NOW IN THEATERS
BACK TO BURGUNDY
This breezy, charming French family drama celebrates the richness of terroir, which enriches both the wines of a family in Burgundy and creates symbiotic ties to the land where their grapes are grown. When the family patriarch falls ill, the oldest brother, Jean (Pio Marmaï), returns from Australia in prodigal style to his hometown, where his sister Juliette (Ana Girardot) and brother Jérémie (François
Civil) are taking over the family business. The film takes us through the harvest season to an entire year in the life of the vineyard, as the siblings squabble and bond after their father’s death. The central conflict arises from Jean’s imminent decision about whether to stay in Burgundy to ensure the survival of the vineyards or return to his on-again, off-again girlfriend and young son in Australia. The story is slight and the stakes never seem quite high enough, but there’s enough slice-of-life beauty and insight into the winemaking process to make this a pleasant excursion. Not rated. 113 minutes. In French with subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Molly Boyle)
BLACK PANTHER
This Marvel Studios superhero movie focuses on T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), aka Black Panther. The real star, however, is not the Black Panther but his homeland of Wakanda, a futuristic African country that director Ryan Coogler impressively imbues with detail and world-building. T’Challa returns to this land to rule as king after his father’s death, and soon finds himself battling enemies old (an arms dealer played by Andy Serkis) and new (a usurper to the throne played by Michael B. Jordan), while confronting concerns about Wakanda’s isolationism. It’s bracing to see a diverse, utopian society portrayed on screen, and not only does the cast feature an incredible array of people of color, but the women are powerful and brilliant, led by Letitia Wright as an inventor and Lupita Nyong’o as a member of a Wakanda all-women special forces unit. Some typical Marvel problems muddy the waters (dodgy CGI and a cluttered climax), but the studio has never made a picture that feels this fresh. Rated PG-13. 134 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Robert Ker)
BLOCKERS
This genuinely funny high-school sex comedy proves that Gen Z is emerging as the most forwardthinking group of young adults to come along in decades — even if they may eat a few Tide Pods from time to time. Director Kay Cannon (writer for the Pitch Perfect films and 30
Rock TV show) helms this farce in which three parents (Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, and John Cena) team up to stop their daughters from losing their virginities on prom night. The film plays fast and loose with the double standard in which a young woman’s “purity” is to be protected at all costs, while teenage “boys will be boys.” The trio of teens (Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon) is as talented as the adult cast, and the tension between the parents and their children is as sweet as it is hilarious. “Why is sex even bad?” Viswanathan’s character wonders poignantly. Even while dialing up the raunch factor (there’s a particularly disgusting limo scene that is soaked in projectile vomit), Blockers becomes another positive reminder of just how much our children have to teach us. Rated R. 102 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Molly Boyle)
HITLER VERSUS PICASSO AND THE OTHERS
Italian filmmaker Claudio Poli takes a sobering look at the Nazi obsession with art in this compelling documentary about the Third Reich’s looting of European treasures. Examining Hitler’s infamous exhibit of “degenerate art” and contemporary shows based on recovered artworks and historical narratives, the film ties the artwork stolen from Jewish families, art museums, galleries, and dealers to the injustices suffered under the Nazis, who amassed an estimated 600,000 works during the Holocaust. The film tells a remarkable story of persecuted artists, including those who were sometimes complicit in helping the Nazi cause. Among the intriguing subjects are Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of an art dealer and war profiteer, whose collection was discovered in a Munich apartment in 2012; Fritz and Louise Gutmann, whose political connections and affluence protected neither them nor their collection; and Paul Rosenberg, an influential dealer of modernist works who helped to transport artworks out of France before the Nazi occupation. Hitler versus Picasso and the Others is told with compelling narration by actor Toni Servillo. Not rated. 94 minutes. In English and Italian with subtitles. The Screen. (Michael Abatemarco)
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
The rock band MercyMe’s 1999 hit song “I Can Only Imagine” crossed over from Christian radio stations and became a mainstream hit in the early 2000s. In this retelling of that story, J. Michael Finley plays MercyMe singer Bart Millard, who wrote the song in honor of his father (Dennis Quaid), who passed away when he was eighteen. Rated PG. 110 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
I FEEL PRETTY
In this rom-com from the writers of Never Been Kissed (1999), comic superstar Amy Schumer is Renee Bennett, a woman who feels frustrated by the fact that her body doesn’t conform to American society’s standards of beauty. When she suffers a severe head injury, she comes away with the confidence, and perhaps the delusion, that she has the face and body of a supermodel. Her newfound poise opens up doors in her career and love life that she never knew existed. Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps also star. Rated PG-13. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. 110 minutes. (Not reviewed)
ISLE OF DOGS
There’s plenty of dogs and one hell of an island in this splendid Wes Anderson animated adventure. Trash Island is a garbage dump off the coast of a Japanese city ruled by dastardly Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura), where all the dogs of the city are exiled on account of a mysterious illness. But when the mayor’s orphaned nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) crash-lands his plane on the island to rescue his canine best friend Spots (Liev Schreiber), the game’s afoot! The pack of dogs that join Atari in his quest includes Rex (Edward Norton), the leader; King (Bob Balaban), a former TV spokesdog; Boss (Bill Murray), a baseball team mascot; and Duke (Jeff Goldblum), a rumormongrel. And then there’s Chief (Bryan Cranston), a stray who’s never submitted to human ownership. The human dialogue is delivered mostly in untranslated Japanese. The language barrier emphasizes the gap between humans and dogs — barks are rendered in English. It’s all smart, funny, and full of character, and the plot, while convoluted, never ceases to engage. The visuals are extraordinary, there’s excitement, suspense, and tugs at the heartstrings, and plenty of topical relevance.
Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. In English and Japanese with occasional subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts; Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Jonathan Richards)
LEANING INTO THE WIND: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY
German director Thomas Riedelsheimer’s new documentary on environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy expands the context of his 2001 film Rivers and Tides to include more of the artist’s large-scale projects and interactions with the people he meets and works with. But whether he is crafting intricate and ephemeral works, sometimes assisted by his daughter Holly, or simply engaged in spontaneous acts of communion with nature, Goldsworthy seems most at home as a kind of solitary figure in the landscape. Riedelsheimer’s ambitious film follows Goldsworthy to Gabon, America, Brazil, Scotland, and France to capture alluring moments of beauty that honor nature while underscoring how we take our surroundings for granted. In the interim between Rivers
and Tides and Leaning Into the Wind, Goldsworthy has incorporated more of his own body into his art, creating works in a kind of impromptu performance. Riedelsheimer’s camera
captures these moments in an intuitive collaboration. Rated PG. 93 minutes. In English, Portuguese, and French with subtitles. The Screen. (Michael Abatemarco)
A QUIET PLACE
John Krasinski, best known for clowning around as Jim on The Office, directs and stars in this horror movie with his real-life wife, Emily Blunt. They play a married couple with two children who live on a farm in upstate New York. There, they are stalked by mysterious creatures that hunt by the sense of sound, forcing them to live their lives in total silence. The premise requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief — it’s hard not to think that a little soundproofing would go a long way, and no matter how fast and lethal these creatures may be, animals with five senses should theoretically have the upper hand over opponents with only one. Put that aside, however, and you’re left with a well-crafted thriller with cool creature design, superb acting, innovative use of sound and silence, and a great deal of heart. Much like his fellow TV comic Jordan Peele with last year’s Get Out, let’s hope Krasinski has found a new calling. Rated PG-13. 90 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)
RAMPAGE
In the latest conversion of a video-game property to the big screen, Hollywood turns to an unlikely source: Rampage, the 1986 game in which monsters destroy cities. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays Davis Okoye, a primatologist whose only companion is his pet gorilla. When a genetic experiment transforms this gorilla into a giant monster, Okoye must search for an antidote — not only for his pet but for the other monsters wreaking havoc on the country. Brad Peyton, who directed Johnson in San Andreas, helms this picture. Rated PG-13. 107 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
READY PLAYER ONE
Steven Spielberg tackles this adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel Ready Player One, set in a future in which people live in miserable circumstances, and find escape in a virtual-reality simulator based on nostalgia for video games and pop culture. The story centers on a young man named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) who enters the simulator to hunt for treasure left by the game’s late creator, teaming with a player named Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) to outrace an evil CEO (Ben Mendelsohn) for the elusive prize. Along the way, they encounter elements of films such as Back to the Future and The Iron Giant and solve mysteries related to iconic video games. Sharp-eyed viewers will spot everyone from Hello Kitty to Freddy Krueger, in addition to more obscure properties. But the only time the story truly engages with these references is an inventive scene using sets and moments from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining. In stuffing the screen with references, the visuals often become an ugly, muddy soup, seasoned with poorly sketched characters, a belabored climax, and stiff jokes. Spielberg seems to be attempting a statement about how we turn to pop-culture nostalgia to hide from personal unhappiness and avoid solving greater societal problems. He nearly touches on something profound, but ultimately doesn’t offer solutions beyond “Hey, unplug your devices once in a while!” Rated PG-13. 140 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)
SUPER TROOPERS 2
The 2001 movie Super Troopers, which starred the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, became a cult hit with an audience on home services that far outstripped its somewhat meager box office earnings. It was successful enough that there is demand for this sequel, in which the goofball state troopers are potentially annexed from their small town in Vermont into Canada, where they must adjust to the French-Canadian lifestyle and language. Jay Chandrasekhar returns as director and star, and many of his compatriots return to co-star. Rated R. 100 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
TRUTH OR DARE
Few producers are riding a streak as hot as Jason Blum, whose Blumhouse Productions is now a household name in horror after shepherding the Purge and Insidious franchises and enjoying three box-office hits last year with Split, Get Out, and
Happy Death Day. The latest Blumhouse picture centers on a group of teenagers who begin a harmless game of Truth or Dare. But they soon find that some kind of evil spirit oversees the game, and they’ll die if they fail to tell the truth or perform the dare. Even worse, they can’t quit, even as the game grows exponentially more dangerous. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
With its sociopathic loner, young girl in distress, shady politicians, and dirty New York City streets, You Were Never Really Here serves as a clear homage to Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Joe, a hitman of sorts who tracks down missing children and administers severe punishment on their abducters. When a senator (Alex Manette) hires him to rescue his daughter (Ekaterina Samsonov) from a child sex ring, the job goes horribly wrong in surprising ways. While the story, action, and overall tenor of the film is not for the squeamish — when Joe buys that ball-peen hammer, you know nothing good is going to happen — the violence is frequently cut away and implied more than shown. What makes it all stand apart from a generic action film, however, is the virtuoso direction of Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk About Kevin), who blends the gritty realism with splashes of vibrant, dreamlike imagery and Impressionistic motifs. Her use of music and sound remains impeccable, and she imbues the narrative with small touches — voices counting softly, camerawork that obscures the characters and thus invokes the film’s title — that all build to a masterful meditation on our times. It’s as powerful a cinematic study of depression and trauma as you’ll find. Rated R. 89 minutes. Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)