We are moving a bit deeper into early awards season, a time when films seeking awards consideration release alongside traditional audience-friendly titles.
Thus, in our headline, we have a gothic thriller, a crime thriller by a known auteur, and another known auteur takes aim at creative stagnation.
In other films, supposedly social-media savvy people start robbing banks, a "heaven sent" soldier arrives with "hell to pay" (?!), and
Yeah, it's a strange week. Here are our top 5 picks for what to watch in the wild, wonderful world of genre fare.
Victorian Psycho
The film opens Friday, November 13, only in movie theaters, via Bleecker Street.
Maika Monroe, Jason Isaacs, Thomasin McKenzie, and Ruth Wilson star. Zachary Wigon directed.
Official synopsis: "Set in Victorian England, Victorian Psycho sees an eccentric governess arrive at a remote gothic manor, where strange happenings stir suspicion that she's not what she seems."
Paper Tiger
The film opens Friday, November 13, only in movie theaters, via Neon.
Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "It is also a rare film of a non-horror variety that induces the audience to scream "don't go there" and "don't say that" at the screen, knowing full well that this is a kind of story where characters will go to the wrong place at the wrong time, will say the wrong things, and there will be blood."
Bitter Christmas
The film opens Friday, November 13, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures Classics.
Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "Since all of the above happens in Pedro Almodóvar's latest feature, Bitter Christmas, it is easy to deduce that Raúl is a stand-in for the director himself, turning the film into a strange act of self-deprecating proclamation of creative stagnation. Instead of any kind of meditation on the topic, though, it mostly comes off as a confirmation of said artistic crisis."
How to Rob a Bank
The film opens Friday, November 13, only in movie theaters, via Amazon MGM Studios.
Frankly, I'm a little suspicious of any big-budget movie that draws its inspiration from social media. The cast and director suggest that it has possibilities, though.
Official synopsis: "A crew of social media-savvy bank robbers broadcasts their daring heists, unaware that their growing viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer. Despite the unlikely duo closing in, the crime ring pushes past their limits, putting everything on the line for their beliefs -- and their most ambitious heist yet.
"Starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz, Christian Slater, with Pete Davidson and John C. Reilly. A film by David Leitch."
Ghost Soldier
The film opens Wednesday, November 11, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures.
Speaking of Sylvester Stallone, this trailer gives off strong 'Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood' vibes, and I'm wary because it's set for release in the U.S. on Veteran's Day, but director William Eubank made The Signal (2014), which was quite good, as well as Underwater (2020), which was also quite good, which suggests that his latest action-thriller is worth a look.
Official synopsis: "Jim Caviezel stars as Henry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald, a solitary man with a mysterious past, living a quiet life off the grid in his hometown. But when a powerful foreign corporation descends on his community determined to seize his and his neighbors' land for a massive payday, Fitz takes action -- he's actually a former Special Forces soldier and advanced weapons developer. Armed with weapons no one has ever seen, a lifetime of lethal military training, and an unwavering code of justice, Fitz becomes the one thing his enemies never anticipated: a one-man war they can't win."
Akashi
The film opens Friday, November 13, in select Vancouver movie theaters, and will expand from there.
While outside our usual remit of genre films, we are not completely heartless. This quiet and gentle drama is from Japanese-Canadian director Mayumi Yoshida; the trailer looks lovely.
Official synopsis: "Akashi is a multigenerational love story told across parallel timelines. When struggling artist Kana returns to Tokyo for her grandmother's funeral, she uncovers a decades-long affair that changes how she sees love, legacy, and her own future."
Opening This Week celebrates the cinematic experience, in movie theaters and at home.