This mystery, which feels plucked out of Amanda Knox-style headlines, stays interesting thanks to solid acting, a gorgeous setting, and some unexpected plot twists. Sporting little make-up and a gracious attitude light years away from her Gossip Girl persona, Meester's Beth is a plausibly confused victim in The Weekend Away. She's matched by the excellent Syrian actor Bakri. You can't help but root for the two of them to get together, and the fact (spoiler alert) that they don't share an on-screen kiss, but rather a text provides the clue they may have a future together, feels like a questionable choice. The film manages to craft some solid suspense and keeps you glued with a quick pace and some unexpected characters in a truly alluring location. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This tough epic of two lone explorers surviving in a brutal natural environment is surprisingly captivating. With grey-toned cinematography and a minimalist polar setting (filmed in Iceland), Against the Ice is effective at conveying the brutal conditions these early twentieth-century explorers faced. "It's like we landed on the moon," one character notes, and indeed it looks that way at moments. It also feels as far away from civilization. The pair's bonding over a postcard image of a group of women becomes essentially their only connection with the outside world. As a character study, Coster-Waldau and Cole communicate emotions, fears, and hard-earned complicity in understated ways. Iver is clearly wide-eyed at the opportunity to accompany a storied hero, and he slowly chips away at the captain's standoffishness. A section where both men begin losing touch with reality is perhaps the least interesting, in part precisely because of the realism of the rest of the film. It's luckily not dragged out. An ongoing theme involves the unveiling in the same years of the "unsinkable" Titanic. The message is that while that boat did famously sink, these men lived through unbelievably harsh conditions and isolation, and they made it through. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

It's no easy task to tell a person's life story in an hour and a half, and filmmakers have attempted to do this in a variety of ways. In Howard, director Don Hahn uses old photos of people and places, together with archive recordings from Howard Ashman's life, to try to let the subject speak for himself. Hahn combines this archive material with a variety of interviews with the people closest to Ashman, including his sister, mother, best friend, lover, and colleagues. You definitely leave the film with a sense of who Ashman was, how he was formed, and what his life and work meant to those around him. Interestingly, there are no talking heads in Howard, except in the archive footage. Hahn uses the interviews as voiceover narration only. This keeps the piece visually interesting and focused on the past, when Ashman was alive, though viewers may miss seeing the speakers as they are today. Hahn also takes a bit of a risk with some staged scenes, including a child's room with toys casting long shadows used to evoke Ashman's early gift as a storyteller, and an empty auditorium where Ashman gave an on-stage interview the very night he found out he was sick. These feel a little odd at first, but they turn out to be the most memorable images after the film ends, their symbolism lingering on. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Mark Zuckerberg isn't mentioned by full name until late in this documentary, but his company's outsize influence on the world of social media is felt all over The Social Dilemma. The featured talking heads here have mostly left top tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter after having helped build them up, and now seem to suffer from a collective guilty conscience. That only adds to how convincing they are about the existential threat social media poses, and their expertise pulls back the curtain on the methods. "We're all lab rats," one person suggests in a documentary full of similarly worrying statements that leave the impression social media is to blame for many -- if not most -- contemporary individual and social ills. Director Jay Orlowski visualizes some of the talking head commentary in animated sequences and a dramatized fictional narrative about phone-addicted teens suffering from negative online commentary and being manipulated by artificial intelligence (played by Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser) to dive down outrage-driven rabbit holes. These sequences may help illustrate the ideas for some viewers, but they aren't totally necessary. As expert voice after voice predicts more addiction, psychological afflictions, polarization, radicalization, and echo-chamber ignorance, it's impossible not to see the immediate relevance of their warnings. They leave us with a few recommendations and suggestions that may not be enough to turn the tide without public pressure for top-down regulation, but which the documentary makes clear we ignore at our own peril. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Wolfgang Puck looks back at his own life in this documentary, providing moments of insight but also the sense that ends have been tied up a smidge too neatly. In Wolfgang, director David Gelb combines first-hand interviews with clips, mostly from the height of Puck's fame in the 1980s and '90s, and photographs from his early years. The footage and memories of how popular his Hollywood restaurant Spago was in that era are great fun. The floor manager recalls reading The Hollywood Reporter daily so she could seat people according to their changing status in the business. Puck tells the star-oriented origin stories of some of his best-known dishes, like a smoked salmon pizza created on the spot for Joan Collins or his frozen pizza line, inspired by Johnny Carson's take-out orders. The documentary makes a clever move as well by using footage of cities from specific eras when it talks about the past. Gelb also follows the Austria-born Puck on a visit back to his hometown to see his sister and revisit scenes from his childhood. These segments are woven in and out with the high points of his career, keeping the film from getting bogged down in too much past darkness. Some of his memories are dramatized with a young figure walking through places and events Puck recalls, including a moment as a teen when he stood on a bridge and contemplated suicide. Dramatizations like this can rub some viewers the wrong way, but they do stick in the memory and complement the other forms of storytelling here. Now in his 70s, Puck is contemplative, reflecting on mistakes made, what drove him to the success he had, and what he now considers priority. Some of these conclusions feel a bit too tidy, too one-sided. You wonder what you're not being told. But fans of Puck and the culture of celebrity chefs in general will enjoy this retrospective of a landmark career and a moment in time. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This engrossing and timely documentary sends a powerful message of acceptance of transgender teens by letting them and their loved ones tell their own stories. Some of their experiences will stick with viewers long after Changing the Game's end credits roll. A key message of all three profiled teens is that being transgender isn’t a choice. Yet, depending on which state they live in, some aren't allowed to compete on the team of their gender identity, and all suffer insults and bullying, mostly from adults, when they walk away from competitions. "I do train as hard as a man. I fight as hard as a man. I am a man. And I'm the state wrestling champion of female high school wrestling," Mack says wryly at the film's opening. "We are females, we don't have to identify as females," Andraya's transgender teammate Terry insists towards the end. Sarah admits she sometimes underperforms so as not to call attention to herself in races. Parents, coaches, and principals open up their homes, training sessions, and baby albums to director Michael Barnett. Mack's Southern Baptist grandparents searched their Bible for help and seem to slip up regularly with pronouns, but the teen breaks down in tears when he talks about how much they've supported him. He probably wouldn't be alive today without that support, his grandma admits tearfully, a statement backed up by frightening statistics about transgender teen suicides. Sarah's self described "conservative" dad comments that being transgender "isn't political," though people do try to "politicize" it, and his daughter courageously advocates for policy change at the state level. This documentary also clearly advocates a side of this overtly politicized issue of allowing transgender teens the right to play on teams, and to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice. In the process, it portrays most of the critics of this policy -- parents and pundits alike -- as angry or even belligerent. One of the most dispassionate but convincing arguments is given by Andraya's track coach, who reminds us that the ultimate goal of high school sports isn’t about who wins or loses, but what kids learn from participating. "You have to think about fairness beyond the track," he says. Sports are about "teaching life lessons." Changing the Game wins at doing just that. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

