The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MOVIE MINIS
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“A Bad Moms Christmas” D+ The moms of the moms from the first film come for the holidays and now there’s even more naughty mommies. The shoddily-made film seems to spring from a single inspirational scene. Starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn. Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and some drug use. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 44 minutes. “Blade of the Immortal” Review not available in time for publication. A man is cursed with immortality until he kills enough evil men and he takes a gig as a young girl’s bodyguard against a group of sword fighters who slaughtered her family. Starring Takuya Kimura and Hana Sugisaki. Directed by Takashi Miike. Rated R for bloody violence and carnage throughout. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 2 hours, 20 minutes. “Jane” A The documentary of the woman who studied chimps was made using more than 150 hours of never-bef-reseen 16 mm footage. The film has a deep sense of intimacy. Starring Jane Goodall. Directed by Bret Morgen. (Rick Bentley, Tribune News Service) Unrated. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 30 minutes. “Thor: Ragnarok” A Thor sets out to stop evil Hela from taking over the celestial realm of Asgard. There’s just the right balance of sublimely silly humor and meaty action. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Ruffalo. Directed by Taika Waititi. (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) Rated PG-13 but contains fantasy/action violence, brief sexual humor and some strong language. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 10 minutes. “Wonderstruck” B+ A deaf boy goes in search of his father in New York and his story intertwines with a deaf girl who wants to reconnect with her birth mother. The central storytelling notions are inspired and the score adds a great deal. Starring Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore and Millicent Simmonds. Directed by Todd Haynes. (Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune) Rated PG for thematic elements and smoking. At AMC Parkway Pointe, Tara Theatre and AMC North Point Mall. 1 hour, 55 minutes.
STILL SHOWING
“78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene” A
documentary examines frameby-frame the three minute shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” The interviews are knowledgeable and interesting and detail how and why Hitchcock devoted a full week to shooting that one sequence. Starring Alfred Hitchcock, Marli Renfro and Jamie Lee Curtis. Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) Unrated. At Plaza Theatre. 1 hour, 31 minutes. “Acts of Vengeance” Review not available in time for publication. A lawyer takes a vow of silence until he can find out who killed his wife and daughter and have his revenge. Starring Antonio Banderas and Cristina Serafini. Directed by Isaac Florentine. Rated R for violence and language. At AMC Sugarloaf Mills. 1 hour, 26 minutes. “All I See Is You” C+ When a woman regains her sight after being blind since she was a child, she gains confidence and her husband toes the line between loving and sinister. There are moments of the experimental and abstract and the audience can question where the story could go. Starring Blake Lively, Jason Clarke and Ahna O’Reilly. Directed by Marc Forster. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for strong sexual content/nudity, and language. At AMC Classic Mansell, AMC Conyers Crossing and AMC Southlake. 1 hour, 50 minutes. “American Assassin” D+ A young man loses everything in a terrorist attack and is sent to an unlicensed training camp where he is conditioned to become an assassin. It’s another legitimation of psychopathic men, presented as heroes doing official government work. Starring Dylan O’Brien and Michael Keaton. Directed by Michael Cuesta. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for strong violence throughout, some torture, language and brief nudity. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 51 minutes. “American Made” C+ This is the true life story of a pilot who turned his CIA gig of taking surveillance photos of Communist armies into delivering Soviet AK-47s to rebel fighters and returning with thousands of kilos of cocaine, dodging DEA and FBI planes all the way. It has some glorious moments, but doesn’t achieve internal consistency. Starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson and Sarah Wright. Directed by Doug Liman. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 55 minutes. “Annabelle: Creation” B A couple takes in six orphan girls and two of them begin to see spooky apparitions. The recipe is one we’ve seen before, but the artistry of the sinister shots are what make this movie scary. Starring Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman and Lulu Wilson. Directed by David F. Sandberg. (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) Rated R for violence and terror. At Regal Hollywood 24 and Austell Stadium. 1 hour, 49 minutes. “Battle of the Sexes” A The 1973 tennis match between 29-year-old women’s champion Billie Jean King and 55-year-old former star Bobby Riggs made headlines. Just about every aspect of this movie is pitch-perfect. Starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell and Andrea Riseborough. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. (Rafer Guzman, Newsday) Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and partial nudity. At metro theaters. 