November 24, 2023

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 11/24

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want something for the whole family

leo

Vincent Georgie: As many celebrate American Thanksgiving, this new film is a great choice that kids and adults alike can enjoy together over the long weekend. Wonderful star voice performances elevate this film.

Synopsis: Leo the Lizard has been stuck in the same Florida school for decades. When he learns he only has one year left to live, he plans to escape to freedom but instead has to rescue his class from their horribly mean substitute teacher.

Available on Netflix.

if your family has small fights and big love

soul food

Vincent Georgie: The enduring appeal of this film is that no matter the central conflicts, the palpable love of the characters for one another makes it relatable. An energetic ensemble cast makes it all worth it.

Synopsis: When Ahmad Simmons’ (Brandon Hammond) diabetic grandmother, Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph (Irma P. Hall), falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), and aunts Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) and Tracy (Nia Long) struggle to adjust to the family matriarch’s sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners.

Available on iTunes, Disney+ and YouTube.

if you want action

blue steel

Vincent Georgie: A friend and I were recently singing the praises of this long-forgotten, imperfect but entertaining and well-made cop drama. Director Kathryn Bigelow is years ahead of her eventual Oscar, as is star Jamie Lee Curtis.

Synopsis: When rookie cop Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) kills a convenience store robber, she does not notice when psychopathic commodities trader Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver) takes the dead man’s gun. With no weapon at the crime scene, the police hold Turner accountable for killing an unarmed man. Meanwhile, Hunt uses the stolen weapon to go on a killing spree. Turner teams up with detective Nick Mann (Clancy Brown) to clear her name and catch the killer. An unexpected romance complicates matters.

Available on Amazon Prime and Crave.

DOUBLE FEATURE

teenage laughs for adult audiences

In the first film, there is wonderful dialogue and visual laughs alike in the ultra-posh universe of our Beverly Hills friends. In the second film, we get a scrappier, raunchier and riskier laugh with our ragtag gang of lesbian teens. Both films are a fun night at the movies.

clueless

Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother (Paul Rudd) was right about how misguided she was — and falls for him.

Available on iTunes, YouTube and Amazon Prime.

bottoms

Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defence.