February 15 (Wednesday)
Marlowe (Theaters)
Director: Neil Jordan
Writers: William Monahan, John Banville (novel), Raymond Chandler (character)
Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Danny Huston
Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills and he’s taking those skills to investigate and hopefully find a missing person in 1930s Los Angeles. It has a great cast so even if it hits all the pitfalls of noir-ish detective films along the way, I’m in it mainly for Diane Kruger.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (Limited Release – One Day Only: Feb 15th)
Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Writers: Rhys Frake-Waterfield, A.A. Milne (characters)
Stars: Maria Taylor, Craig David Dowsett, Chris Cordell
A.A. Milne’s original entered the public domain in 2022 and this is a glimpse of what you might see moving forward. I don’t exactly what’s going on but Christopher Robin left to grow up and now a humanoid Pooh and Winnie have devolved/evolved into feral humanoid killing machines. I am sad I missed the chance to catch this in theaters, but I will certainly be watching it.
February 17 (Friday)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Theaters)
Director: Peyton Reed | Writers: Jeff Loveness, Jack Kirby (creator)
Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
The Ant-Man trilogy comes to a close with Quantumania! I wasn’t in a rush to get tickets for this one but I am going to check it out this weekend. If it weren’t for Jonathan Majors, my overall interest would be pretty low which is sad because I enjoyed the first Ant-Man quite a bit and the process of folding him into the Avengers. Hoping for the best.
Hidden Blade (Theaters)
Written & Directed by: Er Cheng
Stars: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Yibo Wang, Lei Huang
There is more and more interesting stuff coming out of China these days. Yeah, I know China is persona non grata right now, but I can’t act like I am not curious to see the kinds of stories that are getting put on film. Plus, I grew up with a lot of Chinese Kung Fu films, so maybe it’s just more palatable to me. Tony Chiu-Wai Leung is great too and I am curious to see more of his work as a performer.
Emily (Theaters + VOD)
Written & Directed by: Frances O’Connor
Stars: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead
I have seen the trailer for this one a lot which is kind of surprising considering it’s Frances O’Connor’s directorial debut. She also wrote the screenplay though so I get the feeling this one is close to the chest for her and I love debuts like that. I’m a little burnt out on period pieces from this era that all have the same kind of look, but I do like the frame of this as the story of Emily Brontë’s personality pushing against the grain as she starts her writing journey.
Of An Age (Theaters)
Written & Directed by: Goran Stolevski
Stars: Thom Green, Elias Anton, Hattie Hook
I have only seen one film by Goran Stolevski but You Won’t Be Alone has so much humanity in it, I’m curious to see his handle a more relatable human story. It may be an oversimplification, but it strikes me as an Australian take on Call Me By Your Name.
Pacifiction (Theaters)
Director: Albert Serra
Writers: Albert Serra, Baptiste Pinteaux (dialogue)
Stars: Benoît Magimel, Pahoa Mahagafanua, Marc Susini
I don’t know if I can describe the kind of thriller this strikes me as, but if you have seen any of the documentaries on Pat McAfee, that’s who the main character seems like. Living on an island in French Polynesia, the Haut-Commissaire somehow exists as both an aristocrat but also hangs around with the lowest part of the social caste system. It looks very impressive visually and I am curious to see what kind of mystery unfolds under such circumstances. I think I have to give this one my Editor’s Pick.
Return to Seoul (Theaters)
Written & Directed by: Davy Chou
Stars: Park Ji-min, Oh Kwang-rok, Guka Han
This is a unique approach in that it takes Korean characters and actors, but bases its foundation in French, yet it was submitted to the Academy for consideration as an adult woman returns to Korea to find her birth mom after she was adopted and raised by French parents. The trailer has great style and music, so if the film can have that, this could be a winner.
What Else Is New…
Unlocked (Netflix)
Director: Tae-joon Kim | Writer: Akira Shiga (novel)
Stars: Si-wan Yim, Woo-hee Chun, Kim Hee-won
Korean filmmaking is kinda where it’s at right now. Two of my favorites from 2022 were Korean productions and, apparently, Netflix wants in. With all the issues they are having from a PR standpoint, it’s a good decision. This looks like the kind of technological thriller we got with the likes of Missing, so I do have solid expectations.
Tell It Like a Woman (VOD)
Directors: Silvia Carobbio, Catherine Hardwicke, Taraji P. Henson, Mipo Oh, Lucía Puenzo, Maria Sole Tognazzi, Leena Yadav
Writers: Krupa Ge, Shantanu Sagara, Leena Yadav
Stars: Cara Delevingne, Marcia Gay Harden, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Hudson
It’s hard to tell what’s going on here but it reminds me a bit of If These Walls Could Talk telling a number of different women’s stories. It boasts a great cast as well but there are a lot of hands in the dough, so to speak.
The First Step (Limited)
Director: Brandon Kramer
Writer: Chris L Jenkins
Stars: Karen Bass, Cory Booker, Bonnie Watson Coleman
Criminal justice reform is a sensitive topic at times and this documentary looks at CNN’s Van Jones and his attempts to pass a new bill.
The Other Fellow (Limited)
Director: Matthew Bauer | Writers: Bauer, Rene van Pannevis
Stars: Gunnar James Bond Schäfer, James Alexander Bond, James Bond Jr.
Bond, James Bond. Imagine having to live up to that. Well, that’s what this documentary is about. I could have sworn there was another film like this about a bunch of folks with a name they can’t ever live up to because of its popularity in pop culture, fairly recently, but I’m drawing a blank. Anyway, it looks like there’s more to it than the catch.
La Femme Anjola (Limited)
Director: Mildred Okwo | Writer: Tunde Babalola
Stars: Paul Adams, Jumoke Aderounmu, Nonso Bassey\
African cinema seems to be on the rise globally and that’s a great thing to see. One of my favorite genre-bending films of 2022 was from Africa so I am curious to see how Mildred Okwo decides to handle this psychological thriller. Gangsters, affairs, stock brokers, femme fatale…sounds like a fun time.
The Integrity of Joseph Chambers (Limited)
Written & Directed by: Robert Machoian
Stars: Jordana Brewster, Clayne Crawford, Colt Crawford
This is the kind of cerebral psychological stuff that I want out of my thrillers. Genuine discourse over a mustache and all. I really wish this one wasn’t in limited release because I want to see it!
Devil’s Peak (Limited + VOD Feb 24th)
Director: Ben Young | Writers: Robert Knott (Screenplay and novel), David Joy (book)
Stars: Robin Wright, Billy Bob Thorton, Jackie Earl Haley
There is some real star power in this one, but whether or not that gets used well is something different. The 47 Metascore is a bit on the scary side when making considerations, so I can understand why this is limited and sent to video-on-demand.
The Weapon (Limited + VOD)
Director: Tony Schiena | Writer: Michael Caissie
Stars: Tony Schiena, Donald Cerrone, James Chalke
This is another one that has some good name recognition in the cast but is headed for limited release and video-on-demand. This is Tony Schiena’s directorial debut so there isn’t much to go on. It seems like the kind of movie I’d watch on a long flight.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Re-Release)
Director: Ang Lee | Writers: Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai
Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
This four-time Oscar-winning film is returning to theaters for a brief re-release…for some reason. It’s not a milestone anniversary or anything like that, but any renewed interest in Michelle Yeoh is a positive. It’s also a cool opportunity to experience a huge cultural and global phenomenon on the big screen. It has ben probably 20 years since I saw this one and it might just be time to give it that rewatch.
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