One of Hollywood’s premiere and last remaining purveyors of loud non-superhero blockbusters, the unstoppable Ridley Scott, returns to the world of one of his most celebrated (and Oscar-awarded) hits with Gladiator II, which also represents rising star and long-time Letterboxd fave Paul Mescal’s first big studio leading role. Mescal’s profile may be as Roman as they come, but co-star Denzel Washington is generating most of the rose petals being laid down on Letterboxd: “My favorite part is when Denzel Washington!” exclaims Nell, who just happens to be Mescal’s sister. “Just give Denzel the Oscar now,” instructs Logan. Ash reckons that Mescal “looks so hot but is horrifically miscast” and critiques that “the ideas of legacy/fate that a sequel like this is ripe for are ignored in favor of yet another vengeance story.” But still, as Oly reminds, the hotness: “Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal fighting in mini skirts, what more could a girl want?” George Fenwick interviewed the cast for our YouTube channel. Now in theaters the world over.

Arguably the most successful contemporary Broadway musical not to have been adapted into a film, the anticipation for a Wicked movie has built up so much that Universal was confident enough to spread the adaptation across two installments. A musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz, the story follows the early lives of the women who would go on to be known as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Turns out, they used to be friends. A long time ago. Ariana Grande-Butero (as she’s officially credited) and Cynthia Erivo, respectively, take on the roles first embodied by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway, and are ed in the film by Bridgerton breakout Jonathan Bailey (soon to be seen alongside Scarlett Johansson in the next Jurassic World sequel), Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard. It’s “pure maximalist spectacle,” according to Stevie, who also calls it “ultra-earnest, ultra-theatrical, ultra-glossy, ultra-ultra.” Rendy has nothing but praise for the leads: “Ari tapping into her Nickelodeon-era comic timing for Glinda and delivering the best comic performance of the year. Cynthia Erivo doing her Widows run in a field and vocals sending me chills.” Maxine also liked what she saw, but tempers her endorsement: “Wickedly witty and riveting, understood the craft and the art of musical adaptation, but slightly far-fetched.” I think the far-fetchedness might be baked in. Now in theaters in most territories, with more in the next fortnight.

Actor and activist Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess herself, makes her directorial debut with Never Look Away, a documentary about fearless war photojournalist Margaret Moth, who like Lawless (and Letterboxd) hails from New Zealand. The film covers Moth’s singular life, which was dramatically upended after she was shot in the face by a sniper while covering the Bosnian War for CNN in the ’90s. Cited by Journal contributor Rafa Sales Ross as a film to look out for in this month’s Watchlist This!, Never Look Away premiered earlier this year at Sundance, where Neil responded to the film’s depiction of how “Margaret fought through tragedy and, almost miraculously, found a vocation that enabled her to be herself and benefit other vulnerable people in the world.” Morgan appreciates that “you can tell how highly Lawless thinks of Moth without sacrificing her complexity.” That complexity leads Aaron to celebrate “raw documentaries like this that explore a real human rather than a puff piece that exists to solely glorify someone.” Disclosure: your humble Call Sheet editor wrote Never Look Away’s production notes. Now in select theaters and on VOD in the US.

Rising Kiwi actor Thomasin McKenzie (Eileen, Last Night in Soho) stars in Joy as Jean Purdy, a British nurse and pioneering embryologist who helped develop the in vitro method of fertilization in the 1970s, but struggled to gain recognition for her achievements—largely as a result of her gender. Joy, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival last month and co-stars Bill Nighy and James Norton as Purdy’s collaborators, seeks to remedy that. Clare appreciates how it “restores Jean Purdy to her rightful place in history,” also calling the story “wholesome, engaging, [and] extremely timely”. “So touching and full of heart-warming moments, and a beautiful way to tell the story of so many women,” raves Jazreader. Savannah agrees: “The interactions between the women in this film is what shone the brightest for me and what had me teary-eyed during several moments. Thomasin McKenzie is phenomenal!” Now on Netflix.

Acclaimed Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín returns to the focused celebrity biopic (following Jackie and Spencer) with Maria. Angelina Jolie plays legendary opera star Maria Callas, living in seclusion in Paris in the late ’70s, and considering a return to the stage—at the cost of her health. The film shares a screenwriter (Steven Knight) with Spencer, and almost everyone considers this the third film in an unofficial trilogy. It’s “achingly beautiful in every respect,” according to Lucy, who goes on to it that it “didn’t reach the emotional depths of the first two”. DetectiveZinc calls it “an imaginative odyssey that intertwines the real with the surreal”. “Strange, magnetic, boring, and absolutely elegant,” says KYK. Luca “was pleasantly surprised with the loose direction Larraín takes things”. “A beautifully strange, shattering eulogy, pulled between past and present, aching with regret and heartbreak,” says Daniel. In select US theaters November 27. On Netflix December 11.

Although globally beloved, 2016’s Moana has particular significance in the Pacific as a result of the extent to which the film’s broad Polynesian mythology is informed by the legends shared by Pacific peoples. From Hawaii to Tonga to Aotearoa New Zealand, every kid grows up reading the tales of the trickster god Māui, the character voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the movie. Since its release, Moana has been re-recorded in multiple Indigenous languages, with the Reo Māori (Māori language) version becoming a theatrical hit in New Zealand. This year, in a historic first, the highly anticipated sequel, Moana 2, is being released concurrently in Reo Māori, screening in New Zealand cinemas at the same time as the English-language version. Moana 2’s voice cast features top Māori talent such as Temuera Morrison and Rachel House, returning as Chief Tui and Gramma Tala, and also dips into New Zealand’s deep well of performers with Samoan heritage, including new additions David Fane and Rose Matafeo. Auli’i Cravalho returns as the titular heroine, with fellow Hawaiian Hualālai Chung ing her crew. In theaters in most territories on November 27, New Zealand on November 28.

Luca Guadagnino continues his ongoing (and successful) quest to seemingly wrap our around his little finger with Queer, adapted from legendary writer William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novella about an American (Daniel Craig) living in Mexico in the 1950s who encounters a lithe young man (Drew Starkey) and becomes enthralled by him. Journal contributor George Fenwick cited it as one of the highlights of the fall festivals following its Venice premiere a few months ago. Jay applauds Guadagnino for his big year—it’s the director’s second 2024 film following the strike-delayed release of Challengers—“more directors should lure you in with hot gay summer before taking you on a psychological nightmare”. “Looks like a postcard, and feels like a dream,” waxes Ana. Matt reckons it’s “a film tailor-made for hopeless romantics who wander the streets at night dressed in white suits, wearing fedoras, drunk on their own self-loathing”. “It’s horny, strange, and tragic—every act feels like falling deeper and deeper into a sexual hell,” promises/warns Wendell. In select US theaters November 27.

Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5 depicts the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage drama from the perspective of an American network’s broadcast team, focusing on the tension between reporting the events and how such reporting might impact the ongoing situation. Peter Sarsgaard and Past Lives’ perennially underrated John Magaro (who should’ve broken out after starring in the David Chase movie Not Fade Away, Alycia agrees) lead the cast of what Daniel calls “one of the greatest movies about broadcasting ever”. Many reviews note that current global events cannot help but shade the story being told. Meanwhile, David says it “raises thought-provoking ethical questions about live news coverage,” and Rory calls it “a pressure cooker of ingenious technological triumphs clashing with the impossibility of impartiality.” In select US theaters November 29, goes wide December 13.