The Mercury (Pottstown, PA)

‘Call Me By Your Name’ a magical summer romance

- By Amy Longsdorf For Digital First Media

Swooningly romantic, the gorgeous love story “Call Me By Your Name” tracks the comingof-age of a 17-year-old teenager (Timothée Chalamet) who, over the course of a season in Northern Italy, falls hard for his father’s research assistant (Armie Hammer).

Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino lingers over every detail of the pair’s magical summer romance, from Hammer’s orange swim trunks to bike rides by a crystal clear ocean. Boasting vivid performanc­es, intimate interludes and haunting songs by Sufjan Stevens, “Call Me By Your Name” is occasional­ly so sad it makes your heart burst. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. humane as it zeroes in on Wiseau and his Hollywood dreams. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. I, Tonya: The brilliance of Craig Gillespie’s darkly comic biopic about disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding is how it juggles the conflictin­g pointsof-view of a handful of people, including Harding (Margot Robbie), her flaky husband (Sebastian Stan) and her crazy mother (Oscar-winning Allison Janney). “I, Tonya” winds up being sympatheti­c to the hard-working Harding, who seemingly had little to do with the assault on rival Nancy Kerrigan but paid dearly for it nonetheles­s. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Scorched Earth: “Sliding Doors” director Peter Howitt might seem like an unlikely figure to helm an action movie that resembles a cross between a John Wayne western and an episode of “The Walking Dead.” But Howitt conjures up a ridiculous­ly entertaini­ng post-apocalypti­c thriller that pits a bounty hunter (Gina Carano) against a power-hungry outlaw (Ryan Robbins.) The plot, which finds Carano going undercover to get close to Jackson, is nothing special, but Howitt understand­s the appeal of the badass Carano as she rides into town bearing a Stetson and a bad attitude. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Con Man: Here’s a movie with a production history nearly as interestin­g as the film itself. It’s the basedon-a-true-story saga of Barry Minkow, a con artist who, under the guise of running a carpet cleaning business, perpetrate­d one of the biggest accounting frauds in U.S. history. After serving time in prison, he became a preacher and helped raise funds for this biopic, which features him playing the middle-aged version of himself (Justin Baldoni plays the young Minkow). But before the movie could be released, Minkow wound up pleading guilty to scamming parishione­rs in his church. “Con Man” is a bit of a mess but it’s a fascinatin­g mess, that’s for sure. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Night of the Living Dead: Even if you already own a copy of George Romero’s zombie classic, you have to check out Criterion’s edition, which thanks to a 4K spit and polish job, outdistanc­es every other version. The action pivots on a gang of survivors (Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones) who take refuge at what seems to be an abandoned farm house. A precursor to every single zombie film that’s come in its gore-splattered path, “Night” still ranks as one of the scariest movies of all time. On FilmStruck. com. Major Crimes - The Sixth And Final Season: One of the most intriguing aspects of this superb show, headed by Mary McConnell as Commander Sharon Raydor, is how efficientl­y it demonstrat­es the ways that crime-solving in a big city like Los Angeles can quickly become mired in complex political issues. Also on tap: the return of serial killer Phillip Stroh (Billy Burke), who haunts Raydor just as he haunted her predecesso­r (Kyra Sedgwick). On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu.

For The Kids

Lego Star Wars - The Freemaker Adventures: Can the Freemaker Family save the galaxy? They certainly give it their best effort in the latest 12 episodes of the series about Rowan, Kordi and Zander’s efforts to work with the Rebels to bring down the Empire. Get ready for brutal Imperial forces, desperate Hutts and conniving Sith Lords. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu. Benji: In this remake of the beloved kiddie classic from the 1970s, a determined dog comes to the rescue after a young boy and his sister stumble into some serious danger. In the end, the lovable mutt winds up helping to heal a broken family. It’s directed by Brandon Camp whose dad Joe helmed the original “Benji.” On Netflix.

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COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINM­ENT
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