By John Corrado

New releases for the week of November 4th, 2022.

Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Theatrical Releases:

Armageddon Time (Wide Release): James Gray’s semi-autobiographical film is inspired by his own childhood in Queen’s, New York, following the 11-year-old Paul (Banks Repeta) and his friendship with Johnny (Jaylin Webb), the one Black kid in his public school class. If the film can feel a bit simplistic at times in its handling of themes around racism, this is still a mostly engaging Reagan-era coming of age story that held my attention. Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong play the parents, and Anthony Hopkins is wonderful in the role of the grandfather. (Full Review)

The Swearing Jar (Limited Release): Canadian filmmaker Lindsay MacKay’s (Wet Bum) second feature is one of the films I watched on a screener just before TIFF, and really took me by surprise. The story of aspiring singer-songwriter Carey (Adelaide Clemens), who is torn between her feelings for two men (Patrick J. Adams and Douglas Smith), this powerful romantic drama is told partially through a series of stirring original songs that Clemens performs, and it impressed me with its ambitious narrative structure. It’s worth seeking out if you’re looking for a good tearjerker. (TIFF 2022 Review)

More Releases: The Wonder (TIFF Bell Lightbox), Good Night Oppy (TIFF Bell Lightbox), Vandits (Limited), The Return of Tanya Tucker (Limited), One Piece Film: Red (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku): Seeing director Eric Appel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story at a packed Midnight Madness screening during TIFF was maybe the most fun I’ve had in a theatre this year. A gonzo biopic of parody songwriter “Weird Al” Yankovic that itself becomes a parody of musical biopics, the film features a fully committed performance by Daniel Radcliffe and a slew of cameos. It’s a ton of fun, and streaming free on The Roku Channel. Perfect for viewing parties. (TIFF 2022 Review)

Causeway (Apple TV+): Director Lila Neugebauer’s debut film Causeway, which recently had its world premiere at TIFF, is a stripped down drama that stars Jennifer Lawrence as a soldier returning from Afghanistan with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury, who moves back to New Orleans and befriends a local mechanic (Brian Tyree Henry). The film didn’t quite connect with me when I saw it during the festival, but Lawrence and in particular Henry deliver very good performances, so I will be giving it a second chance at some point on streaming. (TIFF 2022 Review)

More Releases: Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (Apple TV+), My Policeman (Prime Video), Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix), See How They Run (Disney+)