I'm very excited Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, curious about The End of Oak Street, and, no, I won't be going anywhere near The Brink of War. Scroll down for new reviews of the pretty good The Samurai and the Prisoner and the pretty OK Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Special Screenings
Thursday, August 13
Manhunter: The Final Cut (1986)
Alamo Drafthouse
Before Anthony Hopkins, there was Brian Cox. $10.99. 7:15 p.m. More info here.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Emagine Willow Creek
Your kids have to find out about Chris Pratt sometime. $8. 11 a.m. More info here.
Women in Love (1969)
Emagine Willow Creek
Ken Russell does D.H. Lawrence. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Grandview 1&2
I so admire the Grandview’s commitment to screening three-hour movies at ungodly late hours. $14.14. 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Who’s Watching? (2026)
Heights Theater
Cursive’s Tim Kasher made a movie, and he’s performing after the screening. $20. 8 p.m. More info here.
The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants (2025)
Logan Park
I hope they find him. Free. 8:25 p.m. More info here.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1983)
Loring Park
Time for another bike-in movie. Free. 8:30 p.m. More info here.
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Marcus West End
Starring all your children’s favorite actors, including Edgar Bergen, Charles Durning, and, of course, Orson Welles. $3. 11:30 a.m. More info here.
The Room (2003)
Parkway Theater
Star Greg Sestero will attend. Sold out. Q&A at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Jaws (1975)
Riverview Theater
A perfect movie. $7. 9:45 p.m. Friday-Saturday 11:40 p.m. More info here.
Despicable Me 4 (2024)
Riverview Theater
Despicable Me 4 you, maybe, not 4 me. $2. 11 a.m. More info here.
Fight Club (1999)
Walker Art Center
This movie could be your entire personality. $12/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Friday, August 14
Mysterious Skin (2004)
Alamo Drafthouse
My favorite Araki, if anyone is wondering. $13.99. 9:30 p.m. More info here.
2026 CORTIS TOUR <PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN> IN LA: LIVE VIEWING (2026)
AMC Rosedale 14/AMC Southdale 16
Concert film from the Korean boy band. $25. 7 p.m. More info here.
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Emagine Willow Creek
A lesser work from the muppets. $8. Friday, Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. More info here.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Hampden Park
Pierce Brosnan sings! Free. Dusk. More info here.
The Piano (1994)
Heights Theater
All a gal really needs is a piano and Harvey Keitel. $10/$13. 4:40 p.m. Sunday 4:45 p.m. More info here.
Manhunter: The Final Cut (1986)
Heights Theater
In case you don’t feel like driving out to Woodbury. $10/$13. Friday-Saturday 6:45 p.m. Sunday 7:15 p.m. Monday 4 p.m.. More info here.
Society (1989)
Heights Theater
The director of Re-Animator gets extra gruesome. $13. 9:45 p.m. More info here.
The Hole (1998)
Trylon
A strange disease hits Taiwan as the millennium approaches. $8. 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday 5, 7, & 9 p.m. Sunday 1 & 3 p.m. More info here.
Freakier Friday (2025)
Van Cleve Park
This is the best kind of sequel title. Free. 8:20 p.m. More info here.
Boy (2010)
Walker Art Center
Taika Waititi’s coming of age film. $12/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Saturday, August 15
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Cinema Ecclesia
You saw nothing in Hiroshima. 10:30 a.m. $12.50. More info here.
UFC 330: Makhachev v. Garry
Emagine Willow Creek
Does anyone show up for these? $27. 8 p.m. More info here.
The Lion King (1994)
Heights Theater
Unexpectedly sexy! $6-$13. 11 a.m. More info here.
Winter Hymns (2024)
Heights Theater
A doctor meets with dying patients. $10/$13. 2 p.m. More info here.
Batman (1989)
Heights Theater
From back when a superhero movie was a special event. In 70mm. $16/$19. 9:45 p.m. More info here.
Rebel With a Clause (2025)
Main Cinema
The adventures of a travelling grammarian. Sold out. 1 p.m. More info here.
Hoppers (2026)
Play-on-Payne
One of the best movies I’ve ever seen about a girl whose brain is electronically routed into an electronic beaver. Free. 8:30 p.m. More info here.
CatVideoFest 2026
Riverview Theater
ICYMI last week. Also Sunday. $5. 10:30 a.m. More info here.
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Trylon
People can't get enough of those muppets! $8. 3 p.m. More info here.
Sunday, August 16
The Piano (1994)
Alamo Drafthouse
In case you'd rather see it in Woodbury. $10.99. 2:45 p.m. More info here.
