6 new films our critics are talking about this week

'Killer'

Gary (played by Glen Powell) is a reticent philosophy professor who poses as a contract killer for a covert operation in this Richard Linklater comedy. While in disguise, he falls in love with one of his clients (Adria Arjona).

From our test report:

If I see a movie this year that's even more entertaining than “Hit Man,” I'd be surprised. It's the kind of fun people are talking about when they say “they don't make 'em like they used to”: It's romantic, sexy, hilarious, satisfying, and a real star-kick for Glen Powell, who's been on his big time for about two years. It has the cheeky oomph of a '40s screwball romantic comedy in a thoroughly contemporary (and slightly risqué) package. I saw it twice, and both times I had a big grin on my face.

In theatersRead the full review.

It's worse than Mondays.

“The Garfield Movie”

The grumpy tabby cat is once again adapted for the big screen, this time after an unexpected reunion with his father.

From our test report:

Directed by Mark Dindal, the film is a lazy adaptation that mostly tries to cash in on its namesake. In other words, it's a Garfield movie where you strangely don't feel like Garfield as we know him really exists. That's partly because of the voice – Chris Pratt, an overly bold casting choice that was doomed from the start – but there's also a built-in flaw in the concept of adapting Garfield for the big screen. An animated, animal-centric kids' movie usually requires a narrative structure full of action-packed adventure – the opposite of Garfield the cat's raison d'être.

In theaters. Read the full review.

An AI film that sticks to its script.

'Atlas'

In this science fiction thriller, Jennifer Lopez plays Atlas, a data analyst with an aversion to artificial intelligence who must help capture an AI robot that wants to destroy humanity.

From our test report:

Lopez, who also served as a producer on the film, throws herself into the role with abandon, the kind of performance that's especially impressive considering she's mostly alone throughout the film. … At times, “Atlas” feels like pure pastiche, looking kind of cheap, gritty, plasticky and fake in a way we've come to expect from the streamers, especially in the big action sequences. Science fiction often earns its place in the memory by introducing something new and surprising – but with “Atlas,” we've seen it all before.

Watch on Netflix. Read the full review.

The sadness and the surreal.

“Kidnapped: The kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara”

This film is based on a true story and is about the Jewish child Edgardo Mortara, who is kidnapped by the Papal States in 19th century Italy and raised as a Roman Catholic boy.

From our test report:

Director Marco Bellocchio anchors this period with grim visual elegance, using surreal gestures to bring out the psychological and spiritual aspects of the tragedy. Political cartoons that scathingly attack Pope Pius IX are brought to life through animation. During a particularly sad moment during the boy's imprisonment, one of the figures of the crucified Christ in the Roman dormitory for child converts bids farewell to his cross with the help of little Edgardo.

In theaters. Read the full review.

Shantay, you stay.

'Solo'

In Montreal, Simon (Théodore Pellerin) aspires to a career as a drag queen and struggles with two difficult relationships: a destructive crush on a colleague and a reunion with his absent mother.

From our test report:

Solo is a subtle snapshot of the profound yet familiar upheavals of being a gay man. Simon's drag spectacles may be intentionally wild and operatic, but there's something refreshing about this drama's intimate scope and lack of interest in sweeping tragedy, especially in the context of queer cinema.

In theaters. Read the full review.

Inspiring, not necessarily insightful

'View'

A man who experienced a traumatic childhood during China's Cultural Revolution becomes a world-renowned eye surgeon in this fictionalized account of the life of Dr. Ming Wang.

From our test report:

As is typical of inspirational medical films, however, Andrew Hyatt's new film, Sight, places a premium on edification — providing only the narrative minimum of science necessary. While Wang's achievements in developing innovative technologies are the focus of one of the stories here, the dominant narrative is one of personal development.

In theaters. Read the full review.

Compiled by Kellina Moore.