Albert Brooks: Defending My Life **1/2
Near the end of this documentary profile of comedian/actor/filmmaker Albert Brooks, we get a clip from the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode in which Brooks, playing himself, watches his own “fake funeral” so that he can hear everyone say wonderful things about him. It’s not really Brooks’ fault that this movie feels a lot like a version of that concept that doesn’t go south on him, directed by his buddy-since-high-school Rob Reiner as a celebration of Brooks’ innovative comedic voice. And it’s clear from the material here that the celebration is deserved, as a parade of clips from Brooks’ early appearances on variety and talk shows showcases his unique conceptual bits while folks like Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman and Chris Rock trot out a litany of superlatives. It mostly feels pleasantly casual, thanks to a set-up that involves Brooks and Reiner chatting in a restaurant, and because Brooks seems congenitally incapable of being anything but self-effacing. But it’s also kind of shaggy and unfocused as a movie, bouncing between tales of his childhood and relationship with his parents, to a retrospective of his directing career, and back again to his personal life, then back to praise for him as an actor, all without much of a flow. Maybe you hope for more zing from a movie about a bona-fide comedy genius, though it’s undeniably nice that he gets to enjoy this while he’s still around. Available Nov. 11 via Max. (NR)

The Holdovers ***
See feature review. Available Nov. 10 in theaters. (R)

The Killer ***
It feels somehow inappropriate to suggest that what this particular movie has going for it most is “fun,” but I’m not sure of a better way to describe the appeal of director David Fincher’s adaptation of a French graphic-novel series. The unnamed anti-hero (Michael Fassbender) is a professional contract killer with a perfect record—until one job goes sideways, and he’s forced to deal with the fallout. Fincher’s Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker leans into the voice-over narration that provides the bulk of the movie’s dialogue, and it’s a generally effective device at getting inside the head of someone who wants to believe he abides by a strict set of emotion-free rules, but gets into trouble when actual feeling inevitably gets involved. Fassbender has the right physical presence for the taciturn killer, making for a solid counterpoint when Tilda Swinton turns up as a fellow assassin with more of a gift of gab. Mostly, though, this is just an effectively slick piece of pulp entertainment, indulging in the minutiae of the killer’s routines and techniques when appropriate, and going full crazy brawl when that’s needed. Walker’s script gets a little unnecessarily cutesy at times—the running gag about the killer’s fake IDs all being sitcom characters feels like a notice-me flourish this guy would never indulge in—and there’s not much going on beyond the surface pleasures. Sometimes, though, surface pleasures are enough. Available Nov. 10 via Netflix. (R)

The Marvels **1/2
Those who watched the 2022 Disney+ Ms. Marvel series already know that Iman Vellani positively explodes with charisma as Kamala Khan; teaming her up with Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel only serves to emphasize that Larson … doesn’t. They form a trio with Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau for this adventure that finds them facing a Kree warrior (Zawe Ashton) determined to save her own planet by destroying others. The conceit that pulls them together involves a space-time whosiwhatsit that has them swapping places whenever they use their powers, which might have been a lot more fun if the editing didn’t turn those place-swaps into an absolute dog’s breakfast. Fortunately, the tone co-writer/director Nia DaCosta aims for is generally more light-hearted, including a goofy musical detour and leaning into the giddy enthusiasm of Vellani’s Captain Marvel fangirl getting to team up with her idol. Her effervescence carries The Marvels a long way, especially when the other subplots involve residual awkwardness between Carol and Monica, and a villain who joins a growing list of unmemorably megalomaniacal MCU antagonists. And there’s the ongoing problem that Larson’s character is both way too powerful, and not nearly interesting enough. It’s all charming enough to make for a moderate success some of the time, while still making me wish I was watching season 2 of Ms. Marvel instead. Available November 10 in theaters. (PG-13)