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We’re cruising toward the end of the year and we’re getting a steady flood of new releases. Below is my take on the new movies in theaters and streaming from last weekend. You can follow all my recent viewing on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

The Boy and the Heron (Theaters)
Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Yoshino Kimura, and Takuya Kimura
Synopsis: This new animated film released this weekend. It comes from filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and is sent in Japan in during World War II. Mahito (Santoki) loses his mother during the fighting. Some time later, but still during the way, Mahito and his father move to the country for his new factory. There, he is still grieving the loss of his mother while adjusting to the new stepmother (Yoshino Kimura) who is about to give birth to his new sibling. He’s also plagued by a boisterous gray heron (Suda) who tries to pull him into a secret world. Miyazaki is a renowned filmmaker in the animated space. He creates lavish worlds and stories that pull you in. This latest is no different. It’s a well-constructed narrative with some solid performances and some interesting new worlds. It’s engaging visually and emotionally. This will doubtless be among the contenders for animated films in 2023. It’s an engaging and unique film that is worth checking out, especially for fans of Miyazaki’s previous work.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some violent content/bloody images and smoking.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Eileen (Theaters)
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, and Shea Whigham
Synopsis: It can be tough to feel isolated and alone. As we open the film Eileen, based on the novel from Ottessa Moshfegh, we meet a woman that feels desperately alone. In the earliest moments, Eileen (McKenzie) is living through her fantasies as she watches people from afar in her daily life. That’s because her regular life, working as a secretary at a prison in the 1960s while caring for her alcoholic father (Whigham), is more of a nightmare. She is isolated, alone and desperate for a real human connection. When a new doctor (Hathaway) moves into the prison, she forms a fast connection. But is it real? Can it pull Eileen out of her rut? Or will it pull her more deeply into a pit from which she can’t recover. That’s the focus of this film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and finally gets a wide release Friday, December 8. It comes from director William Oldroyd and features an interesting period setting and a moody design. It is a cold, grim world and that befits the narrative for Eileen and the feelings she has inside. It’s not an uplifting story but it moves at a decent pace. The film clocks in just over 90 minutes, making it a swift commitment to the story and the world. While Hathaway, Whigham and Marin Ireland do a nice job in supporting roles, this really comes down to McKenzie. We’ve seen McKenzie sink into complex characters before and she does so well here. She breathes life into Eileen. We sense her dread and her desperation, including the way she fantasizes about ending her own life or ending her pain by ending the lives of others. That makes the twisty third act that much more engaging. There are strong moments here. I enjoyed the work from McKenzie and Oldroyd does a decent job putting it all together. But overall, it didn’t quite hit the heights of its potential. It is also a darker tale that won’t be for everyone.
Rating: Rated R for violent content, sexual content and language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Leave The World Behind (Netflix)
Starring: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Myha’la
Synopsis: This latest Netflix film comes from writer/director Sam Esmail. It is based on the novel from Rumaan Alam. It focuses on a couple (Roberts and Hawke), who want to get out of the city for a while and head on a family vacation with their two children. Things don’t turn out as planned. First, an oil tanker careens into the beach where they are recreating. Then, as the city endures a blackout, the owner of their vacation rental (Ali) and his daughter (Myha’la) show up needing a place to crash. Is it a simple blackout? Is it the end of the world? Will they all survive? That’s what the film aims to sort out. There are some good actors and some interesting performances here. I liked much of the writing. There is a bit of dialogue from Roberts in the opening of the film that made me chuckle. But ultimately, it doesn’t feel like it has a full direction. In fact, just as it seems like things are getting going, we’re done. It almost felt for me like it ended mid-sentence. That will likely impact how some people feel about the film. For me, it left me wanting like the film was a little incomplete. There are some pieces that work and some things I liked but it doesn’t all come together.
Rating: Rated R for language, some sexual content, drug use and brief bloody images.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Merry Little Batman (Prime Video)
Starring: Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, Yonas Kibreab, and David Hornsby
Synopsis: Just in time for the holidays Prime Video is releasing a special Christmas-themed Batman animated film. In the film, crime has nearly been eradicated in Gotham. That leaves Bruce Wayne (Wilson) free to be a father to his eight-year-old son Damian (Kibreab). The problem is Damian wants to be a hero working alongside his father. On Christmas Eve, Batman is called into action, leaving Damian home alone. Turns out, the mission given to Batman is a distraction as the supervillains, led by Joker (Hornsby), try to make a comeback. Damian springs into action, but can he make it until his father returns? This is an interesting addition to the Batman world. I love Batman as a hero and was excited for this dive into the world. The voice work here is solid enough, but the story drags at times. It’s a fun concept and a nice little holiday watch.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (Peacock)
Starring: Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Hector Elizondo, Ted Levine, James Purefoy, and Caitlin McGee
Synopsis: For eight years, Shalhoub starred as detective Adrian Monk on the series Monk. It was a popular fixture on USA during an era when USA turned out several hits. Now, more than a decade after the series ended. After getting through the pandemic with the help of Molly (McGee), Monk is getting ready for her wedding. He also has plans of his own. Monk is ready to be with his departed wife Trudy (Melora Hardin), planning to end it and meet her again once Molly is set and married. But, when Molly’s fiancé dies mysteriously on the eve of the wedding, Monk is called back into action. By solving the case, can he find a new sense of purpose? This film reunites the cast of the show. It’s fun to see these characters back to together again. There are some humorous beats, as there were in the original series, but this is a bit more somber and emotional story. That includes Monk and his plans to be with Trudy. Through it all, we’re reminded of how great a performer Shalhoub is. The story here works and is engaging, but it was the surprisingly emotional nature of the construction of the film that helped it stand out for me. I enjoyed this return to the world.
Rating: TV-PG
Verdict: Three stars out of five