#Middlebury #DVDs
“The Mustang” (NR) – In her directorial debut, French actress Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre delivers a touching portrait of a hard man and a wild beast who come to terms with themselves in the desert. Matthias Schoenaerts plays Roman, a violent offender in the Nevada prison system. As part of his rehabilitation program, he is offered a chance to break horses by a grizzled horse trainer named Myles (Bruce Dern). As Roman works to control his animal, he simultaneously must control the animal within himself. Schoenaerts is wonderfully emotive and wears every pain and struggle on his sleeve. The countryside is exquisite. Connie Britton supports as a prison psychologist. Hold through the credits for photos of actual program participants and their horses.
Haley Lu Richardson in “Five Feet Apart” (CBS Films photo)
“Five Feet Apart” (PG-13) – “Riverdale” heartthrob Cole Sprouse heads this modern medical love story as Will Newman, a young man in the hospital for a drug trial. He’s also a charming, if rebellious, artist who aims to woo Stella Grant (played by Haley Lu Richardson), a cystic fibrosis patient in the same hospital in the same drug trial. Much more ebullient and far less rebellious, she strictly adheres to the “6-foot rule” that dictates the distance she must keep from others to prevent cross-contamination. As Stella relaxes her guard and influences Will to be more diligent in his own care, the pair fall in love – despite the physical distance they must keep. Was it predictable and sappy? Of course. Do we care? We do not. I am not ashamed to say I cried.
“Captive State” (PG-13) – Two kids in Chicago watch their parents get vaporized in the front seat of the family car while trying to escape an alien invasion. Ten years later, the aliens are in charge and humans have been turned into a subservient class. One of the kids, Rafe (Jonathan Majors), grows up to lead the resistance; the other, Gabriel (Ashton Saunders), is approached by his dad’s ex-partner Mulligan (John Goodman), now scheming with the aforementioned aliens. Mulligan wants Gabriel to out his brother. With a labyrinth of plot points and a wide range of bit players – Alan Ruck, D.B. Sweeney, Machine Gun Kelly, KiKi Layne – it feels poorly condensed. It needed either some serious editing or more development time. Limited series, anyone?
“Captain Marvel” (PG-13) – The latest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe drops this week on DVD, and for those of you itching to get your hands on the Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) origin story for repeated viewing, your wait is over. This PSA is strictly a reminder to choose your shop carefully. DVD versions will have a variety of special featurettes – including in-depth looks at Nick Fury and Goose the cat – deleted scenes, alternate endings and more. These can vary by retailer.
New TV Releases
“I Am the Night” Miniseries
“Johnny Quest” The Complete Series
“Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s” Volume 2
“Orange Is the New Black” Seasons 1-6
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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