Vacation is on the horizon so, if you rely on me for your weekly release breakdown, you are on your own for the weekend of February 18th. I have been grinding away for a couple of years and it’s a much-needed break, but I will be back before the final release week of the month and we’ll get back to it then. This week is the busiest of the year so far but you know my stance on quality vs quantity. With that in mind, this will be a slightly abbreviated version of the Release Radar.
Kimi (HBO Max Feb. 10th)
Writer: David Koepp | Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Zoë Kravitz, Rita Wilson, and Erika Christensen
Exploring the idea of our smart home devices spying on us (more than they already do), technology and suspense collide in this thriller about an audio surveillance technician discovers a murder that got recorded. I’m not the biggest Zoë Kravitz fan but she won me over in Big LIttle Lies so I’m willing to take a chance on a concept that’s interesting. It sort of reminds me of a modern day Eagle Eye in its use of surveillance as a plot catalyst. Steven Soderbergh is pretty consistent and David Koepp has written some films that I have really loved, so I’m in. Plus, I can’t pretend like the streaming availability isn’t a bonus.
*Big Bug (Netflix) – Editor’s Pick*
Writers: Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant | Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Dominique Pinon, Elsa Zylberstein, and André Dussollier (voice)
My Editor’s Pick for this week is the bizarre and colorful Big Bug on Netflix. It looks a lot like an episode of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots in which a supposedly helpful appliance goes rogue. Here we have a group of eccentric and apparently very annoying suburban denizens who are held captive by their own household robots while a robotic revolution goes on outside. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is best known for Amélie but I’ll always know him first from Alien: Ressurection. This French film is going to be over-the-top weird, dripping with color, and unlike anything else you’ve likely seen before. And again, the streaming option is a big plus.
I Want You Back (Amazon)
Writers: Isaac Aptaker and Elizabth Berger | Director: Jason Orley
Starring: Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, and Scott Eastwood
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Amazon is releasing a rated-R rom-com straight to their Prime Video streaming service. Rom-Coms are not typically my thing, but the trailer made me laugh and the premise of the humor isn’t the same kind of straightforward things we see a lot of in the genre. I’m interested to see Charlie Day and Jenny slate get a crack at the lead roles here. It may turn out to be more of the same predictable stuff, but I like the adult-oriented nature of the content and I’m will to cut it some extra slack. Also streaming.
The Sky is Everywhere (Theaters & Apple TV+)
Writer: Jandy Nelson (screenplay and novel) | Director: Jospehine Decker
Starring: Grace Kaufamn, Jason Segel, Cherry Jones, and Pico Alexander
Jandy Nelson adapted her own book here about a teenage girl who has to pick up the pieces of her life after her older sister’s death. It’s got all the hallmark’s of your typical comin-of-age story, complete with finding love, but with a bit of different twist to it. The filmmaking looks incredibly creative with it’s color and ingenuity and that’s ultimately what caught my eye. Movies about grief have become a lot more popular over the last few years and I am always interested to see how those stories are told. You can catch it on Apple TV+ to round out the weekend of streaming options.
What Else Is New…
Death on the Nile (Theaters)
Writers: Michael Green (screenplay), Agatha Christie (novel) | Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Gal Gadot, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, and Annette Bening
The original film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel is fairly well-regarded, but as is the current custom in Hollywood, everything needs to be remade or rebooted. Kenneth Branagh is a talented filmmaker and performer, reprising his duties as both, and Michael Green has written some films that I have enjoyed as well, but there’s nothing pulling me to this film. It certainly looks bold on screen and the cast is loaded, but still. Branagh and Green teamed up with a loaded cast to remake Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express in 2017, but I just wasn’t interested in that one either. The truth is that they are probably both entertaining and enjoyable in their ways because I know the filmmakers are capable. However, there’s nothing about it that makes me want to go an watch it. Don’t let that stop you though.
Blacklight (Theaters)
Writers: Nick May with Mark William and Brandon Reavis | Director: Mark Williams
Starring: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, and Taylor John Smith
Apparently, Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills, and he uses them to make the same movie over and over again. I don’t know how these keep getting green-lit but someone clearly likes taking things from Neeson and watching him get them back. He has done a lot of other work in between but, including this movie, it’s the 12th iteration of the same idea featuring Neeson. If you lined up the posters for all 12 without the titles, it would be tough to match up the right ones. Anyway, this time he is back as the world’s deadliest grandpa! He wants out of his black ops life, but his daughter and grandchild get abducted to force his service. You know he doesn’t like that! You know the rest. It’ s probably entertaining enough but I bailed on these many years ago.
Marry Me (Theaters)
Writers: Harper Bill, John Roger, and Tami Sagher, Bobby Crosby (graphic novel)
Director: Kat Coiro
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, and John Bradley
Another rom-com for Valentine’s taps the well of proven commodities int he genre with Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Based on a graphic novel, Kat Valdez is a massive music superstar and she’s about to get married. However, right before it’s time for vows, she discovers her equally famous partner Bastian has been unfaithful. So, what does she decide to do? Well, marry a random stranger in the crowd of course! This is one of the dumbest things I have heard of, but we do have real TV shows that do similar things so I can’t be too surprised. If director Kat Coiro doesn’t take this idea too seriously and embraces how ridiculous it really is, Lopez and Wilson have the chops and the experience to make it work, but it’s a big ask. Good luck.
Fabian: Going to the Dogs (Theaters)
Writers: Erich Kästner (novel), Constantin Lieb & Dominik Graf (screenplay)
Director: Dominik Graf
Starring: TomSchilling, Albrecht Schuch, and Saskia Rosendahl
Set in 1930s Germany, a young doctor enjoys the nightlife but the country is changing. He meets a young actress and falls in love but, as she begins to find her place, he is stuck trying to figure out his future. The trailer wasn’t very compelling I don’t know enough about the people involved in the project to gleam anything from that information, but the rise of the Nazi party in Germany will certainly loom large over this told by modern German artists.
Indemnity (Theaters)
Writer & Director: Travis Taute
Starring: Jarrid Geduld, Gail Mabalane, and Andre Jacobs.
This South African film follows in the footsteps of The Fugitive as a former Cape Town fireman with PTSD becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s murder. So, he goes on the run while uncovering a larger plot. The fight choreography and the action looks to be pretty well done. So, if you’re looking for an alternative the Liam Neeson, this could be a good choice. Plus, I have a friend who’s an up-and-coming African filmmaker so I want to support what I can.
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