Release Radar – March 18th, 2022

As anticipated, The Batman dominated the box office once again but most of the people who wanted to see it have already done so. That leaves a nice little pocket for the next few weeks where some interesting titles can have some breathing room without the burden of having to compete. I am a curious person by nature so there’s almost always something that will interest me but, on the surface, this is the deepest release weekend of the year so far. Let’s get to it!

Umma (Theaters)

Writer/Director: Iris K. Shim

Starring: Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, and Dermot Mulroney

The biggest theatrical release on the dockett is this supernatural horror film from Iris K. Shim. This is a pretty high-profile release considering it’s the debute feature from Shim and the last project she helmed was 8-years ago, but kudos. The venerable Sam Raimi is one of the producers and his studio was one of the production companies, so that’s a nice endorsement. Sandra Oh in the lead is what caught my eye and I have faith that she’ll be great as the anti-tech mom who has to confront a history of trauma after her own mother’s passing. However, taking all the complexity of a mother-daughter realtionship, with all the culutural context present here, and going the supernatural route might not be the the most effective way to address that.

Deep Water (Hulu)

Writers: Zach Helm and Sam Levinson, Patricia Highsmith (novel)

Director: Adrian Lyne

Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, and Tracy Letts

“Why are you the only man who wants to stay with me?” That’s the question posed by Ana de Armas’ character at the top of the trailer. I can think of a few reasons. Ben Affleck plays her husband who accepts her extra-marital flings as part of their marriage because he doesn’t want a divorce…okay. But then her lovers start to go missing and he naturally become a suspect. Director Adrian Lyne has helmed some iconic erotic thrillers in the past such as Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal, but it’s been 20-years since his last effort (Unfaithful). Affleck fit the bill in Gone Girl and it appears Lyne is trying to capture that again with de Armas. It seems like a perfect suitable Friday-night-on-the-couch type of movie.

The Outfit (Theaters)

Writers: Jonathan McClain and Graham Moore | Director: Graham Moore

Starring: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien

The Kingsman meets the mob in this stylish crime drama from Graham Moore. This is the directorial debut for Moore who’d previously written The Imitation Game and directed the short film The Waiting Room. I am really liking the concept here and I am glad to it all executed with a very small cast. The intimate nature of the setting feels almost like a stage production and Academy Award Winner Mark Rylance leads that cast, so I know the quality is going to be on point. It’s also a good platform for Zoey Deutch and Dyaln O’Brien to shine. I am looking forward to this one.

The Torch (Theaters)

Director: Jim Farrell

Starring: Buddy Guy, and Quinn Sullivan

Almost three years after its debut at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2019, Jim Farrell’s documentary about Blues legend Buddy Guy is finally getting it’s theatrical distirubtion. At 85-years-old, Guy is part of Muddy Waters’ blues legacy and has influenced guitartists for generations such as Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Jimmy Page, and Quinn Sullivan more recently. Guy has accomplished it all in the music business and has turned his attention to passing on the spirit of the Blues to the next generation.

Windfall (Netflix)

Writers: Justin Lader & Andrew Kevin Walker (screenplay), Charlie McDowell, Jason Segel and Justin Lader, & Andrew Kevin Walker (story)

Director: Charlie McDowell

Starring: Jesse Plemons, Jason Segel, and Lily Collins

Charlie McDowell’s film sees a tech billionaire and his wife stumble upon a man breaking into their lavish vaction home. Things begin to heat up quickly as the intruder’s real motivation comes to the surface. Jesse Plemons has proven himself repeatedly in recent years and this is a role it looks like he gets to have a lot of fun with. Jason Segel is working his way through more dramatic roles and it’ll be curious to see him opposite Plemons and Lily Collins here. There’s only four people in the cast so a lot is going to be riding on the performances here. This another good one to check out from the comfort of your couch over the weekend.

*X (Theaters) – Editor’s Pick*

Writer/Director: Ti West

Starring: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, and Brittany Snow

I am always down for some creative indie films and horror is one of the genres I can’t help but have a soft spot for, and that is why X gets my Editor’s Pick this week. Ti West is no stranger to horror film and getting to make a throwback to slasher era must have been a lot of fun. Set in 1979, a young group of aspiring adult filmmakers rent a cabin in rural Texas and any sentence that contains those words ususally doesn’t end well. Their host has a sick wife and it’s more than they could have imagined when she finds out what they are up to. I really like the cast featuring Mia Goth, Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Kid Cudi, Owen Campbell, and Martin Henderson. Setting this up as a period piece, five years after the release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974, certainly puts it firmly in slasher territory. This is going to be a firm R-rated film, as it should be given the circumstances, but keep that in mind.

Ahed’s Knee (Theaters)

Writer/Director: Nadav Lapid (Haim Lapid – consultant)

Starring: Avshalim Pollack, Nur Fibank, and Oded Azulay

I don’t know anything about anybody involved in this movie, but the trailer looks interesting and it won the Jury Prize while getting nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2021. Despite being supposedly critical of Israel’s state cencorship, the film still was nominated across the board fromt eh Israeli Film Academy so I don’t know exactly what to think.

Master (Theaters + Amazon Prime Video)

Writer/Director: Mariama Diallo

Starring: Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, and Julia Nightingale

A prestigious, mostly white college in New England is haunted by a past of trauma and racism. This is the feature debut for filmmaker Mariama Diallo but she taps into the themes of her short films, using racism as a vehicle for horror, which has had a broader foothold in the public sphere over the past five years or so. Regina Hall is a versatile performer and I’m excited to see her in this role, especially after her intense performance in Nine Perfect Strangers. Even though it hits theaters, you can catch it streaming on Amazon Prime Video if you’re interested.

What Else Is New…

Expired (Theaters + VOD)

Writer/Director: Ivan Sen

Starring: Ryan Kwanten, Hugo Weaving, and Jillian Nguyen

For lack of a better description, I’m going to call this Chinese Blade Runner. In future Hong Kong, an assassain named Jack (Ryan Kwanten) falls in love with a lounge singer (Jillian Nguyen) and the two connect over their shady pasts. However, his body starts to fail him and he searches out a life extension doctor to fix the problem. I was super hyped for this at the outset of the trailer, but it lost some steam there down the stretch. It’s still mostly my kind of movie, so I will likley check it out at some point but I won’t be rushing out to theaters to make that happen despite my endless appreciation for Hugo Weaving.

Black Crab (Netflix)

Writers: Adam Berg, Pelle Rådström, Jerker Vordborg (novel) | Director: Adam Berg

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Aliette Opheim, and Dar Salim

We are seeing a number of directorial debuts this week as this Swedish action-thriller set in an icy post-apocalypse comes to Netflix. Adam Berg adapted the film from the Jerker Vordborg novel and the trailer makes it look much more visually robust than i would have expected from a frozen apocalyptic backdrop. I always like Noomi Rapace, in part, because she takes on very diverse projects and her name is certainly a big part of the film’s billing. Netflix continues to rollout a number of different projects from all over the world, so if you’re looking for something off the beaten path, this is a good fit.

Alice (Theaters)

Writer/Director: Krystin Ver Linden

Starring: Keke Palmer, Common, Jonny Lee Miller

In another directorial debut, Krystin Ver Linden takes the concept we saw in Antebellum and sets it in the 1970s as a revenge film. A slave in the South escapes the plantation only to find out that it’s the 70s. She learns about Black culture and history and decides to turn that around on the slave owner. I like revenge movies and this looks like a vehicle for Keke Palmer to shine in the lead.

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