#Middlebury
“Alita: Battle Angel” (PG-13) – The sci-fi vision of James Cameron meets the intense action of director Robert Rodriguez, and the result is a future world where the line between humans and machines is blurred and sometimes nonexistent. Enter into this Alita, a bit of cyborg wreckage who is dumped without much of a body nor scrap of memory and rebuilt by Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), a robot surgeon. With the help of Ido and a street-wise tough named Hugo (Keean Johnson), Alita learns to navigate the rough back alleys of Iron City and the elevating but brutal sport of motorball while attempting to find the key to her past.
Scene from “Missing Link” (Laika photo)
“Missing Link” (PG) – If you are looking for an animated adventure film full of whimsy and heart for the whole family to enjoy, cue up “Missing Link.” Zach Galifianakis stars as the voice of Mr. Link, just your average reading and writing Sasquatch living in the Pacific Northwest. He recruits adventurer and would-be discoverer of all things mythical Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) to assist him in tracking down distant relatives, the Yetis. They are joined by Frost’s ex-girlfriend and colleague Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), with unfriendly rivals hot on their trail. It’s fun and message-filled with some interesting twists. The pairing of Jackman and Galifianakis is lovely. Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry and Timothy Olyphant are cute in their supporting roles.
“Master Z: Ip Man Legacy” (R) – Max Zhang plays Cheung Tin Chi, a former Wing Chun master who, after being defeated by Ip Man, lives a low-key depressed life as a sometimes grocer, sometimes mercenary. In protecting a vulnerable woman, he ignites a feud with gang leader Tso Sai Kit (Kevin Cheng), eventually pulling in Kit’s sister and partner Kwan (Michelle Yeoh), a drug-dealing restauranteur Davidson (Dave Bautista) and even Tony Jaa, playing a hired assassin. The fight scenes are exquisitely choreographed, as you’d expect from legendary Hong Kong action director Yuen Woo-ping, and expertly executed by a bang-up cast.
“Hellboy” (R) – In a deep season of reboots and resurrections, here’s one we didn’t need. David Harbour (of “Stranger Things” fame) steps into the big red knobbed-off horns of Hellboy, the lovable demonic good guy, on a mission to stop Nimue the Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich). Ian McShane also stars as Hellboy’s adopted dad. Unless you are a unique fan of overly complicated but surprisingly underwritten plotlines, garish violence, absurd creature-monsters and “witty” (it’s in quotes for a reason, folks) dialogue, you might be better skipping this one.
New TV Releases
“Manifest” Season 1
“Dr. Who: Colony in Space”
“What I Like About You” The Complete First Season
“Beverly Hills 90210” Season 4
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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