By Chris Kavan - 04/06/16 at 11:53 AM CT
If last week was an embarrassment of riches for the abundance of big-name films getting their due, this week is the exact opposite. There isn't a single wide-release getting a rating this week, thus I must relegate the excitement to the two most interesting limited release films. One stars Tom Hanks (that may go on to a wider release) and the other is a gritty crime drama that is foreign, but looks intriguing none-the-less. Hopefully next week we can right the ship and find a few bigger names, but for now you'll have to make due with what I've got.
Making its debut shortly as the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, A Hologram for the King follows a failed U.S. Businessman (Tom Hanks) as he looks to salvage his loss by selling his idea to a wealthy monarch in Saudi Arabia. That's not much to go on ahead of its festival debut, but anything with Hanks is certain to be worthy to watch. The film co-stars Ben Whishaw, Tom Skerritt, Sarita Choudhury, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Dhaffer L'Abidine and looks to be a fascinating culture clash of West meets Middle-East. After its April 20th premier it will open in limited release on the 22nd and I'm interested to see how wide of a push this one gets. Rated R for some sexuality/nudity, language and brief drug use.
The other decent film in this lineup is Dheepan. The film has played world-wide in several festivals since its Cannes debut back in May of 2015 - where, it should be noted, it won the Palme d'Or for director Jacques Audiard . It has several showings in the U.S. including the Chicago International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival and (later this month) Nashville and Dallas International Festivals. It goes into limited release in May. The film concerns a Tamil warrior fighting on the wrong side of a civil war in Sri Lanka. Realizing the end is near, he picks up a woman and a young girl in order to become a "family" with better luck at getting asylum in Europe. The trio wind up in France where they struggle to find a home and a life, but he eventually gets work as a caretaker. The stable life is interrupted by violence and he realizes he will have to revert back to his warrior ways in order to protect this family that he has decided to call his own. Now that sounds like a deeply moving and personal film and deserves recognition. Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity.
That's the only films I find worthy of talking about for now, but check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
CELL
Rated R for disturbing violent content, terror, brief sexuality and language.
CITIZEN SOLDIER
Rated R for language.
DHEEPAN
Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity.
EMMA'S CHANCE
Rated PG for mild thematic elements.
A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING
Rated R for some sexuality/nudity, language and brief drug use.
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including violent content, and for some language.
THE LEVENGER TAPES
Rated R for terror, some bloody images and language.
MONKEY KING: THE HERO
Rated PG for action/peril, scary images, thematic elements and some rude humor.
NED VENTURE
Rated PG for language, some action and rude humor.
