Beast

After the recent death of his estranged wife, Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba) and his two teenage daughters, Meredith (Halley) and Norah (Sava Jeffries), travel to the Mopani Reserve in South Africa to remember their dearly departed and to reconnect as a family following her death. Now reunited with old friend and Mopani manager Martin Battles (Copley), the group visits restricted areas of the reserve. When they cross paths with a rogue lion along the way, however, the tone of the trip quickly shifts, and the Samuels are forced to outsmart both the dangerous beast and a pack of aggressive poachers.

Director: Baltasar Kormákur. Stars: Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, Sharlto Copley, Liyabuya Gongo, Martin Munro, Daniel Hadebe, Thapelo Sebogodi, Chris Langa. 2022. 93 mins. Drama.

Emily the Criminal

Saddled with an overwhelming amount of student debt, Emily Benetto (Plaza) struggles to pay off her loans due to a former felony conviction. Following a tip from a co-worker, she is offered a job as a dummy shopper with the promise of making $200 per hour. Later revealed to be a credit card fraud ring, Emily meets one of the organizers, Youcef (Rossi), who enlists her help for a new scam. As the stakes of the scams grow larger, Emily learns to make her own fake credit cards, thus opening the door to many exciting and dangerous opportunities.

Director: John Patton Ford. Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Bernardo Badillo, Jonathan Avigdori, Kim Yarbrough, Gina Gershon, Wesley Han, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Brandon Sklenar. 2022. 97 mins. Drama.

End of the Road

Following the death of her husband, Brenda (Latifah), her brother Reggie (C. Bridges) and her two children, Kelly (Lee) and Cam (Dixon), hit the road to relocate from Los Angeles to Houston. Staying the night at the Sunset Motel along the way, Brenda and Reggie hear an altercation and discover a man who has been fatally shot. Calling to notify the police, the family members give their statement and move forward with their trip, only to discover that Reggie has stolen a large bag of cash from the dead man's room, resulting in a myriad of potentially deadly consequences.

Director: Millicent Shelton. Stars: Queen Latifah, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Mychala Lee, Shaun Dixon, Beau Bridges, Frances Lee McCain, Jesse Luken, Tabatha Shaun. 2022. 89 mins. Action.