#Middlebury #Movies
“What Happened, Brittany Murphy?” – When actress Brittany Murphy died suddenly in 2009 at age 32, celebrity watchers cast a collective suspicious eye toward the situation. Murphy’s shocking physical and personality changes after marrying failed director Simon Monjack were just part of her decline. This two-part documentary pieces together police reports, official autopsies, amateur true-crime vlogs and interviews with industry insiders close to Murphy, including actor Kathy Najimy and director Amy Heckerling. Theories of brainwashing, abuse and intentional poisoning are addressed, but the most shocking interview is with Monjack’s former girlfriend. Since Monjack also died only a few months after Murphy – in eerily similar fashion – the truth may never be found. (HBOMax)
“Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road” – Arguably one of the great musical geniuses of modern American music, Brian Wilson also has always been an enigma. Volumes have been written about the Beach Boys founder over the decades, and his unique vision and talent for composing music remain wholly unmatched. Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine spent hours driving Wilson around Los Angeles, visiting locales from the Beach Boys’ past and unlocking memories. Musicians past and present weigh in on Wilson’s influence, and as a spectacular bonus, a new original song debuts. (In theaters Nov. 19/on demand Nov. 23)
Joe Exotic in “Tiger King” (Netflix photo)
“Tiger King 2” – Remember back when we were all hiding out at home avoiding the pandemic, and the one thing that bonded us was binge watching a reality series about a low-rent tiger zoo? Hold on to your beer, it’s back for a second round. Though the show’s star is now incarcerated, Joe Exotic’s input is still included via collect calls from prison. Interviews with the rest of the unusual folks who staffed the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma update us on how the series changed their lives, what they’re doing now and if competitor Carole Baskin’s first husband’s real killer has been found yet. (Netflix)
“The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” – Every iteration of the “Housewives” franchise uses a group trip as a storyline and catalyst for crazy behavior. One such trip is even nicknamed “Scary Island” by fans. Well, someone finally got the bright idea to bring the biggest drama queens from four of the housewives’ cities together for one big crossover Caribbean vacay of bikinis, booze and blathering. It’s not for everyone, but sometimes you need a little mindless television. (Peacock)
“Harriet the Spy” – The beloved children’s book by Louise Fitzhugh is now an animated series. (The story was also a live-action movie in 1996.) Harriet M. Welsch is an 11-year-old New York City girl who wants to be a writer. She decides that observing – OK, spying on – others and keeping notebooks of her observations is a step toward this goal. As a budding writer of 11 years old when I first read the book, I adopted this method myself. And as we both came to discover, this practice can backfire. Harriet is voiced by Beanie Feldstein, who is fresh off portraying of Monica Lewinsky on “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” (Apple TV+)
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
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