DON'T MISS …
God at the Multiplex The Almighty gets his due this spring, thanks in large part to the huge ratings enjoyed by History Channel’s The Bible miniseries last year. Prominent releases include The Son of God (Feb. 28), which stars Roma Downey as Mary and Diogo Morgado as Jesus, and looks highly devout and cut from the same shroud as Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Then on March 28, indie darling Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) floods theaters with Noah, starring Emma Watson, Ray Winstone and Julianne Moore. Finally, there’s Heaven Is For Real (April 16), which stars Greg Kinnear as a man whose son has a near-death experience that changes his life. Will any of these films have audiences shouting “Amen”? We’ll see, but color me me a Doubting Thomas for now …
Film Festivals Despite big events year-round, spring has traditionally been the peak of the film festival season in the Bay area. Upcoming events include the eighth edition of the Gasparilla International Film Festival (March 19-24), Tampa’s biggest and best film festival; the always-epic Sarasota Film Festival (April 4-13), which brings big stars and must-see movies to downtown Sarasota; and St. Pete’s Sunscreen Film Festival (May 1-4), which separates itself by offering a multitude of workshops by Hollywood technicians and power players.
Spring Training at Tampa Theatre Downtown Tampa’s classic movie house ticks off the weeks until baseball season with a series of flicks about America’s pastime. The series kicks off Sun., Jan 12 with A League of Their Own, continues until the end of February, and features screenings of The Natural, Bull Durham, 42 and more. Sundays at 3 p.m. through Feb. 23. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for Tampa Theatre members. Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St, Tampa, 813-274-8981, TampaTheatre.org.
ALSO ON THE RADAR …
Oscar hopefuls The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis, Spike Jonez’s Her and the Julia Roberts/Meryl Streep faceoff August: Osage County were all released elsewhere in 2013, but only hit Bay area theaters this Friday. It’s about damn time. (Jan. 10)
Lone Survivor Director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg recreate an ill-fated mission that saw four Navy SEALs ambushed while going after a high-ranking Taliban operative in Afghanistan. Could be little more than rah-rah jingoism, but Berg’s got talent, so you never know. (Jan. 10)
Labor Day A struggling single mom (Kate Winslet) and her young teenage son (Gattlin Griffith) encounter and try to help a struggling drifter (James Brolin) who turns out to be an escaped convict. Labor Day is the work of Jason Reitman (Juno, Young Adult), one of the best young filmmakers working in Hollywood today. (Jan. 31)
The Monuments Men The latest from director/star George Clooney is an action flick set in the waning days of World War II, when Allied forces attempted to retrieve the world’s greatest art masterpieces from the failing NAZI empire. This one was delayed from its original Christmas release date, which may be cause for concern … (Feb. 7)
Robocop A remake of the 1980s cult classic about a Detroit cop who gets gunned down in the line of duty, only to be reborn as a half-cyborg who battles crime and his own fragmented memory. Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) stars as Robo, with Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson and Jackie Earle Haley. (Feb. 12)
Veronica Mars I know next to nothing about Veronica Mars, a TV series starring Kristen Bell that got the ax years ago. That said, the fact that this movie was funded via a Kickstarter campaign is fascinating. Could it represent the future of geek franchise financing? Let’s see how much cash they rake in. (March 14)
Nymphomaniac Director/provocateur Lars Von Trier (Amour) gets sexy with Nymphomaniac, a two-parter that chronicles the life of, surprise, a nymphomaniac, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Both parts will get near-simultaneous theatrical and Video On Demand (VOD) releases, and both will come in soft-core and hard-core versions. Co-star Shia LaBeouf recently talked up how the onscreen sex is real, which could make Nymphomaniac a hit (and guilty pleasure), especially on VOD. (March 21/April 3)
This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2014.
