By James Fanizza, March 2018 Issue
In Theaters March 2 | R | Mystery, Thriller
Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process and, as she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets a CIA agent who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust. Directed by Francis Lawrence (the Hunger Games trilogy) and written by Eric Singer and Justin Haythe, Red Sparrow features a stellar ensemble cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons, Charlotte Rampling and Mary-Louise Parker. What more could you want in a spring thriller?
In Theaters March 16 | PG-13 | 109 Minutes | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) it’s a little more complicated. He hasn’t told his family or friends that he’s gay, and he doesn’t know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he’s fallen for online. On top of all that, a school bully is threatening to out him. At the surface, this may seem like another coming out of the closet movie, but it’s actually a funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story (based on the book by Becky Arbatalli) about the thrilling ride of finding yourself and falling in love. Plus, this is the first teen movie released by a major studio to feature a gay character in the lead, so please support it! Directed by Greg Berlanti, Love, Simon co-stars Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel.
In Theaters March 30 | R | 61 Minutes | Adventure, Drama
Lean On Pete follows the story of Charley (Charlie Plummer), a homeless teen in Oregon who befriends a failing racehorse. Together, they set off on a difficult journey across America to find his only known relative, who once lived 1,000 miles away in Wyoming. From acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years, Looking), and based on the beloved novel by Willy Vlautin, this film is a deeply moving story about love, loneliness, family and friendship, told through the unique lens of one boy’s connection to a very special animal. Lean On Pete also stars Chloë Savigny and Steve Buscemi.
In Theaters March 23 | R | Horror, Thriller
A young woman (Claire Foy, The Crown) is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where she faces her greatest fear – but is it real or is it a product of her delusion? Following in the footsteps of Tangerine, this psychological thriller was shot entirely in secret on an iPhone, which seems hard to believe. But that’s not part of the conceit, director by Steven Soderbergh maintains. Unsane, which premiered at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival in February, co-stars Jay Pharoah (“Saturday Night Live”), Juno Temple (Atonement) and Amy Irving (Carrie and Traffic).
