“Twinless”
Rating: 4/5

James Sweeney crafted a drama that takes all the grief many of us feel after a heavy loss and mixes in a bit of humor and thriller to make “Twinless” a truly unique trip to the movies.

Dylan O’Brien, best known for his roles in , takes a different turn to bring a set of twins to life. Much like Michael B. Jordan with “Sinners” earlier this year, O’Brien fully gives each character their own mannerisms and personalities, quietly proving himself as one of the better actors of his generation.

In addition to writing and directing this stellar story, Sweeney co-stars with O’Brien. Their characters become fast friends after meeting in a grief support group for people who have lost a twin.

Their chemistry is intriguing to watch. “Twinless” is still in limited release in select theaters, and I recommend seeking it out if it’s playing near you.

“Eleanor the Great”
Rating: 4/5

June Squibb continues her streak of fantastic movies with “Eleanor the Great,” Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut.

I love that this film tells an uplifting, honest story without becoming saccharine or cheesy. In processing the complicated grief over the loss of her oldest friend and roommate, Eleanor (Squibb) passes off her dear friend’s Holocaust survival story as her own.

In the process, she meets a young journalism student, Nina (Erin Kellyman), and they become close friends. Kellyman and Squibb are fantastic on screen together, and as someone who has gravitated towards multigenerational friendships often, I can very much relate, and I loved seeing that wonderful dynamic brought to life in a movie.

Of course, Eleanor’s lie stirs up a lot of tension and drama, but I kind of see it as a red herring, merely a catalyst for bringing these two characters together as they both are processing deep grief (Nina’s mother died recently).

While Squibb is luminous as always, and Kellyman matches her vibrancy in every scene they share. A supporting turn from Chiwetel Ejiofor as Nina’s grief-stricken journalist dad is also a highlight.

This is not a perfect film in any way, but it still gets me excited for what’s to come next for Johansson as a director and these three performers.

“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey”
Rating: 4/5

I went into “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” expecting a quirky romantic drama with two very charismatic performers (Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie) at the top of their game, and that’s exactly what I got.

Two musical theater nerds with complicated backstories falling in love due to fantastical experiences orchestrated by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline wasn’t entirely what I expected from this movie, but it did a great job of quite literally balancing all the genres to create a singular cinematic experience that I fear is not going to get the attention it deserves.

In addition to some stellar work from Farrell and Robbie, Hamish Linklater is also a standout for me.

While a lot of critics walked out of this feeling bored or underwhelmed, I had a lot of fun on this journey, even if it isn’t quite as big and bold as I had hoped. (The husband, however, said he’d give this a 5/5 for what it’s worth.)

“Him”
Rating: 1.5/5

I love a slow burn horror film, so I was really fine with this movie until the final act. “Him” never fully ignites, just putting together a bunch of bonkers plot points that make it fizzle instead of sizzle.

After seeing Hugh Grant give a mesmerizing performance in “Heretic” last year, I went into “Him” hoping Marlon Wayans would do the same, venturing away from comedies and spoofs to give a dramatic horror performance. I honestly do consider his performance to be a high point of this otherwise messy movie.

As a whole, “Him” has a lot of ideas about professional sports and the cult of celebrity, but they never really come together to tell a cohesive story.