Reel Corner - March 2020
March Madness at the Movies
MARCH MADNESS AT THE MOVIES
March 2020 Issue
by Donne Paine
You’re thinking of basketball, right? Think again. In the film industry this term refers to a month where films of lesser known actors and directors are introduced in between the award-winning films of 2019 and 2020 summer blockbusters. As in Basketball March Madness a little known team (in this case film or actor) can become a winner and stir up some critical buzz. It’s also a month where actors we haven’t seen for a while are trying to get back into the game.
With the South Korean film, “Parasite,” winning both Best Foreign Language film and Best Film awards, it has given Asian filmmakers confidence and funding for their projects. You can guarantee you will see more films from Asia.
Here is a sample lineup of some March Madness 2020 Films...
THE WAY BACK Rated R | Starring Ben Affleck, Janina Gavankar, Michaela Watkins
A former high school basketball phenom, struggling with alcoholism, is offered a coaching job at his alma mater. As the team starts to win, he may have a reason to confront his old demons. But will it be enough to set him on the road to redemption?
ONWARD Rated PG | Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Disney animated entry: Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.
HOPE GAP Rated PG-13 | Josh O’Connor, Annette Bening, Bill Nighy
A couple’s visit with their son takes a dramatic turn when the father tells him he plans on leaving his mother.
THE HUNT NYR | Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank, Sturgill Simpson
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen—for a very specific purpose—The Hunt.
MY SPY Rated PG-13 | Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Parisa Fitz-Henley
A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
THE ROADS NOT TAKEN Rated R | Javire Bardem, Salma Hayek, Elle Fanning
This film follows a day in the life of Leo and his daughter, Molly, as he floats through alternate lives he could have lived, leading Molly to wrestle with her own path as she considers her future.
MISBEHAVIOUR NYR | Kiera Knightley, Jessica Buckley, Greg Kinnear
A group of women hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.
THE TRUTH Rated PG | Catherine Deneuve, Ethan Hawke, Juliette Binoche
A stormy reunion between scriptwriter Lumir and her famous movie star mother, Fabienne, quickly turns confrontational: Truths will be told; accounts settled; loves and resentments confessed.
THE CLIMB Rated R | Michael Angelo-Covino, Kyle Marvin, Gayle Rankin
A comedy drama look at the friendship between two guys that spans over many years.
IN SEARCH OF HAYDN NR | Juliet Stevenson, Emanuel Ax, Alison Balsom
In this eagerly-awaited documentary, Phil Grabsky’s biographical account of Haydn’s life is a visual and aural extravaganza, including breath-taking performances by some of the world’s most celebrated musicians.
THE GRUDGE Rated R | Tara Westwood, Junko Bailey, David Lawrence Brown
A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN NYR | Carry Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox
A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who cross her path..
MULAN NYR | Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Jet Li
This live action film based on Disney’s animated film where a young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
SOMETIMES ALWAYS NEVER Rated PG-13 | Bill Nighy, Sam Riley, Alice Lowe
A detective fantasy/family drama where a love of words helps a father reconnect with a missing son.
THE BANKER Rated PG-13 | Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long
In the 1960s two African-American entrepreneurs hire a working-class white man to pretend to be the head of their business empire, while they pose as a janitor and chauffeur.
See you at the movies!
Sources: www.imbd.com, www.movieweb.com, www.moviefone.com
Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts—especially films—she travels to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is a retired executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.