Alma (Julia Roberts), a Yale professor, gets into a dilemma when her protégée, Maggie (Ayo Edediri), accuses her colleague and friend, Hank (Andrew Garfield), of sexual assault in After the Hunt. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Alma's husband, Freferik, a psychiatrist, and Chloë Sevigny plays her friend who's also Yale's student liaison. Director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter Nora Garrett have made a vapid, clunky, dull and undercooked psychological thriller. The way that Alma treats others makes her seem mean-spirited and selfish. She definitely has issues and, as it turns out, past trauma that she hasn't overcome yet. After the Hunt, like the recent Sorry, Baby, doesn't actually show the sexual assault scene, so it leaves it up to the audience's imagination to fill in the dots about what happened---and to figure out whether or not Maggie can even be trusted. Could she be falsely accusing Hank? Maggie also has issues of her own that makes her flawed and not easy to trust or like. 

      The characters are complex and interesting enough to turn the film into a profound character study, so it's unfortunate that the screenplay fails to breathe life into any of them. How introspective are they? How remorseful are they? It's unclear because After the Hunt remains afraid to dig deeper into the heart, mind and soul of any of the characters. Moreover, the ending feels rushed, the music score sounds heavy-handed and intrusive, and too many scenes drag, so there also are pacing issues. Oh, and the decision of Guadagnino to yell "cut" at the tail end of the film feels awkward and leaves a very bad aftertaste. At a running time of 2 hours and 19 minutes, After the Hunt opens at Angelika Film Center and AMC Lincoln Square before expanding nationwide on October 17th, 2025.

 

      Among Neighbors is a shocking and emotionally devastating documentary about a dark part of history when Polish residents from the town of Gniewoszów, Poland murdered Jews shortly after the end of WWII. Yacov Goldstein was among the Jews living there who witnessed the townspeople murdering his family. He now lives in Israel, and there are no more Jews living in Gniewoszów. Director Yoav Potash interviews Goldstein and some of the elderly residents of Gniewoszów who aren't comfortable looking at their town's dark and painful past head-on. He also includes animated sequences to tell the story of Goldstein and his family. In one of the most gut-wrenching moments, one of the residents, Pelagia Radecka, talks about how she witnessed the murder of Goldstein's family. She's brave for admitting such a disturbing, horrifying revelation.  Be prepared to be moved to tears when she reunites with Goldstein. Through this documentary, Potash ultimately seeks to uncover the truth, no matter how harsh and shocking it is. At 1 hour and 40 minutes, Among Neighbors opens at Quad Cinema.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      Assembly is an illuminating and fascinating documentary about a multimedia exhibition and performance called Assembly that celebrates Black and queer culture through dance, music, holograms, sculptures and even AI. Co-directors Johnny Symons and Rashaad Newsome, the creator of Assembly, do a decent job of introducing the audience to a bold, unconventional and unprecedented form of artistic expression that can be seen as a protest for artistic freedom. Newsome himself candidly explains in the interviews how he put Assembly together and what makes it so significant as well as its intrinsic value. The footage from the performances speaks louder than words. So don't be surprised if Assembly will compel you to watch the exhibition/performance at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, unless you're against the use of AI in art, a timely and controversial issue which this documentary doesn't fully explore, but which probably would've sparked some interested debates if it were explored. At 1 hour and 38 minutes, Assembly opens at Cinema Village.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      U.S. government officials, including Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) must figure out what to do when they learn that a nuclear missile is headed toward the United States in A House of Dynamite. Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim have made a dry, by-the-numbers and lethargic political thriller that's low on thrills, suspense and intrigue. All of the ingredients for a taut and spellbinding thriller are there, but Bigelow and Oppenheim squander those opportunities. They opt for a procedural which would've been fine if it were engaging or exciting on any level. There are too many characters, distracting subplots, and a main plot that runs out of steam around the hour mark. Nothing about the cinematography or set design stands out, and the music score feels overbearing and unnecessary as though Bigelow didn't trust that the plot had enough tension, so she tried to add tension through the music. None of the actors or actresses among the ensemble cast, including Rebecca Furguson, Tracy Letts, Jared Harris, Greta Lee, Anthony Romas, Idris Elba and Jason Clarke get the chance to shine. On top of that, the ending feels bafflingly abrupt and unintentionally funny while leaving too many questions unanswered. At 1 hour and 52 minutes, A House of Dynamite opens at Angelika Film Center via Netflix.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Linda (Rose Byrne), struggles to take care of her terminally ill young daughter (Delaney Quinn) while temporarily living in a motel after a pipe bursts her apartment's bedroom and causes a flood as well as a gaping hole in the ceiling. Her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), who works in the military, calls her every now and then while he's away. She's addicted to alcohol, sees a therapist (Conan O'Brien) who's not good at helping her to get better, and befriends the motel's superintendent, James (ASAP Rocky). Her daughter will lose access to the treatment center for her illness if she doesn't gain 50 pounds very soon. One day, Caroline (Daniell Macdonald), leaves her baby with her and disappears. Writer/director Mary Bronstein has made a poignant, tender and unflinching psychological character study. It's also one of the most unnerving films since Uncut Gems as Linda descends more and more into madness and the plot briefly veers into psychological horror territory. She's hot-tempered, narcissistic, unreliable and emotionally immature. She was probably raised by a toxic mother and father who didn't provide her with the proper tools needed to become a mature and emotionally stable grown up.

