By A.D. Beal

IN THEATERS

“Sundown”
A man stays in the country he vacations in after his family leaves. At best, you can say that “Sundown” is a lovely looking film with nothing on its mind that repeats itself endlessly to get past that 70-minute mark. At worst, it’s a shallow take on the wealthy’s fear of the “other” that shows you the protagonist destroying his life without actively challenging him. But realistically, director and writer Michael Franco just wanted to travel for a month or two and tried to stitch together a narrative. Tim Roth and Charlotte Gainsbourg, two usually fantastic actors, seem bored here, restricted by the lack of material. Repetitive storytelling is not inherently bad, but there still must be some brains behind it. There’s nothing to be found with “Sundown.”

“Moonfall”
A group of misfits go on a high-risk mission to stop the moon from falling to Earth. It’s called “Moonfall,” and it’s exactly what you think it is – a bombastic film with not a lot of brains but surprisingly a fair amount of heart. Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson carry the film, giving emotionally flawed characters that could be stale but are helped by the actors’ charm, which make up for the dull supporting cast. But what you’re here for is the spectacle, and thankfully the film doesn’t disappoint. It shows some visually impressive and exciting moments of destruction, with the most creative one being a car crash that happens on earth. It also has some of the most bizarre but weirdly intriguing world building. It’s a lost 90s film in the best and worst ways, but if this is your kind of film, it’s one to seek out.
“Jackass Forever”
The “Jackass” gang reunites, with some new faces, for one last rodeo. “Jackass” has gotten its legacyquel moment, and even as someone not as into “Jackass,” it is a great film. It clearly has that feeling of friends getting back together for the first time in years and they’re happy to see each other again. With their reunion we see the stunts and pranks they’re known for, managing to still one-up themselves in disgust, hurt and humor. The new recruits also are a lot of fun, fitting in with Johnny, Steve-O and company while bringing a new personality to it. Most of all, what’s surprising is how detailed the filmmaking is—really capturing each injury and hit in as much detail as possible and bringing a strange sense of scale. It’s an absolute blast of a picture.
“Death On The Nile”
Hercule Poirot finds himself in a new mystery while on holiday in Egypt. There’s an aura of tragedy all over “Death On The Nile,” paralleled with its themes of doomed love. There are multiple couples in the film, almost all of whom (save for our main one unfortunately) have undeniable chemistry, making you fear for their safety as the mystery progresses. A full half of the film is spent before the murder happens, which can make or break the film for some, but I believe it utilizes it well to establish our characters and make you suspicious of them. The lovely views of the Nile contrast the dark atmosphere well too. It takes a second to get going, but Kenneth Branagh’s second Poirot mystery is an improvement.

New Releases
March 4
• “The Batman”
• “After Yang”
March 18
• “Downton Abbey: A New Era”
• “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre”
• “The Unbreakable Boy”
• “X”
March 25
• “The Lost City”
• “Everything Everywhere All At Once”