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Friday, October 19, 2018

Arch Campbell's Weekend Movie Guide (10/19/18)

Jamie Lee Curtis stars in Halloween

From our friend, Arch Campbell...

First Man - 4 Stars. Identical triplets, separated at birth, discover each other, later learning why they were separated and how they were used as "lab rats." A chilling documentary.

BlacKkKlansman - 3½ Stars. Spike Lee combines the true story of a 1970s KKK sting with a history of American racism from the Civil War to present day.

Christopher Robin - 3½ Stars. Ewan McGregor as grown-up Christopher returns to the Hundred Acre Wood to learn a few life lessons from his childhood pals. Beautifully produced mix of live-action, animatronics, and animation.

The Sisters Brothers - 3½ Stars. John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix delight in an irony-filled western.

Arch Campbell with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r)

Colette - 3½ Stars. Keira Knightly as the 20th Century French writer.

A Star Is Born - 3 Stars. The third remake's a charm, thanks to Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga.

The Wife - 3 Stars. Glenn Close contends for this year's Best Actress award as long-suffering partner to a renowned writer.

Crazy Rich Asians - 3 Stars. Constance Wu meets the man of her dreams, not knowing he's Asia's catch of the century.

Halloween - 2½ Stars. Jamie Lee Curtis returns 40 years later to put an end to this Michael Meyers business once and for all. Fans will love.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls - 2½ Stars. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett fight evil with magic.

A Simple Favor - 2½ Stars. Single mom Anna Kendrick wants to know why her glamorous fellow mom (Blake Lively) disappears.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout - 2½ Stars. Tom Cruise barrels through another adventure, doing his own stunts and saving the world with one second to spare.

Fahrenheit 11/9 - 2½ Stars. Michael Moore on politics in 2018. Sometimes funny, but often strident and repetitive.

White Boy Rick - 2 Stars. Depressing, true story of a 15-year-old kid recruited as an FBI undercover drug dealer in 1980s Detroit.

Ant-Man and the Wasp - 2 Stars. Uninspired sequel to the much better original.

Beautiful Boy - 1 Star. Steve Carell as writer David Sheff, trying to deal with the drug addiction of his almost perfect son (played by Timothée Chalamet.) These good actors can't quite take this beyond manipulative and hard to watch.

The Oath - 1 Star. Comedy/drama never gets beyond predictable. Americans get a tax cut if they sign a loyalty oath.

Visit Arch's website for his (unrivaled) take on movies. He remains the only other (we're not self-hating) critic, whose opinion we admire and respect.