Point Break (1991)
AMC Rosedale 14/AMC Southdale 16/Emagine Willow Creek/Marcus West End
Kathryn Bigelow used to be so cool. Also Wednesday. Showtimes, prices, and more info here.
La La Land (2016)
AMC Rosedale 14/AMC Southdale 16
Happy 10th anniversary the Oscar-winn—what’s that? Oh, never mind. Also Monday. Times, prices, and more info here.
Smitten Kitten Presents Dirty Arthouse
Bryant Lake Bowl
Your favorite sex store/mutual aid organization screens some cinematic filth. $15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Emagine Willow Creek
Make it a Swayze double feature. $11. 3:30 & 6:15 p.m. Wednesday 1:45 & 7:15 p.m. More info here.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Grandview 1&2
From the director of Babe. Also Thursday. $14.14. 9:15 p.m. More info here.
CatVideoFest 2026
Main Cinema
Yet another chance to check out the cats. $13. 1 p.m. More info here.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Roxy’s Cabaret
If they made this today, it would take place in 2009. Free. 7 p.m. More info here.
The Color of Money (1986)
Trylon
Oh great, now I’ve got “It’s in the Way That You Use It” stuck in my head. $8. 5 & 7:15 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 7 & 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Monday, August 17
Sorcerer (1977)
Edina Mann
William Friedkin’s adaptation of The Wages of Fear had the bad luck to open against some dumb movie with robots and lasers. Also Wednesday. $12.12. 7 p.m. More info here.
The Stuff (1985)
Emagine Willow Creek
A delicious new drink turns people into zombies! $9. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
WTF: Watch Terrible Films Club
56 Brewing
I don’t know what they’re gonna show, but I know it’s gonna be terrible. Free. 7 p.m. More info here.
Tuesday, August 18
A New Leaf (1971)
Alamo Drafthouse
Walter Matthau has to marry Elaine May, who is hot and rich but—oh no!—clumsy. $13.99. 5 p.m. More info here.
A Bay of Blood (1972)
Alamo Drafthouse
Mario Bava’s proto-slasher. $10.99. 8 p.m. More info here.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
AMC Rosedale 14/AMC Southdale 16/Emagine Willow Creek/Marcus West End
Chainsaw's a good way to kill people, imo. Showtimes, prices, and more info here.
Dead Media (2025)
Heights Theater
A young woman and her uncle watch a haunted DVD in this film from former Minnesotan Joseph Scrimshaw.. $10/$13. 7 p.m. More info here.
A Minecraft Movie (2025)
Luxton Park
We should have stopped Jack Black when we had a chance. Free. 8:15 p.m. More info here.
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Parkway Theater
Whatever happened to Shanynn Sossamon? $10/$15. Trivia at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Shrek 2 (2004)
Riverview Theater
Wait, there’s a second Shrek movie??? $3. Tuesday-Wednesday 11 a.m. Thursday 11:30 a.m. More info here.
Wednesday, August 19
Pure Scum (2026)
Alamo Drafthouse
A psychological thriller from Australia. $10.99. 8 p.m. More info here.
Wayne’s World (1990)
The Commons
Excellent. Free. 8:15 p.m. More info here.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
Lagoon Cinema
A historical drama set in 2019. $11. 4:20 & 7 p.m. More info here.
Symbol (2009)
Trylon
A surreal Japanese cult classic. $5. 7 p.m. More info here.
Thursday, August 20
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Alamo Drafthouse
The guys from Daft Punk saw this movie together 20 times when they were kids. $13.99. 7 p.m. More info here.
The Boy Friend (1971)
Emagine Willow Creek
Twiggy stars in a Ken Russell musical. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
Mulan (1998)
Granada
A Taste the Movies event. Sold out. 6 p.m. More info here.
La La Land (2016)
Marcus West End
And here it is again. $6. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
The Thing (1982)
Riverview Theater
Can you be more specific, Mr. Carpenter? What kind of “thing”? $5/$7. 9:45 p.m. More info here.
Wicked: For Good (2025)
Victory Park
Look how early that start time is. Sorry, I’m panicking. Free. 8:10 p.m. More info here.
Sound for Silents
Walker Art Center
This year, the experimental pow wow group Bizhiki soundtracks selections from the Walker’s film collection. Free. 7 p.m. More info here.
Opening
Follow the links for showtimes.
All Wishes Come True!
A new Chinese animated movie.
The Brink of War
Jeff Daniels is Reagan, Jared Harris is Gorbachev, and you have got to see their makeup.
Good Sport
A divorced dad coaches his son's basketball team in this film from MN writer/director Andrew Jack Zuckerman.
Elijah Peel
A rock star gets sober.
The End of Oak Street
A dinosaur attack brings a family together.
Katseye: Wild Hearts
A concert film from L.A.'s K-pop-adjacent girl group.
