‘The Artist’ (April 25)
Oscar loves movies about the movie, and this 2011 comedy from writer and director Michel Hazanavicius (which won five awards, including Best Picture) isn’t just an industry film: it’s steeped in stylistic and narrative influences from the entire film history. Hazanavicius tells his story of the bumpy transition from silent to sound cinema by dramatizing that transition, recalling the inside-Hollywood angle of “Singin’ in the Rain”; the secondary story, about the romance of a fading star with a rising talent, evokes the many remakes of “A Star is Born”. Yet ‘The Artist’ is not just a game of ‘seek the homage’. The filmmaking is clever and the performances inspired, especially those of Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin, Best Supporting Actress nominee Bérénice Bejo and John Goodman, perfectly cast as a cigar-munching studio head.
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‘Dawson’s Creek’: Seasons 1-6 (April 30)
Fresh off the success of his script for the original “Scream,” screenwriter Kevin Williamson was given the go-ahead from the up-and-coming WB network to create this long-running drama, which chronicles the loves of a group of teenagers in the fictional hamlet of Capeside. , Mass. Williamson’s winking self-assured style doesn’t go over as smoothly as it does in the “Scream” movies, but it offers its own trashy pleasures, its scripts full of romances and hookups and unrequited crushes. And the show is now notable for its keen eye: Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, James Van Der Beek and Michelle Williams make up the core ensemble, with Scott Foley, Jane Lynch, Busy Philipps and Seth Rogen in the returning cast.
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‘Léon: the professional’ (April 30)
Natalie Portman made her screen debut in this 1994 action film by French writer and director Luc Besson (“La Femme Nikita”), in which she plays a young woman whose family is executed by corrupt DEA agents. She persuades her enigmatic neighbor (Jean Reno) to provide not only shelter but also training; he is a hit man and she wants revenge. Besson stages a series of spectacular sets, each more ingenious than the next, culminating in a barn in which Leon appears to be beating the entire New York City Police Department. Portman is already a movie star, and Reno is quietly effective – an excellent counterpoint to Gary Oldman, who, as the most unhinged villain, has the scenery at hand.
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‘Snakes in an airplane’ (April 30)
This 2006 action movie by David R. Ellis was one of the first movies to be actually rewritten by the internet. Based solely on the title and the presence of Samuel L. Jackson, the film became something of a viral sensation before its release, prompting the filmmakers to reshoot scenes and rework the tone to create the goofy B- better reflect the film that its “fans” had. come expect. The result is a bit of a mess, especially in the grueling first act. But once the snakes start attacking after 30 minutes, it’s goofy, gory fun, a spicy riff on 70s disaster movies, with a plethora of gruesome but funny shock effects and an admirable performance from the imperturbable Jackson.
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‘Snatch’ (April 30)
Director Guy Ritchie made a big impression on the indie circuit with his low-budget, high-energy crime comedy “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” in 1999; this successor was also a remake of sorts with a bigger budget, pursuing similar situations and aesthetics, but with more resources and bigger names. The main actor of the big names is Brad Pitt, who appears under a clump of messy hair and barks most of his dialogue in an indecipherable dialect – a hint at the character acting job he pursued as a side job when he reached middle age. approached. “Snatch” is fast, funny and flashy; it’s style over substance, sure, but what style.
Stream it here†