The Woman King

In the early 1800s, after liberating women who are abducted by slavers from the Oyo Empire, Gen. Nanisa (Davis) and King Ghezo (Boyega) prepare the West African kingdom of Dahomey, its king, King Ghezo (Boyega), and Gen. Nanisca (Davis) prepare for retaliation — and war. As Nanisca begins to train her group of all-women warriors, the Agojie, to defend their kingdom, new and old friendships shape the strong bonds that connect powerful and determined women.

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood. Stars: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson. 2022. 135 mins. Action.

Smile

After witnessing a patient’s disturbing suicide in the hospital intake room, psychiatrist Rose Cotter (Bacon) begins to be plagued by bizarre occurrences. Experiencing shocking hallucinations and losses in time, Rose begins to believe that something supernatural is the cause of her new and terrifying ordeal. Upon researching her former patient with the help of her ex-boyfriend, police detective Joel (Gallner), Rose discovers a long line of violent crimes that are all interconnected, leading her to believe that she must be the one to put an end to this horrific sequence of events.

Director: Parker Finn. Stars: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan, Gillian Zinser, Judy Reyes, Jack Sochet. 2022. 115 mins. Horror.

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

In search of something to set his act apart from the crowd, failing magician Hector P. Valenti (Bardem) finds an exotic pet shop named Eddie's Exotic Animals, where, in the back room, Valenti comes across a tiny baby crocodile that can sing. Naming his new crocodile friend Lyle (Mendes), Valenti bets everything on his new performance with his talented crocodile pal. But when Lyle gets stage fright, he loses it all. Forced to look elsewhere for ways to make some money, Valenti leaves Lyle in the attic of his home on 88th Street. When the Primms family moves into the home, their discovery of Lyle leads the family to not only learn about their new friend, but also about each other.

Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck. Stars: Shawn Mendes, Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy, Winslow Fegley, Brett Gelman, Ego Nwodim, Lyric Hurd. 2022. 106 mins. Animation.