Soul

If you died tomorrow, would you be OK with it?

Without any words, that’s what Soul asks us. The short story is that Joe needs to pick between following his jazz-piano-passion and holding down a steady job. The long story is that he has other things to figure out, and it takes a journey through space and time for him to realize it.

Sound heavy? That’s because it is. But this remains a movie for the whole family, filled with approachable characters and silly scenarios. The music is mesmerizing, and the animation everchanging. You’ll be hooked in the first two minutes.

It’s something special when a movie can work on multiple levels; when your child can have fun learning a life lesson—and you can have fun re-learning it. So now that you know there’s something special in your life, what are you waiting for?

Klaus

Nobody gets toys on Christmas.

That’s because Smeerensburg is about tradition, and tradition says to hate thy neighbor.

Jesper is thrown into this lovely setting as the town’s new mail carrier. But he’s no saint either: He sees Klaus, a nice old man, as his ticket out. At least, that’s how their relationship starts . . .

At the end of the day, this movie tries to do too much. It’s really about Jesper growing up, but jams in Santa’s origin story, the meaning of secular Christmas, the corrupting power of adults, and more. This makes things confusing. Who should we root for? What’s the moral of the story?

You can watch it with family, but it’s more for adults (who overthink things) than children. All that said, its tie-ins to Christmas traditions are clever, and the animation can be gorgeous. Lights and lines create vivid portraits that just so happen to move.

Mangrove

Before Frank knows it, his new restaurant is the hottest spot in town. That’s bad news.

Why? The police don’t see a place to relax. They see enemy headquarters, usurpers of English space and women. So begins an attack on London’s Caribbean community.

The story here is many. Many conversations, many frustrations, many injustices. It’s all maddening. And yet, the movie is beautiful.

Direction with a light touch lets the story speak for itself. And with near-perfect acting, it speaks loud and clear: There is no limit to what individuals are capable of when they work with each other.

The movie is powerful—and powerfully real—from beginning to end, but the trial sequences are some of the most memorable you’ll see in movies.

Godmothered

The Godmother industry is going out of business. People just don’t believe in happily-ever-after anymore.

That includes Mackenzie, which is bad news for Eleanor, Godmother-in-training and complete ditz.

Will Mackenzie ever rekindle the light in her life? Eleanor thinks so, and tries her best to make it happen. She’s completely out of place—and hilarious and charming. The same can be said for the whole movie. This fairy tale includes funny twists on oldies-but-goodies, but leaves behind outdated values.

The cast gels together, and every so often, camerawork adds to the theme of magic in our everyday. What we have here is a wholesome story just in time for the holiday season.

Peppermint

Riley ain’t so sweet. In fact, she’s hell-bent on revenge. Looks like Diego and his gang messed with the wrong mom.

Fine. Everyone wants justice. But the tone here is way too dark. The “hero” does more harm than good, and the movie doesn’t explore whether it’s justified.

The twists are good enough to make us curious whether Riley will get satisfaction, but in the end, there’s little satisfying about this shootfest. Too bad. It’s a waste of good performances by each of the police crew, and action by our lead.

His House

Bol and Rial have suffered, and are ready to build a new life.

New life means new house. This one has room for the family to grow, but something’s off. Something’s way off.

As we watch the couple deal with a living nightmare, we learn about some of their past ones. It’s moving and terrifying stuff.

What we have here is an instant classic, equal parts horror, drama, and social commentary. Yep—visual and sound effects will have you jumping out of your seat more than once. But the writing and imagery, easy-flowing and rooted in reality, are just as scary. Driving it all home are performances by Bol and Rial showing exceptional depth and range.

The Prom

Prom is cancelled! Thanks PTA. Now the cool kids won’t be able to flaunt it, and Emma won’t be able to finally enjoy a night in public with her girlfriend.

Outrage at this small-town injustice is trending. So Dee Dee and Barry, fresh off their Broadway flop, try to score publicity points by saving the day. Think sequin-bomb exploding in an Indiana Applebee’s.

What follows is relentlessly upbeat, filled with loud colors, broad smiles, and impromptu (but perfect) performances. It can be a bit much, especially with such a long movie, but it’s all there to create a mood of positivity in the face of pain. Snarky and self-referential jokes make it clear that the moviemakers knew exactly what they were doing here: just having fun with it.

Collective

A nightclub fire has killed more people than it should’ve. Reporters let us in on each step of their investigation, and it’s looking to be a bombshell.

Watching their patience in the face of an unknown and evolving enemy will get your blood pumping. But the fire investigation, it turns out, is just the tip of the fuse. State hospitals, the department of health, and the highest powers of Romanian government are implicated in related horrors.

Prepare yourself. The facts uncovered are disgusting; heartbreaking; almost unbelievable.

So why spend time with such a downer? Because to prevent tomorrow’s horror, we must understand today’s. Because we need reminders of how important it is to speak up for what’s right—and how important it is to have the right to speak up. 

Sound of Metal

Ruben and Lou are a metal band. They’re also a sweet couple. It looks like they’ve helped each other through tough times, and are the better for it.

