That opportunity arrives Jan. 20-Jan. 29 at the Sundance Film Festival, which returns to live screenings after two virtual versions and offers a robust showcase for some of the best features the world has to offer.

Numerous world premieres and buzzy titles will attract movie lovers, ear-muffed celebrities, journalists, publicists, studio reps and onlookers to Park City, Utah.

But if you can’t make it there, know that some of the titles will be available to stream beginning Jan. 24. More information on these and more films is available at festival.sundance.org.

Here are 15 to look out for, a number of which have Bay Area associations.

“Stephen Curry: Underrated”: Award-winning Oakland documentary-maker Peter Nicks (“Homeroom,” “The Waiting Room,” “The Force”) bring his ever-observant eye to the life and career of one of our most popular and respected NBA players — Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry. Filmmaker and Oakland native Ryan Coogler is one of the producers of this Apple TV+ documentary, which relates the inspirational story of Curry and how the four-time NBA champ defied naysayers and became a phenomenon. Sadly, it’s not available online, and there’s no word yet on when Apple TV+ will release it.

“Shortcomings”: Sacramento-born graphic novelist Adrian Tomine has drawn deserved comparisons to America’s most daring cartoonists. If you haven’t read any of the UC Berkeley alum’s rich works — and you really should — this edgy adaptation from director Randall Park (yes, the cute actor from “Fresh off the Boat”) will likely make you a fan. It follows three Berkeley chums fumbling about with love, desire, heritage and expectations. It’s available online.

“Fremont”: For his fourth feature film, Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali comes up with a novel and timely concept.  A former Afghan translator (newcomer Anaita Wali Zada) finds herself saddled with an empty life in the titular East Bay city, but things change when she assigned to write Chinese fortune cookie messages at the factory where she works. “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White costars. Shot in B&W, Jalali’s feature will be available online.

“Earth Mama”: Some films get snapped up by studios and distributors even before they get their world premiere at Sundance. Such is the case with 29-year-old Savanah Leaf’s debut feature set in the Bay Area. A24 swooped in to grab the former Olympic volleyball player’s coming-of-age drama about Gia (Oakland newcomer Tia Nomore), a pregnant single mom with two other children in foster care. The film is not available online, and there’s no release date from A24 yet.

“Fairyland”: Debut filmmaker Andrew Durham wrote and directed this adaptation of Alysia Abbott’s memoir about growing up in the ‘70s with a free-spirited father (Scoot McNairy) following the sudden death of her mother. Alysia is often left to her own devices as her father begins to date men once they relocate to San Francisco. Geena Davis, rock singer Adam Lambert and Maria Bakalova costar. The film is not available online.

“Fancy Dance”: Sundance loves coming-of-age stories. This exciting release from first-timer Erica Tremblay attests to that. The world premiere drama is about two girls from an Oklahoma reservation — the resourceful Jax (Lily Gladstone) and her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) — taking a road trip to find Roki’s missing mother. It’s available online.

“Cassandro”: Gael Garcia Bernal lands a juicy, high-profile role as the real-life gay luchador (professional wrestler) Saúl Armendáriz, who, with the assistance of his trainer, breaks barriers by assuming the identity of an alter ego — the out and proud Cassandro. This is documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams’ feature debut, and it looks like a winner. Bad Bunny and Raúl Castillo costar. It’s not available online.

“Infinity Pool”: His horror freakout (“Possessor”) rattled Sundance a few years ago, now director Brandon Cronenberg (David Cronenberg’s son) follows it up with what looks to be another unabashedly bizarre and brazen horror shocker. Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård lend their magnetic star power to this dark look at the festering underbelly of tourism. It might even make you think twice about booking that next trip to a tropical paradise. It’s not available online, but will arrive in theaters to disturb Jan. 27.

“Mamacruz”: Dramas about sexual awakenings (or re-awakenings), in general,  tend to focus on characters under the age of 50. Director/co-writer Patricia Ortega makes an exception here with a story about a buttoned-up, religious grandmother who dares to dip into porn and talk more freely about sex — to the chagrin of some, and the acceptance of others. Kiti Manver will be a Sundance standout. It’s available online.

