Terrestrial Verses
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama | Directed by Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
Ordinary Iranians face a maze of byzantine rules and small indignities in this series of gripping vignettes.

Sadaf Asgari in “Terrestrial Verses,” written and directed by Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami. The movie unfolds as a series of vignettes.
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Nowhere Special
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama | Directed by Uberto Pasolini
This understated tear-jerker sees a dying single father making future family plans for his toddler son.

Daniel Lamont, left, with James Norton in “Nowhere Special.”
By GLENN KENNY

Challengers
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, Romance, Sport | Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist play friends, lovers and foes on and off the tennis court in Luca Guadagnino’s latest.

Two sides of a love triangle: Zendaya and Josh O’Connor in “Challengers.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

— Of Possible Interest —

Humane
R | Horror, Thriller | Directed by Caitlin Cronenberg
Caitlin Cronenberg’s debut feature is set in a dystopian world that’s alarmingly believable.
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Ain’t none.

— Of Possible Interest —

Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Zack Snyder
A delirious, pulpy mishmash of knockoffs, Zack Snyder’s film isn’t good, but it sure is something.
By AMY NICHOLSON

Stress Positions
Not Rated | Comedy | Directed by Theda Hammel
The writer-director Theda Hammel’s biting, delirious quarantine comedy skewers white gay men in a world where fact, fiction and authentic experiences collide.
By LISA KENNEDY

Food, Inc. 2
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary, News | Directed by Robert Kenner, Melissa Robledo
Directed by Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo, the sequel about food production in the U.S. is, in some ways, a more hopeful film.

“Food, Inc. 2,” Directed by Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo, begins by describing how the last few years have shown the risks of letting a handful of mega-suppliers dominate the market.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy | Directed by Wade Allain-Marcus
Wade Allain-Marcus has directed a rollicking update of the 1991 cult favorite.

Donielle Hansley Jr. and Simone Joy Jones in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.”
By AMY NICHOLSON

In Flames
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama, Horror | Directed by Zarrar Kahn
Set in Pakistan, the story of a young woman and her family, hemmed in by men, shifts from realism to genre, with heart-pumping consequences.

Ramesha Nawal in “In Flames.”
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Civil War
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Action | Directed by Alex Garland
In Alex Garland’s tough new movie, a group of journalists led by Kirsten Dunst, as a photographer, travels a United States at war with itself.

Kirsten Dunst plays a war photographer in Alex Garland’s “Civil War.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

It’s Only Life After All
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary, Music | Directed by Alexandria Bombach
The director Alexandria Bombach benefited from the musician Amy Ray’s archivist instincts in this warm, compelling new documentary.

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers were routinely mocked for being too earnest, too poetic, too folky, too lesbian. The documentary “It’s Only Life After All” takes a look at their legacy.
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Yannick
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Comedy, Drama | Directed by Quentin Dupieux
Audience members revolting against bad art isn’t a new thing, but Quentin Dupieux puts a fresh twist on that theme in his surreal new comedy.

Raphaël Quenard in “Yannick.”
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Housekeeping for Beginners
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy, Drama | Directed by Goran Stolevski
Sad news forces a diverse group of friends to take unorthodox action in this volatile, affecting drama.

Mia Mustafa in “Housekeeping for Beginners.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

The First Omen
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror | Directed by Arkasha Stevenson
A prequel to the original franchise, this debut feature from Arkasha Stevenson is a thrilling mash-up of horror tropes that gives the story new life.

Sônia Braga, left, with Nell Tiger Free in “The First Omen.”
By BRANDON YU

Chicken for Linda!
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Animation, Comedy, Musical | Directed by Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta
In this madcap film, a mother’s apology leads to a delightful misadventure that begins with mourning and ends with a father’s favorite recipe.

A scene from “Chicken for Linda!”
By LISA KENNEDY

The Beast
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Bertrand Bonello
Bertrand Bonello’s latest film, starring Léa Seydoux and George MacKay as lovers in three different eras, is an audacious sci-fi romance.

Léa Seydoux in “The Beast,” a film directed by Bertrand Bonello.
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

The Old Oak
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama | Directed by Ken Loach
A family of Syrian refugees connects with a once-thriving mining town in Ken Loach’s moving drama.

Ebla Mari, left, and Dave Turner in “The Old Oak.”
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Música
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Comedy, Romance | Directed by Rudy Mancuso
Rudy Mancuso stars in and directs an inventive debut feature about a man with synesthesia who tries to manage his complicated life and relationships.

Rudy Mancuso in “Música,” a film that’s confidently, intentionally overwhelming.
By AMY NICHOLSON

The Truth vs. Alex Jones
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary | Directed by Dan Reed
| Directed by Dan Reed (“Leaving Neverland”), the documentary offers a lesson in how conspiracy theories work and shows how parents confronted Jones in court.

The documentary shows how, just as the parents were dealing with unfathomable grief, Alex Jones, through his Infowars broadcasts, began promoting the idea that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

La Chimera
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance | Directed by Alice Rohrwacher
In her latest dreamy movie, the Italian director Alice Rohrwacher follows a tomb raider, played by Josh O’Connor, who’s pining for a lost love.

