John Powers

In the new film "Islands" out this week, a washed-up tennis pro gives lessons at a fancy hotel in the Canary Islands. But when he meets an elegant woman with an unlikable husband, things take a noir-ish turn. Our critic at large, John Powers, says the plot may sound familiar, but "Islands" takes you places you don't expect.

Critic-at-large John Powers gives his due to the movies, TV and books he wasn't able to cover earlier in the year, including La Grazia, Andor, Mississippi Blue 42 and the documentary Mr. Scorsese.

The new Brazilian film "The Secret Agent" is set during that country's dictatorship, which ran from 1964 to 1985. It stars Wagner Moura as an honorable scientist who becomes a target of powerful forces. The movie, which was directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, won two big prizes at Cannes and is Brazil's submission for this year's Academy Awards. Our critic-at-large, John Powers, says it's even better than "I'm Still Here," the Brazilian movie that won an Oscar earlier this year.

John Powers reviews The Mastermind starring Josh O'Connor and directed by Kelly Reichardt.

John Powers reviews A House of Dynamite from director Kathryn Bigelow

John Powers reviews The Lowdown.

A new eight-part series by MUBI chronicles the ferocious rise of the Italian dictator. While the show is a bit too eager to make Mussolini entertaining, the story it tells couldn't be any more timely.

John Powers reviews the thriller series Butterfly.

John Powers reviews The Diary of Lies

A new BritBox series centers on a deaf woman who works in a police station, and whose lip-reading abilities come in handy when the precinct needs help interpreting surveillance footage.