Ron Howard plays with fire again in ‘Paradise’
Also: ‘Retaliation’ has searing performance by Orlando Bloom
This week’s streaming movie options range from an inspiring documentary on the mayor of Stockton to an intense drama featuring a searing performance from Orlando Bloom. Meanwhile, “The Secret: Dare to Dream” with Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas and based on the bestseller, debuts Friday. Here’s a rundown.
“RETALIATION” >> Orlando Bloom deserves an Oscar nomination for his ferocious, fearless and painfully vulnerable performance as a tortured British demolition expert triggered by the reappearance of the priest who raped him when he was 12. Paul and Ludwig Shammasian’s gutwrencher is uncompromising in depicting the loss of innocence that results from abuse at the hands of a trusted man of the cloth, and the bludgeoning effect it has. It builds to an unexpected conclusion as Bloom reveals what he can accomplish when presented with a meaty role.
DETAILS >> out of 4; note the film is explicit and contains scenes of selfharm; available to rent or buy on multiple platforms.
“REBUILDING PARADISE” >> Nice-guy director Ron Howard is drawn to stories of resilience (“Apollo 13” and “A Beautiful Mind” to name a couple). He returns to that theme in this sobering National Geographic documentary that relates the hardships and small triumphs of survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire, a hellish inferno that killed 85 and leveled the Butte County community of Paradise. Howard’s emotional journey recalls the fragility of life and how it is nature, not man, who is in control of our destinies. DETAILS >> available to stream Friday as part of the Virtual Cinema series at Smith Rafael Center, rafaelfilm.cafilm.org; Vogue and Balboa theaters, www. cinemasf.com; and multiple streaming platforms.
“STOCKTON ON MY MIND” >> It’s refreshing to get to know Michael Tubbs, who made headlines when — at 26 — he became Stockton’s first Black mayor. The hardworking public servant’s record and backstory just might restore your faith in politicians as he seeks uncommon solutions to a host of social ills and challenges. We watch Tubbs at home, at work and on the streets in Marc Levin’s inspiring film that reminds us there are leaders out there trying to make the U.S. a stronger nation.
DETAILS >> ; available onHBOandHBOMax.
“AROUND THE SUN” >> Timeshifting narratives can be too gimmicky sometimes. Not so with Oliver Krimpas’ lusciously photographed romance that embraces books, science and star-charted connections. Alameda’s Jonathan Kiefer’s screenplay is rich and graceful, presenting us with two multifaceted characters who meet at a French chateau. Be prepared to be surprised in this dance of words that’s performed with precision by Gethin Anthony (“Game of Thrones”) and Cara Theobold (“Downton Abbey”).
DETAILS >> ; available Friday as part of the Virtual Cinema series at the Roxie Theater, www.roxie. com (I’ll be moderating the Q&A with the cast and crew at noon Aug. 6); and Smith Rafael Center, rafaelfilm. cafilm.org.
“GUNDALA”>> Did you devour Netflix’s “The Old Guard”? Are you bummed by the delayed theatrical releases of Marvel’s “Black Widow” and Warner Bros.’ ’“Wonder Woman 1984”? Check out Joko Anwar’s kitschy adaptation of an Indonesian superhero comic book. This visually arresting dystopian/superhero flick is as fun as it is laughable (the villain’s dastardly plan is a scream). This origin tale focuses on a feisty Dickens-like orphan who gains electrifying superpowers as an adult. You’ll be hooked — which is fine since this kicks off a projected eightfilm franchise.
DETAILS >> available on multiple streaming platforms.
“ANIMAL CRACKERS” >> A tabled release date often suggests a cinematic turkey. But this colorful bird, basting in a studio oven since 2017, is a winner — chirpy, cute and ideal for family viewing. Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Ian McKellen and Danny DeVito are a few of the famous voices in an imaginatively plotted and rather complicated animated comedy about a generations-long rivalry over — you guessed it — magical animal crackers. It’s better than both “Trolls World Tour” and “Scoob!”
DETAILS >> available on Netflix.
“THE FIGHT” >> Gripping and topical, this Kerry Washington co-produced documentary tags along with four American Civil Liberties Union attorneys as they tackle a few of the thousands of lawsuits brought against the Trump administration. They’re legal doozies, including the ban on transgenders serving in the military; the separation of children from parents at immigration detention facilities; the right of a raped immigrant teen to get an abortion; and the debate over whether citizenship status should be a U.S. Census question. Directed intensely by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, it’s a brisk overview of the kinds of game-changing cases the ACLU tackles. DETAILS >> part of the Virtual Cinema series at Smith Rafael Center, rafaelfilm.cafilm.org; and Roxie Theater; www.roxie.com.
“SHE DIES TOMORROW” >> It’s an exciting period for horror fans, with an innovative pack of new filmmakers liberating themselves from the tropes of gotcha scares and hacked-up bodies. Amy Seimetz’s moody meditation concerns a contagion that makes the infected obsess about dying, which chews away their sanity. That her surreal feature arrives amid a pandemic makes it all the more unsettling. Kate Lyn Sheil and Jane Adams are wraith-like and desperate while Chris Messina, Josh Lucas and Michelle Rodriguez add even more surrealness.
DETAILS >> ; screening at at select drive-ins Friday; available on video on demand and multiple platforms Aug. 7.