March 24, 2023

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 3/24

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

IF YOU want an excellent drama

living

Vincent Georgie: Character actor Bill Nighy received his first Oscar nomination for his exceptional lead performance. He is so controlled, focused and moving in this film. He pulls it all off beautifully. Strong production values and an elegant script by Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro sure don’t hurt either.

Synopsis: Overwhelmed at work and lonely at home, a civil servant’s life takes a heartbreaking turn when a medical diagnosis tells him his time is short. Influenced by a local decadent and vibrant woman, he continues to search for meaning until a simple revelation gives him a purpose to create a legacy for the next generation.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on Amazon Prime.

Watch on YouTube.

if you want a beloved wife discovery

a bag of marbles

Vincent Georgie: One of the surprise runaway favourites of WIFF 2017, this one really struck an emotional chord with our audience. One of those films that people run out of the theatres singing the film’s praises.

Synopsis: The story of a small Jewish boy’s flight, with his brother Maurice, to escape from Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on YouTube.

if you want a chilly thriller

misery

Vincent Georgie: Come for Kathy Bates’ unnerving obsessive fan, stay for James Caan’s arrogant novelist turned desperate captive. Moodily shot by Barry Sonnenfeld, this one became a modern classic for a reason.

Synopsis: After a serious car crash, novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his biggest fan. Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover, where her obsession takes a dark turn when she discovers Sheldon is killing off her favourite character from his novels. As Sheldon devises plans for escape, Annie grows increasingly controlling, even violent, as she forces the author to shape his writing to suit her twisted fantasies.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on YouTube.

DOUBLE FEATURE

guillermo del toro

Fresh off his latest Oscar-winning project, let’s take a look at two of his films that were under-appreciated upon their release but both signalling early career and mid-career brilliance.

MIMIC

When a cockroach-spread plague threatens to decimate the child population of New York City, evolutionary biologist Susan Tyler and her research associates rig up a species of “Judas” bugs and introduce them into the environment, where they will mimic the diseased roaches and infiltrate their grubby habitats. So far so good … until the bugs keep on evolving and learn to mimic their next prey — humans.

Watch on iTunes.

Watch on YouTube.

crimson peak

After marrying the charming and seductive Sir Thomas Sharpe, young Edith finds herself swept away to his remote gothic mansion in the English hills. Also living there is Lady Lucille, Thomas’ alluring sister and protector of her family’s dark secrets. Able to communicate with the dead, Edith tries to decipher the mystery behind the ghostly visions that haunt her new home. As she comes closer to the truth, Edith may learn that true monsters are made of flesh and blood.