New This Week (05/10/2024): Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Evil Does Not Exist, & More!

By John Corrado

New releases for the week of May 10th, 2024.

(L-R): Noa (played by Owen Teague) , Freya Allan as Nova and Raka (played by Peter Macon) in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Theatrical Releases:

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Wide Release): This latest film in the Apes saga is a solid start to this next chapter of the franchise, focused on a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) several generations after the rise of Caesar. Directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner), taking over for Matt Reeves, Kingdom doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous trilogy, but it’s a solid, thematically rich blockbuster. There’s a real sense of discovery to how the new characters explore this world, with wonder and danger around every corner. This has turned into one of the best modern blockbuster franchises, and I’m looking forward to seeing where they take this series next. (Full Review)

Evil Does Not Exist (Limited Release): Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s followup to his Oscar-winning Drive My Car follows a father (Hitoshi Omika) and daughter (Ryo Nishikawa) who live in the forest outside Tokyo, but have their way of life is threatened by corporate developers. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa, it offers a very interesting cinematic experience that mixes elements of nature film, eco-drama, and thriller. (TIFF 2023 Review)

We Grown Now (Limited Release): Filmmaker Minhal Haig’s We Grown Now offers a vivid portrait of childhood and growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects circa 1992, centred around best friends Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez). The real standout is Patrick Scola’s pretty incredible cinematography. (Full Review)

The Burning Season (Limited Release): This latest collaboration between Canadian director Sean Garrity and star Jonas Chernick is a simmering romantic drama that starts at the end and works its way back to the beginning, charting the long-running summer affair between JB (Chernick) and Alena (Sara Canning). (Canadian Film Fest Review)

More Releases: Chicken for Linda! (TIFF Lightbox), Carlos (Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema), The Arc of Oblivion (Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema), Not Another Church Movie (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

The Beatles: Let It Be (Disney+), Mother of the Bride (Netflix), Dark Matter (Apple TV+)