Opening this week:
Escape Room Not too long ago, I visited a rehearsal hall that had begun its life as an escape room. You could tell because, when you asked the proprietors for directions to the bathroom, they told you which colored line near the ceiling to follow, instead of just to turn left at the broom closet. (Hey, at least they didn't say, "When the siren sounds and the light starts flashing, get down on your belly and crawl, so you won't inhale the toxic fumes that are going to start spraying from the vents.")
Yes, there's nothing sadder than a failed escape room – a truism that could just as easily describe the film of the same name, this year's crap-horror sacrifice to the merciless gods of the January box office. In it, six strangers summoned to solve an escape room discover that the slowest among them will be put to death via one of several murderous contraptions. Sounds kind of like a Saw movie, which makes sense if you believe the Saw franchise was partially responsible for the phenomenon of real-world escape rooms to begin with. It's like Ouroboros swallowed his own tail and discovered it tastes like Twizzlers and shame. (PG-13; opens Friday, Jan. 4)
Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 Premiere The second season of this anime series about a psychic middle-schooler hasn't even debuted in its native Japan, and we're getting to watch the first episode thanks to a one-day-only theater event. But don't worry, because Japan is still going to be slightly ahead of us on some things. Like getting destroyed by North Korea. (PG; playing at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20 & RPX and Regal Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX)
On the Basis of Sex When they're making a biopic about your life, you'd like to have as much control over the project as possible. But deathless Constitution groupie Ruth Bader Ginsburg topped them all: She had her very own nephew write the screenplay. Unsurprisingly, Ginsburg was said to be extremely pleased with the end result, even telling director Mimi Leder she couldn't imagine anyone but star Felicity Jones playing her. Hey, I can't imagine anyone but Chris Evans playing me. But if the part ever gets cast, you and I know they're going with David Spade's underemployed cousin, so we should all start bracing ourselves now. (PG-13; opens Friday, Jan. 4)
Also playing:
Zero I'm usually not surprised by the things bored people do to fuck with the rest of us. But even I was taken aback to learn that Twitter trolls had created parody accounts to tweet out fake critical reactions to one of this year's most anticipated Hindi features. I mean, pretending to be a professional film critic has to be one of the saddest, most pointless bits of subterfuge imaginable. Plus it's Rex Reed's job, dammit! (NR; playing at Universal Cinemark at CityWalk and Touchstar Cinemas Southchase 7)
