Movies in Brief »
■ The following capsule reviews of recent releases, long runs and revivals come from various wire services, as noted:
RATINGS: G — Suitable for all ages. PG — Parental guidance recommended. PG-13 — Parental guidance strongly suggested. R — Restricted; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by adult.
NC-17 — No children under 17. ★★★★ Excellent ★★★ Good
★★ Fair ★ Poor
Blackkklansman
Drama. In Spike Lee’s latest based-onfact joint, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, Denzel’s son), an Africanamerican police officer from Colorado, successfully managed to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan and became the head of the local chapter. “Blackkklansman,” though set in the 1970s, is very much about the times we’re living in, about racism in America and the shocking resiliency of hate. It’s one of Lee’s best, and it brings out his array of gifts — his political passion, his absurd sense of humor and his almost uncanny social intuition. (R for language throughout, including racist epithets, disturbing/ violent material and some sexual references) (Mick Lasalle, Hearst Newspapers)
The Bookshop
Drama. In a small English town in 1959, Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop. (PG for some thematic elements, language, and brief smoking)
Crazy Rich Asians
Comedy. This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family. Featuring an allasian leading cast, “Crazy Rich Asians” was destined to be a phenomenon even before the film reached theaters. And yet the solid movie stands on its own, separate from the growing hype. Director John M. Chu, who had shown flashes of promise in previous films, guides an excellent cast through some turbulent storytelling, then finishes strong with a satisfying emotional climax. (PG-13 for some suggestive content and language)
(Peter Hartlaub, Hearst Newspapers)
Juliet, Naked
Comedy. The story of Annie (Rose Byrne), the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan (Chris O’dowd), and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession. “Juliet, Naked” is based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, and it’s very like a Hornby novel in that its irresistible and appealing and full of tenderness and idiosyncrasy, and yet when you try to tell people what was so great about it, you can’t do it justice. It’s just people acting like people. There’s just something special here. (R for language) ★★★ (M.L.)
Mandy
Thriller. A broken and haunted man (Nicolas Cage) hunts an unhinged religious sect who slaughtered the love of his life in this violent, bloody and acclaimed thriller. (NR)
The Meg
Action. After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot prehistoric shark, a man (Jason Statham) must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible. A tired, inert sci-fi thriller featuring a succession of escalating action sequences that all, somehow, fail to ignite. (PG-13 for action/peril, bloody images and some language) ★ 1⁄2 (M.L.)
Mission: Impossible — Fallout
Action. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong. Returnees include Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Alec Baldwin. Newcomers are Henry Cavill and Angela Bassett. “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” starts out strong and gets better and better. It’s just terrific. (PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence throughout) ★★★★ (M.L.)
The Nun
Horror. A priest (Demián Bichir) with a haunted past and a novice (Taissa Farmiga) on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun. “The Nun,” in which some unlikely demon chasers visit the convent of hell and battle a very nasty nun, is a movie that unearths a lot of horror tropes from the crypt. It’s an impressively shot film, with the requisite special effects, but its scares are too predictable to put most people on the edge of their seats. Perhaps the biggest disappointment to fans of the “Conjuring” series will be that “The Nun” lacks a consistent story logic. “The Nun” is certainly not a terrible horror movie — the production values are stellar, and there is a decent backstory about the abbey. But the film won’t be remembered as one of the top entries in the expanding canon of the Conjuring Universe. (R for terror, violence, and disturbing/bloody images) ★★ (David Lewis, Hearst Newspapers)
Operation Finale
Drama. A team of secret agents sets out to track down the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust. With Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Haley Lu Richardson and Melanie Laurent. (PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and related violent images, and for some language)
Peppermint
Thriller. A revenge story centering on a young mother (Jennifer Garner) who finds herself with nothing to lose, and is now going to take from her enemies the very life they stole from her. How to revive a movie star’s flagging career? Take up guns, obviously. But while it’s fun to watch Garner return to her action roots, the brute force haymaker that is “Peppermint” is a far cry from the sophisticated thrills of “Alias.” Just because the vigilante happens to be America’s PTA mom, Garner doesn’t make the wanton displays of unchecked violence any less icky. (R for strong violence and language throughout) ★ 1⁄2 (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
The Predator
Action. When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe’s most lethal hunters’ return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race. Shane Black’s franchise comeback “The Predator” seems to take place in the middle of a “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” group therapy meeting. It’s scattered and messy and startling and electric and fun. A series is resurrected, by intentionally flying off the rails. Black chooses interesting and unexpected turns over story coherence and pacing — a filmmaking approach that has led to interesting messes from the director. This movie feels like it was put in a blender, taking confusing detours, then ending like an unfinished symphony (R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, and crude sexual references) ★★★ (P.H.)
