SoCal movies, Sept. 18-25: ‘Wolfs,’ ‘The Substance,’ ‘Transformers One’ and more

Major new releases, indie flicks, foreign films and art-house fare

Demi Moore in “The Substance” (Mubi)

Welcome to the latest edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to new and current releases screening in LA and OC this week. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for arts & entertainment at the Los Angeles Times.

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New this week

• Starts Friday, Sept. 20

‘Beezel’ An immortal witch terrorizes visitors to a cursed New England home in Aaron Fradkin’s decades-spanning 2024 supernatural thriller. 81 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com

‘BOOM! A Film About the Sonics’ The little known but highly influential garage rock band that got its start in Tacoma, Wash., in the 1960s is saluted in Jordan Albertsen’s 2018 documentary. 84 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com

‘A Different Man’ An aspiring actor (Sebastian Stan) with a rare disorder undergoes an experimental surgical procedure to drastically alter his appearance in Aaron Schimberg’s darkly comic 2024 thriller. With Adam Pearson and Renate Reinsve. 112 mins. Rated R. fandango.com

‘The Falling Star’ The jig may finally be up for a fugitive activist who’s been in hiding for decades in writer-director-star Dominique Abel’s comedic 2023 thriller. In French with English subtitles. 98 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com

‘In the Summers’ Two young sisters who live with their mother in California spend four eventful summers with their volatile father in Las Cruces, N.M. in Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s 2024 coming-of-age drama. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. With René Pérez. 95 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com

‘Long Gone Heroes’ A special forces operator returns to the fray to rescue his niece, a reporter, in this 2024 action drama. Josh Hutcherson and Frank Grillo co-star. 92 mins. Rated R. lumierecinemala.com

‘Lumina’ A group of friends go in search of a rumored top secret military base deep in the Nevada desert and quickly find themselves in over their heads in Gino McKoy’s 2024 sci-fi horror thriller. With Eric Roberts and Emily Hall. 120 mins. Rated R. fandango.com

‘A Mistake’ A successful surgeon (Elizabeth Banks) finds her life and career upended in the aftermath of a patient’s death in Christine Jeff’s 2024 drama. 101 mins. Not Rated. amctheatres.com, laemmle.com