House of Gucci

Ridley Scott offers a whirling, often witty account of the events leading up to the disco-era hired killing of Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) by his estranged wife (Lady Gaga) when the fashion giant was rocking with debt and scandal. The cast is well-dressed, if not well-behaved.

King Richard

 

Reinaldo Marcus Green's King Richard works because Venus and Serena's full-bodied father Richard Williams is played by the full-bodied Will Smith, who gives his all, which is substantial, to selling this winning but rocky tale of resolute determination and Black Dad Magic.

tick...tick...BOOM!

 

Much to love in Lin-Manuel Miranda's adaptation of Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical musical tick, tick ... BOOM!, mostly Andrew Garfield's performance as the pre-Rent Larson, caught between creativity and stagnation. The Sunday diner tribute is a Broadway baby's delight.

Belfast

 

For a film suffused with pain and trouble, Kenneth Branagh's loving tribute to his hometown -- Belfast, Northern Ireland -- brims with joy -- most of it reflected in and seen through the eyes of young Jude Hill, who plays Branagh's boyhood alter ego, Buddy, a child completely invested in life, in his family, the village that is raising him and a flaxen haired classmate for whom he endures the torture of maths. It's a beautifully constructed and emotionally impactful picture.

Spencer

 

Kristen Stewart's arresting performance as Princess Diana in Spencer is riveting though the actress rarely speaks above a strangled whisper; Jonny Greenwood's raw, angular soundtrack underscores the schism being played out by the two parties -- rule-bound royals and the rebel.

Uncorked

 

Prentice Penny's Uncorked, which stars Mamoudou Athie and Courtney B. Vance, gets so many things right that one can forgive some predictability in the story. The characters in this tale of a young man hoping to become a master sommelier feel real; the dialogue lean and authentic.

The Harder They Fall

 

The vibrantly assured The Harder They Fall begs the question about the finesse Black British directors like Jeymes Samuel bring to bear on their film projects that many Black American directors seem to lack, even with material rooted in U.S. history. The film is a stylized treat.

The French Dispatch

 

Perhaps "serious" film performers love working with Wes Anderson because the exacting auteur makes movies, like The French Dispatch, that assemble dozens of A-listers for elaborate, painterly tableaux in serpentine stories that movie inexorably but not always predictably forward.