By John Corrado

New releases for the week of January 17th, 2025.

Theatrical Releases:

Wolf Man (Wide Release): Director Leigh Whannell, who previously made The Invisible Man, now returns with another Universal Horror reimagining. This one stars Christopher Abbott as the man undergoing the transformation, and Julia Garner as his wife. I admired The Invisible Man, but reviews for this one are more mixed, though I hear the practical makeup effects are impressive. I’ll see it for myself at some point.

The Last Showgirl (Wide Release): Director Gia Coppola’s portrait of an aging Las Vegas showgirl stars Pamela Anderson in a comeback role that has drawn some awards buzz, with supporting turns by Jamie Lee Curtis (also getting surprise Oscar buzz) and Dave Bautista. I saw this one when it premiered at TIFF, and it’s a decent (if somewhat slight) slice-of-life portrait, that is carried mainly by the strong performances. Plays at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, in addition to other theatres. (TIFF 2024 Review)

More Releases: September 5 (Expanding), One of Them Days (Wide)

Streaming Releases:

A Real Pain (Disney+): Jesse Eisenberg’s film, which cracked my Top Ten list for 2024, is now available to stream on Disney Plus. Eisenberg directs, writes and stars in the film, acting alongside Kieran Culkin, who gives maybe the best supporting performance of last year. Culkin is heavily favourited to win the Supporting Actor Oscar, and deservedly so. This one deserves my highest recommendation. (Full Review)

More Releases: Unstoppable (Prime Video), Back in Action (Netflix), A Real Bug’s Life: Season 2 (Disney+)