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This weekend featured two new wide releases, both of which are worth seeking out. Below is my take on our new releases. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Fly Me to the Moon (Theaters)
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson, and Jim Rash
Synopsis: Landing men on the moon was a big accomplishment for NASA and remains a big part of our cultural history in America, even decades later. Still, there are those that aren’t convinced this achievement was real. For both groups, the new film Fly Me to the Moon will entertain and delight. The film spins back to the late 1960s as the space race is in full swing. With Richard Nixon taking office, and America growing weary of a costly space race that’s yielded few results, government fixer Moe Berkus (Harrelson) is looking for help. He turns to Kelly Jones (Johansson), a woman with a shady past and a gift for spin. Moe cajoles Kelly into take a job with the newly former NASA PR department to sell the space race to Americans. Kelly re-locates to the Johnson Space Center in Florida where she finds the Launch Director, Cole Davis (Tatum), less than enthusiastic. Cole is still haunted by past failures, including Apollo 1, and he’s determined to make Apollo 11 a success. He doesn’t take kindly to Kelly and her brash way of building attention for the latest mission. But, somewhere along the way, their clash of styles meets in the middle, with each gaining greater appreciation for the other. But when Moe asks Kelly to set up a fake moon landing as a hedge in case the real mission fails, she’s forced to keep a major secret that could implode their burgeoning relationship. This is a fun story. It is based on an idea from Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein, with a finished script from Rose Gilroy. There’s a great blend of humor and drama, bringing history and the space race to life. It also has a story that will thrill the conspiracy theorists who have questioned the authenticity of the event for years. The film is directed by Greg Berlanti, who does a nice job setting the tone and pace. The cast is great, with other actors like Ray Romano and Jim Rash filling in the margins around the main story of Kelly and Cole, and the orchestrations of Moe Berkus in the background. You can’t help but get into the fun of the narrative and the excitement of the space race. Johansson and Tatum have great chemistry. They separately create their characters in a memorable way, and then play off each other well. Their back-and-forth sparring throughout the film is a lot of fun and helps build the drama and tension. I also enjoyed the period look, the sets, and the costumes here. It feels like we’re transported back in time in the best way. The music and the style all help set the stage, as do the fun marketing and ads that populate the film. The use of actual news footage also helps build the tension and the feeling. I didn’t know what to expect from this film, but what I got was a charming and delightful trip back to the past. I enjoyed the leads, the story, and the whole experience. This is a great date movie, too!
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and smoking.
Verdict: Four stars out of five

Longlegs (Theaters)
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicholas Cage, Blair Underwood, and Alicia Witt
Synopsis: So far, 2024 has been a good year for horror and thriller movies. That trend continues with Longlegs, an excellent new thriller from writer/director Oz Perkins. The film, which opens today, focuses on a young FBI Agent (Monroe) and her hunt for a serial killer. The film is set in the 1990s, where FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe) has a special gift. She’s intuitive, at least when it comes to evil, and that draws the attention of a senior agent, Carter (Underwood). He hopes Lee’s gifts will help give some insight on a case that has the bureau stuck. For years, Longlegs (Cage) has taunted agents with cryptic notes left at the scene of grisly murders. But they don’t know who he is, why he’s operating, or how it’s being done. Can Lee crack the case or will diving in draw her too close to evil. I’ll leave the plot description at that, as much of this film works because of the surprises and the visuals along the way. It’s best to go in without having too much knowledge of what’s about to happen and let the power of the presentation wash over you. The craft here is impeccable. The pacing, the look, the choice of shots, and the score all work to heighten the tension as we mostly follow Lee and her hunt. And Monroe does a great job in the lead role. She slides into the role of Lee and brings a great sense of foreboding to the role. But the best performance belongs to Cage. Longlegs is a big, broad character. We only see him in a couple spurts—and that’s by design. But Cage makes an instant impression that is riveting and haunting. It’s a performance that could well be worth a nomination come awards season. The rest of the cast is solid as well. I enjoyed Underwood in a mentor type role, while Witt gives a great performance in her role as well.  Films like this rise and fall based on the craft, the story, and the way it builds tension. This mysterious, dark, and often unsettling film knows how to build that tension. The characters work, the sequences are chilling, and the dialogue hits the right notes at the right time. This was a chilling experience in the best way, and one well worth checking out on the big screen.
Rating: Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images and some language.
Verdict: Four stars out of five