“You Hurt My Feelings”: Nicole Holofcener writes and directs what sounds like another one of her refreshingly unique dramedies. It’s her fourth film at Sundance and follows novelist Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and how she reconsiders her relationship with her therapist hubby Don (Tobias Menzies) when she overhears him dissing her new novel. Oops. It’s not available online.

“Rye Lane”: Director Raine Allen-Miller’s feature debut is a romantic dramedy wherein a teary-eyed Dom (David Jonsson) gains more pep in his step courtesy of a wild day spent in South London with Yas (Vivian Oparah). It looks to be a charming and telling look at two 20-something people of color who might be ready to fall in love. It’s not available online.

“Twice Colonized”: What often distinguishes the Sundance is its dedication to illuminating various perspectives, cultures and ideas. Such is the case with this topical and engrossing documentary from director Lin Alluna on Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and activist Aaju Peter. It’s a fascinating character portrayal that takes the time to reflect on the Inuit experience and on colonialism. It’s available online.

“Magazine Dreams”: Expect Jonathan Majors’ career to soar higher than ever after the world premiere of director/writer Elijah Bynum’s character study of a fiercely devoted bodybuilder. Majors, so great in “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” physically inhabits the part in what promises to be a gritty, explosive and complex look at the world of bodybuilding. It has the potential to be one of the biggest talkers at Sundance, and it’s available online as well.

“Cat Person”: Ready to get a bit uncomfortable? The perils of dating will likely come into all-too-sharp focus in this drama by director Susanna Fogel (a co-writer on “Booksmart”) about a 20-year-old student (Emilia Jones) learning that the alleged “cat person” (Nicholas Braun) she’s dating isn’t exactly who he pretends to be. Screenwriter Michelle Ashford adapts the New Yorker short story that was a viral sensation. It’s also available online.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com

After “Airplane!” “Airport,” “Up in the Air,” “Flight,” “Snakes on a Plane,” “Non-Stop” and “The Terminal,” we have finally arrived, like weary passengers reaching an unexotic destination, at “Plane.”

The Gerard Butler thriller, straight and to the point, has dispensed with anything too complicated in its title. We can, no doubt, look forward to future installments like “Bus,” “Automobile” and, if we’re lucky, “Boat.”

But if “Plane,” which opens in theaters Friday, seems, well, kind of plain, it effectively reflects the ethos of Jean-François Richet’s straightforward and serviceable action flick. Man fly plane. Plane go down. Man (maybe) fly plane again.

And Butler has gotten quite good at keeping these kinds of movies grounded. He plays Brodie Torrance, a pilot for Trailblazer Airlines whose next flight is a New Year’s run from Singapore to Tokyo. Despite a worrisome storm system in between, he’s ordered by the airline to fly directly through it, to economize fuel.

“Plane” doesn’t have much to say about anything. But this critical touch — and the subsequent scenes within the Trailblazer corporate offices, with Tony Goldwyn and Paul Ben-Victor — will surely strike a chord. Americans are today bonded by nothing as much as their common loathing for the capriciousness of commercial airlines. The well-timed “Plane” flies into theaters just as system failures have sparked widespread delays and cancellations. These are problems, surely, that Gerard Butler could also fix.

But Brodie’s real problem is that weather system. A lightning strike knocks out the plane’s controls, forcing an emergency landing on a remote jungle island in a separatist-controlled corner of the Philippines. Brodie, a former Royal Air Force pilot who once put a belligerent passenger in a chokehold, relies on his know-how to captain the survivors and defend them from local rebels. Evan Dane Taylor appealingly plays their alert leader, Junmar.

There were only a handful of passengers on the flight to begin with — one way to keep the extras to a minimum and put more budget toward airplane maneuvers. Most notable among them is a convicted murderer (Mike Colter) being extradited back to the U.S. He and Brodie team up to rescue the passengers, taken as hostages, and make an escape.

There isn’t anything particularly specific about any of this. “Plane” is as broadly sketched as its title. Puerto Rico doubles here for Philippines, and most of the story elements, too, feel like they’re stand-ins for basic plot conventions. But there’s plenty of texture just in the actors and in Butler’s taut, sweaty performance. Sometimes a film without any baggage can — if not quite soar — at least make it to the gate on time.

