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We’re in the middle of the month and we’ve gotten some interesting new offerings on the big screen and on streaming. Below are the new films I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Black Bag (Theaters)
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Marisa Abela, and Rege-Jean Page
Synopsis: For many years we’ve seen solid productions from Steven Soderberg and great scripts from David Koepp. What if they combined forces? That’s no longer theoretical, as the two team for the new spy drama Black Bag, which opened Friday. The film focuses on George (Fassbender). He’s a great agent with a skill for sniffing out the truth. And as we meet him, he’s on the hunt for a traitor within the agency that has stolen a secret weapon and plans to sell it. He’s given five names. One of them is responsible. He has a week to figure it out. The wrinkle is, one of the five on the list is his wife, Kathryn (Blanchett). Also on the list are a pair of colleagues, Stokes (Page) and Freddie (Tom Burke), the staff therapist Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomi Harris), and a young analyst Clarissa (Abela) who is seeing Freddie. George begins with a tense Sunday dinner for six, setting the wheels in motion. Throughout the week that follows, George and the five suspects continue to move forward. He tries to sift through the clues and put together the mystery before it’s too late. This is an interesting set up with a great cast, which also includes Pierce Brosnan as a high up at the agency that is in the middle of all that’s going on. The script is crisp with some great dialogue, some nice twists, and some great interactions among the characters. But what really helps it come together is the fusion with Soderberg’s style and the performances. From the outset—an opening sequence that beautifully tracks Fassbender’s George through a club—we have a strong set of visuals that pull you in and enhance the story. We see a lot of it through George’s eyes, and Fassbender is great in the lead role. But this is a fantastic ensemble with set pieces and sequences that allow them all to shine. There is a sequence near the latter phase of the film that includes lie detector tests. The way it moves between questions and characters helps build the tension in the best way. Soderberg knows how to build up this story and bring it to a stirring conclusion. I had a lot of fun with this film. It was incredibly engaging and very satisfying. I loved how the story came together in the third act and the way these actors played off one another. This is a well-crafted thriller and my favorite new release of 2025 so far. It’s worth seeking out.
Rating: Rated R for language including some sexual references, and some violence.
Verdict: Four stars out of five

The Electric State (Netflix)
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt
Synopsis: Joe and Anthony Russo are heroes among Marvel Cinematic Universe fans. Their work on Captain America and Avengers films was memorable, creating some of the better films in the cinematic universe. In fact, their return for the upcoming Avengers films is giving fans hope. But what about their non-MCU films? In between those hits, they’ve frequently worked with MCU stars on big-budget, high-profile films set outside that world. Those have often flatlined as disappointments with fans and audiences alike. Can they turn the tide with The Electric State, a new film debuting on Netflix Friday? In short, they can’t. This film is not only directed by the Russo brothers and starring Pratt and Brown, among others, it’s based on a script from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the scribes that worked with the Russo brothers on all those MCU projects. That combined with a whopping $300-million-plus budget had people excited. But the final product is a star-studded, costly disappointment. The film, based on the novel from Simon Stålenhag, picks up in 1990 with the world on the cusp of a war with robots. We meet Michelle (Brown) who has a very close relationship with her brother Christopher (Woody Norman), a genius who is on the verge of getting into college. They are as close as can be with an incredibly strong bond. Flash-forward to 1994, with the war over. Humans won thanks to a technology created by Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci). But it’s come at a cost. Robots are relegated to a detention zone, while humanity has adopted this new technology as an escape from life. But no one really knows how it works. Michelle, orphaned after a crash took the lives of her parents and brother, eschews the technology and fights through a series of foster homes. When she encounters a robot that claims to be linked to her still alive brother Christopher, it sets her off on an adventure. Soon, Michelle crosses paths with a salvager, Keats (Pratt), a former soldier who frequently goes into the robot detention zone. He reluctantly helps her as a mechanized soldier (Giancarlo Esposito) hunts Michelle and her brother, who may hold the key to the future of humanity. This is an interesting and dense story that has potential. It’s paired with an incredible cast. In addition to the actors mentioned, the cast includes Holly Hunter, Ke Huy Quan, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Coleman Domingo, Jenny Slate, Alan Tudyk, and Brian Cox, among others, appear to lend their voices to this project. The cast combined with the talent in the production, the budget, and the big world-building are all promising. But all of it comes together in a bland, by-the-numbers way. The production doesn’t make use of the talent in front of or behind the camera. It goes through the motions and, though there are some visually interesting robots and sets, it has no emotional center to hook viewers and draw them into this story. This is yet another non-MCU project from the Russo brothers that fails to life up to its potential. Doubtless many will check it out, but few will be impressed by what they see.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence/action, language and some thematic material.
Verdict: One and a half stars out of five

