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 The final week of March ended with a few interesting wide and limited releases. Below is my take on the new movies I saw this week. Keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Fantasy Life (Limited)
Starring: Matthew Shear, Amanda Peet, and Alessandro Nivola
Synopsis: This new comedy comes from Shear, who serves as the writer, director, and the star. In it, he plays Sam, a man going through a crisis. That crisis led him to drop out of law school, and while he’s with his therapist (Judd Hirsch), he finds a new job opportunity—watching the children of his therapist’s son (Nivola), whose marriage to an actress (Peet) is on the rocks. Can Sam get himself together and make this opportunity work? What happens when he has a connection to the actress? Those are the focus of this film, which is just 90 minutes but still feels a bit too long because of its lack of structure and direction. Shear is a decent actor but it’s hard to tell where this wants to go. The story feels a bit meandering and then sort of ends. I expected a little something more from the narrative or at least some more of an arc for Sam. I did enjoy Peet, who shines in her scenes. There is some potential in this kind of grounded, slice-of-life comedy. There’s enough about this appeal that might draw an audience, but this didn’t quite work for me.
Rating: Rated R for language, some sexual references and brief drug use.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Forbidden Fruits (Theaters)
Starring: Lily Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, and Lola Tung
Synopsis: It can be hard to find a place where you belong, so when you find those friends, you want to cling to them. But how far are you willing to go to maintain a friendship? Would you consider joining a cult? How about placing a hex? Those are some of the questions the heroines at the center of the new film Forbidden Fruits are forced to ask themselves. To the outside world, they appear to be the cool girls working at the cool store in the mall in the heart of Texas. But within the group, cracks are starting to show. Of course, that isn’t apparent to Pumpkin (Tung) as she tries to get into the group. The cool girls hang out and work at Free Eden, a chic boutique in the mall. Pumpkin, meanwhile, works handing out pretzel samples from the local food court staple. But when she connects with Fig (Shipp), she’s given an opportunity. Fig thinks she’d be a fit for the group, but needs to convince their leader, Apple (Reinhart). Pumpkin uses the tips and makes an instant impression on Apple. Soon, she’s invited to join the group and its secret, after-hours meeting, Paradise. Turns out they aren’t just friends—their witches, of a sort. Along with Fig, Apple, and Cherry (Victoria Pedretti), Pumpkin becomes a part of the group at Free Eden and Paradise. But things aren’t as they appear. Turns out the group is harboring some dark secrets. And motivated by something external, Pumpkin is determined to get to the bottom of those secrets before it’s too late. When you see the IFC/Shudder banner, you typically think horror. And while this film includes some notable horror elements, for most of the beginning it’s something a little more like a female drama. There are squabbles about life, the role of boys, a hierarchy, and more. In fact, at times it feels like Mean Girls with spells. But all of it is pointing to a deeper mystery, one that has a big reveal as we careen into a wild third act. That’s where the horror elements pop up and it becomes more graphic than expected, and a little more bittersweet. It’s a wild ending that will likely change some of your feelings about what came before. Either way, it’s fair to praise the performances. I enjoyed Shipp, Pedretti, and Tung quite a bit as they created their characters. They all seemed to be having fun with the stories and roles, and it shows. But the real anchor here is Reinhart, who does a great job in the lead. She has some of the most complex sequences, especially near the closing, and manages to hold the whole thing together. I thought this film was a fun enough ride, even if I didn’t always love the way it was put together. I thought some of the middle was a little slow as it tried to paint a picture of where it wanted to go. It felt like we hit pause a bit after the wild opening sequences that set things in motion. But the final act delivers in a satisfying enough way that I had fun with it.
