After getting seriously injured during a murderous rampage, Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) arrives at an island with the helpf of his friend, Little John (Bill Skarsgård), where Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer) tends to his wounds in The Death of Robin Hood. Little does she know that he's actually Robin Hood. Noah Jupe plays Aruthur, a young man with eye injury, Faith Delaney plays Little Margaret, Little John's daughter, and Murray Bartlett shows up as The Leper. Writer/director Michael Sarnoski has made a visually stunning, mesmerizing and gritty adaptation of the ballad Robin Hood's Death. Don't expect Robin Hood to be like anything you've seen before in previous Robin Hood films. Here, he's old with a long, grey bear, and viciously kills people within the intense first half hour. Sarnoski doesn't shy away from showing lots of blood and guts, so this isn't made for squeamish audiences who have a weak stomach for gore. Once Robin Hood arrives on the island and meets the kind Sister Brigid, the film begins to find its footing and become more than just an grim and intense thriller. The grimness still remains, but a relationship between Robin Hood and Sister Brigit gradually unfolds which adds some much-needed poignancy and even tenderness. Although Robin Hood is portrayed as nefarious and hard to like because of his actions, there's more to him than meets the eye and he might even have somewhat of a conscience in his interactions with Sister Brigid, Little Margaret and Arthur. So, he's not a total monster. Kudos toSarnoski  for humanizing Robin Hood even if it means showing the dark side of his human nature.  

      The talented ensemble cast breathe life into their roles, especially Hugh Jackman who sinks into his role with conviction. Jodie Comer is also terrific in her warm and heartfelt performance. The production design, cinematography, lighting, costume design and use of color (or lack thereof) are impressive and add both style and substance. There are more than a handful of shots that look poetic and breathtaking, so it would be best to see this on a large screen to maximize its visual Spectacle. At a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes, it opens nationwide via A24. 

 

      Flag Day is a dull and just mildly engaging documentary about the Flag Day parade held in the village of Three Oaks, Michigan Co-directors Andrew and Melissa Shea opt for a fly-on-the-wall, laissez faire approach as they follow people from the town who participate in the annual parade. Despite taking place in a small rural village, the parade happens to be the largest Flag Day in the entire country. While it's initially fascinating to observe the preparations and great to observe the patriotism, it soon gets tedious and monotonous without being insightful or engrossing enough. A truly great documentary should find the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them emotionally as well as intellectually. Unfortunately, Flag Day doesn't find that balance. At a thankfully brief running time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, it opens at Village East by Angelika via Abramorama.   

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      Flood is a heartfelt and profound documentary directed by Katy Scoggin about her attempt to reconnect with her estranged father, Marvin. They both have different ideologies: he's an Evangelical who believes in the creation story and that a giant flood led to the fossil record. She believes in evolution and has abandoned her belief in Christianity. What follows is an engrossing emotional journey between a daughter and her father as she struggles to understand him. Bravo to her for showing emotional maturity, introspection, vulnerability, candidness and empathy throughout that journey which includes some epiphanies along the way. Like last week's doc The Gas Station Attendant, there's a sense of voyeurism because you're watching a stranger discuss her private life. However, Katy gradually becomes less of a stranger as the film progresses and you get to know her past while perhaps even relating to her concurrently. At a running time of just 1 hour and 15 minutes, Flood opens downtown at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema and would be a great double feature with The Story of Everything.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      After the death of her mother, Coley (Maya da Costa) moves to a small Oregon town to live in with her estranged father (Zach Braff), and falls in love with a local girl, Sonya (Myra Molloy), who has a boyfriend, Trenton (Levon Hawke), in Girls Like Girls. Writer/director Hayley Kiyoko and co-writer Stefanie Scott have made a sweet and tender, but sugar-coated and schmaltzy coming-of-age story that doesn't break new ground nor is it unflinching enough to be emotionally resonating. There's a lot going on inside of Coley because she's a 17-year-old girl who's discovering her sexual identity while grieving the death of her mother and dealing with a mixture of complex emotions when Sonya isn't as interested in a serious relationship with her as she is. They're both emotionally immature and have a lot of learning to do when it comes to relationships. Girls Like Girls doesn't explore the relationship between Coley and her emotionally distant father enough. They have one lengthy conversation toward the end where she confronts him about his emotional neglect, but he doesn't seem to have changed or acknowledge his actions or the consequences of his actions (or inactions). It's particularly concerning that he doesn't tend her emotional needs when she arrives to his car in tears after leaving Sonya's house.