The Madea films are all about the characters; they have their audience and the latest installment will be no different. But definitely don't come to Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming looking for much beyond the usual trash-talking and crass humor. The film takes place almost entirely in one setting -- Madea's house. There are some very funny moments, like confusion over an Irish character (a hilarious Brendan O'Carroll as Madea's White counterpart), whose localisms are misinterpreted: "knickers" sounds like the "N" word, and she uses unintentionally-charged terms like "cotton-picking" and "proud boy." The film conveys a couple of political messages about Black Lives Matter, accepting gay people, and supporting rather than defunding police. Madea's folksy life lessons once again communicate that love and family are more important than anything else. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Plot twists, ambiance, and impressive acting, particularly from lead Havana Rose Liu, make this film a suspenseful watch, though the latter act devolves into mostly gory violence. There's a scene early in No Exit when Darby has discovered the tied-up child in the back of a van and doesn't yet know who the car belongs to. The group of stranded travelers starts a card game of BS, and the camera closes in on the characters' eyes as the moment becomes tenser. Who is lying? Who can Darby trust? This is where the film is at its strongest. Once the owner of the van is revealed, the action turns increasingly violent (expect a lot of blood) with a couple of surprise twists. Liu plays pain masterfully, and her frightened stares and general discomfort, starting from the moment she escapes rehab and pockets a white substance for later, are haunting. She proves herself stronger and more resilient than anyone seems to expect from her. The ensemble cast was well selected and though we're given some tantalizing hints about their lives, they deserved even more backstory. Dennis Haysbert brings gravitas to every role. The setting adds to the suspense -- the visitor's center on a mountain pass socked in during a nighttime snowstorm creates an atmosphere of claustrophobia, if not dread. There's also some memorable cinematography that makes evocative use of the snowy environment, such as a lonely car shot from above, headlights beaming ahead, or falling flakes flashing red, white, and blue in the lights of a police car. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