1 hours, 1 minute. “Blade Runner 2049” B+ LAPD officer K searches out illegal replicants in this return of the popular flick. The film posed the question of human or machine with urgency sense of intelligence and intimacy. Starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford and Ana De Armas. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 43 minutes. “Breathe” C This is the story of Robin Cavendish who lived with polio for 36 years and worked toward helping others with his condition. It takes an unbalanced approach, relying on a son’s memories without ever really getting into Robin’s head. Starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy and Diana Rigg. Directed by Andy Serkis. (Alan Zilberman, Washington Post) Rated PG-13 for sexual situations and bloody medical imagery. At AMC Classic Mansell and Regal Town Center. 1 hour, 57 minutes. “Despicable Me 3” C Gru and wife Lucy set out to capture the new bad guy and steal back a diamond. It’s good, but it only aspired to be good enough when it could have been great. Starring the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Trey Parker. Directed by Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin and Eric Guillon. (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) Rated PG for some mild rude humor and action. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 31 minutes. “Dina” B A couple with autism are planning a wedding, but have a few issues to resolve. The documentary is compelling and will make you wish for a fairy tale ending. Starring Dina Buno and Scott Levin. Directed by Antonio Santini and Daniel Sickles. (Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle) Unrated. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 42 minutes. “Dunkirk” A This is the tribute to the 1940 evacuation of more than 300,000 British soldiers from a French beach under heavy fire from German soldiers and planes, aided by a flotilla of small boats captained by civilians. The audience is put on the beach with these young men and everything is bigger, realer, in images that are equally breathtaking and terrifying. Starring Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy and Kenneth Branagh. Directed by Christopher Nolan. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG13 for intense war experience and some language. At Regal Hollywood 24 and Picture Show at Merchants Exchange. 1 hour, 46 minutes. “The Emoji Movie” D The “meh” emoji has a glitch and he makes his way through the phone trying to fix himself, but ends up becoming a new, more evolved emoji while trying to prevent the user from restoring the phone to factory settings. There aren’t any real jokes, but the film isn’t terrible. It’s just that there are better ways to spend your time. Starring the voices of T.J. Miller, James Corden and Anna Faris. Directed by Tony Leondis. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG for rude humor. At Austell Stadium and Picture Show at Merchants Exchange. 1 hour, 26 minutes. “Flatliners” Review not available in time for publication. In this remake, five medical students stop their heads for short periods of time to gain insight into what lies beyond life. Starring Ellen Page and Diego Luna. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Rated PG-13 for violence and terror, sexual content, language, thematic material and some drug references. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 48 minutes. “The Florida Project” C+ Six-year-old Moonee navigates life at a Florida hotel while her mother and other adults around her struggle to survive. It’s an ode to the innocence and resilience of childhood, but at time is over-directed. Starring Willem Dafoe and Brooklynn Prince. Directed by Sean Baker. (Ann Hornaday, Washington Post) Rated R for profanity throughout, disturbing behavior, sexual references and some drug material. At Lefont Sandy Springs and Tara Theatre. 1 hour, 55 minutes. “The Foreigner” C A man wants revenge for those responsible for his daughter’s death and he goes to many lengths to find out who did it. Based on a novel, “The Chinaman,” the film never digs deep enough to care about the characters or the plot twists. Starring Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan and Michael McElhatton. Directed by Martin Campbell. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for violence, language and some sexual material. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 54 minutes. “Geostorm” C+ A satellite designer hurries to avert disaster when the planet’s climate control satellites begin to malfunction. The film keeps slowing down for political moments and the writing comes across like the half-baked plot lines of a low-grade TV show. Starring Gerard Butler and Jim Sturgess. Directed by Dean Devlin. Rated PG-13 for destruction and action and violence. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 49 minutes. “Happy Death Day” B A sorority girl keeps waking up and reliving the day when she gets murdered and must figure out who her killer is to make it stop. It has its scary moments that’s also delivered with wit and wisdom. Starring Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard and Ruby Modine. Directed by Christopher Landon. (Rick Bentley, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language, partial nudity. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 33 minutes. FROM STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES “Home Again” B A woman returns to her father’s L.A. pad with her daughters to get back on her feet when her world is rocked by the arrival of three 20-something men. The sharp screenplay is modern and sly, universally relatable and poignant at times too. