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“Quite honestly, by the time this muddled, overcrowded, tiresomely digressive trip finally crashes like so many post-binge hangovers, [writer-director Damien] Chazelle’s point has gotten lost in a self-indulgent, manically erratic shuffle.” (In theaters, 1.5 out of 4 stars) — Ann Hornaday
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (R)
“The human piñata skewered most hilariously here is Miles Bron, an elusive multimillionaire played by Edward Norton with just the right degree of humble-braggadocio. After elaborately inviting some old friends to his private island for a murder-mystery house party, Miles greets his minions playing ‘Blackbird’ on the beach, casually mentioning that he’s playing ‘the guitar Paul wrote it on.’ The name-dropping continues at a shamelessly furious pace, as both verbal checks and increasingly funny cameos, which accumulate into one big absurdist in-joke.” (Available Dec. 23 on Netflix, 3 out of 4 stars) — Ann Hornaday
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (PG)
“‘The Last Wish’ arrives just in time to give families something to do after all the presents have been unwrapped and the threat of Santa’s naughty list isn’t enough to avert cries of ‘I’m so borrred.’ And sometimes that’s enough: Kill an hour or two, laugh, call it a day. The bar isn’t terribly high here, but Puss and company clear it comfortably, landing — but of course — on their feet.” (In theaters, 2.5 out of 4 stars) — Kristen Page-Kirby
Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical (PG)
“Behold a Broadway musical that sings, dances and bedazzles so magnetically, it feels as if it were ordained for the screen by divine providence. ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical’ certainly is divine, but the inspirational figures are all mortal: a director, Matthew Warchus; a star, Emma Thompson; and a cast of perpetually whirling child wonders who propel the story forward with kinetic enchantment.” (Available Dec. 25 on Netflix, 3.5 out of 4 stars) — Peter Marks
“[Director Darren] Aronofsky’s facility with both gritty realism and visionary fever dreams can’t elevate material that wants to bear witness to suffering but reflexively reverts to manipulative spectacle. ‘The Whale’ might start out being about a man struggling to break free of his corporeal and spiritual bonds. But it’s [Brendan] Fraser’s smart, humane, vulnerable performance that too often seems trapped, in this case by a film whose mawkishness so oppressively weighs him down.” (In theaters, 1.5 out of 4 stars) — Ann Hornaday
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (R)
“Despite clocking in at nearly 2½ hours, ‘I Wanna Dance’ barely scratches the surface of its celestial subject and the figures in her orbit. If you have a favorite Houston performance, expect it to be immaculately re-created on-screen. The tabloid headlines that hounded her are dutifully addressed as well. But even if ‘I Wanna Dance’ celebrates Houston’s stirring rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV — as she slows the tempo and luxuriates in the spectacle — [director Kasi] Lemmons and screenwriter Anthony McCarten clearly didn’t absorb that showmanship lesson while speeding through the pop icon’s life story at a frenetic pace.” (In theaters, 1.5 out of 4 stars) — Thomas Floyd
“Healing is a tricky business, for people and animals alike. What that looks like is the subject of ‘Wildcat,’ a documentary about a young military veteran with PTSD, an orphaned baby ocelot that needs to learn to survive on its own, and a woman, also a trauma survivor, who wants to help them both.” (In theaters, available Dec. 30 on Prime Video; 2.5 out of 4 stars) — Kristen Page-Kirby
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