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A Different Man. This surreal black comedy follows an aspiring actor with a disfigured face whose decision to undergo experimental treatment disqualifies him from the role he was literally born to play. R. (Ross). ³Ò°ù²¹»å±ð:ÌýB+

Anora. Mikey Madison is an exotic dancer who falls for a Russian prince only to cross some gangsters in this "Pretty Woman" meets "Uncut Gems" comedy that won the Cannes Film Festival's top prize. R. (Grand). Grade: A

The Best Christmas Present Ever. Six awful kids from the same family hijack a town's Christmas pageant in this holiday picture that was not screened in advance for critics. PG. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe).

Blitz. Saoirse Ronan plays a British Rosie the Riveter looking for her 9-year-old son in director Steve McQueen's skillful, touching, yet almost shockingly conventional World War II homefront drama. R. (Grand). Grade: B

Elevation. Anthony Mackie stars as a single father who with two women ventures from the safety of their homes into the Rocky Mountains to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy in this post-apocalyptic thriller that was not screened in advance for critics. R. (Grand). 

Heretic. Two missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the door of the diabolical Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant, in this horror mystery thriller that was not screened in time for Ground Zero deadlines. R. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe).

Memories of a Snail. This Australian stop-motion animation about the bleak life of a lonely, snail-hoarding woman isn’t for kids. But it’s a fine film for adults. R. (Ross). Grade: A

Small Things Like These. Cillian Murphy brings quiet intensity to his performance as a father whose conscience challenges the community code of silence around Irelend's Catholic Magdalene laundries in Tim Mielants' subdued but powerful drama. PG-13. (Edgewood) ³Ò°ù²¹»å±ð:ÌýA

Weekend in Taipei. A DEA agent reunites with his ex, a transport driver, to take down a drug kingpin in this action movie that was not screened in time for Ground Zero deadlines. R. (Grand, Edgewood).

ONGOING

Conclave. Ralph Fiennes leads a tense search for a new pope in this Vatican-set thriller, adapted from the Robert Harris novel that delves into the bowels of a power struggle to pick the new pontiff. PG. (Grand). Grade: B

Here. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite with director Robert Zemeckis for this high-concept experiment that portrays four families in a single New England living room over time in which appalling de-aging technology distracts from what matters. PG-13. (Grand, Edgewood). Grade: C

Smile 2. Overwhelmed by terrifying events and the pressures of fame, a pop star has to confront her dark past to regain control of her life in this horror sequel that's bigger, gorier and even more bonkers than the first film. R. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: C+

Terrifier 3. Art the silent psycho clown puts on a Santa suit and completes his elevation to slasher icon in the sickest, goriest entry in this inventive horror series. R. (Grand). Grade: B.

Venom: The Last Dance. Tom Hardy returns as Venom in the final installment of the series that rounds out the trio of films, which are both straight-faced and irreverent, creating a campy tone all their own, distinct from the more self-serious superheroes, or the sarcastically self-referential ones. PG-13. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: C+

We Live in Time. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield each give strong performances as a 30-something couple falling in love, then living their lives together in this charming, silly, sometimes cringey romance that works because of their chemistry. R. (Grand). Grade: B

The Wild Robot. A shipwrecked helper robot makes friends with animals on an uninhabited island and cares for an orphaned baby goose in this soulful, sweetly sad animated adaptation of Peter Brown’s middle-grade novel that may just be the best movie of the year. PG. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: A