News

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Chez Jolie Coiffure (Rosine Mbakam)

A vérité vignette of a small, expat-owned hair salon in Brussels’ African Quarter. Award-winning Cameroonian filmmaker Rosine Mbakam’s sophomore feature explores displacement, resilience, and the small economies migrants build to temper ties to their homelands, through mid-braid gossip and humble confessions.

Where to Stream: Le Cinéma Club

Giving Birth to a Butterfly (Theodore Schaefer)

We meet Diana Dent (Annie Parisse) readying matching wedding gowns soon revealed as not her own. She’s mending them to sell online—a necessity considering her bull-headed and controlling husband Daryl (Paul Sparks) is hell-bent on putting their life savings towards a dream of creating his own restaurant. That means no money for Drew (Owen Campbell) or Danielle’s (Rachel Resheff) college.

If directors David Lynch and Darren Aronofsky went on a road trip through working class America to meet a long-lost cousin, surely filmmaker Theodore Schaefer would come along for the ride. That’s the vibe you get when watching Giving Birth to a Butterfly, Schaefer’s moving, sometimes haunting, yet thoroughly intriguing debut feature. Shot on pastel 16mm, this film drips with achiness as it follows a mysterious road trip taken by two relative strangers whose lives are brought together by chance.

If you’re into surreal, fantasy-like outings in the vein of Twin Peaks, or even one of those alt-universe Riverdale seasons, Giving Birth to a Butterfly should do the trick. What works in Schaefer’s favor, however, is that he grounds his story, which was co-written with screenwriter Patrick Lawler, in something relatable: a family surviving economic hardship and layers of unexpressed emotions.

The film stars Annie Parisse...

"I got scammed, Marlene, that's why we're doing this." Cinedigm has revealed a trailer for an experimental indie film titled Giving Birth to a Butterfly, marking the feature directorial debut of Theodore Schaefer. It first premiered in 2021 at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, and is finally getting a proper release after waiting a few years - it's streaming on Fandor this May. "Pure weirdo magic. Like Donnie Darko meets Twin Peaks." After having her identity stolen, a woman, and her son's pregnant girlfriend, bond together on a surreal journey as they attempt to track down the perpetrators. Described by The Austin Chronicle as “a strange and fragile story of family, identity, and the unlikely directions of a search for self," Giving Birth to a Butterfly "mixes melancholy and anxiety with a Lynchian touch" and "takes place in a parallel universe that looks and acts like suburbia, just ever so slightly off.

FX's "Atlanta" is famous for taking inspiration from real-life events and controversy, but season three's ninth episode picks up a new storyline we have yet to see from the series. In yet another detour episode without our mainstay crew - Earn (Donald Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (Lakeith Stanfield), and Van (Zazie Beetz) - titled "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" (a clever nod to Jay-Z's "The Story of O.J."), we follow a new protagonist named Aaron (played by Tyriq Withers), a high school senior who struggles with being biracial.

Throughout the episode, "Atlanta" tugs at Aaron's inner quarrel that pits his Black and white identities against each other through a series of ridiculous scenarios and subtle hints (like the Outkast "Stankonia" poster recreation Aaron pays no mind to or his out-of-touch views on police violence) that eventually force him to make a tough decision. By way...

A review of this week’s “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga” coming up just as soon as I tell you why the Five Heartbeats broke up…

In the final seasons of Mad Men, the weekly episode descriptions that appeared in TV listings and DVR program guides became hilarious in their spoiler-phobic vagueness: The logline for the Season Six finale read, simply, “Don has difficulties.”

Atlanta has been taking a different, but equally amusing, approach to its Season Three loglines. Each has been written from the perspective of a fan of the show who is,...

We meet Diana Dent (Annie Parisse) readying matching wedding gowns soon revealed as not her own. She’s mending them to sell online—a necessity considering her bull-headed and controlling husband Daryl (Paul Sparks) is hell-bent on putting their life savings towards a dream of creating his own restaurant. That means no money for Drew (Owen Campbell) or Danielle’s (Rachel Resheff) college. No money to stop working extra hours at the pharmacy. No money for anything besides his selfish need to break free of a constrained life as if he’s the only one struggling to come up for air. So Diana looks to liquidate what she can while hiding the act in the knowledge that Daryl would inevitably find a way to make her feel bad about doing it.

Director Theodore Schaefer and co-writer Patrick Lawler ensure that we recognize the relatable mixture of melancholy and anxiety. They...

