March 10, 2023

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 3/10

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

IF YOU loved the banshees of inisherin

calvary

Vincent Georgie: You could argue talent is possibly genetic as Irish filmmaking brothers Martin McDonagh and John Michael McDonagh have each made some of the most pointed, standout and jet-black dramedies of the past many years. As brother Martin prepares his Oscar speech this year, take a look at the real wow of a film that brother John Michael made with their frequent collaborator in common, Brendan Gleeson. This film is an absolute knockout and will stay with you for a long time. A real 10/10.

Synopsis: An honest and good-hearted priest wrestles with a cynical, spiteful community after he receives a death threat from an unknown parishioner.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on YouTube.

if you loved top gun: maverick

top gun

Vincent Georgie: There was serious doubt that the sequel would ever be as good, let alone be an event relevant to audiences 36 years after the behemoth cultural phenomenon of the original.

Why was it so popular? The combination of a very quickly ascending heartthrob in Tom Cruise, a well-written and appealing action drama, and a song that dominated the music charts for months and months, and you’ve got a giant, beloved hit. Take a look at it again. It will surely take your breath away.

Synopsis: The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School is where the best of the best train to refine their elite flying skills. When hotshot fighter pilot Maverick is sent to the school, his reckless attitude and cocky demeanour put him at odds with the other pilots, especially the cool and collected Iceman. But Maverick isn’t only competing to be the top fighter pilot, he’s also fighting for the attention of his beautiful flight instructor, Charlotte Blackwood.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on Amazon Prime.

Watch on Netflix.

Watch on YouTube.

if you loved elvis

moulin rouge!

Vincent Georgie: Energetic, kinetic, incredibly engaged performances and wildly assured direction by Baz Luhrmann, remind you how incredible the ELVIS director’s earlier work truly was.

Nominated for 8 Oscars in 2001, Catherine Martin (aka Mrs. Luhrmann) took home the gold for both her Costume Design and Production Design.

Synopsis: A young Englishman in the Paris of 1899, becomes infatuated with Satine, a singer at the Moulin Rouge. However, she has been promised by the manager to a Duke in return for funding his next production. As the young lovers meet in secret, Satine’s wedding day draws closer but she hides a fatal secret from both Christian and the Duke.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on Amazon Prime.

Watch on Crave.

Watch on Disney+.

DOUBLE FEATURE

the comeback kid

There is a very real chance that Brendan Fraser will be taking home the Oscar for his moving lead performance in THE WHALE. This is an incredible comeback for an actor whose star had dimmed many years ago. Here are two other extraordinary comeback stories that the Oscars embraced as well. Henry Fonda’s Oscar-win 41 years after his first nomination, and Michael Caine’s incredible return to form after years of b-level roles.

on golden pond

Cantankerous retiree Norman Thayer and his conciliatory wife, Ethel, spend summers at their New England vacation home on the shores of idyllic Golden Pond. This year, their adult daughter, Chelsea, visits with her new fiancée and his teenage son, Billy on their way to Europe. After leaving Billy behind to bond with Norman, Chelsea returns, attempting to repair the long-strained relationship with her aging father before it’s too late.

Watch on Amazon Prime.

Watch on Plex.

the cider house rules

A young man is taught medicine by the doctor at the orphanage where he was brought up. However, when he clashes with his mentor over the issue of abortion, he leaves the home and finds work on a cider farm. There he falls in love with another man’s girlfriend but starts to re-evaluate his principles when one of the farm workers becomes pregnant by her own father.