August 25, 2023

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 8/25

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you WANT to discover a new star

a thousand and one

Vincent Georgie: This film blew the doors off of Sundance last Winter, almost entirely because of Teyana Taylor’s phenomenal lead performance. Her screen presence is breathtaking. An excellent drama to be sure.

Synopsis: Unapologetic and free-spirited Inez kidnaps her 6-year-old son, Terry, from the foster care system. They set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity and stability in a rapidly changing New York City.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you feel like comfort food

fried green tomatoes

Vincent Georgie: An oldie but a goodie? Look no further than dual pairings/dual storylines of Oscar-Winners Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy, but also Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson. The film is funny, touching, progressive and all-together memorable.

Synopsis: On one of trapped housewife Evelyn Couch’s Wednesday nursing home visits, she encounters Ninny Threadgoode, a colourful old woman who brightens Evelyn’s outlook by sharing tales from her past. As Ninny recounts the exploits of her free-spirited sister-in-law Idgie, owner of a small Alabama café in the 1920s, and the bond Idgie shared with her friend Ruth, Evelyn gains the confidence to change her own life for the better.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want to be impressed

faces places

Vincent Georgie: WIFF 2017’s Closing Night Film. This is a highly original, fresh and engaging film about the beauty of photography, spaces and public art. Appearing in the film, the legendary filmmaker Agnès Varda begins to lose her sight and is taking a visual trip down memory lane one last time. The variety, scale and engagement with the outdoor works of photography are life-affirming.

Synopsis: Director and photographer Agnès Varda is a prominent figure in French cinema. Together with JR, an idiosyncratic artist with a great imagination, they form a unique duo. The unlikely friends travel through rural France sharing their experiences.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

DOUBLE FEATURE

what happened to andy garcia?

I’ll tell you that he’s terrific in the upcoming film Pain Hustlers. In celebration of his great return to the big screen, here are two terrific suspense thrillers that highlight what an intriguing leading man Garcia is.

internal affairs

In the Los Angeles Police Department, Officer Dennis Peck is a divisive figure, loved by those who are loyal to him and looked on with suspicion by others. His disreputable behaviour and dubious finances arouse the suspicion of Internal Affairs and Sgt. Raymond Avila and his partner are assigned to investigate. When a series of witnesses are murdered, Avila realizes his life is in danger, along with that of his wife.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Jennifer 8

After discovering his wife’s adultery, Los Angeles detective John Berlin relocates to recover and work alongside old friend Freddy Ross in the peaceful small town of Eureka, California. When a severed hand is found in a garbage dump, John realizes it belongs to a missing blind woman and connects it to six similar murders. Fearing the next to die will be Helena Robertson, the blind roommate of the last victim, John tries to protect her and find the killer.