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As we make our way through December the flood of new movies continues, ranging from blockbusters, to streaming options, and those competing for awards. Below is a look at the new movies I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Carry-On (Netflix)
Starring: Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson, and Danielle Deadwyler
Synopsis: This new film on Netflix brings the action to an airport on Christmas. It’s a fun set up that delivers some fun action, too. It centers on a TSA Agent, Ethan Kopek (Egerton), who is at a career crossroads. His girlfriend, Nora (Carson), is pushing him to explore a promotion and to apply to the LAPD again. He’s not sure. On Christmas Day, he decides to take a shot. That earns him an upgraded slot on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Unfortunately, that puts him in the crosshairs of some bad men. One of whom (Bateman) slips him an earpiece. It becomes clear that they know a lot about him, make threats on those he loves, and need him to bend the rules to allow something unauthorized to make its way on to a plane. Can Ethan find a way to thwart the plan before it’s too late? We’ve seen this kind of set up before, but it always works well. This one boasts a good set up, a strong cast, and gets some good direction from Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows). I liked the flow and the presentation here. Egerton is quite good in the lead role and the supporting cast, including Deadwyler, Logan Marshall-Green, and Theo Rossi is quite good, too. This is a fun ride that has some seasonal flavor. It makes for an ideal binge during the holidays.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, some language and suggestive references.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Dirty Angels (Limited/VOD)
Starring: Eva Green, Maria Bakalova, Ruby Rose, and Christopher Backus
Synopsis: This Lion’s Gate release dropped in theaters but is available on VOD as well. It features Green as a soldier haunted by the team she left behind. She gets a shot at redemption joining a difficult hostage rescue back in Afghanistan. But can she get the job done while pushing past the trauma of the lost teammates that still haunts her? That’s the question posed in this sturdy action film from Martin Campbell. We’ve seen Campbell deliver some good films before, including two of the better recent James Bond films. Here, he plies his trade to a familiar story that’s loaded with a decent cast. The action sequences are interesting, and Green is solid in this lead role. All that makes this a cut above this kind of action film with a fairly generic plot. If you’re looking for something simple to kick back and watch, this works well.
Rating: Rated R for strong/bloody violence and language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Kraven The Hunter (Theaters)
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, and Arian DeBose
Synopsis: This is the latest from the non-Spider-Man Sony MCU. It is the third such release from Sony this year, following Madame Web and Venom: The Last Dance. For me, it’s the weakest of the 2024 films, which explains why it’s been oft delayed. The film follows Sergei Kravinoff (Taylor-Johnson) who suffered a near-death experience as a youth but was healed. Now, he has unique powers, a unique talent, and a mission to rid the world of violent men, like his father (Crowe). He finds a partner in the girl who saved his life and now works as a crusading lawyer (DeBose) as he battles the criminal element. This film has some better direction than you’d expect, which helps when it comes to some beautifully shot scenes in nature. But when the natural environment gives way to CGI, things go downhill, quickly. Taylor-Johnson is good in the role and does his best to lift up the film. But some of the story construction and dialogue—particularly for the villains—is laughably bad. It’s not a horrendous film, but it’s not a good film, either. And given the season and the competition, it’s not one you need to make a point of seeing.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (Theaters)
Starring: Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, and Luca Pasqualino
Synopsis: It’s been more than 20 years since the original Lord of the Rings franchise wrapped up, but there continues to be interest in the world. While stories of Middle Earth thrive on the small screen, we’re also getting a new, animated theatrical release produced by Peter Jackson. The film takes place before the events of the original films, focusing on the story of how Helm’s Deep got its name. It focuses on King Helm Hammerhand (Cox), his daughter Hera (Wise) and their war with Wulf (Pasqualino) that led to a siege at the famous fortress. This one is animated, following a more anime style. It lays out the story and the world, tying it back to the original franchise. Part of the tie-in comes from the narration by Eowyn (Miranda Otto), who is telling the history of her people in Rohan. It’s a fun journey with a good third act that brings the action full circle and is a call back to the most famous sequence from The Two Towers. I enjoyed the style, performances, and story. For fans of the franchise, this will be a must watch film.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for strong violence.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Maria (Netflix)
Starring: Angelina Jolie and Kodi Smit-McPhee
Synopsis: Director Pablo Larrain has given us a few different biopics on powerful women. In the past we’ve gotten Spencer, focused on Princess Diana, and Jackie, focused on Jackie Kennedy. Now we get Maria, which focuses on talented singer Maria Callas. Here, Jolie plays the iconic singer near the end of her life. She’s struggling with health issues and trying to regain her form as a singer. She’s also looking back on her life, partly prompted by an interviewer (Smit-McPhee) capturing her story. It’s a beautifully crafted film that offers a slice-of-life for Maria. Larrain has a gift for telling these kind of stories, and this one is beautifully shot and put together. It is also paced by an incredible lead performance from Jolie. She pours her heart and soul into the role and gives one of the strongest lead performances of the year. It’s worth seeing for the way she lights up the screen alone.
Rating: Rated R for some language including a sexual reference.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

September 5 (Limited)
Starring: John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Peter Sarsgaard, and Leonie Benesch
Synopsis: We’ve reached the point in the year where we’re seeing a slew of films that have award aspirations. One of those is September 5, which follows the ABC sports team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. During what was supposed to be a quiet day at the games, a hostage situation broke out, leaving those working as part of the coverage team scrambling. This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten a film that looked at this incident—or its aftermath. But this film, which opens in limited release this weekend before getting a wider release in January, focuses on those in the booth who scrambled to cover the situation and grappled with the ethical questions of doing their job. We focus on Geoffrey Mason (Magaro) who is taking over as producer. It’s the middle of the night in Germany and he’s preparing for a quiet day. So quiet, the head of the production, Roone Arledge (Sarsgaard) has headed home with a message not to be disturbed. All seems to be going well until gunshots are heard in the Olympic village. That leaves Mason, producer Marvin Bader (Chaplin) and the team’s German interpreter, Marianne Gebhardt (Benesch) scrambling to figure out what happened. Learning there is an incident in the Athlete’s Village, they dispatch a young Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker) and quickly recall Arledge as events unfold. What happens next changes the course of history and live television, while challenging the team and their journalistic ethics. This is a story that many probably don’t know as well as it’s now been more than 50 years since the games took place. It was interesting to go back in time and consider the live-via-satellite technology, and what a change that was at the time. For those that enjoy historical pieces and journalism films in particular, this is a treat. History can’t change, so we already know what happens. Still, the use of archival footage—including the real broadcasts from Jim McKay—brings this to life in a unique and engaging way. There is a tense energy here, too. The film runs just over 90 minutes, capturing the chaos and intensity of the events as they unfold. The twists and turns in the room are fascinating, too. I was drawn to the way events played out and the back-and-forth between Mason, Bader, and Arledge as they try to navigate the pitfalls and perils of covering an unfolding event like this in a new way. I have long been a fan of journalism films, especially ones that dive into the ethics and responsibilities of coverage. This does that in the course of presenting the story and it’s quite emotional at times. There’s a good energy and pace that director Tim Fehlbaum brings to the production. I also enjoyed the cast and performances. Magaro is great as the anchor for the story, while I enjoyed Benesch in her role, too. They bring a lot of the tension and emotion out of the story. The overall journey creates an intense film that is one of my favorites of the year. September 5 is now playing in limited release, expanding nationwide January 17.
Rating: Rated R for language.
Verdict: Four stars out of five