Movie Blog: This Week's Best Bets
The Oscars are over.
And while we're still applauding Patricia Arquette's acceptance speech and wondering what John Travolta was doing with Idina Menzel's chin, it's refreshing to look ahead and consider what movies to watch without all the awards hype in the background.
Below are few picks from around town, as well as a fresh Netflix must-see.
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New On Netflix: The Overnighters (Streaming)
I can't recommend this enough. Easily one of last year's best documentaries, The Overnighters is an incredible work of filmmaking that captures moments so achingly powerful one has to remind himself that what appears on screen actually happened to real human beings in a land not too far away: North Dakota.
The movie follows a pastor in an oil boom town as he struggles to help the transient workers looking for jobs in the lucrative oil industry. The pastor, a man named Jay Reinke, is unbelievably selfless, so much so that he risks his church to aid those no one wants to help. Let's just say that things don't end well. Secrets are spilled, lives destroyed.
If that sounds heavy, that's because it is. If The Overnighters were a beer, it'd be darker than oil. So prepare thyself. This is cinema from the face of the deep. Watch it and be grateful there are filmmakers out there like Jesse Moss. He's one to keep an eye on.
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Til Thursday, Feb. 26: She's Beautiful When She's Angry (Lagoon Cinema)
If, like Meryl Streep, you rose to your feet during Patricia Arquette's speech, this is for you.
Director Mary Dore delves into the history of the women's liberation movement, and comes back with a nuanced film loaded with interviews and insightful stories about the courageous women, from different backgrounds and states, who made history both together and on their own.
More educational than thrilling, the documentary is ideal for those looking to get schooled on the struggle for equality. Yet while the film effectively shows that women have come a long way since the early '60s, Arquette's words Sunday night can be seen as evidence in themselves that there's still a ways to go.
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Friday, Feb. 27: What We Do In The Shadows (Lagoon Cinema)
Miss Flight of the Conchords? This could take the edge off. This vampire comedy is from one of the show's stars and creators, Jemaine Clement. The deep-voiced half of the Conchords duo co-wrote, co-starred and co-directed this project alongside comedian and filmmaker Taika Waititi.
Judging from the trailer, which made me laugh more than I care to admit, it looks to be about a bunch vampire roommates struggling to live in modern-day New Zealand. If anything, it seems like a great way to celebrate the passing of a frigid February. Look for the review on Friday.
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