Trevor Paglen: Opposing Geometries

dream.” And then a cheery optician’s assistant, played by Gina Rodriguez, joins the trio, bringing a scam idea of her own, said Anthony Lane in The New Yorker. Soon the Dynes are defrauding elderly eyewear clients as Rodriguez’s character develops into an unlikely first friend for Old Dolio, who finally starts to look more critically at her parents, played winningly by Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins. Aiming for a mix of cerebral and irreverent, Kajillionaire “doesn’t always find the most satisfying way to juggle those dueling tones,” said Eric Kohn in IndieWire.com. It does a better job of calling family bonds into question before building to a surprising takeaway: “that everybody deserves a little tough love.” (In select theaters) R features another fine turn from Richard Jenkins, said Amy Nicholson in Variety. Here, the “ever empathetic” actor plays a veteran late-night fast-food worker who in his final days on the job is asked to train the young black man hired to replace him. The characters are both victims of a failing American dream, and as much as you ache for them to connect, The Last Shift instead serves up “a gut punch with a side of anguish.” ( In select theaters) R

Alone

Sometimes the only elements a thriller needs are a methodical predator, some “gorgeous” Pacific Northwest scenery, and “a woman who responds with unforeseen grit,” said Kevin Crust in the Los Angeles Times. A minimalist but clever script, smart pacing, and “top-tier performances” from co-stars Jules Willcox and Marc Menchaca combine to deliver “98 minutes of heartpounding diversion.” (In select theaters or $7 on demand) R

MLK/FBI

In an ordinary year, you’d have to attend the New York Film Festival in person to see any of its buzzworthy features, said A.O. Scott in The New York Times. This year, Sam Pollard’s “engrossing, unsettling” documentary about the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. is one of many festival films available online on a limited basis to ticket buyers anywhere. ($15 at virtual.filmlinc.org) Not rated