Josh O’Connor, center, in “La Chimera,” the latest from Alice Rohrwacher, who has quickly become a must-see filmmaker on the international circuit.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

DogMan
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Crime, Drama, Thriller | Directed by Luc Besson
An electrifying Caleb Landry Jones plays the damaged heart of this oddly wonderful tale of resilience and revenge.

Caleb Landry Jones in “DogMan.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

— Of Possible Interest —

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Adam Wingard
The latest in the Warner Bros. Monsterverse franchise shows signs of an anemic imagination.
By ALISSA WILKINSON

The NYTimes has changed their paywall so that all links are available for a month.

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Comedy | Directed by Radu Jude
In Radu Jude’s shambling, acidly funny movie set in Bucharest, a foul-mouthed gofer named Angela tours the troubled heart and soul of her country.

The sneakily charismatic Ilinca Manolache plays Angela in “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Immaculate
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror | Directed by Michael Mohan
The actress stars as a fresh-faced nun who, by the end of this erotic thriller-horror mash-up, runs amok in her convent.

In “Immaculate,” Sydney Sweeney plays an American nun at a creepy Italian convent where danger is lurking for her.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

— Of Possible Interest —

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
PG-13 | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Gil Kenan
This overstuffed entry in the franchise is an eclectic, enjoyable barrage of nonsense.
By AMY NICHOLSON

Femme
Not Rated | Thriller | Directed by Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping
In this white-knuckle thriller set in London, a drag performer seduces his attacker, an intensely closeted hustler played by George MacKay.
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Limbo
Not Rated | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | Directed by Ivan Sen
Long on atmosphere and short on plot, this stylish Australian noir pulls through thanks to a haunted performance by Simon Baker.
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

You Can Call Me Bill
PG-13 | Documentary | Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe
A documentary on the “Star Trek” actor unboldly goes where other profile movies have gone before.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

‘Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus’: A Parting Gift From a Master Musician
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary, Music | Directed by Neo Sora
The final concert of the Japanese virtuoso is captured in an aching meditation on mortality and legacy.

The musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto in the film.
By ALISSA WILKINSON

The Tuba Thieves
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary, Drama | Directed by Alison O’Daniel
In this film, the artist Alison O’Daniel uses the theft of tubas from Southern California high schools as a central hub in a wheel with many spokes.

A scene from Alison O’Daniel’s film, “The Tuba Thieves.”
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Knox Goes Away
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Thriller | Directed by Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton is quietly compelling as a beleaguered hit man in this downbeat thriller.

Michael Keaton in “Knox Goes Away.”
By Jeannette Catsoulis

Snack Shack
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy | Directed by Adam Rehmeier
Performances from the two main characters elevate this boisterous teen comedy to the level of raunchy art.

Gabriel LaBelle, left, and Conor Sherry in “Snack Shack,” directed by Adam Rehmeier.
By CALUM MARSH

— Of Possible Interest —

Glitter & Doom
Not Rated | Musical, Romance | Directed by Tom Gustafson
Songs by the Indigo Girls soundtrack a musical romance.
By WESLEY MORRIS

The Animal Kingdom
Not Rated | Adventure, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi | Directed by Thomas Cailley
This French sci-fi tale plunges us into a world where a mysterious sickness turns humans into strange, sometimes terrifying part-animal creatures.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Love Lies Bleeding
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Action, Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Romance, Thriller | Directed by Rose Glass
In this neo-noir, the ever reliable, always watchable actress plays a small-town loner who’s struck by the unexpected arrival of a mysterious drifter.

aty O’Brian and Kristen Stewart in “Love Lies Bleeding.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

— Of Possible Interest —

Oscars 2024: Print Your Ballot!

Dune: Part Two
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi | Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya make an appealing pair in Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up film, and the actors fit together with tangible ease.

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Zendaya as Chani in “Dune: Part Two.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Shayda
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Drama | Directed by Noora Niasari
This stirring film from Noora Niasari follows an Iranian woman and her daughter living in a women’s shelter in Australia.

By NATALIA WINKELMAN

• Of Possible Interest —

Spaceman
R | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi | Directed by Johan Renck
Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan star in a baffling Netflix misfire about a man in, well, space.
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Io Capitano
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama | Directed by Matteo Garrone
The Italian director of the film “Gomorrah” focuses his tender yet unsparing lens on two teenage boys journeying from their home in Senegal to Europe.

Seydou Sarr, left, and Moustapha Fall in “Io Capitano,” directed by Matteo Garrone.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

About Dry Grasses
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama | Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
The latest intimate epic from the master filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan asks whether the world can change, and we can change with it.

Deniz Celiloglu and Musab Ekici in “About Dry Grasses.”
By ALISSA WILKINSON

Stopmotion
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Animation, Horror | Directed by Robert Morgan
A fraying animator becomes the victim of her own creations in this visually sophisticated horror movie.

Aisling Franciosi in “Stopmotion.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

The Invisible Fight
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Action, Comedy | Directed by Rainer Sarnet
This action comedy set in the 1970s satisfyingly blends kung fu, heavy metal and Orthodox Christianity.

Ursel Tilk, top center, in “The Invisible Fight.”
By AMY NICHOLSON