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| Saoirse Ronan & Laurie Metcalf (r) star in Lady Bird |
From our friend, Arch Campbell...
Best New Bet > Lady Bird - 4 Stars. Greta Gerwig directs a spot-on mother/daughter battle, during a young woman's high school senior year. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf deliver award-worthy performances.
Thank You for Your Service - 3½ Stars. Miles Teller as an Iraq war veteran, struggling with PTSD. Includes a break out performance by little-known actor Beulah Koale. Based on a veteran's memoir.
Blade Runner 2049 - 3 Stars. Sequel to the classic runs long, but packs in the special effects around a thick & juicy plot.
It - 3 Stars. Stephen King thriller delivers.
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| Arch Campbell with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r) |
Dunkirk - 3 Stars. Christopher Nolan recreates the stirring British retreat, aided by civilian boats at the beginning of World War II.
Battle of the Sexes - 3 Stars. Emma Stone and Steve Carell recreate the Billy Jean King/Bobby Riggs, male versus female tennis match of the early 70s.
LBJ - 3 Stars. Woody Harrelson creates a sympathetic portrait of the formidable politician, assuming power after the Kennedy assassination, and passing the 1964 Civil Rights Bill. Rob Reiner directs.
Murder on the Orient Express - 2½ Stars. Hammy but loving remake of the 1974 Agatha Christie classic.
Last Flag Flying - 2½ Stars. Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne and Steve Carell as Vietnam vets, who help Carell bury his son killed on duty in Iraq.
Thor: Ragnarok - 2 Stars. The latest chapter in Marvel's Thor franchise mixes comedy and action in an overlong, sometimes confusing package.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle - 2½ Stars. Not as good as the original, but full of cameo shocks and over-the-top comedy. The action doesn't hit the highs of the comedy. Long and uneven, but still fun.
Loving Vincent - 2 Stars. Beautifully animates Van Gogh's masterpieces, but sets them to a back engineered hokey story.
A Bad Moms Christmas - 2 Stars. Mila Kunis and friends vow to prevent holiday hassle. Follows the formula set by 'The Hangover" and "Bridesmaids."
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House - 2 Stars. Dour story of the FBI agent who passed information on Watergate to Woodward & Bernstein.
Victoria & Abdul - 2 Stars. Judi Dench (as Queen Victoria) grows fond of an Indian commoner, shocking her royal household. Lightweight stuff.
Suburbicon - 1 Star. George Clooney directs a dark tale of white suburbia in the late 1950s. The result is unfunny and unsubtle, without a shred of enlightenment.
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.
