The Big Johnson is a captivating, warts-and-all documentary about Dean Johnson, a rock star, drag queen, porn star and sex worker during the 70s, 80s and 90s in NYC before dying of an alleged drug overdose. Director Lola Rock'N'Rolla combines archival footage and contemporary interviews to provide the audience with a glimpse of what the LGBTQ nightlife scene was like back in NYC during the 70s and 80s. Johnson refused to be closeted; he was very much out of the closet----loudly and proudly. He starred in a gay porno called "Daddie Dearest" and hosted sex parties even amidst the AIDS crisis. The Big Johnson doesn't shy away from shedding light on his battles with drug addiction which were a systemic problem for him. What's missing here, though, which would've made the film more illuminating is more insight about his childhood before he rose to fame, and also more focus on the mystery surrounding his death which the film briefly mentions toward the end. It's a fine, briskly paced and well-edited introduction to a lesser-known icon from NYC's 70s and 80s gay nightlife who deserves to be better known. At a running time of only 1 hour and 30 minutes, The Big Johnson opens at Quad Cinema via Freestyle Releasing.

 

       A malevolent entity possesses the body of a young girl, Caroline (Gia Hunter), in The Containment Director Jack Zagha Kababie, co-writer/director Yossy Zagha and co-writer David Desola have made an uninspired, unscary and bland horror film that pales compared to the demonic possession classic The Exorcist. The brief images of bugs are more icky than scary. Everything from the plot to the performance, the cinematography and dialogue are lackluster and don't manage to invigorate the film. That said, the filmmakers deserve to be commended for including a very dark and twisted third act that leaves a bitter aftertaste. The Exorcist still reigns supreme. At a running time of 1 hour and 26 minutes, The Containment opens in select theaters nationwide via Level 33 Entertainment.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Xochitl (Anakaren Chablé), a Mexican-American fruit vendor, gets a taste of fame when a film director, Andrew (Anthony W. Preson), casts her as the lead actress in his film as part of $1 million bet he made with a rival director in  The Dreamer Cinderella. Jenna (Tara Reid) helps her adjust to her new life of stardom. Writer/director Jose-Luis Ruiz and co-director Alfredo Widman have made a sweet, charming and uplifting romantic comedy for the whole family. The screenplay does have some schmaltzy and clunky scenes, but those are minor, forgivable flaws because, at its core, the film manages to be big-hearted and captivating with just the right balance of comic relief. Just don't expect a gritty or unflinching slice-of-life; it often feels more like a fairy-tale, hence the title, which requires some suspension of disbelief. At a running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes, The Dreamer Cinderella opens in select theaters nationwide via Atlas Distribution Company.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       After her father, Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson), dies of a heart attack, Helen (Claire Foy) decides to buy and train a Eurasian goshawk in H is for Hawk.  Based on the memoir by Helen MacDonald, the screenplay by writer/director Philippa Lowthorpe and co-writer Emma Donoghue does a subpar job of designing enough of a window into Helen's heart, mind and soul. Roger Ebert once wisely observed that it's easier to get inside a character's head while reading a book than while watching a movie. It takes a sensitive, profound and unflinching screenplay to accomplish that. Despite its potential to become an engrossing character study and meditation on grief, H is for Hawk falls short of that and, instead, becomes sugar-coated, by-the-numbers and undercooked with too much reliance on flashbacks of Helen's relationship with her father. The metaphor of the hawk representing Helen's struggles to overcome her grief gets repetitive and doesn't provide enough depth. Claire Foy gives a tender performance that anchors film with at least a modicum of much-needed poignancy, so it's unfortunate that she's undermined by a shallow screenplay that fails to breathe life into the role of Helen. The cinematography makes the most out of the beautiful landscape with a few breathtaking shots, but that's not enough to compensate for the film's lack of substance.  At a running time of 1 hour and 55 minutes, H is for Hawk opens in select theaters nationwide via Roadside Attractions.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) has 90 minutes to prove to an AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) that he didn't murder his wife in Mercy Director Timur Bekmambetov and screenwriter Marco van Belle have made a slick and stylish sci-fi thriller that's shallow, convoluted and increasingly preposterous. The plot skims through the world-building while keeping exposition at a bare minimum. All that the audience knows is that it's set in a futuristic world where AI judges people flawlessly and where everyone remains guilty until proven innocent. Even if you're able to suspend your disbelief, that still makes it difficult to care about anything that happens to Detective Raven, especially during the over-the-top third act. If only the filmmakers weren't afraid to make the movie more Hitchcockian and to trust the audience's intelligence rather than to spoon-feed them everything. The production values are quite impressive, though, including the cinematography and editing which provides plenty of cinematic spectacle. However those elements come with diminishing returns. If you're looking for a lean and gripping action thriller, see Breakdown or Phone Booth, or if you're looking for a more Pakula-esque and Hitckockian thriller, see Arlington Road. All of those films succeed where Mercy fails. