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Y2K, Nightbitch, Flow, The Return, The Order, Werewolves, Get Away
Flow ***1/2
We live in an age of ever-advancing filmmaking technology, but I’ll gladly sacrifice state-of-the-art for something that feels dedicated to basic, engaging storytelling principles. This minimalist, wordless animated feature from Latvian director Gints Zibalodis is set in a post-human world, where a solitary cat attempts to survive in the midst of an apocalyptic flood, eventually requiring the assistance of other animals like a capybara, a lemur and a previously-antagonistic dog.
New music videos from David Lindes, Spirit Machines
David Lindes: “Te Vengo a Perdonar”
Ahead of releasing his new album Peace With a Lion, singer/songwriter David Lindes is giving listeners a new single to enjoy titled “Te Vengo a Perdonar.” Translated as “I’ve come to forgive you,” the song looks deep into the meaning of healing.
Gladiator II, Wicked, The Piano Lesson, Blitz, Bonhoeffer, Black Box Diaries and more
Black Box Diaries ***1/2
"Issue documentaries” sometimes feel like they can only take you so far emotionally; this one packs a real wallop because it’s also such a powerful character study. That character is Shiori Itô, a Japanese journalist who here chronicles her long battle for justice after accusing Noriyuki Yamaguchi—a high-powered journalist with connections to then-prime-minister Shinzo Abe—of drugging and raping her in 2015.
Ghost Cat Anzu ***
The predictability of so much American feature animation certainly gets a bracing counterpoint in this anime adventure that feels both vaguely familiar and somehow also its own weird thing. Based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro, it’s the story of an adolescent girl named Karin (Noa Gotō) who’s left by her widowed, gambling-debt-ridden father Tetsuya (Munetaka Aoki) at the temple run by her grandfather.
Aquarium Lantern Festival, ILLUMINATE Festival, SALT Dance, Natalie D. Richards
There's always so much more to do in the local arts, culture and entertainment scene than any print issue can hold. Here are just a few more ways you can spend your weekend.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Heretic, Small Things Like These, Memoir of a Snail and more
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ***
Barbara Robinson’s 1972 novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever remains one of sweetest, most earnest examples of faith-based family entertainment this side of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Dallas Jenkins’ adaptation retains nearly everything that makes the source material work. Narrated in flashback by Lauren Graham, it’s set in a picturesque 1970s small town where well-meaning mom Grace (Judy Greer) agrees to take over directing the town’s beloved Nativity pageant, only to find that the Herdmans—a sextet of near-feral siblings with absentee parents—are dead set on taking it over.
Anora, Here, Music By John Williams, Emilia Pérez, Absolution and more
Absolution **
Has Liam Neeson really been riding in the same groove for so long that he’s moved from multiple “aging badass reaching a life transition” roles to multiple “aging badass reaching a life transition who also has dementia” roles? His unnamed character here is long-time muscle for a Boston-area crime boss (Ron Perlman), facing memory loss and trying to use the time he has remaining to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Frankie Shaw) and grandson (Terrence Pulliam).
Two new productions explore the psychological cost of bigotry
It ain’t easy talking about hate. It’s depressing to feel like it should have gotten easier in recent years, considering how often various groups are demonized in our world, but it’s still hard to contemplate dehumanization in a way that isn’t didactic.
Venom: The Last Dance, Conclave, Your Monster, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Conclave ***1/2
A movie about the election of a Pope might not be as hard a sell if the marketing department were able to reveal the kind of movie it actually is—but the complexity it ultimately reveals is part of what makes it so fascinating. Director Edward Berger (the Oscar-winning 2022 All Quiet on the Western Front) and screenwriter Peter Straughan adapt Robert Harris’s 2016 novel that takes in the aftermath of the sudden death of the Pope, leaving Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) responsible for overseeing the conclave of cardinals that will select his successor.
