Joe (Seth Rogen) and his wife, Angela (Olivia Wilde), get more than they bargained for when they invite their upstairs neighbors, Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), over their apartment for a dinner party in The Invite. Director Olivia Wilde and her screenwriters, Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, have made a sparkling, acerbically funny, provocative and heartfelt sex comedy. Essentially, it's about a couple whose crumbling marriage gets put to the test during a dinner party with their neighbors who give them an open invitation to have orgy together. The first ten minutes as Joe and Angela hurry to prepare for the dinner party establishes just how toxic their marriage has become. Joe forgetting to buy wine and having to bring out champagne that they were planning to use for a special occasion turns out to be the least of their problems. They bicker like George and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? even up until the point when Pina and Hawk ring their doorbell. How will Joe and Angela react to their proposal to have an orgy? That won't be spoiled here, but it's worth mentioning that the sensitive screenplay gradually reveals more and more of each character's personality and also their flaws. They're not completely likable, but that's precisely what makes them human and to some degree relatable.

      Penélope Cruz sizzles as Pina, but, to be fair, Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen and Edward Norton also get a chance to shine here while sinking their teeth into their roles convincingly. No one gives a hammy performance, either, so this entire ensemble cast is well-chosen. Despite taking place in one location like the movie Carnage and Mass, The Invite never feels stuffy or too stagey thanks to the terrific performances. Everything from the production design to the pacing and the cinematography help to make the film feel equally organic and engrossing while the music score enriches it further without being intrusive or heavy-handed. It's refreshing to watch a movie for adults that's quite frank when it comes to discussions about sex, intimacy, relationships and insecurities, so The Invite manages to be a comedy rooted in tragedy as well as an honest and unflinching portrait of a dysfunctional marriage. At a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, The Invite opens on June 26th, 2026 at AMC Lincoln Square and Angelika Film Center before expanding nationwide on July 10th, 2026 via A24. It's one of the best films of the year and would make for an interesting double feature with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, and Eyes Wide Shut.

      In Cielo, Santa (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda), an 8-year-old girl, swallows a fish that gives her magical powers, kills her abusive father, and takes the preserved corpse of her mother on a journey through the desert to bring her to heaven. Writer/director Alberto Sciamma has made a mesmerizing, bold and refreshingly unpredictable film with shades of Jodorowsky and Terry Gilliam. The less you know about the plot beforehand the better because it's filled with many small surprises that reflect the strengths of Sciamma's imagination as filmmaker---something that's often lacking in American filmmakers who play everything too safely. Cielo takes risks without going over-the-top or trying to shock and disgust the audience. Moreover, Sciamma has a great handle on tone while blending drama, surrealism, suspense and magical realism. He knows not just where to take ideas from, but where to take those ideas to----and he takes them to very thought-provoking places. With a less sensitive screenplay, this could've turned into either meandering, unfocused mess, or a dull and tedious film that runs out of steam and ideas, so it fortunately avoids those pitfalls. It also boasts visually stunning cinematography that makes the most out of the use of color, set design, lighting and the natural landscape which becomes like a character in itself. At a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, Cielo opens on June 26th, 2026 at Quad Cinema via Juno Films. it would be an interesting double feature with El Topo and Bagdad Cafe, Dust Bunny and perhaps Time Bandits.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       A flock of sheep use their detective skills to investigate the murder of their shepherd, George (Hugh Jackman) in The Sheep Detectives, based on the novel Three Bags Fulls by Leonie Swann. The flock includes Lily (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Wool-Eyes (voice of Rhys Darby), Sebastian (voice of Bryan Cranston), Sir Richfield voice of (Sir Patrick Stewart), Zora (voice of Bella Ramsey), Mopple (voice of Chris O’Dowd), and Ronnie (voice of Brett Goldstein). The suspects include a farmer (Tosin Cole), a butcher (Conleth Hill), a priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), an innkeeper, Beth (Hong Chau), an innkeeper, a cop, Tim (Nicholas Braun), George’s lawyer, Lydia (Emma Thompson), George's estranged daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon), and a reporter, Elliot Matthew (Nicholas Galitzine). Director Kyle Balda and screenwriter Craig Mazin have made a funny, witty, sweet and delightful film for the whole family that deftly blends comedy, mystery, suspense and intrigue. The plot isn't afraid to be zany and silly at times without taking itself too seriously while other times it has some surprisingly moving and wise scenes. It also has a few twists and turns as the sheep discover important clues that won't be spoiled here. Zora, a lamb, initially believes that sheep turn into clouds when they die, but her mother teaches her the truth.  Kudos to the filmmakers for approaching the topic of death in a gentle way for younger audiences much like Bambi does.

      The entire ensemble cast is terrific and well-chosen including the voice actors. Moreover, the blend of CGI animation and live action looks seamless. Like the equally entertaining Hoppers, The Sheep Detectives knows how to find just the right balance between entertaining older and younger audiences without pandering to children or resorting to fart jokes to entertain them like Ne Zha 2 and Animal Farm do.  At a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, The Sheep Detectives is now playing nationwide via Amazon MGM Studios. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 1 

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