Matt writes: For the third year in a row, I had the privilege of representing RogerEbert.com in the press room of the Academy Awards, and I got to experience firsthand the roars of elation that occurred when Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” became the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. You can read my complete coverage here, as well as Brian Tallerico’s 4-star review of “Parasite” here. Trailers The French Dispatch (2020). Written and directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Elisabeth Moss. Synopsis: A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch” magazine. Opens in US theaters on July 24th, 2020. Military Wives (2020). Directed by Peter Cattaneo. Written by Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan, Jason Flemyng. Synopsis: With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the center of a media sensation and global movement. Opens in US theaters on March 27th, 2020. Deerskin (2020). Written and directed by Quentin Dupieux. Starring Jean Dujardin, Adèle Haenel, Albert Delpy. Synopsis: A man’s obsession with his designer deerskin jacket causes him to blow his life savings and turn to crime. Opens in US theaters on March 20th, 2020. The Hunt (2020). Directed by Craig Zobel. Written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Starring Ethan Suplee, J.C. MacKenzie, Emma Roberts. Synopsis: 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. Opens in US theaters on March 13th, 2020. Undine (2020). Written and directed by Christian Petzold. Starring Paula Beer, Franz Rogowski, Maryam Zaree. Synopsis: Undine is a city guide in Berlin. When her friend leaves her, she catches up with the curse of the old myth. Undine must kill the man who betrays them and return to the water. US release date is TBA. Resistance (2020). Written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Ed Harris, Edgar Ramírez. Synopsis: The story of a group of Jewish Boy Scouts who worked with the French Resistance to save the lives of ten thousand orphans during World War II. Opens in US theaters on March 27th, 2020. The Vast of Night (2020). Directed by Andrew Patterson. Written by James Montague and Craig W. Sanger. Starring Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer. Synopsis: In the twilight of the 1950s, on one fateful night in New Mexico, a young switchboard operator Fay and charismatic radio DJ Everett discover a strange audio frequency that could change their small town and the future forever. Opens in US theaters on May 29th, 2020. All the Bright Places (2020). Directed by Brett Haley. Written by Liz Hannah and Jennifer Niven. Starring Elle Fanning, Keegan-Michael Key, Alexandra Shipp. Synopsis: The story of Violet and Theodore, who meet and change each other’s lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something. Debuts on Netflix on February 28th, 2020. The Roads Not Taken (2020). Written and directed by Sally Potter. Starring Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek. Synopsis: 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. Opens in US theaters on March 13th, 2020. The Staggering Girl (2020). Directed by Luca Guadagnino. Written by Michael Mitnick. Starring Julianne Moore, Mia Goth, Kyle MacLachlan. Synopsis: Francesca, an Italian-American writer who lives in New York and must return to Rome to retrieve her aging mother. Debuts on MUBI on February 15th, 2020. Blow the Man Down (2020). Written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. Starring David Coffin, David Pridemore, Adam Wolf Mayerson. Synopsis: Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly attempt to cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To conceal their crime, the sisters must go deep into the criminal underbelly of their hometown, uncovering the town’s darkest secrets. Debuts on Amazon Video on March 20th, 2020. Radioactive (2020). Directed by Marjane Satrapi. Written by Jack Thorne (based on the graphic novel by Lauren Redniss). Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Rosamund Pike, Aneurin Barnard. Synopsis: A story of the scientific and romantic passions of Marie Sklodowska-Curie (Polish scientist) and Pierre Curie, and the reverberation of their discoveries throughout the 20th century. Opens in US theaters on April 24th, 2020. Go Back to China (2020). Written and directed by Emily Ting. Starring Anna Akana, Richard Ng, Lynn Chen. Synopsis: When spoiled rich girl Sasha Li blows through most of her trust fund, she is cut off by her father and forced to go back to China and work for the family toy business. Opens in US theaters on March 9th, 2020. Tommaso (2020). Written and directed by Abel Ferrara. Starring Cristina Chiriac, Willem Dafoe, Anna Ferrara. Synopsis: The story of an American artist living in Rome with his young European wife Nikki and their 3-year-old daughter, Dee Dee. US release date is TBA. Minions: The Rise of Gru (2020). Directed by Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val. Written by Matthew Fogel (based on characters by Cinco Paul). Starring Steve Carell, Lucy Lawless, Taraji P. Henson. Synopsis: The untold story of one twelve-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain. Opens in US theaters on July 3rd, 2020. Brahms: The Boy II (2020). Directed by William Brent Bell. Written by Stacey Menear. Starring Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery. Synopsis: After a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms. Opens in US theaters on February 21st, 2020. The Way Back (2020). Directed by Gavin O’Connor. Written by Gavin O’Connor and Brad Ingelsby. Starring Ben Affleck, Janina Gavankar, Michaela Watkins. Synopsis: A former HS 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? Opens in US theaters on March 6th, 2020. Spiral (2020). Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. Starring Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisol Nichols. Synopsis: A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in this terrifying new chapter of the “Saw” franchise. Opens in US theaters on May 15th, 2020. Best Films of Sundance 2020 Matt writes: Our complete lists of the best films and best performances at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival feature enticing work recommended by Brian Tallerico, Nick Allen, Monica Castillo, Robert Daniels and Tomris Laffly. Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) Matt writes: Kirk Douglas, the astonishingly versatile star of such classics as “Paths of Glory,” “Spartacus,” “Ace in the Hole” and “The Bad and the Beautiful,” died on February 5th at age 103 and was eulogized by Peter Sobczynski. Free Movies Beau Ideal (1931). Directed by Herbert Brenon. Written by Percival Christopher Wren, Elizabeth Meehan and Paul Schofield. Starring Frank McCormick, Ralph Forbes, Lester Vail. Synopsis: An American joins the French Foreign Legion in order to rescue a boyhood friend. Watch “Beau Ideal” Royal Wedding (1951). Directed by Stanley Donen. Written by Alan Jay Lerner. Starring Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford. Synopsis: A brother and sister dance act encounter challenges and romance when booked in London during the Royal Wedding. Watch “Royal Wedding” Spider Baby (1967). Written and directed by Jack Hill. Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Carol Ohmart, Quinn K. Redeker. Synopsis: A caretaker devotes himself to three demented siblings after their father’s death. Watch “Spider Baby”