Ant-Man

David Dastmalchian ("The Dark Knight," "Prisoners") has signed on to play a role in Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man" movie at Marvel Studios.

It's a role the studio is reportedly keeping under wraps. The actor will join an ensemble headed by Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Michael Pena. [Source: Deadline]

Black Mass

Tony-nominated actor David Harbour ("The Equalizer ," "A Walk Among The Tombstones") will play corrupt FBI agent John Morris in Scott Cooper's Whitey Bulger biopic "Black Mass" at Warner Bros. Pictures.

Morris, Morris, along with fellow agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) allowed Whitey to evade law enforcement and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history. [Source: Deadline]

The Escort

Lyndsy Fonseca ("Kick Ass," "Nikita") has scored the lead role in the romantic comedy "The Escort". Will Slocombe directs the film which is currently shooting in Los Angeles and also stars Bruce Campbell, Tommy Dewey, Rumer Willis, Rachel Resheff,...

After winning the hearts of action aficionados everywhere by starring on The CW’s Nikita for four seasons and appearing in the superhero caper Kick-Ass, Lyndsy Fonseca is set to delve into more comedic territory for her next big screen role, having recently signed on to star in romantic comedy The Escort.

As per Deadline, the pic “tracks a sex-obsessed journalist (Michael Doneger) who throws himself into the world of high class escorts when he starts following a Stanford-educated prostitute (Fonseca).”

That cursory plot outline doesn’t give us much to go on, but it’s clear that Doneger, who also co-wrote the script with Brandon A. Cohen, is hoping to use The Escort to prove himself as a leading man. Doneger tried something similar with indie flick This Thing with Sarah last year, directing, starring in and scripting that project, but it never made much noise upon release. Of course,...

Exclusive: Romantic comedy The Escort has found its lead in Lyndsy Fonseca, the Kick-Ass actress who’s coming off a four-season run on The CW’s Nikita. Pic tracks a sex-obsessed journalist (Michael Doneger) who throws himself into the world of high class escorts when he starts following a Stanford-educated prostitute. Will Slocombe (Cold Turkey, Crime Fiction) is directing from a script by Doneger and Brandon A. Cohen, with Doneger, Bruce Campbell, Tommy Dewey, Rumer Willis, Rachel Resheff, and Sonya Walger rounding out the cast. Filming on the Cloverhill Pictures production is underway in La. Blake Goza is producing and Tyler Konney […]...

Screen Media will release the independent movie drama 3 Backyards starring Edie Falco (TV’s Nurse Jackie), Embeth Davidtz (TV’s Mad Men) and Elias Koteas on DVD on June 28.

Edie Falco keeps her cool on Long Island in 3 Backyards.

Written and directed by Eric Mendelsohn (who directed Ms. Falco once before in his feature film directorial debut, 1999’s Judy Berlin), the film tells the story of three residents of a Long Island town over the course of a seemingly perfect autumn day. The trio consists of addled housewife Peggy (Falco), John (Koteas), who’s equally stressed out over issues concerning love and money, and a 9-year-old girl named Christina (Rachel Resheff) who creates a kind of fairy tale world in her head.

Produced in 2010, 3 Backyards received a limited release in theaters in March to generally solid reviews from critics following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January of...

Yes, it.s fun watching animated chameleons, outrageous comedies and aliens destroying the world, but how about a change of pace courtesy of a slice-of-life movie? 3 Backyards.s entirely realistic nature and writer-director Eric Mendelsohn.s unique eye behind the lens helps set the film apart from many of the other films we're seeing in release this month. The film focuses on three separate people from the same town. Their stories are completely different and never intersect yet all bear the same backdrop, a warm suburban town that paradoxically evokes a sense of isolation. There.s Elias Koteas as a family man who finds himself mesmerized by a mysterious woman; Edie Falco as a boisterous woman thrilled to drive a new neighbor, a movie star, to the local ferry; and Rachel Resheff, a misunderstood young girl who wanders into the wrong backyard. These are just tiny moments in these individuals...

ComingSoon.net has your exclusive first look at the final trailer and poster for writer/director Eric Mendelsohn's 3 Backyards , opening in theaters on March 11. 3 Backyards is the story of three residents of the same suburban town over the course of one perfect, glittering Autumn day. Mixing the mundane with the mythic, the film peers into the interior lives of its characters as they embark on seemingly tiny journeys that actually take them vast distances from the familiar. A businessman (Elias Koteas) with marital troubles gets 'lost' on a business trip without ever leaving town. A little girl (Rachel Resheff) steals her mother's jewelry in the morning and finds herself faced with frightening, adult decisions by late afternoon. A well-meaning housewife (Edie Falco) offers her...

