Oscar hopefuls vs. under-the-radar dramas
‘Beautiful Boy’
Oscar season is officially here: We have our first Steve Carell movie.
In “Beautiful Boy,” Carell plays David Sheff, a caring, well-intentioned man whose son Nic (Timothée Chalamet) is battling a crippling addiction that’s robbing him of himself, and robbing his family of the boy they once knew.
Based on a bestselling father-son memoir, “Beautiful Boy” is, after “A Star Is Born” and “First Man,” one of the first actor-Oscar-centric to hit Milwaukee theaters this fall. (A lot more of those are coming next week.)
So far, “Beautiful Boy” is getting so-so reviews, but Chalamet and Carell — who’s also an award contender for “Welcome to Marwen,” hitting theaters Dec. 21 — are mostly getting raves.
In his 3-star review, USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt said Carell’s and Chalamet’s “exceptional performances” “make a father and son’s struggles feel all too real.” “Beautiful Boy” is rated R for pervasive drug content, language and brief sexual material. It runs for 112 minutes.
‘Mid90s’
In “Mid90s,” actor Jonah Hill’s writing and directing debut, a 13-yearold in 1990s Los Angeles finds an escape from his problematic home life with a group of skateboarding friends who help him find a new sort of family.
As with this summer’s sharply human drama “Eighth Grade,” “Mid90s” sets out to chart the terrain of adolescence on the cusp of adulthood. Judging from the reviews, Hill nailed it.
Entertainment Weekly critic Leah Greenblatt gave the movie an A-minus, saying Hill “makes ‘Mid90s’ resonate with universal poignancy and electric energy; his kids are the best, messiest kind of real, and they’re all right.” “Mid90s” is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and some violent behavior/disturbing images. It runs for 84 minutes.
‘Hunter Killer’
A U.S. submarine captain stumbles on a Russian coup that could trigger World War III — and to thwart it, he must rescue a kidnapped Russian president.
If Gerard Butler wasn’t playing the sub commander, you’d swear it was ripped from today’s headlines. Or, you know, not.
“Hunter Killer” also stars Gary Oldman, Linda Cardellini, Toby Stephens and Common.
“Hunter Killer” is rated R for violence and language. It runs for 120 minutes.
‘Johnny English Strikes Again’
Did someone order a second helping of Johnny English? No?
Fifteen years ago, Rowan Atkinson played the bumbling British notso-secret agent in a semihit spoof of James Bond and his black-tied ilk. He returned in 2011, in “Johnny English Reborn.”
Somebody must have called for him again, because he’s back in “Johnny English Strikes Again.” This time, the clueless spy is called out of retirement by a fluke — the rest of Britain’s undercover agents have been exposed by a hacker. English’s job: Find him.
Even with a supporting cast that includes Emma Thompson, “Johnny English” isn’t striking gold with critics. Hollywood Reporter critic Stephen Dalton called the movie “oddly mirthless.” “Johnny English Strikes Again” is rated PG for some violence, rude humor, language and brief nudity. It runs for 100 minutes.
‘Indivisible’
Battles in wartime are fought on the home front, too.
In a faith-fueled drama based on a true story, “Indivisible” tells the story of an Army chaplain whose marriage is tested when he’s sent overseas with his battalion, and both discover that the challenges they’ve faced in their worlds bring along baggage that might be hard to share.
Justin Bruening and Sarah Drew play Darren and Heather Turner; Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Jason George and Michael O’Neill co-star. “Indivisible” is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and violence. It runs for 119 minutes.
‘London Fields’
Here’s a cure for writer’s block: Go to London and stumble into people acting out the story for you.
At least that’s what sounds like is up in “London Fields,” a thriller based on a Martin Amis story with Billy Bob Thornton as a dying writer who, trying to come up with one last book, falls in with a small-time crook (Jim Sturgess), a bored banker (Theo James) and a woman of mystery (Amber Heard) who become the characters in his story.
The wrinkle: It’s a murder story.
Critics are not liking “London Fields”; Variety’s Andrew Barker called it a “misbegotten mess.” “London Fields” is rated R for sexual content and nudity, pervasive language, some violence, and drug use. It runs for 118 minutes.