Nimrods
A band of '90s rockers think they're opening for Green Day.
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
Dinosaurs are everywhere this week!
The Rivals of Amziah King
Matthew McConaughey protects the hive.
Six: The Musical Live!
Henry VIII's wives sing.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Gillian Anderson is the star of a slasher classic and Hannah Einbinder is a filmmaker obsessed with her.
Train to Busan
The Korean zombie classic is back in theaters.
Vishwanath & Sons
A middle-aged man and a surrogate mother fall in love.
Wet Hot American Summer
Yep, it's 25 years old.
The Wrong Girls
I'm worried this Kristen Stewart/Alia Shawkat buddy stoner comedy won't be as good as it should be.
Your Name
The touching body swap anime is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Ongoing in Local Theaters
Follow the links for showtimes.
Cookie Queens—ends August 13
Hadestown: The Musical
This is an impressive work. Taking a little narrative license (nobody tell Emily Wilson), Anaïs Mitchell’s Tony-gobbling musical weaves (as though Fates-like) the myths of Hades/Persephone and Orpheus/Eurydice together with a little au courant class politics, and its five leads embody striking characters. Our guide in silver, André De Shields is a dapper, precise Hermes. Amber Gray is a flask-tippling, fed-up Persephone, while wide-eyed Eva Noblezada is a delightful Eurydice. And Patrick Page plays Hades as a baritone silver fox, a mix of Leonard Cohen and Logan Roy. Only Reeve Carney as Orpheus is a bit of a chore —if I ruled Hell, I’d be like, “Take the girl and GTFOH with that corny Jeff Buckley falsetto.” And as a film, this impressively guides us around the stage and, like the production itself, acknowledges the rowdy audience. I’ll even allow the conclusion’s chin-up crimes against Aristotle (we’re not drawn to tragedy because we hope it’ll turn out differently, but because we know it won’t). But my problem is the same that I have with most contemporary stage musicals: Where da hooks at? Maybe after a few spins through the soundtrack I could hum a bar or two, but that’s not how musicals work. At least it’s not how they’re supposed to. B
The Invite
We all know couples like Angela and Joe. As played by Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogan, they’re perpetually bickering over things you can’t believe either cares all that much about, as though following a preordained script. We’re less likely to know a couple like Hawk and Pina, embodied by two of our most ageless actors, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz. The older couple has frequent, explosive sex upstairs, which irritates Joe, intrigues Angela, and becomes a topic of intense discussion when Hawk and Pina come downstairs one night for dinner. Over the course of one exhausting, hilarious, and loquacious evening, Joe and Angela are forced to confront some truths about their relationship. Joe falls back on wisecracks, Angela turns positively giddy at the thought of experiencing orgasms like Pina’s, and composer Devonte Hynes’s strings ratchet up the tension throughout. I can’t say I wholly agree with the film’s final assessment of their relationship—for all its pyrotechnics, the Will McCormack/Rashida Jones script doesn’t give us much beyond the surface, even when it purports to peek underneath. But what a surface it is. Norton is on a nice later career run and Cruz is just a fuckin’ movie star whatever she does. And as for Wilde the director, she makes a few awkward shot choices but the screwball-paced dialogue guides us through a (mostly) single-set film that’s rarely stagey and only as claustrophobic as it’s meant to be. I’m ready to pretend Don’t Worry Darling never happened if she is. A-
I Want Your Sex—ends August 13, read full review here
Though he occasionally dabbles in condescending “what’s wrong with the kids?” nonsense here, Gregg Araki is mostly simply up to his old tricks—unleashing an anarchic freak on an unwitting innocent who’s out of his depth and seeing how it all splatters from there. The chaos agent here is Olivia Wilde’s Erika Tracy, an exhibitionist installation artist encased in revealing and/or tight outfits who emits bitchy aphorisms she doesn’t even pretend to mean. Her prey is Cooper Hoffman’s Elliot, a would-be podcaster in his late 20s as normie as Erika is extra. Madcap S&M antics ensue, Elliot submitting with docile glee until their dynamic is monkeywrenched by his romantic feelings and Erika’s erratic behavior. Araki’s flirtation with broad commercial comedy can be indistinguishable from ordinary product: Wilde’s character edges a little too much toward Horrible Bosses, and I’ve seen people compare the buttplay here to Deadpool’s (ouch, now that’s the wrong kind of pain). But the film’s success rests on its stars’ willingness to go to extremes. You should know better than to expect something as wholesome as “sex positivity” from Araki; if I Want Your Sex has anything close to that horrifying hallmark of bad movies, “a point,” it’s an insistence that sex is and should be messy, dangerous, and life-altering. But let’s be honest: Erika would be a bit much in the bedroom for most of an audience that’s snickering at Elliot’s timidity. If Araki really does want kids to fuck more, I’m not sure this is the best route. B+
The Odyssey—read full review here