     Much of If I Had Legs I'd Kick You feels heartbreaking thanks to Rose Byrne's raw, honest and bravura performance---the best performance of her career. Her performance is as powerful as Gena Rowland's performance in A Woman Under the Influence. Bravo to writer/director Mary Bronstein for designing a window into the heart, mind and soul of Linda, and bravo to Rose Byrne for opening that window very widely for the audience to observe, to absorb and to occasionally feel like a voyeur. Don't be surprised if she'll be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. At 1 hour and 54 minutes, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You opens on October 10th, 2025 at Angelika Film Center and AMC Lincoln Square via A24.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 is an occasionally illuminating, but overlong, dull and exhausting documentary about the Israel-Palestine conflict from the perspective of Sweden's national television service, SVT. Director Göran Olsson assembles a lot of archival footage from KTV without analyzing it or adding his own perspective to it. So, what follows is just one clip after another in chronological order. Only a few of the clips have anything insightful or revealing to inform the audience. This documentary is a reminder that it's not enough for a documentary to provoke the audience intellectually; it should also be entertaining and provoke them emotionally. Merely bombarding the audience with nonstop footage gets tedious and tiresome. It's so dry that it'll make you stop and ask, "When is the exam??" If you're looking for a captivating, insightful and thorough introduction to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this won't be an ideal film to start with.  Perhaps start with Tantura instead. At 3 hours and 20 minutes, Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989  opens at Film Forum via Icarus Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 5




 

      Mr. K (Crispin Glover), a magician, checks into a hotel and, soon enough, discovers that he's unable to find the exit in Mr. K. Writer/director Tallulah H. Schwab has made a surreal, provocative, suspenseful and refreshingly unpredictable psychological thriller with shades of Buñuel, Kafka and Charlie Kaufman. The more that Mr. K. tries to leave the hotel, the more bizarre the film gets. It's not quite horror, but there are some scenes that feel like it might veer toward that direction and just feel somewhat creepy. The plot does go bonkers, though, and doesn't provide the audience with easy answers as to what's actually going on and why. So, Schwab trusts the audience's intelligence as well as their imagination because she doesn't bombard them with exposition or try to explain the symbolism. Yes, the story is an allegory with many metaphors, but what do they represent? That's up to the audience to decide. Crispin Glover is very well cast and gives a solid performance that anchors the film with humanism. The always-reliable Fionnula Flanagan makes the most out of her supporting role as Ruth, a mysterious guest staying at the hotel. At 1 hour and 34 minutes, Mr. K opens at IFC Center via Doppelgänger Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      Writer/director Crispin Hellion Glover and his co-writers, Bruce Glover and Mike Pallagi Dickinson, have made an visually stylish, bold and atmospheric experimental film with a non-linear plot that follows four generations of the Muldoon family. Crispin and his father, Bruce, play multiple roles of the Maldoons as well as two movie patrons who watch and critique the movie that you're watching. So, it's a meta experience that can't be adequately summarized in a plot synopsis. There's some tongue-in-cheek humor and outrageous humor, and, to be fair, it takes a while to get used to the offbeat tone and meandering narrative. Even if the narrative itself isn't very gripping or entertaining, at least the visual effects display an abundance of imagination to keep you somewhat engaged on a visceral level. A lot of passion clearly went into the cinematography and production design. The film comes with a special live presentation called Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show before it. At 1 hour and 39 minutes, No! You're Wrong. or: Spooky Action at a Distance opens at IFC Center via Volcanic Eruptions.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      At 1 hour and 30 minutes, Re-Election, written and directed byAdam Saunders, opens in select theaters via Picturehouse.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3

      Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a cunning thief known for stealing from McDonald's by entering through the roof, escapes prison, hides out inside a Toys R Us store, and romances a single mom, Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), who works at the store in Roofman. Writer/director Derek Cianfrance and co-writer Kirt Gunn have made a surprisingly heartfelt and amusing, but tonally uneven and cheesy crime drama. To call it a crime thriller wouldn't be fair because the plot barely focuses on Jeffrey's run from the law. It wouldn't be fair to call it a comedy either because there's barely any comic relief except for the scene when Jeffrey disables the camera at the Toys R Us store and starts goofing around and even briefly dancing. The screenplay wants the audience to root for, to sympathize and to care about him despite the fact that he's a criminal, a compulsive liar and a con artist. Even if you're unfamiliar with the true story, it's obvious that he'll get caught eventually and that the romance between him and Leigh won't work. What does she see in him? What makes her decide to introduce him to her daughters, Lindsay (Lily Collias) and Dee (Kennedy Moyer), so soon? Does she really believe that he works for a secret government job like he claims he does?

