Chile Pages
ANTMAN AND THE WASP
With the heavy events at the end of Avengers: Infinity War still fresh in audiences’ minds, Marvel Studios offers a palate cleanser by taking the scale of its stories from the cosmic down to the microcosmic. This sequel to the 2015 film Ant-Man once more stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, the thief-turned-hero Ant-Man, who is grappling with fatherhood. He partners with the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to battle a new threat named Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). Michael Douglas returns as Hank Pym, the man who wore the Ant-Man helmet some decades back; he’s joined here by Michelle Pfeiffer as the former Wasp. Screens in 3D and 2D at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
DAMSEL
This revisionist Western strains to be hip and postmodern, with intermittent and dwindling success. Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson) arrives in a dusty, flyspecked frontier town on a quest to find and rescue the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska), whom he believes has been kidnapped. The strengths of this tale — written, directed, and co-starring the Zellner Brothers (David and Nathan) — are its unexpected plot twists, some classic Western cinematography from Adam Stone, and a miniature palomino named Buttercup. The script revels in knowing anachronisms and sudden violence. Wasikowska is tough as the title damsel, and David Zellner is winsome as a faux priest, but Pattinson wears thin as the semi-naïf romantic hero of the plains. Rated R. 113 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Jonathan Richards)
JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC
This rock opera based on a play is riveting, surprising, enchanting, and more than a little absurdist in its approach. Our eight-year-old future martyr (Lise Leplat Prudhomme) is a shepherdess and God-fearing Christian who longs for peace between England and France. She has a friend who fears for her sad soul, an uncle who raps awkwardly, and a nun mentor who appears as two women who headbang to heavy metal — and the entire thing is set outdoors in the gorgeous French countryside. An odd and not-to-be missed art film about religious mystery. Not rated. 105 minutes. In French with subtitles. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Jennifer Levin)
SUMMER 1993
Not rated. 96 minutes. In Spanish with subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts. See review, Page 52.
TEMPESTAD
This documentary by Mexican-Salvadoran director Tatiana Huezo tells the stories of two women who come up against the corrupt legal and political systems in Mexico. Miriam is a mother who is taken from Cancún, brought to Mexico City, and wrongfully accused of organized crime and human trafficking. She has no recourse for justice, her arrest is seen as a victory for the authorities, and she is sent to a private prison in Matamoros. Adela, the other woman, works as a clown in the circus. Her twenty-year-old daughter was kidnapped — she suspects by sons of corrupt cops. She, too, has no resources for assistance and receives threats when she pushes for an investigation. Screens 2 p.m. Sunday, July 8, and Thursday, July 12. Featuring a discussion with members of The Santa Fe Dreamers Project. Not rated. 105 minutes. In Spanish with subtitles. Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
WHITNEY
This documentary tells the story of Whitney Houston, the immensely talented singer who dominated the pop charts in the 1980s, ‘90s, and early 2000s. Through interviews with people who were close to her — including her family members; producer L.A. Reid; Clive Davis, the music industry executive who “discovered” her; and Bobby Brown, the bad-boy singer with whom she shared a tumultuous marriage — the film details her rise to fame and the drug addiction and demons that tormented her, leading to her death at age forty-eight in 2012. Rated R. 120 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
WONDERS ARE MANY: THE MAKING OF DOCTOR ATOMIC
Screens 5 p.m. Thursday, July 12, only, with director Jon H. Else and librettist Peter Sellars in attendance. 92 minutes. Not rated. Center for Contemporary Arts. See review, Page 54.