Post-covid screening previews
There are at least six new movies opening theatrically this week, the most we’ve had since the pandemic briefly closed the cinemas in March 2020. Locally, Regal theaters are resuming operations today, bringing us back up to our full complement of screens.
From a certain perspective, it feels completely normal for this time of year — it’s still a little early for summer blockbuster season, but, encouraged by theater openings and the loosening of restrictions across the country, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures moved up the release date of “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” up from May 21 to today.
“With movie theaters now open in New York and Los Angeles and moviegoers returning to their favorite pastime, ‘Spiral,’ starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, puts a fresh spin on a favorite franchise,” a news release quotes David Spitz, president of distribution for Lionsgate Motion Picture Group as saying. “We know that ‘Saw’ fans, as well as those experiencing their first ‘Saw’ adventure, will be on the edge of their seats with this thrilling new film. We are proud to support the exhibitors with one of our most eagerly awaited films. We are confident this film will kick off a robust summer moviegoing season.”
Fair enough. “Spiral” is probably as good a place as any to start the summer. The “Saw” movies are not to my taste (though I intend on watching “Spiral” simply to check out Rock’s performance; I’ve always been intrigued by his potential as a dramatic actor) but they do have a following and they are the sort of movie experience that benefits from being shared with strangers, with horror movie crowds often being as entertaining as the movies themselves. Theater operators are certainly happy to have “Spiral” — the Saw franchise has taken in nearly $1 billion worldwide.
Another sort of return is seen in the thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead” — Angelina Jolie is back in action movies as a Montana smoke jumper who comes across a 12-year-old boy on the run and in need of her help. The best indicator about this film is the presence of writer-director Taylor Sheridan, the actor turned Oscar-nominated writer of “Hell or High Water” and co-creator of the TV series “Yellowstone.” Sheridan’s last directorial project, aside from various episodes of “Yellowstone,” was 2017’s “Wind River.” “Those Who Wish Me Dead” co-stars Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal and Tyler Perry.
I’m also interested in Joe Wright’s “The Woman in the Window” adaptation. Given how
much content we ended up with in this section, it’s probably just as well that my promised screener of the film didn’t arrive before deadline because we would have had a hard time finding a place for its review, but the film, which stars Amy Adams as an agoraphobic psychologist who becomes obsessed with solving a crime she witnesses from her window, once looked like it might be an awards contending crowd pleaser along the lines of “Gone Girl.” It also features Gary Oldman, Brian Tyree Henry, Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie and Jennifer Jason Leigh; and Tracy Letts wrote the screenplay from a best-selling novel.
But it has had a lot of bad buzz, and its release has been delayed several times. And it has also seen several setbacks, with delays due to bad test screenings, re-editing and the pandemic. Now it has finally landed at Netflix, where it debuts tonight. I’m going to give it a shot.
Arkansans might be especially interested in “Finding You,” an “inspirational” romance based on a novel by Arkansan Jenny B. Jones, who Dan Lybarger interviews elsewhere in this section.
And, as we promised last week, we also have Dan’s interview with Gia Coppola, whose “Mainstream” is still in theaters after being pilloried by critics upon its opening last week. I haven’t seen it yet, so I’ll withhold judgment and say only that it sounds like an interesting film that might have been overtaken by events. Things move so quickly these days that any comment on the way we live now is likely to be obsolete by the time a movie makes it to the screen.
Even if a pandemic doesn’t intervene.
Lastly, Rose Glass’ directorial debut “Saint Maud,” about a pious nurse (Morfydd Clark) fighting to save the soul of one of her patients (Jennifer Ehle) can now be found on Amazon Prime and Hulu. Email: pmartin@adgnwsroom.com www.blooddirtangels.com