The snow is a joke at this point, with 6 feet of snow piled up on every street corner in Boston. I’m downright stir-crazy, having been holed up inside my apartment like a hermit for the entirety of February. I’m not nearly masochistic enough to get dolled up and wait in line beneath the flurries for 90s Night at Common Ground or risk life and limb to pay for a meal that I could make in the cozy warmth of my own kitchen. However, I’m always willing to adventure for a good film. Especially when that means I can sit in the dark for a couple of hours, wrapped up in my cheesy New Zealand sweatshirt, with hot popcorn on my lap. Fortunately, winter is a great time for film releases, so we all have plenty of options. Check out the films I’m dying to see below!
What We Do in the Shadows
“Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane—like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.”
Okay, technically I’ve already seen this film. As a huge fan of filmmaker Taika Waititi and Flight of the Conchords, I obviously had to see this film in theaters the moment I arrived in Auckland for study abroad. I dragged along my new roommate—who had never seen any of Waititi’s previous work or a single episode of Conchords—and we loved it so much that we feel the need to support its Boston debut this Friday.
Now playing, Kendall Square Cinemas
Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animated/Live Action
“Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see all five Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short and more! Program includes: “A Single Life” (The Netherlands), in which Pia, when playing a mysterious vinyl single, is suddenly able to travel through her life; Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Feast” (USA), the story of one man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share; “Me and My Moulton” (Canada/Norway), about a seven-year-old girl in mid-’60s Norway who asks her parents one summer if she and her sisters can have a bicycle; “The Bigger Picture” (UK), in which innovative life-size animated characters tell the stark and darkly humorous tale of caring for an elderly parent; and “The Dam Keeper” (USA), which tells the tale of a young pig encumbered with an important job, and the meeting of a new classmate who changes everything.”
“Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see all five Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Live Action Short! Program includes: “Aya” (Israel/France), where two strangers unexpectedly meet at an airport and he mistakenly assumes her to be his assigned driver and she, enchanted by the random encounter, does not hurry to prove him wrong; “Boogaloo and Graham” (UK), in which two boys, Jamesy and Malachy, are over the moon when their soft-hearted dad presents them with two baby chicks to care for; “Butter Lamp” (France/China), in which a young itinerant photographer and his assistant offer to photograph some Tibetan nomads in front of various backgrounds; “Parvaneh” (Switzerland), in which a young Afghan immigrant travels to Zurich where she encounters a punk named Emily; and “The Phone Call” (UK), in which shy Heather (Sally Hawkins), working at a helpline call center, receives a phone call from a mystery man (Jim Broadbent).”
Since I’ve started making my own shorts as a film student, I’m definitely more appreciative of these Oscar categories. Often times, I find myself more impressed by the short films than the Best Picture category, and I’m so excited to be inspired by this years nominees.
Selma
“A chronicle of Martin Luther King’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.”
Selma is the only Best Picture nominee that I haven’t seen yet. I wasn’t overly interested in seeing the film because it tells a story I thought I was familiar with. However, after hearing friends’ rave reviews, I’d love to see the film before Sunday’s Oscar ceremony.
Wild Canaries
“A Brooklyn couple suspects foul play when their rent controlled neighbor suddenly drops dead.”
This film was lauded as “a love letter to screwball comedies,” and I’m all about that, since my love of film was first sparked by the Old Hollywood classics. If the trailer is a true depiction of what the film is like, it should be a solid 99 minutes of sharp comedy, cute gags, and boundless charm.
