GUESS THE QUOTE
"Another diamond..."
Don't miss the trailer for Uncut Gems. It looks fantastic.
Cutoff? Go here, click "most recent edition."
ABOMINABLE
AKA
" a stick of dynamite in a piece of curved dinnerware* "
PG / 1 hr 37 mins
Comedy-Adventure-Family-Animated /
DreamWorks (Universal)
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: Animated DreamWorks movie where a young girl finds a (magical) yeti in urban China, and helps him return home to his family - learning a few lessons along the way (cuz duh).
Lots of people think animated movies are "just for kids." But come on, who doesn't want to see a magical yeti help a young girl deal with grief and find her "voice," as she and her comrades help the snowbound creature dodge evil scientists and boulder sized blueberries?
Ok, fine that does sound pretty kiddie; although, remember you just binged the shit out of a show where a group of teens battle a dark magical creature from a place called "the upside down."
But sure, tone matters, as does the fact that no one's face will get eaten off by a demogorgon here. What will happen is all the tried and true stuff of a multitude of Pixar/DreamWorks movies - in part because the director, Jill Culton, used to work at Pixar as an animator and this is a DreamWorks movie (How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda series, among others). But what's slightly new is the setting (essentially modern day Shanghai, initially) and the protagonist (a young Chinese girl) - both not often seen in a (mostly) American produced movie. What's not all that new is the whole yeti angle; this is the third movie to involve some version of a yeti/sasquatch/bigfoot creature in the last twelve months (Smallfoot and Missing Link).
After all that, it's fair to say the target audience is still 5-12 year olds and their servants, er, parents, but at least now you know what you're gettin' into.
*"a bomb in a bowl"
REVIEWS
"The winning, warm nature of this China-set family film can't be denied, and for all its predictable elements, "Abominable" is still well worth the trip." - Kate Erbland, IndieWire
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
(29 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: you're a 5-12 year old or their parent / someone who keeps watching all those damn Discovery / National Geographic "Bigfoot" shows such that they keep pumpin out more of them
(Not): you hate the snow, even if you're in a temperature controlled room sitting in a recliner
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LIMITED RELEASE SPOTLIGHT
JUDY
AKA
"not Linda"
PG-13 / 1 hr 58 mins
Biopic-Drama / Roadside Attractions
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: A fairly straightforward Judy Garland biopic about the last months of her life, with the key differentiator of Renee Zellweger as Ms Garland.
Where do celebrities go when we're not paying attention to them? They cease to exist right? Or maybe they're stuck into a closet some place where they enter a sort of stasis chamber until called upon for their next US Weekly cover or Oscar party. Because they're not human, they're celebrities!
Or at least that's how "we" treat them. And with that mentality, one can understand why Judy Garland had such a tough life. She wasn't Frances Ethel Gumm from Grand Rapids Minnesota, she was Judy "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Garland, just the cutest darn thing you ever did see. That is until maybe she got a bit older, and her teeth got a little yellower, and she popped a few too many pills. But you might too with constant scrutiny from film execs/the public (often being told you weren't pretty enough), abusive husbands, arduous work schedules. And yet, she was just a human - with kids, with likes, dislikes, hopes, fears. That's the Judy Renee Zellweger is playing. But how can she not be playing Judy Garland too? Because of course she has too, they're one in the same.
Then who better to portray someone so heavily scrutinized, than someone who knows the peaks and valleys of stardom, most notably with her recent experience of people excoriating her over her looks (note: we even hesitate to link because it's so silly and unfair). It also helps that Renee Zellweger is a really good actress who is darn good at her job. Which is critical when the entire movie, which follows Ms Garland in fairly standard biopic fashion through her final months as she pulls off yet another comeback in London, is on her shoulders - it is named Judy after all. But you can imagine why Zellweger would be enticed to play such a role. Because not only is she humanizing Garland, she's essentially humanizing all celebrities, including herself.
Notes: Zellweger is actually slightly older than Garland was when she died, at age 47.
REVIEWS
This one is all about Zellweger, who, based on these reviews, seems assured an Oscar nom. Otherwise it's said to be fairly standard biopic stuff, which includes not including every aspect of Garland's personality.
"It's a nuanced, complex, nakedly emotional performance that digs into the darkest psychology of one of our most beloved stars, and demands that, even in her lowest moments, we could never count Judy Garland out. The same goes for Renee Zellweger." Caryn James, BBC.com
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
(68 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: you want to see some really good acting portraying a person you only know of, but don't really know
(Not): you only ever saw Return to Oz
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ALREADY IN THEATERS + BOX OFFICE
(3-Day Weekend / Domestic Total - $ = millions)
1) Downton Abbey ($31) NEW
Crawley's involved in some drama per yuzh
85% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
2) Ad Astra ($19) NEW
Brad Pitt in space, dealin with family drama
83% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
3) Rambo: Last Blood ($18.9) NEW
It's Rambo (vs Mexican drug cartel)
28% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
4) IT: Chapter Two ($17 / $179)
The Losers Club v Pennywise: Round 2
64% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
5) Hustlers ($16.8 / $62)
J-Lo and Constance Wu strip & steal
88% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
6) The Lion King ($2.7 / $538)
Live action(?) remake
52% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
7) Good Boys ($2.6 / $77)
Superbad Jr.
79% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
8) Angel Has Fallen ($2.4 / $65)
Gerard Butler threequel action movie
39% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
9) Overcomer ($1.5 / $32)
Christian sports movie
45% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
10) Hobbs & Shaw ($1.5 / $171)
The Rock and Jason Statham F & F spinoff
67% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
JOKER
It's "the dark joker movie." And is completely separate from any other DC movies, but just wait until this movie does well and they build it into a universe. Kidding, but not really.
LIMITED RELEASE SPOTLIGHT
LUCY IN THE SKY
Look, this doesn't have great reviews, but it's notable since it's the first movie directed by Noah Hawley who created the Fargo TV show as well as Legion. Plus, it stars Natalie Portman (and other big names) as an astronaut who starts to unravel when she comes back to earth.
FROZEN 2
November 22, 2019
Elsa and the gang are back. And this time there's an enchanted forest because of course there is.
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UNCUT GEMS
December 13, 2019
It's Adam Sandler, but not an "Adam Sandler movie." It's the next one from the Safdie Brothers, who directed Robert Pattinson in 2017's Good Time, which was great, if not for everyone. This one looks similar to Good Time in that it's a gritty New York set and as it happens anxiety fest, with lots happening wrong for our... hero? Already has lots of good reviews.
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THE RHYTHM SECTION
January 31, 2019
Blake Lively's family is killed in a terrorist attack and she goes full Jason Bourne to get revenge. With some help from Jude Law.
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