Roll up the Red Carpet
Awards Season is over, and with its departure, the annual cinematic drought begins.
It’s easy to make snarky quips about many of this month’s major movie releases. I mean, come on, does anybody actually think this Batman versus Superman thing is a good idea?! For that matter, Ben Affleck may take an even bigger publicity beating for his turn as the caped crusader than he did for the demise of his marriage.
But, for better or worse, this month’s biggest movie will likely be Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, opening March 24. Other mainstream titles opening this month that will likely fare well at the box office are London Has Fallen, the Gerard Butler action packed sequel to Olympus Has Fallen, the Sacha Baron Cohen spy spoof Crimsby, Disney’s Zootopia, and, the most promising of the lot, Tina Fey’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
If, however, you are on the loftier, snobbier side of cinema-goers you are still in luck. We are very fortunate to have some quality smaller films still playing in local theatres. The good Professor Kaufmann reviews the Michael Moore documentary Where to Invade Next as well as The Witch, an eerie horror film set in 17th century Puritanical New England. Meanwhile, I offer my two cents about the latest Coen Brothers comedy Hail Caesar! as well as the Maggie Smith dramedy The Lady In The Van.
In local theatre news, we’re looking forward to the opening of the Grail Movie House in downtown Asheville later this spring. The Grail will be an independent, locally owned theatre, screening art and independent films, locally produced content, classics, and a regular rotation of cinematic surprises.
We’ve also received word that The Carolina Cinemas on Hendersonville Road, which is a small North Carolina chain, has been bought by a company out of Texas called Cinemark. We don’t know what that will mean for the Asheville Film Society or screenings of the Metropolitan Opera and other Fathom events, but we’ll let you know what we hear in next month’s issue.
In the meanwhile, screenings for the Asheville Film Society are scheduled for March. See the listings for their Tuesday night line up and the Thursday Horror Picture Show next to this month’s Reel Takes. Likewise, you can find the listing for The Hendersonville Film Society’s March schedule (which includes a tribute to Alan Rickman and the 1925 film version of Ben Hur), hosted by our very own Chip Kaufmann.
Until next time, enjoy the show!