ANORA (R)
Every time a new Sean Baker movie rolls around, it’s an event. An indie filmmaker with a flair for innovation, Baker took over the film world with his one/two punch of “Tangerine” (2015) and “The Florida Project” (2017). Known for honest portrayals of characters trying to better themselves in a world hell-bent on pushing them down, Baker’s films are often high-energy, fun, tragic elegies where art and expression are the only effective weapons against the cool, harsh sting of reality. With his newest film, “Anora”, Baker is expanding his reach and scope, telling the story of a young sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Starring Mikey Madison, a stand-out in every movie she’s a part of including “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019) and “Scream” (2022), Anora’s drug and crime-fueled fairy tale is one of this writer’s most anticipated movies of the year, an early contender for Best Picture, and is sure to knock your socks off.
“Anora” is playing at The Broad Theater and Prytania Theatres at Canal Place.
CONCLAVE (PG)
The closing film of the recent New Orleans Film Festival; “Cconclave” is the kind of pulpy, real-world adjacent, story that is ever the fodder of airport paperbacks and was once ripe inspiration for at least four different trashy studio movies a year. Set in the world of the Vatican during the choosing of a new Pope, Ralph Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence finds himself in charge of conducting the holy process while dark secrets are uncovered that rock the foundation of this ancient institution. From Academy Award Nominated Director Edward Berger of “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022) fame, “Conclave” seems poised to become a cable classic; with character actors skulking through back rooms, discussing matters of spiritual importance in hushed tones, with the fate of Christendom on the line. Sounds like a good time at the movies!
“CONCLAVE” (PG) is playing at The Broad Theater and Prytania Theater Uptown.
SMILE 2 (R)
The original “Smile” shot off like a powder keg when it slinked across our theater screens in 2022. The little movie that could, “Smile” was never meant for theaters. However, after several test screenings were ecstatic over Parker Finn’s feature-length version of his award-winning short film, Paramount took a chance that general audiences would feel the same. This chance decidedly paid off. Now, “Smile 2” is in theaters, offering a new victim for the spectral smilers in the form of pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott). Tormented by fans and strangers, both real and imagined, Skye soon learns that a death curse has been passed to her and must find a way to break its chain of destruction before she is left in a state of rictus rigor mortis. While I enjoyed the first film, the gag felt tired after a while. This is saying a lot for me as the sight of an unnatural smile is a childhood phobia of mine. But after seeing several clips from “Smile 2” that have left me shaken, I have a feeling that Finn has expanded upon his initial idea with aplomb and will keep folks like me checking around corners from grim-grinning ghouls for a little while longer.
“Smile 2” is playing at Prytania Theatres at Canal Place.
