There are a couple of high-profile rereleases that are stealing the spotlight in the first release weekend of September and I already went to see one of them last night, so maybe I am part of the problem. However, there are still some interesting things on deck that are worth a look.
I Came By (Netflix Aug. 31st)
Director: Babak Anvari | Writers: Namsi Kahn, Babak Anvari (story)
Starring: George MacKay, Kell Macdonald, and Hugh Bonneville
This one looks pretty intense and reminds me of a more serious version of Disturbia in some ways. A graffiti artist who targets and vandalizes the homes of high-profile elites as some kind of political statement finds himself in way over his head when he comes across some disturbing secrets. I have yet t o see any of Babak Anvari’s work, but wounds has been on my watchlist forever, so maybe I can double dip this weekend. George MacKay has shown that he is a skilled young actor and I love Kelly Macdonald’s work, so I have enough confidence to jump into this one.
*Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. (Theaters) – Editor’s Pick*
Written & Directed by: Adamma Ebo
Starring: Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, and Nicole Beharie
I watched Sterling for many years on This Is Us and I have been excited for this one. After a scandal decimates their congregation, the wife of a prominent Southern Baptist pastor works to help her husband rebuild his church and his reputation. Regina hall has been killing it lately and this role is a great fit for her to wield her comedic skills. This is the feature directorial debut for Adamma Ebo adapting their short film of the same name, but I like the idea of jumping in feet first and tackling religious subject matter with satire. It’s sink or swim, and that’s one of the reasons I gave this one my Editor’s Pick.
Blind Ambition (Theaters + VOD)
Directors: Robert Coe, Warwick Ross
Writer: Robert Coe, Paul Murphy, Madeleine Ross
I have no idea what the Wine Tasting Olympics are but this documentary is going to help me find out as it follows a group of four men from Zimbabwe who relocated to South Africa and fell in love with wine, became friends, and then became the first team from their home to compete in The World Wine Blind Tasting Championships. Cue the inspirational music! This looks like a good one.
Burial (Theaters + VOD)
Written & Directed: Ben Parker
Starring: Charlotte Vega, Tom Felton, and Harriet Walter
The plotline for this one is simple and straightforward, “A small group of Russian soldiers have the task of taking Hitler’s discovered remains back to Stalin in Moscow.” If it’s done well, this could be a very interesting thriller. The appetite for historical war films has waned, so it will be interesting to see how this one carves out a niche for itself with so much well-trodden ground surrounding it.
What Else Is New…
Waiting for Bojangles (Theaters + VOD)
Director: Régis Roinsard
Writers: Olivier Bourdeaut (novel), Roman Compingt (screenplay), Régis Roinsard
I had a tough time trying to figure this one out. The tagline suggest a drama about “fun and fantasy” where a loving couple plays and dances together and shows that to their son, but the trailer I watched seemed to deal more with mental health and still maintaining love and passion and fun when things take a turn negative. Virginie Efira was very good in Benedetta, so I am curious to see what she does with this role and how the story gets told given the subject matter.
Spider-Man: No Way Home – The More Fun Stuff Version (Theaters)
Director: Jon Watts | Writers: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Benedict Cumberbatch
Spider-Man and his friends are back with even more wall crawling, reality bending fun as this special rerelease promises “More Fun Stuff”. I’m guessing that means deleted scenes and some director’s cut stuff that pushed the limits of the run time targets. I wanted to watch this a second time in theaters and just never got around to it, so this is a good opportunity to go back and do that again.
Jaws (IMAX)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Peter Benchley (novel) and Carl Gottlieb
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfus
We’re going to need a bigger screen! One of the very best movies of all time returns to theaters for a special run. I saw it in IMAX last night and Steven Spielberg’s summer classic is just as good as ever. It wasn’t filmed in IMAX so there are limits to the conversion but you can catch it in 3D as well. It’s great for long-time fans and first timers alike.
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Babak Anvari’s work is interesting. His feature debut, Under the Shadow has been his most discussed film. And rightly so, its really good. Wounds is a weird thing. Personally, I LOVE it. It’s based on a novella, “The Visible Filth” by Nathan Ballingrud, a horror writer who writes a lot about life down here in NOLA. I enjoy most of his work. Wounds is very mysterious, dark and doesn’t shove all of it’s answers down your throat. But, I get why it doesn’t work for most.
good to know. I haven’t had the time to sit down and watch I Came By yet