Videoreleases

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Following the defeat of Mechagodzilla, Kong now resides in the Hollow Earth while Godzilla remains on the surface Earth and continues to control the balance between humanity and giant monsters, or “Titans.” A Monarch station located in the Hollow Earth picks up an unidentified signal, which in turn reaches Jia (Hottle), the last known survivor of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, and Godzilla. Suspecting the signal and Godzilla’s behavior to be a sign of an upcoming battle, Kong expert Dr. Ilene Andrews (Hall), Titan veterinarian Trapper (Stevens) and Jia attempt to decipher the signal and assist Godzilla and Kong in the ultimate battle between bestial Titans.

Director:AdamWingard.Stars: RebeccaHall,BrianTyreeHenry, DanStevens,KayleeHottle,Alex Ferns,FalaChen.2024.115min. ActionAdventure.

Stopmotion

Ella Blake (Franciosi) is enlisted by her overbearing mother, Su- zanne (Gonet), to help her finish her stop-motion film after her arthritis prevents her from completing the project on her own. Ella scraps the film and begins a new one that follows the suggestions of a young girl (Springall), establishing a storyline featuring a sinister monster known as the Ash Man, who begins to infiltrate Ella’s thoughts and blur the lines between her film and her reality.

Director:RobertMorgan.Stars: AislingFranciosi,StellaGonet, TomYork,CaoilinnSpringall. 2023.93 min.Horror.

American Fiction

University professor and writer Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright) is an upper-class Black man who, while receiving aca- demic acclaim for his writing, fails to establish an audience. A critique he often receives from the publishers who reject his book is that his writing is not “Black enough.” After noticing a trend of Black authors achieving success for books that pander to Black stereotypes, Monk writes a satirical book out of contempt. To his surprise, it receives critical acclaim and is even offered a movie deal. Through it all, Monk struggles to reconcile his identity with the societal stereotypes and expectations, as well as his desire to be truly seen.

Director:Cord Jefferson.Stars: JeffreyWright,TraceeEllisRoss, JohnOrtiz,ErikaAlexander,LeslieUggams,SterlingK.Brown, IssaRae,AdamBrody.2023.117 min.ComedyDrama.