“Plane”

2 stars out of 4

Rating: R (for violence and language)

Running time: 107 minutes

Actor and writer Quinn K. Redeker, whose credits include “Days of Our Lives,” “The Young and the Restless” and “The Deer Hunter,” the latter of which earning him an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay, died last month, according to his representative Christopher Hartman.

Hartman said in an email to CNN that the entertainer died Dec. 20 of natural causes. He was 86.

Hartman said Redeker’s daughter, Arianne Raser, confirmed the news late Monday.

Redeker appeared in almost 850 episodes of the hit daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives” as the dastardly Alex Marshall, from 1979 until 1987.

He also appeared in over 200 episodes of CBS soap “The Young and the Restless,” mainly as Rex Sterling, over a period of 25 years from 1979 until 2004. He also played a character named Nick Reed.

Some of his other screen credits include “Bonanza,” “Kojak,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The Rockford Files,” and the 1979 film “The Electric Horseman.”

The verified Twitter account for “The Young and the Restless” posted in Redeker’s memory on Monday, writing, “The Y&R Family sends our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Quinn Redeker who blessed Y&R with his talents in two memorable roles.”

“The Last of Us”: HBO/HBO Max’s big-budgeted dystopian spectacle succeeds where most action-driven series fail — making us care about a post-apocalyptic world where everyone’s fate is unpredictable. With impressive special effects and some sharp storytelling instincts, “Last of Us” ups the playing field for not only streaming services but movie blockbusters.

Based on the massively popular 2013 video game of the same name, it’s a doomsday road picture that’s perfect for anyone who loved Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” Stephen King’s “The Stand,” Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” and Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later.” The comparisons might sound like someone just went in and ransacked the cinematic fridge of leftovers. Not so. The nine-episode series (creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are said to be awaiting to commit to a second based on how the first fares) creates a unique, harrowing survivors’ narrative set in 2033 and then gives us King-like characterizations, conflicts and confrontations.

A viral epidemic consumes the world, and fungus is to blame, turning the afflicted into killer Mushroom People (called Clickers). What could have been a laughable premise turns into something quite terrifying with Pedro Pascal — in one of his best performances — playing the hardened but resourceful Joel, who traverses through devastated U.S. cities (the special effects are jaw dropping) with the super-smart and foul-mouthed Ellie (Bella Ramsey, an incredible performance). I gobbled down five episodes — the first one dropping Sunday is nearly an hour and a half — and I can’t wait to watch more. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; debuts Jan. 15, with each episode dropping on consecutive Sundays; HBO.

“Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches”: After a bold and sexy reworking of Anne Rice’s “Interview With the Vampire,” AMC lets down numerous fans with a weakly executed and watered-down version of her “Mayfair Witches” saga. Scattered in its worldbuilding and ineffective in creating an atmospheric spell, this eight part series  (only five parts were made available for review) is erratic in tone, lacking in conviction and generally devoid of purpose. Alexandra Daddario is miscast as a San Francisco neurosurgeon who discovers she’s inexorably linked to a legacy of witches in New Orleans and a mysterious presence named Lasher. While there are surprising turns, and the series does improve as it progresses, “Witches” never grabs you with the power that “Interview” did. Stick to the books instead. Details: 2 stars; available on AMC and AMC+.

“Plane”: Director Jean-François Richet and a willing cast — Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Oakland native Daniella Pineda and Yoson An — help dust off the kind reliable but ridiculous action-disaster flicks that thrived in the ‘90s. They’ve done a commando job of cranking out a retro guilty pleasure, one that’s as predictable and as lovably dumb as the films it cribs from. The titular plane here, piloted by Brodie (Butler) and co-piloted by Dele (An), gets forced into a white-knuckle landing because of idiotic commands from higher ups that the crew fly into a lightning storm. The bad luck only persists when they plunk down on a Philippines island where a violent militia rules. Will anyone get out alive? C’mon. “Plane” makes for an enjoyable R-rated throwback and gets particularly spirited whenever Mike Colter — as a fugitive on the plane — teams up with Butler to take down the baddies. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters Jan. 13.

