With Creed III, Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut in the third installment of the boxing franchise that made him a superstar. Adonis Creed is on top of the world, until his old buddy from the neighborhood Dame Anderson (Jonathan Majors) gets out of prison. Back when they were both budding boxing prodigies, Dame took a rap for Donne, and now he wants the title he was denied. Now Donnie Creed is in for the fight of his life.
Guy Ritchie does spies in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. Jason Statham is the smooth operator Orson Fortune who is hired by the British government to retrieve a weapon called The Handle. Aubrey Plaza co-stars as Fortune’s rival Sarah Fidel, who also wants to get a handle on things — or her things on The Handle. Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, and Hugh Grant are also along for the action comedy ride.
Still feeling a big rush from last weekend’s box office results is Cocaine Bear. Elizabeth Banks’ ursinesploitation flick came on hard like … well, like a bear on cocaine. Don’t call it a guilty pleasure, because I don’t feel guilty about it.
It’s December 1941 in war-torn Europe. Czech freedom fighter Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) are fleeing the Nazi juggernaut. They land in the North African port city of Casablanca, where they must enlist the help of American bar owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). But Rick and Ilsa have a history Victor doesn’t know about. Will they choose love or duty? If you’ve never seen one of the greatest films of all times with an audience, don’t pass up your chance to check out Casablanca this Sunday afternoon at the Paradiso. “We’ll always have Paris.”
Long before Ralph Fiennes served his murderous meal in The Menu, another cinematic dinner party went hilariously badly. Four decades after Louis Bunuel became film’s first surrealist (watch his Salvador Dali collaboration “An Andalusian Dog” if you dare), he put a group of entitled diners through the ringer with 1973’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Crosstown Arts is serving it up on Thursday, March 9th.