It's a bountiful week for streaming films. We have 9 movies beginning, 7 of them courtesy of Janus Films, with brand-new 4K restorations of classics from director Wong Kar-wai. Enter the intoxicating world of the Hong Kong master filmmaker with a career-spanning retrospective of one of the greatest auteurs working in world cinema today. With his lush and sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks, and soulful romanticism, Wong Kar-wai has enraptured audiences with his movies' poetic moods and their narrative and stylistic daring. "The grandmaster of pulsating atmosphere and bittersweet romance." -Entertainment Weekly. (Rose patrons may enter a promo code for reduced ticket and series passes. Information below)
Don't let the title deter you. ASSASSINS is a stranger-than-fiction whodunit unlike any I've seen before. ASSASSINS goes beyond the headlines to investigate the audacious murder of the brother of North Korea's Supreme Leader KIm Jong-un. "It's a Kafka-esque and sometimes darkly comic tale of deception and exploitation that makes for a smartly assembled and eminently topical film that arrives at a crucial juncture in world affairs." -Hollywood Reporter
Bhutan, located in the Himalayas and isolated for centuries, only introduced television and the internet in 1999. Thomas Balmés's documentary HAPPINESS(2014), profiled Peyangki, an 8-year-old Buddhist monk, living in a sublimely scenic mountain monastery that was previously exempted from this technological leap. In SING ME A SONG, Balmés returns to find a teenaged Peyanki under the sway of technology: smartphone video games and pop love songs compete with the rituals of prayers and meditation, and WeChat fosters a romantic relationship with a young singer. As he considers leaving the monastery, assumptions about the value of connectivity versus tradition are dramatically challenged. "Profound. Powerful. How Balmés visually contextualizes his subjects' struggles is indelible and impactful, transforming their emotions into tangible imagery." -Variety
Cider & Cinema: Every other week Finnriver will be pairing one of their wonderful, delicious ciders with one of our streaming movies. For information on their weekly pairings, please visit their Instagram page.
Cinematically yours,
Rocky