Film Focus: Jan. 23-29, 2025
9 mins read

Film Focus: Jan. 23-29, 2025

The Editor0Tagged , ,

By M. Faust
(above image: ‘The Brutalist’)

OPENING THIS WEEK: 

BRAVE THE DARK (PG-13) A high school drama teacher tries to help a troubled young student. Starring Jared Harris, Sasha Bhasin, and Will Price. Directed by Damian Harris (The Wilde Wedding). AMC Market Arcade, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit Center, Regal Walden Galleria

THE BRUTALIST (R) Oscar frontrunner starring Adrien Brody as architect László Tóth, a post-war Hungarian emigree and founder of the Brutalist style. With Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach De Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola. Directed by Brady Corbet (Vox Lux). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, North Park, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

THE COLORS WITHIN (PG) Gkids, the distributor that specializes in finding the best of new animation, presents this anime about a synesthetic teen girl who channels her discomfort into music. Directed by Yamada Naoko. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

HARD TRUTHS (NR) Two sisters with very different attitudes toward life are at the center of this new comedy-drama by veteran British auteur Mike Leigh (Naked). Starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, and Ani Nelson. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

INHERITANCE (R) A young woman learns that her father is not a staid businessman but rather a globe-trotting spy in this thriller shot entirely on an iPhone. Starring Pheobe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans. Directed by Neil Burger (Divergent). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

NICKEL BOYS (PG-13) Adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed novel about two young men incarcerated in a brutal reformatory in the Jim Crow South. Starring Brandon Wilson, Ethan Herisse and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Directed by RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening). AMC Market Arcade, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

PRESENCE (R) Steven Soderbergh directed this haunted house thriller in which the camera takes the POV of the ghost. Starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, and Julia Fox. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

NOW PLAYING:

BABYGIRL (R) Nicole Kidman as a CEO who risks her family and career for an affair with an intern. With Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, and Antonio Banderas. Directed by Halina Reijn (Bodies Bodies Bodies). Regal Transit, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw  Read M. Faust’s review here. 

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (R) Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in a biography that culminates with his appearance with an electric band in 1965. Co-starring Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, and Scoot McNairy. Directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line). Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Hamburg Palace, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit Read M. Faust’s review here. 

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA (R) Sequel. If you saw the original, you know what it was about, and if you didn’t why would you want to see the sequel? Starring Gerald Butler, O’Shea Jackson and Evin Ahmad. Directed once again by Christian Gudegast. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

GLADIATOR II (R) Sequel. Starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi. Directed by Ridley Scott (Napoleon). Regal Quaker  Read M. Faust’s review here

THE LAST SHOWGIRL (R) Pamela Anderson has been getting a lot of awards talk for her starring role here as an aging showgirl unsure how to deal with the future when her long-running show closes. With Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, and Kiernan Shipka. Directed by Gia Coppola (Palo Alto). Dipson Amherst, Regal Quaker Read M. Faust’s review here

MOANA 2 (PG) Animated sequel. With the voices of Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, and Nicole Scherzinger. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

MUFASA THE LION KING (PG) Animated sequel, or prequel or whatever. With the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Tiffany Boone. Directed by Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

NOSFERATU (R) Writer-director Robert Eggers (The Northman) inches toward the mainstream with this adaptation of the 1922 German horror film based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria Read M. Faust’s review here. 

ONE OF THEM DAYS (R) Comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA as roommates struggling to come up with the month’s rent. With Vanessa Bell Calloway, Katt Williams and Maude Apatow. Directed by Lawrence Lamont. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (PG) Sequel. A live action Jim Carrey joins a voice cast including Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves. Directed by Jeff Fowler. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

WICKED (PG) Adaptation of the long running musical that tells the story of The Wizard of Oz from the point of view of the Wicked Witch. N.B.: This is only part one. Starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and Peter Dinklage. Directed by John M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria Read the review by Mia Ciechalski here

WOLF MAN (R) The Blumhouse juggernaut sets its sights on another classic horror genre. Starring Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, and Sam Jaeger. Directed by Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

ETC.

DUNE (1984)—David Lynch’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel may be a failure, but it’s generally a fascinating one. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Max von Sydow, Jürgen Prochnow, Kenneth McMillan, Brad Dourif, Dean Stockwell, Everett McGill, Freddie Jones, José Ferrer, Linda Hunt, Patrick Stewart, Richard Jordan, Sean Young, Silvana Mangano, Sting, and of course Jack Nance. Sat-Sun 11:30 am. North Park

SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980, PG)—Unusual cult classic starring Christopher Reeve as a playwright so obsessed with a portrait of a woman (Jane Seymour) from 1912 that he devises a way to go back in time to meet her. With Christopher Plummer and Teresa Wright.  Directed by Jeannot Szwarc, (Supergirl). Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 1 om, Tues 7:30 pm. Screening Room

THEATER LOCATIONS AND WEBSITES

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts