.Movie Reviews

Sept. 12-18, 2018

 

Alpha (1:37) A young Ice Age–era hunter befriends and tames a lone wolf, kicking off several millennia of boy-and-his-dog stories.

An American in Paris: The Musical (2:20) Direct from London’s West End it’s the Tony-winning stage production of the beloved Gene Kelly movie musical; the Gershwin boys provide the tunes.

BlacKkKlansman (2:15) Rollicking Spike Lee comedy tells the true story of a black Colorado cop who infiltrated the local chapter of the KKK; Topher Grace co-stars as David Duke.      

The Bookshop (1:53) Award-winning tale of a free-spirited widow who opens a bookstore in a coastal English village; Emily Mortimer stars

The Cakemaker (1:45) Acclaimed drama about the complex relationship between an Israeli widow and the German baker still yearning for her dead husband.

Crazy Rich Asians (2:00) A provincial New Yorker heads to Shanghai with her boyfriend only to discover that the guy’s one of China’s wealthiest and most eligible bachelors.

The Dawn Wall (1:40) Nail-biting CGI-free documentary account of two rock climber’s improbable attempt to scale Yosemite’s sheerly vertical 3,000-foot rock face.

Eighth Grade (1:34) Coming-of-age comedy focuses on a supposedly unremarkable 13-year-old girl as she navigates the fraught final week of middle school.

Elaine Stritch at Liberty (1:30) Acclaimed one-woman show features the Broadway legend exploring her life and career through words and music.

Fahrenheit 11/9 (1:13) Rambunctious Michael Moore documentary about the absolutely imperative necessity to get politically involved and the strange new world we awoke to on Nov. 9, 2016.

Florence and the Uffizi Gallery (1:40) Take a cinematic stroll through the onetime cradle of the Italian Renaissance and its masterpiece-packed jewel, the Uffizi Gallery.

For the Sake of the Children (1:00) Documentary explores the legacy of the WWII Japanese-American incarceration camps through stories of the mothers who raised their children there.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (1:05) All heck breaks loose when the new kid in town accidentally awakens the dead as well as co-stars Jack Black and Cate Blanchett.

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (1:35) Unconventional documentary mines archival footage of the notorious tennis star’s 1984 French Open triumph for insights into physicality, movement and the art of the movies.

Juliet, Naked (1:38) The Nick Hornby novel hits the big screen with Ethan Hawke as a reclusive rocker, Chris O’Dowd as his No. 1 fan and Rose Byrne as his long-suffering girlfriend.

Jurassic Park (2:06) Spielberg phantasmagoria about a tropical-island amusement park with rampaging DNA-cloned dinosaurs; Richard Attenborough stars.

McQueen (1:51) Striking documentary portrait of Alexander McQueen, the tortured, controversial fashion designer who took his own life at age 40.

The Meg (1:54) This time Jason Statham takes on a prehistoric 75-foot shark that’s holding a crew of oceanographers hostage!

The Nun (1:36) Two Vatican agents take on an evil force inhabiting a cloistered abbey in ever-spooky Romania.

Operation Finale (1:49) Historical thriller about the Israeli Secret Service plot to abduct Adolf Eichmann from Argentina to stand trial for Nazi war crimes; Ben Kingsley stars.

Peppermint (2:00) Death Wish redux as Jennifer Garner transforms herself into a lean, mean vigilante machine to avenge the murders of her husband and daughter.

Pick of the Litter (1:21) Inspiring documentary follows a litter of puppies on their two-year odyssey to become guide dogs for the blind.

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (1:36) Wim Wenders’ affectionate portrait of the plain-spoken pontiff highlights his concerns about wealth inequality, environmental issues and social justice.

The Predator (1:41) Those intergalactic bounty hunters are back, bigger, badder and more genetically enhanced than ever; thank goodness there’s a ragtag group of Earthlings to take them on!

Puzzle (1:43) Kelly Macdonald delivers a career-defining performance as a meek forty-something whose life is turned upside down by the beauty of jigsaw puzzles.

Searching (1:41) Twenty-first century century thriller stars John Cho as a distraught dad who tries to track down his missing daughter through the cookie-crumb clues on her laptop.

Shattered Families (1:00) Hard-hitting documentary looks at the tragedy of the mentally ill and homeless living on the streets, how it happened and what we can do about it.

A Simple Favor (1:56) Twisty postmodern noir stars Anna Kendrick as a suburban mom searching for her mysteriously missing BFF (Blake Lively).

Sons of the Desert (1:25) Laurel & Hardy classic finds the boys doing their imbecilic best to attend a lodge meeting without letting their wives know about it.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption (1:38) A tormented WWII hero and his loving wife embrace evangelicalism to heal their marriage.

White Boy Rick (1:51) True story of a Detroit police snitch-cum-drug dealer who was abandoned by the system to a life in prison.

The Wife (1:40) An old married couple look back on their eventful life as they travel to Stockholm to pick up hubby’s Nobel Prize; Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce star.

Ya Veremos (1:30) A young boy on the verge of losing his eyesight is granted his one wish: to see the world with his estranged parents along for the ride.

 

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