By John Corrado

New releases for the week of October 20th, 2023.

Theatrical Releases:

Killers of the Flower Moon (Wide Release): The release of a new Martin Scorsese picture is always cause for celebration amongst film lovers, and Killers of the Flower Moon arrives in theatres following a splashy premiere at Cannes. Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro star in the Western, which is adapted from David Grann’s 2017 book charting the murders of the Osage people in the 1920s, after oil was discovered on their land. I haven’t found the time to see this yet, but it’s a priority for me to see it soon, so will report back when I do. (Review coming soon!)

Anatomy of a Fall (Limited Release): Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner is an absorbing courtroom drama that follows a woman (Sandra Hüller) being put on trial for the death of her husband (Samuel Theis), who tumbled out the window of their chalet. Hüller is gripping to watch in a carefully balanced performance, while child actor Milo Machado-Graner does standout work as her visually impaired son who is expected to testify. It’s one of the year’s most talked about movies, and for good reason. Opens at Varsity today, and expands next week, including TIFF Bell Lightbox on the 25th. (TIFF 2023 Review)

Dicks: The Musical (Limited Release): Two dickish salesman (played by co-writers Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp) discover they are actually long-lost twins and hatch a plan to get their parents (Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally) back together in this high camp musical from A24. I saw this one at Midnight Madness, and had a decent amount of fun with it (even if I’m not sure it all works as a movie). It’s willing to go pretty far for a laugh, and the Broadway parody songs are actually pretty good. See it with a crowd if you can. (TIFF 2023 Review)

The Persian Version (Limited Release): This ambitious mother-daughter dramedy follows an Iranian-American woman (Layla Mohammadi) living in New York, who has become somewhat at odds with her more traditional mother (Niousha Noor). The film becomes a dual narrative, with flashbacks showing her mother’s early life in Iran. It maybe packs a little too much into only 107 minutes, but the film is kept entertaining with a number of playful stylistic touches. It’s enjoyable and bittersweet. (Full Review)

More Releases: NYAD (Limited), Pain Hustlers (Limited), The Pigeon Tunnel (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

Golden Delicious (VOD/Digital): This coming-of-age sports drama follows a Chinese-Canadian teenager (Cardi Wong) in Vancouver, who is struggling to balance his sexuality with his father’s (Ryan Mah) expectations for him to become a basketball star. Despite the story’s inherent predictability, it’s a pretty good teen film, and worth a watch for its cultural specificity and decent performances. (Inside Out 2023 Review)

More Releases: The Pigeon Tunnel (Apple TV+), Old Dads (Netflix), Bodies (Netflix)