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Almut (Florence Pugh) is an up and coming chef in the U.K. culinary scene and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) is a soon to be divorced U.S. Citizen working and living in the U.K.. When a chance encounter brings the two together, a whirlwind love affair is spurred with learning to navigate the tapestry of life, what will the two weave together?Written by Nick Payne and Directed by John Crowley this non-sequential love story aims to strike chords and pull heart strings through “clever reveals,” kind of like opening an advent calendar out of order, which serves the story and the art to an extent but ultimately reveals a Cream of Wheat romance that still manages to telegraph it’s anticlimactic end well in advance. In all, the performances and production value are top notch, but it’s not enough to keep this stale narrative from grounding out before the finish. If you’re looking for the feels, you’ll have to search elsewhere as the audience ends up too insulated from what tragedies life may bring. Running one hour and forty seven minutes, We Live in Time is rated R.

Still in the 1970’s and imprisoned at Arkham Asylum, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) awaits his trial for his crimes as Joker. But, when a chance encounter with Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow patient and fan, stirs up new emotions, Arthur finds himself conflicted in his duality of self, Joker and Arthur. Sometimes all it takes is just a little push to send things into motion, and all the world’s a stage. Will Arthur get what he wants, what he deserves, or both? Written by Scott Silver, Todd Phillips, and Bob Kane, this terrestrially bound continuation of Joker (2019) moves at a glacial tilt occasionally shifting to inner dialogue set-pieces based in 1970’s golden era song lyrics, which admittedly is stylistically more colorful and interesting, Phoenix’s physical movement is haunting as Joker and Gaga’s voice soars, but the end result isn’t enough to lift this drawn out and mundane pseudo-romance. Moment’s of dark humor do illicit a chuckle or two throughout, but for fans of the psychopathic criminal mastermind, the search continues, alas, we’re left with just a sad clown. In totality, for all of the non-action throughout, the real narrative boils down to the last 30 seconds of the film, which is to say, this parallel universe/D.C. universe feels too close to boring to be interesting, almost like the way A.I. models create lifelike images based on comics, sometimes fun and interesting for a moment, but in actuality void of the spirit and reason we love their true construct, for escapism and the impossible, of which we only get measured doses of here. Running two hours and eighteen minutes Joker: Folie à Deux is rated R.

Born with a degenerative disease disfiguring his face, Edward (Sebastian Stan), undergoes a new and life changing procedure that cures him of his condition. So, when aspiring playwright and neighbor, Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), bases her latest off Broadway work on Edward’s disfigured life, the now cured Edward takes a secret fascination with Ingrid and her piece. But, when a confident, gregarious, and similarly uncured and disfigured actor, Oswald (Adam Pearson), enters the picture, Ingrid’s focus changes and poor Edward struggles to keep up; the lesson, careful what you wish for. Written and Directed by Aaron Schimberg this rough around the edges but cautionary tale centers around a study of confidence, the male ego, and what it is to be visible but invisible in public; definitely conversation material and a spur for discussion in the spirit of a Spike Jonze or Yorgos Lanthimos. A psychological thriller by design with strong performances by the ensemble, and a haunting score by Umberto Smerilli, A Different Man rolls out as a slow burn for it’s hour and fifty-two minute runtime providing plenty of narrative surprises to keep things interesting along the way. Worthy of your time if you’re able to embrace the unusual, A Different Man is rated R.