May 17, 2024

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 5/17

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you WANT to see what the buzz is about

challengers

Vincent Georgie: No other filmmaker working today captures sexual energy on-camera like Italy’s Luca Guadagnino. Assembling the perfect, chemistry-filled triangle in stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Feist, this is an energetic and intelligent romantic drama.

Synopsis: Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event — close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.

Available on Apple TV and YouTube.

if you WANT a beautiful family film

the secret garden

Vincent Georgie: Elegantly made, even magical at times. Based on the classic novel. Maggie Smith, as expected, steals the show.

Synopsis: When a young girl is sent to live with her uncle after the death of her parents, his manner and sorrow leave her feeling bitterly alone. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has become hidden and, aided by one of the servant’s boys, begins restoring it to its former glory.

Available on Apple TV, Crave and Amazon Prime.

if you want an action-packed ride

speed

Vincent Georgie: This one was a surprise hit in the Summer of 1994 for a reason: lots of action, a ridiculous but ingenious plot, and an all-time appealing Keanu Reeves ably supported by a young newcomer named Sandra Bullock. A totally fun night at the movies.

Synopsis: Los Angeles police officer Jack (Keanu Reeves) angers retired bomb squad member Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) by foiling his attempt at taking hostages. In revenge, Payne arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie (Sandra Bullock), Jack and his partner Harry (Jeff Daniels) try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.

Available on Disney+.

DOUBLE FEATURE

ALL HAIL, jessica lange

Vincent Georgie: Still going strong in her sixth decade as a working actress (most recently nominated for a Tony Award for her current work on Broadway), Lange has always been a restless and dramatic screen energy. She took home her first Oscar for her appealing work in a modern classic comedy opposite Dustin Hoffman and won her second Oscar for a long-forgotten hidden gem of a drama opposite Tommy Lee Jones.

tootsie

New York actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is a talented perfectionist who is so hard on himself and others that his agent (Sydney Pollack) can no longer find work for him. After a soap opera audition goes poorly, Michael reinvents himself as actress Dorothy Michaels and wins the part. What was supposed to be a short-lived role turns into a long-term contract, but when Michael falls for his castmate Julie (Jessica Lange), complications develop that could wreck everything.

Available on YouTube.

blue sky

In the late 1950s, the U.S. Army assigns nuclear engineer Hank Marshall (Tommy Lee Jones) to an isolated weapons testing facility in Alabama. Hank causes waves with his superior officers due to his stance against the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Marshall’s wife, Carly (Jessica Lange), further aggravates the situation because of her emotional instability and flirtatious nature. The move to Alabama sends her into the arms of base commander Vince Johnson (Powers Boothe).