SoCal new movies, Oct. 30-Nov. 6: ‘Here,’ ‘Blitz,’ ‘Absolution,’ Juror #2,’ ‘Emilia Pérez’ 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 Wednesday, Oct. 30
‘Luther: Never Too Much’ Grammy-winning R&B vocalist Luther Vandross is remembered by friends, family and fellow artists in this 2024 documentary. 101 mins. Not Rated. luther.film
• Opening Friday, Nov. 1
‘Absolution’ Liam Neeson plays an aging mob enforcer and absentee father with a very particular set of regrets in this Boston-set 2024 crime thriller. Ron Perlman also stars. 112 mins. Rated R. fandango.com
‘Aftermath’ A former Army Ranger leaps into action to save his sister and others being held hostage by a war criminal and his men in this Boston-set 2024 thriller. With Dylan Sprouse. 95 mins. Not Rated. fandango.com
‘And So It Begins’ This 2024 documentary revisits the contentious 2022 presidential race in the Philippines. In Filipino and English with English subtitles. 99 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘The Big Dog’ A married stockbroker sees his bank accounts drained by the dominatrix he’s been seeing on the side in this Australian-made 2023 comedy. 83 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘Black Box Diaries’ Filmmaker Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault in an effort to bring her well-connected rapist to justice in this unflinching 2024 documentary. In Japanese and English with English subtitles. 99 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Blitz’ Saoirse Ronan stars as a mother desperately seeking her young son, who went out and about in WWII London just as the Nazis began bombing the city, in Steve McQueen’s 2024 historical drama. 120 mins. Rated PG-13. fandango.com
‘The Carpenter’ A Viking takes part in mixed martial arts competitions while also working as an apprentice to Jesus of Nazareth in this anachronistic 2023 faith-based action drama. 112 mins. Rated PG-13. carpentermovie.com
‘Cellar Door’ “Don’t even think of going down there,” a young couple is advised after moving into their dream home in this 2024 supernatural thriller. With Scott Speedman, Jordana Brewster and Laurence Fishburne. 97 mins. Rated R. lumierecinemala.com
‘Dahomey’ Artifacts from an ancient African kingdom are repatriated from a Paris museum to present-day Benin in this 2024 documentary. In French, Fon and English with English subtitles. 68 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Emilia Pérez’ A Mexico City attorney helps the feared leader of a drug cartel leave the criminal underworld behind and start life over as a trans woman in this acclaimed 2024 musical fable from filmmaker Jacques Audiard. With Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón. In Spanish, English and French with English subtitles. 132 mins. Rated R. emiliaperezfilm.com
‘The Eye of the Salamander’ An ancient Aztec figurine holds a sinister secret in this fantastical 2024 tale. 81 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Feeling Randy’ A closeted 1970s teen joins his three buddies on an excursion to a brothel in this fact-based 2024 coming-of-age tale. 81 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘The Ghost Trap’ A young lobsterman in Maine runs afoul of a rival lobstering family in this noir-ish 2024 crime thriller. 120 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘The Gutter’ A slacker is as surprised as anyone to learn he is good at bowling in this 2024 comedy. With Shameik Moore, D’Arcy Carden and Susan Sarandon. 92 mins. Not Rated. fandango.com
‘He Never Left’ A fugitive and his girlfriend cross paths with a legendary killer in this 2024 slasher flick. 89 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Here’ Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite with “Forest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis for this 2024 drama based on the Richard McGuire graphic novel depicting life in the same geographical location from the dawn of time to the present day and beyond. 104 mins. Rated PG-13. here-movie.com
‘Hitpig!’ A porcine bounty hunter is tasked with rescuing a kidnapped pachyderm in this kid-friendly 2024 animated tale based on a Berkeley Breathed children’s book. With the voices of Jason Sudeikis, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson and RuPaul. 86 mins. Rated PG. fandango.com
‘Juror #2’ A family man faces a crisis of conscience when he finds himself in the jury box for a headline-making murder trial in director Clint Eastwood’s 2024 thriller. With Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons and Kiefer Sutherland. 113 mins. Rated PG-13. warnerbros.com
‘La Cocina’ The romance between a chef and a waitress begins to fall apart amid the chaos of the bustling Manhattan restaurant in director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ black-and-white 2024 drama. With Raúl Briones and Rooney Mara. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. 139 mins. Rated R. lacocinamovie.com
‘Lost on a Mountain in Maine’ A 12-year-old finds himself separated from his family after they get caught in a storm while hiking in the woods in this fact-based 2024 survival drama. 98 mins. Rated PG. lostonamountaininmainemovie.com
‘October H8te’ This 2024 documentary examines the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attacks in Israel in 2023. 100 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘A Real Pain’ Jesse Eisenberg writes, directs and co-stars alongside “Succession’s” Kiernan Culkin in this 2024 comedy-drama about two cousins who try to set their differences aside while traveling together to Poland in memory of their late grandmother. 90 mins. Rated R. searchlightpictures.com
‘Singham Again’ The heroic cop must rescue his wife from the clutches of a terrorist mastermind in this 2024 entry in director Rohit Shetty’s over-the-top action franchise. Ajay Devgn stars. In Hindi with English subtitles. 144 mins. Not Rated. fandango.com
‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ The CIA, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and some of the biggest names in jazz all have parts to play in this 2024 documentary about the 1961 assassination of former Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba. In French, English, Dutch and Russian with English subtitles. 150 mins. Not Rated. fandango.com
• Opening next Wednesday, Nov. 6
‘Starring Jerry as Himself’ The bizarre story of a retired Chinese American family man recruited as an undercover agent for Chinese law enforcement is told through dramatic reenactments in this 2024 hybrid documentary. 75 mins. Not Rated. fandango.com
For a comprehensive list of other new and noteworthy films currently in theaters, click here….