By John Corrado

New releases for the week of March 24th, 2023.

Theatrical Releases:

John Wick: Chapter 4 (Wide Release): This fourth entry in the very good John Wick franchise is, for my money, the best one yet. The film continues the mission of Keanu Reeves’ titular assassin to take down The High Table, with director Chad Stahelski crafting it into a nearly three-hour, globe-trotting action movie symphony that more than delivers by offering a series of staggering extended set-pieces backed by incredible cinematography and production design. The result is an electric, visually stunning, and at times darkly beautiful action epic. (Full Review)

Riceboy Sleeps (Limited/TIFF Bell Lightbox): Anthony Shim’s Canadian drama, which won the Platform Prize at TIFF last year and is up for six Canadian Screen Awards, is expanding to TIFF Bell Lightbox this week after opening in limited release last Friday. I just watched this one last night, and it’s something of a knockout. Shim’s deeply personal film follows mother So-Young (Choi Seung-yoon) who moves to Canada from South Korea in the 1990s to provide a better life for her son Dong-Hyun (Ethan Hwang), and it’s a remarkably tender drama that is beautifully acted and beautifully filmed.

The Lost King (Limited Release): Sally Hawkins stars in this based-on-a-true-story British drama as Philippa Langley, an English writer who is determined to find the grave of Richard III. I saw this one when it premiered at TIFF last year, and it’s an enjoyable, slightly quirky British crowdpleaser, that is anchored by Hawkins’ very good performance. (TIFF 2022 Review)

More Releases: A Good Person (Limited), You Can Live Forever (Limited), Where the Wind Blows (Limited), The Five Devils (TIFF Bell Lightbox)

Streaming Releases:

Tenzin (CBC Gem): I reviewed this one last week when it opened in limited release, and it’s now available to stream for free on CBC Gem. Set in Toronto’s Tibetan community, the moody, minimalistic drama from co-directors Michael LeBlanc and Josh Reichmann centres around Tenzin (Tenzin Kelsang), a young man dealing with the self-immolation of his older brother. (Full Review)

More Releases: 88 (Digital/VOD), The Night Agent (Netflix), Rabbit Hole (Paramount+), Up Here (Disney+)