‘Interview with the Vampire’ (March 31)
Anne Rice’s best-selling, long-running “Vampire Chronicles” finally made it to the silver screen in 1994, starring Tom Cruise in the lead role of the vampire Lestat, a role whose sexual fluidity and camp theatricality seemed to many (including Rice herself) beyond the actor’s grasp. Still, Cruise pretty liberates himself and conveys the character’s charisma and menace, while Brad Pitt captures the hopelessness of the narrator, Louis. But the show-stealer is Kirsten Dunst in a terrifying performance as Claudia, a vampire “twisted” as a child and left locked up at that age. Director Neil Jordan beautifully blends the gothic horror and dark comedy elements of the story, scooping up the Bayou atmosphere for added spice.
Stream it here†
Five movies to watch this winter
‘In the Cut’ (March 31)
Campion’s second appearance on this month’s list is for one of her most controversial films, an unashamedly raw and thorny erotic thriller that committed an unforgivable sin in 2003: the sexualized America’s lover, Meg Ryan. With its hyperventilating hype well into the back end, we can finally appreciate “In the Cut” for what it is, a scorching exploration of female desire, a harrowing meditation on the resistance to female sexual will and a showcase for Ryan’s atypical yet gripping performances. , Jennifer Jason Leigh and an up and coming Mark Ruffalo.
Stream it here†
‘Jumanji’ (March 31)
The first film adaptation of the beloved 1981 children’s book, this 1995 family adventure stars Robin Williams as a kid trapped for decades in a board game, Bonnie Hunt as a friend who just made it, and Dunst and Bradley Pierce as the modern-day kids who help escape him – and then have to finish the game. Joe Johnston (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) directs with the right mix of childish enthusiasm and deep fear, and the special effects (of wild animals and swarms of insects descending on suburban enclaves) remain surprisingly compelling.
Stream it here†
‘The Infinite Story’ (March 31)
German director Wolfgang Petersen followed up the worldwide success of his thrilling, Oscar-nominated submarine thriller ‘Das Boot’ with an unexpected left turn: he directed a family fantasy. Adapted from Michael Ende’s novel, Petersen tells the story of Bastian (Barret Oliver), a shy young outcast who discovers he can escape the misery of his everyday life by disappearing into a magical book and its tales of princesses. , warriors, fantastic beasts and dark forces. Like ‘Jumanji’, this is an old family favorite that has lost none of its power or magic and continues to enchant generation after generation.
Stream it here†
“A River Flows Through It” (March 31)
Brad Pitt was still an up and coming young actor—just a year away from his breakthrough role in “Thelma and Louise”—when he starred in Robert Redford’s lyrical adaptation of Norman Maclean’s novella. Pitt and Craig Sheffer star as the sons of a Montana preacher (Tom Skerritt) who grow up and break up in the early 1900s. It’s one of the finest films of the 1990s (Philippe Rousselot’s cinematography won and deserved an Oscar), and it was a cable standby for years. But it’s more than comfort food. Redford’s subtle direction opposes empty nostalgia and grandeur of yesteryear, in favor of a nuanced portrait of shifting values and mores.
Stream it here†
Also leave: †300†As well as possible in the given circumstances†brave heart†The hangover†The holiday†Paranormal Activity(all March 31).
