Set sail for thriller ‘Adrift’
Also opening: Johnny Knoxville hams it up in ‘Action Point’
Know that feeling you get when you arrive at the grocery store just before a shipment of fresh produce arrives, and your pickings are kind of slim?
That’s what movie fans hankering for new releases might experience at the cineplexes this weekend.
And the two biggest new releases couldn’t be more different.
If your taste swings to don’t-try-this-at-home stupid human tricks, catch Johnny Knoxville as he shows off his “Jackass” tendencies in “Action Point,” an R-rated yukfest set around a struggling amusement park that juices up its lagging, safety-last business by adding dangerous attractions.
For fans of intense, real-life survivor stories, chart a course over to “Adrift.” Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin play sailing lovebirds lost at sea after a deadly hurricane strikes.
Indie options
Flying under the radar but worth the time are an energetic futuristic thriller and two top-notch documentaries.
While the horror/science fiction hybrid “Upgrade” does have have some glitches, it’s nevertheless inventive and entertaining. After his wife is killed, a tech-wary guy (Logan Marshall-Green) — now a quadriplegic — seeks vengeance after a bug-like device that gives him souped-up strengths get implanted. Leigh Whannell, one of the creators of “Saw,” is the writerdirector.
If you’re more of a Discovery Channel nut, scramble up “Mountain,” a breathtakingly shot, elegantly scored paean to the majesty and might of mountains and those fearless (some would say crazy) adventurers who are determined to scale them. Willem Dafoe narrates with poetic eloquence. You’ve got to see this one on the big screen.
Another pleasant surprise is “The Gospel According to Andre,” a captivating and insightful documentary about influential fashion icon Andre Leon Talley. Kate Novack directs this intimate look at the life and ascendancy of a complex and talented man. If you love Vogue or even “The Devil Wears Prada,” you’ll eat it up.