What we tend to forget about The Odyssey is that it’s maybe 10% cool mythological shit like one-eyed giant cannibals and sinister witches and gods punishing impudent mortals and like 90% about exchanging gifts with your hosts and telling very long stories to impress them. What’s remarkable about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is that it honors this aspect of the epic while delivering the supernatural adventure film moviegoers want. Yet as always, Nolan is so transparent in his ideology you can almost believe he’s making an argument, when like any storyteller he’s just using fiction to justify his beliefs. Which, as always, is that we are always one well-told tale away from chaos. Whether the gods are real or not, warns the David Brooks of the cineplex, if we don’t honor them we will undermine the customs that hold our society together. Hey man, I just came here for the Cyclops. B+
One Night Only—read full review here
The misguided concept here is that the U.S. has banned premarital sex except for one night of the year (uh… ha ha ha?), but “The Purge meets-cute with The Lobster” isn’t even a good idea in theory. When the big night rolls around, Owen (Callum Turner) learns that his girlfriend (Maya Hawke) would rather experiment with their hunky neighbor. As he dejectedly searches for a substitute partner, he repeatedly bumps into Allie (Monica Barbero), who stiff-arms him because she’s determined to find true love. At times, One Night Only seems to have been made as court-ordered punishment (blink twice if you’re in danger, Monica). At others—particularly the finale, which pretends to be a meaningful riff off An Affair to Remember—Gluck and co. clearly think they’re on to something clever. And yet, One Night Only does accurately capture our own cinematic dystopian present. First off, it’s all titillation, dangling two hotties in various states of undress for us to gawk at as they endlessly talk about sex (and not in a fun, French art-film kinda way) instead of just, you know, doing it. Then there’s the excessive stunt casting and indulgence in celebrity in-jokes and its New York City overrun with brands like Durex, Buck Mason, Dunkin Donuts, Duolingo, and CitiBike. It’s not a spoiler to say that Owen and Allie wind up together (you can’t spoil something that’s never been fresh) or that they’re forced to wait another year to consummate their relationship. But I wonder if anyone involved here even realizes that this happy ending is essentially an argument for state-sponsored celibacy. C-
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Despite his surname, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is not the sort of fella you’d expect to assay a historical drama—psychological horror is his beat. But the period setting, swordmanship, and concerns with archaic codes of honor here don’t keep The Samurai and the Prisoner from sitting comfortably within the director’s oeuvre. In the 16th century, the rebellious Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) is walled off within his castle, besieged by the warlord Odo. After he endungeons Odu’s emissary, the cunning Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda), Murashige is forced to investigate a series of strange crimes on his grounds. As he slowly traces the traitor within his circle, matters are complicated by the lord’s aversion to bloodshed, which strikes many of his allegiants as dishonorable. Now in his 70s, Kurosawa may be straining a bit in the service of something monumental—the pacing is doggedly unrushed, bordering occasionally on sluggish. But the framing is impeccable, Motoki and Suda are subtle and compelling as the strategically dueling title characters, and the film takes on the shape of a fable, its moral underlined by a slightly twisty and abrupt ending. B+
Sheep in the Box—ends August 13
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Look, we all know what’s wrong with the MCU. Too long, too constructed to promote future installments, just plain too familiar. But I’m not here to relitigate all that. I’m here to tell people who might be in the mood for a Spider-Man movie whether they should see this Spider-Man movie, and my answer is a resounding “Uh, sure.” It is the one currently in theaters, after all, and it’s downright sleek compared to the Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was overstuffed with Spiders-Men, supervillains, and multiverse nonsense. Peter Parker’s existence (Tom Holland) has been magicked away from everyone’s memory, and as he watches his once-gf MJ (Zendaya) and once-bff Ned (Jacob Batalon) live blissful Peter-free lives at MIT, he throws himself into his work. He debates attempting to reintroduce himself while tracking a mysterious entity that leaps from body to body in search of some government secret and dealing with some freakily increasing spidery tendencies. Along the way, he encounters Florence Pugh’s Black Widow (says “potatoes” amusingly), Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk (bigger than ever), (a little too much of) Jon Berenthal’s Punisher, and, of course, Sadie Sink, who plays Jean Grey with an intense school-shooter vibe. Because this is Spider-Man, the fights are less monotonous than the MCU norm, though I was a bit fatigued by the time we got to the climatic battle with the evil ninjas. And as for future installments, I’m sure the device Peter invents that inhibits superpowers won’t be used against the good guys in future films. B
