Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I’m back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything.

It’s Halloween! Spend the holiday getting unsettled with Bugonia, the latest film from critically acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, which is now playing nationwide.

But if you’d rather skip the spookiness, don’t fear; there are plenty of new releases available at home to choose from, including Eleanor the Great, the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson.

And on streaming services you’re surely already paying for, a new film starring Colin Farrell, The Ballad of a Small Player, hits Netflix and Jurassic World: Rebirth finally stomps its way onto Peacock.

Read on, because there’s more, and there’s always something for everyone!

🎥 What to watch in theaters

My recommendation: Bugonia

Why you should see it: The feel-bad movie of the season is here! Yorgos Lanthimos, director of Poor Things and The Favourite, returns with his latest collaboration with Emma Stone. It may be their finest work yet, though it may not leave you in the best headspace.

In the film, which is a remake of sorts of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, two conspiracy-obsessed men (Jesse Plemons and newcomer Aidan Delbis) kidnap the CEO of a major company (Emma Stone) when they become convinced that she’s an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

All the performances are top-notch: Stone continues her unbelievable run, and Plemons finally gets to stretch his legs in a leading role and makes the absolute most of it. He’s so effective in the role, you might find yourself empathizing with a nutjob, or asking yourself whether he’s actually onto something.

The film balances tone impressively, making you laugh uproariously one minute and inducing absolute dread the next. It’s a film about our post-truth world, or a look at a society whose inhabitants can’t even agree on basic realities. The script from Will Tracy (The Menu) does a terrific job at mining social commentary without being heavy-handed and shows how conspiracies often stem from a very real and painful place.

It builds to a third act that feels inevitable and then takes it a step further with a stunningly audacious ending montage that left a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. It poses the question, is humankind worth saving? You may not like the answer.

What other critics are saying: It’s getting great reviews! Amy Nicholson at the Los Angeles Times astutely calls it “a hilarious movie with no hope for the future of humanity. What optimism there is lies only in the title, an ancient Greek word for the science of transforming dead cows into hives, of turning death into life.” Rolling Stone’s David Fear writes, “You’re never sure which truth is out there, exactly, in Lanthimos’s caustic, chilling and occasionally chuckle-inducing poke in the eye. You just acknowledge that no one seems to find one we can all agree on.”

How to watch: Bugonia is now in theaters nationwide.

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Bonus sort-of-recommendation: Stitch Head

Why you should maybe see it: If you’re looking for a Halloween-friendly flick, look no further!

Stitch Head follows the story of a small, forgotten creature living in a long-abandoned castle. Awoken by a mad professor, Stitch Head (Asa Butterfield, in a wonderful vocal performance) is tasked with protecting his other wildly inventive creations from the suspicious townspeople of Grubber Nubbin.

It starts off incredibly strong — the animation is striking, and the take on the Frankenstein legend is very clever and well-thought-out. You really feel for these monstrous creatures, none of whom asked to be born, who are created and then immediately discarded without a thought.

That being said, Stitch Head is an OK-at-best movie with a terrific character and idea at its center. Sadly, the movie loses its way and strays from its working elements, becoming deeply unfocused. It’s full of slapstick humor that turns repetitive. I found myself asking aloud, “How many more times can this character fall from a high place?” It has nice positive messaging about embracing your differences, though that’s nothing new for kids’ fare.

What other critics are saying: They mostly agree that it’s a missed opportunity. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writes that the film “despite its storybook images, is rather toothless, with a plot that runs out of gas.”

How to watch: Stitch Head is now in limited theaters nationwide.

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💸 Movies newly available to rent or buy

My not-quite-a-recommendation: Eleanor the Great

Why you should maybe skip it: June Squibb stars in Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, a strange, well-meaning and mildly baffling film about a woman who pretends to be a Holocaust survivor.

Squibb is great, but the script simply doesn’t do a good enough job of getting you to understand why this woman would do such a despicable thing. The tone is too lighthearted for the seriousness of the subject matter. Its heart is certainly in the right place, but its exploration of grief is just kinda bizarre and off-putting.

What other critics are saying: It’s got both defenders and haters. The AV Club’s Tim Grierson calls it “insultingly syrupy” and “tonally tricky,” but Lindsey Bahr, writing for the AP, shouts out Squibb and her costar Erin Kellyman as “terrific” and says they are the real reasons to seek it out: “The film may trip over its own contrivances, but their performances will leave you moved.”

How to watch: Eleanor the Great is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video and other VOD platforms.

