#Middlebury
Fred Rogers in “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” (Focus Features photo)
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” (PG-13) – As its subject is the revolutionary but soft-spoken icon of kindness Fred Rogers, it’s no surprise that director Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” 1) is the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all time, and 2) left zero dry eyes in my viewing audience (the DVD really should come fitted with a travel pack of tissues). Through 31 seasons of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” covering a gamut of difficult issues – race, death, family structure, violence, disability and more – we came to know a man who modeled empathy, hope, acceptance and, without fail, love for all of us, big and small. This moving portrait is a deeper look into a life of a man whose values are worth emulating and who set an example worth striving for.
“Adrift” (PG-13) – Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin star in a tale of disaster, resilience and romance set (literally) on the high seas. Tami Oldham (Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Claflin) meet and fall in love in Tahiti, then are booked to sail a yacht from Tahiti to San Diego. Into their path, a category 5 hurricane develops, which they miraculously survive. Since Sharp is physically incapacitated, against all odds and adrift in the middle of nowhere, Oldham must pull it together and save them both. It’s inspirational, yes, but also a horrible nightmare and one more reason that I do not like sailing – especially considering this Dramamine drama is based on a true story!
“Hereditary” (R) – In his directorial debut, Ari Aster delivers a disconcerting and terrifying story of the burden of familial legacy. Annie (in a luminously deranged performance by Toni Collette) has just lost her distant, secretive mother. Her mental state already degrading, she joins an emotional support group where she meets a fellow mourner, Joan (Ann Dowd), who introduces her to the world of the occult. Annie and her family (Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff and a creepily disconnected daughter played by Milly Shapiro) experience a series of terrifying occurrences that unravel them – immolation or decapitation, anyone? This film is genuinely unnerving and is built for serious deep-horror fans.
“Ghost Stories” (NR) – This lovely little British horror anthology stars Andy Nyman as Professor Goodman, host of a ghost-story-debunking television program. He receives a triptych of case files, meant to effectively scare him supernatural. The mysteries in question involve: a night watchman (Paul Whitehouse) at an abandoned women’s asylum; a young man (Alex Lawther) who possibly ran over the devil in the middle of the woods; and a city businessman (Martin Freeman) haunted by his late wife and their demon child. Scary, yes, and funny too. “The brain sees what it wants to see,” says the professor. I see deliciously dark, creepy fun.
New TV Releases
“Adventure Time” The Final Seasons
“Bull” Season 2
“Hawaii Five-0”
“Superstore” Season 3
(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.
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