      The supporting characters like Mitch (Peter Dinklage) and Ron (Ben Mendelsohn), are underdeveloped and seem more like caricatures. Moreover, the scenes between Jeffrey and Leigh, while somewhat sweet and tender at times, feel very schmaltzy, contrived and too much like a fairy tale. That said, Channing Tatum's charismatic performance and Kirsten Dunst's moving performance helps to ground the film in much-needed authenticity. At 2 hours and 6 minutes Roofman opens nationwide via Paramount Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      In Soul on Fire, John O'Leary (James McCracken), a young boy, miraculously survives a fire and befriends a sports commentator, Jack Buck (William H. Macy), who visits him at the hospital.  Years later, as a young adult,  John (now played by Joel Courtney),romances Beth (Masey McLain) and still maintains his friendship with Jack. His parents, Denny (John Corbett) and Susan (Stephanie Szostak), help him on his emotional and spiritual journey to recover. Director Sean McNamara and screenwriter Gregory Poirier have made a warm and big-hearted, but often preachy biopic about conquering adversity that's so saccharine that it might give you a cavity. The screenplay, based on a true story and on John O'Leary's autobiographical novel On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life, suffers from on-the-nose dialogue and heavy-handedness while spoon-feeding the audience its messages. Yes, they're wise aphorisms, but the way they're integrated feels contrived, cheesy and lazy.

      The performances are decent, and the film isn't afraid to proudly wear its heart on its sleeve. That's a double-edged sword because it also means that it tries too hard to provoke the audience emotionally which is the equivalent of a piano player hitting the keys of the piano too hard over and over. As Mary Poppins astutely observed, "Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down." She didn't sing, "Just a cupful of sugar makes the medicine go down." A spoonful is all you need. At 1 hour and 51 minutes Soul on Fire opens nationwide via Affirm Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      At 1 hour and 34 minutes, There Was, There Was Not, directed by Emily Mkrtichian, opens at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      Ares (Jared Leto), a digital program created by Julian (Evan Peters), enters the real world to extract the Permanence Code from Eve (Greta Lee) and to kill her, but he disobeys Julian's orders in Tron: Ares. Director Joachim Rønning and screenwriter Jesse Wigutow have made an exhausting, overproduced, nauseating and tedious sci-fi action thriller. It boasts stunning visual effects, but nothing else that even remotely stands out. The plot remains bland and unimaginative while the dialogue sounds stilted and exposition feels lazy, i.e. when Eve bluntly asks Ares, "What do you want?" Greta Lee is wasted in a role that's well beneath her. She deserves better as does the audience. The music by Nine Inch Nails blazing in nearly every scene feels intrusive and repetitive while essentially making Tron: Ares seem like a long music video masquerading as a movie. At just under 2 hours Tron: Ares opens nationwide via Walt Disney Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 5

      Mike (Frank Dillane), a homeless man, struggles to get off the streets of London and to make ends meet while battling substance abuse in Urchin. Writer/director Harris Dickinson has made a gritty, well-acted and genuinely heartfelt slice of social realism that also serves as an unflinching character study with shades of Ken Loach. All that Mike wants is to find a roof over his head and a stable job. That's easier said than done, especially because of his stubbornness and hot temper. It's no surprise that he doesn't last that long at his new job working in the kitchen of a dilapidated hotel. A social worker finds a temporary room at the hotel for him to live in, but neither he nor the social worker knows where he'll be able to live afterward. Dickinson, who plays one of the homeless men who Mike clashes with, does a great job of showing empathy toward Mike without judging him despite all of his flaws. There are some surprisingly trippy and bizarre images including one that involves the camera going into a drain. Frank Dillane gives a raw, natural performance in the lead role that further enriches the film in authenticity. There are no villains here, but, at the same time, Urchin doesn't shy away from shedding light on how the solutions to end homelessness are inadequate because they're merely short term solutions that don't address the systemic issues in the long run. At 1 hour and 39 minutes, Urchin opens at IFC Center via 1-2 Special.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      At a running time of just 1 hour and 3 minutes, We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe, directed by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, opens at Cinema Village.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2