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“The Greatest Showman” (PG) – Witness the rise and drive behind America’s original sanguine starmaker, P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman). His story runs from his roots in poverty, through a series of failed business opportunities, to his all-in gamble collecting what were the dregs of society, and duding them up to be displayed as jeweled rarities … and it does so with original music and dance numbers! Jackman plays Barnum as relentlessly positive and captivating, and Michelle Williams is a real sweetheart as Barnum’s wife Charity. The music alone is wonderful: You can feel the confidence blooming in “This Is Me,” and the butterflies in your stomach during “Rewrite the Stars,” the rope-swinging love song between Philip Carlyle (Zac Efron) and Anne Wheeler (Zendaya).
“My Friend Dahmer” (R) – This dark little film is a portrait of a young Jeffrey Dahmer told from the perspective of his real-life high-school pal Derf (Alex Wolff). Ordered by his clueless dad (Dallas Roberts) to “get some friends,” Dahmer takes up with a small cadre of kids who form a Dahmer fan club, inserting Dahmer into a variety of pranks and hijinks. But alone, he’s a young man on the fringe – weird, fixated on a local jogger, vulnerable and detached. He slowly mutates into a killer, as his unhinged mother (Anne Heche) battles mental illness. If you are a fan of Ross Lynch from his “Austin and Ally” days on Disney, be prepared for a sudden, disturbing turnabout.
Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Phantom Thread”
(Focus Features)
“The Phantom Thread” (R) – Set in the high-fashion world of London in the early 1950s, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) rules as a couturier to the elite. His fashion house is managed by his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville). He is highly organized, strictly controlled by routine and a confirmed bachelor. While delivering a piece to a client of great esteem, he is captivated by a waitress in a countryside restaurant. He woos Alma (Vicky Krieps), and she becomes his lover, muse, and ultimately, wife, but not before their tormented wills unfurl and collide: Stitched together in one place, the seams are ripped apart in another. The film, which received six Oscar nominations, is another rousing success for director Paul Thomas Anderson.
“Braven” (R) – “Big and beautiful” describes both the mountain scenery in this standard but well-done action feast and its star, Jason Momoa. He plays gentle giant Joe Braven – father, husband and logging-company owner. He heads up to his cabin in the woods with his good old dad to button it up for the season, when lo and behold, they come across a giant bag of cocaine, which was stashed in the cabin by some drug traffickers. While there’s only one gun and a bow and arrows in the cabin, you get the idea that Mr. Braven is skilled in the art of defense – and you won’t be disappointed to see how. Garret Dillahunt does a wonderful turn as the villainous bad guy Kassen.
New TV Releases
“The Coroner” Season 1
“Outlander” Season 3
“Vice Principals” The Complete Series
(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.
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