Then, something happens to Ruben. Things trend towards unhealthy again, and it’s terrifying.

Watching Ruben try to plow through his new reality can be uncomfortable, but you won’t be able to look away. Can he possibly salvage things? Well, two things are for sure: the sound-work here is eye-opening, and the acting from Ruben—and Joe especially—is extraordinary.

Vampires vs. the Bronx

Miguel loves his community. But more and more, neighbors are leaving: The Bronx is gentrifying.

That may be a bad thing, but there’s something worse to be tackled, and only Miguel and his friends seem to recognize it. The Bronx is now feat. vampires.

The kids’ quest to save home is witty and entertaining. Bronx-ness permeates every scene without feeling fake or forced. The movie is meant to be spooky, but you’ll find yourself more happy than haunted.

Tripping with Nils Frahm

Nils Frahm puts on a show.

And we have the best seat in the house, thanks to pro camerawork. Balanced zooms show us all the highlights: sweat beads of concentration here, happy feet there, an evolving crowd always. The experience is intimate, but collective too.

Editing distracts us in the best way. How is he making these sounds—but look at that technique—wow the crowd is feeling this song—except for that person in the third row? Go with it. Sit and watch or stand and dance, you can’t go wrong.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Borat has given a bad name to his home, Kazakhstan. To make up for it, he must travel to the U.S., and make good with its leaders.

That’s the idea. The execution is ridiculous, cringe-worthy, and many times, laugh-out-loud funny.

The movie oversimplifies things, and is arguably pretty offensive. But it also spotlights ridiculous behavior. Because the leads play their exaggerated characters to perfection, it makes us wonder—as we laugh—where satire ends and sad reality begins.

Get Duked

Teenagers can suck. These three stand out even in that crowd, so they’re sent to the Scottish countryside for detention. The idea goes: You can’t fool around if you want to survive.

What could go wrong? A lot, it turns out. Especially when drugs and secret societies are involved.

This movie is just outrageous. It’s hilarious, punchy, and filled with youthful irreverence. The leads work well together, and as silly as it is, it makes an interesting point.

Selva Trágica (Tragic Jungle)

The rules of the jungle don’t change.

Indigenous people know this, and Agnes is catching on. She’ll need the jungle’s help if she wants to escape the bad guys.

It’s a haunting story, and one that takes cues from its setting. Nature can move slowly, but it’s always moving. Best listen to it before you act.

My Octopus Teacher

Craig is strong; Craig is gentle. Craig free dives in the wild ocean.

One day, he comes across something he’s never seen before. This begins an unexpectedly long and touching journey, where a man learns about an octopus, and an octopus learns about a man.

Waiting for the punch line? It is a funny story. But it’s also dead serious—about survival, intelligence, connection. Crisp picture gives us a movie that, like its parts, swells with life.

Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes was raised to be independent. At least, Mother tried. When this her best friend and teacher goes missing, we’ll see if Enola is truly ready to walk her own path.

Unexpected situations seem to be around its every bend. It’s hard to say whether those, or Enola’s problem-solving, are more fun to watch.

One thing is for sure: This movie has energy. Good music and writing chug us along, with lead actress as conductor. Sitting with her, the ride flies by.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

A young woman is thinking of ending things, that much is clear. The rest of this movie is anything but.

As you’d guess, such thoughts make for an interesting visit to her boyfriend’s parents. Their discussions are poignant sometimes, bristling others.

It’s all so relatable. Then the visit becomes a journey, and the journey a descent. Personalities, timelines and daydreams spiral around us. Something’s not right, but everything feels real.

In the end, this exceptional movie does nothing other than to leave us feeling human: haunted, confused, deliriously hopeful.

Ne Zha

Heavenly powers have a plan for Ne Zha. So do his parents. Neither seems to matter to the kid, who’s as stubborn as they come.

Can you blame him? It’s hard to learn right from wrong when everyone under the sun thinks your fate is sealed. But what makes life difficult for Ne Zha is what makes this movie worthwhile.

Complex but cute animation creates a fantasy world worth exploring. Quirky characters keep things light, balancing out a heavy premise.

Freaks: You're One of Us

Wendy holds back most day days. She’s become a pushover who can’t support her family.

It doesn’t have to be this way. If Wendy lets loose, she can take on anything. But her solution is her problem: Superhuman abilities can hurt people as easily as they can get things done. We watch as she (and some new friends) struggle through this dilemma.

This is a bit slower, and has less action than your typical superhero movie—which makes it refreshing and believable. Instead of yet another fight scene we can guess the ending to, each new interaction brings excitement and mystery.

That said, there’s no good without evil. Some scenes have distracting continuity issues. Characters are underdeveloped, and plot holes are jumped, all in the hopes that we’ll be happy enough rooting for the good guy.

My Spy

Jeff is ex-special forces, a hands-on type. He’ll need to learn subtlety for his new spy gig.

The next mission might help. Or, it might be glorified babysitting. Only one way to find out.

This leads to more than a few funny moments. Sophie, her wit and relationship with Jeff, is the source of most. When she’s off the screen, though, the movie loses its charm. It’s a sweet premise that requires one too many stretches of the imagination.