Tara FinleyL.A. Weekly’s Movie Guide is your look at the hottest films in Los Angeles theaters this week — from indie art house gems and classics to popcorn-perfect blockbusters and new movies garnering buzz. Check here every week before you make your big screen plans.
OPENING WIDE
As “the most talked about movie of the year is one that no one’s actually seen,” The Hunt finally opens wide in theaters this week. Based on 1942’s famous short story, The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell, The Hunt’s release was pushed to 2020 following criticism from President Trump. Said to be a thriller that serves as a satire on America’s political divide, viewers are along for the ride as 12 strangers mysteriously awake in a clearing to find they are being hunted for sport by the “elite.” Tables are turned when Crystal (Betty Gilpin) decides to fight back. Produced by Blumhouse Productions and directed by Craig Zobel.
MY SPY (STX)
JJ (Dave Bautista) is a gruff CIA operative that has been tasked with surveilling a family, a mission he accepts begrudgingly. Things don’t go smoothly, and the family’s precocious 9-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman) discovers the hidden CIA cameras in her home. In exchange for not blowing JJ’s cover and sinking the whole operation, Sophie brokers a deal with him to spend his time training her to be a spy. Charming and determined, JJ finds he has a soft spot for his new pint-sized protégé in My Spy.
BLOODSHOT (Columbia Pictures)
An action-packed film based on the best-selling comic book, Vin Diesel plays Ray Garrison, a soldier killed then reanimated by a team of scientists working for the RST corporation. Brought back to life as the superhuman Bloodshot, Ray has newfound abilities thanks to the army of nanotechnology in his veins. No longer in control of his own body or mind, Ray is on a mission to figure out what’s real and what’s not — including the truth behind his own death.
LIMITED RELEASES
M.O.M. (Indie Rights)
This “found footage” psychological thriller follows a distraught mother who is concerned that her teenage son is a psychopath. Convinced that he plans on shooting up his school and murdering his classmates, Abbey Bell (Melinda Page Hamilton) tries and fails to get her son (Bailey Edwards) metal help. He is too cunning for treatment, outsmarting the system and forcing his mother to take matters into her own hands. M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters paints a gritty picture of every mother’s worst nightmare. Arena Cinelounge, 6464 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Fri, March 13, 9 p.m.; $16. (323) 924-1644, arenascreen.com.
RARELY NEVER SOMETIMES ALWAYS (Focus Features)
Rarely Never Sometimes Always tells the story of cousins Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and Skylar (Talia Ryder) as they try and navigate Autumn’s unplanned teen pregnancy in conservative rural Pennsylvania. Determined to get the help Autumn needs, the pair scrape together the necessary money to fund the procedure and embark on a journey to New York. The Landmark, 10850 W Pico Blvd., Rancho Park; various showtimes; $12-$15.50. (310) 470-0492, landmarktheatres.com
THE POSTCARD KILLINGS (RLJE Films)
Based on the bestselling novel by James Patterson and Liza Marklund, The Postcard Killings is a thrilling tale of heartbreak, mystery and murder. Jacob Kanon (Jeffery Dean Morgan) is a New York detective, broken by the brutal killing of his daughter and son-in-law while on their London honeymoon. Stopping at nothing to get answers, Jacob finds that their death is one in a series of heinous murders sweeping across Europe. He recruits the help of journalist Dessie Leonard (Cush Jumbo) to catch the murderer and stop the killings once and for all. Laemmle, 207 N Maryland Ave., Glendale; various showtimes; $6-$11. (310) 478-3836, laemmle.com
ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK:
Big Time Adolescence- See our review here.
Heimat is a Space in Time
Human Nature
I Still Believe
The Informer
Ride Like a Girl
The Roads Not Taken
Slay the Dragon
Tuscaloosa
THE PROWLER (United Artists)
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Noir City: the 22nd Annual Los Angeles Festival of Film Noir has taking place at the iconic Egyptian Theatre all week and this Saturday offers one its most immersive events. A five-film noir marathon from the American Cinematheque and the Film Noir Foundation, showcases some true masterpieces restored in 35mm. Films include: Out of the Past, The Guilty, High Tide, The Prowler, and Try and Get Me. Ranging from sexy, dark, witty and mysterious — these classic films tell the most compelling of tales and they are without a doubt some of genres most potent treasures. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., March 14, 2 p.m.; $20-$25. (323) 461-2020, americancinemathequecalendar.
THE DEPARTED (Warner Bros.)
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Alamo Drafthouse’s The Departed St. Patrick’s Day Beer Dinner on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. Directed by the incomparable Martin Scorsese and starring Hollywood hard-hitters Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin and Anthony Anderson, The Departed is a modern masterpiece that earned Scorsese a well-deserved Oscar. Viewers will enjoy a veritable feast fit for an Irish saint, complete with corned beef brisket, cannoli and ice-cold beer. Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, 700 W. 7th St. Ste. U240, downtown; Tue., March 17, 7:30 p.m.; $57. (213) 217-9027, drafthouse.com.
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (MGM)
Head to Alex Theatre in Glendale for a special screening of the classic thriller The Night of the Hunter starring ‘50s film legends Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. This 1955 film is based on the novel by Davis Grubb and has a reputation for being a classic American thriller — one critics argue may be the best of all time. Mitchum gives a stellar performance as the Reverend Harry Powell, a villian searching for a stash of stolen money and relying on unscrupulous means to get his hands on it. Screened in 35mm and directed by Charles Laughton. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Thu., March 19, 7:30 p.m.; $11-$16. (818) 243-2539, alextheatre.org.
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