Movie theaters are officially back in business. We're here to sort out what's actually the best bang for your buck at the box office as cinematic offerings slowly return to the big screen in comparison to streaming services and various digital rental retailers.
A new year and a new COVID variant are in full swing, so even if there are bigger budget offerings hitting the big screen, now might be a good time to exercise restraint.
Of course, use your discretion when deciding whether to return to the movies, but an increasing number of vaccinated moviegoers are itching to get back in front of the big screen. And I'm pleased to say that we're back and ready to assist.
However, things in theatrical distribution are a little strange right now, so there's a mix of Oscar winners, lingering releases, indies, and classics booked—depending, of course, on the theater. But, thankfully, there have been so many good movies released this year that you should have no trouble finding something to watch.
Girl Picture
Release Date: August 12, 2022
Director: Alli Haapasalo
Stars: Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Linnea Leino
Rating: NR
Runtime: 100 minutes
Growing up can be difficult. Especially when you're at what Finnish director Alli Haapasalo refers to as the "liminal" age of 17 or 18—aware enough to know you want more but too young to figure out how to get it. In Haapasalo's beautifully designed, emotionally honest Girl Picture, three teenagers who are neither girls nor women seek love, sex, belonging, and, most importantly, the strength of their own voices to carry them through a period of transition. Ronkko (Eleonoora Kauhanen) and Mimmi (Aamu Milonoff) are best friends, classmates, and coworkers at a smoothie shop where they tell each other everything in their spare time. Emma (a graceful and compelling Linnea Leino) is a figure skater and classmate with her sights set on the European championships and a mother who simply wants her to be a kid. Sparks fly when a high-strung Emma meets a cynical Mimmi at the smoothie counter. It's unclear whether the sparks are between friends, enemies, or lovers until a mutual classmate jokingly invites Mimmi and Ronkko to the party Emma reluctantly attends that night. While Emma and Mimmi are getting along in their own story, Ronkko (played by Kauhanen with endearing, open bubbliness) is out to orgasm, or at least figure out what's wrong with her hookups. She stumbles from one oversexed, awkward interaction to the next, steadfastly heterosexual and pursuing pleasure. These are micro-stories, but Haapasalo treats them with investment and verve that honors her characters. When you're in your late teens, every day is the most important day of your life, and every argument has the potential to bring the sky crashing down. That Haapasalo and screenwriters Ilona Ahti and Daniela Hakulinen recognize this results in a film that not only calls out its characters' overreactions, but also examines and empathizes with the source of those wounds. Girl Picture is a joyous, resonant snapshot of growing into one's own, and challenging even your own expectations of who you thought you could be, set among the depths of that respect and discovery.—Shayna Maci Warner
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Director: Anthony Fabian
Stars: Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Elen Thomas, Lambert Wilson
Rating: PG
Runtime: 115 minutes
Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) has never made a request. She is a hardworking cleaning lady in 1950s London who spends her days cleaning up other people's messes with an unbreakable smile on her face, consistently spreading positivity wherever she goes. When she discovers the Dior magic in the form of an employer's dress, she realizes it's finally time to treat herself. Ada becomes adamant about obtaining the large sum of money required to visit Dior's opulent Paris headquarters, employing her British cunning and persevering through a number of faux pas and social gaffes along the way. Mrs. Harris does make it to Paris (thanks for the spoiler, movie title), and while there, she faces a slew of trials and tribulations as she searches for the dress of her dreams. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, directed by Anthony Fabian and written by Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Leigh Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, masterfully achieves every note essential in a captivating underdog story. Much of the film's tonal success can be attributed to Manville, who was cast as the polar opposite of her character in Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, in which she played the stony, business-savvy sister of a prominent 1950s fashion designer. Manville portrays the optimistic, inexperienced Ada in Harris with a perfect blend of coarse humor and clumsy mannerisms, as well as subtle yet powerful glints of empathy and sophistication. Fabian's detailed and textured storytelling complements Manville's compassionate performance. When Ada finally arrives in Paris, we see the city in the same way she does: in sweeping widescreen, blushing with pastel colors, with rain-covered streets glistening like dazzling disco balls. Harris maintains a careful balancing act between humor and seriousness throughout its runtime, and it mostly succeeds. It's an uplifting and elegantly made film that doesn't require a love of fashion to enjoy—just as Ada reminds us that we don't have to be upper-class to wear haute couture.—Aurora Amidon
Both Sides of the Blade
Director: Claire Denis
Stars: Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, Grégoire Colin
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Both Sides of the Blade is Denis' latest work, following her sci-fi English-language debut High Life, but its premise is distinctly French. Both Sides of the Blade, which follows a tumultuous love triangle among middle-aged Parisians, epitomizes a Rendez-Vous of sorts—passionate and brimming with longing, it makes sense that the film's Anglophone title evokes the heat of a forbidden liaison. Sara (Juliette Binoche) and Jean (Vincent Lindon) embrace and caress each other while floating in crystal clear water on a picturesque seaside getaway. The specifics of their relationship are unknown, but an air of familiar affection pervades their meeting. Denis has nearly returned to her Gallic roots four years after dazzling audiences with the striking and cerebral High Life. Both Sides of the Blade, which is unabashedly French at its core, feels all too predictable at times—an extramarital affair will wreak havoc on the cheater's life if she is exposed; she is unsure which relationship she should sacrifice—yet Denis manages to instill a masterful artistry to the otherwise formulaic plot. What could have been a tepid, uninspired Francophone adultery drama instead features two stellar performers who bounce off each other with manic perfection. Because of the constraints of COVID-19 on set, the intimacy of the story was baked in from the start, allowing the director to focus the entire scope of the film on the messy intricacies of one relationship's most sensitive issues. A small cast, off-handed comments about characters grabbing a mask before leaving the house, and allusions to work-related pandemic safety protocols ground the film firmly in the present while clearly adhering to on-set health standards. As a result, the small-scale production produces uniquely impassioned results, particularly in its concise examination of the film's central conflict. Denis' study is only as strong as the actors who inhabit it, with Binoche and Lindon reaching the pinnacle of melodramatic audacity, hurling insults and ultimatums at each other with scorching energy. Their chemistry is kinetic—if fundamentally volatile—and provides a physicality that is deeply erotic even in its darkest moments. Jean's limp offer of compromise contrasts with Sara soaking in a bath, breasts protruding above water. This exchange, in particular, casts their relationship with discernible dominator and subordinate roles, kinky even in its explicit discontent. Both Sides of the Blade is adroitly handled in Denis' hands, though it pales in comparison to the bold creativity of High Life. —Natalia Keogan
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