The Descendants
(Fox, $30)
George Clooney “has never been better, subtler, more deeply rooted in a performance” than he is in this quiet tragicomedy, said The Philadelphia Inquirer. Playing against type, Clooney is a disconnected father of two who’s forced to become a better parent when his wife lands in a coma.
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Melancholia
(Magnolia, $27)
Lars von Trier’s sci-fi drama was one of 2011’s “most emotionally resonant art movies,” said the New York Post. Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as sisters facing doomsday as a rogue planet heads for a collision with Earth. The film’s originality makes it “essential” viewing for cinephiles.
Young Adult
(Paramount, $30)
This dark comedy from the team behind Juno achieves a “queasy brilliance,” said Entertainment Weekly. As a self-centered alcoholic returning to her hometown to win back an ex-boyfriend who’s now happily married, Charlize Theron exhibits a “really ugly inner childishness.”
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Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
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The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
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Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source NotesFeature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
