Film Focus: Week of March 7-13, 2025
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Film Focus: Week of March 7-13, 2025

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By M. Faust
(Image above from “Queen of the Ring”)

OPENING THIS WEEK: 

THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER (2023) (R) Thriller based on a true story about a trio of escaped convicts who take a Vietnamese taxi drive hostage. Starring Hiep Tran Nghia, Dustin Nguyen, and Dali Benssalah. Directed by Sing J. Lee. Regal Transit

IN THE LOST LANDS (R) Fantasy adventure from the director (Paul W.S. Anderson) and star (Milla Jovovich) of the Resident Evil movies. With Dave Bautista and Arly Jover. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

MICKEY 17 (R) From director Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer), a science fiction comedy starring Robert Pattinson as a space traveller sent on dangerous missions because he can be cloned if he is killed. With Steven Yeun, Michael Monroe, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE (PG) Animated feature about zoo animals battling zombie animals. It was only a matter of time, I guess. Directed by Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

QUEEN OF THE RING (PG-13) Based on the true story of Mildred Burke, who became a champion wrestler at a time when the sport was illegal for women. Starring Emily Bett Rickards, Josh Lucas, Tyler Posey and Walton Goggins. Directed by Ash Avildsen. AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

RULE BREAKERS (PG) Drama based on a true story about young Afghani women, denied any path to education by the Taliban, who take it on themselves to learn about computers. Starring Nikohl Boosheri, Christian Contreras, and Ali Fazal. Directed by Bill Guttentag. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (R) Psychological thriller starring John Lithgow as a nursing home bully who sets his sights on new arrival Geoffrey Rush. Directed by James Ashcroft (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire). Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SEVEN VEILS (NR) Amanda Seyfried as an opera director whose attempts to stage Salome unleash buried traumas. With Douglas Smith, Rebecca Liddiard. Directed by Toronto’s Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter). Regal Elmwood

THERE’S STILL TOMORROW (NR) Tribute to classic Italian neorealist films starring Paola Cortellesi (who also directed) as a woman hoping for a better life in postwar Rome. Co-starring Valerio Mastandrea, Romana Maggiora Vergano, and Emanuela Fanelli. North Park

NOW PLAYING:

ANORA (R) Winner of multiple Oscars including Best Picture, Director and Actress, 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). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, 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

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, 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, 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). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

I’M STILL HERE (PG-13) Oscar Best International Feature based on the true story of a Brazilian woman (Oscar nominee 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

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

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. Regal Transit

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

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

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, 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). Regal Quaker

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

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

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 Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

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, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

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 Flix, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, 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. AMC Maple Ridge, 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 Transit Read the review by Mia Ciechalski here

ETC.

LOST HIGHWAY (R, 1997)—David Lynch and Wild at Heart scripter Barry Gifford reteamed for this “21st century film noir.” Two separate but intersecting stories follow musician Fred Madison (Bill Pullman), tortured by the notion that his wife Renee (Patricia Arquette) is having an affair, who suddenly finds himself accused of her murder; and a young mechanic (Balthazar Getty) drawn into a web of deceit by a temptress who is cheating on her gangster boyfriend (Robert Loggia). Featuring Robert Blake, Richard Pryor, Gary Busey, Henry Rollins, Giovanni Ribisi and Jack Nance. Fri 9:40 pm, Sat 11:30 am, 10:10 pm, Sun 11:30 am, 7:40 pm, Mon 9:40 pm. North Park

LYNCH/OZ (2022)—Documentary exploring the influences of the classic film The Wizord of Oz (1939) on the work of David Lynch. Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe. Tue-Thurs 9:40 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. Fri 7:30 pm. Screening Room

PURPLE RAIN (1984)—The plot is a hair above ridiculous, but who cares when you have Prince at his youthful best?. With Apollonia, Marris Day and Clarence Williams III. Fri 9:30 pm. North Park; Sat 7 pm Riviera (free and open to the public)

THE RAIN PEOPLE (1969) and THELMA AND LOUISE (1991)—Marty McGee hosts this double feature of road movies in observance of women’s History Month. Directed by a pre-Godfather Francis Ford Coppola, Rain People stars Shirley Knight as a housewife who hits the road when she unexpectedly learns that she is pregnant. Thelma and Louise, of course, charts how Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis come to drive off a cliff. Thurs 7 pm, 9 pm. Screening Room

THE TRIAL (1961)—Orson Welles’ idiosyncratic adaptation of the Franz Kafka tale starring Anthony Perkins as an office clerk called upon to defend himself against a crime that is not identified to him. Co-starring Arnoldo Foà, Jess Hahn, Billy Kearns and Welles. Tues 7:30 pm. Screening Room

THEATER LOCATIONS AND WEBSITES

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