“The Devil Conspiracy”: Few films dare to even approach the go-for-broke quackery of Nathan Frankowski’s cult classic in the making. It doesn’t matter that screenwriter/producer Ed Alan’s script jumps off its rails from the opening line, “Conspiracy” jovially catapults audiences into the pits of hell and back then back to Earth. A chained-up Lucifer down below summons his legions to rip off the Shroud of Turin from the Vatican City so he can futz around with Christ’s DNA for hell-bent purposes. Meanwhile a hunky priest (Joe Doyle, in on the joke and having a blast) reveals his true alter ego while a mad scientist/entrepreneur tinkers with DNA to make baby Michelangelos and other legends so he can then sell them off to the highest bidders. Incredibly, things get weirder than that! With tongue in cheek and a devotion to be as preposterous and over the top as imaginable, Frankowski’s frenzied horrorpalooza never lets up. Is it a good movie? Not by any means. But is it fun? A hell to that yes. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters Jan. 13.

“Copenhagen Cowboy”: Nicolas Winding Refn’s neon-lit surreal curiosities are often stranger and more depraved than even David Lynch’s films. His Netflix series is one for his diehards fans, those inclined to wade into a predatory swamp and swim with imprisoned sex workers, criminals, grudge-holders, rutting pigs, a creepy family of bloodsuckers and a blue-tracksuit-wearing waif protagonist from another planet. If that sounds good, this six-parts series will itch that weird scratch. While I appreciated many elements — particularly the look and surreal vibe —  “Cowboy” moseys a little too slow for my tastes. That said, Winding Refn is a true original. Details: 2½ stars; on Netflix now.

“Mars One”: Director/screenwriter Gabriel Martins turns to the resiliency of a Black Brazilian family living on the fringes in this buoyant but intense drama that’s filled with many memorable and original characters — a daughter falling for a rich young woman, a son interested in science more than soccer and parents coping with their own internal struggles. “Mars One” (the original title was “Marte Um”) is a delightful, joyous celebration of the unbreakable bonds that keep us tethered through the most challenging of times. Details: 3½ stars; now on Netflix.

“Corsage”: In her very fictionalized look into the claustrophobic, intensely scrutinized and criticized life of the unconventional Empress Elisabeth of Austria, writer/director Marie Kreutzer capitalizes on the ace up her sleeve, lead Vicky Krieps. The German actor is stupendous, never overstating her character’s moroseness in a society that stifles women and puts them in their place. The period details are sensational, the cinematography stunning. “Corsage” fashions a film bio that’s very different from the events in Elisabeth’s life, and while some factual details could have actually helped the film, “Corsage” is still a fascinating commentary about celebrity that echoes loudly in an era when Prince Harry’s tell-all has the world talking. Details: 3 stars; in theaters now.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

While the potential rehabilitation of the organization and its damaged reputation is still being worked out, one thing was clear: Plenty of stars were ready to walk the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

More: Golden Globes 2023: Host Jerrod Carmichael skewers show in opening monologue

Check out the fashions on display as stars such as Jenna Ortega, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Michelle Yeoh, Billy Porter, Michelle Williams and more showed off some post-pandemic glam in the red carpet gallery.

MOVIES

Drama: “The Fabelmans”

Musical or comedy: “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Actress — drama: Cate Blanchett, “Tár”

Actor — drama: Austin Butler, “Elvis”

Actress — musical or comedy: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Actor — musical or comedy: Colin Ferrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Supporting actress: Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Director: Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”

Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, “Banshees of Inisherin”

Motion picture — animated: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Motion picture — non-English language: “Argentina, 1985”

Original score: Justin Hurwitz, “Babylon”

Original song:  “Naatu Naatu” (M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose, composers), “RRR”

TELEVISION

Series, drama: “House of the Dragon”

Series, musical or comedy: “Abbott Elementary”

Limited series, anthology or movie: “The White Lotus”

Actress — drama: Zendaya, “Euphoria”

Actor — drama: Kevin Costner, “Yellowstone”

Actress — musical or comedy: Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

Actor — musical or comedy: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Supporting actress in series: Julia Garner, “Ozark”

Supporting actor in series: Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

Actress in a limited series, anthology or movie: Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout”

Actor in a limited series, anthology or movie: Evan Peters, “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”

Supporting actress in a limited series, anthology or movie: Jennifer Coolidge, “White Lotus”

Supporting actor in a limited series, anthology or movie: Paul Walter Hauser, “Black Bird”

Colin Farrell’s heartbreaking performance as a lost soul trying to figure out why his friendship fell apart in “Banshees,” along with Kerry Condon’s incredible supporting performance as his sister ,who is itching to move away from a claustrophobic village, was also awarded by the group. Condon, however, is sharing her honors with Jamie Lee Curtis, hilarious as an IRS worker with a weird trophy and bizarre sausage fingers in that metaphysical adventure  “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

“Everything,” a head-tripper of a film, was one of the few breakout indie hits in 2022. Along with “Tár,” it was presented with four honors. “Goonies” star Ke Huy Quan’s acclaimed supporting performance in “Everywhere” as the harried, compassionate family guy trying to wade through not only laundry and debt but the multiverse won the group over.

