#Middlebury #DVDs
“Yesterday” (PG-13) – What would you do if suddenly you were the only person in the world who remembered the Beatles? Meet Jack (Himesh Patel), who is hit by a bus during a massive blackout and wakes up to find that in the new reality, he is the sole keeper of such hits as “The Long and Winding Road” and, of course, “Yesterday,” which he sings to his friends, staring incredulously when they think it’s original material. His rocket to stardom is swift, including some pretty cute back and forth with a souped-up version of Ed Sheeran, played by Ed Sheeran. But it forces Jack to question what he may be giving up to be falsely famous. Lily James is at her wide-eyed best as Jack’s friend and love interest, as is Kate McKinnon as a seedy manager. From director Danny Boyle.
Jessie Usher, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree in “Shaft.” (Warner Bros. photo)
“Shaft” (R) – JJ (Jessie Usher), a soft but smart MIT-educated cybersecurity expert with the FBI, goes to Harlem to investigate the death of his childhood friend. The criminal underbelly is hard to navigate for a man with no real-world experience, so he looks to his long-absent father (Samuel L. Jackson) for help. It’s a good thing his initials stand for “John Jr.” and his last name is “Shaft”! That’s right, he’s third in a line of legendary private investigators who excel at butt-kicking and looking good doing it. While Dad gives JJ a mean-streets education, they pursue bad guys aplenty – and even grandpa (Richard Roundtree) gets in on the action. There are some witty one-liners and an exciting action moment or two, and even though it mostly fell into cliches, I still found it watchable.
“Child’s Play” (R) – Inspired by the original 1988 classic, this version finds single mom Karen (Aubrey Plaza) again gifting her darling boy Andy (Gabriel Bateman) with a very special doll. An AI, Wi-Fi-enabled piece of high tech designed to learn and grow with its owner, Chucky (voiced by Mark Hamill) befriends Andy and sets off a wave of chaotic violence that puts Andy under the microscope of Detective Mike Norris (Brian Tyree Henry). This wave culminates in typically gory fashion. Although I like Plaza in everything, I didn’t see any justification for a re-make.
“Anna” (R) – Director Luc Besson has a thing for icily beautiful women who are simultaneously vulnerable and fierce. The titular Anna, played by Russian model-turned-actress Sasha Luss, is – surprise, surprise – a Russian assassin turned model. Much like Besson’s “Nikita,” Anna is trained to kill in return for the promise of five years’ service. But then the KGB reneges on the deal, trapping her in the role of killer. To get out of it, she’ll need to hold onto her wits against a CIA agent (Cillian Murphy) and her guns against her Russian handlers (Luke Evans, Helen Mirren), with no shortage of crosses and double-crosses.
New TV Releases
“American Horror Story: Apocalypse”
“Billions” Season 4
“Good Witch” Season 5
“Madame Secretary” Season 5
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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