Couch Theater – Jan. 24, 2019

#Middlebury

“The Hate U Give” (PG-13) – Weighty topics are explored in “The Hate U Give,” based on the YA novel by Angie Thomas. Amandla Stenberg plays Starr, a young black woman caught between two worlds: her neighborhood, a poor to working-class area rife with gang activity; and her school, packed with peers who are predominantly white and privileged. When her best friend – a young black man from the neighborhood named Khalil – is shot at a traffic stop, Starr becomes an unwitting witness to injustice. The story makes national news, and Starr must navigate gang violence, neighborhood politics, class inequality, police and community relations, racial tension and youth activism, all while finding a way to heal.

Ryan Gosling in “First Man” (Universal Pictures photo)

“First Man” (PG-13) – The controversial Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man” does two things: First, it does a commendable job of putting the viewer inside the rocket – the successes and the disasters. Second, it takes a deep dive into the personal life of Armstrong, played stoic and restrained by Ryan Gosling. Armstrong had a rocky road to the moon, from test pilot crashes and personal tragedy, and director Damien Chazelle (who paired with Gosling on “La La Land”) highlights his perseverance through the perilous space race – lost personnel and failed missions that might have sent less enduring astronauts reeling. Although I don’t feel like I know Armstrong any better, the film is worthwhile if only for the NASA history lessons it imparts.

“Johnny English Strikes Again” (PG) – Rowan Atkinson returns as the titular Johnny English, the surprise spy who’s wholly and perhaps delightfully unaware that he’s ridiculously out of his element. A cyberattack has revealed the identities of all the British operatives, so Agent English is called up to investigate and find the cyberbrains behind the attack. The gag is that Johnny English is a rotary phone in a cellular world, and gag after gag after pratfall and awkward situation reminds us of it. I feel like you either get Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) or you don’t. If you do, you’ll like this movie.

“American Renegades” (R) – Navy Seal Matt Barnes (Sullivan Stapleton) leads a ragtag but surprisingly good-looking group of soldiers on an off-the-books mission to recover a pile of Nazi gold. As the story goes, the noble townspeople, rather than have one put over on them, flooded the WHOLE TOWN. So that bullion is at the bottom of a big old lake. Take that, Nazis. Fast-forward to the now, and our cowboys aim to take it back – because Navy Seals can dive. Get it? The story is good (Luc Besson wrote the script), but this movie is so bad that not even J.K. Simmons as the commander can save it.

New TV Releases
“Killjoys” Season 4
“Fuller House” Season 3
“Dick Cavett Show: Inside The Minds Of …” Vol. 2
“Kim Possible: The Classic Animated Series”
“Nature: A Squirrel’s Guide to Success” (PBS)

(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.