Rating: Rated R for strong violent content/gore, sexual content, nudity, language and brief drug use.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Kontinental ’25 (Limited)
Starring: Eszter Tompa
Synopsis: This new film comes from writer/director Radu Jude, who has developed a reputation for creative, unique, and edgy explorations of the world and politics. In this film, we follow a bailiff in Transylvania (Tompa) who is asked to serve an eviction notice. She offers some time for the individual to clear out, but when she returns, he’s hung himself, feeling out of options. While she’s not legally responsible, the events of what happen weigh on her as she begins to think differently about her life, work, and the world around her. This is a weighty kind of topic. Through a series of encounters and conversations after the incident, our bailiff explores the struggles of culture, ideology, politics, the homeless crisis, and religion. It is a fascinating exploration through the eyes of one woman who is trying to come to grips with a tragic event. This feels different that some of Jude’s other films. It feels more straightforward, but also a little more meandering. It brings up some big ideas and at times borders on something profound. But as it draws to a close, it’s hard to tell what Jude wants us to take away from the film. Perhaps the exercise is just to get the audience to consider these ideas. But when it all ended, I wanted a bit more of a resolution, or at least a direction, for this open-ended search.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (Hulu)
Starring: James Marsden, Vince Vaughn, and Eiza Gonzales
Synopsis: This new action comedy from Hulu offers a bit of a time travel twist. We get a gangster, Nick (Vaughn), who uses a time machine he unknowingly invested in to travel back six months to prevent his friend Mike (Marsden) from being killed. But it turns out to be a bit more complicated as he has to get his younger self (Vaughn) and his wife Alice (Gonzales) in on the plot. It also turns out that Mike and Alice have their own connection and secret. All of it leads to one wild night as they come together on a mission and end up changing their perspectives. This is a fun concept. The film comes from writer/director BenDavid Grabinski. We’ve seen plenty of stories focused on time travel concepts, but never quite like this. It’s an interesting comedy, but also a fun action film. The cast includes Ben Schwartz, Keith David, and Jimmy Tatro, among others. The back-and-forth between Vaughn, Marsden, and Gonzales is great. I also enjoyed the brief cameo from Stephen Root, Dolph Lundgren, and Emily Hampshire. This ends up being a fun ride that makes for a great streaming movie option. If you’re a fan of comedy and action, this will work for you.
Rating: Rated R for strong/bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual material, and drug use.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

They Will Kill You (Theaters)
Starring: Zazie Beetz, Myha’la, Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, and Heather Graham
Synopsis: It seems Devil-worshipping cults are having a moment in film. We have gotten releases in back-to-back weeks here in March built around the premise. The first of those was Ready or Not 2, which opened last weekend. The second is They Will Kill You, an original action/horror film set in a creepy and ornate building in New York. The film is centered on Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), who is fresh out of prison. Ten years earlier, she had tried to rescue her sister from their abusive father, but it went poorly. She ended up in prison. Her sister ended up back with her abusive father. Now that she’s free, Asia is determined to protect her sister. But that’s not as easy as it sounds. Turns out, her sister recently took a job at a prestigious building in New York City. The building, The Virgil, is mysterious and exclusive, and has a checkered history with the help. Asia applies to an ad, lands the job, and tries to figure out what’s going on. The people in the building seem nice at first, but they’re harboring a dark, and deadly secret. Soon, Asia is plunged into the middle of something unexpected as she tries to fulfill her promise. This film comes from director Kirill Sokolov, who co-wrote the script with Alex Litvak. It’s an interesting and broad swing in terms of story and style. It also benefits from a crazy location—in this case a fancy and locked up high rise building in New York City. The film also has a solid cast. Beetz is the lead, but the cast includes Myha’la as her sister, with Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, and Heather Graham, among others, as those who live in the building. Everyone does a nice job in their roles. I particularly enjoyed Beetz, who gets the lead role here. She brings a quiet strength and intensity to the part that worked for the role. This is a unique style too. It’s violent and gory, almost from the jump. It doesn’t waste a lot of time building character or story, rather jumping right into the action. The visual sequences work well, and the action sequences are entertaining and engaging. In particular, there’s a sequence with a fiery axe that was fascinating and engaging. The story itself is OK. Some of the characters are funny. The ins-and-outs of the location, the world, and this cult itself aren’t fully explained. That isn’t totally necessary, but it might leave you with some questions. Still, the final act is wild, bloody, and satisfying in its own way. I could see this opening the door to a potential franchise. Either way, if you’re looking for a wild ride, this will fit the bill.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief sexual content/nudity.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

You’re Dating a Narcissist (Limited)
Starring: Marissa Tomei, Sherry Cola, and Ciara Bravo
Synopsis: This new comedy focuses on a psychologist and professor, Judy (Tomei), who has dedicated her career to pointing out the behavior of narcissists. She had a bad relationship in the past that left her broken and focused on spreading her message. When her daughter, Eva (Bravo), has met a new man and gotten quickly engaged, she fears her daughter is repeating her mistakes. Along with her friend Diane (Cola), who has some issues with a narcissist of her own, Judy heads to meet her daughter’s new boyfriend and convince her to use caution. This is something of a standard set up for this kind of comedy. I enjoy Tomei and I was curious to see how this comedy would work, especially with a back-and-forth with Cola that’s fun. There are some fun moments, but this has somewhat of a predictable arc, especially as it comes to the final act. Fans of the genre will enjoy this film for what it is, but I hoped it might have some more depth. Still, it’s worth checking out for Tomei and Cola.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two stars out of five