By John Corrado

New releases for the week of October 18th, 2024.

Theatrical Releases:

Smile 2 (Wide Release): This follow up to the 2022 box office hit Smile is a classically “bigger” horror sequel that finds writer-director Parker Finn building on the first one to deliver a piece of satisfying pop entertainment. This one branches out to focus on Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop star recovering from a traumatic accident who is preparing to go back on tour when she encounters the smile entity. It runs a bit long, but features confidently crafted set-pieces and jump-scares, and Scott devours the role of a struggling pop diva with a solid performance. (Full Review)

We Live in Time (Wide Release): Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in this romantic drama from director John Crowley (Brooklyn), that uses a fractured narrative to tell the story of a young couple through several life stages, with happy and sad moments colliding into each other. I saw this one at TIFF, and the film works as a genuine romantic tear-jerker. Garfield and Pugh have magnetic chemistry together, and their performances are the reason why the film leaves an impact. (TIFF 2024 Review)

Goodrich (Limited Release): Michael Keaton stars in this dramedy as Andy Goodrich, who is left to solo parent 9-year-old twins when his younger wife tells him that she has booked herself into a rehab facility. This forces him to turn to his adult daughter (Mila Kunis) for support. It feels a little messy and the story beats don’t all work. But Keaton and Kunis do nice work together, and when it’s focused on Keaton’s character learning how to be a better man and better father, the film has a sweetness to it that does tug at the heartstrings. (Full Review)

Rumours (Limited Release): This latest from Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin and co-directors Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, is a mix of political satire and bizarre fever dream. The story pits the G7 leaders (led by Cate Blanchett’s German chancellor) against each other in the woods, where they encounter oddities like bog people and a giant brain. It has some moments, but the premise feels somewhat stretched thin and the film can drag. (TIFF 2024 Review)

More Releases: Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party (Limited), Bookworm (Limited), Panda Plan (Limited), Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue! (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

The Shadow Strays (Netflix): This latest from Indonesian action filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto, which is dropping on Netflix following its Midnight Madness premiere at TIFF, follows a young female assassin codenamed 13 (Aurora Ribero), who is part of a secretive group called The Shadow. I saw this one at Midnight Madness, and it fully delivers in terms of the highly stylized action sequences, which draw comparisons to The Raid and John Wick. Action fans are in for a treat. (TIFF 2024 Review)

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (Disney+): In her latest true crime documentary, director Erin Lee Carr unravels the story of how a hacker began impersonating Tegan Quin, one half of Canadian musical duo Tegan and Sara. The hacker assumed Tegan’s identity and began communicating with fans, who believed they were befriending the real person. Carr’s film offers a bizarre tale of hacking, cyberstalking, and obsessive fans. The other aspect of it is a candid interview with Tegan herself, talking about how the emergence of the fake Tegan (dubbed “Fegan”) impacted her on a personal level, and the toll it took on her own mental health and relationships. It’s a pretty standard streaming doc. But there is something deeply unsettling about Fanatical in terms of what it gets at about “stan culture,” and the ways that certain fans become fixated on their favourite artists.

More Releases: Brothers (Prime Video), Shrinking: Season Two (Apple TV+)