‘Party,’ ‘Isle of Dogs,’ ‘Tully’ out this week
“Life of the Party”
(Comedy, PG-13, 105 m., 2018). Absolutely zero new ground is broken in the story of a mom (Melissa McCarthy) joining her daughter at college that owes a debt to “Back to School” (1986). And yet I give “Life of the Party” a solid B on the strength of at least a half-dozen laugh-out-loud moments, some truly sharp dialogue, a tremendously likable cast, and the sheer force of its cheerful goofiness. Rating: Three stars.
“Tully”
(Comedy drama, R, 94 m., 2018). Charlize Theron reteams with the director and writer of “Young Adult” to play a harried mom who gets a hand from a New Agey “night nanny.” It’s a crackling good domestic comedy/drama with smart, often hilariously spot-on dialogue, expertly crafted performances, and some unexpected detours. Rating: Three and a half stars.
“Ready Player One”
(Sci-fi adventure, PG-13, 140 m., 2018). In a dystopian future, everyone spends as much time as they can in a virtual-reality universe where events can have lasting and serious real-world consequences. Adapting Ernest Cline’s scifi novel, Steven Spielberg has created an eye-popping, mind-blowing, candycolored, fantastically entertaining (albeit slightly exhausting) virtual-reality fantasy adventure. Rating: Three and a half stars.
“I Feel Pretty”
(Comedy, PG-13, 107 m., 2018). A blow to the head deludes a cosmetics company staffer (Amy Schumer) into thinking she’s supermodel beautiful, enhancing her confidence. Schumer is clearly in her comfort zone and she eventually wins us over in this uneven, hit-and-miss, broad comedy, but here’s hoping the next time around, she tries something new. Rating: Three stars.
“Super Troopers 2”
(Comedy, R, 100 m., 2018). In this sequel, 17 years after the original, the hapless lawmen patrol a piece of Quebec newly transferred to America. While there’s something kind of endearing about the disjointed chaos behind the comedy, there are simply too many dead spots and cheap jokes and flat gags to carry a full-length feature. Rating: Two stars.
“Isle Of Dogs”
(Animated adventure, PG-13, 94 m., 2018). In a work of stunning stop-motion animation, a boy tries to rescue his pet from an island of garbage where a Japanese mayor has quarantined all dogs. It’s smart and different and sometimes deliberately odd and really funny -- rarely in a laugh-out-loud way, more in a smile-and-nod-I-get-the-joke kind of way. In other words, it’s a Wes Anderson movie. Rating: Three and a half stars.
“Rampage”
(Sci-fi action, PG-13, 107 m., 2018). In this really loud, extremely dumb and consistently predictable CGI showcase, an evil corporation loses its samples of an experimental growth and aggression serum. It’s extremely bad luck for America that these samples are discovered by a wolf, a crocodile and a silverback gorilla whose human buddy is played by Dwayne Johnson. Rating: One and a half stars.
“A Quiet Place”
(Horror, PG-13, 90 m., 2018). John Krasinski is the director, co-writer and co-star (with his wife, Emily Blunt) of this neatly spun and well-crafted thriller about a family that must maintain complete silence to avoid stirring deadly monsters. That’s a pretty nifty setup to keep the tension going from moment to moment. Rating: Three stars.
A crackling good domestic comedy/ drama with smart, often hilariously spoton dialogue.”
Richard Roeper,
on “Tully,” now out on DVD