gaffigan). Greedy People most entertaining when it doesn't try to take itself too seriously. Fortunately, there's some witty banter between Will and Terry, and a few funny lines from other supporting characters. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a hilarious performance. None of the dramatic scenes work, though, and there are too many characters, most of whom are hard to like except for the police chief, Murphy (Uzo Aduba). The third act, which won't be spoiled here, goes into very dark territory and, in turn, the laughs subside while the ending feels rushed and over-the-top. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, Greedy People, directed by Potsy Ponciroli, is a refreshingly witty, funny and uninspired dark comedy with a fine ensemble, but often convoluted and ultimately less than the sum of its parts. It opens at Cinema Village and on VOD via Lionsgate.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2


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     I Like It Here is a wise, poignant and candid documentary about Ralph Arlyck, the film's director, reflecting on his life and on aging. You'll learn about his childhood, his love life along with his thoughts, feelings and philosophies. Interestingly, he doesn't like it when others talk about their childhood trauma during old age because he recognizes that the past can't be changed and nothing can be done about it, so why dwell on it? I Like It Here manages to be a profound experience brimming with wisdom, warmth and humanity. It's ultimately Arlyck's emotional maturity and introspection that makes the film so engrossing, insightful, relatable and transcendent. He's as intelligent, refreshingly blunt and honest as Maude from Harold & Maude. At a running time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, I Like It Here opens nationwide via Greenwich Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      At a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, the meandering, dull and underwhelming romantic drama I'll Be Your Mirror, written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray, opens at IFC Center via Strand Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3


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      At a running time of 1 hour and 57 minutes, the visually stylish, but convoluted and lethargic crime thriller The Other Laurens, directed and co-written by Claude Schmitz, opens on at Alamo Drafthouse in Manhattan via Yellow Veil Pictures for only two days.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      In Paradise is Burning, 16-year-old Laura (Bianca Delbravo), gets left home alone with her younger sisters, 12-year-old Mira (Dilvin Asaad) and 7-year-old Steffi (Safira Mossberg). Meanwhile, a social services agent calls trying to schedule a visit and to speak to their mother who's not around. Laura befriends Hanna (Ida Engvoll), one of her neighbors. The screenplay by writer/director Mika Gustafson and co-writer Alexander Öhrstrand is a tender, but slight and meandering portrait of a dysfunctional family. Laura, Mira and Steffi's mother clearly doesn't fulfill her basic duties of being a parent by leaving her children home so frequently. They have no role models to look up to or to take care of them. Laura doesn't seem like she's mature enough to know what's better for her and her siblings, so she tries to fool and evade social services, and hopes that a neighbor can pretend to be their mother. Not surprisingly, she and her sisters steal groceries and trespass into private property. They're reckless, undisciplined and lack the concept of boundaries. Paradise is Burning is surprisingly restrained when it comes to violence or exploring the darker side of human nature. Terrible things could've happened to the children, but they don't happen here, but the possibilities are there, so perhaps the filmmakers are trying to subvert the audience's expectations. The performances by the entire cast feel natural which helps to ground the film in authenticity. In a double feature with The 400 Blows, Paradise is Burning would be the inferior B-movie. At a running time of 1 hour and 48 minutes, it opens at IFC Center via Room 8 Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      “The Lady” (Willa Fitzgerald) runs from a man, “The Demon” (Kyle Gallner), who wants her dead in Strange Darling. The screenplay by writer/director J.T. Mollner takes a simple premise and tries to make it seem more complicated through its non-linear structure. All that the audience knows at the beginning is that there's a serial killer on the loose and that the story has six chapters. Jumping back and forth in chronology doesn't add much complexity, though. The nameless woman seeks refuge at the home of a nice couple, Genevieve (Barbara Hershey) and Frederick (Ed Begley, Jr.). To describe the plot in any more detail would mean spoiling its surprises. What ensues is essentially a wildly entertaining, unflinchingly violent and audacious, but shallow exploitation film with shades of Tarantino and the Coen brothers. If Pulp Fiction and Blood Simple had a baby, it would look something like Strange Darling, so originality isn't among its strengths. The excessive gore doesn't leave much to the audience's imagination. For that matter, there's nothing subtle about the film from start to finish. Even the use of lighting and color goes over-the-top. It's visually stylish, for sure, but also heavy-handed. Does the scene bathed in red really need to go on for so long? That said, there's great use of comic relief with some satirical humor and dark, macabre humor. Kyle Gallner gives a solid performance and Willa Fitzgerald is a revelation. They both manage to elevate Strange Darling ever so lightly above a B-movie. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, Strange Darling opens nationwide via Magenta Light Studios.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1


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      In Stream Roy (Charles Edwin Powell) takes his wife, Elaine (Danielle Harris), daughter, Taylor (Sydney Malakeh), son, Kevin (Wesley Holloway), for a family vacation at a hotel run by Linda (Dee Wallace). Little do they know that brutal killers are about to hunt them down and prevent them from leaving. Writer/director Michael Leavy and his co-writers, Robert Privitera Jason Leavy and Steven Della Salla, don't waste any time with a prologue that sets the film's tone, although they save goriness for later. To be fair, no one watches a movie like Stream for a complex or profound plot. The plot remains simple with a few twists, but it's all pretty straightforward without aiming for anything that makes it more than a mindlessly entertaining, ultra-violent B-movie that never takes itself too seriously. There's some macabre humor to be found and more than a handful of kills that makes audiences squeamish. Jeffrey Combs is very well cast the seemingly charming Mr. Lockwoo who checks Roy and his family in. He gives a delightfully campy, tongue-in-cheek performance. If you're looking for a horror thriller with plenty of blood and guts, some dark comedy and a few surprises, Stream delivers the goods without breaking any new ground. It would've benefited, though, from a shorter running time because at 2 hours and 10 minutes minutes, it does overstay its welcome by at least 30 minutes. Stream opens nationwide via Iconic Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2