Todd Field’s virtuosic, unconventional flourishes behind the camera with “Tár” landed the heralded filmmaker — who hadn’t made in a movie in 16 years — best directing and best original screenplay honors while Cate Blanchett won for her electrifying turn as a lauded conductor who sabotages her own career.

The group also singled out the Amazon Prime comedy with bite “Emergency” — which debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival — with its Special Citation for Independent Cinema.

Here are the group’s awards.

Best picture: “The Banshees of Inisherin” 

Best director: Todd Field, “Tár”

Original screenplay: Todd Field, “Tár”

Adapted screenplay: Sarah Polley, “Women Talking”

Actor:  Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Tár”

Supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Supporting actress: Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (tie).

Animated feature: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

International Feature Film: “Decision to Leave”

Documentary feature: “All That Breathes”

Cinematography: Florian Hoffmeister, “Tár”

Production design: Jason Isvarday (production designer), Kelsi Ephraim (set decorator), “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Film editing: Paul Rogers, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Original score: Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Women Talking”

Special Citation for Independent Cinema: “Emergency”

Marlon Riggs Award: Phil Tippett

NEW YORK (AP) — The Blumhouse evil-doll horror film “M3gan” got off to a killer start, debuting with $30.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued its box-office reign in the top spot.

Universal Pictures’ “M3gan,” about a robot companion built for a young girl after her parents are killed in a car accident, rode strong buzz and viral dancing memes to an above-expectations debut. In the low-budget slasher, starring Allison Williams, Blumhouse and producer James Wan crafted Hollywood’s first hit of the new year, likely spawning a new high-concept horror franchise.

Audiences gave the PG-13 film a “B” CinemaScore — though reviews (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) were stronger for the modern, techy twist on a “Child’s Play”-like thriller. It added $10 million internationally.

But while “M3gan” drew audiences largely in 2D showings, large-format screens continued to be soaked up by James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The 3-D three-hour sequel remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week in U.S. and Canadian theaters with $45 million in sales.

Cameron’s sci-fi spectacle has now surpassed $500 million domestically and $1.7 billion globally. After dominating the otherwise lackluster holiday corridor, the “Avatar” sequel is nearly matching the original’s pace; the 2009 “Avatar” scored $50.3 million in its fourth weekend. “The Way of Water” already ranks as the seventh highest-grossing film ever, not accounting for inflation — a total particularly owed to its strong overseas performance. The film’s $1.2 billion in international ticket sales exceeds that of any film released since the start of the pandemic.

“M3gan” was the only new film in wide release, though Sony Pictures’ “A Man Called Otto,” starring Tom Hanks, played in 637 theaters after first launching in four theaters. The film, a remake of the Swedish film “A Man Called Ove,” managed a solid $4.2 million ahead of its nationwide release on Friday.

Third place went to “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” with $13.1 million in its third week of release. The animated Universal Pictures sequel has tallied $87.7 million in three weeks, plus $109.7 million internationally.

While many awards contenders have struggled in recent months at the box office, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” is proving a modest exception. The A24 indie starring Brendan Fraser ranked seventh in its fifth week of release with $1.5 million and a cumulative total of $8.6 million — a good return for a film that cost an estimated $3 million to make.

1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $45 million.
2. “M3gan,” $30.2 million.
3. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $13.1 million.
4. “A Man Called Otto,” $4.2 million.
5. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $4 million.
6. “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” $2.4 million.
7. “The Whale,” $1.5 million.
8. “Babylon,” $1.4 million.
9. “Violent Night,” $740,000.
10. “The Menu,” $713,000.

Sentimental tales about grumpy old men and American decline have, until recently, typically been the domain of Clint Eastwood.

