Movie picks
narrative vision. It's a visual head trip that will move you and begs to be seen more than once — and on an IMAX screen.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*/* out of 4; in theaters Friday.
Watching a film from Irish director John Carney (“Sing Street,” “Once,” “Begin Again”) is akin to falling in love with a soulful yet sweet song about the beautiful messiness of life. Carney's done that again with this just-edgy-enough heartwarmer, a lovely story about single mom Flora (Eve Hewson) and her troublesome but musically talented son (Orén Kinlan), whom she strives to steer away from his habitual crimes. In the process, she winds up taking online guitar lessons from an easygoing L.A. instructor (Joseph GordonLevitt). The brass Flora charms and offends him. But he sees something special in her and she sees something special in him. What makes Carney's films such a joy to experience is that they celebrate workingclass people who realize an unexpected dream. From “Sing Street” to “Once,” Carney's distinct style gives you just the right amount of genuine feels. Hewson is a delight and Gordon-Levitt is a charmer. If you're feeling low, try “Flora and Son,” it'll take a load off anyone's weary shoulders.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*/*; streaming Friday on Apple TV+.
“FLORA AND SON” >>
“PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE” >> After the vulgar antics in the irritating pup comedy “Strays,” it's comforting to hang out with Nickelodeon's batch of well-behaved animated pooches, junior-league canine do-gooders intent in being kind and saving humankind.
Devoid of product placement and stripped of sitcom-like put-downs, director Cal Brunker's “Paw Patrol” sequel, based on the popular TV series, outshines the first film. The plot moves along at a faster clip and the message is even better. A meteor crashes near Adventure City, and takes out Pup Tower. Its crystals, though, instill all but one pup with superpowers. Naturally, there's a villain, a crackpot scientist (voice of Taraji P. Henson), and she teams up with corrupt former Adventure City mayor Humdinger (Ray Pardo). “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” is nicely animated and reminds kids to celebrate their qualities and power from within. It won't win awards but it is certain to delight its target audience.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*; in theaters Friday.
“HEAD COUNT” >> The Burghart Brothers' twisted Kansas-set Western noir feature debut tips its cowboy hat aplenty to the Coen Brothers, but does so with wit and respect. Aaron Jakubenko — who also helped dream up the kooky screenplay — stars as Kat, a con who's escaped into the fields after a critter attack. That ridiculous “attack” leads Kat into a nest of trouble that involves his brother and an old flame who has moved on to another guy. Swiveling from flashbacks to Kat's current dire predicament of having a gun pointed at his head, the Burghart Brothers keep things busy with loony twists and irreverent humor. Watch these two. They're talented.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*; in select theaters and on VOD Friday.
“HEIST 88” >> Blasé storytelling and a lack of overall energy drag down what should have been a suspenseful dramatization of
a mostly real $80-million bank swindle that almost happened in 1988 Chicago. Courtney B. Vance stars as a charismatic conman out to score one last hit by capitalizing on a faulty system that relies on code verifications for fund transfers. He persuades four underpaid Black bank workers to pull it off. “Heist 88” picks up once the plan gets set into motion, but director Menhaj Huda and the screenplay give cursory lip service to the backstories and the action seems rather clunky at moments.
DETAILS >> \*\*; streams Friday on Paramount+ and at 9 p.m. Sunday on Showtime.
“MEGALOMANIAC” >> Karim Ouelhaj's unsettling awardwinning horror film crawls under the skin and then rips your nerves to shreds. It's bloody and terrifying, and should come with a warning for the fainthearted: Stay the hell away from this. Ouelhaj's plunge into the depraved legacy of family madness finds bullied, sexually abused Martha (Eline Schumacher) holed up in a Gothic-looking manor with her serial killer brother Felix (Benjamin Ramon). Their father was known as the Butcher of Mons — a real-life homicidal maniac who was never captured. Ouelhaj's buttonpushing thriller lays forth — in bloody detail — what led his offspring to carry on the carnage. It's a damning portrait of what can go so awry when the safety net of social programs is full of holes, while workplace hostility and sexism conspire to breed even more violence. It's a tough but wellmade film that raises provocative questions that are certain to make everyone in the audience uncomfortable, as they should. DETAILS >> \*\*\*; available