Buzz Blog

Nightmare Alley ***
See feature review. Available Dec. 17 in theaters. (R)

The Novice ***
First-time feature writer/director Lauren Hadaway and a ferocious lead performance by Isabelle Furhman combine for a creepy character study of toxic competitiveness that falls just a touch short of completing its protagonist’s journey. Furhman plays Alex Dall, a college freshman who tries out for the school rowing team, and immediately throws herself into a drive to be the best. Hadaway generally avoids overt markers for what’s behind Alex’s psychology, besides a history of self-cutting and an on-the-nose anecdote about her drive for academic achievement in high school. Indeed, there’s a welcome lack of focus on the “why” behind Alex’s intensity, which allows the simple reality of her existence to capture our attention. While Furhman captures the intensity with which Alex approaches every aspect of her life, Hadaway supplements with a rich sound design featuring the self-talk that takes Alex out of moment-to-moment living, and a sharp visual sensibility that starts from the very first overhead shot of Alex in a solo craft, its rotation resembling a compass searching for its north. The primary relationships, however—including Alex’s fellow freshman (Amy Forsyth) and her physics TA (Dilone)—are a touch thin by comparison, and though that’s likely a feature not a bug in the story of someone who’s primary relationship is with the version of herself that she always imagines is better than the one she is now, that puts a lot of weight on what she ultimately learns from the experience. That ambiguity is equal parts compelling and frustrating, but most of what comes before justifies the journey. Available Dec. 17 at Broadway Centre Cinemas and via VOD. (R)

Spider-Man: No Way Home ***
See feature review. Available Dec. 16 in theaters. (PG-13)

Swan Song ***
If you recall the tales of technology-based ethics created by Andrew Niccol—movies like Gattaca and Good Kill—you might remember that their chilly emphasis on thesis statements often got in the way of the humanity they were supposed to be championing. Here’s a variation on the Niccol formula that understands how to foreground its emotional impact. In an unspecified near future, commercial artist Cameron Turner (Mahershala Ali) faces a difficult choice when he learns he has terminal cancer: consider participating in a still-revolutionary process that would replace him before his death with a healthy clone, with his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris) and his young son never being aware of the switch. To writer/director Benjamin Cleary’s credit, he sets up a firm foundation for why Cameron would consider this option in the first place, providing terrific context for all the ups and downs in his relationship with Poppy. That gives Ali a lot to work with, both as the “Cameron Prime” who vacillates over what’s best for everyone, and the clone “Jack” who has his own priorities without ever turning into the story’s overt villain. The ethical-debate stuff does eventually creep into the dialogue, and the production design’s emphasis on sleek sterility feels a bit too obvious. It’s fortunate, then, that the climax here involves scenes showing us the impact of making the most loving choice, rather than just having characters blather on about it. Available Dec. 17 at Broadway Centre Cinemas and via AppleTV+. (R)