Upcoming Theatrical Releases
OCEAN’S 8
Directed by Gary Ross
Rated PG-13 for language, drug use, and some suggestive content
Upon her release from prison, Debbie, the estranged sister of legendary conman Danny Ocean, puts together a team of unstoppable crooks to pull of the heist of the century. Their goal is New York City’s annual Met Gala, and a necklace worth in excess of 150 million dollars.
Entertaining enough, but lacking the depth, charisma, and meaningful villainy of better heist capers. Like all the “Ocean’s” films, the cast is spectacular and make up for some of the shortcomings.
Three out of Five Stars
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR
Directed by Morgan Neville
Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and language
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), Won’t You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this emotional and moving film takes us beyond the zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe, and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.
Equal parts a nostalgic send up of a PBS hero and an unapologetic call for societal civility. What could have been a simple film shows depth and nuance of Fred Rogers, showcases the fundamental good that embodied the man beyond the character. A must see this year.
Five out of Five Stars
HEREDITARY
Directed by Ari Aster
Rated R for horror violence, disturbing images, language, drug use and brief graphic nudity
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell.
Another strong film in a series of “smart” horror that has emerged over the last few years. This isn’t just a good genre piece; it is a good film. Toni Collette goes all in on the performance bringing sweeping, raw emotion to elevate this to one of the best films of the year.
Five out of Five Stars
HOTEL ARTEMIS
Directed by Drew Pearce
Rated R for violence and language throughout, some sexual references, and brief drug use
Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, HOTEL ARTEMIS is an original, high-octane action-thriller starring Jodie Foster as The Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only hospital for criminals.
It’s fun, slick, and utterly lacking coherency. You’ve seen this before, high gloss entertainment that is more style than substance. This isn’t a particularly bad version of that concept, and maybe in a another week that didn’t have such strong competition this would be a front runner. However, you have better choices this week to spend your theater money on. Save this for a rental.
Three out of Five Stars
Ever notice whenever an all female cast takes on something that was predominately a male cast the reviewers say it “lacks depth”? Same thing was said of Ghostbusters. It’s almost like disbelief that women could be smart and clever enough to pull it off.