The Path premieres on Hulu, Knight of Cups opens at the Tivoli and more must-sees

March 23, 2016

Thursday 3.24
You’ve seen Foxy Brown and Coffy, but your Pam Grier exploitation-flick fix isn’t quite satiated? Get Arrow Video’s release of 1973’s Black Mama, White Mama on Blu-ray, which starts as a ripoff of The Defiant Ones, with Grier and co-star Margaret Markov chained to each other after escaping a women’s prison in the sweltering heat of the Philippines. They get mixed up with drug dealers, rebels and pimps (including exploitation legend Sid Haig) as they hurtle toward the usual violent ending.

Friday 3.25
Not a Terrence Malick fan? Go outside and soak up some sunshine. But if you’re pro-Malick, Knight of Cups opens today at Tivoli Cinemas and the Glenwood Arts. Like his last film, To the Wonder, it features an attractive leading man (Christian Bale) wandering around and pondering his life choices, and it’s told through stunning cinematography and pretentious voice-over. You know what you’re getting into. If you’re like me, Malick hits home 80 percent of the time, so it’s worth the risk.

Saturday 3.26
The Kansas City Public Library’s “The Bard and Branagh” series has been running for three weeks now. At 1:30 p.m., this look at director and actor Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptations concludes with the 1993 comedy Much Ado About Nothing. It’s fast-paced fun, shot in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, and it co-stars Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsale and Keanu Reeves, who all avail themselves of the Bard’s witty repartee.

Sunday 3.27
Before he directed The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme made women-in-prison movies. He even co-wrote Black Mama, White Mama. Sometime in the middle — 1986 to be exact — the director made the subversively funny road-trip comedy Something Wild. A free-spirited woman (Melanie Griffith) “kidnaps” an uptight banker (Jeff Daniels) as a put-on, and they go on a yuppie’s version of a petty-crime spree. When ex-boyfriend Ray Liotta shows up, things get dark. Stream this ’80s classic on Amazon or watch the Criterion Collection Blu-ray.

Monday 3.28
Attention, beer lovers! Yes, I just wrote about the Blu-ray release of the cult classic Strange Brew, starring Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, but Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet is teaming up with Boulevard Brewing Co. for a special screening tonight at 7. Along with your ticket to see the remastered comedy, shot in Hose-o-rama (3B: three beers and it looks good, eh), a ticket gets you a four-course tasting of Boulevard’s Ginger Lemon Radler, Hibiscus Gose, Love Child No. 6 and Rye-on-Rye-on-Rye!

Tuesday 3.29
On the surface, Heaven Knows What is the stereotypical modern indie film. It’s set in New York. It’s a grueling drug-addiction story. And it features a young, hot, up-and-coming directorial team (the Safdie brothers). Against the odds, the movie rises above these cliches to become an unforgettable experience. Real-life heroin addict Arielle Holmes wrote the unpublished memoir that is the basis for the movie, and she stars in the lead role. Watch it on Netflix.

Wednesday 3.30
The Path, a 10-episode original series, premieres on Hulu today, and it has a pretty impressive pedigree. Executive produced by Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), The Path stars Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan, who play a married couple in crisis. Hannibal’s Hugh Dancy is the charismatic leader of a cult-like religion that could change their lives. With this and 11.23.63, Hulu is making a major play to compete with Amazon Prime and Netflix for original content. Might be time for another subscription.