On CinemAddicts Episode 240, we review Wildcat, Jeanne du Barry, Chief of Station, Who Is Stan Smith? and Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg. Details on each of these movies and the reviews are below!
Directed and co-written by Ethan Hawke, Wildcat centers on the life of Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor (Maya Hawke). The picture, which co-stars Laura Linney as her mother Regina, blends O’Conner’s personal life as well as her fictional work. It’s a top-notch cinematic experience powered by inspired work from Hawke and Linney. Both actresses play six roles in this non-linear and subtly evocative drama.
Co-starring Christine Dye, Steve Zahn, Willa Fitzgerald, Philip Ettinger, Alessandro Nivola and Vincent D’Onofrio, Wildcat hits New York and Los Angeles May 3 and expands May 10. This is one of my favorite features of 2024 and I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Our Review of Wildcat starts at 11:00:
Wildcat hits New York (May 3) and Los Angeles (May 4) and expands May 10.
Aaron Eckhart stars in Chief of Station as Ben a former CIA Station Chief who believes his late wife Farrah (Laetitia Eido) was not just a victom of a terrorist attack. Instead, Farrah may have been the actual target due to dealings she had in the espionage game. Olga Kurylenko and Alex Pettyfer are two of the figures that aid Ben on. his mission, and Chris Petrovski co-stars as Ben’s son (who also works for the government).
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson (Avengement, Boudica: Queen of War), Chief of Station is another terrific, action packed effort from the filmmaker. The movie, which was shot in Budapest, Hungary, makes good use of its locations and the action scenes are well executed.
Eric Holmes and I are huge fans of Johnson’s body of work, and we both enjoyed Chief of Station.
Eric Holmes and I review Chief of Station at 20:29:
Chief of Station hits theaters and On Demand May 3.
Who Is Stan Smith?, directed by Emmy winning filmmaker Danny Lee, focuses on the life of tennis hall of famer, humanitarian and sneaker icon Stan Smith. The documentary covers his anti-racist activism, friendship with fellow tennis great Arthur Ashe, and his overall impact on the tennis and social culture landscape. John McEnroe and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels are among the interviewees.
Eric’s review of Who Is Stan Smith? starts at 28:50:
Catch Who Is Stan Smith? in over 50 markets starting May 3rd.
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg is a documentary that centers on the life of actress, muse, mother and pop culture icon Anita Pallenberg. Directed by Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill, the doc features interviews with Pallenberg’s children (Marlon and Angela Richards) and Keith Richards. Scarlett Johansson provides the voice of Anita during the voiceover (which is based on the words from Pallenberg’s unpublished memoir.
Bruce Purkey reviews Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg starts at 31:45:
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg hits theaters and VOD on May 3rd.
Jeanne du Barry centers on Jeanne Vaubemier (Maïwenn), a working class woman who uses her education, charm, and focus to climb the social ladder. She ultimately becomes the last mistress of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp). Maïwenn also directed and co-wrote this visually sumptuous period drama. Both Depp and Maïwenn deliver first rate performances, and it was interesting to learn about this interesting historical figure. My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
My review of Jeanne du Barry starts at 38:40:
Jeanne du Barry is now playing in theaters.
Bruce Purkey closes the episodes with reviews of the limited series Q: Into The Storm (43:21), Boy Kills World (50:21) and Ghostwatch (his “what’s in the box” pick – starts at 57:29).
For next week’s “What’s in the Box” segment, Bruce Purkey will review The Lost Boys.
If you want to put movies in the Box for Bruce to review, email him at brucepurkey@gmail.com!
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