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| photo courtesy of indiewire.com |
Your one-stop shop for March moviegoing.
A WRINKLE IN TIME
(March 9th)
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| photo courtesy of comingsoon.net |
Ava DuVernay directs this modern
adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic science-fiction/fantasy novel. For
those who aren’t familiar with the source material, the story follows young Meg
Murry, her two brothers, and her friend Calvin, who set out on a mind-bending
journey through space and numerous perils to rescue their father. Along the
way, Meg gets help from mysterious and powerful beings called Mrs. Who, Mrs.
Which, and Mrs. Whatsit, who teach her lessons about love, courage, and wisdom.
A Wrinkle in Time will
probably be worth seeing just to witness the amount of money and star-power
Disney is throwing at this project. Trailers for the film showcase several
impressive CGI worlds and an A-list cast (including Oprah Winfrey, Mindy
Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Storm Reid in the main role, Chris Pine, Gugu
Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, and Michael Peña). But, in keeping with many
big-budget adaptations of classic works of fiction, A Wrinkle in Time also looks like it might be pretty out of touch
with the heart of its source material. We’ll know for sure on March 9th
when A Wrinkle in Time hits theaters.
Watch the trailer here.
ISLE OF DOGS
(March 23rd)
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| photo courtesy of variety.com |
Isle of Dogs marks the return of master
filmmaker Wes Anderson to his quirky brand of stop-motion animation. Wes
Anderson is known for his distinctive visual panache, his unorthodox humor and
storytelling, and his frequent collaborations with A-list actors. Isle of Dogs should maintain that
reputation on every front: it looks amazing, it looks bizarre, and it looks
like there are way, way too many top-notch voice actors attached (Bryan
Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, and
Tilda Swinton, to name just a few). If you’re unsure about Isle of Dogs, take a look at Fantastic
Mr. Fox (2009), Anderson’s previous venture into stop-motion animation (and
an all-around stellar movie), and that should give you a pretty good read on
what to expect.
Watch the trailer here.
UNSANE
(March 23rd)
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| photo courtesy of pophorror.com |
You probably know Claire Foy as Netflix’s
Queen Elizabeth, but here she plays someone on the opposite end of the
power/prestige spectrum. In the horror film Unsane,
she’s Sawyer Valentini, a woman whose persistent belief in a devious stalker
gets her admitted to a mental hospital against her wishes. The twist? Her
stalker works at the hospital—unless, of course, Sawyer is insane.
Unsane earns its place on this list
mainly by way of its distinctly unsettling trailer. There’s not enough footage yet
to determine whether Unsane will have
anything especially original to say, but there’s a certain unhinged, manic quality
to the trailer that piques my interest. Combine that feeling with the talent of
director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11,
Magic Mike, Logan Lucky), and you’ve got a recipe for something really interesting.
Watch the trailer here.
READY PLAYER ONE
(March 29th)
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| photo courtesy of joblo.com |
With Ready Player One, Steven Spielberg makes his latest foray into
mega-blockbuster territory. Ready Player
One is an adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel of the same name, in which people
in the year 2044 turn to virtual reality to find the paradise unafforded by the
increasing desolate real world. One such person is Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan),
who sets out on an adventure to find the coveted (and ridiculously valuable) Easter
Egg, opposed by forces from within and without the VR world known as the OASIS.
Considering his illustrious track
record with both critically acclaimed dramas and record-setting box office
giants, it’s probably never a good idea to bet against Steven Spielberg. But
even so, it will be interesting to see whether Ready Player One will find the same kind of traction as some of his
previous blockbusters. His last few attempts at directing “commercial” adventure
movies have been met with less success than might be expected, which leads some
to speculate whether Spielberg—and his style of storytelling as a whole—can
still dominate the market in the same way he has for the last 40 or so years. In
any case, Ready Player One will be
worth your attention when it debuts on March 29th.
Watch the trailer here.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
TOMB RAIDER
(March 16th)
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| photo courtesy of comingsoon.net |
Like most (all) video game adaptations,
the Tomb Raider franchise has
struggled to make the jump to the big screen. The previous efforts starring
Angelina Jolie were more or less a colossal failure, but this iteration
(starring Ex Machina alum Alicia
Vikander) takes a different approach, adapting the more recent installments in
the video game series and focusing more on Lara’s backstory. Hollywood’s track
record with video game movies should probably keep expectations in check, but even
if Tomb Raider isn’t a critical
success, viewers can probably count on plenty of action and a good helping of
Indiana Jones-style adventuring.
Watch the trailer here.
LOVE, SIMON
(March 16th)
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| photo courtesy of foxmovies.com |
Nick Robinson stars as the titular
Simon in Love, Simon, an upcoming
adaptation of Becky Albertalli’s book Simon
vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Simon is a closeted gay teenager struggling to
navigate the tricky world of high school: keeping up with his family, managing
a social life, making early attempts at romance… and dealing with his own
personal blackmailer. You know, typical things. Judging from its trailer and
early reactions, Love, Simon should be
plenty of fun, even if—apart from featuring a gay protagonist—it doesn’t look
like a particularly groundbreaking high school dramedy.
Watch the trailer here.
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