San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
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Abominable So much of this new film, from DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studios, feels like it was designed by focus groups. There’s a Yeti that belches a lot, evil scientists, plucky kids and animals that look as if they were conjured up by toy merchandising executives. But there are a lot of welcome subtleties from writerdirector Jill Culton, a former Pixar artist whose career goes back to the first “Toy Story.” “Abominable” features one of the most nuanced and likable young heroines in recent animated feature history. And for a film that often seems to be working off a checklist, it ends up being a memorable time at the movies. (PG. 100 minutes.) — P. Hartlaub Ad Astra Fantastically conceived, brooding sciencefiction film has Brad Pitt heading to the far side of Venus, where his father (Tommy Lee Jones) is suspected of causing atmospheric problems Earth. Director James Gray, one of the best American directors working today, brings a distinct vision and a “Solaris” vibe, but the ending falls flat. PG-13. 122 minutes.
— G.A. Johnson The Addams Family What’s surprising is how low-energy this latest iteration of the famed kooky and spooky family is. But what really sinks the animated film is the nitwit plot, which goes something like this: The Addams family has recently occupied an abandoned spooky mansion that sits on a hill overlooking the town of Assimilation, which is the home base for a national reality home makeover television series in which a caricatured Stepford wife turns every into a bland, ordinary house. Rated PG. 87 minutes.— G.A. Johnson Black and Blue Naomie Harris (Moneypenny in the Bond films) is an ex-soldier and rookie New Orleans cop who is caught in a war zone between bad cops and bad drug dealers who want her dead after she witnesses — and films — an execution. No awardwinner, but a tension-filled piece of genre filmmaking that’s irresistible. R. 108 minutes.
— G.A. Johnson
The Current War: Director’s Cut This is the director’s cut of a film that was completed two years ago but never really released, a compelling and beautifully filmed story of the rivalry between George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) and Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose different plans for electric generation competed for contracts in the late 19th century. Shannon as Westinghouse is a particular standout. PG-13. 107 minutes. Dolemite Is My Name Craig Brewer directs this story of 1970s blaxploitation actorcomedian Rudy Ray Moore, with Eddie Murphy well-cast in the lead role. Though the movie is overlong and occasionally too slow, it marks a return to form for Murphy, who has been missed during his absence from the screen. R. 117 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
— M. LaSalle
Downton Abbey Having allowed most of his characters hard-won happy endings when the beloved PBS series ended, series creator (now screenwriter) Julian Fellowes mostly lets them stay happy during this movie adaptation, in which everyone is occupied by an impending royal visit. Although the lightweight approach does not quite work, it is nice to see these characters, and Downton Abbey, again. PG. 122 minutes.
— C. Meyer
Gemini Man Despite remarkable technology (Will Smith stars opposite a CGI version of his younger self), this latest from director Ang Lee fails to capitalize on the possibilities of its set-up, in which a cloned (younger) version of an assassin is trying to kill his older prototype. Just a lot of scenes of the two Smiths shooting at each other, and missing. PG-13. 117 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Joker Though cynically made and not exactly what the country needs right now, this is a strong film that provides a funhouse mirror image of our times and features Joaquin Phoenix in the most scary portrayal of a violent maniac in decades. R. 121 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Jojo Rabbit Taika Waititi wrote and directed this brilliant, offbeat satire, about a boy in the Hitler Youth who discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is harboring a Jewish girl behind the walls of their house. Waititi plays the boy’s imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. PG-13. 108 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Judy A great movie was within reach with “Judy” — the new Judy Garland biopic starring Renee Zellweger — but the producers and creators made an epic mistake: They didn’t use Garland’s actual vocals. Instead, they let Zellweger pinch-hit for Babe Ruth and ended up spoiling the movie. Otherwise, Zellweger is terrific. PG-13. 118 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Kill Team Deeply uncomfortable at times, this feature from Oakland filmmaker Dan Krauss is a necessary story to experience. It focuses on the moral drama of a soldier who doesn’t agree with his platoon leader’s murderous actions. Krauss adapted it from his previous documentary of the same name. R. 87 minutes.
— Z. Hasan
The Lighthouse Despite firstrate production values and arresting compositions, this two-person psychological thriller about two men clashing in a lighthouse is overlong and under-plotted, with just enough story to fill a 25minute “Twilight Zone” episode, not a feature movie. R. 109 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice When Ronstadt announced in 2013 that Parkinson’s disease had robbed her of the ability to sing, even in the shower, a nation of music fans grieved the loss. The irony of such a beautiful voice being stilled floats over the entire 90 minutes of this new documentary, where none of the procession of associates and other commentators make the case for her greatness better than Ronstadt herself, captured in vintage clip after vintage clip, singing the hell out of everything she does. PG-13. 95 minutes. — J. Selvin Maleficent: Mistress of Evil This second installment in the series finds the world of the woods at war with the world of humans, in an unpleasant children’s film that wracks up a wicked death count among fairies and woods creatures. Angelina Jolie, as the title character, has little to do, but Michelle Pfeiffer, as the queen, is the best thing in an otherwise disappointing feature. PG. 118 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Official Secrets Keira Knightley is superb as British intelligence agent Katharine Gun, who blew the whistle on an American plot to coerce members of the UN Security Council in the runup to the 2003 Iraq War. The movie deals with her decision and how this led to her arrest for violation of Britain’s Official Secrets act. It’s a tight, intelligent drama from director Gavin Hood (“Eye in the Sky”). R. 112 minutes. — M. LaSalle Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Quentin Tarantino’s latest film is his freest, most discursive and warmest to date, the story of a fading Western star and his best friend/stuntman over the course of several days in 1969 — days that coincide with the Manson family’s height. Everyone’s terrific — Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. It’s a loving look back on a lost time. R. 161 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Pain and Glory Pedro Almodóvar’s latest is the story of a film director, plagued by physical ailments, who encounters his past, when he is asked to introduce an old film of his at a prestigious screening. This is Almodóvar at his best, featuring a performance of great sweetness and sensitivity from Antonio Banderas. In Spanish with English subtitles. R. 113 minutes. — M. LaSalle Parasite South Korean film about a poor family of four that gradually takes over the lives of a rich family of four is master director Bong Joon-ho’s greatest film yet, and one of the best of 2019. The Cannes award-winning film is at once a black comedy, social drama and horror film that highlights class disparity and the wealth gap in a bold, original way. R. 132 minutes. — G.A. Johnson