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Mercy opens nationwide via Amazon MGM Studios.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a mildly engaging and occasionally provocative, but shallow, tedious, incomplete and underwhelming documentary about how Pasha Talankin, a primary school teacher in Russia, recorded the government-mandated indoctrination of students that brainwashed them into supporting the war against Ukraine. Co-directors Pasha Talankin and David Borenstein merely show the recorded footage of the propaganda and, too briefly, Pasha's brave attempt to escape from Russia which bookends the films. What's missing, though, is more information about what Pasha's life was like before the Russo-Ukrainian war to get a better grasp of what makes him such a brave human rights activist who refuses to be a "Good German." Are there others like him? How paranoid is he when he's risking his life to expose the Russian government's propaganda? How would he describe functional democracy or democracy in general? How does he feel about apathy or ignorance or citizens who choose to be "Good Germans"? What would he do to protest if filmmaking technology didn't exist? Mr. Nobody Against Putin barely scratches the surface of its timely and vital political topics and doesn't stop to explore them or to ask its subject enough interesting questions. It's not nearly as powerful, enraging and provocative as the documentary Democracy Noir. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, Mr. Nobody Against Putin opens in select theaters nationwide via Kino Lorber.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       James (Jeremy Irvine) returns to the mysterious town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his long-lost love, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson), whom he hopes to find there in Return to Silent Hill, based on the video game Silent Hill 2 by Konami. Writer/director Christophe Gans and his co-writers, Sandra Vo-Anh and Will Schneider have made an atmospheric, supernatural horror thriller that offers no surprises, thrills or palpable scares. There are a few creepy images, though, like a monster in the shape of a spider. The production design and CGI effects provide some visual style, but everything else including the stilted, one-the-nose dialogue, clunky exposition and dull plot make for an underwhelming experience that fails to elevate this B-movie above mediocrity. Jeremy Irvine deserves better material. At a running time of 1 hour and 46 minutes, Return to Silent Hill opens in select theaters nationwide via Cineverse.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      In Two Sleepy People, Syd (Baron Ryan) lives with his wife, Donna (Sarah J. Bartholomew). Every night, he has the same dream as his new co-worker, Lucy (Caroline Grossman), where they're both married to each other. Writer/director Baron Ryan and co-writer Caroline Grossman have made an honest, wise, heartfelt and refreshingly un-Hollywood romantic dramedy brimming with wit, humor and genuine warmth. Syd feels happy in his dreams with Lucy where Donna is his ex-wife while he's less happy with Donna in his waking life because their marriage has gone stale and they're no longer compatible. Although there are no villains, it could be argued that Donna has some degree of narcissism because she seems selfish, emotionally immature, lacks introspection, and doesn't acknowledge her hurtful actions toward Syd nor the consequences of her action even when he finds the courage to confront her with them. Syd is flawed, too, though, because he doesn't stand up for himself around her and when he tries to, she tries to guilt trip him. Lucy, as it turns out, also has flaws of her own, so even though she's his dream girl, she's infallible. Fundamentally, she and Syd help each other to innately grow through introspection, and to learn how to truly love and empathize with their true selves while attaining an intrinsically valuable asset: self worth.

       Bravo to writer/director Baron Ryan and co-writer Caroline Grossman for grasping the complexity of human nature, relationships and psychology. The dialogue sounds organic without any stiltedness, the romance between Syd and Lucy avoids schmaltz, and the inventive plot has the right amount of exposition while leaving just enough room for interpretation. The filmmakers trust the audience's emotions, imagination and intelligence which is a rare feat these days. At a running time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, Two Sleepy People opens in select theaters nationwide via Camp Studios. It would be a great double feature with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, (500) Days of Summer, Before Sunrise, Shirley Valentine and any Eric Rohmer movie.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1