Movies in North Texas theaters on Oct. 13 and coming soon
NEW THIS WEEK
Opening dates are subject to change.
(D) DEAR DAVID After responding to internet trolls, a man (Augustus Prew) is haunted by the ghost of a child named David in this horror flick based on the viral Twitter thread by BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis. Written by Mike Van Waes and directed by John McPhail, it’s a dim and dismal affair that misses what makes this story horrifying by about a mile. R (for violent content, language and a sexual reference). 94 mins. At Galaxy Theatres Grandscape in The Colony.
(B) JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE This thoughtful, thorough documentary provides a sometimes harrowingly intimate portrait of legendary folk singer and civil rights activist Joan Baez. It follows her on her final tour and delves into her archive, including newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes and audio recordings, while also examining her anxiety, depression and loneliness. Not rated. 113 mins. At the Dallas and Plano Angelikas.
THE STORMS OF JEREMY THOMAS Renowned producer Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor, Crash, Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession) discusses some of his most controversial and acclaimed films while making his annual pilgrimage to the Cannes Film Festival in France in this documentary. Not rated. 94 mins. At the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR Expect fans to be out in force as the movie version of Taylor Swift’s hugely popular Eras Tour hits theaters. The pop star has encouraged Swifties to sing and dance at the screenings, and many theaters will offer special merchandise, events and promotions. Not rated. 168 mins. In wide release.
COMING NEXT WEEK
THE CANTERVILLE GHOST In this animated comedy, an American family moves into Canterville Chase, a stately English mansion that has been haunted by the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville for 300 years. He meets his match when he tries to scare away the new arrivals.
DICKS: THE MUSICAL Two self-obsessed businessmen (screenwriters Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp) discover that they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents in this raunchy musical parody from comedy icon Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Borat). Also starring Megan Thee Stallion, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally and Bowen Yang.
FOE Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal) farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal. Based on the sci-fi horror novel by Iain Reid.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Martin Scorsese’s latest is an adaptation of the popular 2017 nonfiction book by David Grann, which details a series of murders of Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma over oil rights and the ensuing investigation by the newly formed FBI. Working with local Osage communities and Indigenous actors and crew, Scorsese’s production has attempted to avoid cultural potholes on representation and authenticity that even just a few years ago would have been ignored in a major Hollywood film. Killers reunites Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, two of Scorsese’s biggest on-screen collaborators, but it is Indigenous actor Lily Gladstone who may be the film’s beating heart, thanks to her performance and the pivotal off-screen role she played in supporting the project. The film premiered at Cannes to wide acclaim, and it should be one of the year’s leading awards hopefuls.
MALIBU HORROR STORY Terror strikes when a team of paranormal investigators search a sacred cave for clues in the unsolved disappearance of four Malibu teens. This thriller from writer-director Scott Stone blends traditional narrative and found footage techniques.
CURRENT RELEASES
(A) BARBIE Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. Director Greta Gerwig cleaves through culture with gleeful spirit and savage humor in this existential exegesis on what it means to be a woman, and a human, reflecting our world back to us through the lens of Barbie. In doing so, she delivers a barbed statement wrapped in a visually sumptuous and sublimely silly cinematic confection. PG-13 (for suggestive references and brief language). 114 mins.
(B-) BLUE BEETLE An alien relic chooses Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the teenager with a suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle. The first DC Comics movie to feature a Latino superhero, it’s a good old-fashioned origin story, a stand-alone film unrestrained by cinematic universes, crossovers and cameos — and it’s refreshing, despite its adherence to formula. Also starring Susan Sarandon and Harvey Guillén. PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence, language and some suggestive references). 127 mins.
(C+) THE CREATOR The sprawling sci-fi film from writer-director Gareth Edwards makes the argument for a peaceful coexistence with artificial intelligence. Against the backdrop of a war between humans and AI robots, a former special forces soldier (John David Washington) is recruited to hunt down and kill an elusive AI architect, but all he finds is a small AI child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Although it is a stunningly beautiful film and the kind of original movie that is too rare in Hollywood today, the storytelling has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. PG-13 (for violence, some bloody images and strong language). 133 mins.
DR. CHEON AND THE LOST TALISMAN A fake exorcist, Dr. Cheon, is drawn into a series of unexplainable events that challenge his beliefs and dredge up childhood horrors. In Korean with subtitles. Not rated. 98 mins.
(B) DUMB MONEY Paul Dano stars as the small-time financial analyst and social media star who kicked off the GameStop stock-trading frenzy that pitted small investors against hedge fund titans as the retail chain’s share price skyrocketed in early 2021. The film wants us to believe a revolution was afoot, but it’s too low-key to be truly convincing. Thanks to its solid cast, it’s entertaining nonetheless. Also starring Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrara, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogen. R (for pervasive language, sexual material and drug use). 104 mins.
