Night Is Not EternalNot RatedDocumentaryDirected by Nanfu Wang“Night Is Not Eternal,” which follows the Cuban activist Rosa María Payá, is the rare nuanced political documentary that is likely to challenge every viewer’s perspective.By Alissa Wilkinson
SpellboundPGAnimation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, MusicalDirected by Vicky JensonAny magic this animated musical has feels distinctly, almost insultingly poached.By Ben Kenigsberg
Gladiator II NYT Critic’s PickRAction, Adventure, DramaDirected by Ridley ScottDenzel Washington’s performance shows skill, intensity and absolute confidence in Ridley Scott’s pleasurably immersive epic about ancient Roman fighters.By Manohla Dargis
WitchesNot RatedDocumentaryDirected by Elizabeth SankeyThe director Elizabeth Sankey’s experience with postpartum depression anchors this documentary about the pop-cultural representation of witches.By Beatrice Loayza
Sabbath Queen NYT Critic’s PickNot RatedDocumentary, Animation, BiographyDirected by Sandi Simcha DubowskiSandi DuBowski’s documentary about Rabbi Amichai Lau-Levie observes the making of a Jewish identity.By Elisabeth Vincentelli
A Traveler's NeedsNot RatedDramaDirected by Hong Sang-sooIris (Isabelle Huppert), a stranger who teaches French in Seoul, is at the center of an enigmatic film by Hong Sang-soo.By Ben Kenigsberg
Porcelain WarRDocumentaryDirected by Brendan Bellomo, Slava LeontyevA new documentary follows artists in wartime, on and off the battlefield.By Nicolas Rapold
Out of My MindNot RatedDramaDirected by Amber SealeyIn this film adaptation of Sharon M. Draper’s novel, a nonverbal sixth-grader with cerebral palsy holds her own.By Sheri Linden
JoyPG-13Biography, Drama, HistoryDirected by Ben TaylorThomasin McKenzie plays an unheralded pioneer of in vitro fertilization in a new biography.By Glenn Kenny
Flow NYT Critic’s PickPGAnimation, Adventure, Family, FantasyDirected by Gints ZilbalodisA cat, a dog and a capybara embark on an epic adventure in this earnest and refreshingly unconventional animated film.By Calum Marsh
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found NYT Critic’s PickNot RatedDocumentaryDirected by Raoul PeckRaoul Peck looks at the compelling South African photographer, who died in 1990, whose work gets a second life onscreen.By Lisa Kennedy
Bread & RosesNot RatedDocumentaryDirected by Sahra ManiThree Afghan women struggle for rights in Sahra Mani’s documentary of life under Taliban rule today.By Natalia Winkelman
The Black SeaRComedy, DramaDirected by Derrick B. Harden, Crystal MoselleIn this quietly sweet indie, a Black Brooklynite finds himself stranded in a Bulgarian seaside town, where he finds unlikely redemption.By Brandon Yu
WickedPGFantasy, Musical, RomanceDirected by Jon M. ChuCynthia Erivo is the strongest draw in this splashy, overly long movie, which is the first installment in a two-part adaptation of the Broadway show.By Manohla Dargis
The Piano LessonPG-13Drama, MusicDirected by Malcolm WashingtonThis film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play falters in some specifics, but is still vital viewing.By Alissa Wilkinson
A Photographic Memory NYT Critic’s PickNot RatedDocumentaryDirected by Rachel Elizabeth SeedA daughter hunts for the mother she never knew in an extraordinary, elegiac documentary.By Alissa Wilkinson
The World According to Allee WillisNot RatedDocumentary, Biography, MusicDirected by Alexis Spraic“The World According to Allee Willis” shines a light on a musical artist whose creative spirit wasn’t limited to one genre or even to music.By Alissa Wilkinson
All We Imagine as Light NYT Critic’s PickNot RatedDrama, RomanceDirected by Payal KapadiaIn Payal Kapadia’s extraordinary drama, three women in Mumbai search for connections amid the city’s vibrant and darkly alienating churn.By Manohla Dargis
Bogart: Life Comes in FlashesNot RatedDocumentaryDirected by Kathryn FergusonA new documentary traces Humphrey Bogart’s development from stage actor to the embodiment of brooding cinematic cool.By Ben Kenigsberg
Red OnePG-13Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, MysteryDirected by Jake KasdanStarring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, this Christmas offering has the courage to ask: What if the Santa Claus story was like a Marvel movie?By Brandon Yu
Dream TeamNot RatedCrimeDirected by Whitney Horn, Lev KalmanNothing really makes sense in this homage to ’90s cable thrillers, but that’s sort of the point.By Alissa Wilkinson
Emilia PérezRComedy, Crime, Musical, ThrillerDirected by Jacques AudiardThe star of Jacques Audiard’s showy new musical about a trans Mexican drug lord, Karla Sofía Gascón, adds soul to the melodrama. Zoe Saldaña also shines.By Manohla Dargis
Hot FrostyNot RatedComedy, Fantasy, RomanceDirected by Jerry CiccorittiA hunky snowman comes to life in this Netflix holiday rom-com that strikes a certain muscle tone.By Amy Nicholson
Larger Than Life: Reign of the BoybandsNot RatedDocumentary, MusicDirected by Tamra DavisThe boy band stories in Tamra Davis’s documentary rarely intersect in a way that builds a meaningful or compelling perspective.By Chris Azzopardi
HippoNot RatedComedy, DramaDirected by Mark H. RapaportTrafficking in irreverence, the film follows a pair of stepsiblings with sexual tension.By Natalia Winkelman
Youth (Homecoming)Not RatedDocumentaryDirected by Wang BingIn the finale of Wang Bing’s nonfiction trilogy, garment-factory workers return to their families and wrestle with the questions all young people do.By Alissa Wilkinson
The Last RiflemanPG-13DramaDirected by Terry LoanePierce Brosnan plays a man who sneaks out of his retirement home to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in this charming, but corny drama.By Amy Nicholson
Meanwhile on EarthRAdventure, Drama, Sci-FiDirected by Jérémy ClapinA bereaved young woman faces terrible choices in this dreamily uncertain blend of science fiction and moral philosophy.By Jeannette Catsoulis
Christmas Eve in Miller's Point NYT Critic’s PickPG-13Comedy, DramaDirected by Tyler TaorminaTyler Taormina’s third theatrical feature is a lightly nostalgic ensemble piece set on Long Island.By Ben Kenigsberg
Small Things Like These NYT Critic’s PickPG-13Drama, HistoryDirected by Tim MielantsCillian Murphy of “Oppenheimer” fame plays an Irishman interrogating a system of abuse and forced labor, despite everyone’s warnings to look the other way.By Alissa Wilkinson
