#Middlebury #Movies
“Don’t Look Up” (R) – The plot for this dark comedy with a message is remarkably timely as NASA is planning on hitting an asteroid that’s coming too close to Earth for comfort. On screen, Leo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play low-level astronomers desperately trying to warn the government, the media and the world of impending doom and certain death via a giant comet, only to be met by indifference, laughs and disbelief. The rest of the cast is about as jam-packed with fellow Oscar nominees and winners as you can get, including Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet and Cate Blanchett, plus Matthew Perry, Ariana Grande and more. Premieres Dec. 24. (Netflix)
“You Keep the Kids!” (NR) – In this subtitled Spanish language comedy (AKA “Mama o Papa”), main characters Flora and Victor are parents of three kids. Upon deciding to divorce and each pursue their own dream career opportunities, they realize that neither of them considered remaining the custodial parent of their brood. What follows is a weird game of the parents trying to convince their own children that they’d really prefer living with the other parent. It’s a bizarre battle stemming from the selfishness of adults trying to have it all for themselves. (HBOMax)
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in “Being the Ricardos” (Prime Video photo)
“Being the Ricardos” (R) – The long-awaited story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as their iconic characters of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo has finally arrived. Not since Tom Cruise was cast as the vampire LeStat has there been so much quizzical buzz about casting, namely Nicole Kidman as Lucy. While the story focuses on a time when “I Love Lucy” was facing cancellation, interwoven is the effect of the McCarthyism of the time, rampant sexism, Ball’s desire for control and the relationship between Lucy and Desi (played by Javier Bardem). J.K. Simmons has received applause for his performance as neighbor Fred Mertz, but early reviews of both Kidman and the entire presentation are mixed. (Prime Video)
“King Tut in Color” (NR) – There was a time in the 1980s when scads of old black and white movies were being colorized thanks to advances in digital colorization. One set that had escaped color until now is the 1922 newsreel footage of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. This 44-minute NatGeo documentary shows the excavation process of British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team as they unearth Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings over 3,000 years after his death, in all of its golden glory. Premieres Dec. 24. (Disney+)
“Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon” (NR) – All I can ask is, why hasn’t this special gotten to us sooner?! If anyone will fail at tracking down the leader of an anti-government faction, it’s this dysfunctional and easily distracted crew of the Reno Sheriff’s Department. While doing recon at a QAnon convention, the group gets stranded at sea, and then finds themselves stuck at none other than Jeffrey Epstein’s former island. Awkward! All the favorite characters return, including shorty-shorts-wearing Lieutenant Dangle (Thomas Lennon) and Deputy Clementine Johnson, played by Wendi McLendon-Covey. Premieres Dec. 23. (Paramount+)
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
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