Early March always feels like the week when things start to lighten up—new month energy combined with warmer climes on the horizon. It also comes with a swath of renewed movies on Paramount+. When you’re ready to unwind, there’s plenty to pick from … maybe too much. So let us throw a few ideas your way this week.
For March 2 to 8, here are three movie-night diamonds: one fast, fun space adventure to new worlds and new civilizations, one slick sci-fi thriller about future murderers, and one darkly funny Irish gut-punch of a drama—ranked with the best pick saved for last.
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Star Trek: Beyond
The third film in the Kelvin Timeline of the Star Trek motion picture franchise—after Star Trek (2009) and Into Darkness (2013)—and the first not helmed by J.J. Abrams (he switched to producer because he was directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Star Trek Beyond is often singled out as the most “classic Trek” of the bunch.
In this installment, a young Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), and the rest of the Enterprise crew, find themselves stranded on an inhospitable planet after the ship is ripped to shreds by a swarm of alien ships. Idris Elba is menacing as the alien leader Krall, who hates the Federation and seeks to destroy it with the help of a relic/element of a super-weapon that’s in Kirk’s possession. Beyond has all the eye-candy special effects action of the two previous Trek films, plus the now finely-honed banter between Kirk and crew. But the standout performance goes to Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde, Hotel Artemis), whose scavenger-warrior Jaylah (with iconic warpaint-style face markings) chews up the fight scenes with impressive acrobatics and martial arts.
Co-written by Simon Pegg (who also plays Scotty), whose writing brings a comedic lightness to the film, and directed by Fast & Furious’s Justin Lin for high-speed action thrills, it’s no wonder Beyond carries an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Star Trek Beyond
- Release Date
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July 22, 2016
- Runtime
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122 minutes
- Director
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Justin Lin
- Writers
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Doug Jung, Simon Pegg
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Minority Report
Prolific American sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick was the patron saint of paranoid sci-fi whose countless tales of dystopian futures have been turned into iconic films and TV shows, most famously, Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), and Total Recall (We Can Remember It for You Wholesale). Minority Report, adapted from Dick’s 1956 novellette of the same name, is another one, and it might be the best of the bunch.
Leave it to Steven Spielberg to turn it into an energetic cyberpunk trip that delves into free will and fate while maintaining the thrill of chasing down the bad guy. The hook is simple and chilling. In a near-future Washington, D.C., an elite “PreCrime” unit stops murders before they happen by using three clairvoyants called “precogs,” who foresee violent crimes. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is the unit’s top cop, until the system predicts that he will murder a stranger in the next 36 hours. Suddenly, Anderton is running for his life, with skeptical Justice Department watchdog Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) leading the pursuit. The big question—if the future is seen, can it still be changed?
And yes, this is also the movie that made future-tech like gesture-controlled holographic screens, personalized ads, and autonomous cars look cool. Minority Report still carries an impressive 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Minority Report
- Release Date
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June 21, 2002
- Runtime
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145 minutes
- Director
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Steven Spielberg
- Writers
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Scott Frank, Jon Cohen
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The Banshees of Inisherin
It’s strange to say that I’ve left the best film to the last on this roundup because 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin is so unlike the other two that it’s in a league all its own. Any way you slice it, though, this Oscar-, BAFTA-, and Golden Globe-winning (among many others) film is a masterpiece of a dark comedic drama that begs a simple question: What would you do if, out of the blue, your lifelong best friend told you that they just didn’t like you anymore? Furthermore, if you didn’t leave them alone, they’d cut off one of their own fingers every time you spoke to them?
Most of us would probably take the hint, but not Pádraic (Colin Farrell). It’s 1923 on a small Irish island, isolated while the Irish Civil War rages on the mainland, so friends are not easy to come by. But Colm (Brendan Gleeson) is getting on in years and has decided that he just doesn’t want to waste another of his remaining minutes on Pádraic. And make no mistake, he’s bloody serious. The brutal break-up sends Pádraic into an obsessive spiral, leaning on his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and local oddball Dominic (the brilliant Barry Keoghan), who are just as dumbfounded by Colm’s actions as poor Pádraic. The Banshees of Inisherin is a brutally funny and existential period drama that explores the pain of loneliness, rejection, isolation, and the destructive stubbornness of pride. The 96%-rated film by In Bruges (which also starred Farrell and Gleeson) director Martin McDonagh is a must-watch, and features supreme performances from the leads and supporting players alike.
If your week needs an escape, I hope one or more of these movie picks will offer the entertainment you need to chill, without having to scroll Paramount+ for an hour trying to find something good to watch. Check back at the beginning of each week for more suggestions.
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous streams
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