While there are two new releases this week, a movie that opened last week deserves attention.
Last Friday, Landmark Cinemas Grand 10 opened Loving, a movie of historical importance as it documents the courage of Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and African-American woman who fell in love and were married in 1958. Interracial marriages were illegal in Virginia at that time and the state sought to end their love story by jailing and then banishing them. However, the Lovings challenged the law and took their civil rights case all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Their story has been an inspiration to many and this movie not only gives an important history lesson but also makes a perfect date movie. It currently holds an 89 per cent ‘certified fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and will be getting accolades come awards season.
Director Jeff Nichols previously helmed Mud and Midnight Special for which Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers says that “(he) already ranks with the best American directors of his generation.” The Loving’s story has been told twice before, the latest as a 2011 documentary that Nichols used to help develop this movie.
One of the two new movies this week is from director John Madden, best known for the Academy Award-winning Shakespeare in Love and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies.
However, his latest is a political thriller called Miss Sloane in which Academy Award-nominee Jessica Chastain plays the title character.
Elizabeth Sloane is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist who has always done whatever is required to win.
But when she takes on the gun lobby, she finds that winning may come at too high a price.
Miss Sloane also stars John Lithgow, Sam Waterston and Allison Pill.
Also opening this week is Office Christmas Party, a raunchy comedy starring Jennifer Aniston as the CEO of a company who is trying to close the branch headed by her hard-partying brother.
But the brother (T.J. Miller) and his chief technical officer (Jason Bateman) have other plans — they throw an epic office party to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs.
Directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory, The Switch) have brought together a stellar comedy cast including Olivia Munn, Kate McKinnon, Courtney B.Vance, Vanessa Bayer and Rob Corddry for a party that would give any H.R. department a nervous breakdown.
And if none of these movies pique your interest, there is still a chance to see movies like The Accountant and the woefully overlooked The Edge of Seventeen at Landmark Cinemas Encore in West Kelowna plus others like Dr. Strange, Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Moana at the other theatres around Kelowna.