Exodus (Streaming March 19 on Apple TV)
In this unique blend of faith-based and science-fiction story-telling, it’s seven years after the rapture. Connor (Jimi Stanton) has become an enforcer for a decaying town ruled by an authoritarian regime. After interrogating a captured AWOL citizen and viewing a mysterious VHS-tape, Connor believes that a secret portal to Paradise is within his reach. He chases his hunch, but is caught by his town’s best hunter, The Superior (Janelle Snow) who demands Connor lead her to the portal in exchange for his life. Director-writer Logan Stone scripts a tense relationship reflecting the unlikely duo’s distrust. (Lisa Miller)
Fear of Rain (Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Rain (Madson Iseman) is a teenage girl running through the subtropical twilight, pursued by a black-hooded figure who binds her—and then she awakens screaming in a hospital bed where nurses are restraining her hands and feet as worried parents (Katherine Heigl, Harry Connick Jr.) look on. Rain has schizophrenia, more or less stabilized by medication (but the meds leave her feeling blank, uncreative). The kids at school are nasty, all except for the new boy in class (Israel Broussard), a smart and caring guy into car mechanics and quantum mechanics. Fear of Rain is reminiscent of a quality “after school special,” addressing an important topic—the lingering stigma of mental illness. (David Luhrssen)
Mafia Inc. (Film Movement DVD)
Canada and Mafia don’t come together often in word association tests. Aren’t the Canadians too polite for that sort of thing? But based on actual events from the 1990s, Mafia Inc. tells the story of a “big project in the Motherland,” a bridge spanning a river in Sicily that serves as a titanic international money laundering scheme. As boss of the Quebec mob, Frank (Sergio Castellitto) pulls the strings, many of them tied to drug trafficking in Latin America. Castellitto gives an outstanding performance as a man who seeks respectability by unsavory means, an Old World figure who depends on loyalty, calibrating his anger over an unruly mob of underlings and contenders. Mafia Inc. slips as easily between Italy, Canada and Venezuela as its cast slip between English, French and Italian. (David Luhrssen)
The Producers (Kino Lorber Blu-ray)
Mel Brooks was a famous comedy writer before he directed his film debut, The Producers (1968). With a bug-eyed expression that belonged on Vaudeville, Zero Mostel stars as Max Bialystock, a scheming and utterly amoral impresario who fleeces wealthy widows to finance his productions. Mild-mannered Gene Wilder co-stars as Leo Bloom, the neurotic accountant who develops a scam—profiting from a money-losing play. To cash in, they mount “the worst play ever written,” Springtime for Hitler. Some scenes in The Producers reflect attitudes of their time but most of the movie remains madcap, a hilarious spoof of Broadway and show biz. The Blu-ray includes special features. (David Luhrssen)
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (Streaming March 18 on HBO Max)
In 2016, following disagreements with Warner Bros, director Zack Snyder turned his nearly completed Justice League over to director Joss Whedon. Its runtime cut to two hours, Whedon attempted to lighten the film’s tone. Following a disappointing 2017 theatrical release, Snyder was allowed to add new special effects, and reshoots, costing another $70 million dollars. The resulting four-hour film is stripped of Whedon’s contributions. The newly formed Justice League’s Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) hope they are strong enough to save Earth from Steppenwolf's (Ciarán Hinds) army of Parademons. Based on Jack Kirby’s comic-book storyline, the villains hunt three Motherboxes that give ultimate control to their users. (Lisa Miller)