      To be fair, some of the dialogue sounds on-the-nose and a bit stilted, so while the performances feel natural, they're undermined by the stilted dialogue. Girls Like Girl isn't as powerful, unflinching, profound or heartfelt as last year's underseen Young Hearts or the cult classic Show Me Love. However, it's nonetheless breezy, charming and heartwarming despite not taking any risks or reaching any emotional depths. Moreover, it boasts a very lively and well-chosen soundtrack and exquisite cinematography that makes the most out of the small town's landscape. At a running time of 1 hour and 35 minutes, it opens in select theaters nationwide via Focus Features.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      In Goat Girl, 8-year-old Elena (Alessandra González) prepares for her first communion while grieving the death of her grandmother (Gloria Munóz) and befriending Serezade (Juncal Fernández), a gypsy girl who has a pet goat. Writer/director Ana Asensio has made an engrossing and tender, but undercooked coming-of-age film set in 1988 Madrid. The screenplay deals with themes of growing up, questioning faith and coping with grief without really delving profoundly into those complex, universal themes. So, like the recent coming-of-age film Renoir, it bites off more than it could chew and isn't quite as powerful as it could've been with a more focused and deep screenplay. However, it's well-shot, has some genuinely heartfelt moments as well as a moving performance by child actress Alessandra González which keeps the film grounded in humanism, a truly special effect. At a running time of 1 hour and 35 minutes, Goat Girl opens at Cinema Village via Outsider Pictures.   

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul, directed by James Keach, is about the legendary Southern rock star, Gregg Allman, who co-founded The Allman Brothers Band. Out of all of the documentaries opening this weekend, this happens among the most well-edited, revealing and captivating one. You'll see some concert footage and learn about his rise to fame, emotional battles and love life through the candid interviews with Allman himself. Kudos to Keach for humanizing Allman warts-and-all without turning the film into a hagiography. You don't have to be a fan of Allman or rock music to be engaged by this very well-made and extraordinary documentary. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, it opens at Village East by Angelika. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC is biodoc about Jack Johnson, a jack-of-all-trades who is a surfer, filmmaker and musician. Director Emmett Malloy interviews Johnson himself along with his friends and combines archival footage to explain how Johnson went from one profession to another. Although its linear structure makes it conventional, it also makes the film easier to follow and even more focused because it's separated into 3 chapters: Surf, Film, and Music. What makes Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC exceptional is its solid editing, its candid interviews that capture Johnson's humility, warmth and vulnerability as he looks back at his life. Malloy is lucky to have such a compelling, articulate, emotionally intelligent and charismatic subject who deserves to be better known for his surfing films, his music and his love of surfing. At a running time of 1 hour and 21 minutes, Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC opens at Angelika Film Center.   

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      Naim (Joe Bird), a teenager, moves to a new town and falls in love with another teenage boy, Ryan (Stacy Clausen), in Leviticus. After reluctantly undergoing a ritual during conversion therapy, they're terrorized by a mysterious entity that takes the form of whomever the two boys desire. Set in a small religious community, the screenplay by writer/director Adrian Chiarella juggles drama, horror and romance with mixed results. The plot is pretty simple and straightforward, and the same can be said about how it uses its supernatural elements as a metaphor. Unfortunately, it's not very scary, imaginative or provocative enough whenever it veers into horror territory. There's already enough tension and conflict within the drama and romance given that Naim and Ryan live in a Christian community and experience homophobia while they try to keep their relationship a secret. Adding a supernatural element doesn't add anything that can't already be found in its natural elements.

      Fundamentally, Leviticus bites off more than it could chew and only manages to be physically gritty without enough emotional grit because it's too busy focusing on the less interesting horror/supernatural elements. What concurrently elevates and grounds the film, though, are the convincingly moving performances by Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, both of whom manage to slightly rise above the shallow screenplay and to breathe much-needed life into their roles. At a running time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, Leviticus opens nationwide via NEON.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 

      Maddie (John Early, in drag), a food influencer married to Jake (Eric Rahill), goes to a rehab to secretly deal with her bulimia in Maddie's Secret. Kate Berlant plays her good friend, Deena, and Claudia O'Doherty plays Emily, a food influencer who competes with Maddie. Writer/director John Early has made a tonally uneven blend of comedy, satire and drama. One minute it's trying to be campy and the next it's trying to be serious. All more happens than what's in the plot synopsis above after Maddie goes to rehab, but it's around the time the film starts to become a tonal mess. Maddie has a serious eating disorder that's affecting her new career as a food influencer as well as her marriage. It's rooted in her childhood trauma and her relationship with her mother, The scene with Maddie, her mother (Kristen Johnston) and her doctor aims for parody and campiness, especially given Kristen Johnston's over-the-top performance, but the beats don't land during the one scene that's supposed to reveal a lot about Maddie's childhood trauma. A subplot involving Maddie's crumbling marriage feels underdeveloped particularly during the third act that feels rushed as it jumps ahead in time while omitting a lot of key information.