(B-) THE EQUALIZER 3 Denzel Washington is back as former government assassin Robert McCall in the final installment of the Equalizer trilogy. At home in Southern Italy, McCall discovers that his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, he becomes his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia. We don’t come to the Equalizer movies for plot, and this one prizes performance and visceral, dramatic imagery over everything else. The appeal is watching Washington do what he does best, and he’s having a lot of fun here, quietly threatening bad guys, flashing toothy grins and pontificating about good and evil. Also starring Dakota Fanning. R (for strong bloody violence and some language). 103 mins.
(C) THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER Having already made a direct sequel to 1978′s Halloween with an identically titled movie in 2018, director David Gordon Green is at the helm of this direct sequel to 1973′s The Exorcist, the sixth entry in the franchise. It’s an unrelenting film that attempts to cover up its lack of shock and suspense with smash cuts, jump scares, overlapping sound design and chaotic camerawork. Despite all this stylistic violence, the demonic histrionics of two possessed tweens (Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum) grow tiresome almost immediately. Green wants to spread a message that’s less about faith and more about the people who come together to save their young by any means necessary, it’s just a shame that we don’t particularly care about any of these people. Also starring Leslie Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn, Ann Dowd and Okwui Okpokwasili. R (for some violent content, disturbing images, language and sexual references). 121 mins.
(D+) EXPEND4BLES In 2010, Sylvester Stallone created the mother of all geezer teasers in The Expendables, collecting every over-the-hill action star in a single movie. Nine years after The Expendables 3, we have Expend4bles, with Stallone back in the cockpit and Jason Statham riding shotgun. Scott Waugh helms this latest iteration, which concerns a crew of easily expendable baddies (Megan Fox, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran) who take on secret missions. This one happens to run on digital blood spatter, bootleg CGI and japes about genitalia, but the force driving these films is nostalgia for retro action movies, where the men were muscly and the misogyny was cool with everyone. The action is messy, the geography indiscernible, and a few shots seem stitched together with nothing but a single pixel and a prayer. The film is mind-numbingly dull. R (for strong/bloody violence throughout, language and sexual material). 103 mins.
(C) GOLDA Helen Mirren stars as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in this historical drama set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The film has its moments, mostly involving the relationship between Meir and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, nicely played by Liev Schreiber. But overall, it’s a dry and frustrating affair. PG-13 (for thematic material and pervasive smoking). 100 mins.
(C) GRAN TURISMO Based on the story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), this is the wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo video game player who won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver. The first hour of the film leans heavily into brand mythology, and it is dreadful. The second half, which focuses on the actual racing, is more successful. PG-13 (for intense action and some strong language). 135 mins.
(B) A HAUNTING IN VENICE Celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) hunts for a murderer after a guest is killed at a Venetian séance in this mystery loosely based on Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party. It’s Branagh’s third outing as the mustachioed detective in a trilogy of Christie adaptations. He also directs, and his approach to the film is wildly daring, creating a queasy, acid-laced Gothic aesthetic. It’s a dizzying roller-coaster ride — with incredible craftsmanship and stylistic experimentation animating complex emotions. Also starring Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Michelle Yeoh. PG-13 (for some strong violence, disturbing images and thematic elements). 103 mins.
(B+) IT LIVES INSIDE An Indian American teenager (Megan Suri), struggling with her cultural identity, has a falling-out with her former best friend and, in the process, unwittingly releases an ancient demon. One of the better PG-13 horror flicks of late, It Lives Inside ekes sufficient menace from the familiar story of a consuming demonic presence. PG-13 (for terror, violent content, bloody images, brief strong language and teen drug use). 99 mins.
JAWAN This Bollywood action thriller follows the emotional journey of a man set on righting the wrongs of society, driven by a personal vendetta and a promise made years ago. In Hindi with subtitles. Not rated. 165 mins.
(C+) MEG 2: THE TRENCH Jason Statham stars in this sequel to the 2018 action-horror flick about a killer megalodon shark. After a lackluster start, Meg 2 finds its sea legs and suddenly becomes funny about halfway through. Once it becomes clear that the movie is in on the joke, viewers can relax and enjoy the slippery silliness of a summer shark flick. PG-13 (for action/violence, some bloody images, language and brief suggestive material). 116 mins.
(A) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — DEAD RECKONING PART ONE Tom Cruise is back in the seventh Mission: Impossible adventure, performing a series of death-defying stunts involving trains, motorcycles and more as he battles an artificial intelligence villain known as the Entity. Though the stunts are spectacular, Cruise’s incredibly expressive eyes are his greatest tool in performing them. Also starring Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some language and suggestive material). 163 mins.
