NOW PLAYING THE TOP 5
Here are the top five movies at the North American box office:
Solo: A Star Wars Story:
Director Ron Howard pilots the story of young Han (Alden Ehrenreich), Lando (Donald Glover) and Chewie (Joonas Suotamo) to a satisfactory finish, although the middle bits are the best. Emilia Clarke as Han’s sweetheart and Woody Harrelson as a rogue named Beckett join the gang.
Deadpool 2:
It’s as gruesome and violent as the first, but perhaps the biggest victim is the very concept of superhero movies — our anti-hero adores mocking the moral clarity, earnestness and predictable stunts of his distant cousins. Ryan Reynolds is once again at his nihilist best.
Avengers: Infinity War:
Tony Stark sums it up: “He’s from space. He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard.” He is Thanos, lusting after six Infinity Stones and ultimate power. A cast of good guys too numerous to list here fights him. Sacrifices aplenty, on the way to a powerful ending. ★★★1/2
Book Club:
The film explores the sexual lives and friendships of women of a certain age. However, this mostly predictable treatment is all broad strokes and Viagra jokes. Occasional amusing moments earn laughs in an otherwise unsatisfying film that cries out for wit and emotional intelligence.
Life of the Party:
It’s a gentle and harmless creation from the husbandand-wife team of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy, who achieve their aim, striking right at the heart of middling ground. The result is an inoffensive, intermittently funny and familiar tale of a mom who abandons her Bedazzler in favour of reclaiming her dazzle. ★★★1/2