“High Flying Bird”
Cast: André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Zachary Quinto, Sonja Sohn, Kyle Maclachlan
Synopsis: In the midst of a pro basketball lockout, sports agent Ray Burke finds himself caught in the face-off between the league and the players. His career is on the line, but Ray is playing for higher stakes. With only 72 hours to pull off a daring plan, he outmaneuvers all the power-players as he uncovers a loophole that could change the game forever.
What You Need to Know: The cast for Steven Soderbergh’s latest is an embarrassment of riches, starring everyone from television up and comers like “Atlanta’s” Zazie Beetz and “Stranger Things’” Caleb McLaughlin to industry favorites such as Zachary Quinto and Kyle MacLachlan. However, it’s his re-teaming with Andre Holland that’s the most exciting aspect. Holland has been making a name for himself for a while but following the two hand of his stunning work in Soderbergh’s “The Knick” and his standout, sensitive supporting turn in “Moonlight” we’ve been waiting for a starring role to catapult his career to new heights. Considering the film is being given a Netflix February release it’s unlikely to carry him too much further than he’s already reached, but the reviews thus far the film have been stellar, including our own which called it “a slam dunk”- the fun the director had dabbling in fresh technology radiating off the screen. Running at a lean 90 minutes, the film offers little time to falter and, by all accounts, is another knockout for one of our most versatile directors.
Release Date: February 8th
“Birds of Passage”
Cast: José Acosta, Natalia Reyes, Carmiña Martínez
Synopsis: Torn between his desire to become a powerful man and his duty to uphold his culture’s values, Rapayet enters the drug trafficking business in the 1970s and finds quick success despite his tribe’s matriarch Ursula’s disapproval. Ignoring ancient omens, Rapayet and his family get caught up in a conflict where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood.
What You Need to Know: The Directors’ Fortnight opening selection at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, “Birds of Passage,” directed by “Embrace the Serpent” filmmakers Circo Guerra and Cristina Gallego drew comparisons from everything from “The Godfather” to “Scarface” and “The Sopranos.” Despite the comparisons due to the crime-oriented viewpoint set in tracking the origins of the Columbian drug trade, there is a distinct artistry to the picture that set itself outside of those that came before it. Our critic called it “masterpiece” and an “absolutely extraordinary film.”
Release Date: February 13th
“Alita Battle Angel”
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali
Synopsis: When Alita awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido, a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past.
What You Need to Know: There’s certainly a level of understanding to be shared if you didn’t (or still don’t) know quite what to make of Robert Rodriguez’s live-action manga “Alita: Battle Angel.” With technology that renders its leading character erring on the side of uncanny valley likeness and a post-apocalyptic setting we’ve now seen countless times and a description that uses the term “cyber-punk” you wouldn’t be wrong to wonder what kind of mess this was going to manifest as. Much to our surprise, the notices so far have been largely positive. Based on the popular manga series by Yukito Kishiro “Gunnm” the film stars Rosa Salazar in what hopefully will be a star-making role as well as plenty of other impressive character actors. Best known for films such as “From Dusk to Dawn” and “Sin City,” this hopefully will be a welcomed return to form for the director.
Release Date: February 14th
“Hotel By the River”
Cast: Ki Joo-bong, Kim Min-hee, Song Seon-mi, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yu Jun-sang
Synopsis: The film tells the story of an aging poet, Younghwan, who summons his two estranged sons to a solitary hotel beside the Han River because he feels his death is near. While waiting for them to arrive, he meets two women out walking in the new-fallen snow and is struck by their angelic beauty.
What You Need to Know: There’s a lull of familiarity that comes with the works by director Hong Sang-soo, especially as his focus has turned more and more towards his must and romantic partner the excellent Kim Min-hee. However, rather than feel listless or, even worse, dull, each of his works – to varying levels of success – manages to change his form up just enough to keep it engaging. If our review is anything to go by, “Hotel By the River” is his most stark divergence in ages as, according to our critic, he plays with familiar themes but with a touch of darkness.
Release Date: February 15th
“Fighting With My Family”
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Stephen Merchant, Vince Vaugh, Nick Frost
Synopsis: Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her family and face this new, cut-throat world alone.
What You Need to Know: It’s not hard to imagine Dwayne Johnson in a film like “Fighting With My Family.” It’s not even a stretch to picture Nick Frost in one especially if you’re familiar with his stunt work in “The World’s End” and “Into the Badlands.” However, you’d be hard pressed to guess that the director behind the WWE-focused family drama is Stephen Merchant, best known for his comedic persona both on and off screen or “Lady Macbeth” breakout Florence Pugh at the center of it all. Yet both charge the film with our critic noting of Pugh in particular that we “simply cannot praise her enough” so bright is her star power. It may look a little heavy-handed on paper but the effect is enjoyable and Pugh gives it her all to the point where it’s worth seeing it for her alone.
Release Date: February 14th
“Donnybrook”
Cast: Frank Grillo, James Badge Dale, Jamie Bell, Margaret Qualley
Synopsis: Three desperate souls must fight their way out of a dead-end world in this bracing, gut-punching glimpse into America’s dark underbelly.
What You Need to Know: Not to be outdone by another more family geared fighting movie in February, “Donnybrook” comes pummeling into theaters following a festival run that included the 2018 Toronto Film Festival where our critic called it a “brutal, blistering masterwork of American desperation.” Jamie Bell deserves a career greater than the films he’s been offered and has apparently never been better and James Badge Dale is an actor who seems aggravatingly determined to stay under the radar with less than stellar films. Directed by Tim Sutton the film will offer a balancing opposition to “Fighting With My Family” with its visceral bruising approach.
Release Date: February 15th