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 The Portokaloses travel to Greece for a family reunion in the latest comedy from Nia Vardalos. Also starring John Corbett, Elena Kampouris, Gia Carides and Joey Fatone. PG-13 (for suggestive material and some nudity). 91 mins.
(C) THE NUN II A nun (Taissa Farmiga) once again comes face-to-face with a demon in this sequel to the 2018 supernatural horror flick. Set in a French boarding school in 1956, it’s the ninth film in the Conjuring Universe franchise. Director Michael Chaves and cinematographer Tristan Nyby bring some cool visuals, but the film is sorely lacking in scares and suspense — it’s an utter snooze. R (for violent content and some terror). 110 mins.
ON FIRE A couple (Peter Facinelli and Fiona Dourif) must flee with their son (Asher Angel) as a wildfire bears down on their trailer home. PG-13 (for action/peril, disturbing images and some strong language). 80 mins.
(B-) OPPENHEIMER Cillian Murphy leads a stacked cast — including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman and Kenneth Branagh — in this study of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the atomic bomb. Director Christopher Nolan dominates viewers with a visual and sonic riptide, bringing a jagged, dissonant sensibility to a film that focuses less on facts and more on feeling as it thrusts the audience into the advent and fallout of the nuclear arms race. R (for some sexuality, nudity and language). 180 mins.
(B-) PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE In this children’s tale, a magical meteor gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, which they’ll need to contend with a pair of newly superpowered baddies. The animated adventure is gently charming, inoffensive and just silly enough to make for a pleasant viewing experience. PG (for mild action/peril). 92 mins.
(B+) THE ROYAL HOTEL American backpackers Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) take a job in a remote Australian pub for some extra cash and find themselves trapped in a situation that grows rapidly out of their control. As they face indignities that range from the terrifying to the absurd, Australian filmmaker Kitty Green presents a stinging rebuke to the kinds of workplace misogyny we’ve all too easily normalized. R (for language throughout and sexual content/nudity). 91 mins.
SAW X Set between the events of Saw and Saw II, the latest installment of the horror franchise has John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka Jigsaw, traveling to Mexico for an experimental medical procedure in hopes of curing his cancer. When he learns that the whole operation is a scam, he turns the tables on the con artists with a series of terrifying traps. R (for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and some drug use). 118 mins.
SHE CAME TO ME In this multigenerational romantic comedy set in New York City, a composer suffering from creative block (Peter Dinklage) finds inspiration after a chance encounter with an unusual woman (Marisa Tomei). Also starring Anne Hathaway. R (for some language). 102 mins.
SHELTER IN SOLITUDE A death row prisoner (Peter Macon) with 10 days left to live forms an unlikely bond with a prison guard and would-be country singer (Siobhan Fallon Hogan). Not rated. 93 mins.
(C+) SOUND OF FREEDOM In this drama based on a true story, a former government agent (Jim Caviezel) embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers. Not particularly nuanced or subtle, the film isn’t a thoughtful examination or a ruminative character study. It’s a straight-up call to arms designed to speak squarely to its audience, such as when its star looks into the camera and says, “God’s children are not for sale.” PG-13 (for thematic content involving sex trafficking, violence, language, sexual references, some drug references and smoking throughout). 135 mins.
STRANGE WAY OF LIFE Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke star in Pedro Almodóvar’s latest English-language short, set in the Old West. R (for some sexual content, language and bloody images). 31 mins.
(A-) TALK TO ME Teen friends learn that they can conjure spirits with the help of a strange plaster hand, but they take it too far and unleash horrific supernatural forces. In the directorial debut of Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou (who go by RackaRacka on YouTube), everyone wants a turn in a ritual that provides a harrowing and addictive head rush — especially the lonely young Mia, who is played by Sophie Wilde in a star-making performance. R (for strong/bloody violent content, some sexual material and language throughout). 94 mins.
(A) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM In this animated adventure-comedy, whose writers include Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad), the turtles seek acceptance as normal teens but soon find themselves facing off against an army of mutants. The hugely entertaining and funny film seems destined to reinvigorate the franchise. Featuring the voices of Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Rose Byrne, Hannibal Buress and John Cena. PG (for sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material). 99 mins.
A VERY GOOD GIRL After a heartless firing triggers a chain of unfortunate events, Philo (Kathryn Bernardo) plots revenge against retail mogul Mother Molly (Dolly de Leon). In Tagalog and Filipino with subtitles. Not rated. 125 mins.
WHEN EVIL LURKS In this dark and gory horror film from Argentine director Demián Rugna (Terrified), the residents of a rural town desperately try to escape when they discover that a demon is about to be born among them — but it may be too late. In Spanish with subtitles. Not rated. 99 mins.
Compiled from staff and wire reports
