The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (pictured) adapts the familiar story into a hero-journey spectacle that never quite achieves the magic it aims for. Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria remake carves out its own unique brand of crazy that swings for the fences in its mix of allegory and viscera.
Eric D. Snider praises the prickly character study at the heart of Can You Ever Forgive Me? Tyler Perry's Nobody's Fool wastes a hilarious Tiffany Haddish on contrived plotting and dragged-out soap opera.
MaryAnn Johanson appreciates the emotional honesty about a family dealing with addiction even amidst the Hollywood glossiness of Beautiful Boy.
In this week's feature review, the potentially fascinating story of Freddie Mercury gets buried beneath music biopic cliches and Queen worship in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Also opening this week: a selection of short films from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.