#Middlebury
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (PG-13) – In a follow-up to 2016’s delightful delve into the Potterverse, the notorious wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johhny Depp) escapes capture to continue building an empire of pure-blood followers, and magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is enlisted by a young professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to help in his recapture. Scamander’s path leads through major players in his past (Zoe Kravitz as Leticia Lestrange) and present (the American gang from the original). It also journeys through another magical country; this time France. Although the characters are familiar, the storyline is overburdened with side stories.
Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali in “Green Book” (Universal Pictures photo)
“Green Book” (PG-13) – This year’s Oscar-winning best picture arrives on video this week. Mahershala Ali is Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class classical and jazz pianist who is black. Viggo Mortensen is Tony Lip, a street-tough Italian-American bruiser and bouncer from the Bronx. When Shirley embarks on a concert tour that will take him through the Deep South, he hires Lip as a driver and bodyguard. The two navigate the complex black travel experience with the help of the “Green Book,” while their personal interactions – each learning from and perhaps influencing the other – as well as their experiences on the road facing both racism and decency will move you.
“Mortal Engines” (PG-13) – In a steam-punk fantasy future, a cataclysmic war has ended all nation civilizations, and cities – now mobile machines – stalk down and absorb smaller settlements. Such is the case of Salzhaken, which is eaten by the gigantor megacity London and where a mysterious young woman named Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) is among the newly appropriated citizens. Shaw has a vendetta against London’s Guild of Historians head Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) and has plans to assassinate him. Young apprentice historian Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) and resistance leader Anna Fang (Jihae) become her allies. I was super-stoked for this after seeing previews, but it just fell way short. The visuals are there, but unfortunately, the story isn’t.
Dog Of The Week
“London Fields” (R) – American author Samson Young (Billy Bob Thornton) arrives in London searching for a character to lead his next tale. Upper-crust and tightly wound Guy Clinch (Theo James) falls into an extramarital trap. Low-life hustler Keith Talent (Jim Sturgess) takes possessiveness to the next level, and Desirable Vampirella No. 1 Nicola Six (Amber Heard) leads them all on a merry chase. The twist is that she’s a clairvoyant who sees her own death in one of the four aforementioned gents. It’s tortured beyond the point of being repetitive. We get it. How sexy! How clever! How cool! When your movie trailer relies on a freeze frame of your lead’s butt in a backlit sheer dress, take the message about what kind of film experience you’re getting into. At least it’s truth in advertising.
New TV Releases
“The Last Ship” Season 5
“Ancient Secrets of the Bible” The Complete Series
“The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends” The Complete Series
“The Simple Heist” Series 1
“Ancient Aliens” Season 11
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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