By John Corrado

New releases for the week of March 17th, 2023.

Lamar Johnson and Aaron Pierre in Brother

Theatrical Releases:

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Wide Release): The biggest of this week’s new releases is this sequel to the 2019 DCEU film Shazam!, which is once again directed by David Sandberg and finds Zachary Levi reprising his role as the kid turned superhero. I enjoyed the first one back when it came out, but from what I’ve seen and heard, this sequel is a slight step down. I haven’t seen it yet, but probably still will soon.

Brother (Limited Release): This Scarborough-set Canadian drama from writer-director Clement Virgo follows two brothers, Francis (Aaron Pierre) and Michael (Lamar Johnson), over more than a decade, as Francis serves as mentor to younger brother Michael, before Francis’s death leaves Michael and their single mother (Marsha Stephanie Blake) struggling to grieve. I just watched this one last night, and it’s an absorbing character drama, with the fractured narrative allowing it to effectively explore the before and after of a tragedy. Virgo’s film premiered at TIFF last year, and is up for a whopping fourteen Canadian Screen Awards. (Review coming soon!)

More Releases: Tenzin (Limited), Riceboy Sleeps (Limited), Inside (Limited), Full River Red (TIFF Bell Lightbox)

Streaming Releases:

Boston Strangler (Disney+): Keira Knightley stars in this period piece serial killer thriller as female reporter Loretta McLaughlin, who first broke the story about the Boston Strangler in 1962. The film tries a little too hard to copy David Fincher, and lacks some necessary intensity, but the production makes up for it with solid period details, and the film is carried Knightley’s assured portrayal. It’s a bit of a formula picture, but Boston Strangler still works as a decent true-crime film, elevated by its good performances and sense of time and place. (Full Review)

Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman (Disney+): Directed by Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), this very enjoyable mix of music documentary, concert film, and docu-special follows Letterman as he tours Dublin, Ireland for the first time, interviewing U2’s lead singer Bono and guitarist The Edge as they are in the process of reworking old songs. I found this to be a wonderful portrait of U2 and Dublin itself, charting how the band – and their country – has evolved over the years. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. (Full Review)

More Releases: The Magician’s Elephant (Netflix), Ted Lasso: Season 3 (Apple TV+), The Inspection (Paramount+)