Searching
Drama. After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father (John Cho) breaks into her laptop and combs through her social media life to look for clues to find her; it all plays out on multiple screens. “Searching,” like its defining conceit, is both suggestive and self-limiting. The movie might work better if the psychological puzzle tucked inside it were more engaging or surprising. But as the the pieces fall into place, in a clunky resolution, the story turns as flat as the screens that contain it. Director Aneesh Chaganty, who cut his teeth directing Google commercials, is at his best capturing the paradoxical fusion of intimacy and abstraction of Internet experience. It’s when “Searching” works the whodunnit vein that it falters. (PG-13 for thematic content, some drug nd sexual references, and for language) ★★ (Steven Winn, Hearst Newspapers)
A Simple Favor
Drama. Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy blogger, seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily’s (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. Comedy director Paul Feig tries a thriller on for size with the juicy “A Simple Favor,” a suburban Connecticut murder mystery that’s “Gone Girl” meets “The Stepford Wives.” Based on the novel by Darcey Bell, the consciously campy “A Simple Favor” is as bright and bracing as an ice cold gin martini with a lemon twist, and just as satisfying. The film wouldn’t work without the one-two punch of Kendrick and Lively, stepping into roles that play on their personas, while allowing them to color outside the lines. It twists and turns like a flag whipping in the wind, and by the end, it teeters on the brink of total incomprehensibility while plunging into full ridiculousness. But that’s exactly what you want for this brand of soapy, stylized and sexy female-driven thriller. (R for sexual content and language throughout, some graphic nude images, drug use and violence) ★★★ (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
Unbroken: Path to Redemption
Drama. Again based on Laura Hillenbrand’s book “Unbroken,” this sequel to the Angelina Jolie-directed 2014 film shares the next chapter of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini’s true story. “Didn’t we already get an ‘Unbroken’ movie?” you might ask. Is it even possible to have a sequel to a biopic? Faith-based film production company Pureflix thinks so. There’s not all too much story to fill in the gaps left untold by Jolie’s film, but “Path to Redemption” zeroes in on Louis’ struggles to adapt back to life, The journey from rock bottom to seeing the light is one we’ve seen before, and “Path to Redemption” doesn’t break the mold, relying on melodrama and stereotypes to get us where we’re going. (PG-13 for thematic content and related disturbing images) ★★ (K.W.)
We the Animals
Drama. Three boys tear through their childhood, in the midst of their young parents’ volatile love that makes and unmakes the family many times over. Adapted from Justin Torres’ acclaimed debut novel from 2011, Jeremiah Zagar’s bravado direction, with a visual style by cinematographer Zak Mulligan, is lyrical and poetic. This fearless and uncompromising movie is one of the best of the film year so far. (R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some underage drug and alcohol use) ★★★★ (G. Allen Johnson, Hearst Newspapers)
White Boy Rick
Drama. The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison. Stars Matthew Mcconaughey and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Even in the well-trod genre that is the ‘80s drug movie, the true life story of teen drug kingpin Ricky Wershe Jr., aka White Boy Rick, stands out. Director Yann Demange’s balances these details, both outlandish and intimate, carefully. He crafts an intoxicating world of ‘80s Detroit, at once a ghost town and a vibrant scene all its own, and it’s clear why Rick wants in. For the film adaptation, Demange conducted a search for a non-professional actor to embody the young, streetwise Rick and discovered the remarkable 15-year-old Richie Merritt from Baltimore to star, his first acting role ever. “White Boy Rick” finds the best version of itself in its familial moments. This film doesn’t hit hard enough as a drug-dusted fairy tale or a gritty criminal justice system indictment. But as a portrait of a family coming together and falling apart while beset by outside forces too strong to combat, it’s tender and tragic among the glitz and the grime. (R for language throughout, drug content, violence, some sexual references, and brief nudity) ★★★ (K.W.)
The Wife
Drama. A wife (an already-praised Glenn Close) questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband (Jonathan Pryce), where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. A fine, carefully modulated performance by Glenn Close is the highlight of this otherwise flawed drama, based on the novel by Meg Wolitzer. Some subplots get in the way, and filmmaking is pretty heavy-handed. It would be wrong to say Close’s performance in “The Wife” is wasted, but it certainly deserves a better movie. Though it really wouldn’t work, it’s tempting to want to take the editing scissors to much of the movie so that we could simply relish what is Close’s best work in a long time. (R for language and some sexual content) ★★ (Walter Addiego, Hearst Newspapers)