Novocaine (Theaters)
Starring: Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder
Synopsis: Pain isn’t fun, but sometimes it’s necessary. Without being able to feel it, we’re freed from impediments, but we’re also freed from the guardrails that keep us safe.  That’s something Nathan Caine (Quaid) has dealt with his whole life. He was born without the ability to feel pain. While some might quickly see it as a gift, Nathan has dealt with the potential danger all his life. It’s kept him set apart and isolated to ensure he doesn’t unknowingly hurt himself. That’s also kept him from forming attachments, too. That changes when he meets Sherry (Midthunder), a teller at the bank where he’s an assistant manager. They have a spark and a connection that leads to a magical date. That leaves Nathan feeling alive, perhaps for the first time. But nothing in life is free from pain. When the bank is robbed and Sherry is taken hostage, he sees his newfound happiness hanging in the balance. He’s faced with a choice—play it safe as he’s long done or use his special skill to safeguard the woman he loves. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know Nathan chooses peril, or rather love. And the result is an adrenaline-fueled ride that goes in some unexpected ways. That’s the set up for Novocaine, a new action film that opens on Friday. Quaid has had a big start to 2025. He was strong in Companion, one of the first strong releases of the new year back in January. Now, he plays a different kind of character here. There’s more charm and you can’t help but root for Nathan to save the day and get the girl. Along for the ride, we get a fun turn from Jacob Batalon, who plays Nathan’s only real friend. Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh play a pair of cops hot on the trail of Nathan—and the robbers. Walsh has some of the funniest lines and deliveries in the film. But this comes down to Midthunder and Quaid. The whole gambit relies on their chemistry early, which is endearing and feels natural. They have some great interactions and it’s not hard to see why Nathan would go on a quest to win her freedom. There are some twists and turns along the way, but this is a story—and a couple—you can’t help but root for throughout the film.  Quaid does a great job in the lead role. He seems to be having fun and makes the story more fun, too.  There is a lot to like with Novocaine, but it has some drawbacks, too. The film drags a bit in the second and especially the third act. There feels like too many endings, and the final confrontation isn’t as interesting as the film would like it to be. I enjoyed most of the ride, but it could have been a tighter presentation that focused more on Nathan and Sherry and their journey. Overall, this is a fun enough ride that will be a solid time at the theater, especially for fans of action. It’s also a great boost to Quaid, who deserves some more leading roles.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language throughout.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

The Parenting (Max)
Starring: Brandon Flynn, Nik Dodani, Brian Cox, Parker Posey, and Lisa Kudrow
Synopsis: Have you ever been watching Meet the Parents and thought to yourself, this would be better if it was more like The Exorcist? If that’s you, then the new horror comedy The Parenting is for you. The film is about a weekend at a remote house designed to allow two families to get to know each other. But a demon makes his presence felt, causing plays to go awry. We meet Josh (Flynn) and Rohan (Dodani) who are in a committed relationship. They’ve arranged for their parents to join them at a remote location for the weekend. It’s a chance for their families to meet and, hopefully, make a connection. Turns out, Rohan has big plans to move his relationship with Josh forward provided things go well. Rohan’s parents arrive first. Sharon (Edie Falco) and Frank (Cox) are more reserved, and neither takes to Josh right away. Next comes Josh’s parents, Liddy (Kudrow) and Cliff (Dean Norris), who are warmer, and love Rohan. After a tense few early interactions, Josh reaches out to their friend Sara (Vivian Bang), who makes her way to the location to help act as a buffer. With all of them gathered, a furious snowstorm descends, trapping them in the house. And then things go really off the rails. Josh and Rohan begin to suspect something supernatural is occurring. They make their way next door, where the caretaker Brenda (Posey) isn’t exactly helpful. Can Josh and Rohan make a plan to save the weekend, their parents, and their future together? This film comes from writer Kent Sublette, who has been on the Saturday Night Live team. That comedic aspect certainly comes into play here, and part of what makes it work is the awkward situation for these characters and some actors who feel like they’re playing against type. The set up here is simple and works well. The story doesn’t wear out its welcome in a 95-minute run time. Director Craig Johnson, who is used to working on comedy projects, does a nice job putting it all together. It moves at a good pace with some fun sequences. There are also some fun performances. The standouts here are Cox and Posey. Cox has some wild sequences that really work in unexpected ways because of his delivery. Posey, who is known for some wild character creations, makes another one here. Particularly in the third act, I really enjoyed her work. Overall, this is a fun premise that’s executed well enough. It’s not incredible, but it’s entertaining and a nice streaming option for the weekend.
Rating: Rated R for language, sexual references and some drug use.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

The World Will Tremble (Theaters)
Starring: Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Jeremy Neumark Jones
Synopsis: It’s been more than 80 years, but we are still drawn to stories of horror and survival from the Holocaust. It was a dark time in the history of mankind, and one we don’t want to forget, lest we run the risk of repeating those errors. But in the midst of that darkness, loss, and horror, there were tales of heroism. The new film The World Will Tremble is one of those tales. It tells the true story of two men courageous enough to escape horror and brave enough to let the world know what was happening in Poland in 1942. The film picks up in an early camp where the Nazis have begun their work of dispatching Jews by the thousands daily. There, they use the strongest of the men to help dig graves, sort property, and for their own amusement. Among those trapped into service there are Solomon (Jackson-Cohen) and Michael (Jones). Solomon and Michael are surviving—barely. Both have lost their families to this evil, are suffering physically, and are among a group dispirited, yet struggling to find a path to freedom. After their friends are killed for the whims of the soldiers and their entertainment, both hatch a plan to escape. Their hope is to bring word of what’s happening to other Jews in Poland, and the world. The following day, they make their break. They escape the camp and find other Jews. They share their story, which becomes the first word of the Holocaust to make it to the allies. Solomon and Michael were heroes. They were real life men who really escaped the horrors of the camp and helped share the story. They escaped the physical horror, but as the post-credit interview makes clear the horrors of their experience never left them. There’s isn’t a happy story, but it is a necessary story to hear and see. This film divides its time between the horrors of their experience in the camp and their journey to freedom. That gives us 45-50 minutes of unspeakable acts. We can’t hide from history, nor should we. But I was interested in the story of these men and how their courage in escaping changed the world. We only get a few pieces of that. In fact, some of the most interesting bits of the story come over the end credits. I would have liked to see that expanded and the story adjusted a bit to focus on what they achieved, despite suffering, to escape that place and that life.  Jackson-Cohen and Jones give tremendous performances. The story is important and worth seeing for that reason but the film as a whole misses a bit of an opportunity.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two and a half stars