November 17, 2023

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 11/17

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want a tense drama

THE royal hotel

Vincent Georgie: Anchored by an excellent lead performance by Julia Garner (3-time Emmy Winner for “Ozark”) the strength of this film is the sense of unease and menace that runs through its entirety. A smart, quality dramatic thriller.

Synopsis: Americans Hanna and Liv are backpacking in Australia and take a temporary live-in job in a remote Outback mining town. Soon, they find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that grows rapidly out of their control.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want great acting

rustin

Vincent Georgie: Oscar voters will surely be marking their ballots to nominate the charismatic star of the film, Colman Domingo. His star is on the rise and you will want to see why.

Synopsis: Bayard Rustin, advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., dedicated his life to the quest for racial equality, human rights and worldwide democracy. However, as an openly gay Black man, he is all but erased from the civil rights movement he helped build.

Available on Netflix.

if you love movies about movies

the purple rose of Cairo

Vincent Georgie: An old-school comedic romp about, above all else, a love of the movies. A charmer. Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels are at their most appealing.

Synopsis: Unhappily married Depression-era waitress Cecilia (Mia Farrow) earns the money while her inattentive husband, Monk (Danny Aiello), blows their meagre income on getting drunk and gambling. To assuage her loneliness, Cecilia escapes to the picture show and becomes transfixed with the movie The Purple Rose of Cairo, and especially with its lead character, archeologist Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels). When Tom literally steps off of the screen and into her life, both realities are thrown into chaos.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

DOUBLE FEATURE

i volunteer as tribute

As everyone is getting ready for the next installment in this ever-popular franchise, let’s look back at the two first films.

the hunger games

In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains. District 12 Tribute Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has little to rely on, other than her hunting skills and sharp instincts, in an arena where she must weigh survival against love.

Available oniTunes, Netflix, YouTube, Crave andAmazon Prime.

the hunger games: catching fire

After arriving safely home from their unprecedented victory in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) discover that they must do a quick turnaround and begin a Victors Tour. As she and Peeta travel throughout the districts, Katniss senses a rebellion is stirring. However, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) proves that he is still very much in control when word comes of a cruel change in the rules for the upcoming 75th Hunger Games.