Film Focus: Week of Feb. 28-March 6, 2025
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Film Focus: Week of Feb. 28-March 6, 2025

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By M. Faust

OPENING THIS WEEK: 

LAAJ SHARANAM (NR) Nepali comedy-drama about life in a rural village. Starring Bijay Baral, Sittaram Kattel, and Sagar Lamsal. Directed by Kumar Kattel. Regal Quaker

LAST BREATH (PG-13) True story about deep sea divers trying to rescue a trapped comrade with limited oxygen during a storm. Starring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, and Finn Cole. Directed by Alex Parkinson, who also directed the 2019 documentary about the real incident. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Hamburg Palace, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

MAZAKA (NR) Telegu comedy about a father and son who fall in love at the same time with two women who are also related to each other. Starring Anshu, Ajay, and Sundeep Kishan. Directed by Trinadha Rao Nakkina. Regal Elmwood

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM GQUUUUUUX – BEGINNING (NR) Feature adaptation of the anime series. And yes, that is the correct spelling. North Park, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit

MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE (R) An Afghan war veteran (Sonequa Martin-Green) whose PTSD causes her to see the ghost of her fallen comrade visits her grandfather (Ed Harris), a Viet Nam veteran, in this well-regarded independent film. With Natalie Morales and Morgan Freeman. Directed by Iraq war veteran Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Quaker

NO ADDRESS (NR) Drama depicting the problems facing homeless residents of a tent city in Los Angeles. Starring Ashanti, Xander Berkeley, William Baldwin, and Beverly D’Angelo. Directed by Julia Verdin. Regal Quaker, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

RIFF RAFF (R) Ed Harris as a retired gangster whose Maine home is invaded by more of his family than he cares to see. Co-starring Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, Pete Davidson, Lewis Pullman and Gabrielle Union. Directed by Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints). Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SABDHAM (NR) Tamil horror thriller about a paranormal investigator looking into a series of mysterious deaths. Starring Simran, Lakshmi Menon, and Aadhi. Directed by Arivazhagan Venkatachalam. Regal Elmwood

A SLOTH STORY (PG) Australian animated comedy about a family of country sloths who move to the big city to run a food truck. With the voices of Teo Vergara, Olivia Vasquez and Leslie Jones. Directed by Richard Cusso and Tania Vincent. Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON (PG-13) Hindi comedy about young film buffs who make their own Bollywood-style film to life their spirits of their small village. Starring Anuj Singh Duhan, Iqbal Shaikh, and Adarsh Gourav. Directed by Reema Kagti. Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

VERMIGLIO (NR) Award-winning Italian film following the life of a large family in remote mountain village at the end of World War II. Starring Tommaso Ragno, Roberta Rovelli, and Martina Scrinzi. Directed by Maura Delpero (Maternal). North Park

NOW PLAYING:

ANORA (R) Winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a boisterous comedy about a Brooklyn sex worker whose fairytale romance with a rich young Russian runs afoul of his family. Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, and Karren Karagulian. Directed by Sean Baker (Tangerine). Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria Read M. Faust’s review here

BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN (PG-13) Documentary chronicling the early days of the band that was originally called the New Yardbirds. Directed by Bernard MacMahon. Aurora, Dipson Capitol, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (PG-13) Captain America versus a giant, bellowing, incoherent mass of limitless anger colored red. Are we actually getting a political allegory from, of all places, Disney/Marvel? Starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Giancarlo Esposito and Carl Lumbly. Directed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Joylan, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

CHHAAVA (NR) Hindi-language historical drama based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Starring Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, and Rashmika Mandanna. Directed by Laxman Utekar. Regal Elmwood

COMPANION (R) Thriller/sci/fi movie whose makers say the less you know about it going in the better. So who am I to go against their wishes? Starring Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Rupert Friend and Harvey Guillén. Directed by Drew Hancock. AMC Market Arcade

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, Regal Quaker. Regal Transit Read M. Faust’s review here. 

DOG MAN (PG) In this animated adaptation of a series of graphic novels, an injured cop and his police dog are merged by a surgeon into one body. With the voices of Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, and Ricky Gervais. Directed by Peter Hastings (The Country Bears). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

HEART EYES (R) Horror comedy about two co-workers stalked by a killer who thinks they’re a romantic item. Starring Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, and Devon Sawa, Directed by Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

I’M STILL HERE (PG-13) Oscar nominee for Best Feature and Best Actress based on the true story of a Brazilian woman (Fernanda Torres) who fought for years to find out what happened to her husband after he was “disappeared” by the military dictatorship in 1971. Directed by Walter Salles (Central Station). Dipson Amherst, Read M. Faust’s review here

LOVE HURTS (R) Action comedy starring Ke Huy Quan as a onetime hit man pulled out of his new life as a Milwaukee realtor by old ties. With Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu and Sean Astin. Directed by former stunt man Jonathan Eusebio. Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

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. Dunkirk Multiplex

THE MONKEY (R) Horror comedy adapted from a Stephen King short story. Starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Adam Scott, and Elijah Wood. Directed by Oz Perkins (Longlegs). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, 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). Dipson Capitol, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

NE ZHA 2 (NR) If you can believe what you read on imdb.com, this Chinese animated fantasy is the first non-American film to earn more than a billion dollars at the box office. Which I guess guarantees there will be a Ne Zha 3. Directed by Yu Yang. Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

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 Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria 

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS (NR) Annual program with a wholly explanatory title. There are three separate programs featuring live action, documentary and animated shorts—check with the theater for times. Dipson Amherst

PADDINGTON IN PERU (PG) The return of the epitome of politeness, and boy, do we need him now. Directed by Dougal Wilson. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Jessica Hynes, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Hayley Atwell, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, and the voices of Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

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. Regal Walden Galleria

THE UNBREAKABLE BOY (PG) Feel-good drama about a boy born with autism and brittle bone disease whose positive attitude helps those who know him. Starring Zachary Levi, Jacob Laval and Meghann Fahy. Directed by Jon Gunn. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

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). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit Read the review by Mia Ciechalski here

ETC.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001) (R) David Lynch’s most accessible realization of his peculiar vision, a noirish masterpiece abut an amnesiac actress searching Los Angeles for clues to her identity. Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Robert Forster, Dan Hedaya, Lee Grant, James Karen and Chad Everett. Fri, Sat, Mon 7 pm, Sun 9 pm. North Park 

PSYCHO (1960)—Newly restored release of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller that ranks pretty high on the list of movies that you don’t need me to tell you anything about. Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Martin Balsam; look for Ted Knight as a cop near the end. The Friday screening will be introduced by local filmmaker and teacher Greg Lamberson. Fri 7 pm, Sun 1 pm, Tues 7:30 pm. 

THEATER LOCATIONS AND WEBSITES

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