      So, writer/director John Early doesn't know when to leave something to the audience's imagination and when not to. It feels like a scene is missing between the final scene and the scene before it. That said, John Early and Kate Berlant give lively, invigorating performances. It's a shame that they're undermined by an unfocused screenplay that turns the film into a tonal mess. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, Maddie's Secret opens at IFC Center via Magnolia Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Andrew (Jake Lacy) and his wife Daniela (Nazanin Boniadi) travel to India to adopt a 4-year-old girl, Sarvari (Ruhi Pal), who doesn't want to leave with them in A Mosquito in the Ear. Writer/director Nicola Rinciari has made a mildly poignant drama that's more understated than emotionally devastating, but it suffers from a plot that's stretched too thinly and underdeveloped characters. Based on the Italian novel Una Zanzara nell'Orecchio, the screenplay follows Andrew and Daniela as they pick up Sarvari and travel with her throughout India. Sarvari doesn't speak English, so there's a language barrier between her and her foster parents. As Ebert once wisely observed, it's easier to get inside a character's head through a book than through a movie. Unfortunately, Rincari doesn't design enough of a window into Andrew, Daniela and Sarvari's heart, mind and soul even though each of them is going through their own emotional journey. A Mosquito in the Ear is one of those films where the heartfelt performances compensate for the shallow and bland screenplay. That said, it's not tonally uneven, schmaltzy, and clunky like The Accompanist which premiered at Tribeca Festival. Despites its systemic flaws and not being as unflinching as it could've been, at least A Mosquito in the Ear still manages to be moderately engrossing without being cloying or maudlin. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, A Mosquito in the Ear opens at Quad Cinema via Persimmon.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      Peter Asher: Everywhere Man is a biodoc about Peter Asher, a British musician, record producer and manager. Co-directed by Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfineh, it's by-the-numbers, mildly engaging and just sporadically illuminating. Moreover, it's overlong and doesn't manage to be exceptional, unflinching enough nor does it transcend beyond a conventional documentary while combining talking head interviews and archival footage. Unless you just want a reader's digest introduction to someone in British music who deserves to be better known, you'll end up disappointed. At a running time of 1 hour and 58 minutes, it opens at Quad Cinema via Greenwich Entertainment.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3 




 

       In Road to Everywhere, Jason (Whip Hubley), a cab driver, drives Jake (Robert Mirabal), a Navajo casino dealer, from Los Angeles to the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona where his grandson, whom he hasn't seen in three decades, is competing in a Native American rodeo. Writer/director Michael Paradies Shoob has made a profound, honest, engrossing and beautifully shot emotional journey well worth taking. Kudos to Shoob for designing a window into the heart, mind and soul of Jason and Jake and for the actors, Whip Hubley and Robert Mirabal, for opening that window completely while finding the emotional truths of their roles. The dialogue feels natural as do the performances. The audience can be seen as like another character who's eavesdropping on Jason and Jake's conversations and perhaps even relating to them.  Shoob incorporates exposition gradually through flashbacks, but they're neither clunky nor distracting.  

       Fortunately, Road to Everywhere also never becomes schmaltzy or melodramatic, preachy or unfocused. It's fundamentally about friendship, compassion, empathy and human connection, something that's becoming increasingly rare these days yet universal and vital. It's fascinating and enlightening to watch two strangers with different backgrounds find common ground as they share their thoughts and feelings with each other through introspection, a very important tool to use in the garden of one's soul, so-to-speak, and experience epiphanies. Both Jason and Jack are emotionally wounded souls with cut flowers in the garden of their soul who hope and deserve to become better gardeners with a garden that's fully blooming. As the wise poet Pablo Neruda once wisely observed, "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." At a running time of 1 hour and 37 minutes, Road to Everywhere opens at Village East by Angelika via Driven Two Films. It would be a great double feature with Five Easy Pieces.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1 




 

      Shoot the People is a provocative, timely and illuminating documentary about Missan Harriman, a British photographer and activist known for shooting photos of global protests including London's Black Lives Matter Movement. Andy Mundy-Castle blends archival footage, talking-head interviews and Harriman's photographs to shed light on the significance of Harriman's work. To be fair, his photos speak louder than words and are the most compelling parts of the film, but this is nonetheless a fine introduction to an important, talented, brave and compassionate photographer who cares about human rights and world issues and documents truth in hope of it leading to justice and most importantly, democracy, which is easier said than done. Perhaps Shoot the People will inspire someone who watches it to become a photographer like Missan Harriman. At 1 hour and 33 minutes, it opens at Angelika Film Center via Watermelon Pictures 

Number of times I checked my watch: 1 




 

      In Toy Story 5, Bonnie (voice of Scarlett Spears) gets a new tablet called Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee) which the other toys, Buzz (voice of Tim Allen), Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack), Dolly (voice of Bonnie Hunt), Bo Peep (voice of Annie Potts), and Forky (voice of Tony Hale), see as threat that would replace them as her new favorite toy. So, they embark on a mission to help her befriend her neighbor, Blaze (voice of Mykal-Michelle Harris), which turns into an adventure. Meanwhile, many Buzz Lightyear clones wash up ashore. Writer/director Andrew Stanton and co-writer Kenna Harris have made a harmless and amusing animated sequel that's preachy and underwhelming without even half the wit, charms, imagination and laughs of the beloved original. The jokes are more silly than funny, and most of them pander to very young audiences while neglecting to provide something funny for adults. It also gets preachy at times with its message about how technology and social media poses as a threat to face-to-face human interaction. There are some heartfelt scenes, but they're far and few between. That's pretty desperate and low brow humor.

       A new character, Smarty Pants (voice of Conan O'Brien), provides a few small chuckles, but the humor feels forced. Does the Toy Story franchise really need to stoop to poop jokes? Stanton and Harris don't quite how to take their idea to interesting places, and the plot runs out of imagination after the first 30 minutes. That said, the CGI animation looks bright, colorful and even occasionally photorealistic, but great animation alone isn't enough to elevate the film above mediocrity or to even come close to topping the brilliant, witty, funny and wildly entertaining Hoppers which is thus far the Best Animated Film of 2026. With Toy Story 5, the Toy Story franchise has officially run out of steam. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, it opens nationwide via Walt Disney Pictures. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      True North about a lesser known part of Montreal history when over 200 mostly Black and Caribbean students protested against institutional racism at their college,  Sir George Williams University. The sit-in protest began after the university didn't hold a biology professor accountable when he was accused of racism for giving lower grades to Black students.  Director Michèle Stephenson blends interviews with some of the protesters along with archival footage. The talking-head interviews are beautifully shot in black-and-white which provides the film with both style and substance. What follows is a well-edited, captivating, heartfelt and illuminating documentary that feels cinematic without becoming dry, pedestrian or tedious. A truly great documentary ought to feel like a narrative just like, conversely, a great narrative film ought to feel like a documentary. True North ultimately transcends its documentary form because it's consistently gripping, especially if you're unfamiliar with the story of the student protests in Montreal back in 1969. Stephenson should be commended for finding the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them emotionally as well as intellectually.  At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, True North opens at IFC center via Rada Studio. It would be a great double feature with the equally terrific and vital documentary about a protest, Ain't No Back to a Merry-Go-Round. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 2 




 

      Nawal (Mila Al Zahrani), a receptionist at a Riyadh police station, gets recruited to investigate the murder of an unidentified teenage girl whose body was found in the middle of the desert in Unidentified. Writer/director Haifaa al-Mansour and co-writer Brad Niemann have woven a consistently gripping and intriguing crime thriller. It begins by introducing the audience to Nawal before she rides along with the police to the scene of the crime in the desrt. The only conclusion that they draw from mere observation is that the body must've been dumped there after she was attacked and killed. Nawal will stop at nothing to find out her name so that she won't recieve a nameless burial. She visits high schools to inquire about missing students, but reaches obstacles when the school administration refuse to cooperate with her. What lengths she takes to solve the mystery and to determine who killed her won't be spoiled here, but it's worth mentioning that the plot gets increasingly complex as it progresses. The filmmakers have a terrific handle on exposition because they don't reveal too much information right away. They also provide Nawal with a backstory involving an abusive husband and a miscarriage which as traumatized her.

      To be fair, perceptive audience members will probably be able to predict the twist ending about 15 minutes before it gets revealed because of something that one of the characters says that can only imply a hidden motive. That's a minor and forgivable flaw, though, and the twist might even make you tempted to rewatch the movie from a new perspective. The pace moves slowly, so don't expect any edge-your-seat suspense; the suspense builds very gradually. This isn't the kind of crime thriller that relies on action sequences and gore to be engaging, nor is it afraid to get into dark and gritty territory. In other words, it's a movie for grown ups who appreciate an intelligent, slow-burning and grounded crime thriller. At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, Unidentified opens at Angelika Film Center via Sony Pictures Classics.   

Number of times I checked my watch: 2