Here’s a quick round-up of the films we’re most excited about that are screening in New Orleans this week, including a new potential Christmas classic.
Movies We Haven’t Seen (Yet)
Anna and the Apocalypse – A Scottish, Christmas-themed horror musical about the zombie apocalypse. Critics have positively received the film as bloody, over-the-top mash-up of Glee & Shaun of the Dead, but the true draw here is its arrival in time for Christmas. Why watch Home Alone or It’s a Wonderful Life for the thousandth time when you could watch a new, campy, gleefully violent horror comedy about the Yuletide undead? Only playing at The Broad Theater.
Roma – Alfonso Cuarón’s black & white period-piece epic & personal memoir is all but guaranteed to be a major Oscar contender in the next few months, but most people will only have a chance to see it at home on Netflix. We’re one of the few cities where audiences can fully immerse themselves in its lush cinematography & meticulously detailed sound design on the big screen. Only playing at The Broad Theater.
Movies We Already Enjoyed
The Favourite – Yorgos Lanthimos follows up the stubbornly obscure The Killing of a Sacred Deer with his most accessible feature yet: a queer, darkly funny costume drama about a three-way power struggle between increasingly volatile women (Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz). It’s both a gorgeous laugh riot and a pitch-black howl of unending cruelty & despair. Fun!
Widows – Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen cashes in some of his prestige points to make a heist picture about a group of ordinary women who reluctantly transform into violent criminals, a collaboration with Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn. I was surprised by how much of his one functions like an ensemble cast melodrama instead of the action-thriller that was advertised. Not disappointed, just surprised. It feels like a movie custom built for people whose all-time favorite TV show is still The Wire, which, who could blame ‘em? Only playing at AMC Westbank, likely its last week on local big screens.
-Brandon Ledet