With a preem at Sundance and follow up fests such as Nd/Nf and Deauville, Eric Mendelsohn's 3 Backyards has had a difficult time finding a distributor willing to partner on a project that may lack in star power, but might be working with a different curriculum. Screen Media have nabbed the rights to the drama will plans of setting it up with a release next year. Written by Eric Mendelsohn this is the story of three residents of the same suburban town over the course of one seemingly perfect autumn day. Seen through a prism of sunlight and glittering leaves, the film peers deep into the private lives of its characters as they embark on journeys that fracture the delicate normalcy of the day. A businessman (Elias Koteas) with marital troubles gets "lost" on a business trip without ever leaving town. A little girl (Rachel Resheff) steals her mother...

Screen Media Films has announced its acquisition of Us distribution rights to Eric Mendelsohn's "3 Backyards" on the eve of its showing at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Starring Embeth Davidtz, Edie Falco, Elias Koteas, and Rachel Resheff, the film explores the interior lives of three residents of the same suburban town over the course of one perfect autumn day. Screen Media will release the film in the first half of ...

Mary Poppins, Broadway's perfectly magical musical, is pleased to welcome all new Banks children to the Broadway cast: alternating the role of Jane Banks is Catherine Missal, Rachel Resheff and Rozi Baker; alternating the role of Michael Banks is Christopher Flaim, David Gabriel Lerner and Ethan Haberfield (Missal and Flaim began performances on Tuesday, May 18; Resheff and Lerner began on Tuesday, May 25; Baker and Haberfield will begin on Friday, June 4). Flaim, Lerner and Haberfield will mark their official Broadway debut with the production.

Mary Poppins, Broadway's perfectly magical musical, is pleased to welcome all new Banks children to the Broadway cast: alternating the role of Jane Banks is Catherine Missal, Rachel Resheff and Rozi Baker; alternating the role of Michael Banks is Christopher Flaim, David Gabriel Lerner and Ethan Haberfield (Missal and Flaim began performances on Tuesday, May 18; Resheff and Lerner will begin on Tuesday, May 25; Baker and Haberfield will begin on Friday, June 4).

Today's collection is a complete, eight-page look at all of the preliminary 2011 Oscar Contenders I've featured over the week in one complete post. There are a few I'll be adding, such as yesterday's Welcome to the RIleys suggestion and hopefully a few more documentaries, before the doors to the new "The Contenders" section opens up in April, but until then this is your one-stop-shop.

As we move along add any thoughts or films you think should be added in the comments below or send me an email directly if you have thoughts on additional contenders or news on any of those on this list. Your suggestions are welcomed and encouraged.

127 Hours Release Date: Release date not yet set Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures Directed By: Danny Boyle Cast: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara Quick Thoughts: Directed by Danny Boyle whose last film, Slumdog Millionaire, racked up eight Oscars including Best Picture,...

As of right now, I have a list of 72 individual films that could potentially go on to become 2011 Oscar nominees. If you take into consideration the additional films I currently have listed as animated and documentary contenders the list grows to 85 films. As a result I am going to break up this preliminary list of Oscar contenders into four articles and on the fifth day, this coming Friday, I will publish the list in its entirety. I felt it would be easier to digest everything this way as opposed to offering one massive list you probably wouldn't be able to look over all at once.

As for the list itself, it should be looked at as a guide to potential nominees, not a guarantee, not a lock, but simply films that could potentially go on to be remembered at the year-end Oscar race. A few of these films may not...

St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

Opens: 2010

Cast: Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, David Tennant, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley

Director: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson

Summary: A rollercoaster-style treasure hunt for the legendary Fritton’s Gold ensues as the feisty and ever-resourceful schoolgirls of St Trinian’s face their most fearsome establishment rivals yet - the villainous Pomfrey and his sidekicks from the women-hating secret society known as AD1.

Analysis: While it didn't travel much beyond the UK, 2007's reboot of the "St Trinian's" franchise nearly doubled its £7 million production budget in sales in the UK alone - making it one of the top grossing independent British films of the past decade. Reviews were decidedly mixed but generally pretty weak at the time, so the greenlighting of a sequel surprised quite a few.

Despite a critical drubbing, the core audience of young British teenage girls seemed to be satisfied by...