‘Facing Nolan’ (2022)
Bradley Jackson’s debut feature on legendary pitcher Nolan Ryan is more than just your typical jock doc. It gets at the heart of the man who made it to the top but remained a devout Texas homebody the entirety of his career, from his humble origins as a wide-eyed kid signed by the Mets in the mid-1960s to his days as elder statesman of the mound with local teams the Astros and the Rangers before retiring to his cattle ranch. One of the main themes of the film is longevity and steady values – those being his career of 27 years, his marriage to his high school sweetheart and his constant, loyal love for all things Texas. In those 27 years, Ryan won only one World Series (early, with the Mets alongside Tom Seaver) and never won the Cy Young Award. He does, however, hold 50 major league records, including most strikeouts (5,714, with the next best being more than 800 off) and no-hitters pitched (seven, with the next best being four). The many renowned talking heads that chime in on Ryan’s mound greatness include pitcher Randy Johnson (second in strikeouts), former Sox ace Roger Clemens (third), former president and Astros chief George W. Bush and other MLB notables Pete Rose, Dave Winfield and George Brett. On Amazon Prime Video.
‘Polar Bear’ (2022)
Disney has pushed this cute family viewing to its streaming platform for Earth Day. Filmmakers Alistair Fothergill (“Deep Blue”) and Jeff Wilson score seemingly unlimited access to a mother polar bear with two cubs. The journey to maturity is narrated by Catherine Keener. The cinematography is stunning, especially the use of aerial photography. The film does hit upon climate change as the summers become longer and harder for the bears, who most effectively hunt seals on ice floes. The animal’s survival skills and resourcefulness impress; so does the size of a bull walrus that makes mama ice bear seem like a chihuahua. On Disney+.
‘Paris, District 13’ (2022)
Jacques Audiard (“The Sisters Brothers,” “Rust and Bone”) brings the sex scene back to the big screen with this deft drama about the lives of three young Parisians trying to find themselves and the complications that arise from casual sex and unrequited emotions. The tangled web begins with Émilie (Lucie Zhang), an ingenue in need of a roommate. She wants her roomie to be a she, and responds to a text inquiry from a Camille, who turns out to be a he (Makita Samba). Sex happens, and so do complications when other women stop by to see Camille. Orbiting them is Nora (Noémie Merlant, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), a graduate student who makes the mistake of wearing a blonde wig to a club party. It turns out, in said tresses, Nora’s a dead ringer for a trending porn actor and cam persona named Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth), which invites lewd incursions from male classmates and a social media skewering. In the aftermath, Nora reaches out to Amber and gets a job at the real estate office Camille rents flats out of. The round and round of emotions and passion is pleasingly akin to Mike Nichol’s “Closer” (2004). Audiard’s decision to shoot in black and white deepens the emotional murkiness the three central players navigate. At Landmark Kendall Square Cinema, 355 Binney St., Kendall Square.