Friday, June 1, 2018

Arch Campbell's Weekend Movie Guide (6/1/18)

Elle Fanning stars in How to Talk to Girls at Parties

From our friend, Arch Campbell...

First Reformed - 4 Stars. Grieving minister Ethan Hawke tries to counsel an environmental activist on the value of bringing children into our world. Tension-filled and thought-provoking.

Black Panther - 3½ Stars. Chadwick Boseman breathes life into a new and exciting superhero. As king of a little known African nation, he can bring peace and power to the world; but first, he must settle a family score.

The Death of Stalin - 3½ Stars. Funny but painful history lesson of the dance for power to replace the Soviet dictator, with outstanding performances by Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, and Simon Russell Beale.

A Quiet Place - 3½ Stars. Wildly creative horror story. A family must stay quiet, lest they get eaten by blind, sound-sensitive space monsters.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties - 3½ Stars. Elle Fanning is out of this world as a space alien interested in the 1970s British punk scene. Who knew science fiction could be funny and sexy?

Arch Campbell with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r)

Tully - 3½ Stars. Charlize Theron stars as the stressed-out mother of a newborn, who finds peace with the help of an unusual night nanny. A comedy/mystery/thriller with a delicious twist.

Deadpool 2 - 3 Stars. More of the wisecracking, anti-hero superhero played by Ryan Reynolds.

Avengers: Infinity War - 3 Stars. All of the characters in the Marvel Universe fight Thanos, who plans to depopulate the world. A Grand Opera approach to comic books, fans will love.

Book Club - 2½ Stars. Four mature women begin reading "50 Shades of Grey" and things change. Great cast includes Jane Fonda, Candace Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenburgen.

Disobedience - 2½ Stars. Rachael Weitz returns to her conservative Orthodox community after the death of her father.

Solo: A Star Wars Story - 2 Stars. Uninspired prequel to the 1977 original.

Life of the Party - 2 Stars. Melissa McCarthy as a newly divorced mom going back to the same college as her daughter.

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.