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We’re making our way through January with our first big wide release of the new year along with some other films from late 2024 getting a chance to be seen by a wider audience. Below is my take on the new films out this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Better Man (Theaters)
Starring: Robbie Williams, Damon Herriman, and Raechelle Banno
Synopsis: This new film comes from director Michael Gracey, who previous gave us the musical The Greatest Showman. It’s a biopic on singer Williams, who serves as the narrator and voice of the film. The visuals, well that’s where it gets interesting. In place of an actor, we have a CGI ape as the physical manifestation of Williams throughout the film. The rest of the cast are played by actors. It’s a unique choice that feels odd at first, but I ended up really enjoying the film and the way they made that choice work out. It’s an engaging and emotional film with some incredible musical sequences I really enjoyed. It’s worth checking out now that it’s in wide release.
Rating: Rated R for drug use, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some violent content.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Den of Thieves: Pantera (Theaters)
Starring: Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson, Jr.
Synopsis: This is a sequel to the first heist film from 2018. It returns two of the leads, Butler as a hardened Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officer and Jackson as the master thief who got away the first time. This time Nick (Butler) tracks Donnie (Jackson) to France. There, Donnie is working with a new high-end crew on another big, complex job. Instead of bringing him in, Nick asks to join the crew and be cut in. He’s ready to leave his old life behind and earn a payday. This film has a different tone than the first and a different kind of idea. There are some great sequences—particularly the heist and the subsequent car chase. But it runs nearly two and a half hours, and it drags at times. The performances are solid, and it’s clear that the plan is for more films in a franchise. We’ll see what comes of it. For now, this is a serviceable action film, much like the first.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug use and sexual references.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Hard Truths (Theaters)
Starring: Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michelle Austin
Synopsis: This new film from Mike Leigh is a tale of two sisters. Pansy (Jean-Baptiste) is a caustic woman. She’s lonely and miserable, and she makes everyone around her miserable, too, including her husband and son. Her fear has left her paralyzed to the point where she rarely ventures out. Chantelle (Austin) is the opposite, a bubbly and personable woman who has a great relationship with her daughters and runs a successful salon. The two feel like a mismatched pair, but they come together for Mother’s Day which opens some old wounds and causes each to take a hard look at their lives and relationships. It’s tough to play a negative character, but Jean-Baptiste makes it work. She gives a fantastic performance that should be on the short-list for the Academy Awards. I loved Austin’s performance, too. She’s a great counterbalance and delivers a beautifully nuanced performance. This is a tough film to watch at times, but the payoff is well worth it, especially for the performances.
Rating: Rated R for language.|
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

The Last Showgirl (Theaters)
Starring: Pamela Anderson, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd
Synopsis: It can be hard to adapt to a changing world that’s left you behind. As we grow older, we sometimes find that we’ve been passed by. How do you react to those shifting sands of time and progress? The Last Showgirl is about such a story. The focus is on Shelly (Anderson), a showgirl at the last of the old Las Vegas shows. She’s been a star on that stage, in that production for decades. But the show is closing, leaving Shelly wondering what comes next. She’s surrounded by younger dancers (Shipka and Song), who are scrambling to find their own next thing, finding the landscape for dancers and needed skills have changed. At her age and without more formal training, Shelly struggles to compete. Her best friend, Annette (Jamie-Lee Curtis), is a former dancer who now struggles as a casino cocktail waitress. Shelly begins to worry that’s the fate that awaits her, as well. She also begins to take stock of her life as she prepares for this epic change. She re-kindles an old romance with Eddie (Bautista), who works on her show and has for nearly as long as Shelly. She also tries to re-connect with her daughter, Hannah (Lourd), who struggles to understand why she always seemed to come in second place to her mother’s career. This film comes from Gia Coppola, part of a long line of filmmakers that includes her grandfather Francis Ford Coppola. This film shows a deft visual touch. The way it showcases the stage show and the performers, while framing a different, older side of Las Vegas against the modern backdrop of a changing strip is fascinating. There are many sequences and shots that captivate the eye and bring the story to life. It's a simple story, but the script from Kate Gersten pours into Shelly and her journey. It’s a strong cast that give some good performances. The supporting cast does a nice job of helping to build out the world and the changing times in the industry and the city. But this really works thanks to Anderson. It’s been some time seen we’ve seen her carry a film, and never one with this kind of depth of emotion. She lays herself bare, pouring her heart into Shelly and this journey of a fading star coming to the end with nowhere to land. It’s heart-breaking and beautiful at times. The Last Showgirl is a simple story that’s well crafted. I would have liked to see a bit more depth to the story, but it remains an interesting watch thanks to Anderson’s star performance.
Rating: Rated R for language and nudity.
Verdict: Three stars out of five