New movies in Seattle-area theaters this week: ‘Violent Night,’ ‘The Inspection’

“The Inspection” (R; 95 minutes): “The Inspection,” which follows Ellis (Jeremy Pope) through his Marine training, is therefore in some respects a love story, and a love letter — ambivalent, unsentimental, but utterly sincere — to the Corps. Written and directed by Elegance Bratton, and based on his own experience, the film can hardly be said to sugarcoat military life. In an interview with The New York Times a few years ago, Bratton described his life (and what became the screenplay for “The Inspection”) as “‘Full Metal Jacket’ meets ‘Moonlight.’” That sounds about right. “The Inspection” filters the brutal claustrophobia of Stanley Kubrick’s boot camp horror show through the piercing subjectivity of Barry Jenkins’ coming-of-age tone poem. Full review here. (The New York Times does not provide star ratings with reviews.) Multiple theaters. — A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Nanny” (R; 97 minutes): With swathes of vibrant color and a steady pulse, writer-director Nikyatu Jusu, making her feature debut, briskly sketches in nanny Aisha’s (a lovely Anna Diop) world with pinpoint detail, naturalistic performances and sly jolts of sardonic humor. Everything flows with unforced realism, or would, if it weren’t for the steadily mounting unease that tugs at the edge of the frame soon after Aisha begins working for the family, creating slight disturbances in the air. These ripples are almost unnoticeable at first, though even when they start to engulf Aisha, it’s unclear whether they’re emanating from deep within her or from outside malevolent forces. Full review here. (The New York Times does not provide star ratings with reviews.) Crest Cinema Center, IPIC Redmond. — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

★★★½ (out of four) “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” (PG; 109 minutes): “Salvatore” is a pleasure for anyone who loves shoes and/or good movies. Luca Guadagnino, whose gloriously swoony feature films include “Call Me By Your Name,” “I Am Love” and “A Bigger Splash,” here revels in the real-life story of a man who knew his passion from the very beginning: Italian-born shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo. Full review here. AMC Alderwood and AMC Pacific Place. — Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times arts critic

★★★ “Violent Night” (R; 101 minutes): Santa belches. He curses. He pukes on a lady’s head. And he’s just getting started in “Violent Night.” The film’s R rating is deserved. No surprise there, considering the director is Tommy Wirkola, the Norwegian filmmaker who gifted the world with the “Dead Snow” series. You know, the one with the Nazi zombies. Graphic blood and guts are kind of his calling card. But wait. Before you dismiss “Violent Night” as a gross gore-fest know this: It actually is kind of sweet. Really. Full review here. Multiple theaters. — Soren Andersen, special to The Seattle Times