Opening this week:
Ash Is Purest White Set at the dawn of the 21st century, the latest film from Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke follows a gangster and his girlfriend who have to fight off assassination attempts while contending with the sweeping changes symbolized by a local redevelopment project. Triad, schmiad; somebody get them to save Maitland. (NR; read our Cameron Meier's review at orlandoweekly.com)
The Best of Enemies Emboldened by Green Book's Oscar win, the genre of the civil rights buddy picture goes there, focusing on the relationship not just between a black American and white American, but between a black activist (Taraji P. Henson) and a KKK bigwig (Sam Rockwell) whose 10 years of enmity culminates in an unlikely collaboration. It's based on a true story, which I'd like to think means we won't have to see Rockwell teaching Henson to eat Popeyes. But stranger things have happened, right? (PG-13)
Pet Sematary The 1989 Pet Sematary was hardly the best of the Stephen King adaptations. But still ... What kind of sematary do I have to visit to bring back Fred Gwynne AND all the Ramones? In their place, this second stab at the source material gives us John Lithgow, which hardly seems like trading up. Nonetheless, the advance critical consensus is that it's a superior take on the tale, albeit one that takes perhaps even greater liberties with the book. If you just got whiplash from all those buts and maybes, I feel ya. I'm just trying to figure out how it's possible to replace Herman Munster with anyone but his brother Johann. (R)
The Public Emilio Estevez wrote and directed this story of the law-enforcement crisis that arises when a group of homeless people take refuge from the Chicago cold inside a public library. Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen would like to share your sleeping bag. (PG-13)
Also playing;
The Aftermath As her country attempts to stabilize Germany after the end of World War II, a British housewife (Keira Knightley) is shocked to learn that her husband expects her to cohabitate with actual Krauts. Suck it up, lady: You could be bunking with Heino. (R; playing at Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20 & RPX)
Junglee A virtuous veterinarian relies on his martial-arts skills to take on the scourge of elephant poaching. Hey, don't knock it – it might have prevented Dumbo! (NR; in Hindi; playing at Universal Cinemark at CityWalk and Touchstar Cinemas Southchase 7)
Unplanned This piece of fundamentalist anti-choice dogma received an "R" rating for being the cinematic equivalent of those ghastly and misleading dead-baby placards that whack jobs wave around at county fairs. The producers accused the MPAA of harboring the same society-wide pro-abortion bias that had forced them to keep the subject matter of the film secret throughout its production, for fear of being picketed. Yeah, being targeted for harassment by strangers because of the choices you've made within a free society is a terrible thing, all right. (R)
