Dwayne Johnson is superbad in "Black Adam," George Clooney and Julia Roberts are on an island getaway in "Ticket to Paradise" and Cate Blanchett kicks off her Oscar campaign in "Tár," all of which are among this week's new movies and streaming titles.
Here's a look at what's new in theaters and at home this week, where to find them and whether they're worth your time.
"Black Adam": Dwayne Johnson suits up as DC's "Black Adam," a superhero movie that is decidedly less than super. Why can't DC get its act together? Why is Johnson playing against type as a droll antihero? And how many jokes can you squeeze out of a character listening to Player's "Baby Come Back?" These are all questions asked, but not necessarily answered, by this confounding movie. In theaters.
"Ticket to Paradise": We love George Clooney and Julia Roberts! They're two mega movie stars with charisma and likability to burn. But their star wattage is about all this misbegotten romantic comedy has going for it, as the pair teams up as exes who join forces to sabotage the wedding of their daughter. The laughs are middling at best, but man, Clooney and Roberts look good together on screen. In theaters.
"Tár": Cate Blanchett plays one of the world's greatest living conductors in this fictional take on ego, genius and cancel culture. Todd Field's first movie since 2006 is high-line, sophisticated cinema all the way but well worth the deep dive, and Blanchett will likely be adding another Oscar trophy to her crowded awards shelf come March. In theaters.
"Till": Speaking of the best actress race, Danielle Deadwyler enters the chat with her role in "Till," in which she plays the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy whose 1955 murder became a galvanizing moment in the American civil rights movement. Her performance is powerful, even if the movie's script does some corner cutting in telling her story. In theaters.
"The Pez Outlaw": You may not have heard of Steve Glew, but after "The Pez Outlaw," you'll never forget him. He's the Michigan man who, in the 1990s, smuggled thousands of Pez dispensers from overseas into America, and sold them to collectors for top dollar. This highly entertaining documentary traces his journey and shows how he took on the man and won — until he didn't. On VOD.
"Raymond & Ray": Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke are a pair of estranged stepbrothers who head off to the funeral of their father in this comic drama that is never quite able to find the right tone, aside from in Hawke's reliably strong performance. In theaters and on Apple TV+.
"Wendell & Wild": "The Nightmare Before Christmas" director Henry Selick returns with this dark tale about raising spirits from the dead, overcoming trauma and the nefariousness of corporate greed. It's also an animated reunion of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who voice a pair of netherworld underlings with big plans in the land of the living. This animated tale has adult themes and is not for small children. In theaters and on Netflix Oct. 28.
"The Peripheral": Chloe Grace Moretz rocks in this future-set sci-fi tale, about virtual realities that become actual realities, which Tom Long describes as "propulsive, imaginative and visually dazzling." Take the ride. On Prime Video.
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