Justin Chang

A hard-working aspiring rapper rises above her dead-end existence with the help of some supportive friends and her own irrepressible talent. Critic Justin Change says Patti Cake$ is irresistible.

The directors Josh and Bennie Safdie have attracted a passionate critical following with their films "Daddy Longlegs" and "Heaven Knows What" - both portraits of troubled New Yorkers in desperate circumstances. Continuing in the same vein, their latest film, "Good Time" stars Robert Pattinson in a change-of-pace role as an amateur bank robber. Fim critic Justin Chang has a review.

There's nothing pretentious or inflated about the latest Planet of the Apes film. Rather, it's a suspense-driven movie in which it's "impossible not to root for these brave and beautiful apes."