New movies, Oct. 16-23: ‘Rumours,’ ‘Smile 2,’ Tom Petty, Whitney Houston and more
Major new releases, indie flicks, foreign films and art-house fare
Welcome to the latest edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to new movies screening in LA and OC this week. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for arts & entertainment at the Los Angeles Times.
New this week
• Opening Thursday, Oct. 17
‘Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party’ The late, great rocker and his band are captured onstage, backstage and on the road in this 2024 reissue of Cameron Crowe’s little-seen 1980s-era documentary. 90 mins. Not Rated. tompettyfilm.com
• Opening Friday, Oct. 18
‘Anora’ A stripper from Brooklyn has a problematic romance with the son of a Russian oligarch in this 2024 drama. With Mikey Madison. 139 mins. Rated R. anora.film
‘Bookworm’ A precocious youngster and her estranged father, a magician, embark on a quest to find a mythical creature in this kid-friendly 2024 tale. With Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood. 103 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘The Body Politic’ This 2023 documentary tracks the efforts of Baltimore’s idealistic young mayor, Brandon Scott, to put an end to chronic violence in his city. 87 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Carnage for Christmas’ A true-crime podcaster stirs up trouble in the form of a vengeful ghost when she returns home for the holidays in this Australian-made 2024 horror comedy. 70 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘Critical Acclaim’ A failed filmmaker wrestles with his demons as his life unravels in his 2024 drama. With Robert Funaro. 80 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Die Alone’ A young man with amnesia joins forces with a female survivalist to navigate a zombie apocalypse in this 2024 thriller. With Carrie-Anne Moss. 91 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ A successful artist and family man sees his life upended by a surprise visit from his estranged father in this 2024 drama. With André Holland, Andra Day and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. 117 mins. Rated R. exhibitingforgivenessfilm.com
‘Gonzo for Democracy’ Journalist Lauren Windsor sounds the alarm about the potential for interference in the upcoming presidential election in this 2024 exposé. 90 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Goodrich’ Michael Keaton plays an L.A. art dealer who turns to his adult daughter (Mila Kunis) to help care for his two younger children from his second marriage in this 2024 comedy-drama. 111 mins. Rated R. goodrich-movie.com
‘I Will Never Leave You Alone’ A mute parolee must rid a haunted house of evil spirits or else return to prison in this 2023 horror tale. 93 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘The Keeper’ An Army veteran attempts to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness of suicide among members of the military in this fact-based 2024 drama. 101 mins. Rated R. laemmle.com
‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ A youngster finds himself shipwrecked on a fantastical island in this 2023 animated tale featuring the voices of Cillian Murphy and Sally Hawkins. 85 mins. Rated PG. fandango.com
‘Maya and the Wave’ Trailblazing female surfer Maya Gabeira’s quest to make the record books is charted in this 2022 sports doc. In English and Portuguese with English subtitles. 95 mins. Rated PG. fandango.com
‘Mediha’ A teenage Yazidi girl once held captive by the terrorist group ISIS recounts her terrifying ordeal in Hasan Oswald’s 2023 documentary. In Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic and English with English subtitles. 90 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Once Again (For the Very First Time)’ A street dancer undertakes a supernatural odyssey to reconnect with his beloved, a poet, in Boaz Yakin’s hip hop-fueled 2023 fantasy tale. 106 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Panda Plan’ Jackie Chan leaps into action when a zoo’s beloved panda goes missing in this 2024 comedy. In Mandarin with English subtitles. 99 mins. Not Rated. fandango.com
‘Rippy’ Crikey! A rural town in Australia is terrorized by a zombie kangaroo in this 2024 horror comedy. With Michael Biehn. 83 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘Rumours’ The leaders of the G7 countries become lost in the woods — and then things get weird — in this 2024 mashup of horror, comedy and political satire starring Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and Charles Dance and co-directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. 103 mins. Rated R. fandango.com
‘Smile 2’ A pop idol is tormented by sinister forces and inexplicable events in this 2024 sequel to the 2022 terror tale. With Naomi Scott. 127 mins. Rated R. smile.movie
‘Stolen Time’ A crusading attorney takes on Canada’s for-profit senior-care system in this 2023 documentary. 86 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Sweetheart Deal’ Female sex workers on the mean streets of Seattle come under the sway of a not-so-good Samaritan in this wrenching 2022 documentary. 99 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘You & I’ Former lovers reconnect in this 2023 drama written, directed by and starring Summer Shelton. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
• Opening Wednesday, Oct. 23
‘Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa’ The late, great singer is captured in a live performance in post-apartheid South Africa in 1994 in this 2024 documentary. 115 mins. Not Rated. whitneysouthafrica.com
For comprehensive listings of new releases plus noteworthy films currently in theaters, click here….