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Love Lies Bleeding, Arthur the King, Knox Goes Away, One Life and more
The American Society of Magical Negroes ***
Writer/director Kobi Libii concocts the kind of satirical premise that easily could have tipped over into pedantic self-importance, but emerges with a deft enough touch to end up both entertaining and urgent. The prospects for Aren Mbondo’s (Justice Smith) career as a visual artist appear to be vanishing, when he is approached by Roger (David Alan Grier) to join the titular secret society—a group of Black people dedicated to the proposition that solving White people’s problems and making them comfortable is the best way to keep their own lives safe.
New music from Del Perro, shows at the City Weekly Store
Del Perro: “NVM” out now
Indie rockers Del Perro hit us with their first single of the year last week, and it’s not one to miss. “NVM” is a fresh and exciting track, but also has a retro sound to it.
Kung Fu Panda 4, Damsel, Cabrini, Io Capitano, Imaginary, Ricky Stanicky
Cabrini **
Director Alejandro Monteverde’s previous film about a real person on a single-minded quest to save children—last year’s surprise hit Sound of Freedom—had to deal with some unpleasant revelations about its subject. At least that problem is unlikely to face this historical biopic about Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell’Anna), which plods through the life of a literal saint, but with the same self-righteousness about its message as Sound of Freedom did.
Number 1 Babe Team headlines, new music from The Plastic Cherries
Number 1 Babe Team, Freak Luck, Goldie and the Guise @ The DLC 3/1
SLC indie pop/rock group Number 1 Babe Team are making their headlining debut next Friday at The DLC.
Madame Web, Bob Marley: One Love, The Taste of Things, Oscar-nominated shorts and more
Adam the First **
There’s an important distinction between “what is this movie about” from a synopsis standpoint and “what is this movie about” from a thematic standpoint—and while I can certainly explain to you the former, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the latter. It’s the tale of Adam (Oakes Fegley), a 14-year-old raised off the grid in a remote forest, who—after the death of the man who raised him (David Duchovny)—sets out with a list of three names to find out which one of them is his biological father.
Lisa Frankenstein, Out of Darkness, The Teachers' Lounge, Suncoast, Driving Madeleine
Driving Madeleine **1/2
At the outset, co-writer/director Christian Carion’s drama feels like one of those low-key character studies—and it’s definitely a bit of a surprise when it takes a different turn. In the present day, Parisian taxi driver Charles (Danny Boon) is a tightly-wound guy dealing with financial troubles, who picks up 92-year-old Madeleine Keller (Line Renaud) as she leaves her home to move, reluctantly, into an assisted-living facility.
Shows to check out on the City Weekly store:
-Evan Honer @ Kilby Court 2/12
-Men in the Kitchen @ Kilby Court 2/13
-The Drought @ Kilby Court 2/14
-Talk @ Kilby Court 2/15