By: AL B.
DUINO
Momento Films
This spellbinding and self-reflexive tale follows Matias, an Argentine filmmaker struggling with an unfinished movie inspired by his elusive first love—a Swedish friend he met at a boarding school in 1997. Their strong friendship is defined by tenderness and fascination but is abruptly cut short when Alexander is suddenly expelled, leaving young Matias with a story of undeclared emotions. Twenty-five years later, Matias reopens Pandora’s box, coming face-to-face with Alexander. Life begins to imitate art as Matias confronts the power of memory and revisits the past in hopes of finding closure to his story of unrequited love.
LAST SHADOW AT FIRST LIGHT
IndiePix Films
Available on DVD/Digital now
Haunted by recurring apparitions, sixteen-year-old Ami embarks on a supernatural journey from Singapore to Japan in search of her mother who went missing during a cataclysmic tsunami. Upon her arrival in Tokyo, she meets Isamu, her cynical taxi-driving uncle, who becomes her custodian and reluctant guide through the ravaged landscape and her family’s dark past.
BLINK
National Geographic, Documentary Films
Debuts on National Geographic Channel December 16 and Streaming on Disney+ and HULU December 17
When three of their four children are diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare and incurable disease that leads to severe visual impairment, the Pelletier family’s world changes forever. In the face of this life-altering news, Edith Lemay, Sébastien Pelletier and their children set out on a journey around the world to experience all its beauty while they still can. As they fill their memories with breathtaking destinations and once-in-a-lifetime encounters, the family’s love, resilience and unshakeable sense of wonder ensure that their uncertain future does not define their present.
GLADIATOR II
Paramount Pictures
In theaters now
From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
GHOST OF RED RIDGE
@WellGoUSA
Available on Digital December 3
After foiling a good ol’ fashioned stickup in the gold bust town of Red Ridge, Texas, the town sheriff jails a mysterious stranger suspected of ties to the gang of outlaws terrorizing residents. But as the sheriff draws closer to unraveling the bandits’ identities, ghosts of murdered townspeople begin appearing at his door, leaving him to question whether the spirits are warning him…or seeking vengeance for his own failure to protect them.
MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL & PRESSBURGER
Cohen Media Group
Available on Blu-ray & DVD now
Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, “You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic – real film magic.” With Made in England he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. “Certain films you simply run all the time and you live with them.” Scorsese says. “As you grow older they grow deeper. I’m not sure how it happens, but it does. Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger – two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950’s.
SCALA
Severin Films
Available on Blu-ray/Digital now
Co-directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall now reveal the incredible true story of The Scala Cinema featuring rare archival footage, dozens of film clips from Scala favorites and interviews with former Scala audience members, guests and staff that include John Waters, Ben Wheatley, Jah Wobble and more.
MY OLD ASS
Amazon MGM Studios and Indian Paintbrush
Now Streaming on Prime Video
In this fresh coming-of-age story, an 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). But when Elliott’s “old ass” starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn’t do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what’s becoming a transformative summer.
THE LITTLE MERMAID
Lionsgate
Available on Demand and Digital December 17
Beauty is both deceiving and dangerous in this darkly fascinating twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale. After archeologist Dr. Eric Prince and his students uncover an ancient pagan temple in the depths of the Caribbean, Eric falls for a mysterious woman who resembles a mermaid he and his team encountered at sea. As their relationship intensifies, she leads Eric deeper into her evil underwater world until he must choose between true love and the destruction of all humanity.
THE TAI CHI MASTER
@WellGoUSA
Available on Digital now
In the strife of the Song Dynasty’s end, Zhang Sanfeng forges Tai Chi amid sect wars and demonic intrigue. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, as the country was troubled by domestic and foreign aggression, foreign countries were eyeing the dynasty, trying to invade the Central Plains. One day, when the foreign enemies attacked the city, Zhang Junbao, a disciple of the Wuji faction, turned the tide and helped Wei Linchuan, the general of the Song Dynasty, successfully defend the border. Zhang Junbao returned to the sect to participate in the selection ceremony of the sect leader.