The Card Counter
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Action, Drama, Thriller | Directed by Paul Schrader
Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe star in the latest head trip from Paul Schrader, a story about betting on life.

Inscribing his book of life: Oscar Isaac in Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Azor
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Andreas Fontana
In this low-key shocker set in Argentina in 1980, a Swiss banker travels through a world that he doesn’t seem to know is ablaze.

Danger is everywhere: A scene from Andreas Fontana’s “Azor.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Fire Music
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Tom Surgal
The beautiful souls that created free jazz — including Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry and Carla Bley — light up this new documentary from Tom Surgal.

Ornette Coleman as seen in the documentary “Fire Music.”
By GLENN KENNY