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“Dark Waters” (PG-13) – A tense thriller underscoring the callous nature of big business, “Dark Waters” is ripped from reality, centering around attorney Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) and his exhaustive pursuit of justice for a West Virginia farm community. Although Bilott is a corporate defense attorney – meaning he protects big companies from prosecution – he is approached by a farmer (Bill Camp) from his grandmother’s hometown, with a story about unexplained sickness in his cow herd, among other things. A small investigation turns into a raging class action suit that unfolds over time against chemical behemoth DuPont. As the avalanche of documents is examined, Bilott discovers the sickening truth that DuPont knowingly was the source of dangerous chemical pollution.
“Queen & Slim” (R) – Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen) and Daniel Kaluuya (Slim) star as a young black couple on a ho-hum first date whose lives are forever turned by a routine traffic stop gone bad. After an unremarkable meal at a diner, Slim is driving Queen, a criminal defense lawyer, home. The pair are pulled over, and the officer – rife with injustice – aggressively searches the car. When Slim politely asks him to hurry, as it’s cold out, the officer draws his weapon. The situation escalates until Slim is forced to shoot the officer with his own gun in self-defense. Knowing what happens to cop killers, the two embark on a journey of escape and in the process find both love and celebrity. It’s a beautifully crafted debut for director Melina Matsoukas.
Scene from “Playmobil: The Movie” (Implus Pictures AG photo)
“Playmobil: The Movie” (PG) – A pair of orphaned siblings – Marla (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy), the formerly freewheeling but now stodgy overprotective older sister, and Charlie (Gabriel Bateman), a saddened but still spunky and rebellious younger brother – crash a toy museum exhibit and get sucked into the world of Playmobil, a sort of Lego cousin, where they are transformed and separated, each having equally jam-packed adventures. Marla goes in hot pursuit of Charlie so she can rescue him. But surprise, the “people” they meet along the way transform them in a different way, breaking Marla free from her self-imposed shackles and teaching Charlie lessons about responsibility. The plot is a very loose guide in which the focus is on stereotypes, product placement and lame jokes.
DOG OF THE WEEK
“2 Graves in the Desert” (NR) – Two hostages in the trunk of a car, neither with a memory of how they got there. Two delirious kidnappers in control, but for how long? Two graves in the desert, but who will end up as the occupants? Cassie Howarth stars as Blake, and Ivan Gonzalez as Eric, who must work together to gain release from their captors Vince (Michael Madsen) and Mario (William Baldwin), two actors who display a shockingly similar version of crazy.
New TV Releases
“Titans” Season 2
“PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups – Super PAWs”
“Black Clover” Season 2, Part 3
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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