July 26, 2024

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 7/26

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want some big laughs

babes

Vincent Georgie: An under-the-radar comedic hit earlier this Spring, this is a well-written, boisterous and appealing comedy for the adults. Solid laughs await you.

Synopsis: Pregnant from a one-night stand, Eden leans on her best friend and mother of two, Dawn, to guide her through gestation and beyond.

Available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want a visual stunner

curse of the golden flower

Vincent Georgie: One of China’s greatest – and most controversial – filmmakers is Zhang Yimou. While this film is not considered one of his masterpieces, his films do an incredibly good job at blending fast-paced action and beautiful, sweeping romance. The breathtaking Oscar-nominated costumes could be their own discussion. Starring Chow Yun-Fat and Zhang’s longtime protege, Gong Li.

Synopsis: In 928 A.D. a power struggle emerges in the palace of China’s emperor (Chow Yun-Fat). A cruel man, he is secretly having his wife (Gong Li) poisoned with a substance that will eventually drive her insane. Meanwhile, the empress is having an affair with Prince Wan (Ye Liu), her husband’s son from a previous marriage. But the prince secretly wishes to run away with Chan (Li Man), the daughter of the imperial doctor.

Available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want a quality drama

all or nothing

Vincent Georgie: UK filmmaker Mike Leigh is known for his “kitchen sink” dramas, stories of ordinary people trying to get through the travails of daily life with resilience and humour. While not one of his most prolific films, it perfectly captures the essence of his oeuvre: a believable and nimble group of actors, a smart and believable script (developed via months of improvisation) and an overarching sense that we are getting to know new people in their daily lives.

Synopsis: Penny’s love for her partner, cab driver Phil, has run dry. He is a philosophical guy, and she works at the checkout at a supermarket. Their daughter Rachel cleans in a home for elderly people, and their son Rory is unemployed and aggressive. The joy has gone out of Phil’s and Penny’s life, but when an unexpected tragedy occurs, they are brought together to rediscover their love.

Available on Apple TV.

DOUBLE FEATURE

all hail, summer of ’99

Vincent Georgie: 1999 was widely considered to be a seminal year for film, and that Summer’s crop certainly carried its weight. The raunchy, R-rated sex comedy American Pie kicked off a revival of the genre, while the energetic and appealing ensemble cast of Go was like spending 2 hours with the coolest kids you ever met.

american pie

A riotous and raunchy exploration of the most eagerly anticipated — and most humiliating — rite of adulthood, known as losing one’s virginity. In this hilarious lesson in life, love and libido, a group of friends, fed up with their well-deserved reputations as sexual no-hitters, decide to take action.

Available on Apple TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

go

Grocery store clerk Simon (Desmond Askew) occasionally sells drugs from his cash register at work, so when soap opera actors Adam (Scott Wolf) and Zack (Jay Mohr) come looking for Ecstasy on a quiet Christmas Eve, they are surprised to find Ronna (Sarah Polley) covering his shift. Desperate for money, Ronna decides to become an impromptu drug dealer, unaware that Adam and Zack are secretly working for obsessed narcotics officer Burke (William Fichtner).