By John Corrado

New releases for the week of May 23rd, 2025.

Theatrical Releases:

Lilo & Stitch (Wide Release): Disney’s modern redo of their fan favourite 2002 animated film about a girl and her alien is one of the studio’s best live-action remakes. It mainly works because CGI Stitch is adorable, and the child actress playing Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is a breakout star. Sure, it’s not as good as the animated version (they never are), but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The original’s heart remains intact, and Stitch is a delight to watch. I keep banging the drum that this will make a billion dollars, but I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it. This thing will be a massive hit with families, with all-ages appeal. (Full Review)

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Wide Release): Tom Cruise’s latest (and final?) mission as IMF agent Ethan Hunt finds the last movie star once again teaming up with director Christopher McQuarrie to stage a series of cool stunts and set-pieces. The film feels somewhat bloated at nearly three hours, and isn’t quite as good as the last few instalments of the franchise. But it’s still a very solid action blockbuster that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible (i.e., IMAX) for that final hour alone, and the awesome sight of Cruise dangling off a plane. (Full Review)

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (Limited Release): A perpetually single Parisian woman (played by Camille Rutherford), who works in a bookshop and fantasizes about living in a Jane Austen novel, finds herself torn between two men in this delightful modern romantic comedy. It’s a lovely surprise that reminds us just how satisfying a good rom-com can be, and serves as a hugely promising feature debut for writer-director Laura Piani. Like a French Bridget Jones’s Diary. Opens in limited release after premiering at TIFF last year. (Full Review)

Bad Shabbos (Limited Release): This dark comedy, which won the Audience Award at Tribeca last year, focuses on a Jewish man (Jon Bass) who brings his fiancée Meg (Meghan Leathers) over for Shabbat dinner with his family, only to be faced with a freak accident in their New York City apartment. It’s an enjoyable – and distinctly Jewish – indie comedy, that moves fast at a madcap 84 minutes. A pretty fun little ensemble film. (Full Review)

More Releases: The Last Rodeo (Limited), Pavements (TIFF Lightbox)

Streaming Releases:

Fountain of Youth (Apple TV+), Fear Street: Prom Queen (Netflix), Sirens (Netflix), Nine Perfect Strangers: Season 2 (Prime Video)