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Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), a Thane of Scotland is coaxed into believing that one day he will become the King of Scotland by a trio of witches. Driven by his own ambition and his semi villainous wife, Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard), Macbeth murders his king to take the throne for himself, but at what consequence? Directed by Justin Kurzel and loosely based upon the writings of William Shakespeare this lugubriously slow paced cinematic wonder is set to impress audiences with stunning cinematography and staging, solid performances, and a hauntingly simplistic and desolate score to burn in the ears. The challenge? Rough dialect and old English combine to make a confounding dialogue between the players; hard to crack that nut. Still, for those in search of beauty and rage all combined in one, you’ve come to the right place. Macbeth is rated R.

Adapting the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata to modern times and centered in Chicago, two rival gangs, one led by Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon) the other led by Cyclops (Wesley Snipes), are out for blood against each other; an all out war of man against man until the wise Miss Helen (Angela Bassett) plants the idea of a sex strike in the mind of Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris). Could it be that by denying their men of sex, peace between the warring gangs can be met? Directed and partially written by Spike Lee, this rhyming homage to the work of Aristophanes works in hugely broad strokes to simplify the massive issue of gun violence in America. Perhaps an oversimplification by reducing men and women to purely sexually driven animals, but a satirical angle/modest proposal that brings plenty of humor to the table to drive a larger discussion– a conversation had by John Cusack’s character Father Mike Corridan, a white preacher who has specifically chosen to work in the hardest part of town, to walk with the people and struggle in a way similar to Christ; it’s Corridan’s point that not only will gun violence have to stop, but jobs will need to be created, and, opportunity and education provided to free those enslaved by violence under the heel of the oppressors. Granted, the solutions in the film come wrapped up in a tidy bow, a little too easy; and, the film could stand to see some fat trimmed for the sake of streamlined storytelling, but don’t be too quick to dismiss this one, the conversation to be started is important. And, lets not forget the muse like narration of Samuel L. Jackson, sharp as ever. No doubt this will divide audiences, brace for political discussion! Chi-Raq is rated R.