#Middlebury #DVDs #Video
“The Lighthouse” (R) –Insanity’s siren call takes over two lighthouse workers on a remote New England coast in acclaimed director Robert Eggers’ (“The Witch”) stylized psychological torturer “The Lighthouse.” Veteran tender Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) is joined by new wick man Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) for a four-week tour of duty. As the hours stretch into days and then into weeks, the close quarters and quirks of the two men create a suffocating maelstrom that threatens to erupt as the pair is doubly cut off from civilization by a storm. The film is shot in a deep, rich black and white with a dizzying vintage feel, and both leads pull off superb performances.
Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker” (Warner Bros. photo)
“Joker” (R) – The Joker, the notorious comic-book foil to Batman, has been portrayed as over-the-top and deranged, but never quite like this. Director and writer Todd Phillips throws the past out the door in favor of a deeper, more personal look into the character’s origin story. Arthur Fleck is a clown by day, aspiring comic by night, besieged by inner demons, off his meds and living with an equally delusional mother, as we follow his metamorphosis from victim to iconic villain. Whether you see this as a controversial statement on race relations or the exertions of politics on mental health care, the story is raw, disturbing and sad –and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is hard to look away from.
“A Million Little Pieces” (R) –A collection of great anecdotes does not always a linear story make, and that’s the case with “A Million Little Pieces.” It’s based on the novel of the same name by author James Frey, which is a haphazard memoir of the personalities encountered during Frey’s stay in rehab. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson with husband Aaron in the lead role as Frey, the story picks up with Frey being sent to rehab by his brother (Charlie Hunnam). Through detox and therapy, he makes connections with the fellow residents – crime boss Leonard (Billy Bob Thornton) and an illicit love interest (Odessa Young) among them.
“Crown Vic” (R) –I love a good cop flick, and I’m not alone. There’s something so watchable about a veteran cop breaking in the new guy in the middle of a tense situation on the streets. There’s a reason it’s a formula. What writer-director Joel Souza gives us is just that: Thomas Jane is in the veteran role as Ray Mandel, and Luke Kleintank turns in a respectable performance as rookie beat-cop Nick Holland. The tense situation is a couple of cop killers and a missing child. If you’ve exhausted other options and are in the mood to hold the thin blue line, give “Crown Vic” a tour around the neighborhood.
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“Big Little Lies” Season 2
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© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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