March 15, 2024

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 3/15

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want a story that you will never forget

20 days in mariupol

Vincent Georgie: It’s unbelievable that this film was even made. The risks that the filmmakers took for this unprecedented access were nothing short of life and death. Oscar Winner last weekend for Best Documentary.

Synopsis: As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggles to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.

Available for free on PBS.

if you love something off-kilter

young frankenstein

Vincent Georgie: The masterful showman and comedian Mel Brooks was honoured with an honorary Oscar for his body of work. Enjoy one of his genuinely funny, best films.

Synopsis: Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather’s experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor’s fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn).

if you think scorsese is tops

the big chill

Vincent Georgie: The legendary film editor Carol Littleton lent her considerable talents to cutting the modern classic of love, friendship and loss in Lawrence Kasdan’s seminal 80s film. Littleton received an honorary Oscar last weekend for her body of work.

Synopsis: A once close-knit gang of friends — including an actor (JoBeth Williams), a doctor (Glenn Close) and her husband (Kevin Kline), a Vietnam veteran (William Hurt), and a journalist (Tom Berenger) — meets for a weekend after the funeral of their much-envied friend Alex, who committed suicide. The friends spend the weekend confronting the personal truths, sacrifices and betrayals that have left them disenchanted. Each must contend with unresolved issues they have with Alex, and with one another.

Available on Apple TV, YouTube and Amazon Prime.

DOUBLE FEATURE

best actress – it’s a tie!

The 1968 Best Actress race remains the only time in Oscar history where there was a tie in a top category. Check out these extremely worthy performances by winners Barbra Streisand and Katherine Hepburn.

funny girl

In this bittersweet, classic musical drama, the vibrant and beautiful young Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand) starts out as a bit player on the New York City vaudeville stage, but works her way up to stardom on Broadway. Valued for her vocal and comedic talents by the renowned theatre impresario Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Pidgeon), Fanny thrives, but her relationship with her suave, imprisoned businessman husband, Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif), is another story.

Available on Apple TV, Crave, YouTube and Amazon Prime.

the lion in winter

It’s Christmas 1183, and King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John (Nigel Terry) to take over. Henry’s wife, Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Anthony Hopkins) should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.