May 09, 2025

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 5/9

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

iF you ARE READY FOR A SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER

SPEED

Vincent Georgie: If you are sure it’s time to usher in the warm weather and adventure films on screens, let this incredibly exciting and highly re-watchable action classic take the wheel. Villain Dennis Hopper is having a ball, but full credit must go to leading man Keanu Reeves for finally finding a role for him to shine in after more than a few miscast roles. Up-and-comer Sandra Bullock shines as well. Welcome to Summer, folks!

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 Apple TV, Crave, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.

if you want A SOPHISTICATED THRILLER

IN THE HOUSE

Vincent Georgie: France’s François Ozon is a filmmaker who can always be relied upon for a classy film with an edge. We have shown many of his films at WIFF over the years, and this one is a real nifty gem. If you crave a touch of mystery, a splash of voyeurism, and some upper-class perverse ennui, well, look no further. Great final shot in this film.

Synopsis: A precocious student infiltrates a classmate’s family, and submits stories about it for a class. His teacher is shocked at first, but is quickly drawn into, and complicit in, the story, even as it crosses the line into dangerous territory.

Available on Apple TV and YouTube.

if you want A WITTY CHEKHOVIAN RIFF

MAY FOOLS

Vincent Georgie: Filmmaker Louis Malle (aka Candice Bergen’s husband; see below) made such a smart and beautifully serene film, with a cast of actors clearly relishing the great script. A film that was a sensation in Europe but didn’t see much play in North America, take a look at this intelligent, dramatic comedy.

Synopsis: An eccentric French family meets in the country for the funeral of their matriarch (Paulette Dubost), which takes place at the same time as the 1968 student revolts in Paris. Even with the latest updates of the riots coming in over the airwaves, the family prefers to focus on petty squabbles and personal matters rather than the current political climate. When the escalating protests leave them no choice but to venture deeper into the wilderness, they become even more removed from social affairs.

Available on The Criterion Channel.

DOUBLE FEATURE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANDICE BERGEN

Vincent Georgie: Turning 79 years old today, this 5-time Emmy winner for her legendary performance as TV’s “Murphy Brown” was a most impressive film actress long before her small screen successes. In the first film, she made her debut and was a standout in a well-acclaimed film. In the second film, Bergen received an Oscar nomination for a very impressive and memorable turn opposite Burt Reynolds and Jill Clayburgh. Quite frankly, she runs off with the whole film (as has often been the case for any time she appears in any film or TV series, for that matter).

THE SAND PEBBLES

In 1926, the USS San Pablo patrols the Yangtze River during the clashes between Chiang Kai-shek’s communists and Chinese warlords. Eight-year veteran machinist Jake Holman (Steve McQueen), new to the self-named sand pebbles crew, immediately draws deep suspicion due to his independent streak. Ordered to protect Americans, including schoolteacher Shirley Eckhart (Candice Bergen), Jake and the gunboat crew are unwittingly drawn into a bitter nationalistic feud that holds grim consequences.

Available on Apple TV, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

STARTING OVER

When his wife, Jessica (Candice Bergen), leaves him for a chance at a music career, Phil Potter (Burt Reynolds) is devastated. He moves from New York City to Boston, joins a club for divorced men and cautiously begins an affair with a free-spirited schoolteacher named Marilyn (Jill Clayburgh), who genuinely seems to care about him. But when Jessica decides she wants Phil back, he jumps at the chance, only to wonder if perhaps he’s made the wrong choice.