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Candice Bergen and Pico Alexander. Directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for some thematic and sexual material. At Regal Town Center. 1 hour, 37 minutes. “Human Flow” B The documentary is culled from 900 hours of footage of refugees from 23 countries to depict the global refugee crisis. It’s a heartbreaking film that will make the audience think about humanity. Directed by Ai Weiwei. (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) Rated PG-13 for disturbing images and themes. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 2 hours, 25 minutes. “It” B Children begin to disappear in the small town of Derry and a group of teens face off against Pennywise, the creepy clown killer. Based on Stephen King’s novel, the film works not because of its supernatural scares, but because of the characters at the center of its tale. Starring Sophia Lillis, Bill Skarsgård and Finn Wolfhard. Directed by Andy Muschietti. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for violence/horror, bloody images, and for language. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 15 minutes. “Jigsaw” Review not available in time for publication. Police chase the ghost of a man dead for more than a decade and wonder whether he’s back or if it’s a trap set by a killer with an idea of their own. Starring Matt Passmore and Callum Keith Rennie. Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and for language. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 31 minutes. “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” B A doctor takes a boy under his wing before discovering his real intention will end in a horrific conclusion. It is strange and wonderful and profoundly disturbing. Starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual material, some graphic nudity and coarse language. At AMC Phipps Plaza and Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 56 minutes. “Loving Vincent” B+ A man is delivering a letter from Vincent van Gogh to his brother and the more he learns, the more he begins to question the reports that van Gogh committed suicide. The director used a selection of van Gogh paintings as the basis of the visuals for the production and created a world of animated van Gogh paintings. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Douglas Booth and Chris O’Dowd. Directed by Dorota Kobiela. (Rick Bentley, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for mature themes, violence, sexual material, smoking. At Tara Theatre. 1 hour, 35 minutes. “Marshall” B The fact-based drama looks at the early career of the late Supreme Court justice, when he was assigned a case of a black chauffeur accused of sexual assault against his employer’s wife. Despite simplistic moments and needless disgressions, the film still makes for an engaging legal drama. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Sterling K. Brown and Josh Gad. Directed by Reginald Hudlin. (Alan Zilberman, Washington Post) Rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, sexual situations and rape. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 58 minutes. “The Mountain Between Us” C+ A man and a woman get stranded on a snowy mountain after a plane crash, with little food and no cell reception. The two leads are so likable and charismatic together, they just about sell it. Starring Kate Winslet, Idris Elba and Dermot Mulroney. Directed by Hany Abu-Assad. (Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times) Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality, peril, injury images and brief strong language. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 49 minutes. “My Little Pony: The Movie” D+ The ponies want to throw a festival, but their happy kingdom is invaded by the Storm King. It feels like four episodes of a cartoon strung together and there are times where it truly drags. Starring the voices of Tara Stong, Liev Schreiber and Emily Blunt. Directed by Jayson Thiessen. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG for mild action. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 39 minutes. “Suburbicon” D A woman is murdered in a home invasion and after her sister moves in, things spiral out of control with the dead woman’s husband. It is woefully underwritten and has some continuity errors. Starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Noah Jupe. Directed by George Clooney. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 44 minutes. “Thank You For Your Service” C+ A man returns from the war in 2007 and struggles to survive the devastation of PTSD while getting back in touch with his family. It has some inconsistencies, but it’s a harrowing veteran experience. Starring Miles Teller, Beulah Koale and Haley Bennett. Directed by Jason Hall. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for strong violent content, language throughout, some sexuality, drug material and brief nudity. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 48 minutes. PARENTS GUIDE This film has some mature themes but a strong message about taking care of our soldiers. Appropriate for mature teens. “Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” Review not available in time for publication. Madea and the gang venture to a haunted campground where they must run from monsters, goblins and the bogeyman. Starring Tyler Perry and Cassi Davis. Rated PG-13 for sexual references, drug content, language and some horror images. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 41 minutes.