Support the Free Press | Facts matter. Truth matters. Journalism matters
Salt Lake City Weekly has been Utah's source of independent news and in-depth journalism since 1984. Donate today to ensure the legacy continues.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Film Reviews: New Releases for March 1, plus March special screenings
Dune Part Two, Spaceman
Posted By Scott Renshaw on February 29, 2024, 7:14 AM
Dune: Part Two ***1/2
See feature review. Available March 1 in theaters. (PG-13)
Spaceman **
It’s kind of a bad sign when you’re watching what is supposed to be an earnest drama, and all you can think of is a variation on the “men would rather [fill in the blank] than go to therapy” meme. This adaptation of a novel by Jaroslav Kalfar casts Adam Sandler as Jakub, a cosmonaut from the Czech Republic on a solo mission to investigate a mysterious purple cloud near Jupiter. As the solitary pressure of the mission grows, Jakub begins to see a strange spider-like alien he calls Hanus (voiced by Paul Dano) that may or may not be a hallucination. It soon becomes clear that Hanus is not so much an existential threat as a well-intentioned entity who only wants to help Jakub work through his strained relationship with his pregnant wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan), and it feels like a weirdly misguided decision by director Johan Renck and screenwriter Colby Day to keep cutting away to Lenka’s activities back on earth. Then again, that does offer a diversion from something that awkwardly tries to combine the cosmic grandeur 2001: A Space Odyssey and the melancholy of Solaris with simplistic therapy-speak and a hangdog Sandler flashing back to childhood trauma. The mild entertainment value of the bizarre premise soon gets completely choked off by “men would rather travel to the far reaches of the solar system and get marital advice from a space spider than go to therapy.” Available March 1 via Netflix. (R)
MARCH 2024 SLC Special Screenings
Robot Dreams @ Broadway Centre: Oscar nominations completists, take note. While this delightful Animated Feature nominee will not be released commercially for several months, you can get a special chance to see it ahead of the awards ceremony, on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. slfs.org
Kubrick and Kurosawa @ Broadway Centre: Salt Lake Film Society hosts a big-screen film festival showcasing two legendary directors. Features include 2001: A Space Odyssey (March 1), Yojimbo (March 2), Ran (March 8), Full Metal Jacket (March 9), Dr. Strangelove (March 15), The Seven Samurai (March 16), Stray Dog (March 22), A Clockwork Orange (March 23), The Killing (March 29) and Rashomon (March 30). slfs.org
Filmed in Utah Series @ Megaplex Theatres: Continuing the showcase of movies shot in Utah, including Cheyenne Autumn (March 1), The Electric Horseman (March 8), Fletch (March 15), Dumb and Dumber (March 22) and Wind River (March 29). megaplextheatres.com
Exposure @ Main Library Auditorium: Director Holly Morris will join a Q&A with KUER’s Doug Fabrizio for this documentary about a group of women racing against melting polar ice for an expedition to the North Pole. Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. utahfilmcenter.org
See feature review. Available March 1 in theaters. (PG-13)
Spaceman **
It’s kind of a bad sign when you’re watching what is supposed to be an earnest drama, and all you can think of is a variation on the “men would rather [fill in the blank] than go to therapy” meme. This adaptation of a novel by Jaroslav Kalfar casts Adam Sandler as Jakub, a cosmonaut from the Czech Republic on a solo mission to investigate a mysterious purple cloud near Jupiter. As the solitary pressure of the mission grows, Jakub begins to see a strange spider-like alien he calls Hanus (voiced by Paul Dano) that may or may not be a hallucination. It soon becomes clear that Hanus is not so much an existential threat as a well-intentioned entity who only wants to help Jakub work through his strained relationship with his pregnant wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan), and it feels like a weirdly misguided decision by director Johan Renck and screenwriter Colby Day to keep cutting away to Lenka’s activities back on earth. Then again, that does offer a diversion from something that awkwardly tries to combine the cosmic grandeur 2001: A Space Odyssey and the melancholy of Solaris with simplistic therapy-speak and a hangdog Sandler flashing back to childhood trauma. The mild entertainment value of the bizarre premise soon gets completely choked off by “men would rather travel to the far reaches of the solar system and get marital advice from a space spider than go to therapy.” Available March 1 via Netflix. (R)
MARCH 2024 SLC Special Screenings
Robot Dreams @ Broadway Centre: Oscar nominations completists, take note. While this delightful Animated Feature nominee will not be released commercially for several months, you can get a special chance to see it ahead of the awards ceremony, on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. slfs.org
Kubrick and Kurosawa @ Broadway Centre: Salt Lake Film Society hosts a big-screen film festival showcasing two legendary directors. Features include 2001: A Space Odyssey (March 1), Yojimbo (March 2), Ran (March 8), Full Metal Jacket (March 9), Dr. Strangelove (March 15), The Seven Samurai (March 16), Stray Dog (March 22), A Clockwork Orange (March 23), The Killing (March 29) and Rashomon (March 30). slfs.org
Filmed in Utah Series @ Megaplex Theatres: Continuing the showcase of movies shot in Utah, including Cheyenne Autumn (March 1), The Electric Horseman (March 8), Fletch (March 15), Dumb and Dumber (March 22) and Wind River (March 29). megaplextheatres.com
Exposure @ Main Library Auditorium: Director Holly Morris will join a Q&A with KUER’s Doug Fabrizio for this documentary about a group of women racing against melting polar ice for an expedition to the North Pole. Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. utahfilmcenter.org
On Topic...
-
Boulder Weekly Film Critic Talks About Sundance Move to Colorado
Discussing the logistics, finances and politics of the festival's relocation
- Apr 3, 2025
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for April 4
A Minecraft Movie, The Friend, Hell of a Summer, Bob Trevino Likes It, Freaky Tales
- Apr 3, 2025
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for March 28
A Working Man, The Woman in the Yard, The Penguin Lessons, Death of a Unicorn, Audrey's Children
- Mar 27, 2025
- More Culture » More Movies »
More by Scott Renshaw
-
Boulder Weekly Film Critic Talks About Sundance Move to Colorado
Discussing the logistics, finances and politics of the festival's relocation
- Apr 3, 2025
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for April 4
A Minecraft Movie, The Friend, Hell of a Summer, Bob Trevino Likes It, Freaky Tales
- Apr 3, 2025
-
April David Lynch Film Festival at Broadway Centre Cinemas
The Elephant Man, Eraserhead, Mulholland Dr., Blue Velvet and more to celebrate the late director.
- Apr 2, 2025
- More »
Latest in Buzz Blog