Rent or buy

📺 Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have

My recommendation: Ballad of a Small Player

Why you should watch it: Conclave director Edward Berger returns with Ballad of a Small Player, starring Colin Farrell as a degenerate gambler at the end of his rope as his various debts pile up.

Farrell is wonderful in the film and, frankly, has never looked worse, unless you count his prosthesis on The Penguin. His character is a pathetic man, and he sells it perfectly, sweating through every scene and making clear the addictive hold gambling has on him. Sure, every move he makes gets him further in the hole, but what if the next hand he plays is the one that redeems him?

In typical Berger fashion, the film is punctuated by an obnoxiously loud score that doesn’t seem to be a particularly good fit for the material. This operatic style extends to his camerawork as well, but I found the setting and its visuals striking enough to appreciate rather than declare it similarly overdone.

The film gets a little in the weeds with a vaguely supernatural twist that felt entirely unnecessary, but it’s not enough to mar the overall experience. Ballad of a Small Player is worth a watch for Farrell’s exemplary work alone. Anyone who appreciates gambling will surely also get a kick out of it.

What other critics are saying: It’s mixed! Robbie Collin at the Telegraph writes that “the psychological grace notes that make the opening act so intriguing get lost in the chaos — while the climactic twist, served up with the obligatory here’s-what-really-happened recap, asks the viewer to swallow too much.” The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, however, says “it’s a movie of big moods and grand gestures, undercut by the banal inevitability of losing.”

How to watch: Ballad of a Small Player is now streaming on Netflix.

Watch on Netflix

Bonus recommendation: Jurassic World: Rebirth

Why you should watch it: The latest entry in the long-running franchise was another box-office smash, and it’s now available to watch without leaving the comfort of your couch (that’s hopefully equipped with some killer surround sound).

Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali play a group of mercenaries hired by a pharmaceutical company to infiltrate an island full of dinosaurs and obtain DNA that could lead to medical breakthroughs.

If that all sounds very familiar, that’s because it is, and the movie makes no bones (pun intended) about the fact that it’s adhering to a formula. Filmmaker Gareth Edwards knows he’s making a dinosaur set piece delivery vehicle and colors within those lines expertly.

Edwards is a great fit for the material since he’s a visual effects maestro, and the CGI dinos look better here than they ever have, even if that practical animatronic touch is largely missed. You can also see and feel inspiration from a bunch of other non-Jurassic films, from Spielberg classics like Jaws and Indiana Jones to other genre staples like King Kong.

Jurassic World: Rebirth does not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to. If you’re looking for a fresh helping of dinosaur-based mayhem, it hits the spot.

What other critics are saying: It’s an even split! Mark Kennedy from the AP praises it as “superb,” writing that the filmmakers, like the film’s mercenaries, have the same mission: “Going back to the source code to recapture the magic of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster original. They’ve thrillingly succeeded.” Amy Nicholson at the Los Angeles Times, however, was not a fan, writing, “The series itself has gotten so bored with the beasties that it continues to invent new ugly mutants.”

How to watch: Jurassic World: Rebirth is now streaming on Peacock.

Watch on Peacock

But that’s not all …

• Hedda: Writer-director Nia DeCosta’s thoroughly modern update on Henrik Ibsen’s legendary 19th-century play is a sumptuous treat that’s absolutely thrilling to behold. The setting has been updated to an English countryside at some point during the 1950s. The plot, quite cleverly, unfolds over one crazy night, a perfect fit for the character and her whims. Tessa Thompson is simply sensational as Hedda, a woman who can’t help but wrap everyone she encounters around her finger, simply because she can. Rarely does a contemporary take on a classic text prove itself to be this entertaining. Now streaming on Prime Video.

• The Cut: Orlando Bloom is absolutely fantastic in this film that aims to subvert everything we know about a boxing movie. It’s all about a boxer trying to make weight for a fight — imagine if the training montage from one of these types of things was the entire movie — and portrays the harsh realities of how far one can push their body in pursuit of redemption. It’s a harrowing psychological drama, and Bloom’s commitment to the roles shines through at every turn. John Turturro is also terrific in a supporting role. Now streaming on Paramount+.

• Sorry, Baby: The debut feature from Eva Victor was beloved at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is now available to all. In it, something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on … for everyone around her, at least. It’s a very personal and emotional film, using comedy to make a tough subject go down easier. What could be more honest than that? It’s a heartfelt, surprisingly funny watch that announces the arrival of Victor as a new voice. Now streaming on HBO Max.

That’s all for this week — we’ll see you next week at the movies!

Looking for more recs? Find your next watch on the Yahoo 100, our daily-updating list of the most popular movies of the year.