But in “A Man Called Otto,” Marc Forster’s adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestseller and a remake of the 2016 Swedish film “A Man Called Ove,” it’s Tom Hanks prowling the neighborhood and irritably grumbling about how things used to be. In the original, Rolf Lassgård richly inhabited the role of Ove, a curmudgeonly widower — a Forrest Grump —whose suicide attempts are foiled by needy neighbors and, ultimately, his grudging, sincere devotion to them.

Exasperation, whether directed at a crying ballplayer or a slobbering canine, has always been squarely in Hanks’ wheelhouse. But despondency or even plain get-off-my-lawn orneriness are less obvious traits possessed by the actor sometimes called “America’s Dad.” Following Hanks’ villainous turn as Col. Tom Parker in “Elvis,” the 66-year-old has found in “A Man Called Otto” another role that interestingly, if not always entirely successfully, caters to his strengths while tweaking his familiar screen presence.

It also may rob “A Man Called Otto,” which opens with Otto buying rope to hang himself with, of some of its spirit. We know there are dark roads that Hanks just isn’t going to go down, and some of the early, more caustic scenes of Forster’s film strike a false note. But as “A Man Called Otto” makes its way through Otto’s life, cutting between his present-day squabbles and flashbacks of happier times with his wife, Sonya (Rachel Keller), Hanks movingly tailors the role to himself. How “A Man Called Otto” unfolds won’t surprise anyone, but it does the trick for a little post-holidays heart-warming.

“A Man Called Otto” is set in the prefab row-house development Otto has long lived in, where he tirelessly tisk-tisks any rule breakers, re-sorts misplaced recycling and berates drivers who violate the street’s regulation against through traffic.

Screenwriter David Magee (“Life of Pi,” “Finding Neverland”) hues closely to the Swedish film as a kind of parable of community. Up and down the street are all the people the freshly retired Otto barely tolerates: friends-turned-enemies (Peter Lawson Jones, Juanita Jennings), a friendly exerciser (a delightful Cameron Britton), a transgender paper deliverer and former student of Otto’s wife (Mack Bayda). Most of all there is Marisol (a terrific Mariana Treviño), a pregnant mother of two has just moved in with her husband (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo). Various needs — a stray cat, a borrowed ladder, driving lessons — intrude on Otto’s desires for a peaceful death and, in between aborted suicide attempts, gradually rekindle his will to live.

It’s sometimes too broadly drawn. Mike Birbiglia plays a predatory real estate agent from a company not-so-subtly called Dye & Merica. (“Sounds like Dying America, which it is,” says Otto.) But “A Man Called Otto” is less after realism than it is a modern-day fable, with shades of Scrooge and the Grinch. As a tale of a solitary man, Hanks has made it a poignant work of family. Rita Wilson, his wife, is a producer and is heard singing a song in the film. The younger Otto is played in flashbacks by their son, Truman Hanks. Even Chet Hanks’ “White Boy Summer” blares from a car radio.

Another tune, though, is a more thrilling needle drop. The less said probably the better, but suffice to say, it could be a sign that the Kate Bush renaissance so hearteningly kicked up by “Stranger Things” has not yet abated. If that’s not life-affirming, I don’t know what is.

“A Man Called Otto”

2 1/2 stars out of 4

Rating: PG-13 (for mature thematic material involving suicide attempts, and language)

Running time: 126 minutes

“M3GAN”: The premise holds such ghoulish promise — an A.I. toy that looks like a creepy doll/child flips out. But this rather perfunctory Jason Blum and James Wan production doesn’t go far enough with the humor or the scares. Where director Gerard Johnstone’s sucker punch to bad parenting, the greedy toy industry and workaholism blows its gasket is in its play-it-traditional script. That’s a crime given there are definitely some worthwhile moments that Johnstone (“Housebound”) ekes out from Akela Cooper’s screenplay. Allison Williams stars as ambitious toy developer Gemma, an obsessive who tinkers with her latest creation till it evolves into freaky M3GAN, then tests it out as a companion for her grief-stricken niece Cady (Violet McGraw) who has survived a freak accident that killed her parents. “M3GAN” stocks up on jump scares and keeps the violence PG-13, but fails to make us care about any of the humans in the path of M3GAN. Each character is a rote as an assembly-line toy. Still, there are moments — a scene at a camp in the woods almost earns “M3GAN” another half-star. Details: 2 stars out of 4; in theaters Jan. 6.

