By John Corrado

New releases for the week of September 27th, 2024.

Theatrical Releases:

The Wild Robot (Wide Release): This latest film from DreamWorks Animation, which is opening today after premiering at TIFF a few weeks ago, is truly something special. The film follows Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), a robot who crash lands on an island and befriends the animals that inhabit it. It’s one of the best movies that DreamWorks has ever made, delivering a heartfelt story about caregiving, endearing characters, gorgeous animation, and sweeping music. A wonderful film that those of any age can watch and relate to. (TIFF 2024 Review)

Megalopolis (Wide Release): Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed passion project follows an ambitious architect (Adam Driver) trying to rebuild the city of New Rome. I’ve seen it twice (including in IMAX at the special event screening on Monday), and am a big fan of Coppola’s audacious, challenging vision. Yes, it’s a lot. But this is the work a director in the twilight of his career, making exactly the movie he’s wanted to make for over forty years. On second viewing, I think what resonates with me most about Megalopolis is how beautiful and hopeful it is for the future of humanity; it’s a vision of the future made with the optimism of the past. It won’t work for everyone (I was in the minority at TIFF who loved it), but is worth experiencing for yourself to see where you land. The bold, dreamlike visuals are especially wondrous on a massive screen. (TIFF 2024 Review)

Lee (Limited Release): The feature directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras, Lee is a biopic of photojournalist Elizabeth “Lee” Miller (played by Kate Winslet), who worked as a photographer for Vogue magazine during World War II. The film itself often feels like an overly conventional biopic, but it features strong performances from Winslet and especially Andy Samberg, who surprises in a rare but noteworthy dramatic performance. (Full Review)

Seeking Mavis Beacon (Limited Release): This documentary about the search for the Haitian model who became the face of the computer program Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing could have been so much more interesting. But instead we get a mix of sincere investigative doc and too-online Gen Z vanity project, that can’t really sustain itself for feature length. There is a really interesting short film buried inside this 102 minute documentary. (Full Review)

More Releases: My Old Ass (Wide), A Different Man (Limited), In the Summers (Limited), Azrael (Limited), Devara: Part 1 (Limited), Die Alone (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

Will & Harper (Netflix), Rez Ball (Netflix), Apartment 7A (Paramount+), Nobody Wants This (Netflix), Killer Heat (Prime Video), Wolfs (Apple TV+)