Pooh and pals reunite
Also, the doc ‘Far From the Tree’ is a riveting look at family differences
A powerful documentary based on a stirring bestseller about compassion and families and a new visit from Pooh and his chums are among your best movie bets this weekend.
In Disney’s “Christopher Robin,” one of literature’s most beloved group of characters ventures out of the Hundred Acre Wood to help a grown-up Christopher (Ewan McGregor) get his mojo back. The live-action/CGI addendum to A.A. Milne’s classics looks like it might be a charmer. I certainly won’t be a silly old bear and miss out.
At the metroplex
Two other films are receiving wide releases.
“The Spy Who Dumped Me” is a comedy with the always game Mila Kunis hamming it up as a jilted ex who sets out on a mission impossible with her pal (the hilarious Kate McKinnon) when she discovers her former beau is a spy. Fans of “Spy” with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham might be poised to rejoice, but early notices haven’t been too favorable.
Things look so much more grim in the futuristic “The Darkest Minds.” Based on a young adult novel, “Minds” looks like it feeds on our present-day fears of a militarized government, as a rogue band of teens with superhero-like abilities get pursued. The up-and-coming Harris Dickinson stars and the trailer gives off a “Hunger Games”-“X-Men” vibe.
Indies of the week
On the independent film scene, there are a number of finds.
Topping my list is “Far From the Tree,” a beautiful, moving adaptation of writer-journalist Andrew Solomon’s intimate bestseller. Filmmaker Rachel Dretzin focuses on a handful of the familial stories in Solomon’s nonfiction prize winner, which chronicled relationships between parents and children who are different from each other. A segment on a family coping with a son/brother who is a convicted killer is riveting.
For those of us who swooned over the documentary “McQueen” (I sure did), put on your Sunday best for “Love, Cecil.” Exquisitely narrated by Rupert Everett, it immerses us in the life and career of the sometimes vexing, always fascinating Cecil Beaton, a man who wore many hats: painter, costume and production designer and so on. The gossipy glimpse into his crafty work on “My Fair Lady” is a high point.
In “Puzzle,” Kelly Macdonald reminds us, yet
again, that she’s a woefully underrecognized actress. She nails the part of a sheltered Midwest woman who acquiesces to the demands of her family while sacrificing her joy and identity. That all changes when she discovers she has a knack for jigsaw puzzles and then teams up with a partner (Irrfan Khan). It’s a quiet tale that ultimately resonates loudly.
In the hypnotically photographed “The Third Murder,” a seemingly open-and-shut trial turns out to be anything but for a charismatic lawyer (Masaharu Fukuyama) representing a client (Koji Hashimoto) who plans to plead guilty. It’s the epitome of a slow burner with some stylized cinematic flourishes, particularly near the end.
If you prefer fantasy with strong production values, don’t miss “Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days,” a follow-up to “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds.” It opened Wednesday and maintains the intrigue and action that helped turn the first outing into a blockbuster hit in South Korea.