“A Man Called Otto”: Some might well advise you to read the novel upon which this is based, “A Man Called Ove,” or the first film adaptation, which came out in 2015. Sound advice, but it doesn’t mean director Marc Foster’s take on the story about a cantankerous widower (played here with a Walter Matthau-like grumpy endearment by Concord native Tom Hanks) doesn’t stand on its own. The “action” so to speak transfers from Sweden to the cookie-cutter sameness of the American suburbs (Philadelphia subbing in for that), which is where the very particular Otto Anderson finds himself about being shoved out the employment door at the age of 60. It’s a moment of reckoning in Otto’s organized world of rules and order and all but launches a nascent decision to end his life. Otto’s suicidal plan fuses well with the grey domestic surroundings and dour look created here. But don’t let that fool you. “Otto” refuses to be a downer, nudging and reminding us to experience life robustly while embracing the messiness within ourselves as well as in others. It’s a redemptive tale told well with a wonderful supporting cast that includes Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Cameron Britton. It leaves an earned lump in the throat. Details: 3 stars; opens Jan. 6 in Bay Area theaters.

“Living”: Tender, humane and featuring an impeccable performance from Bill Nighy, this remake from director Oliver Hermanus (“Moffie”) is as elegantly, precisely crafted as a Swiss timepiece. Based on Akira Kurosawa’s stirring “Ikiru,” its follows a British paper-pushing manager (Nighy) who discovers how to live upon receiving a fatal prognosis from his doctor. Imbued with realistic hope and filled with rich period details, it reminds us all to live in the present before it’s too late. Details: 3½ stars; opens Jan. 6 in Bay Area theaters.

“The Pale Blue Eye”: If you want to experience chilly scenes of winter and and plunge into an inventive Gothic mystery in the process, director/screenwriter Scott Copper delivers with this deliciously sinister mystery. Christian Bale — something of a Cooper regular — is superb as 1830’s sleuth August Landor. Wearing his grief like a boulder on his shoulders, he investigates a string of gory slayings at a secretive West Point where, it just so happens, a quirky cadet named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling, ideally cast) emerges as one of a number of suspects. Strategically paced and gorgeously filmed, “The Pale Blue Eye” is adapted from Louis Bayard’s novel of the same name, and subtly says something meaty about the military mindset, family lineage and the hazards of prolonged grief. An outstanding supporting cast — Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall and more, further class it up. Details: 3 stars; debuts Jan. 6 on Netflix.

“Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical”: With little hoopla, Netflix threw into its end-of-the-year gift bag this gem from Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, a spirited adaptation of the book and stage musical. It deserves better treatment from the streaming platform since it retains the edginess of Dahl’s story and refuses to sugarcoat it. Alisha Weir makes a captivating Matilda Wormwood, a bookworm ignored by her narcissistic, buffoonish parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough). Sloughed off to a boarding school run by a combat-boots-clad tyrant (Emma Thompson, chewing every bit of scenery that surrounds her), Matilda defies the fascist ways of the school and discovers that one’s family can come from other sources, in this case Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch). The musical numbers are catchy while the production values are top-notch. If you loved “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” or “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” this one might well be your golden family ticket. Details: 3 star; available on Netflix.

“Women Talking”: Sarah Polley achieves a cinematic miracle of sorts with her exquisite and wise adaptation of Miriam Toews’ celebrated novel, which was loosely based on actual events — the drugging and rape of women within a Bolivian Mennonite community. Anchored by an incredible cast that includes Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand — one of the film’s producers — “Talking” finds a group of survivors of relentless abuse inflicted by the men and boys around them collaborating in a hayloft about what their next steps should be — staying or going. While that might sound like a bitter pill to spend 100 minutes with, Polley’s life-affirming film — shot exceptionally well by Luc Montpellier and featuring an outstanding score from Hildur Guonadóttir — “Women Talking” moves you in profound ways and is sometimes funny and hopeful. From the acting to the directing and on to one of the best screenplays of the year, it is a tour-de-force in every sense. Details: 4 stars; opens Jan. 6 in Bay Area theaters.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.