Theatrical Releases: Blair Witch, Bridget Jones’s Baby, & Snowden

September 16, 2016 / Leave a Comment

BLAIR WITCH || September 16th, 2016

	BLAIR WITCH \|\| Coming in 17 years after the original (The Blair Witch Project (1999)) and 16 years following the dismal sequel (The Blair Witch Project 2: Book Of Shadows (2000)), *Blair Witch* has already had a small win by way of its brilliant marketing, in which the film was originally titled The Woods and the connection to The Blair Witch Project was actually kept under wraps until a big reveal at Comic Con this year. Unfortunately, now it faces harsh reviews, comparing it unfavorably to the original. The original was one of the first shaky cam, “found footage” features to come around and more or less opened the door for that style in horror. Sold as a “based on a true story” and marketing as if it were a home video found and released, the original had so much buzz about it, it was hard not to ignore. The sequel, however, comes at a time when the “found footage” feature has been beaten to death. The only hope I hold for this film is its inventive director Adam Wingard (The Guest, You’re Next, V/H/S) who has a strong grasp of the horror genre and how to make it different.	THEATER
	BRIDGET JONES’S BABY \|\| Speaking of long overdue sequels, coming in 15 years after the original (Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)) and 12 years after the poorly received sequel (Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004)), *Bridget Jones’s Baby* sees Renee Zellweger return to the character, this time between a returning Colin Firth and the new arrival of Patrick Demsey, both of which take part in sexual relationships with the title character, leading to her pregnancy and confusion as to which one of the men is the father. This leads to her having to pick, with both men trying to woo and win her over. Having never seen the original films and having no taste for Zellweger, this will be a romantic comedy that I can easily pass up.	PASS
	SNOWDEN \|\| With a slight Oscar buzz, Oliver Stone’s latest, Snowden, features Joseph Gordon-Levitt portraying the real-life title character, who, upon learning of the government’s involvement in tapping regular people’s phones, decides to the leak the information and become known as one of the most famous whistleblowers of all-time. Working for the film is its timeliness, as the real Snowden is still living abroad, awaiting a pardon from the U.S. government before returning. Working against the film is the fact that the Academy Award winning documentary Citizenfour highlighted these events in one of the most insider ways I’ve personally ever experienced in a documentary and that came out just two years ago, saturating the market slightly on the subject. But with Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone behind the camera (first feature since Savages (2012)) and with a great cast including supporting members Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Shailene Woodley, and Tom Wilkinson, this definitely lands on the must-see list.	THEATER


ARQ	THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS	A BEAUTIFUL NOW	CARDBOARD BOXER
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COCK AND BULL	COMMAND AND CONTROL	EXTREMIS	FINDING ALTAMIRA
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THE GOOD NEIGHBOR	HILLSONG: LET HOPE RISE	IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POCKET?	LA NOTTE
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MISS STEVENS	MR. CHURCH	OPERATION AVALANCHE	SILICON COWBOYS
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TANNA	THE VESSEL	WHO GETS THE DOG?	WILD OATS
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