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This weekend saw a big deep freeze over a majority of the country. Unfortunately, the quality of films might not have warmed your heart much. Still, there are new options to check out. Below are my takes on the new films in theaters this weekend. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Atropia (Theaters)
Starring: Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner
Synopsis: Do you ever wonder how soldiers prepare for combat? How do they get a feel for what a place and people will be like? How do they prepare for scenarios they might see in the field? The new film Atropia takes a look at that preparation process. At least, that’s part of its aim. The film transports viewers back to 2006 and focuses on a U.S. base in the California desert that is used to simulate real-world combat scenarios. It’s set up as a fake country, but the look and feel match locations where our troops will go. There, a team of actors and soldiers play out these scenarios for training purposes. In the film, the country is dubbed Atropia. It’s a place where many refugees and budding actors come to ply their trade. One of those is Fayruz (Shawkat), who is a great actress waiting for her breakout role. She shines in the scenarios and hopes to one day get noticed. But before she gets noticed for her acting, she draws the attention of a fellow role player. Abu Dice (Turner) plays the leader of one of the hostiles. Unlike Fayruz, he’s not an actor. He’s a soldier who spent time in Iraq and is now back, biding his time in training scenarios. He takes it seriously as he’s trying to earn his way back to the action at the front. But despite their differences, Fayruz and Abu Dice feel a connection. When that connection leads to sparks, it threatens to derail both of them and their lives outside this scenario. This is an interesting swing from writer/director Hailey Gates. It made its debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and now is going to theaters this weekend. Part of it feels like a commentary on war and military preparation. Part of it seems to want to be a love story between two unlikely people. None of it amounts to much. There are some fun moments in the film. There are funny sequences and cameos from familiar faces. There is some fun in the premise—or rather both premises—too. But ultimately, it feels like the film comes to an unsatisfying resolution. I like Shawkat and Turner. There are a few twists in the film that are interesting, but they aren’t well explored. The ending, then, feels a bit abrupt. We’re also left with a closing crawl about facilities of this type in the modern era, which left me questioning what Gates wanted me to take away from what is done in the film. That makes this a tough watch. It’s unclear what audience it’s trying to appeal to, and it’s hard to figure who would be best served by this narrative. It’s fine in its execution, but hardly memorable or compelling. It feels like something of a miss as both a commentary and a romance.
Rating: Rated R for language and sexual material.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

H is for Hawk (Theaters)
Starring: Claire Foy
Synopsis: Grief is a powerful force and an often-lengthy process. It comes in waves, comes on at unexpected moments, and can have a powerful impact on our ability to move forward. But even in those bleak moments, we can find hope in unexpected places. That was true for Helen MacDonald. When her father died, she was at a loss. But they had a shared love of birds. In the wake of his death, she found comfort, solace, and a way forward by taking on the care and training of a Goshawk. MacDonald’s journey was captured in a 2014 memoir, which has now been adapted into a film by director Philippa Lowthorpe and writer Emma Donaghue. The film, H is for Hawk, releases in theaters on Friday, January 23. In the film, Helen (Foy) is thrown for a loop by the sudden death of her father (Brenda Gleeson). He was a famous photographer, and they shared a love of falconry. In the aftermath of planning a service and saying goodbye, Helen feels lost and confused. She’s plagued by memories of her father and an inability to move forward. She decides to acquire a Eurasian goshawk to train. It’s a lengthy and difficult process, but it provides Helen with a focus and a way to remain close to her father. The film, like the memoir, covers the year following her father’s death and how this new friendship helps her to heal. I enjoy Foy as a performer. She’s done some amazing work in some varied and difficult roles. This is a similar feat because a lot of it is quiet reflection and contemplation. There aren’t a lot of big, broad sequences to get us into Helen’s mind. But Foy does a nice job of conveying the struggle she is going through and the way this new connection is giving her focus and a sense of peace. The sequences with the goshawk are often beautiful, too. They are majestic creatures and it’s easy to see the appeal of being with these birds, and how it could help provide quiet space for contemplation. That being said, it’s difficult to convey a memoir, which is a lot about thoughts and feelings, into a film. There are moments it works here, and I did enjoy Foy in the lead role, but the film feels a little dry and a little incomplete. It’s a medication of grief and Helen’s path to healing, but there aren’t any big moments here to bring the film to life in a more robust way. For those that were fans of the book, it will be worth seeing the translation to the screen. It’s a nice film but isn’t particularly memorable.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and smoking.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Mercy (Theaters)
Starring: Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson
Synopsis: Set in the near future, Los Angeles has sought to curb its crime problem. They’ve employed an AI justice system—Mercy—to conduct speedy trials and results for murders. One of the cops leading the way, Chris Raven (Pratt), soon finds himself on the other side. As he awakes, he finds himself on trial for murdering his wife. His Mercy judge, Maddox (Ferguson) starts his trial. He has 90 minutes to prove he didn’t do it, or he’ll be executed. He has a digital world at his fingertips, but no memory of the previous day’s events. Can he piece the puzzle together in time. This was an interesting concept. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a futuristic take on justice. It asks a lot of big questions about Artificial Intelligence, Justice, the Surveillance State, and more. Sadly, the film doesn’t really have any answers or any real thoughts on these weighty topics. The third act in particular sees things fall apart without really making any comment. In fact, some of the revelations at the end about the nature of this justice system and anything that seems “infallible” are startling, and yet glossed over. So, what you’re left with is how the film itself works as a piece of popcorn entertainment. It’s OK. I don’t mind Pratt, and I kind of enjoyed what Ferguson was doing in the role. The film is entertaining enough, just don’t think about it too deeply. It’s clear the filmmakers didn’t.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, some strong language, drug content and teen smoking.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five