DINNER & A MOVIE
F
ebruary is traditionally the month for relationship movies , given Valentine ’ s Day is on the 14th and dinner and a movie is a perfect date night for many couples . Theaters in the Chicago area are open , but with most of us still avoiding public places , streaming and VOD releases are a fantastic option . While a good serious love story is great , I personally like a bit of mystery and suspense with my hearts and flowers . You ’ ll have to figure out your own dinner , but here are some movies for your viewing pleasure !
The Little Things
Directed by John Lee Hancock Rated R - January 29 Available on -
By Lori Vernon
Denzel Washington in The Little Things
HBO Max until Feb . 28 & In Theaters
Academy Award winners Denzel Washington , Rami Malek , and Jared Leto star in the psychological crime thriller directed by John Lee Hancock ( The Blind Side , Saving Mr . Banks ) from his own original screenplay . Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “ Deke ” Deacon ( Washington ) is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick evidence-gathering assignment . Instead , he becomes embroiled in the search for a killer who is terrorizing the city . Leading the hunt , L . A . Sheriff Department Sergeant Jim Baxter ( Malek ), impressed with Deke ’ s cop instincts , unofficially engages his help . But as they track the killer , Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke ’ s past , uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case .
Malcolm And Marie
Directed by Sam Levinson Rated R - February 5 on Netflix
This black and white romantic drama written and directed by Sam Levinson ( Euphoria ) is the first feature to be entirely financed , written , and filmed during the pandemic . John David Washington and Zendaya ( both producers on the film ) star as a director and his girlfriend , whose relationship is tested on the night of his latest film ' s premiere . As they return from the event , they begin to discuss past relationships , which ultimately tests the couple ’ s love .
Little Fish
Directed by Chad Hartigan Rated NR - February 5 - In Theaters & VOD
This sci-fi romance is set in a near-future Seattle teetering on the brink of calamity caused by a viral outbreak called Neuroinflammatory Affliction , a severe and rapid Alzheimer ’ s-like condition in which people ’ s memories disappear . Couple Jude and Emma are grappling with the realities of NIA , interspersed with glimpses from the past as the two meet and fall in love . But as NIA ’ s grip on society tightens , blurring the lines between the past and the present , it becomes more and more difficult to know what ’ s true and what ’ s false .
Bliss
Directed by Mike Cahill Rated R - February 5 - Amazon Prime
In this sci-fi romance , an unfulfilled man
( Owen Wilson ) and a mysterious woman ( Salma Hayek ) believe they are living in a simulated reality . Still , when their newfound ‘ Bliss ’ world begins to bleed into the ‘ ugly ’ world , they must decide what ’ s real and where they truly belong .
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar
Directed by Josh Greenbaum Rated PG-13 — February 12 - In Theaters & VOD
Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo reunite for this raucous comedy about two lifelong friends who decide to leave their small , Midwestern town for the adventure of a lifetime in Vista Del Mar , Florida . They soon find themselves tangled up in adventure , love , and a villain ' s plot to kill everyone in town . It also stars Jamie Dornan , Damon Wayans Jr ., Wendi McLendon-Covey , and Michael Hitchcock .
French Exit
Directed by Azazel Jacobs Rated R - February 12 - In Theaters
“ My plan was to die before the money ran out ,” says 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price ( Michelle Pfeiffer ), but things didn ’ t go as planned . Her husband Franklin has been dead for 12 years . With his vast inheritance gone , she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris , accompanied by her directionless son Malcolm ( Lucas Hedges ) and a cat named Small Frank — who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances ’ s dead husband .
14 illinoisentertainer . com february 2021