‘The Samuel Project’
In “The Samuel Project,” a teenager (Ryan Ochoa) obsessed with becoming a graphic artist has to do a project for class, and decides to tell his grandfather’s story. But it turns out that that story goes deeper than he realized, when his grandfather (Hal Linden) relates how a young woman saved him when was a boy in Nazi Germany.
The movie, which was shown at this year’s Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival, is getting a return engagement at Marcus Theatres’ North Shore Cinema, 11700 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon.
Los Angeles Times reviewer Kimber Myers wrote that “The Samuel Project” has “real feeling and a strong message that shines through … with extra credit due Linden for an authentic performance in line with the actor’s body of work.” “The Samuel Project” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some suggestive comments and brief language. It runs for 92 minutes.
Milwaukee Film Festival
The 10th Milwaukee Film Festival is past the halfway point, but there’s still lots worth seeing at the festival, which runs through Nov. 1. Although some of the festival’s most in-demand stuff is all but sold out, there’s still plenty to keep an eye (or two) out for. Tickets are available at
mkefilm.org and at the festival’s theaters: the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.; Avalon Theater, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; Times Cinema, 5906 W. Vliet St.; Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, 334 E. Silver Spring Drive, Whitefish Bay; and Jan Serr Studio Cinema, 1915 E. Kenilworth Place.
Unless noted, tickets are $12; $11 for seniors 60 and older, students with ID and members of the military with ID; $10 for Milwaukee Film members; and $6 for kids 12 and under.
Here are eight movies worth checking out in the festival’s final week.
❚ “Wild Nights With Emily”: In the festival’s centerpiece film, Molly Shannon plays American poet Emily Dickinson in this comedy, focusing on Dickinson finding love with her sister-in-law (Susan Ziegler). 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oriental (festival centerpiece film; tickets $17, $15 for Milwaukee Film members).
❚ “Back at the Staircase”: A family celebration becomes a vigil when the matriarch is hurt and winds up in a coma in Milwaukee-based filmmaker Drew Britton’s drama, the festival’s closingnight film. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oriental (tickets $17, $15 for Milwaukee Film members).
❚ “Shoplifters”: This drama by acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The movie, Japan’s entry for best foreignlanguage film Oscar, centers on a family of thieves whose world is altered when they take in an abandoned child. 4 p.m. Sunday, Oriental; and 7 p.m. Thursday, Avalon.
❚ “I Am Not a Witch”: The UK’s official foreignlanguage entry follows a young woman in central Africa who’s sent to a state-run witch camp. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oriental; 3 p.m. Wednesday, Avalon.
❚ “Support the Girls”: Regina Hall stars as the manager of a Hooters-y sports bar, in a comedy from reformed mumblecore director Andrew Bujalski. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Times.
❚ “Mr. SOUL!”: A documentary about “SOUL!”, a public television variety show in the late 1960s and ‘70s that showcased African-American arts and culture. 9 p.m. Sunday, Avalon; 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan Serr.
❚ “Lake Michigan Monster”: This blackand-white comedy follows a captain and his crew as they pursue the title beast. 9 p.m. Monday, Jan Serr; 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oriental.
❚ “The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution”: This documentary follows seven female chefs and their journeys in the male-dominated restaurant industry. 1 p.m. Sunday, Fox-Bay; 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oriental.
The week’s best off-the-grid picks
“53206: Milwaukee”: A talented young singer is torn between leaving her neighborhood and going to Julliard or staying and rebuilding her community — in Milwaukee’s 53206 ZIP code — in this new original drama by Milwaukee filmmaker Kimberley T. Zulkowski, with Imani Brown, Carnelious Gill, Terrell Lewis, Dinah Williams, Paulos Hughes and Erick Perkins. The movie (not to be confused with the documentary “Milwaukee 53206”) gets its local premiere at Marcus Theatres’ Majestic, North Shore and South Shore cinemas at 7 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Info: mzkim productions.com/53206milwaukee.
“Sorry to Bother You”: Boots Riley’s altreality/science-fiction social comedy, in which an African-American telemarketer (Lakeith Stanfield) falls down a rabbit hole of white privilege, capitalist horror and … well, see for yourself; it’s pretty terrific. 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema. uwm.edu.
“Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco”: This documentary chronicles the life and career of fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, credited as one of the first artists to advocate for diversity in the fashion industry. 7 p.m. Thursday at UWM Union Cinema. $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema.uwm.edu.