YouTube sensation Troye Sivan has an undeniable screen presence that carries this enjoyable snapshot of three teens facing life -- or possible illness -- after high school graduation. Three Months also boasts an enviable supporting cast, including veterans Ellen Burstyn and Louis Gosset Jr and relative newcomer Viveik Kalra. Though Sivan is 26, he plays an18-year-old credibly with his slender frame and angelic face; his looks so innocent here that it's almost hard to imagine him in the circumstances that led to the HIV scare. But that doesn't make him ill-matched to the character, who sits at that tender moment between childhood (screaming on roller coasters, smoking weed at every turn) and adulthood (heading off to college, craving a real relationship). His Gen-Z snarkiness softens as he matures over the course of the summer. The film is split into chapters by summer months, and for the main characters, the summer after graduation is no party. But as Caleb's doctor notes, "It's amazing what you can discover after life gets f--ked up." And it does seem Caleb is on a journey, despite the holding pattern forced on him by the 90-day wait for test results. Some early scenes echo that waiting around, conveying the impression that nothing much is happening on screen. The script also plays with some symbolism, like connected pairs cycling synchronously on a tandem bike, the patience required while a drawbridge opens and closes, and brand-new white Converse representing a fresh start. The film's soundtrack and colorful credits add to a hip mood, setting the scene in a pastel-colored beachfront Florida town at the start and eclectic New York City at the end. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

With the debut of the Malta Film Week and Awards, a generous cash rebate and an upgrade of local studio facilities, the island nation is raising its profile as a versatile, cost-effective location for film shoots: "We are building an industry." When Colin Trevorrow took the stage to receive the Film Commissioner’s Award at the inaugural Malta Film Awards on Saturday night in Valletta, he joked that when his new film Jurassic World: Dominion premieres next June, “all around the world, there will be children that are going to believe that there are dinosaurs on this island.” “Please, tell them it’s all true,” he added. “Let’s keep the magic of the movies and the magic of their imaginations alive, because that’s part of what we do.” Jurassic is one of dozens of international films and series to shoot in Malta over the last several years. And, for the first time, Malta doesn’t double as another country – part of the story is set there, a point of great pride locally. Trevorrow participated a day earlier in a Q&A, and he was one of several high-profile international talents who appeared on stage or by video Saturday at the slickly produced awards ceremony, hosted by British comedian David Walliams. Collectively, they represent the ambitions of the Malta Film Commission to convert the country, in commissioner Johann Grech’s words, into “a world class film industry.” Those plans include a generous cash rebate, upgrading of existing studio facilities and new soundstages, a promise to train and invest more in local crews and, of course, promoting the islands through events like the Malta Film Awards, part of a week-long series of panels and presentations dubbed the Malta Film Week. At the awards, Harvey Keitel won a best actor statue for his performance in 2021 Malta-US-Canada co-production Blood on the Crown, executive produced by Roland Joffe. The film also took best director for Davide Ferrario and additional nods for screenplay, score, hair and make-up, production design and post-production. The night’s other big winner was UK-Maltese co-production The Boat (2018), directed by well-known local line producer Winston Azzopardi, which won best film and best cinematography. Films and series from the last 100 years of Maltese production were eligible for the awards, meaning this might not be an annual event – at least not in its current form – though Malta Film Week will be, Grech says. The awards also weren’t without some early growing pains: some local producers, including the backers of Malta’s contender for the International Oscar, Sundance special jury award-winner Luzzu, launched a boycott over their high cost, according to the Times of Malta. “As beautiful as investing in these awards are tonight, I think investing in our indigenous films is more important,” Boat star and co-scripter/co-producer Joe Azzopardi declared at the awards. Says Grech: “The Malta Film Week, including the Malta Film Awards, has created a nationwide debate about our industry, how we can grow further, how we can keep competitive, how we can create more jobs, how we can secure more funding – not just government, but government and business working together.” Read the full story at The Hollywood Reporter. Photos courtesy Latina Pictures

With an absorbing performance by star Hanna van Vliet at its center, this film meanders a bit plot-wise but offers an interesting view into a specific community, time, and place. Based on the Dutch TV series of the same name co-created by van Vliet, Anne+ is about friendship, love, relationships, identity, gender, and self-expression. It captures that exuberant mid-twenties moment in life where every day is a party and sexual energy runs high, when everything is possible but concrete decisions about the future still have to be made. Anne has written a book that her publisher critiques as having a main character who is lost and has no goals. The insight explains Anne's own issues and foreshadows a break in her current plans, which she slowly realizes she didn't actively participate in making. For the queer community shown here, identity issues are complicated by unaccepting families and a "heteronormative" society. They spend a lot of time talking about this, and the character of Lou (Thorn Roos de Vries) gets a bit preachy at moments. But certainly, these characters will resonate with some viewers, and the film is well-paced, filmed, and acted. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This film isn't so much tall as it is thin. The characters of Tall Girl 2 are familiar and sweet, the story is predictable and the ending is predictably happy, and there's also some accomplished singing and dancing from the teen cast. But a handful of scenes are surprisingly clunky, with awkward pauses in dialogues, and Jodi's inner voice is a clumsy device that gets old fast. The film will appeal to an audience younger than its actual characters, and it could give them the misleading idea that all high schoolers are insanely creative and talented. Chalk that up to an endowed cast, particularly Ava Michelle as tall girl Jodi and Luke Eisner as the Swedish exchange student who provides welcomed comic relief. New Orleans is on attractive display. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.